Ethan quickly split his forces into four squads. Each squad was led by Slashblade, Skyblade, SeraphWarrior, and atball.
Each leader took 2,000 players, heading toward the four closest towns to Duskridge, one in each cardinal direction. Though these towns weren't as large as Duskridge, they had strategic value.
In the future, if anyone wanted to take control of Duskridge, these locations would serve as fast-travel hubs for a siege.
So, Ethan's plan?
Let Blade Syndicate waste resources rebuilding Duskridge. Once they finished fixing it up, he'd take it from them in one decisive strike.
Just imagining Marcus Skeiner's reaction made Ethan smirk.
Slashblade glanced at him. "Boss, you're carrying that Divine Ability Scroll. The system broadcasts your coordinates every ten minutes—shouldn't we leave so people with you for backup?"
Ethan chuckled. "Lyla's with . That's all I need."
Slashblade shot a glance at Lyla, then nodded. "Fair enough."
"Alright, I'm heading out. Once I capture Redridge Town, I'm logging off." Slashblade stretched.
Ethan smirked at him. "Yeah, yeah. Take care of yourself. Maybe grab a handful of almonds—they're good for stamina, if you know what I an."
Slashblade's face flushed red as he quickly led his team toward Redridge.
Ethan and Lyla lingered at the northern gate, taking one last look inside Duskridge. The town was almost completely leveled.
The Evolved Ancient Riftwalker, though weaker after regaining its free will, had unleashed its signature ability—Rift Step. A short-range teleport it could spam indefinitely.
With its ability to blink all over the battlefield, the players were struggling to keep up. Still, the sheer number of players, combined with NPC guards and siege weapons, had brought its HP down to 40%.
"Let's go."
Ethan shifted into Stag Form. Lyla hopped onto his back, and he galloped northward.
---
Inside Duskridge
The sky was filled with projectiles, arrows, bullets, cannonballs, and spells. Thousands of lee players and Shield Tanks charged at the Riftwalker like a suicidal wave, sacrificing themselves to give ranged players enough ti to chip away at its health.
But its short-range teleports made it a nightmare to pin down. The death toll was staggering. Almost every guild active near Harmony City had joined the battle.
Except for Renegade Alliance.
And one other group.
Shortly after Ethan left Duskridge, Whispering Bamboo also withdrew from the fight. Maybe it was female intuition, but Misty Cloud, one of Whispering Bamboo's two guild leaders, had a bad feeling.
She had noticed Ethan's hiding spot earlier. When the system broadcasted his coordinates, she knew exactly where he was.
She also saw him leave toward the northern gate.
And then—
Instead of storming into the city, Renegade Alliance split into four groups and left in different directions.
NotADruid? He didn't even look back. That confird her suspicion. This entire ss was his fault. And now he was gone.
Misty Cloud's scouts had overheard Ethan's conversation. He had flat-out said that the Evolved Ancient Riftwalker wouldn't drop any loot.
And if anyone knew what he was talking about, it was him. A Demigod-tier boss should be an irresistible prize.
Even if a guild lost thousands of players, the potential rewards were worth the cost. Yet, NotADruid, the Newbie King, the so-called Druid God—had chosen to walk away.
Misty Cloud hesitated, then gave the order.
"We're pulling out."
She trusted her instincts. But that didn't an she was done here.
The Riftwalker might not drop gear… but once the atheads in town turned on each other, there'd be plenty of loot lying around.
She just had to wait for the right mont.
---
"The Riftwalker is almost dead! Get ready to loot!"
Soone's voice cut through the battlefield, triggering a frenzy. Players rushed forward, desperate to land the final hit.
Another wave of ranged attacks rained down, chipping away at the last of its HP. Individually, each attack did barely any damage.
But with thousands of players, NPC guards, and siege weapons blasting it simultaneously, It was only a matter of ti.
Another volley of cannon fire erupted.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
The Riftwalker collapsed. And then, Its body vanished instantly.
For a mont, silence reigned.
"Where's the loot?!"
"Who took the drops?!"
"It had to be soone nearby—KILL THEM!"
The lee players surrounding the Riftwalker—drawn from every major guild, had no idea what had just happened. So they did the logical thing.
They started murdering each other.
A Dual-Blade Warrior from Eternal Glory was the first to snap. Activating Berserk Mode, he lunged at the nearest player who, just minutes ago, had been his ally.
Before his blades could land, dozens of spells crashed down on him at once. He vanished in a flash of white light, along with the poor bastard he had attacked.
And then, the real massacre began.
Ranged players, still high on adrenaline, turned on the very lee fighters who had risked their lives to protect them. They unleashed their most powerful spells and skills, faster than they had against the boss.
"FUCK!"
Marcus Skeiner, watching his free loot slip through his fingers, snapped.
"SCREW IT! KILL THEM ALL!"
He assud—like everyone else, that so bastard had ninja-looted the drops.
And so, Blade Syndicate, Wasteland Dominion, Eternal Glory, Unrivaled Honor, and dozens of smaller guilds lunged into an all-out war.
Magic exploded in all directions.
Warriors charged forward, spinning their blades, only to be blown to pieces before they even reached their targets.
A Mage tried to retreat—only for eight Rogues to materialize behind him, gutting him instantly.
The Rogues? They were imdiately shredded by a storm of arrows.
For ten straight minutes, the battle raged.
By the ti the chaos settled, every single player had lost 1-2 levels from constant deaths. The once crowded battlefield was now a graveyard, littered with countless corpses and abandoned loot.
At so point, everyone just stopped fighting. The guild leaders stared at each other, then at what was left of their forces.
Each guild had started with thousands of players.
Now?
Most had barely 200-300 left.
Just then, a new force stord through the northern gate. Over four thousand players.
And they were all won.
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