The land under the night sky was as peaceful as ever. Under the soft moonlight, everything seemed to have fallen into an eternal slumber. At a glance, one could see the gentle grass rising and falling like waves as the breeze blew by. It was as though the moonlight were shining on the green ocean that was spreading to the end of the world.
The end of the world.
Rhode stood at the top of the guard tower, lifted his head, and looked at the junction of the horizon, where the dark and silent night stood on the other side. The mass of pure, white fog rolled forward inexorably and retreated after running into the transparent glass barrier. Despite that, it didn’t give up, but continued on instead, week after week, over and over again. While it seemed as if Chaos went home with its tail between its legs, Rhode knew this wasn’t the case. After all, constant effort brought success. The contamination of Chaos strengthened and expanded gradually, and Erin’s moonlight barrier seemingly couldn’t hang on anymore.
Besides…
At this thought, Rhode couldn’t help but gaze at the prairie, as well as the pale skeletons clad in broken armor treading through the swaying grass.
Those were precisely the enemies that came from the ‘end of the world’. Ever since Erin cut off the connection between the dragon soul power and Ion, Ion became completely influenced by Chaos. For that reason, the other half of the Country of Darkness under his control became a land of Chaos and the undead creatures within weren’t spared either. Although some undead creatures struggled bitterly to survive, in Rhode’s opinion, it was only a matter of time before they succumbed to Chaos.
And based on the current situation, it seemed like Ion was getting more skilled at ruling the land of Chaos. Erin’s territory was attacked several times by undead creatures influenced by Chaos and for that reason, Rhode came here. He knew very well that these undead creatures didn’t just wander to this place, but were specifically sent here, to their death, by Ion. It was clear that Ion was trying to find a loophole in the Order barrier by constantly attacking and widening the gap. This was evident from the increasing number of Chaos units assaulting the border of the Country of Darkness. Earlier on, Erin fought off the last wave of the Chaos army, which consisted of more than 100,000 units. That was why Rhode arrived here, for he understood that Ion would put up a serious attitude in his next wave of attack.
“Aren’t you going to take a break, Rhode?”
Erin’s voice sounded behind him. She strolled to his side and gazed curiously at his face that was more beautiful and delicate than a female’s profile. Upon detecting her gaze, Rhode smiled and shook his head, before turning around and looking at the bottom of the guard tower. One could clearly witness artillery racks being built on the tall, steel walls, rising rapidly like fast-forwarded construction processes in documentaries. There were thick iron plates mounted on them. The menacing and vicious-looking artilleries retracted from their racks and a group of cheerful voices that were totally unfitting of this peaceful night echoed.
“Speed, speed, speed! Fly up, fly up! Left! Left side hurry up! Haven’t you had your dinner?!”
“I had three big bowls of rice. If there were girls around, I could stuff another three more bowls, you *sshole! Who made that artillery cannon? Didn’t we agree to not expand its size? There isn’t enough space! God dang it, do you think a production-class like me is some pushover? Seems like I need to re-polish it again. When the war starts, it will be too late to install them, and it will be me who will get punished by the guild leader if he asks! Remove that damn bulky cannon right now!”
“Guys at the back, stop pushing! We can’t keep up with the materials. What’s the progress with you guys up top?”
“3000 points more; five minutes to settle! Come on now, play some music!”
“You are my small, small apple…”
“Hey, shut up! I want music, not your terrible singing! Aren’t we miserable enough already?!”
“Haha… What an interesting group.”
Observing the busy personnel in the near distance ahead, Erin couldn’t help but reveal a smile. Right now, even though they were facing the test of the life and death of the continent, the sight of these occupied people made Erin feel much more relieved. As a matter of fact, she was under a lot of pressure earlier. As a newborn Dark Dragon who just took up her post, the current situation could be said to be extremely terrible. Not only did she lose more than half of her land and manpower, but her country’s remaining equipment and facilities were also entirely worthless. This vast prairie was even connected to Chaos, giving her an even larger headache. After all, this was the first defensive line that Chaos attacked, so it naturally had to be the focus of her defense. But the problem was that there was nothing here. Even though Rhode’s earlier attempt to divide the continent into five regions failed, the aftermath of its impact flattened everything by the border regions. Be it plants or buildings, everything was razed to the ground by the aftermath, without leaving behind any debris. Left without a choice, Erin sought assistance from the elves in the Country of Law and eventually succeeded in building a defensive post on this prairie. Although the large spread of grass seemed ordinary, as a matter of fact, they were traps of nature. As soon as Chaos creatures broke through the barrier and arrived at the prairie, their limbs would be bound by the strong and unbreakable grass. Erin would then lead her army in eliminating the trespassers.
