Chapter 139 – Escaping the Underground
Ma.s.s Graves was a sea of blood.
Undead Marshal Lei Ting was majestic: Atop his h.e.l.lfire Stallion, dressed completely in gold armor and a mask to match, he led his boss-tier subordinates alongside countless underlings in a steady advance. Such an army terrified players out of their minds. In the short span of 30 minutes, over ten thousand players died. However, many didn’t die by monster, but from other players’ attacks.
“Move back! Move back! Quickly, move back!” a player yelled out in a m.u.f.fled voice. Despite the weapon in his hand, he didn’t feel safe at all. Too many players had been smashed to pieces right in front of him by friendly fire. He couldn’t help succ.u.mbing to fear even though he knew it was all just a game.
“Such a horrific boss!” None of the guilds present dared to block Lei Ting’s way. Familiar with his attack that could insta-kill more than a thousand at once, everyone wisely chose to withdraw. Soon, the seventh-floor hall was devoid of people except for Fatty and Purple Bell.
“Ahh, so this is the strength of a celestial boss! Too fierce!” Purple Bell gushed.
“Luckily, he didn’t attack us.” Fatty patted his chest with relief.
“Big Brother Fatty, what happens next? Is Lei Ting really taking his underlings to attack Black Tortoise City?” asked Purple Bell.
“It’s possible,” Fatty thought for a bit, then nodded heavily. “I don’t know what the Phantasm Ghost King did to him, but Lei Ting is completely corrupted. I’m afraid his only purpose for existing now is to destroy Black Tortoise City.”
“Ah! Then, should we hurry back to help?” Purple Bell grew anxious.
Recalling Lin Xi’s nonchalant face, Fatty smiled, “No need to hurry.” With that brat’s power, he should be able to handle Lei Ting with a flip of his hand.
——
Outside of Ma.s.s Graves, Drucker had positioned his troops well. They secured the entrance to Ma.s.s Graves tightly and leisurely waited for the monsters to come out.
Tap tap! The sound of chaotic footsteps echoed within, and some panicked players raced toward the entrance.
“Halt!” Several soldiers immediately blocked their path.
“What are you guys doing?! Hurry and let us out!” The players seemed terribly frightened. They shoved at the guards and tried to dash through.
Slightly furrowing his brows, Drucker commanded, “Clear a path, let them exit.”
The soldiers hastily stepped aside to make way. The players wasted no breath on words. Striving to be first for fear of being last, they fled as quickly as possible. Behind them, more and more players rushed from the entrance.
The path cleared by the soldiers wasn’t large enough for the flood of people, and some players even tried to attack the soldiers to make another opening. However, when more than a dozen bodies fell to the ground with a single command from Drucker, the players immediately gave up the idea. Thus, everyone cooperated and followed the original exit path. In only ten minutes or so, several tens of thousands of players escaped from Ma.s.s Graves and more were to follow. Yet, inside, still more died. In order to move faster, most guild masters urged their members to fight their way forward, so the players openly attacked each other. Ultimately, these battles slowed them down, and they were caught up and slain by the monsters.
Fatty and Purple Bell tailed the monsters out. Per Lei Ting’s order, the monstrous battalion stared straight ahead; so they didn’t notice the two players behind them, guaranteeing the duo’s temporary safety.
As wave after wave of players fell to the creatures’ claws, every path in the sixth, fifth, fourth and upper floors was covered in corpses – an indication of how many players dropped levels during this event.
Fortunately, Liu Lan and the rest finally arrived at the first floor. “Whew!” The ragged group heaved a sigh of relief as they reached the exit. During their escape, the six major guilds had worked in tight cooperation, allowing them to force a way out among the throngs of players.
“Quick, go! This Undead Marshal isn’t something we can deal with!” The guild masters declared and hastened to lead their subordinates outside.
According to unofficial statistics, the number of players dead in Ma.s.s Graves at this point reached a devastating fifty thousand. The moment this news spread, it overwhelmed the entire system and was labeled “the first ever ma.s.sacre since Eternal’s launch.”
Undead Marshal Lei Ting sat steadily astride his horse. Black air clung tightly to him almost like fabric. His once golden armor was blackened as well. Beneath his mask, his facial expression couldn’t be seen.
Boom! The last player unable to escape was blown to pieces by the monsters. Finally, Undead Marshal Lei Ting led his army to the surface. He coaxed his steed forward carefully, and he mumbled to the sky in a faint voice, “The smell of suns.h.i.+ne.”
“Draw back! Defend!” As soon as Drucker sighted the monsters, he instructed his troop to pull back into a defensive formation.
“The army of Black Tortoise City.” Lei Ting turned his gaze on the opposition. At his back, his creature corps deployed in a formation as well while the bosses flanked him.
“Brave Rider Drucker of Black Tortoise City greets Captain Lei Ting,” Drucker shouted from horseback, his right fist beating against his left pec; he saluted Lei Ting per proper military standard.
