Chapter Twenty: The Outbreak of War

“Eye-Catching Cat” naturally accompanied Nightfeather and the others on their journey. Since Eternal Brotherhood had come under the joint assault of two guild forces, Nightfeather was doing everything he could to rescue its members.

“Please, don’t act rashly, Boss Wu.”

Eye-Catching Cat bit her lip, her expression grave and anxious. “I wonder if you could hurry a little more. I’m afraid Saintly World and Battle Hymn have already laid an inescapable net. If Boss Wu walks into it, he’ll be in danger.”

Although Nightfeather rarely concerned himself with guild affairs, an unspoken understanding had formed between the various guilds. The Profound Heaven server had already changed. Even players from the old servers were doing everything possible to infiltrate it.

Thus, the guilds on the Profound Heaven server would not act recklessly against one another—not even when alliances were involved. Purple Void Illusory Realm and the First Force were both at the peak of their power, each vying to become the number-one guild in Profound Heaven. If Purple Void Illusory Realm had not been reinforced by Nightfeather’s fixed party, bearing the brunt of the pressure, it would never have been able to contend with the First Force, whose strength had been built through enormous financial investment.

As for Saintly World and Battle Hymn joining forces, they had evidently reached some kind of agreement. As the saying went, when the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits. Their alliance had clearly created a balance of interests. Yet everyone knew that Saintly World and Battle Hymn were now allies, and that behind them stood the shadow of the First Force.

Among the top ten guilds, Eternal Brotherhood was the most isolated. Still, with the Martial King Drunken Wine Traps Heroes at its helm, it had seemed capable of safeguarding its own corner of the world. In truth, however, things were not so simple. In a truly large-scale clash between powerful factions, all one needed was to seize an opening and deliver the most painful, devastating blow possible.

Nightfeather recalled the circumstances. Although seizing that opening and launching an attack had its own reasons, the cause was clearly the incident in which Drunken Wine Traps Heroes had dealt with the people from Saintly World that day.

…

When Nightfeather and the others reached the walls of Eternal Brotherhood’s guild territory, the sight before them caused everyone’s expression to turn grim.

Drunken Wine Traps Heroes stood alone against nearly a hundred people. At the head of the opposing group stood a man dressed in a green robe, elegant and refined in appearance. Yet the expression on his face was savage, almost murderous. His long hair fell to his shoulders, and a vicious light gleamed in his narrowing eyes. The corner of his mouth curled into a faint smile.

“This man is the current guild leader of Saintly World, a swordsman called Two Three Idle Words,” Eye-Catching Cat whispered to Nightfeather and the others.

She knew little about Nightfeather’s group, but when she looked at him, she inexplicably felt a sense of reassurance. It was not especially strong, but she firmly believed that the man before her would surely be able to help her Boss Wu.

“Martial King, you bullied my subordinates while I was away. Did you ever take me seriously? What I’m doing now is merely returning the favor for what you did that day.”

Two Three Idle Words furrowed his brows slightly and spoke in a low voice.

“So you’re saying that I was the one who started the trouble, and that you attacked my guild territory because of it?”

Drunken Wine Traps Heroes folded his arms across his chest. A mocking smile played at the corners of his lips as he spoke coldly.

“Wasn’t that the case? Weren’t you the one who started it? How dare you lecture me now?”

Two Three Idle Words raised his right hand, the three-foot blade of his sword pointing straight at Drunken Wine Traps Heroes.

“Heh. I never imagined that the leader of Saintly World would be so skilled at spouting nonsense and shifting the blame. Don’t think that having a major power backing you gives you the right to threaten me. Have you forgotten that it was your subordinate who overturned my table and interrupted my meal? And now you still have the nerve to speak to me with such righteous indignation. Do you have no shame?”

At Drunken Wine Traps Heroes’ words, the corner of Two Three Idle Words’ mouth twitched slightly. He gave a cold snort and said nothing more, because he knew perfectly well how the matter had begun.

