Nie Yan reappeared 1,000 meters away from the battlefield. He contacted the scattered group members and had them reconvene.
Everyone returned to the mountain forest, adrenaline still pumping from the recent battle.
At the cost of only a single Group Teleport Scroll, and without suffering any casualties, they had killed roughly 1,500 enemy players. More than 300 of whom were Priests, who could no longer participate in the siege!
"What are your kill counts?" Edgeless asked.
"106," Monochrome replied.
"12," Paladin of the Elegy said.
...
The Warriors had killed the most enemies, with the Thieves coming in second, and the Paladins and Priests in last since they were focusing most of their efforts on providing support. Smoke Stub had the highest kill count among the Warriors at 163. Monochrome and Edgeless were the next highest with roughly 100 each.
The person who racked up the most kills was Nie Yan at 503. However, most of the work was done by Lil' Gold. He had personally taken down only 50 or so players. This was the advantage of area-of-effect magic.
"It's a pity we didn't bring any Mages. With Undying Scoundrel, Sparrow Hawk, and them around, we could've definitely wreaked a lot more havoc." Bladelight chuckled.
"It's a good thing we left so quickly. I briefly clashed with a few Berserkers from Alliance of Mages. They're skilled. I wasn't able to gain any ground," Smoke Stub said in a grim tone.
Smoke Stub was indisputably the most skilled Berserker in Asskickers United, so his assessment carried a lot of weight.
Although Asskickers United had many elite players, Alliance of Mages, Divine Protectors, and Bloodlust Blades were no slouches either, to say nothing of a leviathan like Angel Corps.
It was no surprise Asskickers United was under immense pressure facing the full might of Bloodlust Blades, along with the elites from Alliances of Mages, Divine Protectors, and Angel Corps. Although they had more than 100,000 players defending the Cripps Stronghold, their true fighting strength was closer to 50,000. Not to mention Bloodlust Blades had the support of those frighteningly destructive Armoured Catapults.
Nevertheless, even though Bloodlust Blades, Alliance of Mages, Divine Protectors, and Angel Corps were powerful, trying to uproot Asskickers United from Calore was no easy task.
The ambush led by Nie Yan had still more or less managed to hinder the enemy's assault.
A section of the Cripps Stronghold's walls finally collapsed under the constant bombardment of the Armoured Catapults. The forces of Bloodlust Blade rushed inside like a surging tide.
At this moment, the watchtowers showed their true worth. A dense volley of bolts rained down on the invaders, instantly killing hundreds of them.
The players from both sides clashed at the gap in the wall.
Guo Huai watched the players from Bloodlust Blades flooding inside the stronghold from the highest point atop the walls.「First Division, stop the enemy! Second Division, get ready to go up. Third Division, remain on standby! Hold the breach at all costs! Even if we have to fight 'til the last man!」
Asskickers United players were rushing over to set up a blockade at the collapsed section of the wall. Every single one of them were giving it their all. Guo Huai had already passed down the order. All of them were naturally prepared for death.
Wave after wave of Bloodlust Blades players charged inside, only to be beaten back every single time.
Led by several elites, the players from Bloodlust Bladess continued surging forward like an unceasing tide. If Asskickers United failed to secure the breach, the entire Cripps Stronghold would become a battlefield!
"Everyone, follow me! Fuck those bastards from Bloodlust Blades!" A tall Fighter brandished his sword and rushed forward to plug the breach in the wall. He held off wave after wave of attacks.
"Samsara needs healing! Somebody heal him!" several players behind the Berserker shouted.
Falling Samsara's health rapidly fluctuated up and down. Were it not for the more than 20 Priests in the back constantly healing him, he would've long since died. His pretty decent gear played a vital role as well. Any other Warrior would not have been able to take so much punishment.
Under the repeated assaults, one Asskickers United player fell after another. Falling Samsara's eyes were red with bloodlust as he met the enemy head-on.
Falling Samsara was a relatively new member of Asskickers United and hadn't participated in previous wars. Although he was decently skilled, he still hadn't entered the core ranks of the guild. He initially joined on a whim. But after bonding with his fellow guildmates, he quickly developed a strong sense of belonging to the guild.
If the Cripps Stronghold fell, the players of Asskickers United would truly become stray dogs. All their previous glory would go up in smoke, replaced by the shame of defeat.
Only now did they realize the true meaning of glory!
Glory was being able to hold your head high above all others! It was being viewed with reverence and not disdain!
It was something borne out of the blood and fire on the battlefield and guarded with your blade!