But there was still a limit to the defenses, after all, and a lot of time was needed to build the defense facility. It was commonly known that a solid, fortified stronghold required several years of time, money, and much manpower to build. For that reason, Erin was most worried about defenses until Rhode sent over 8,000 reinforcement units.
Just like the rest, the moment Erin witnessed 8,000 well-equipped and powerful players, she was bewildered. She didn’t know where exactly Rhode found so many formidable beings. However, Erin had been to Earth once, after all, so she knew that he kept a lot of secrets. No matter what, with the addition of 8,000 formidable beings, Erin wasn’t as desperate as she was before.
But shortly after, she realized that this wasn’t the only surprise that Rhode brought her. Because among the 8,000 people, there were more than 800 production-class players.
Erin wasn’t sure what ‘production-class’ meant. But shortly after, she witnessed their incredible and strange techniques. They only had to stand by the furnaces and swing their arms; the ores would melt into various materials. Not only that, but Erin also witnessed some of them retrieving and pounding the steel materials with a hammer. In just a few moments, a guard tower was constructed from the flat ground! According to Erin’s experience, building such a guard tower required more than half a month’s time. But in the hands of these people, they only used a few hours to complete and put it to use?!
How did they do that?
Erin remained perplexed despite much thought. Not only that, but these people also asked her what they should do. However, Erin didn’t have many ideas. Back then, although she was rather curious about their abilities, she didn’t expect them to be so godlike. That was why she instructed them ambiguously to help strengthen the defense of this zone. But what astonished her was that after hearing her request, the players spent more than 10 days building a whole circle of steel walls that were as tall as 10 floors by the border of the entire prairie. Not only that, but there were also guard towers and three fortresses!
Even though the buildings were in their most basic, completed form and didn’t go through any renovation, and there was nothing apart from ordinary defense facilities, this was still a huge surprise for Erin! Her initial intention was to set up some temporary protection blocks and make the undead creatures dig a ravine to stop Chaos creatures from infiltrating. And now, with this strong and terrifying defensive line like a giant beast’s ferocious mouth, she was confident in leading her troops and battling against Chaos now!
However, she also discovered that even though the players constructed the buildings quickly, the amount of materials they used was astronomical. Fortunately, the Country of Darkness had an abundance of assets, and the undead creatures also worked endlessly, so she was able to afford the expenses. If not, they wouldn’t be able to survive for long. But… Gazing at the tall city wall and steel fortress ahead, Erin felt like her efforts were worth it.
“But Rhode, do you really intend to launch an attack on the other side…?”
Shaking her head and arranging her thoughts, Erin asked in uncertainty. Of course, she more or less understood Rhode’s plan. This time, he didn’t bring 8,000 people over just to help her defend the Country of Darkness’s front. On the contrary, he decided to make a huge play. While Ion went all-out on the Country of Darkness, Rhode would lead some of his men and sneak in from the back, catching Ion off guard. And when the silly Ion was happily traveling to the Darkness Capital, Rhode would outflank him and take him out. The pressure on the Country of Darkness’s front would also decrease immediately. When that happened, Rhode could mobilize his troops to the other battlefronts.
“Based on the current situation, this is absolutely necessary. Even though he isn’t the real Dark Dragon, he is still an inhabitant of Order. Since he betrayed Order, he will need to pay the price. Besides, his power still more or less has a connection to the continent. If we don’t cleanly take him out, he will leave behind some hidden damage on the continent. I know you are in a complicated mood right now, so let me make the decisions.”
Facing Erin’s query, Rhode twitched his brow and said. Even though killing Ion was essential, Rhode’s reasoning wasn’t as just and honorable… Although he was supposedly fighting for the sake of the continent, it was obvious that he wanted to fulfill his desire of seeking revenge. Under the guise of righteousness, he could do whatever he wanted and didn’t need to worry about getting caught.
Justice… Freedom… How many guys picked up girls under these guises?
Rhode felt like this was a great deal—killing his cheap, future big brother and gaining the likes of Erin. It was rare to find this situation where he could kill two birds with one stone.
It’s about time.
At this thought, Rhode dwindled the evil thoughts in his mind, lifted his head, and gazed forward. At that moment, a soft voice sounded from behind him and Erin.
