Besides Menerva, Doctor Dark, and Vault, who was currently face down in the ground, no one else seemed to notice Izroth's presence on the battlefield.
Despite being vastly outnumbered, Meng Jiang and the other members of Sacred Beasts slew their way through several waves of players from the Headhunter Syndicate.
Those from Sacred Beasts were more skilled and experienced than their opponents, but what truly set them apart was their teamwork and equipment.
While players from the Headhunter Syndicate were equipped with varying levels of common and uncommon gear, the members of Sacred Beasts were covered head to toe in rare quality equipment—this was the towering difference between the core players of a top guild and those at the bottom.
It was also why Meng Jiang was confident enough to attack the three outposts at once using less than forty members of her guild.
Of course, she never expected that the Headhunter Syndicate would hide themselves so well and anticipate every move they'd make. Or even less, that they would prepare a massive preemptive strike.
'They're holding up well.'
Izroth turned his attention towards the battlefield.
At the moment, neither side seemed to hold the upper hand, which in the Headhunter Syndicate's case was a bad sign given their massive numbers advantage.
Nevertheless, the players from Sacred Beasts were not entirely out of danger just yet. Facing those kinds of numbers, it became easy to overlook simple things and get lost in the chaos. Mistakes would begin to show up more frequently, and while one or two could be recovered from, if the errors continued to pile up, it would only be a matter of time until Sacred Beasts was backed into a corner.
When Doctor Dark saw Izroth face away to spectate the battle, he decided to seize the opportunity while his guard was down and launch a surprise attack!
Doctor Dark knew that Izroth was fast, but if it was this close, then even he was confident in landing a solid blow!
However, Doctor Dark did not rush into a head-on assault. He secretly accessed his inventory with one of his hands behind his back as a paper talisman appeared between his fingertips.
"I just have to free boss Vault and get everyone's attention. Otherwise, that guy probably won't hesitate to kill boss Vault and then escape..!" Doctor Dark thought to himself.
Meanwhile, Menerva was still stunned by Izroth's appearance.
From the moment the Headhunter Syndicate ambushed Sacred Beasts after their fight against the world boss, and she learned of Izroth's presence there, Menerva had already begun to plot the course of events.
She understood with Izroth and Meng Jiang's personalities, he and Sacred Beasts would undoubtedly retaliate in a bold fashion.
Since the two were working together, all Menerva had to do was use a light guiding hand to push everything in the right direction.
"…No, perhaps a part of me d.e.s.i.r.ed this outcome despite understanding the price of my failure. Everyone, please forgive my incompetence…" Menerva internalized as her body trembled slightly, and she clenched her fists.
Menerva had her own reasons her obeying someone like Vault.
It took her all but two seconds to figure out what type of person he was at his core after their first meeting.
Now, after being humiliated to this extent in public, she understood that Vault would no doubt place the blame upon her.
If it was just her, she could endure it perpetually if necessary. But…
Swoosh!
A thin object soared into the air out of nowhere and landed a couple of meters away from Izroth's feet.
It was a paper talisman with various symbols etched into it, and the instant it touched the ground, the talisman released a bright light.
…
"Huh? That light… Isn't boss Vault over there?"
"Where did that light come from?"
"Could someone from Sacred Beasts have snuck up and attacked the boss?!"
Several players from the Headhunter Syndicate shifted their focus towards the light.
As for the Sacred Beasts players, they did not bother adverting their gazes and even took advantage of the situation to cut down those from the Headhunter Syndicate, who lowered their guards.
"Hm? That light… An Immobilization Talisman? What's going on over there?" Meng Jiang thought to herself.
An Immobilization Talisman gave off a specific light and mana fluctuation; therefore, Meng Jiang swiftly identified the mysterious light source. Its purpose was to restrict the movements of all enemies within five meters of wherever it was employed.
However, all of her guild members were still present nearby, and there were only players from the Headhunter Syndicate in that area. If that was the case, why was a rare talisman being used? Unless something unexpected happened!
…
The bright light was fleeting—there one moment and gone the next.
"Cursed Palm of Corruption!"
A dark and foul energy formed around Doctor Dark's right hand as he charged Izroth and struck out with his palm!
Although his class focused primarily on cautiously applying curses, that did not mean his only method of using them was in secret from a distance.
Doctor Dark's Cursed Palm of Corruption was a melee attack made as a last resort since his class was designed to apply curses from a safe range without revealing himself.
"When I strike him with my Cursed Palm of Corruption; it will simultaneously inflict him with three of my strongest curses! Not only will I save the boss and be rewarded, but I can also get my revenge from that time!" Doctor Dark internalized with a vicious grin.
"This is payback for-… Huh? Why can't I speak?" Doctor Dark realized that the words he tried to say were not leaving his mouth as if he were mute.
Thump! Thump!
The sound of two things dropping could be heard; one sound was light while the other was somewhat heavy.
Before he was able to register what was going on, Doctor Dark's head had been cleanly separated from his body! He did not even know how he died!
At the same time, the sword intent around Izroth's hand vanished. Just now, he did not draw his sword but instead used the swordless version of his skill, First Baneful Sword: Destruction.
As for the restrictive powers of the Immobilization Talisman, how could it be enough to overpower the crowd control nullifying effects of his Heavenly Golden Body's Greater Physique passive?
Izroth accessed his inventory as he removed his foot from Vault's head.
Right when Izroth lifted his foot, Vault sprung his head up and furiously roared, "You bastard, I'll-!"
BANG!
Vault could not raise his head all the way before a massive weight pressed down and drove his head back into the earth.
A bundle of mystical chains rested on the back of Vault's head that made it impossible for him to budge.
However, the results were not surprising, considering that even Izroth himself was incapable of lifting these chains.
That's because these chains were the same ones used to prevent Empyrean's appearance in the world!
But, they seemed much weaker than what Izroth had to deal with back when he was forming his Soul Avatar.
Of course, this was to be expected, seeing as how the chains' overall power had been reduced by 99% due to the permanent effects of the talisman he used at the time to suppress it.
But, even with only 1% of its strength remaining, it still contained the will of the world and a myriad of mysteries.
Izroth held his hand out towards Menerva as beautiful crystals began to form at her feet and on various parts of her body.
"Stay here for a while. I have to do a bit of cleaning up first." Izroth said as the crystal enveloped Menerva.
Menerva closed her eyes and did not put up any resistance. In less than a couple of seconds, she became completely encased in a large crystal. This was the result of the Crystallization skill attached to Izroth's armor.
Izroth unsheathed his Sword of The Storm and faced the main area of the battlefield as his figure started to flicker.
In the blink of an eye, Izroth disappeared from where he stood as the flickering silhouette he left behind faded away.
Today—not a single member of the Headhunter Syndicate would be allowed to leave this place alive!
