"Enjoy the blessing of the unlucky god Orson," Blank chuckled slyly, landing a successful strike before vanishing again, her figure melting into the shadows.
"So... many people!"
"Shit! The enemy... We only have about 10,000 people. How the hell are we supposed to be opponents to them?"
The members of SSR, Unmatched, and other guilds froze in place, staring at the battlefield outside the fortress. What they saw made their hearts skip a beat—millions of US players charging in.
Blank had already disappeared, and Unmatched guild members couldn't focus on anything but the massive influx of players, which overwhelmed them with fear.
"Isn't the leader of Unmatched supposed to be amazing? I'll just take him out with a newbie sword to teach him a lesson!"
"This time, I'm definitely picking up at least one hero-level item. Whoever gets in my way will die!"
"Charge! Strip them of their gear, don't leave a single rich player behind!"
The voices of battle cries echoed in the distance, and Demon Emperor, looking grim, was feeling the pressure.
Unfortunately, he wasn't just stirring up player rivalry between the UJ region and others; he was trying to rally support for his cause while also stacking his Soul Seal by taking down enemies. However, the situation had spun out of control.
Despite holding ten strongholds, Demon Emperor had essentially become a subordinate to Orgod. Everyone was so hyped on Orgod's influence that even if they captured the stronghold, he wouldn't dare claim it, because the pressure from the Slaughter Guild and the sheer numerical superiority was just too overwhelming.
"This... this is ridiculous. Have they all gone mad?"
"No wonder the world chat has been spamming about millions of soldiers and a forbidden-curse-level sea-of-people tactic... my God!"
The players who had previously stoked the flames of battle were now dumbfounded.
While the incoming players might have lacked any real combat power, the sheer number of them—millions—was impossible to contend with.
"We don't have enough hands or feet to counter all of them! This is impossible!"
Hunter: "I told you, we can't take this stronghold. Robert, you created Unmatched, not these rich kids."
Unmatched Robert was revived by the priest and let out a cold snort: "You didn't let that Orson guy talk you into this, did you?"
Hunter opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped. After a moment of thought, he said seriously: "Don't blindly chase after short-term gains. With the current situation, no one who offends Godslayer or Orgod will come out unscathed. If Slaughter Guild was really willing to be Orgod's pawn, this would have been over already."
Upon hearing this, Unmatched Robert sneered. "You want to join Godslayer, huh? Fine, I won't stop you, but don't say I didn't warn you—Godslayer is going to lose this battle!"
Hunter was stunned for a moment. Before he could respond, Unmatched Robert had kicked him out of the raid group.
"Robert, you're too arrogant!" Hunter was immediately infuriated.
"Unmatched doesn't need cowards! If you're so capable, return all the gear and gold you got from our dungeon runs!"
"S-class hidden class, so impressive, right? Just because Triple Crown winner looks at you differently, you think you're some kind of big shot?"
Several players on the side started to provoke Hunter. They had always disliked this Druid who liked to go against the grain, and had been holding back their irritation for a long time.
"Stop arguing, it's pointless."
"Yeah, these guys have no clue how to lead. You've known what they're like for a while now."
"You'd make a better guild leader than Robert any day…"
Hunter was quite respected in Unmatched. Many members sent him private messages offering comfort.
"Player [Super Burger King] has left the guild."
Hunter didn't say a word and immediately chose to leave the guild.
Unmatched Robert coldly looked at the guild messages, sneering to himself. "Without Druid-specific gear, you're nothing. Even if I knew the gear's whereabouts, I wouldn't tell you."
A massive wave of players from Slaughter Guild charged into the stronghold, recklessly attacking anything that moved. Whether they could win or not, they were hell-bent on cutting down enemies.
Unmatched and SSR defenders were already losing ground.
Around Celestial Fortress, dragonfire filled the air as five massive dragons rained destruction on the watchtowers.
The White Tower, with its massive health pool of 100 million, was now under half health, with many of the defensive crossbows set up by civilian players already destroyed.
It wouldn't be long before the watchtowers fell.
"Celestial Fortress is under attack, do you want to teleport inside the stronghold?"
The system prompt sounded, and Orson paused for a moment. It would be suicide to rush into the stronghold now with five dragons attacking it, but the situation was urgent.
"Confirm."
A white light enveloped Orson, and he teleported straight into the heart of the stronghold, into the second floor of the Celestial Fortress maze.
The dark, foreboding maze began to collapse around him, and Orson turned back to look at the Crimson Lizard King, who was now crushed in a heap, making pitiful noises.
"I told you to eat less..." Orson shook his head, laughing bitterly, and immediately recalled the Crimson Lizard King into the Battle Space before the whole maze top collapsed under its weight.
Looking at his mini-map, Orson froze. "The maze map isn't displaying?? WHAT?"
Realizing something was terribly wrong, he suddenly understood that he had never been to this maze before, and with the mini-map sealed, how the hell was he supposed to find his way out?
Orson felt the awkwardness of the situation.
He had calculated everything, but never expected this.
"By the way, how do I get out of the second level of the maze, Bradley?" Orson awkwardly messaged for help.
Bradley, ever the honest man, took a long time to reply. "Go straight, then left, right... take a turn, and you'll be at the exit."
"What the hell... you don't even know where I am, and you're telling me to go left, right?" Orson nearly lost it.
Madman: "I just want to say that Bradley's the one who led us into the maze, and every time he spends ten hours, claiming he's farming gear. Everyone says he's a map idiot, so you can judge for yourself."
Bradley flushed and replied, "What's wrong with spending more time? As long as my head's hard enough, I'll break through the maze walls myself!"
Orson had three black lines on his forehead. "So reliable... so damn reliable!"
Fortunately, Madman provided a useful tip: the bodies of monsters killed in the maze only disappear during the daily reset at midnight.
Meaning the denser the monsters, and the more boss bodies there were, the deeper they were in the maze. Conversely, the weaker the monsters would lead to the exit.
"Got it."
Orson nodded and charged forward, cautiously.
Soon, small monsters with no fur on their heads and emitting a foul odor appeared.
[Chaos Domain Moth: Level 20]
[Super Elite Monster]
HP: 900,000
Attack Power: 2,000
Skills: Shockwave Strike, Reverse Controls
"These are just small fry?" Orson was surprised to see these elite monsters had 900,000 HP at level 20.
Before he could get close, the two Moths screeched loudly, shaking the ground and charging off in the opposite direction.
"What the hell, these monsters are way too overpowered!"
"They can even reverse player controls? Aim left and attack right? Run left and the character runs right?"
Someone nearby?
Orson, hearing the commotion, grinned. He suddenly had an idea for how to escape the maze quickly.
More than 20 Sky Wolf players were retreating in a panic, with their rear row raining fire, while the knights in the front rushed forward to take the hits.
Fortunately, these players had excellent stats, and after unleashing all their skills, they managed to clear the small monsters, but the number of Moths in the distance kept increasing.
"Hey, there's someone over there. Is that one of SSR's brothers, or Rattlesnake's? Did he get separated from his team?"
"Hurry, let's join up and find the exit together!"
The squad leader shouted, as visibility in the maze was very low. They could barely see a player sitting on the ground.
"Player Sky Wolf Demon Moon invites you to join the team."
Orson received the invitation and immediately transformed into a Rift Monster, clicking accept and joining the party.