Chapter 622 - 587 Start of the Eight-Headed Snake’s Evolution
Vine Demon Space — after a long period of planning, Da Fei’s attack finally reached the final implementation stage. At the riverbank of the Vine Demon Jungle, the vine demons were using vines to connect boat after boat of the Green Leaf to build a floating bridge.
After making two trips back and forth, the Flying Ship also transported all the Demon Children stationed at the lake shore city wall. A total of 5,346 Demon Children crowded on the riverbank like a sprawling red sea.
The role of cannon fodder was very important, especially the Demon Children with mana-drain special skills. Players familiar with the Hell Race were most troubled by the Demon Children, as their numbers were hard to accumulate. Whether fighting monsters or in PvP, Demon Children were always the primary target of the opponent’s heavy firepower in the first round. Just like the Elf Clan’s Jungle Hunter or the Human Race’s Crossbowman, this was the fate of these flashing yet fragile troop types; they were the "super MTs" who weren’t MTs, but their aggro-pulling ability was top-tier!
As long as these Demon Children were present, once the battle started, there was a very high chance that they would attract the first round of blows from the Hydra. And the target of this first round could very well decide the success or failure of the entire battle, so the Demon Children must perish! It must be said that remembering the role of the Demon Children only at the last minute was indeed a significant oversight by Da Fei. In the end, it was mainly because back then, he couldn’t command such a large number of Demon Children on the battlefield, and bringing too few was pointless, so he inadvertently overlooked their strategic value.
But now it was different. Now these over five thousand Demon Children had been divvied up and led by these five heroes: Ogg, Gengna, Shakert, Alkin, and Fu’er. Their leadership’s Command Power certainly did not disappoint Da Fei; each of them indeed had an average Command Power reaching 1,000! What was this level? This was the level of Fleeting Blossom, the number one Epic Deputy Hero in the China Region. Fleeting Blossom’s deputy hero achieved a Command Power of 1,000 through official positions, whereas these Wandering Heroes clearly held no such positions, which meant their Command Power was genuine.
Certainly, analyzing from the game’s background, these mercenary heroes had been wandering underground for hundreds of years, their age spanning some centuries. High Command Power was normal; a human born twenty or thirty years ago indeed had no capital to compare with them.
In any case, these mercenary heroes were indeed formidable, no wonder Elena held them in high regard, and my axe reward was well deserved.
With the strategic cannon fodder setup settled, the next problem was the entry of the cannon fodder. This involved the Hydra’s alert range.
After about a month’s worth of disturbances with 4,000 wood units, the exhausted Hydra’s alert range had now shrunk to its Corrosive Poison Domain, but this was only against stealth targets. And according to standard game conventions, the instance entrance is typically a safe zone left for players, so a large group entering would go unnoticed, at least by a sleepy and dazed Hydra.
So the key question was how large was this safe zone? After all, the number of Demon Child troops was overwhelming; the simple task of deploying five thousand of them across the narrow, limited riverbank required a long line. If this triggered the Hydra’s awareness, it would be caught off guard, which Da Fei didn’t want to see.
However, Da Fei dared not test haphazardly; the current Hydra was like a taut wire—who knew what the consequences would be once it awoke? There’s only one way, which is to have Anlicia’s fog and the Flying Ship’s special skill—the Dark Domain—provide a double cover for the Demon Children cannon fodder during the Hydra’s mutation and evolution. Da Fei believed that even if the Hydra sensed something unusual at that time, it would be too late.
If that were the case, the Flying Ship would need to guard the riverbank of the passage, which would make it inconvenient to act as a transportation tool. Thus, this task was handed over to the Vine Demon Tribe to use vines and Green Leaf Boats to build a floating bridge. At this moment, the Vine Demon Tribe was busy along the riverbank.
The next step was the landing assault drill for the Ancient Trees.
Under Tamilia’s control, the upgraded Holy Vine Space Gate indeed expanded considerably, allowing Nasir to come and go inside the Space Gate. It was hard to imagine how an Ancient Tree Fortress, a structure taller and bulkier than the Flying Ship, could be transported aboard the Flying Ship.
This was the power of the Holy Vine Space; this was the cutting-edge of future technology!
Before acquiring the Ancient Tree, Da Fei’s original plan was to cautiously steer the Flying Ship in a face-off with the Hydra’s mountainous bulk. But with the Ancient Tree in play, there was an additional layer of security: first, let the Ancient Tree go head-to-head with the Hydra, and when the Ancient Tree couldn’t withstand it anymore, withdraw it back into the Holy Vine Space aboard the ship, then use the Flying Ship for the face-off.
Surely, a fortress plus a massive warship in a tag-team wouldn’t fail? The tactical key was allowing the Ancient Tree to flexibly enter and exit the Holy Vine Space. Not being able to retreat when overwhelmed would be disastrous.
Thus, the key to this drill was guaranteeing that the Ancient Tree could retreat a single step into the gate, slipping back. This posed quite a substantial challenge to Tamilia’s control skills. In short, practice intensified.
So what remained was a critical issue: Deirdre, who had been training in the barracks for quite a while, still hadn’t grasped Master-level Dark Magic. This was most vexing to Da Fei. Honestly, can she truly advance by practicing on those ordinary Banshees?
