Chapter 396
"They are indeed Night Watchers." Deldore closed her eyes; her spies were everywhere among the refugees. "But we can't see those lights in the sky. They've deployed a spirit barrier; they must be airships."
"Haha, the expert has finally arrived?" The Ashura Rhinoceros Beetle clapped its fists together, appearing eager to try its skills.
More than twenty players went on high alert, and the two sides faced off for a day and a night, clearly knowing the true nature of these Night Watchers.
After suffering a setback, they crouched down in fear and never dared to launch an attack again.
That's strange, how did I become so diligent?
The bishop narrowed his long, narrow eyes. Just as Yuki had predicted, the players' plan was simple, brutal, and reasonable.
Who would want to play the game of queuing to be shot with the Night Watchers's Watch? All they need to do is keep their distance and hide among the refugees, and the Night Watchers can't do anything to them.
Those powerful war machines are too cumbersome, small-team attacks are suicidal, the individual strength differences are too great, and the Night Watchers's attack methods are too limited. The bishop has a hundred ways to outmaneuver them.
"Do you think it's possible that the entire Seven-Person Council Night Capital has been mobilized?"
"Impossible! There are still 86 players left, and we don't even have a third of them. If they all come to attack us, aren't we afraid of losing our base?"
"Tsk, those bastards from Valhalla are really annoying. If it weren't for them, we would have crushed this Night Watchers today."
"Yes, the fleeing natives are an inexhaustible source of cannon fodder. I want to see how many shots they can fire."
Players started discussing it. Eight factions had gathered here, the weakest being Monster II, and their main fear was the sheer number of Night Watchers, as well as their own kind.
"Alright, alright, forget about that lazy Valhalla. Once we extinguish the Night Watchers's dying struggle, no one can stop us. Not being caught by the Dark Night Tide is our top priority."
The Slothed Bishop actually thought it was a good thing, because with the standoff, they were now exposed. The Night Watchers couldn't do anything about it, but they couldn't stop the players from causing trouble. For example, the Valhalla was clearly waiting for its companions.
He didn't want to become a 'beacon' and attract all the players hiding in various places. Twenty-odd players were like twenty-odd lamps; at this stage of the dungeon, everyone wanted to replenish their Soul Lamp.
"Moonlit Demon Wolf, Spirit Messenger, those Night Watchers on the ground are yours to see if there are any hidden experts inside."
"Yes, Your Excellency the Bishop."
A giant silver wolf over three meters tall, and a burly man carrying a stunt double, stepped forward and left with their respective subordinates.
"Beast Tamer Family, Survivors, go and keep watch on the perimeter. Don't let the Valhalla people cause trouble. We don't know what those lazy guys are up to."
"Clear."
A demon Magical Beasts and a blond man in a white coat nodded slightly, each leading their subordinates northward.
After a brief arrangement, the Slothful Bishop stretched his neck, bent his back, and looked at the sky in an exaggerated manner. The airships were still slowly approaching. As they got closer, the Night Watchers's tracking device clearly found the target and simply flew straight towards them.
We've been diligent, or perhaps overly diligent. How could the Night Watchers possibly take us down without the entire high command coming out in force? Or do we possess some kind of secret weapon?
He recalled that the Battle of Seral also served to gather intelligence. The Night Watchers didn't have many strange abilities; their attack method was hunting rifles—hunting rifles of various calibers. They could also reshape souls like dough for defense, movement, or to block detection. The monotony made him want to yawn.
"The sky and the ground are disconnected. Should I blast them down?" The Ashura Rhinoceros Beetle was barely able to contain his killing intent. Even though they were more than ten kilometers apart, he could tear them to shreds in five seconds.
"No rush, they can't pinpoint our location yet. If they get any closer, it'll be hard for us to escape." The Sloth Bishop looked at it with increasing curiosity, and suddenly raised an eyebrow.
Dozens of kilometers away, a bright sphere of light appeared; within this instance, only one type of energy could illuminate the darkness.
Soul energy, the core of all Night Watchers abilities.
Everyone looked over and saw a beam of light pierce the darkness, its trail rapidly disappearing, but it was definitely coming this way.
Boom!!
The earth shook violently, mountains collapsed instantly, and the burning flames of the soul illuminated vast expanses of smoke and dust. The darkness, like the best fire blanket, swiftly extinguished these flames.
Ah?
The Sloth Bishop's mouth gaped open, looking utterly comical. He had done nothing, nor did he need to, because the cannonball had struck another mountain several kilometers away, with only the spreading storm ruffling his clothes.
"What are they doing? How can they possibly hit us if they can't pinpoint the location precisely?"
The players couldn't understand why the artillery fire was so powerful but couldn't hit anyone, but Bilbo's Deldore quickly realized what was going on.
"They want to extinguish the lights!"
