"SS-level Summoner? Has she gone mad?"
"No, something's wrong! It looks like she changed guilds…"
The UJ region players were stunned, their faces turning pale as they saw Naoko's [Bright Galaxy] guild tag floating above her.
As the leader of the Thousand Hands Guild, she didn't just leave the guild—she had joined an organization that no one had heard of.
"Bright Galaxy Guild... Could it be the group of US players who transferred servers?"
"Yeah! It must be them! Orgod planted a poison in the UJ region!"
"Every guild that associates with them has to send Tithe regularly!"
Though the UJ players had heard rumors of Naoko's "betrayal," seeing it firsthand was still incomprehensible.
This was an SS-level Kingdom Summoner with the near-invincible Yamata no Orochi as her summon. She had been utterly defeated under the US Sorcerer's command and, just like that, had chosen to defect. It was hard to accept.
Naoko's expression remained indifferent as she faced the UJ players' accusations, responding only with cold, relentless AoE magic.
"Let's begin. Feel the pain together." Naoko whispered with a smile.
Yamata no Orochi's water-element serpent heads hissed, a massive water sphere, over 100 meters in diameter, hovered above the retreating UJ players.
"Frost Star Rain."
Splash—
The water sphere exploded, transforming into a barrage of icy arrows that shot out in all directions.
Critical Hit -40,000!
-26,000!
…
Hundreds of UJ players were instantly obliterated as the ice arrows pierced through their armor and bodies.
Slaughter Spree: "What… what is she doing? Why is she killing her own people? This eight-headed serpent is as deadly as Orson's bastard summon!"
Blank sneered, squinting her eyes and laughing smugly. "Idiot, didn't you notice she joined the army? Now she's on the US side."
Demon Emperor: "Interesting. Thousand Hands Guild has a huge financial backing, and she dares to directly defect."
"Naoko, you've changed. Do you realize the consequences of your actions?"
Ishinaka's face darkened as she turned her gaze to Naoko, who was still controlling the giant beast.
Naoko had always been a lucky, ordinary player, but becoming the respected leader of Thousand Hands made her a target of behind-the-scenes scrutiny from the financial consortium.
Once she had rebelled and defected, the consortium would surely take action against her.
"So, can you guess where I am now?" Naoko's seductive laugh lingered in the air.
Ishinaka raised an eyebrow, her voice tinged with surprise. "Could it be... you've already gone to the US?"
Naoko smiled knowingly. "From now on, Infinite Dimensions will be ruled by one person. Ishinaka, you'd better recognize your position and make the choice that's best for you."
Ishinaka was shaken as she realized Naoko hadn't denied her words, and turned to look at Orson, who was sitting calmly on the ground.
"Well, well, this woman is bold." Orson laughed at the sight.
The UJ financial consortium might have vast power, but it only extended within UJ.
Naoko, however, was an ambitious woman who threw aside all restrictions. Under Charles Lauren's arrangement, she secretly flew her family and elite members of Thousand Hands to the US during the night.
They then used the Rank Studio's UJ proxy server to enter the game.
With SS-level Kingdom Summoner powers and the help of someone like Orson, making a comeback was not difficult at all.
This way, she avoided the consortium's retaliation and could continue to rise to prominence, achieving everything she desired.
"Firestone Explosion."
Naoko's smile remained sweet, but her attacks never ceased.
With a magic cannon possessing hundreds of millions of health, she was an unstoppable force on the battlefield as long as her body survived.
Dozens of purple and golden beams shot up into the sky, delivering a devastating blow to the Saint Slayer Syndicate, and countless loot dropped to the ground.
"Idiot, it's all yours." Orson smirked, tossing out Berenice, who had been ready for a while.
A streak of light flashed across the battlefield, and six pieces of Legendary gear were collected.
Orson didn't take the Heroic-level gear, as it was considered a collective loot drop for all the US players present.
Rukawa: "Damn woman! I'll kill you!"
