Chapter 7 The Second Wave

Two spells and you're already out of juice? Even a mage like Gu Fei wouldn't be this weak. The aerial bombardment had paused, not because mages were weak, but because they only had two area-of-effect spells. After using them in quick succession, they needed time to cool down. Besides, there was another important reason.

That first wave of shocking damage was just a test. Shui Shen's mission was like that of the werewolves in Yeguang Village: to silence Todd. Killing Cloud City players was irrelevant. Despite the prolonged entanglement, Shui Shen's group hadn't located their target. Now, they finally had.

The guy surrounded by three shield-bearing heavy-armor warriors, guarded personally by Without-Oath, the guild leader of Across the World, was undoubtedly the key to their mission. Every hidden eye in the trees could see it clearly.

All mages turned their staves, all archers turned their arrows.

This wave of attacks was what the ambush was truly meant to accomplish!

The optimal attack zone the Forest Canopy players had designed wasn't meant to inflict the most damage on Cloud City players, but to ensure every corner of the opposing team was within range. This allowed them to concentrate maximum firepower once the target was identified.

Todd's position wasn't ideal. Many mages couldn't reach him, but those within range were ready, gritting their teeth, waiting for their skills to cool down.

In the forest, Without-Oath slashed at a thief, intending to finish him off, but the thief didn't engage, instead turning and running. Several thieves near Without-Oath and Todd revealed themselves, but instead of attacking, they all turned and fled.

"Not good!" Without-Oath realized something was wrong.

He didn't bother speaking, instantly using his Dual Charge to dash away. Dual Charge was a skill unique to Without-Oath, allowing him to use the charge skill twice before entering cooldown.

The moment Without-Oath dodged, the sky and ground erupted in an even more brilliant display of fire. He couldn't tell how many mages were targeting the area, only managing a pained roar. The mission was likely over. No matter how strong those three heavy-armor warriors were, they couldn't withstand so many spells at once, could they?

The answer was as Without-Oath feared.

The three heavy-armor warriors' Prison Nether Shields were powerful and abnormal, but their defensive properties only worked when the shield directly contacted the attack. Even if there weren't so many mages attacking, they could have raised their shields to block the falling fire wheels, but there was no defense against the Fire Tree Thousand Flame bursting from the ground.

Yes, they had once thrown their shields down and jumped on them to defend against the Fire Tree Thousand Flame ultimate move, but their opponent had been Gu Fei. Only Gu Fei's slow spellcasting gave them time to perform such a complicated maneuver.

In the flames, the three sturdy figures were incinerated. Because they were tougher than ordinary players, they didn't immediately turn into white light. Their faces showed their painful struggle, but it only lasted a second or two. The white light that Without-Oath dreaded finally rose.

If the powerful heavy-armor warriors were instantly killed, how could Todd survive?

When it all dissipated, Without-Oath almost didn't dare to open his eyes, waiting for the system to announce the mission's failure. But this time, he was pleasantly surprised.

The heavy-armor warriors were gone, and the ground still burned. The Cloud City players who hadn't escaped the area had all perished, but Todd, the disheveled prisoner who had remained expressionless, was still disheveled and expressionless after the fiery baptism.

He was still alive! Without-Oath was so astonished his mouth hung open.

But he quickly recovered, dashing to Todd's side and grabbing him to run.

If Todd resisted, it would create problems for Without-Oath. But the NPC was obedient, seeming fully aware of his captive status. When Without-Oath grabbed him, he followed. Without-Oath waved at the others, shouting, "Cover! Cover!!"

A fraction of Across the World's arrow formation and some mercenary archers survived, along with a few mages. They seized the opportunity to blindly attack the sky. The warriors also did what they could, hugging nearby trees and shaking them violently.

This surprisingly became the most effective attack.

In such a dense forest, the branches and leaves of every tree were intertwined. Shaking one tree would affect a large area. With so many people shaking at once, the rustling of branches echoed through the forest. Many Forest Canopy players were caught off guard and fell from the trees. Most reacted quickly, grabbing branches as they fell, exposing themselves. The canopy of that small area of the forest was filled with players hanging like heavy, bizarre fruit.

"Damn, what a mess!" Han Jia Gongzi lamented. "Bang!" A mage fell from above, landing in front of him.

With a flash of fire, Gu Fei quickly used Pocket Sword Art to instantly kill him.

The tree shaking had more effects. Its greatest effect was preventing the players in the trees from attacking!

Those hiding in the trees were either archers or mages. Although many managed to hold on to the trees, they weren't hanging from the branches. But archers needed both hands to shoot. How could they shoot while using one hand to balance themselves?

As for the mages, although they could cast spells with one hand, the problem was that most spells required the caster to remain still. With the trees shaking wildly, everyone was trembling. Even without significant movement, the constant shaking caused subtle undulations. The system didn't miss these small flaws, and none of the mages could successfully cast their spells.

The Cloud City players hadn't realized this, but the tree shaking had caused a turning point in the battle. The Forest Canopy players who fell to the ground were killed before they could get up and run, and those hanging in the trees became easy targets. The slaughter had instantly reversed.

Without-Oath demonstrated the qualities of a great guild leader. He kept a close eye on Todd while calmly directing his players: shaking trees, shooting targets, picking fruit. Everyone was busy.

Shui Shen, waiting for news of victory, was surprised by the report: "How many mages attacked simultaneously?"

"At least 50!!"

"50 mages, two spells each, and the NPC is still alive?"

"Looks like nothing happened to him."

"This is more difficult than I thought..." Shui Shen sighed. He knew the NPC wouldn't be that fragile, or Across the World's mission to protect him would be too easy. So he set this elaborate trap, hoping to concentrate firepower and instantly obliterate the target. He never expected 50 mages firing at once wouldn't kill the target. The NPC's vitality must be Boss-level.

"What's the situation now? Can we launch another wave?" Shui Shen asked quickly.

"No way!" the person replied. "They're shaking the trees."

"They figured it out so quickly? Cloud City players are full of experts!" Shui Shen exclaimed. Players who had spent a lot of time in the forest knew shaking trees could completely shut down attacks from above. They used this tactic because they thought Cloud City players were unfamiliar with forest combat and believed they had a guaranteed kill. After all, if they directly killed Todd, the opponents' mission would fail. If the opponents were rational, both sides would benefit from not continuing the fight, shaking hands, having a drink, and cursing the system for designing a two-way mission.

But the guaranteed kill failed, and the opponents thought of shaking the trees so quickly. Shui Shen overestimated them. The Cloud City players hadn't thought about how shaking the trees countered the characteristics of the two classes hiding in the trees. Their thinking was simple: people are in the trees, so I'll shake the trees to knock them down. It was that simple.

"Everyone in the trees, hold on! They won't stay in the forest long. Let them leave," Shui Shen ordered.

The players in the trees had already done so, clinging tightly to the branches. Except for the warriors shaking the trees, the other Cloud City players retreated in an orderly fashion under Without-Oath's command.

At the forest's edge, Yingzuka Setsuna and his group were still waiting anxiously. Finally, they saw the Cloud City players.

"What took you so long?" Yingzuka Setsuna greeted them smugly, thinking he had done a great service.

"Screw you!" The first player out glared at Yingzuka Setsuna and shoved him to the ground.