The Soul Annihilation Cannon didn't harm the players at all, but it annihilated hundreds of puppets. The reason they were able to hide safely was because these puppets, scattered throughout the mountain range, made it impossible for the Night Watchers to distinguish which light belonged to the players.
This thing is like a miniature nuclear bomb; it's enough to wipe out ordinary people within several kilometers. Once they're all annihilated, what's left are the players' lights?
"Wow, you're quite clever, you know how to use the process of elimination."
The Slothful Bishop gnawed on his fingers. This was the stupidest yet most effective method: build a stronghold and fight a protracted war. The airships in the sky would act as artillery observers, using the Night Torch to pinpoint the players' approximate locations and bombard them from a distance.
It's not difficult to deal with.
My fingers are already bleeding from being bitten. This tactic is too rigid. Players can just follow the poison circle and go somewhere else. I don't believe the Night Watchers can keep up. But their sins are too deep to escape the pursuit. The Night Watchers can repeat this tactic indefinitely.
"The key is the players. Valhalla has arrived, and with these Night Watchers constantly watching, more and more diligent players will emerge, making it even harder to escape."
He decided to fight, but there was no need to charge into the enemy lines. He would just blind the eye in the sky. He didn't believe that the cannon could ignore energy consumption and wipe out the entire mountain range.
Boom!
The second shot arrived just in time, this time even more accurate, hitting the neighboring hilltop. Clearly, the positioning became increasingly precise as the airship approached.
"Since they are so diligent, we cannot be too lazy." The bishop raised his finger and gently pinched the few lamps in the distance.
An invisible hand can crush mountains, let alone these airships floating in the air. Several lights went out instantly, leaving only a gunshot and a single glow in the sky.
The light of the Soul Blunderbuss vanished in an instant, and even from a distance of more than ten kilometers, monster-level players could still clearly see the details thousands of meters in the air.
It was indeed an airship, and a Night Watchers stood on the airbag, his musket emitting wisps of smoke.
"Just one? No, there are others hidden inside that airship." The bishop raised an eyebrow. Only the level 1 Night Watchers could detect and shatter the invisible hand. He simply scratched his head.
The distance is quite far, and the reduced strength makes it impossible to crush immediately, and his attacks would also reveal his position.
Call out--
Sure enough, the beam of light pierced the darkness and struck the mountain peak where they were, like a nuclear bomb exploding, shattering the mountain range, extinguishing hundreds of lights, and forcing the players to scatter and take cover.
"Adjust the coordinates. These are the Night's Minions. Wherever they go, they'll bomb."
High in the sky, Yuki could see a dozen or so scattered lights. The opponent took the bait, and the Soul Annihilation Cannon fired directly. This thing could cover an area of several kilometers, and ordinary people would be torn to shreds instantly.
Conversely, the ones who are still full of energy are the players.
It's a very simple tactic, but the difficulty lies in who will act as bait. Apart from a level 1 Night Watchers, probably no one can withstand a single blow. Even if all the airships of the entire Dark Night Continent were sent, they would all be destroyed within minutes.
The Slothful Bishop, at least Monster IV, is quite a veteran.
Using the ignited Soul Flame, Yuki was able to see clearly who his opponent was. Even from this distance, an invisible hand could crush a steel warship into a disc. It took Yuki a monstrous bullet to shatter it.
The abilities were as expected. In addition, there were two familiar faces: one was Ashura Rhinoceros Beetle from One-Punch Man, and the other was slightly unfamiliar, probably a member of the Knights from The Seven Deadly Sins.
"Strike on both sides."
Mona stood on the airship, using her Noble Phantasm to predict the future. Two new bullets were loaded, Yuki, without even looking at the invisible hand hidden in the darkness, pulled the trigger directly.
Bang! Bang!
Gunshots rang out, arms were shattered, and the light of the soul was extinguished in an instant. Yuki glanced at the muzzle emitting wisps of smoke and knew that the Hunter's Blunderbuss, as a level 5 item, did not have enough capacity. If it was filled with monster-level bullets and fired continuously, it would soon explode.
"But the Night Watchers's Soul Blunderbuss won't, and you'd never guess."
Yuki to himself, paused for a few seconds, and sure enough, the invisible giant hand did not reappear, while the fourth cannon shot went straight into the mountain range.
Boom--
The mushroom cloud rising into the sky was invisible, but an energy storm rushed towards them, forcing Yuki to squint. These players were clearly not lacking in ranged attack capabilities, so why was no one fighting back except for the Sloth Bishop?
It's very simple. The Soul Annihilation Cannon is watching from behind. Given the selfishness of the players, who would be willing to step forward and be the first to stick their neck out?
"Do you think they might try to sabotage the artillery positions?" Mona asked softly from behind Yuki.
"The possibility is extremely small. With hundreds of Night Watchers lined up in a tight formation, it's inevitable that several players will die if they try to get close. So the question comes full circle: who will die?"
Mona laughed. This guy's greatest strength lies in his psychological manipulation. Even within the same faction, most players wouldn't sacrifice themselves for others.
