Nie Yan naturally didn’t believe he was charismatic enough to have every single member of Asskickers United follow him blindly. What mattered was that they had a deep attachment to the guild. With so many close brothers around them, they would form an unbreakable link in the collective whole. Today, they had to win. On an occasion like this, everyone would rise together!

A dream alone wasn’t enough to make the players devote themselves to Asskickers United, nor was it practical. Nie Yan provided them comprehensive protection as well as generous benefits.

Asskickers United’s benefits were the highest among all guilds. When a player died in battle, not only would all their losses be compensated, but they would also receive additional rewards for every enemy killed. So, they didn’t have to worry about dying. In addition, Asskickers United had the most comprehensive treasury. The equipment inside was far superior to that of other guilds. Not to mention, thanks to the income of the stronghold under their control, the players would receive a fixed monthly salary.

The generous benefits Asskickers United provided became a dream in the hearts of countless players. At the same time, the recruitment requirements for Asskickers United were extremely strict. Even the weakest members were in the top 1% of Conviction. Under these circumstances, simply being part of the guild was a form of glory in and of itself. This was another reason why players stayed in the guild.

It was thanks to all these things combined that Asskickers United achieved its current success and unity!

Nie Yan distributed the 12 Hyperlink Rings among Xie Yao, Tang Yao, and the others. Tang Yao’s Netherthunder Eagle was still heavily injured, so it couldn’t participate in the battle. However, Natural Fiend’s Azure Wing Albatross could take part.

“Are we all ready? If so, let’s set out and slaughter some Alliance of Mages bastards!” Nie Yan shouted.

“Yeah, let’s slaughter those bastards with the boss!” the players from Asskickers United roared.

Following behind Nie Yan, they headed to the other side of the plaza like a surging tide.

Alliance of Mages’ forces were gathered on the other side of the plaza, occupying a corner. Nie Yan received a report from Guo Huai. Alliance of Mages and Divine Protectors had put forth 1,200 and 800 of their top players respectively. Over on the side of the Century Financial Group, through various connections, they had recruited the help of 900 professional players, all of whom were top experts. Apart from this, Cao Xu had also dispatched 60 players from Direwolf. The final 40 came from Bloodfiends, the Century Financial Group paying an arm and a leg for their services.

Regarding the Bloodfiends, Nie Yan guessed they probably belonged to some enemy power of Asskickers United. They were entering the Realm of Death simply to stir up trouble.

As for Direwolf, Nie Yan only knew they were under the direct control of Cao Xu. Their strength wasn’t to be underestimated. He would warn his guild members to be mindful of them.

Comparing both sides, Alliance of Mages probably had more top elites than Asskickers United. However, Nie Yan could see their weakness. The enemy was a group of individuals. If an order were to be passed down, not everyone might follow it. In terms of teamwork and synergy, Asskickers United absolutely had them beat.

Nie Yan headed to the edge of the plaza, where a white-haired old man in ragged robes stood. His eyes were glazed over, signifying that he was blind.

This old man was Karuhr, a famous NPC in the Hilton Stronghold. You had to talk to him to open the Realm of Death.

On the other side, Crazy Magic in his ash gray robes walked over. Seeing Nie Yan, his expression darkened.

Karuhr moved his head as his ears perked up. Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching, he pinpointed the location of the two players.

“Sir Kahruhr, can you please open up the Realm of Death for us,” Nie Yan asked.

“By the will of God, the Realm of Death is a place to decide irrevocable feuds. Those who die in there will suffer dire consequences. You’re only allowed out after one side has been wiped out. Are you sure?” Karuhr asked in a grave tone.

“Yes.” Nie Yan nodded.

Crazy Magic also nodded.

“Very well. After entering the Realm of Death, you will be transported to a random location. You might be surrounded by many enemies. Make your preparations,” Karuhr warned.

Other than the honour for the victor, five strongholds were also at stake. Be it Nie Yan or Crazy Magic, this was a heavy price to pay.

Nie Yan stared at the five cloaked figures behind Crazy Magic. They were currently chatting about something. Based on their bearing and the way they wielded their weapons, he could confirm they were top experts.

Those five players also looked over at Nie Yan.

“Krow, Raven, that’s Nirvana Flame. Remember his face.”

