More than 100,000 players were stationed here, almost all of whom belonged to Asskickers United and their several branch guilds. They were determined to beat the enemy back, even if the defenses of the Cripps Stronghold fell.

Nie Yan took a stroll atop the stronghold’s 10-meter high walls, which seemed impregnable. He gazed at the numerous watchtowers set up further back. The siege crossbows installed inside them could cover everything within a 50-meter radius.

However, this type of wall still couldn’t defend against the bombardments of the Armoured Catapults, which were supposed to only appear at higher levels. At this stage of the game, nothing could withstand their firepower. This was why they couldn’t hole up and weather the storm.

Two hours later, Nie Yan finally saw Bloodlust Blades’ forces approaching from the horizon.

The enemy was finally here!

Nie Yan came down from the stronghold walls. A group of 1,000 stood in the plaza outside the guild headquarters, ready to move out at his command. Bloodlust Blades had already slaughtered their way here. Asskickers United couldn’t shrink back now!

Every elite in Asskickers United was gathered here, even the ones who were previously in the middle of a quest.

Asskickers United’s survival was at stake in this battle!

Nie Yan arrived in front of the crowd.

“Boss, those bastards from Bloodlust Blades are already here! Should we go out and teach them no one messes with Asskickers United?” Undying Scoundrel asked in anticipation. He was really itching for a fight, especially since he had recently raised his level and the quality of his gear.

“What are you in such a hurry for? Just listen to the boss!” Summer Bug scolded. Undying Scoundrel really left him feeling helpless at times.

Nie Yan’s eyes scanned through the crowd. He saw many familiar faces, Bladelight, Smoke Stub, Young Seven, Black Heaven, Lustboy, Sunny South... All of them represented the apex of Asskickers United. So far, the losses they had suffered to Bloodlust Blades were only superficial. The talents here before him were the lifeblood of the guild. The real war was only just beginning!

Nie Yan turned to Guo Huai. “Are the 20 Great Mages I asked for all here?”

“Yep, all accounted for. Here’s a list of their names,” Guo Huai replied.

Nie Yan recognised Yao Yao, Lustboy, Sunny South, Summer Bug, Undying Scoundrel, and several others on the list. There were 13 Great Mages from Asskickers United, three from Battle Crazed Alliance, two from the War God Tribe, and one each from Sapphire Shrine and Holy Empire.

Almost all the Great Mages in their alliance were gathered here. With just a glance, Asskickers United clearly had the most.

At this stage of the game, every Great Mage was a powerful trump card. Most guilds would only have one or two, maybe three if they were lucky. Even the number of Great Mages in Bloodlust Blades, Alliance of Mages, and Divine Protectors probably didn’t exceed single digits.

“Boss, when will we take action?”

“Boss, let’s duke it out with those bastards outside right now! I can’t stand the smug look on their faces!”

“Yeah! Let’s wipe the floor with them! Just because we’ve been holding back, they’re taking us for soft targets!”

...

The crowd started growing restless. The Blackstone Stronghold was already in ruins. No guild in Calore had ever dared to challenge Asskickers United’s prestige before. With Bloodlust Blades humiliating them like this, every player in Asskickers United was simmering with rage. But Nie Yan had ordered them to stay put and preserve their strength. So, almost all the players on the battlefield right now belonged to the five branch guilds, Holy Empire, and Sapphire Shrine. Even though they had shaved away a bit of Bloodlust Blades’ strength, the results were far from ideal. This was mainly because those Armoured Catapults were too powerful. With the elites from Bloodlust Blades, Alliance of Mages, Divine Protectors, and Angel Corps protecting them, no one could get close enough to destroy them.

However, Sapphire Shrine and Holy Empire had still served a crucial role. Their actions bought Asskickers United a lot of time.

“Everyone, calm down. Let them keep showing off for a bit longer. We’ll shut their mouths soon enough. It’s just Bloodlust Blades. Even an ant is more intimidating! We’ll decimate them right here today! The Cripss Stronghold will flow with rivers of blood, and their corpses will pile up sky-high!” Nie Yan coldly declared, his eyes brimming with killing intent. Whether it was Bloodlust Blades, Alliance of Mages, Divine Protectors, or Angel Corps, he would erase them from existence one by one!

One more name crossed Nie Yan’s mind—Cao Xu!

What Bloodlust Blades? What Alliance of Mages? Divine Protectors? Angel Corps? Hmmph. All of you are just Cao Xu’s fucking minions!