If advancement remained out of reach, could simply relying on Master-level Dark Puppetry control that brain-dead Ice Head? To ensure absolute readiness, the only option was to lend Deirdre Elena’s Divine Equipment, using absolute magic power to suppress it.
If even this most critical step couldn’t work, then only by using Makar’s Time Stopping Artifact, along with sacrificing 5,000 cannon fodder to distract the Hydra, would Storm Attack blow the sails and withdraw.
Indeed, as a mature army commander, one couldn’t always optimistically believe that preparations were thorough and thus assume a win was guaranteed. One must consider what to do after a loss. The theory that "thinking of a loss before the battle starts is a destined failure" is untenable! Those who cannot afford to lose will resort to extreme measures!
Since the game launched, Da Fei had defeated many demigods, but those victories came with strong NPC assistance, often mere avatars. This time was completely different—it was Da Fei’s first attempt to fully rely on his own strength to kill a demigod, no, a god’s true self! Who could confidently claim victory over a god? One must be ready to face failure.
...
At 2:20 PM, all the Demon Children were well-fed and fully recovered in stamina.
At 2:30 PM, Nasir Ancient Tree ceased exhausting its energy, practice completed and officially loaded on the ship. The Flying Ship stood quietly near the Vortex Space Gate, ready for immediate departure.
At 2:45 PM, the floating bridge leading from the Vine Demon Space to the Vortex Space Gate, and the floating bridge in the Hydra Passage were completed.
Everything was ready! Tension, excitement, and unease, along with discussions from tycoon players across the World Channel about the already-started National War and the soon-to-begin international competition, dispelled Da Fei’s fatigue from staying up late. Da Fei anxiously awaited the arrival of the final battle’s moment.
At 3:00 PM, just as another day passed in the game, Da Fei, who had been observing the Hydra’s movements in the Hydra Passage, suddenly noticed the Hydra’s eighth head twitching slightly!
Da Fei’s entire body shuddered! Simultaneously, a red explosion erupted on Da Fei’s screen, and the system prompt alarm sounded!
—System Prompt: Warning! Your Epic Quest upgraded version of "Pool of Purifying Light," "The Imminently Collapsing World Tree Space," has increased in difficulty!
—System Prompt: Warning! DemiGod-level creature Hydra—because of unforeseen circumstances—is about to undergo a God-level evolutionary mutation ahead of schedule! The completely God-level evolved Hydra will be immeasurably powerful, and the rewards upon killing it will also be significantly increased. If killing the evolved Hydra fails, there will be unknown severe consequences!
What was inevitable had finally come! I’ll face the unknown with top-tier confrontation! I’ll leave the unknown consequences to the Kingdom NPC to handle; I believe that even if the sky falls, the main game engine has a way to save itself.
Without saying another word, Da Fei retreated back to the Vine Demon Space to board the ship, then waved grandly: "Stealth! Set off!!"
At the same time, the five thousand Demon Children, who had been waiting at the riverbank, surged like a crimson flood onto the floating bridge and into the Vortex Gate.
The scene shifted, and the Flying Ship made its first appearance in the Hydra Passage, where the entire passage was shrouded in mist. Under the cover of the fog and the Flying Ship’s special skill, the Dark Domain, the Demon Child Army poured in a vast amount, creating a vast haze of blood-red across the riverbank. As anticipated in the plan, the Hydra did not observe these intruders.
At this moment, Deirdre approached Da Fei, her expression complex, apologetically saying: "Master, I failed to comprehend Master-level Dark Magic at this critical moment. I’m entirely useless, but please, Master, be assured, I still have a chance. As long as I challenge the Hydra, even if I fail once or twice, I might break through the bottleneck and comprehend it soon!"
Da Fei felt a twinge of tension; faced with a situation where an arrow was already on the bowstring, it was impossible not to shoot!
Da Fei could only say: "Be extremely careful, and always be ready to activate the divine artifact for survival!"
At this moment, Selvia handed over the Sea Soul Staff to Deirdre: "Take this, an extra weapon is an extra layer of protection!"
Deirdre hastily accepted the Divine Wand and solemnly saluted: "Thank you, Lord Selvia!"
Da Fei couldn’t help but feel sentimental; who said Selvia would cling onto a divine artifact and never let go? Faced with a life-or-death situation, the friendship transcending races and factions, even a divine artifact becomes trivial.
Now, Deirdre gathered all the Charming Emperors, Artillery Emperors, and Demon Soul Sea Demons who could fly, ready to take off at any moment. Their advantage lay in their ability to suddenly insert into the battlefield at the fastest speed. And their participation meant... meant Da Fei’s earlier mental preparations for facing failure were so tangled, so painful. Honestly, how many people can truly afford to lose?
Now, the Demon Child Army was fully in place, and the entire riverbank was a tide of crimson.
At this time, although the Hydra’s eight heads were wildly dancing, it remained unswakened. The most crucial step Da Fei needed to achieve was to wait for its ninth head to emerge! Then, deliver the decisive opening blow while it languished in a drowsy state!
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