“I heard he’s pretty full of himself right now with all the attention. It’s been a while since I’ve had a decent opponent. My hands are itching,” Krow smirked, cracking his knuckles and other joints.

“Don’t get careless. Nirvana Flame’s reputation isn’t just for show,” Raven reminded. He wasn’t that fond of this westerner. Even though Krow had lived in China for so many years, he hadn’t bother learning the culture at all.

Nie Yan retracted his gaze. He might actually be encountering some serious opponents this time around. However, meet god slay god, meet devil slay devil. He wasn’t afraid of anyone!

“Nirvana Flame, it doesn’t matter how many times you’ve gotten lucky in the past. Alliance of Mages will crush you this time around,” Crazy Magic growled. Thanks to the full support of the Century Financial Group, he was confident in their victory.

“You? Crush us? Don’t make me laugh,” Nie Yan chuckled. “Save it for when you’ve actually won the battle. You’re only making a fool of yourself right now.”

Crazy Magic coldly snorted. “Then we’ll see who comes out on top in the end.”

Almost 90% of the players in the Viridian Empire were closely observing this battle. Those watching the livestream were all wondering who would win. This battle would change the whole power structure of the Viridian Empire. No matter who won or lost, this war was unavoidable. The winner definitely wouldn’t let the loser off easily. By the end, one of these guilds would be wiped out!

Karuhr waved his staff. The space near him started to tremble.

The players from Asskickers United and Alliance of Mages immediately grew tense.

The Realm of Death was about to open!

As space twisted and warped, Nie Yan felt like he was dragged through a quagmire. When he opened his eyes, he had arrived in a vast, barren wasteland. He spotted a few shadows moving around on the slopes in the distance. In the Realm of Death, if a player wasn’t your ally, they were your enemy. 6,000 players had all been transported here.

Nie Yan didn’t know where the others had been dropped off. He had to survive in order to gather his comrades together.

The moment everyone was dropped into the Realm of the Death, the voice chat was opened.

「This place doesn’t have any coordinates. We can’t confirm our locations. Where do we gather?」Bladelight asked.

「It can’t be helped for the time being. Let’s get our bearings first. Head east, and we’ll probably eventually meet,」Nie Yan said. The 12 people with the Hyperlink Rings could all teleport to each other. However, keeping in contact was fine for now.

An update popped in chat. Some of the players from Asskickers United had already engaged with the players from Alliance of Mages. Asskickers United suffered six casualties while Alliance of Mages suffered seven. The orders Nie Yan passed down to everyone was to kill if you could kill. If you couldn’t guarantee your life, flee and preserve your strength.

The Realm of Death stretched out endlessly. There were all types of terrain, plains, wastelands, swamps, mountain ranges, hills, forests, and so on. Nie Yan activated Gale Step and headed east.

Some time later, he spotted 11 humanoid shadows gathered together on a slope up ahead. Because they were too far away, he couldn’t tell which side they belonged to. He entered stealth and approached them.

These 11 players all wore the unique emblem of Alliance of Mages. It was gold in the shape of a coiled vine. Quite different from Asskickers United’s emblem, which was silver in the shape of a minotaur head. Both emblems were quite distinct.

“I’m from Alliance of Mages.”

“I’m from the Brilliant gaming org.”

These 11 players were basically cannon fodder. They were a hodge-podge of people from different groups. The strongest among them was Level 70, which at this stage of the game was pretty decent. Their equipment was also fairly good, at least Dark Gold-grade.

The party was comprised of two Thieves, three Warriors, and six Mages. There were no Priests or Paladins. They had probably received an order from their side to head east too. Nie Yan pondered for a moment, then trailed behind them.

These players hadn’t even noticed that they were being followed.

One of their Thieves went to scout the path ahead while the Warriors took the lead and the Mages followed close behind. Even though this was their first time working together, everyone here was a seasoned expert. Moving together was fairly easy.

These people descended the slope and entered a forest.

Nie Yan stopped at the edge of the forest. Seeing the numerous trees and lush vegetation, he unsheathed his dagger as a sinister smile formed on his face.

The hunt was about to begin. These 11 players were all his prey!

In a dark environment like a forest, Thieves were kings!

Dense forest greatly hindered the movements of large creatures like Golden Dragons. So, Nie Yan didn’t summon Lil’ Gold.