"Ten seconds countdown."
"Nine seconds."
"…"
The red subtitles flashing before the eyes of the Godslayer Guild members added a touch of bloodshot intensity to their gaze. The wind howled, and the atmosphere was suffocating.
Around the Bone Dragon Stronghold, thousands of players were assembling in every stronghold, preparing for the battle. In contrast, the world channel was eerily quiet. Many players, confused, exited the esports official live stream. They couldn't understand—how could such a major US esports official stream be shut down?
What was going on here?
What was even stranger was that all streams marked with titles like [Godslayer Slayer] and [Crushing Orgod] were being shut down for "rectification," leaving only one stream with the title [Esports Association is Useless], which shot straight to the top of the popularity rankings. It was truly baffling.
"It's starting!"
Madman's tone became serious as thunder rumbled in the horizon. Dark clouds rolled toward Bone Dragon Stronghold, creating a sense of impending doom.
Bradley: "Damn, can you be more overpowered? Seriously, this game is broken!"
The Godslayer Guild's players gasped in shock as thousands of NPC earth soldiers appeared. These NPCs were at level 35, with at least 200,000 HP each—tougher than even elite monsters of level 40.
And then, dark shadows loomed in the clouds above. What were those things?
"Attention! Lord Cain is assembling his forces!"
"Attention…"
Alerts continuously blared through the guild chat. A massive pressure enveloped the players, their backs cold with fear. And this was only a fraction of the NPC army.
ShatteredCrown: "I'm willing to give up ten years of fun to calm everyone down. Let's unite the Three Great Guilds—unbeatable!"
Madman: "Just shut up. Don't think that just because you've got that twisted staff, you can act like you're the boss. Follow orders."
ShatteredCrown, clad in the retired Sacred Realm power suit given to him by Orson, stood proudly at the front, trying to emulate Orson's posture. His staff of power had multiple casting effects, making him nearly explode with pride.
Even though Orson had advised him to wait for level 40 to get better gear, this fool just had to insist on buying it at a discount, practically a zero-cost profit for him, gaining ShatteredCrown a whopping 70,000 gold.
Empress: "ShatteredCrown, get back! The mages die faster in front. Don't you know that?"
Empress coldly snorted. Behind her stood a thousand main fighters from the Moonlight Guild, all wearing level 35 legendary gear. A soft red glow surrounded her body, and she wore an exaggerated dragon-horned helmet. The sword she once wielded was now replaced by a spear resembling a dragon's tooth.
Initially, the Moonlight Guild didn't intend to get involved, but Empress of the Moon, due to her connection to Orson, had acquired something so outrageous that they couldn't resist. In the end, the entire guild joined the fight, planning to help Godslayer withstand the oncoming full-scale assault.
"You dare to steal my ancestors' relics, Orgod? Hand over Celestial Fortress, and I'll spare you!"
A thunderous voice echoed from afar, accompanied by a wild gale that stirred up dust.
The figure within the black mist finally revealed itself.
"OMG... There are too many. How am I supposed to comment on all of this?"
SirLagsALot, switching between camera angles, froze in disbelief as countless flying units appeared in the distance.
"Dragon Legion! Holy hell, there are so many! Who can withstand all these flying units?"
"This isn't even a competition. Orgod may be powerful, but he had aerial superiority. What about now?"
"Just the flying dragons alone are enough to crush them. Don't even get me started on the five giant dragons that are about to appear!"
The chat room was flooded with comments. Everyone was stunned—this was no longer something three guilds could solve. Plus, over a hundred other guilds were waiting to pounce.
"We can move now!"
"Great! With such terrifying numbers, if Orgod's firepower stalls for even a moment, they'll be in huge trouble!"
The SSR guild had arrived from another direction, with Reaver and the others unable to hide their excitement. They didn't expect to profit directly, but just watching Godslayer and the enemy guilds fall would be enough to satisfy them.
For a long time, that man's presence had put an immense amount of pressure on them. Even when they made spectacular plays, the chat would always roast them with comments like, "So what? Is this better than Orgod?"
"Alright, but since the opponent is Godslayer, don't expect anything ordinary!" Wedge said calmly, her face serious after multiple setbacks. She knew better than to underestimate the situation.
"District announcement: Lord Cain has conspired with the space demons and opened multiple teleportation portals. Lord Cain's noble title has been revoked. Pondenorlin City will seek a new ruler."
At the same time, multiple teleportation portals appeared outside Pondenorlin, Purple Thunder Fortress, and Saint Maiden City.
Viewer #6: "What does this mean? The city lord is colluding with demons?"
Viewer #9: "I get it! I remember reading on the official website—players can even compete for the lordship if the conditions are right!"
Viewer #13: "Holy crap, becoming a lord and hanging out with NPC girls? That's exactly the kind of game life I dream of!"
"Oh? He's finally lost his cool, planning to go all in for Celestial Fortress?"
At this moment, Orson appeared outside Purple Thunder Fortress, his eyes flashing coldly. In front of him was a glowing white teleportation portal, leading to the Frost Dragon instance—a site filled with thousands of demonized hybrid creatures bred from Berenice's blood.
Once these creatures were deployed on the front lines, they would surely deal a devastating blow to the Godslayer guild.
Orson knew that there were more such points hidden around. He had spent the past while collecting intel on these sites. According to Bradley and the others, there were at least three more. Before, they lacked the strength to deal with them, but now things were different. Orson was more than capable of eliminating these threats.
"Are we ready?" Stewart asked softly from beside him.
"Let's do it. Curse me, then go support Bradley and the others."
Orson hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. He felt like something was wrong with his words but didn't have the time to think it through.
Stewart grinned, placed his goat mount—whose HP had nearly hit a million—and began casting curse buffs on Orson.
"You have gained +110% to all attributes."
A black glow descended upon Orson, and the curse was successful!
"Ridiculous..."
Orson chuckled bitterly, watching as his attack power surged from 3,000 to 6,600. His mana doubled to over 200,000. The most terrifying part was the range—now extended to 20 kilometers.
If he added the Emperor's Ear pendant, his max range would double again. With that, one shot could hit the moon!
After the curse, Stewart quickly returned to Bone Dragon Stronghold.
Orson mounted his Crimson Lizard King, soaring through the air, silently watching the movements beneath.
"For the all-powerful descendants of the God Emperor, let us burn our last dragon blood!"
"For the God Emperor's heir! For the purification of this broken world! The world will become an eternal paradise!"
A roar echoed from the cave below, as ten Lord-Class bosses emerged, their blue armor shining. They led thousands of demonized creatures out of the cave.
What awaited them was nothing short of... the eternal silence of paradise.