Toby watched the scene unfold, a cold smile playing on his lips, full of disdain.
He relished the feeling of manipulating everyone like puppets. To him, these players were mere cannon fodder; the real trump card lay with the forces backing him.
Looking at the 20,000 players behind him, Toby issued a cold command, “Your task is simple. Do whatever it takes to breach the city. The first one to storm the city will become an official member of the Mike White Family. Whoever destroys the city altar, I will support them in becoming the biggest force in the world of Gods!”
Upon hearing his words, the players went completely berserk.
“Don’t worry, Lord Toby! We’ll take Flame City for sure. Brothers, charge!” Butcher roared, leading his men into the battlefield.
“Glory and wealth are within our grasp! Charge!” Demon Emperor was not to be outdone, leading his Sin City members into the fray.
The battlefield descended into chaos instantly. Flame Legion members suffered heavy casualties, yet they all held the first line of defense, fighting to the death.
Fallen soldiers resurrected and immediately rejoined the fight, using their lives to block the enemy’s advance.
However, the sheer number of players, attacking like madmen without fear of death, meant that the fall of the city seemed inevitable.
From a distance, Toby watched with a dark expression.
This was merely the first step in his revenge. He was determined to make Godslayer and Ritchie regret ever entering the world of Gods.
Turning to the Skywalker behind him, Toby asked, “Skywalker, aren’t you going to make a move?”
Members of the Griffin Family had already joined the battle, causing significant trouble for the defending soldiers.
“Hmph!” Skywalker snorted, fixing his gaze on one target.
Initially, he had set his sights on Godslayer. But after witnessing Godslayer’s terrifying power, he quickly abandoned that idea.
Instead, he focused on Armstrong, the heir of the Blues Family.
The Griffin Family and the Blues Family had long been at odds, their conflict escalating to a deadly feud in recent years.
Defeating the Blues Family heir in the world of Gods would be a significant achievement.
Armstrong had reached level 62, ranking third on the leaderboard, making him a worthy opponent.
“Toby, don’t forget the promises of the Mike White Family!” Skywalker reminded Toby, drawing his long blade. With a cold gleam, it hummed as it cut through the air.
Skywalker plunged into the battlefield, cutting through enemies like they were nothing, making a beeline for Armstrong.
…
Meanwhile, on the other side.
John had decisively exterminated the invading demon soldiers, leaving only 14 fourth-tier demon guardians and the fifth-tier demon general.
“Adventurer, you are very strong. Perhaps we can cooperate,” Demon General Bolt stared at John, his eyes showing a hint of admiration without any intention of attacking.
“Cooperate?” John frowned, looking at the corpses of demon soldiers scattered across the ground. He said calmly, “I’ve slaughtered so many of your demon soldiers, and you still want to cooperate with me?”
“Hmph!” Bolt looked disdainful, “Those guys are just ants. We demons worship the strong. I admire you. We can split the Dark Forest, but you need to give me this City of Darkness. In return, I will help you establish another city.”
John stared at him, sensing that Bolt was serious.
The demon race’s influence in the Dark Forest was indeed powerful, but it seemed they were not in the best position themselves.
Not particularly interested in the offer, but curious, John asked, “Why do you want this City of Darkness?”
Bolt shrugged and replied, “The City of Darkness was once established by a Demon King. We have a special attachment to it and don’t want it to fall into the hands of outsiders.”
Demon King?
Demon King’s treasure!
John’s brow furrowed as he suddenly remembered something.
Previously, Joel, one of the demon guardians of the City of Darkness, had mentioned the Demon King’s treasure.
But John had searched the city thoroughly and found nothing.
Seeing Bolt’s reaction now, John was certain that the Demon King’s treasure was still in the city.
“Sorry, I’m not interested in your proposal. This city is mine!” With that, John raised his staff. Bolt was infuriated and, without wasting words, coldly ordered, “Stubborn fool, kill him!” At his command, 14 demon guardians simultaneously charged at John.
These guardians were all level 100, fourth-tier epic-level powerhouses, much stronger than Joel.
But John was now far more formidable than before.
Whoosh!
A torrential rain of fire fell, turning the surroundings into a sea of flames.
-7200
-7204
-14421
…
Damage numbers flashed, with even two critical hits triggering.
The level 100 demon guardians had 190,000 health points, so this damage was barely a threat
to them.
In an instant, the demon guardians rushed through the fire, dark magic power surging,
attacking John.
He retreated quickly and calmly, his staff waving as one magical spell after another flew out.
Big Fireball, Wind Blade Slash, Thunderstorm, Dark Orb…
Spell Combo triggered three times, with seven magical skills striking one demon guardian.
-12105
-12087
-24221
…
Three critical hits reduced the demon guardian’s health by over 100,000, leaving it with only
one-third of its life.
“Dark magic?” Bolt watched John cast Dark Orb, surprised.
Dark magic was something only the demon race and Dark Humans could wield. How had this
human adventurer learned it?