“And don’t forget—I never made things difficult for your subordinate. He overturned my food, so I merely made him compensate me for the entire table. If you were in my place, Two Three Idle Words, I’m sure you wouldn’t have let him off so mercifully, would you? You simply found an excuse to cause trouble for Eternal Brotherhood. You could have said so directly. Why spout all this nonsense and pretend you’re blameless? Do you really think I’m afraid of you?”

“Enough.”

Two Three Idle Words’ expression changed slightly. His eyes shone with an intense, murderous light as he angrily said, “Do you know that you ruined my plans? If not for you, I would have accomplished what I set out to do long ago.”

“So you think Saintly World and Battle Hymn joining forces is enough to swallow Eternal Brotherhood?”

An amused curve appeared at the corner of Drunken Wine Traps Heroes’ mouth as he stared at Two Three Idle Words.

“Of course I know how powerful you are. Otherwise, the title of Martial King would be nothing but an empty boast. That is why I did not come here alone to deal with you. No matter how formidable you are, how can you possibly fight so many people at once—and especially when those two are among them?”

As Two Three Idle Words finished speaking, the members of Saintly World behind him moved aside, opening a path. Two figures dressed in close-fitting martial outfits slowly approached Two Three Idle Words.

One of them had long hair streaming in the wind and a seasoned look about his face. His skin was deeply tanned, the unmistakable complexion of someone accustomed to the sun. No weapon was visible in his hands, but it was already clear that the two men could only belong to one of two classes: spearmen or swordsmen.

The other man, by contrast, held a palm-leaf fan. His features were exceptionally refined, yet a grave solemnity showed between his brows. He wore an ordinary long robe.

When Nightfeather saw the two men, his eyes narrowed slightly. Luo Feng spoke from beside him.

“Among the level-forty players, these are two of the most powerful. One is Saintly World’s vice-leader, Dream Chasing the Wind, a swordsman. The other is also a swordsman—the leader of Battle Hymn, Moonlit Long Song.”

“I never thought Battle Hymn’s leader would switch sides and enter Saintly World as its vice-leader. And now Battle Hymn has a different leader altogether. Interesting. But it seems Battle Hymn has fallen so far that it has become Saintly World’s vassal. Does it still have the face to remain among the top ten?”

Drunken Wine Traps Heroes showed no fear as he continued, “Dream Chasing the Wind, you were once so heroic and full of spirit. Yet now you’ve become a weakling like Two Three Idle Words’ lapdog.”

Dream Chasing the Wind did not grow angry at the insult. Instead, he let out a sigh.

“Martial King, I believe you understand that if one wishes to remain safe in the world of Godfall, there are times when one must submit to a force stronger than oneself. Whether in reality or in a game, certain restraints exist. Those restraints are even more apparent in Godfall. I came out here precisely to persuade you not to make an enemy of Saintly World. Saintly World has already reached a height that people like us can only look up to. You can no longer afford to provoke it.”

“Heh. I was wondering why Saintly World, which once loved nothing more than stirring up trouble and fighting, had restrained itself for so long. So it turns out that becoming someone else’s lapdog was the only way to make an evenly matched force bow its head.”

Drunken Wine Traps Heroes had naturally understood the meaning behind Dream Chasing the Wind’s words. He immediately let out a cold laugh.

Two Three Idle Words was not angered by the mockery. He merely laughed coldly.

“Speaking of which, I should thank you. If you hadn’t ruined what I was supposed to accomplish that day, they would never have been willing to lend Saintly World a hand. Saintly World today is no longer a power you can afford to provoke.”

“I initially thought this was merely an alliance between two guilds. Now it seems that Battle Hymn has become Saintly World’s vassal. Moreover, there appears to be another power behind Saintly World, one that has poured its strength into it—enough to make a guild like Battle Hymn, once its equal, bow in submission.”

Nightfeather shifted his gaze to Eye-Catching Cat. His voice remained calm, though a hint of coldness had entered it.

