"Damn... it already looks scary." Arthur commented as he gazed at the dangling gigantic rope. "How are we supposed to fight on top of it while it’s already spinning... the wind and the rope’s spinning force are a challenge on their own."
Although he had already watched several videos, to be honest... none of them had put his heart at ease. Rifters were falling into the abyss after a single mistake. Without the possibility of prolonged flight, all they could do was hover in the air for three seconds through sheer spiritual will... if they even had access to it. Thereafter, all that remained was to pray and beg to catch the rope by any means possible or find a way to land on the ground.
"That’s where teamwork will be beneficial." Dominic disclosed solemnly. "You have to split into duos, with one Daywalker having the ability to help their partner in case they fall, through abilities like Levi’s aetheric chains."
Tyrese and the others nodded in agreement... not all Daywalkers were equal in the same environment, and they had to assist each other in areas they lacked to ensure their survival.
"It’s going to be super messy with forty-eight Rifters on the same rope... sticking to one partner will be a challenge." Evangeline remarked.
With eight squads and six members in each participating in the same game, Evangeline could already see the hardships of staying close to one’s partner on a giant spinning rope.
"Although it wasn’t mentioned in detail, the rules suggested the order of ascent will be random... I believe only a couple of Rifters from both factions will be allowed at a time until everyone is on top." Nuran shared. "Hence, if we want to increase the odds of winning, we must secure a bigger length of the rope in the first ascension rounds. Once everyone is on the rope, you can get linked with your partner safely."
"The Nightcrawlers are going to think the same." Shia narrowed her eyes. "This means the first chosen team to ascend must win at all costs... if they get defeated, there is a high chance their team will camp at the end of our side of the rope... making it hell for us to ascend it while it’s already spinning."
Hearing this, everyone’s expressions turned stern as they glanced at each other... there were about twenty-four of them, and it was going to be difficult to trust each other once the squads split up in the beginning due to the randomized ascension order.
In the Faction War... the Gamemaster tried their absolute best to create rifts between the teams to ensure the birth of conflict.
Just imagine one of the other teams failing to save one of their own when they were the closest to them... even if they tried their best and failed, their teammates were bound to resent them since they were the easiest targets to blame.
Dominic had brought everyone to train in a copy of the game’s map just to ensure that these kinds of problems wouldn’t arise in the real event... trust must be built between them in ten days.
Fortunately, Evangeline and Tyrese’s main team members trusted Levi’s team after getting saved by them in the Ashora Empire... if their memories weren’t veiled and they recalled what truly went down, they would have considered risking their lives for them, similar to how Levi and Jasmine did.
"The easiest way to learn about each other and the game’s mechanics is through battles." Dominic clapped his hands. "On the first day, we will host squad vs. squad on top of the rope... but from the second day onward, the squads will be randomized to ensure building some cooperation between each other."
Seeing that everyone nodded in understanding, Dominic called out, "Heliodor’s Raiders, the Ashen Tribunal... you have yet to spar with each other, and it’s time to see who will come out on top."
Ndlovu, Zanele, Ayanda, Sibusiso, and the rest of their teammates immediately turned to face Levi’s team... It was clear in their eyes that they desired to defeat Heliodor’s Raiders, even when they already had an idea of how dangerous they were.
Meanwhile, Levi, Arthur, and the girls merely showed similar faint grins... Their grins appeared innocent, and yet... Ndlovu and his teammates didn’t know why they felt a shiver course down their spines.
They had no clue that they were about to become the first team Heliodor’s Raiders would face together after the Ashora Empire’s escapade.
"Hey... take it easy." Dominic’s eyelids twitched.
"Of course, of course." Arthur’s grin widened as he cracked his knuckles. "They are our teammates."
A few minutes later...
Tyrese, Evangeline, Mira, Blake, and the rest of the Daywalkers were left speechless at the sight of the Ashen Tribunal squad dangling from chains affixed to the bottom of the spinning rope, resembling cocooned flies on a spider’s string.
Some were chained up with gleaming aetheric chains, some with sticky inked chains, and some with viscous blood chains... all of them were passed out, their bodies moving along with the movement of the rope.
