Chapter 397
The violent afterimages created by the punches and kicks made it impossible for Yuki to see clearly. This was a veteran Monster IV player, and he dared not use Chaos Item or Moonlit Ghost Step. Even his simple soul energy was somewhat clumsy.
Soul energy is the core of the Night Watchers system, but they spend their entire lives studying how to shape energy. Yuki doesn't have this Transcendental Grade skill; his soul energy is a byproduct of Demon Possession, so of course he can't become a long-tailed demon.
Fortunately, the Demon Heart had a large enough energy reserve. Yuki was like a novice who had a gold mine but didn't know how to use it, constantly dodging and retreating.
Can't mold energy into a shield? Then I'll compensate with quantity. True Night Watchers are generally physically weak, relying entirely on soul energy for power? But I know how to use special effects!
A faint light emanated from his body, allowing Yuki to barely keep up with the pace, while Asura couldn't tell whether it was energy manipulation or an 8th-level physique; in any case, the speed and strength were just enough.
The afterimages intertwined in the air, leaving behind dazzling trails of light, which amazed the Night Watchers on the ground, who then floated into the air to provide reinforcements.
"Hey, do you think I'm stupid? You're trying to lure me into the main group."
Asura dodged the incoming beam of light once more, somewhat annoyed by the bishop's caution. The evidence was already irrefutable; what more probing was needed? He could simply unleash his full power and kill him.
But at that moment, another energy surged from the north side of the mountain range, and several lights moved rapidly through the darkness.
The people of Valhalla have made their move; they had indeed been in cahoots with the Night Watchers all along.
This was not unexpected, but it did clear Asura's mind slightly, and he took out a golden broken sword from his storage space.
Chaos Item: Sacred Duel Letter.
A beam of black and red light touched Yuki's body. It didn't seem like a mental attack, but rather more like some kind of rule. Fighting spirit instantly filled both of their hearts. Only one side could survive on the sacred arena.
"Come on, let's find a fairer place."
Asura turned and left, rushing towards the distant mountains, while Yuki, under the rules, did not hesitate and chased after him at full speed.
This is the rule-based prop he used to distract Ms. Molly.
Yuki's spirit was not affected. He could not defy these rules. When the item was activated, only one side could survive, but in essence, this was still a test.
An invisible spiritual force was scanning him, capturing every expression on Yuki.
From the horror of being bound by rules to the gloom of being separated from the main group, these were not the main points. The two chased and fled, the deep night magnified in their eyes.
Asura charged towards the Dark Night Tide. If Yuki were a player, he would definitely try to break free from the rules. But he didn't have a powerful Soul Lamp. If he charged into the poison circle, even if he killed Asura, he would be killed as well.
However, Yuki's response was more of a pleasant surprise than a surprise. The Dark Night Tide was a poison circle for players, but the best battlefield for the Night Watchers.
"It's almost certainly the Night Watchers. He released more energy, trying to drive Asura into the Dark Night Tide, but why isn't his Soul Lamp as bright?"
Deldore opened his eyes; that was the only question.
"Who knows? We've never caught Night Watchers level 3 or higher, and we're not interested in uncovering all the secrets of these lazybones. Maybe a higher-ranking Night Watchers can adjust the light levels, otherwise how would the Inquisition catch the mole?"
The Slothful Bishop was still gnawing on his nails, but his explanation was reasonable and well-founded. For example, the Inquisition that Yuki encountered in the coffee shop had lighting that was no different from that of ordinary people, and the strongest one looked more like an old man on his deathbed.
"That makes sense. Relying solely on lights for identification wouldn't be enough for a covert operation." Deldore didn't think much of it and looked towards the other side of the mountain range, "This is a coordinated operation between Valhalla and the Night Watchers. No wonder they dared to launch the attack."
The logic finally makes sense: a level 1 Night Watchers set a trap, fooling all her spies, but this was just bait; the real killer was the player.
"Heh heh heh, the only ones who can deal with players are players themselves. How many from Valhalla have come?"
"There are three people, and two other players seem to be collaborators from other factions, but they are all quite strong. The white-haired Heroic Spirit is called Emiya; he's quite famous."
"It's him, huh? Perfect, I have a little grudge to settle with him, it happened several years ago." The Slothful Bishop laughed even more heartily. Killing the Night Watchers didn't excite him; only players—
Slaughtering them, twisting them, and then turning their corpses into meatballs—just thinking about it is exhilarating!
"Tell Asura to be more diligent. Deal with that Night Watchers and then come to help. Don't waste too much time." The bishop stretched his shoulders and used an invisible hand to lift himself up. He had already tested the strength of a level 1 Night Watchers; he was definitely no match for Asura.
"Then let those idiots down the mountain retreat. Honestly, they couldn't even break through those Night Watchers in half an hour. Concentrate your forces—"
"I'm going to turn Valhalla into the most beautiful meatball ever!"
Chapter Ten: Frustration, That's Right!
The Slothed Bishop's choice was obvious; killing Night Watchers brought little benefit, but killing players was a different story.
They can also get game rewards, find materials and Chaos Item, and their lights are plentiful, enough to last for several more days after being shared.
This opportunity arose from the enemy's complacency. The battlefield was already fully unfolding, and hundreds of Night Watchers were in a panic, unsure of which side to reinforce, causing the battlefield to become disjointed.