At his words, Eye-Catching Cat’s expression darkened. Worry filled her eyes as she looked toward Drunken Wine Traps Heroes in the distance.

“I didn’t know Dream Chasing the Wind had become Saintly World’s vice-leader. He used to be the leader of Battle Hymn. I don’t know who Battle Hymn’s new leader is, but I think he must be a player from the force standing behind Saintly World.”

Eye-Catching Cat spoke in a low voice. She, too, had not expected things to develop this way.

“Clearly, this isn’t an alliance between two guilds. It’s a force from the same faction making a move. The name Moonlit Long Song seems to have belonged to a low-profile player in the past, though judging by his equipment, he is certainly a cash warrior. The question is how good his actual skills are. Becoming a guild leader proves little; whether his strength matches the position is impossible to say.”

Luo Feng analyzed the situation. The First Force stood behind Saintly World, but even the First Force should not have been powerful enough to make Battle Hymn, a top-ten guild, bow to a faction that had once been its equal. At most, Battle Hymn could be considered an ally of the First Force, granting it a degree of authority.

“I can’t let Boss Wu clash with them.”

Eye-Catching Cat was overwhelmed with anxiety, deep worry filling her eyes. The moment she finished speaking, she moved as if to rush toward Drunken Wine Traps Heroes and stop the battle before it began.

Nightfeather quickly raised his left hand and held her back.

“Don’t let your imagination run wild. That’s impossible. Saintly World has come here with overwhelming force to attack Eternal Brotherhood’s territory. They clearly came prepared. Don’t think that you alone can change their minds.”

“That’s right. Besides, the spiritual leader of a guild must display the strength expected of him before his subordinates. Only then can he ignite their will to fight.”

Huang Hong nodded as he spoke. A surging battle spirit had already risen within him, and he was eager to charge into the fray.

At that moment, Nightfeather and the others suddenly heard Drunken Wine Traps Heroes burst into laughter.

“There are indeed countless restraints. The restraints within a game may even be greater than those in reality. But a game is still only a game. I choose to act as I please. Otherwise, how could I ever speak of the martial world?”

The instant Drunken Wine Traps Heroes finished speaking, he spread both arms wide.

The shadow beneath his feet suddenly expanded. In an instant, it spread outward in a circle with a radius of a hundred meters. Black mist churned within it, rolling like countless black dragons.

“Is he going to make his move?”

Nightfeather narrowed his eyes. Then he turned to Eye-Catching Cat and instructed her, “Leave this place first. If you can find any members of Eternal Brotherhood, take them with you. Staying here will only burden Drunken Wine Traps Heroes. Once the battle begins, everything will descend into chaos, and no one will have the time to protect you. I promise I’ll get Drunken Wine Traps Heroes out safely.”

Eye-Catching Cat nodded. She immediately darted away toward the edge of the territory, evidently intending to follow Nightfeather’s instructions and search for any remaining members of Eternal Brotherhood.

Nightfeather then turned to Luo Feng and the others. They exchanged knowing looks and nodded, intense battle spirit appearing on every face.

By now, the six members of Nightfeather’s group had reached an extraordinary level of understanding. They no longer needed words to grasp one another’s intentions.

In the center of the battlefield, Drunken Wine Traps Heroes needed a certain amount of time to build up the black mist. If they interrupted him during that interval, they could prevent him from unleashing the astonishing damage made possible by the shadowy field.

Dream Chasing the Wind and Moonlit Long Song naturally understood this. Two Three Idle Words also knew his old opponent’s weakness. He exchanged a glance with the other two, then stepped forward and shot toward Drunken Wine Traps Heroes’ position.

Two Three Idle Words’ face twisted with ferocity, his voice thick with murderous intent.

“Do you think I’ll give you the chance to finish? Dream on! This time, you’ll fall together with Eternal Brotherhood! I’ll destroy all of you—utterly and completely!”

…

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