Meanwhile, Levi, Arthur, and the girls had their feet locked on the rope’s surface, refusing to move even when the rope was about to reach its peak... they didn’t need to avoid getting thrown after being flipped upside down. Levi’s aetheric grasp was so strong on them, they couldn’t budge even if they wanted to.
"Well... I don’t know about us, but I doubt they will find it challenging to remain on the rope’s surface." Tyrese chuckled.
After watching what Levi’s team had done to the Ashen Tribunal, the majority of the Daywalkers realized that sticking with Levi’s team might be the best option for them. Almost all of them had powers capable of sticking to the rope, unlike Blake, Tyrese, Mira, or even Evangeline.
Their powers were remarkable, don’t get me wrong... but Tyrese’s drunken arts were going to make him trip into the abyss on his own.
"Tsk, that wasn’t so bad... I don’t understand why everyone was so scared."
Arthur uttered coolly with his arms crossed above his chest. He gazed into the abyss without a change of expression... not even the howl of the spinning giant rope scared him. He was terrified at first when he climbed the rope, but once he realized that Levi was holding him with an aetheric chain attached to his back, his worries died out slowly until his boastful attitude returned.
Alas, he shouldn’t have spoken so smugly when his life wasn’t in his hands... the instant the rope reached its peak velocity, flipping them upside down like bats, Levi snapped his finger with a faint chuckle.
"This game might just be a stomp... huh?"
Before Arthur could finish his sentence, he suddenly felt his feet detach from the rope... Instantly, his body plummeted into the abyss from the highest point.
"Aaaaaaaa!!! You priiick..."
His scream was engulfed by the raging wind assaulting him from the depths of the abyss.
"He had it coming." Nurah giggled.
"I was just about to send you a request to drop his cocky ass." Jojo smiled with a peaceful expression as she bowed her head slightly toward Levi. "Namaste... captain."
’Aren’t you going to save him?’ Jasmine asked softly.
She could see that Arthur was getting closer and closer to entering the abyss, and unlike them... he shouldn’t have any technique or ability to save himself from the fall.
"Eventually..."
Levi replied while pointing his finger in Arthur’s direction... but he didn’t save him right away. He might have let him fall as a joke, but it was also to see if he could save himself in such a grim scenario.
Arthur didn’t disappoint.
He summoned his shield and held it with both hands... then, he flexed his muscles to the limit and smashed the central vermillion gemstone to his pointed knee... mid-fall!
He did it ten times in quick succession until the vermillion gemstone turned as bright as a falling star... then, he looked to his right and left, noticing that the cliffs were closer than the spinning rope. Without hesitation, Arthur tilted his shield to the side and curled himself into a ball to fit as much of his body as possible behind it.
"Orryn’s Beam!"
The instant he was about a hundred meters away from crossing the cliffs, he fired an illuminating beam of pure kinetic force into the abyss!
Whoosh!
The force was powerful enough to alter Arthur’s falling trajectory from a certain death into the safety of the ground.
Ka-booom!!
Still, Arthur ended up smashing into the ground, kicking up a giant cloud of dust next to the Daywalkers... they waved the dust away and watched as Arthur’s body rolled dozens of times before he finally smashed his shield into the dirt and slowed himself down.
When the dust cleared, Arthur emerged with a body encased in grayish cracked stone... the cracks emitted green light for a second before being replaced by a sudden flash of pink light.
After it died out, the stony skin turned into dust, exposing Arthur’s unscratched body for all to admire.
Arthur lifted the middle finger in the direction of Levi and the girls... his expression annoyed, but that’s it. He didn’t look like someone who had just plummeted to his death.
"Thank you, Arthur, for the demonstration." Dominic smiled. "I was just about to tell them that it’s possible to save yourselves from the fall by avoiding the abyss."
"Of course... that’s why I asked my big bro to drop me." Arthur swiftly switched back to his boastful attitude, still not taught a lesson. "If I don’t do it, no one will... trust me, such an experience isn’t pleasant at all."