Draco sneered and blinked back to his throne after he had dealt with the assassin players in one hit. He didn't plan for such a thing to happen, but the Allied Guilds provided him with a very nice opportunity to show off his power.
The eyes of the members of Umbra as they gazed at him were red with reverence and excitement. Truly, who were the greatest if it weren't either Draco or the Lady Boss?
Draco sat down in his throne and relaxed. He accessed the Personal Command Center to see what he needed to do currently. When he read through the proposed plans Sofia had laid out for him, he smiled.
Draco took control of the Army of Camelot and greatly helped them lower their losses by maneuvering them around their enemies in real-time. His awareness and the instructions from the Personal Command Center were accurate and astute.
After 5 minutes of what felt like a real-time-strategy game to him, the Army of Camelot had dealt huge amounts of damage and still had more than 10% of their forces remaining.
Since almost the whole battlefield was covered with his Void of Perfection, He could see the horrible situation the Wood Monster Army was suffering under, but he could only offer a weak prayer for them.
Their duty had been to take the fire from those war weapons and lower the enemy numbers as much as possible and they ended up accomplishing it.
Draco - and the Personal Command Center - wanted two things.
The first was for the number of enemies to reduce. Then, they could enter the second stage of this war.
The second was to push the Allied Guilds to use up the trump cards they were greatly relying on. The Personal Command Center had already searched for details of it in the minds of the NPC commanders, but they did not know exactly what it was, only that 'it' existed.
It was only Joker and Happy Scholar who knew, but the Eyes of Caelo could not poke into the minds of players yet. Until they got the pods, it would be hard to do so when they used the Virtua Helmets.
Draco had an idea of what it could be and the Personal Command Center used his future knowledge to extrapolate the identity of the back-up trump card.
However, if it was any of the items Draco was thinking of, then the third stage of the war would be really colorful.
Next, Draco commanded the remaining 11,000 from the Army of Camelot to join up with the 1,000 from the Wood Monster Army.
They were to make a last stand by cutting through all enemies with the goal of destroying at least, one war weapon. The Personal Command Center rationalized that this should be possible with the offensive power of the 6 knights.
Arthur raised Excalibur into the air and shouted.
"FOR CAMELOT!"
The 6 knights mimicked his action and raised their blades to the sky.
"FOR CAMELOT!"
Every person watching the battlefield was shocked to see a golden aura surround the knights, as the mirage of the Lion of Britain surrounded them. It roared to the skies as it imbued them with the will and strength of all of Britain.
The Knights, who had been like meat grinders before, turned into harbingers of destruction as they cut into the forces before them.
No matter what response the Allied Guilds tried to put up, it was meaningless. Their players and even the NPCs lost their heads, had their bodies cut in half or were torn apart by the force of the blades.
The Army of Camelot also benefited from the blessing of the Lion of Britain. Their prowess increased greatly, and their eyes became ferocious. They had been fighting for years after the betrayal of Lancelot, so they had become fatigued.
However, this blessing had ignited the spark of bravery and will in their hearts. They felt invincible and unbeatable, so they acted like it. As such, their prowess couldn't be compared to before.
The Dryads and the dredges of the Wood Monster Army didn't gain the benefit, but their task was to keep the 6 knights and as many soldiers of Camelot alive for as long as possible.
Their healing was very crucial to the charge, even though they got cut down in exchange. It allowed the Knights of Camelot to cut their way through more than 80% of the battlefield while keeping their lives intact.
However, the sheer numerical difference and suicidal nature of their charge were not easily mitigated by such things.
The 12,000 troops who jumped into the den of 180,000 saw their numbers reduced to barely 3,000 in just a few minutes while the 180,000 only lost 10,000 troops.
The 6 Knights of Camelot quickly began to lose steam as they lost the buff of the Lion of Britain slowly. The golden aura began to fade away, and with it, their increased power.
They were still leagues stronger than the opponents before them individually, but against a collective, it was hard.
Too hard.
Their numbers began to drop even faster and the spectators couldn't help but feel pained in their hearts. The look of determination on the faces of the 6 knights had touched them greatly, and regardless of their bet or not, they wanted them to succeed.
They were swept up in the emotions of the battle and got themselves immersed, which is what the AI wanted. It had many reasons for allowing players to spectate, some obvious and some very hard to grasp, but almost all of them had been achieved so far.
Arthur, Bedivere, Gawain, Galahad, Tristan, Percival, and Kay fought like madmen.
Arthur swung the Divine Rank Excalibur with all of his skill, each swipe taking away the lives of everyone before him without fail.
Bedivere used his immense experience and tactical ac.u.men to maneuver the battle, dealing damage at opportune moments to back up his other knights, especially Gawain and Galahad, who were like sons to him.
Gawain, the most honest of the Knights and the finder of the Holy Grail, was like a tank of inextinguishable fuel. The blessing the Holy Grail had granted him played a strong role, as he would never tire or be weakened.