As long as the Century Financial Group was still standing, Nie Yan couldn’t rest easy. He definitely wouldn’t let the tragedies of his past life repeat themselves.

The Century Financial Group was a voracious glutton with a bottomless appetite. As long as they were given the opportunity, they would swallow up everything within sight!

If Nie Yan didn’t wish to be the prey, he had to become the hunter!

Nie Yan wanted to shave away Cao Xu’s strength bit by bit, starting with Bloodlust Blades right now!

“Yes! Boss Nie Yan, with these words of yours, we brothers fear no one!”

“Fuck those Bloodlust Blades bastards!”

The players in the crowd nodded in agreement. Paladin of the Elegy had voiced out their thoughts. As long as Nie Yan showed his resolve, they would all unite together! None of them were afraid of Bloodlust Blades!

Under Nie Yan’s command, the 20 Great Mages gathered together. Yao Yao, dressed in a conspicuous white robe, caught his eye.

Nie Yan gave Yao Yao an apologetic smile. He was busy commanding Asskickers United’s forces right now, so he couldn’t spare her any attention.

「Don’t mind me. The war is more important,」Yao Yao sent Nie Yan a whisper.

Nie Yan nodded. As Asskickers United’s guild leader he naturally couldn’t place anything above the guild at such a crucial time.

“Bladelight and the others recently obtained several Group Teleport Scrolls when running the Siren Graveyard dungeon. I don’t know if they’ll be of any use,” Guo Huai said, recalling the various rare items sitting in the treasury.

Group Teleport Scrolls? Nie Yan’s eyes widened in surprise. These items were extremely rare. Even if someone offered 50,000 gold for one, others still might not necessarily be willing to sell. It was basically an item without a set market price. The fact that Bladelight and the others had acquired several scrolls left him speechless.

“What rank are they?” Nie Yan asked. There were three ranks of Group Teleport Scrolls: Junior Group Teleport Scrolls could teleport up to 30 players for a maximum of 1,000 meters away; Intermediate Group Teleport Scrolls could teleport up to 200 players; and as for Advanced Group Teleport Scrolls, he had never encountered them before.

“One Intermediate and two Junior Group Teleport Scrolls!” Guo Huai replied.

“Great!” Nie Yan said. The three Group Teleport Scrolls could turn the tide of battle, especially if they were used properly.

Group Teleport Scrolls were different from other teleportation scrolls in that it required someone to already be at the target location for the group to teleport over. Nevertheless, it was still quite useful.

Nie Yan led these 1,000 elites from Asskickers United out of the Cripps Stronghold to a nearby forested mountain area. The cover would aid them greatly. Even if Bloodlust Blades’ force knew where they were, there was nothing they could do!

The rough terrain of a forest greatly reduced the effectiveness of an army.

After a while, Nie Yan arrived at the top of a hill. He looked up ahead and saw the more than 50,000 Bloodlust Blades players gathered in the plains outside the Cripps Stronghold. They stretched out as far as the eye could see, and they were prepared for war!

The three Armoured Catapults were slowly escorted forward, stopping at around 300 meters from the Cripps Stronghold. There they began firing, bombarding the outer walls with explosive shells. Heavy explosions rang out as debris flew everywhere, shaking the entire wall. The elites from Bloodlust Blades, Alliance of Mages, Divine Protectors, and Angel Corps had set up defenses around the Armoured Catapults, such as Thunderstorm Mines and Caltrops, to prevent the players from Asskickers United from approaching.

If Bloodlust Blades and their allies tried to storm the Cripps Stronghold right now, they would undoubtedly suffer heavy losses. The Cripps Strongholds was practically an iron fortress, with high walls, numerous watchtowers, and 100,000 players guarding it. They could only rely on the immense firepower of the Armoured Catapults to break through the defenses first.

So far, aside from the Armoured Catapults repeatedly bombarding the Cripps Strongholds, both sides hadn’t taken any action. However, everyone could sense this was only the calm before the storm, and a battle of a massive scale was about to break out.

Nie Yan separated the 20 Great Mages from the main group and led them to a hidden clearing in the forest. Lustboy was the most knowledgeable in magic arrays, so he was given the task of setting up the elaborate hexagram array for summoning the Molelord. Every leyline was drawn in a meticulous fashion, not allowing for the slightest error. Before long, a circular array appeared on the ground, filled with all sorts of complex patterns and formations. It lit up brilliantly and brimmed with mysterious power.