"But they can't fire more than a few shots."
"The Soul Annihilation Cannon is the Night Watchers's decisive weapon. I don't even know how many shots it can fire, let alone them." Yuki didn't take it to heart at all, looking at the lights moving rapidly in the distance.
Some hid in the refugee ranks, some fled to distant places, and some remained calm and composed, but none of them gathered together to be shelled.
Battles also broke out on the ground. The Night Watchers could blast the golems, but not their own. Funina led a hundred Night Watchers in a circular formation, each wielding a gun in one hand and a saber in the other, smashing the monsters that pounced out of the night.
They're playing clever tricks, and that's understandable; nobody wants to reveal their hidden skills or take the risk of forcibly breaking through the defenses.
"Have you made contact with Emiya?"
"Not yet, but he should know I'm here." Mona confidently, hands behind her back, "You can't resist anymore?"
"They couldn't hold back any longer; they couldn't just let me shit on their heads." Yuki loaded the bullet, feeling the terrifying killing intent rushing towards him. "Go, find Emiya, and tell them to hurry up and make their move. This group has already dispersed; it's the perfect time to hunt them down."
"Then be careful."
Mona immediately activated her spatial artifact and fled, Yuki remained standing on the airship, watching the distant soul fire pause for a moment.
The Night Watchers cannot teleport; only players can use spatial Chaos Item. The bishop immediately fell into a state of suspicion.
Deldore told him that the Night Watchers who had appeared in Rosen City. The word "suspected" was quite clever, and there were players with him.
Is it a collaboration, or are players pretending?
The former is certainly possible, while the latter is even simpler: anyone can wear a black uniform, but once a battle breaks out, the truth will be revealed.
The enemy is in disarray, so we advance.
The steam engine roared to life, and the airship began to accelerate. Yuki stood on the airbag, holding a walkie-talkie that looked like a mobile phone. This was an in-game communication tool, so it was naturally not within the scope of the first restriction.
"You've worked hard, you can retreat now."
The cabin was filled with ordinary people and assassins who harbored a deep hatred for the night. They hadn't expected Yuki to leave them a way out, and they all jumped off the airship.
Umbrellas bloomed in the darkness, while a violent killing intent swept over them.
Thinking about it won't get you anywhere; you have to try it yourself to find the answer. At least Ashura Rhinoceros Beetle couldn't hold back any longer; he had never seen a Night Watchers so arrogant.
The airship had only one light left, meaning that only one person dared to challenge them.
"Soul Annihilation Cannon at maximum power, two firing modes, awaiting my command." Yuki picked up the walkie-talkie, his tone flat and even.
"Yes, Your Excellency."
The Level 2 Night Watchers replied respectfully. He didn't know which lord from headquarters this was, but it must be a powerful Night Watchers. Who else but them would dare to charge against the Night's Minions?
The lone ball of light in the sky made aiming easier. After a moment, another ball of light appeared in the mountains, standing out conspicuously in the silent night.
But it was too fast; it could leap several kilometers in the blink of an eye, and as it got closer, the lights on its chest illuminated its ferocious face.
Ashura Rhinoceros Beetle.
Yuki stared at him, but instead of firing in vain, he rubbed his finger on the trigger.
Soon, the aura itself sent chills down one's spine, and then--
Swish.
The one-horned monster suddenly appeared in front of them and, without saying a word, threw a punch that liquefied the air, capable of destroying mountains and Flow Severance.
"Shooting."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ashura suddenly withdrew his fist, which was originally aimed at Yuki's head. Asura retreated as if by teleportation, letting the soul light flying from afar graz his side and Piercer the sky.
It missed. Of course it missed. The technology level of the Dark Night Continent is too low. Even if the soul is encrypted, players have no shortage of tools to crack it.
Do you have my battle plan?
Yuki slightly raised his head, drew his military sword, and imbued the blade with pure soul energy.
Clang!!
The one-horned monster, hundreds of meters away, suddenly appeared to the side, its powerful whip kick sending Yuki flying. Then, like a gymnast, Yuki straightened its body in mid-air.
Bang.
The Hunter's Blunderbuss fired, the bullet whizzing past his body, leaving a thin line of blood on his forearm.
Hey, these are the real Soul Bullet, no doubt about it.
Asura was not angry but pleased. He had been shot twice by a level 1 Night Watchers and compared them personally. There were differences, but the essence was the same. It was completely different from the disguised effects of elemental energy, arcane energy, etc.
If this were a player, unless they happen to be skilled at using soul energy, or possess a similar item, it would be impossible.
But what are the chances of such a coincidence in the world?
Amidst his teammates' reminders, a second annihilation cannon shot flew overhead. Asura slapped away the incoming projectile with his palm, even though a bloody hole was blasted into his hand.
"Not enough, not enough! You're not even as good as that woman, yet you dare to come and challenge me!?"