Galahad was the youngest knight and the most talented. However, after the betrayal of his father, he had become a lifeless puppet. The only time life could be seen in him were in moments like this, when he would display all of his pain and anguish in the form of madness.
He laughed eerily as he cut down any foe before him without caring about the damage he was receiving, tears falling from his eyes as he did so.
Tristan was more heavily armored than the others, so his movement was slow. In exchange, he opted to place himself in the way of the particularly dangerous volleys of attacks.
Percival used a spear, which was unique among the Knights. He was the sound best at jousting aside from Arthur, but he had no horse to help him display his talent.
Kay was quite skinny and short compared to the rest, but he was the speediest. For every swing Arthur or Galahad made, he fired out 3 in that same interval.
However, his weaker constitution saw him tire out without the blessing of the Lion of Britain, and his steps became faulty. His defense and health were weaker too, to the point he had the lowest health of the knights and needed the most healing.
After the last dryad and soldier of Camelot were cut down, leaving the 6 Knights alone in the midst of enemies, they began to lose steam.
Every onlooker stood up from their seats as the emotions got to them. Even though they weren't sure Arthur could hear them, they still shouted out anyway.
"Stay strong, King Arthur, you can do it!"
"I still love Saber, so if she can do it, so can you!"
"You're the King of Britain! Show them Britain's might!"
"A King cannot be defeated by paupers!"
The players shouted out their own cheers in a variety of ways, but the key point was that they were all encouraging Arthur in one of his toughest moments.
The players had no idea how their timing would upset this war.
Arthur heard their cries and his heart shook. His mind became languid for the first time since he had discovered Guinevere's betrayal.
Just like Draco, he had become an entity filled with hate and malice after discovering that the woman he loved was rendezvousing with someone else.
That hate had clouded his mind and had actually lowered his prowess compared to how strong he had been during the Battle in the Central Meadowland.
Now that the cheers and support for the players entered his mind, it felt like the poison that clouded his mind was slowly cleared.
'When was the last time I heard the loving cries of my people, who revered me as Britain's best King?'
'Too long… the endless war has forced the people into suffering and depression.'
'If this goes on, regardless of whether or not I succeed in the war, Britain will be left fragmented.'
Arthur gazed at Excalibur in his hand and smiled.
'It's time to show me your blessing, Lady of the Lake.'
Arthur raised Excalibur up over his head. When the other Knights saw him do this, they also stopped, gazing at him with marvel and shock.
When was the last time Arthur had synced with Excalibur to perform this skill which had won Britain so many battles?
Arthur floated into the air slowly as the wind carried him forth, his golden-red armor gleaming with purity. A gentle light emerged from the heavens and coated the whole battlefield.
Every combatant on the field stopped what they were doing to glimpse at the marvelous event occurring in front of them. The spectating players and even Draco - as well as the members of Umbra - watched this happen with shock and awe.
The 6 Knights of Camelot on the ground lightly smiled. They also raised their blades - and one spear - as a golden-white aura escaped from their bodies and converged on Excalibur.
Arthur smiled at his Knights gently.
"My brothers… I have let you down for too long. From now on… I shall right all my wrongs."
His eyes glinted with seriousness and endless willpower.
"This I solemnly swear under the gaze of the Gods!"
The white light that fell upon him intensified greatly, as if the heavens had acknowledged his vow. As such, a golden-white energy began to emerge from Excalibur.
Arthur's gaze fell on the war weapons that were so close, yet so far away. Because the Knights were in the middle of their own army, the Allied Guilds had ceased fire, and those manning them had joined the fray.
Arthur smiled as he opened his mouth and uttered the key words that every enemy of Britain had learned to fear.
"With the might of Excalibur, the blessing of the Lady of the Lake and the magic of Merlin!"
The aura surrounding Excalibur became more intense and volatile, like a world stopping explosion was about to occur.
"I demand that thee stand in the light…"
Arthur gripped Excalibur with two hands, as the aura began to form a macro-version of the blade that was made out of golden light, seemingly able to sunder the heavens apart.
"… AND PERISH!!!"
Arthur brought down Excalibur, and it felt like the world had come to an end.
The golden macro-Excalibur came down upon the location of the war weapons, and with it, the fury of Great Britain. The cannons and trebuchets that had cleared almost 200,000 troops in less than 10 minutes were turned into dust.
The whole area surrounding those weapons became indented, as if a meteor had crashed there. The earth shivered while the heavens trembled at the power of Arthur and Excalibur together.
The members of Umbra, the members of the Allied Guilds and the spectating players all stared dumbly at the place where the war weapons had previously stood mounted. All that was left of it now was a giant crater.
Arthur smiled as he stared at the sky and then his knights, looking like he had finally fulfilled his greatest wish.
"My Brothers, we must take our leave. Camelot… no, Britain needs its King and its Knights."
Arthur's body began to fade away, and the Knights of Camelot smiled from the bottom of their hearts - even Galahad - as they began to fade away joining him.
