"Well done, Naoko. Your delay tactics were very successful!"
Kitagawa stopped his skills and grinned arrogantly.
"Thank goodness, Yamata no Orochi is back! Finally, we won't be tormented anymore!"
"Die, you despicable US dogs!"
"Everyone, protect Naoko! With her, we will win!"
The Thousand Hands Guild, which had been in a slump, suddenly surged with energy. With the insane attributes of Yamata no Orochi, even the US Triple Crown winner was bound to lose!
This time, even if they had to sacrifice themselves to be shields for Naoko, they would protect their trump card, Yamata no Orochi, at all costs!
"Hellfire."
"Nine Heavens Flame Prison."
Naoko lowered her head, her beautiful face showing a dark, almost manic expression.
The fire-breathing snake heads hissed and unleashed a barrage of powerful A-rank fire magic.
"Player Naoko has exited the combat group."
The message flashed before all Thousand Hands members. What did it mean for her to suddenly leave the combat group?!
Was she planning to have a fair duel with US's Sorcerer?
In such a crucial moment, she wasn't relying on the strength of her guildmates to resolve the issue? This was the most foolish decision possible!
"Naoko... have you gone mad? What are you doing?" Kitagawa's eyes widened.
The fire elements surged again, but this time, the targets were... the members of Thousand Hands.
Naoko: "Orson-kun, I agree with you. I have the strength to be a leader, so why settle for being a puppet? This is unfair."
The Thousand Hands guild members were stunned. Even if they were burned alive by Yamata no Orochi, they still couldn't believe that the guild leader of one of the top three guilds in the UJ district, the Thousand Hands Guild, was betraying them!
SirLagsALot: "A big thank you to you, my god, you should be scamming people instead of playing this game, your eloquence is unbelievable!"
"I just lit a small flame inside her heart. She was too pure, but she's smart enough," Orson said with a slight smirk, his eyes glinting like a demon smiling at its followers.
SirLagsALot: "That small flame... is it lust?" he teased, grinning, but Orson swatted him away with a slap.
"I am the leader of the Thousand Hands Guild! An SS-tier summoner of the UJ district! If anyone has a problem with my decisions, they can leave the guild right now!"
Naoko, with a cold face, shouted. Kitagawa and the others could hardly believe their eyes. What kind of person was this man who had so easily swayed Naoko?
In just a few minutes, Naoko had completely changed.
Orson watched as the Thousand Hands members danced in the flames, but he wasn't surprised.
The first-ever SS-tier hidden class player in the world, her ambitions had started growing wild the moment she unlocked her awakened class.
Long controlled by the financial conglomerate behind the scenes, the core members of her guild had stripped her of power, leaving her unable to make any major decisions.
She had the strength to intimidate others but never had the resolve to turn against her guild.
It wasn't until Orson appeared that Naoko had her awakening.
In this game, as long as you were strong enough, you could do whatever you wanted!
Naoko understood the power of her SS-class summoner title and wasn't afraid of Kitagawa and the other top players leaving the guild. Others would come looking for her.
Even if the financial conglomerate behind her forced her out of the guild in real life, other powerful factions would extend an olive branch to her.
"Is there anyone else who wants to die? Step forward," Naoko declared proudly. With Yamata no Orochi by her side, she feared no threats except for the man standing before her.
Kitagawa and the others were silent, but they didn't leave the guild.
"Wait until Shimoji returns. He'll make you pay for this! Don't forget, your combat ranking is lower than his!" Kitagawa snarled.
"And what about me?" Orson asked nonchalantly.
Kitagawa immediately clammed up, as if he had swallowed something bitter, his words drying up.
Naoko smiled faintly. The man before her was her greatest support.
Naoko had tasted the sweetness of power, and now she couldn't resist.
"I represent the Thousand Hands Guild. From today onwards, we will pay the Tithe to the Godslayer Guild."
Not long after, a global announcement stunned players in the US and UJ districts.
"They gave in! The Thousand Hands Guild was defeated by Orgod alone!"