Whoosh!
Several Dark Orbs flew towards John.
A clone materialized, stepping in front of him.
Boom…
Three Dark Orbs hit, instantly destroying the clone with over 70,000 health.
The remaining five Dark Orbs headed straight for John.
With no time to dodge, earth elements surged around him, forming Rock Armor to protect his
body.
The orbs exploded, and dark energy surged. Rock Armor only managed to block two of the
orbs before shattering instantly.
The remaining three orbs came hurtling towards him.
-23003
-22944
-22972
John’s health plummeted, leaving him with just over 2000 HP, narrowly avoiding death.
He quickly gulped down two high-grade health potions.
The damage from the fourth-tier epic demon guardians was terrifying.
Luckily, Bolt’s arrogance kept him from joining the fight directly; otherwise, John wouldn’t
have stood a chance.
“Finish this quickly!” John knew he couldn’t afford to be hit by the demon guardians again.
Rain of Fire and Earthquake, his two AoE skills, were cast simultaneously. Then, he quickly retreated, gathering a massive amount of magical energy around him. Several magic spells whizzed through the air, targeting the demon guardian with the lowest
health.
Boom! Boom!
-12077
-12142
The magical onslaught obliterated the demon guardian in an instant.
[Killed a level 100 fourth-tier epic demon guardian, gained 1952 XP]
[Plunder ability activated, gained +100 Spirit, +10 Skill Points, +1 Magic Crit]
The notifications flashed, but unfortunately, there were no new skills or talents acquired.
John didn’t have time to check the dropped loot as he swiftly dodged incoming dark magic
spells.
This time it wasn’t Dark Orb, but the intermediate skill Annihilation.
A small black hole appeared in front of him.
There was no time to evade; the immense suction pulled him towards the black hole,
dropping his health to 1 point instantly.
Lifesaver ability activated!
Immediately, a surge of life force enveloped him, restoring his health to full.
It was the life-sharing with The Tree of Life.
“What? How does he possess such immense life force?” Bolt, observing the battle, was
intrigued by John’s sudden recovery.
This human definitely held secrets.
Still, Bolt didn’t intervene directly, believing the remaining 13 demon guardians could easily
finish the job.
John was now even more cautious, not daring to let his guard down.
The Lifesaver ability had a one-day cooldown. Since it wasn’t a skill, the Wrath of the Gods cooldown reduction didn’t apply to it.
He still had the god-tier Undying and Immortal talent, but with the demon general watching,
he couldn’t reveal too many of his cards.
If he used physical attacks, these demon guardians wouldn’t stand a chance.
But those were reserved for the demon general. “Human, my offer still stands. Even though your death here doesn’t mean true death, it will
still impact your strength,” Bolt urged once more, watching from the sidelines.
John ignored him, his magical attacks becoming even more intense.
[Killed a level 100 fourth-tier epic demon guardian, gained 1952 XP] [Plunder ability activated, gained +100 Spirit, +100 Strength, +10 Skill Points]
Another demon guardian fell.
John was still under immense pressure, not daring to relax for even a moment.
His skills were cast almost without pause, repeatedly interrupting the demon guardians’ spellcasting. While this strategy ensured his safety, it slowed down the rate at which he could kill them. “Interesting!” Bolt watched John’s combat techniques with growing interest. [Killed a level 100 fourth-tier epic demon guardian, gained 1952 XP] [Plunder ability activated, gained +100 Spirit, +10 Skill Points, +1 Magic Crit]
…
One by one, the demon guardians fell. John’s health dropped to critical levels multiple times.
But thanks to The Tree of Life’s life-sharing, he was repeatedly pulled back from the brink of
death.
[Killed a level 100 fourth-tier epic demon guardian, gained 1952 XP] [Plunder ability activated, gained +100 Spirit, +100 Constitution, +10 Skill Points]
Finally, the last demon guardian was slain, yet there were still no new talents or skills plundered. John exhaled deeply, focusing his gaze on the demon general, Bolt. “Now, it’s your turn!” he said, his expression serious. One hand gripped his staff tightly, while the other hand had a dagger sliding down his sleeve.
Bolt chuckled coldly, his tone dripping with disdain, “Human, if I’m not mistaken, you have
some sort of special life-restoration ability. As long as you’re not killed outright, your health can recover rapidly.”
John didn’t respond, his mind reeling. Bolt’s insight was indeed impressive. Thankfully, his
Phantom Assassin class had not been exposed.
“You struggled so much against a few demon guardians. There’s no way you can defeat me,”
Bolt continued.
As dark energy began to swirl around him, a prelude to casting Annihilation.
John’s eyes narrowed, and he launched a massive fireball towards Bolt.
Boom!
-5750
The fireball struck Bolt, interrupting his spellcasting. However, the damage was negligible-
only a bit over five thousand points.
For Bolt, who had 250,000 HP, this was hardly significant.