Seeing his subordinates suffer heavy losses, Apocalypse Knight was revived and charged at Yamata no Orochi, riding a dragon.
"Where are you going, glowing one? This dragon looks nice, I'll take it!"
"Damn, the guild leader only has a few hundred gold on him, what a fraud!"
"Brothers, let's take him down!"
Rukawa was fuming, but the large dragon, now covered in US players, was knocked down once again by a focused assault from thousands of players.
"Holy shit, we've struck it rich! Level 35 Legendary Armor!"
"Who the hell has such fast hands?"
Rukawa's Legendary Armor was destroyed, and golden light flashed. The speed of the loot collectors was mind-blowing.
Berenice, standing still and guarding the area, was stunned. "You guys are real savages... so bad!"
"Ridiculous, even Berenice couldn't get it." Orson grumbled with three black lines on his forehead.
In the blink of an eye, an Imperial Auction House listing popped up with a [Sharp Lionheart Armor·Holy], starting at 20,000 gold coins.
Orson shook his head, admiring the unique players of the US. Even someone as fast as him didn't dare claim to be the fastest.
Some players had trained their hands for decades. It was honestly impressive.
Yamata no Orochi stood at the edge of the Ancient Teleportation Portal, and the UJ players rushing forward had only one path—death.
The five serpent heads, with their temporarily disabled magic powers, were still deadly in close combat, each devouring a UJ player.
The other three serpent heads continuously switched their skills, almost achieving seamless coordination.
Kitagawa: "Naoko, you traitor!"
An SS-level Sharpshooter let out an enraged roar, breaking free from the chaos and drawing his bow to target Naoko above Yamata no Orochi's heads.
"I'm just showing everyone the way forward. I'm protecting you all," Naoko said softly, shaking her head at Kitagawa.
Her gaze held a trace of complexity, but it quickly returned to cold indifference.
Naoko knew what the price would be for becoming enemies with the incredibly powerful man. She was done being undermined by the core members of her guild.
For Naoko, if she couldn't be the strongest in Infinite Dimensions, then being second-in-command in Area One wasn't so bad.
"Rapid Fire Arrow Rain!"
Kitagawa unleashed a barrage of arrows, trying to take down Naoko, the traitor.
"Wow! How dare you attack our guild leader! You've got guts!"
"Brain-dead wall of people, go!"
With a shrill shout, Charles and his group of shirtless low-level players appeared in front of Naoko.
The Sharpshooter's lock-on ability could destroy a Summoner in one shot, but only one person at a time.
Charles grinned maliciously, and they formed a human wall, blocking Kitagawa's arrows with their bodies.
"Team two, get in there! Protect with your bodies!" Charles cackled. As a batch of low-level players died, more rushed to the front to shield Naoko.
"Such tactics... you've opened my eyes, Vice President Chen."
Naoko's face flushed slightly. These teammates were so poor that they didn't even wear armor, standing in front of her and forming a human wall.
It was a bizarre sight.
"Damn bugs!"
Kitagawa's face turned green as he saw what was happening. The last time, these low-level players had tricked many of his guild members into becoming rogue, causing massive losses of equipment.
Now, these shameless people weren't even dropping coins upon death.
The Dark Assassin Shimoji sighed. "We have no choice but to commit mass suicide to reduce the losses."
"Only option we have." Ishinaka shook her head. The teleportation portal was blocked by Yamata no Orochi, and they had to constantly watch Orson from behind.
They were running out of options.
"Royal Command…"
Only 20,000 UJ players remained, preparing to commit suicide and return to town. Naoko spoke, "Triple Crown winner already said, you won't be able to leave."
"Silence."
Naoko called out loudly, and Yamata no Orochi's black serpent heads reared up, and a dark six-pointed star enveloped the battlefield.
"Silence skill!?"
"Special skills are forced into cooldown!"
UJ players were stunned and fell into complete despair!
The A-grade Dark Magic [Silent Eclipse].
Effect: Within the summon's range, all special life skills and relics become ineffective, and skills are forced into a one-hour cooldown.