Grand Magus Jijilu also announced himself, “s.p.a.ce Grand Magus Jijilu of Black Tortoise City greets Captain Lei Ting,” and he placed his right hand on his stomach and bowed in obeisance.
“Black Tortoise City, such a dear name!” Lei Ting seemed to savor the words, and the black air around him roiled violently. “Black Tortoise City, huh?” The Undead Marshal suddenly roared from within the dark, rippling mist, “Kill! Kill every last human in Black Tortoise City! May the G.o.d of Darkness cover this land in his brilliance!”
Drucker and Jijilu exchanged glances and nodded in unison.
“Captain Lei Ting, for the peace of humanity and this continent, please forgive this general’s offense,” proclaimed Drucker. “Company, attention! Charge!” He cried out. Drucker had brought a troop of 30,000 men, which was roughly equal to the monsters. Oh! But, they were no longer just monsters now, but rather NPC soldiers of the Dark Corps!
The instant Fatty and Purple Bell snuck out, they witnessed the grand battle. As many as 60 or 70 thousand individuals were fighting to the death. Soldiers shed blood with each pa.s.sing second. The lower-ranked bosses each commanded a troop. Yet, Lei Ting only sat staunchly upon the h.e.l.lfire Stallion in absolute silence, his thoughts unknown. The black air around him fluctuated.
Once Drucker had issued his commands, he didn’t pay attention to the battle; instead, he and Grand Magus Jijilu watched Lei Ting as if their lives depended on it. Every move from the Marshal caused them to raise their guard.
The two forces were deadlocked, and it was hard to tell who had the upper hand. Many players who hadn’t gone far saw the stalemate as an opportunity; but, they were ruthlessly killed by both sides the instant they approached. There was simply no benefit or easy gain to be had.
“Even though players aren’t as strong as NPCs, they’re not weak either. In the end, the problem is that they’re too unorganized,” Fatty whispered to Purple Bell.
Soon enough, someone realized this problem as well. With the six major guilds as the vanguard, around ten guilds organized themselves into formations and supported the battle from the side. With their aid, the conflict quickly tipped in favor of Black Tortoise City.
“The City Lord truly possesses an incredible foresight,” said Jijilu. “We’re all aware that Lei Ting’s corps has been slumbering here, but who could’ve known that there was more to the story?”
“That’s why Captain Lei Ting was buried in Ma.s.s Graves and not the Tower of Heroes, even though he was of such high standing. There were too many unanswered questions about how Captain Lei Ting died at the hands of Phantasm Ghost King,” Drucker replied. “After a multifaceted a.n.a.lysis, the City Lord concluded that the Phantasm Ghost King might have had other plans. That’s why the City Lord resolved to awaken Captain Lei Ting. And, with this catalyst of so much blood, Captain Lei Ting has been absolutely corrupted indeed.”
“Such a terrifying strategy! When he died, the captain looked normal; but when exposed to enough blood, his corruption would then be completed postmortally. The Phantasm Ghost King truly has earned his reputation as the wise and crafty man who led the Demon forces to wipe out half the continent.”
“In any case, we must put Captain Lei Ting to eternal rest. His grave should be in the wors.h.i.+pped Tower of Heroes and not filthy Ma.s.s Graves,” a.s.serted Drucker quietly.
“Careful! Lei Ting is about to move!”
Seeing his underlings losing the advantage, Lei Ting finally woke from his long silence and slowly raised a hand. The limb was translucent white like jade. Whoos.h.!.+ A blood red, long sword appeared in Lei Ting’s outstretched palm. The blade was nearly a meter in length and hand size in width. Magical runes encircled the weapon, emitting an impressive force.
“Demon Slayer!” Drucker and Jijilu growled, and their eyes finally wavered with a hint of anxiety.
“He’s already wholly corrupted. How can he still wield that sword?!”
“Neiiiigh!” The h.e.l.lfire Stallion let out a long whinny as Lei Ting set it galloping straight toward Drucker. The beast knocked everyone out of its way. No one was able to stop Lei Ting.
“Let me see just how much more powerful Our Honorable Captain is than I!” Drucker bellowed. A long, black sword suddenly materialized in his hand, and He spurred his horse toward Lei Ting.
Clang! The two swords clashed in the middle of the battlefield. Drucker felt a powerful force snake down his blade, and it knocked him from his horse. Rising, he retreated a few steps.
Crackle! Lei Ting raised his left hand, and a lightning bolt from thin air struck at Drucker. Simultaneously, the h.e.l.lfire Stallion spat out a ball-sized fireball, directly hitting Drucker’s mount.
“Spatial s.h.i.+eld,” Jijilu softly called out amidst the crisis and raised his magic staff. A transparent s.h.i.+eld appeared above Drucker’s head and blocked the attack. As for the Stallion’s fireball, the general deflected it with his sword.
“Our Honorable Captain truly lives up to his reputation. I’m no match for him.” After just one round, Drucker already understood the difference in their abilities. He, alone, could not beat Lei Ting.
“That’s why I’m here.” Jijilu looked composed. He pointed his staff and shouted, “Spatial Chains!”