“Leader, everyone is lined up. Shall I split them into teams?”
Upon hearing the voice, Rhode and Erin turned around and faced the slender young lady who stood in the shadow. She wore black, inconspicuous, and skin-tight leather armor. She leaned against the wall, a hood and black scarf hiding her face, revealing only her black pupils as she looked at Rhode.
“Split them. Teams 1 to 4 take the city walls, 5 to 7 on standby. Supporters should watch out for their health levels. No matter what, we need to keep the enemies at bay! Remember, don’t act wantonly. Give the enemies some confidence and make them think that we can be defeated. If we can’t handle them, revive the casualties on the spot. Got it? As usual, I will be in charge of the elite squad in the back. After the battle commences, take orders from Orchid Heart as per usual.”
“Got it.”
After hearing Rhode’s command, the young lady nodded, took a step back, and vanished into the shadows. Up until that moment, Erin and Rhode exchanged looks with each other.
“Alright then, I shall make a move too, Erin.”
“Be careful, Rhode. If you think the situation is too dangerous, it is better to back down. After all, we… still have other chances.”
“This is our only chance.”
Night gales whizzed by. Rhode narrowed his eyes and gazed ahead. He smelled an oily scent in the chilly winds, which proved that the contamination of Chaos had begun once again. In the distance, the bright, gentle moonlight barrier became filthy. The pure white brilliance gradually dimmed as though it were smeared in dirt. A pitch-black, mysterious, and turbid color permeated, gaining the upper hand.
“Roar———!”
Everyone heard a string of deep growls echoing in the winds.
Let’s do it.
At this thought, Rhode extended his right arm and snapped his fingers. Along with this action, some enormous, scarlet numbers appeared in the pitch-black sky. Upon seeing the numbers, be it the hectic group on the city walls or the crowd lined up in the back, they lifted their heads to the sky. Shortly after, they grew excited.
30, 29, 28, 27…
“Oh-oh-oh, hurry up! It’s about to start! It has started counting down!”
“Quick! Clerics, put up the buffs. Is everyone in position? Confirm your positions once again. God dang it, we need to give it a good one. Don’t act recklessly and stay calm!”
“Oi, you guys up there, how much longer do you need? Are the turrets secured yet? We’re about ready now, and———done!”
“Rhode?”
Looking at this scene, Erin couldn’t help but gaze at Rhode beside her. Even though she didn’t know how he did it, she was certain that this was definitely his doing. But why did he set this countdown timer? It would be fine if it were meant to raise spirits, but judging from the chaotic mess below… Why did it feel counterproductive instead?
“Don’t worry, Erin. You’ll see.”
Facing her doubt and concern, Rhode wasn’t mindful at all. At that moment, the snarls were getting louder. The faint silver moonlight in the distance had turned into a turbid mix of black and white. Shortly after, the air warped and twisted figures strolled out from within, one after another.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5…
All of a sudden, the scarlet numbers grew in size. But at that moment, Erin realized that the hectic and bustling crowd on the defensive line became incredibly quiet as though it were the silence before the storm. The busy crowd on the steel city walls were nowhere to be seen anymore. The people at the bottom who ran about finding groups were also prepared. The players on the guard towers raised their weapons and faced the front.
3——!
2——!
1——!
After the number ‘1’ disappeared, all of a sudden, a line of golden text appeared in the night sky.
[Welcome to the Epic Battlefield!]
“Oo——Oo——Oo——!”
The deep bugle reverberated from the towers. At that moment, the silent city walls broke out in a frenzy.
“Oh-oh-oh! It has begun! For the honor of Starlight!”
“I’m hungry for honor points already. Come on, Chaos bast*rds!”
“This…”
Erin stared blankly at the fired-up crowd. At that moment, the passion they showed was so strong, so much so that Erin felt it was surreal. She didn’t expect these people to erupt with such powerful enthusiasm for battle. Logically speaking, one who reached the Peak Legendary Stage would value one’s life much more. It was already rare for these people to be willing to risk their lives to defend the land on her behalf. But now, judging from their behavior, it seemed like they were more passionate and agitated than the people of the Country of Darkness.
What exactly is going on?
“Alright then, let’s begin.”
When Erin turned around, the only thing she saw was Rhode turning around and leaving.
“I shall make a move first, Erin. I’ll leave this place to you! Let us prepare a great feast!”
At the same time, along with the bursts of snarls, the Chaos army appeared at the peak of the horizon!