Draco smiled as he - more than anyone else - understood the hurdle that Arthur had crossed just now. Even though the timeline in Britain's history might not change, Arthur's growth showed that it was possible to overcome hate.
However, they were still in the midst of a war. Arthur's omnipotent skill had cleared out one of Draco's biggest fears and the Allied Guild's biggest reliances for this battle.
Joker and Happy Scholar looked like they wanted to cry, but no tears would come out. They were extremely reluctant to, but they called out the final trump card that the Rank 7 powers had bestowed them to deal with Draco.
They stood aside, placing one hand each on a certain spherical orb that was bronze in color and had strange runes all over it. When Draco saw this orb, his eyes widened.
Joker and Happy Scholar roared in their hearts as they threw this orb out into the battlefield.
'You forced us to do this, Draco!'
They wouldn't have minded losing to Umbra, but not in such a disgraceful manner where the actual members of the guild themselves hadn't even taken a step out.
The orb they threw out rolled on the earth and came to a stop in an inauspicious part of the battlefield, but the eyes of the spectating players, who had joined the betting arena, were being directed to this scene by the system.
Their hearts pounded as they knew the battlefield would change from this instant.
'Here it comes!'
The orb shook and trembled, eventually exploding into pieces. What was left inside was a small grey mass that grew in size rapidly.
This grey mass reached the height of the tallest man and then stopped, stabilizing itself quickly. Right at that moment, some 'things' came out of this grey mass, entities that were like an energy lifeform, but not at the same time.
｢Portable Portal – Consumable
Rank: Legendary (100% effectiveness)
Effect: Allows one to create a portal that connects two locations together for 1 hour, regardless of distance.｣
｢Name: Void Fodder – Private Rank monster
Level: 34
HP: 15,000/15,000｣
｢Name: Void Monster – Specialist Rank monster
Level: 39
HP: 150,000/150,000｣
｢Name: Void Killer – Sergeant Rank monster
Level: 42
HP: 1,500,000/1,500,000｣
｢Name: Void Destroyer – Captain Rank monster
Level: 47
HP: 15,000,000/15,000,000｣
Monsters kept pouring out of this portal, their nameplates scaring the players and NPCs alike.
Void Monsters! It was the Void Monsters of the current Abyss Event! They were the beings of the Null Realm that threatened all life on the Cario Continent, or even the whole world!
Draco's face became livid. He had predicted many things with his vast knowledge, but he hadn't predicted the immense stupidity of Joker and Happy Scholar, as well as the viciousness of the Rank 7 NPCs.
The Abyss Event was classified as an apocalyptic event that required all players and NPCs to participate. If the Void Monsters were so simple to kill or defend against, the event would have stopped at the regional or continental level, instead of becoming world-class.
Their HPs were prohibitive for their Rank, almost being one Rank above what they should be. They were immune to all physical attacks and extremely resistant to magic attacks.
The only way to kill them would be to use weapons that were imbued with Aetheric Energy. The only way to defend against them would be to do the same for one's armor.
Death under the hands of a Void Monster was just as bad as being hit with Destruction Energy for a player, while for an NPC, it meant that they would not be able to experience an afterlife.
To create a portal that linked the Void Monsters in the Ruined Plains of Deriam - where players could have defended their onslaught with his help and command - and here, a random open Field Zone, was utterly foolish.
With the one-hour duration of the portal, thousands of them could cross over and kill every player here. And worst of all, unlike Draco's summoned armies, the creatures wouldn't disappear after the time-limit, only that new ones would stop appearing.
Apart from those in Kamisuo, Desecrators and Meiren, who else had their weapons and armor imbued with Aetheric Energy?
Who even knew that such a method was necessary at this point in the timeline?
Every player here would die and lose a lot because of it. The AI had gathered almost every player in the game currently, and it would be impossible for them to leave with portal scrolls while Void Monsters were around.
During apocalyptic events like Ratchet's rampage, the Abyss Event, and the Great War, players could not log out if the contents of that event were in their direct vicinity.
That was why those events occurred around the time the pods were released and everyone was secured within them.
It was one of the reasons why Draco and Riveting Night were enraged when the Abyss Event was unlocked, because it meant that the AI would rush the development of the pods.
Draco stood up and his eyes glinted. Riveting Night also stood up, as her body shook with anger.
"Move out."
Draco began to walk into the battlefield himself, which shocked the members of Umbra. None of them expected Draco to take an active part in this war because he was simply too powerful.
However, they were trained by Riveting Night and knew that the Abyss Event wasn't simple.
She had taught them the attack patterns, weaknesses and strengths of the Abyss Monsters, as well as the different types and skills they had.
The 2,500 members of Umbra marched from their location and onto the battlefield slowly. This captured the attention of many players as well as the Allied Guilds.
Everyone was excited to see what Umbra would do, but one could only wonder why Umbra were moving so slowly.
Wasn't it more important to get there quickly and take control of the situation?
However, the answer became clear when the Void Monsters turned to the nearest enemies around, which just so happened to be the remaining 170,000 members of the Allied Guild's Army.