"Damn, this is too brutal. Playing an online game and now we have to pay taxes? Orgod is so ruthless!"
"Who's still claiming SS summoners are invincible? I'll flatten them with one punch!"
"Hahaha, so satisfying!"
The US district world chat exploded in excitement.
In SirLagsALot's live stream, viewers who witnessed Naoko's betrayal flooded the chat with gifts, making him dizzy from the overwhelming donations.
"We... might be getting ruled. Is the Yamato clan really going to fall like this?"
"One man slaughtered thousands of players. My god, luckily it's just a game!"
"The Dragon Empire, undefeated Sorcerer, divine might forever!"
"Strong people should rule the weak, that's an eternal truth. I want to ask, can we join the guild across servers now?"
Meanwhile, the UJ district was in chaos. Many players were in despair. No one had expected such an outcome, and no one could accept this harsh reality.
"I can't believe it. Is he really playing this game with his head? I thought the Thousand Hands Guild would at least last ten hours."
Madman grumbled as he looked at Naoko's "surrender announcement," cursing someone as a true monster. It only took Orgod a bit over an hour to conquer the UJ district.
"Anyone who enters the mine will die!"
Madman sat at the entrance to the Serene Mine, surrounded by the bodies of UJ district players.
He had beaten up a medium-sized guild called Rampage Legion, taking control of a small Soul Essence Stones vein.
Stewart: "This mine now belongs to Madman. If you have any questions, come talk to the leaders."
After dealing with the enemies in the area, the Assassin Team quickly moved to the adjacent mines, mercilessly hunting down any players there.
With Stewart's support, the Assassin Team's attributes increased by 110%, and killing UJ players was a breeze.
They swept the area a dozen times, forcing the leaders of three guilds to step forward and, "cooperatively" agree to pay the Tithe.
They weren't weak, but there was no way to resist. The dragon shadow that passed over the skies made them afraid to fight back.
The Thousand Hands Guild's Naoko had already surrendered, so what could these smaller guilds with only five to six hundred members say?
Iron Cavalry: "Oh yeah! We've almost wrapped up here too. It was so much fun killing earlier, but why did they suddenly collapse?"
Absolute Kid: "Wasn't he the so-called number one tank? Even his jetpack runs are running out. How dare he keep calling?"
Iron Cavalry: "I've never used this rare item. Let me try it out, what's the problem?"
The knights had run into some trouble while raiding a large mine, being surrounded by up to six guilds with over a thousand members.
However, Nightshade's flying backpack was incredibly useful, allowing the group to quickly escape the encirclement and regroup for a counterattack.
They held their ground until the air drops from Thousand Men KillerMoney Traveler, Ruby, and Wild Gale landed.
The air support tore through the enemy's ranged DPS lines, flipping the battle in their favor.
The most unexpected development was that Naoko, riding Yamata no Orochi, led 200 elite players from her guild to assist.
With a barrage of magical attacks, the battle quickly lost its suspense.
"AV Guild announces that it will pay the Tithe to Godslayer! Please, USSorcerer, show mercy!"
"Tokyo Guild announces it will pay the Tithe to Godslayer... Triple Crown winner's divine might is unmatched!"
The flames of war raged into the night. Thirteen mines that were under real control were swiftly claimed by Godslayer.
The world channel in UJ district was full of cries of despair.
At this point, UJ district had been partially developed or was in semi-early stages, with more than half of the mines now under Godslayer's control.
Meanwhile, the UJ players trying to cross into the US district were like children playing house compared to Orgod.
Now, this was real plunder and exploitation!
Of course, the guild leaders weren't stupid. Instead of being constantly wiped out by Orson's team and losing their gear, agreeing to pay the Tithe wasn't such a great loss.
Weighing the pros and cons, they chose to agree first and pray that Orgod's group would lose to the NPC army.
Some even thought about joining the mission to take down Godslayer.
As long as Orgod was dead, Godslayer would never be able to stir up any trouble again.