Falling Samsara took the lead in pushing the players from Bloodlust Blades back. His relentless tenacity took his companions by surprise, igniting the flames of passion in their hearts.
"Brothers, slaughter these sons of bitches!"
Following a cacophony of impassioned cries, the players from Asskickers United charged at the enemy with reckless abandon.
Only moments away from breaching through the defenses of the Cripps Stronghold, the players from Bloodlust Blades never expected the momentum to suddenly reverse as Falling Samsara and his group beat them back. The several elites leading them were surprisingly killed in the ensuing chaos, leading to the remainder of their forces collapsing.
Falling Samsara firmly blocked off the narrow opening. The breach in the wall was already secured.
"Who is that?" Guo Huai asked Zhao Li, who was standing next to him, in surprise. He wasn't familiar with many of the players below him.
"Falling Samsara, a recent recruit to the guild. He's decently skilled," Zhao Li replied. He did have at least this much of an impression of Falling Samsara.
At this moment, Guo Huai received word from the guild headquarters that the manufacturing of the Goblin Magic Cannon was complete.
He immediately contacted Nie Yan.
Nie Yan sent Bladelight and the others back to the Cripps Stronghold to escort the Goblin Magic Cannon up the walls.
Everyone became even busier as access to several roads were sealed off. Bladelight and the others transported the Goblin Magic Cannon to the highest watchtower in the Cripps Stronghold. Its long muzzle was then aimed at the distant Armoured Catapults.
The Goblin Magic Cannon could only be used for defense because of its immense weight and immobility. Now that a Goblin Magic Cannon was defending the stronghold, the three Armoured Catapults would never again be allowed to show their might beneath the Cripps Stronghold's walls.
At the later stages of the game in the previous timeline, the most common war engines in sieges were Magic Cannons and Trebuchets. Armoured Catapults had no place in such a battlefield because of their short range. A single Goblin Magic Cannon would pose a huge threat to the three Armoured Catapults.
Nie Yan led 1,000 Asskickers United elites to the back of Bloodlust Blades' forces.
Bloodlust Blades had already positioned some elites there to ward off a potential assault on their backlines.
Nie Yan looked up ahead at the battlefield. The three Armoured Catapults were still bombarding the Cripps Stronghold non-stop. Soaring Angel and his group were leisurely waiting for the stronghold to fall.
「Prepare for a full-on assault! We're going to paint the Cripps Stronghold red with the blood of our enemies! None of those bastards will leave here alive today! Brothers of Asskickers United, do you all remember that line in the intro of Conviction? 'From this day forth as one we stand, advancing and retreating, living and dying, till our presence reaches across all corners of the world, for our glory is our life!' Today, the Cripps Stronghold will be reborn as the new United City!」
After Nie Yan's speech, the players jointly thought back to the poem recited during Conviction's introduction.
「Amid the mist before the dawn
By the last glow of the bonfire
Let God be my witness
As the first light shines and the moon and stars fall
As the embers fade and the darkness dissipates
The world is transformed in our wake
From this day forth we stand as one
Bound are our paths
So too our souls
Till our presence is in all
For our glory is our life! 」
Someone started whispering it out loud, and one by one his brothers joined him until the entire guild was chanting in unison. This was the essence of Conviction! It held a profound meaning within it: Unity, Comradery, Glory! That was the theme of Conviction. In this world controlled by gods, users of magic and martial arts shined together. Brotherhood proved by endless battle!
"From this day forth we stand as one. Bound are our paths, so too our souls. Till our presence is in all. For our glory is our life!"
Given this was the greatest trial Asskickers United had ever faced, with the forces of Bloodlust Blades right at their doorsteps, these words resonated deeply within everyone. This was the comradery of the guild!
"Bound are our paths, so too our souls! Our glory is our life! Brothers! Let's show them just who Calore belongs to! Bloodlust Blades can get the fuck out!"
"Kill them all! For Asskickers United!"
Nie Yan's speech roused their spirits, lighting the fires of passion and bloodlust as the guild moved as one in the final preparations before battle.
The climax of the war was now!
The gates of the Cripps Stronghold rumbled as they opened. More than 100,000 players from Asskickers United stood behind the gates. In just a few moments, the final decisive battle would begin!
On the highest watchtower in the Cripps Stronghold, the Goblin Magic Cannon was already calibrated and aimed toward the Armoured Catapults.
「The final battle starts now. Everyone, kill!」Nie Yan ordered in the guild chat.
「Boog!」A glowing cannonball soared through the sky, heading straight towards the distant Armoured Catapults. This was the signal to start the battle!