The Valhalla is even more interesting; they've finally agreed to step forward, and have no choice but to, otherwise their hard-earned Night Watchers reputation would be wiped out.
With Deldore's spiritual tide scanning the battlefield, everything is under the bishop's control. The lights in the darkness are an advantage, making it impossible for the enemy to hide their forces. Combined with hint 1, it makes it difficult for long-distance spatial movement to enter the battlefield.
Why wouldn't I eat the meat that's already in my mouth?
The bishop conjured up a battlefield map in his mind; it was a huge triangle, with each side hundreds of kilometers apart.
Its apex was on the plain, where hundreds of Night Watchers, without command, were in chaos, and even if they reacted, their phalanx would not be able to move quickly enough.
The other battlefield was on the south side, where the Level 1 Night Watchers was struggling against the Ashura Rhinoceros Beetle's fists. We had already observed his strength; he was no match for us.
He gave Asura 20 minutes; if he couldn't kill him, he could retreat. He wanted to see whether the Night Watchers would reinforce their leader or go help the players.
The final battlefield was right before them; the aftershocks of the players' battle had already torn the mental puppets to shreds, leaving only a handful of lights in sight.
"It's the fluctuation of Noble Phantasms. Three of them belong to Valhalla: the white-haired man is Emiya, the little girl is Illya, and the black-haired girl in the Night Watchers uniform is Mona."
Deldore pulled out a book full of eyeballs, which she had exchanged for from the Hundred Eyes of True Knowledge. She had to keep spending points to unlock and update information from them, making it her most valuable item.
"What level of skill? And when did you update this book?" The Sloth Bishop glanced at it. Many players have the 'Book of a Hundred Eyes', but the Hundred Eyes of True Knowledge is too greedy. Every time it is expanded or updated, it requires a lot of points.
Fake arms deals are one-off transactions, while real arms deals involve providing ongoing support services. Of course, the information available for sale only includes the player's name and faction.
"A Borderlands update from a month ago: Emiya is Monster IV player, while Illya and Mona are Monster III players. By the way, Mona's identity is unusual."
"Heh heh, there's no such thing as identity in a dungeon." The bishop didn't care. Even if someone had a special identity, they could come to the 'Aether Particles' to take revenge. "And who are those two players, and why are they helping Valhalla?"
The Book of a Hundred Eyes has a search function. Deldore used his mental power to lock onto the flickering shadow and the black-haired girl wielding dual pistols, and the pages turned on their own.
"That ninja belongs to 'Battle Maniac,' his name is Wolf, and he's a lone player; the woman is using a concealment item so we can't see her clearly, but her strength is only at the Monster III level."
There are three factions, one Monster IV, and four Monster III. The ninjas are even unable to assassinate enemies stealthily due to the lighting conditions?
The bishop gripped his chin, gripping it harder and harder, leaving bloody marks.
The 'Beast Tamer Family' and 'Survivors' are locked in fierce combat with them. These two factions are slightly weaker, but they have more people. One faction has a large number of summoner players, and the other is highly mutated and difficult to kill.
Charizards and Squirtle can be destroyed but quickly respawn, while mutated players who are 'Survivors' will wriggle and reassemble even if they are chopped into pieces.
"Make a quick decision, they're retreating." Deldore urged from the side. The players from Valhalla did not scatter, choosing to maintain their squad formation and retreat slowly.
Swish--
Dr. William, the 'Survivors,' rapidly mutated into a fleshy whip tens of meters thick and thousands of meters long, lashing out fiercely. It couldn't see clearly in the dark and could only rely on sound to locate and block the shots.
The Valhalla player abruptly stopped, only to see the bloody, mangled whip appear in the light's illumination range, grazing the top of the protective gear before crashing into the map with a deafening 'boom,' carving a valley in the landscape.
Illya immediately turned around, and a beam of light shot out from her magnificent staff, slicing the fleshy whip in two. But it immediately split into hundreds of disgusting monsters, spewing out deadly poisonous mist.
Dr. William is serious about the Super G-Virus.
The bishop nodded in satisfaction, feeling it would be impolite to remain silent any longer, and had Deldore scan the battlefield one last time.
The Moonlit Demon Wolf and the Necromancer have arrived to provide support, leaving the Night Watchers behind.
The battle on the south side was still undecided, but the Night Watchers was already feeling fear and almost jumped into the tidal zone.
This is a self-preservation tactic, further confirming their identity Night Watchers. If they were players, jumping into the Dark Night Tide would be suicide.
"Let's go too, let's take care of the strongest Emiya first." The bishop twisted his waist like he was doing gymnastics, looking at the Aether Particles and the Adventurers players beside him, his mouth stretching to his ears.
"Oh, by the way, I'll keep those two little girls. I love innocent little girls like that the most."
Deep within the mountains—no, the mountains themselves have been shattered by various abilities, much like in a simulation game, where players freely create the terrain.
The black-haired girl wielded dual pistols, shooting at the endlessly regenerating monsters. She couldn't destroy them, as that would release a large amount of virus. However, the girl's bullets were extraordinary; the monsters that were hit did not suffer any wounds, but only appeared as an hourglass phantom, and then froze in place as if a pause button had been pressed.
Time-related Transcendental Grade abilities—thankfully, she's there.
Emiya turned his gaze back to the distance, where several clusters of lights were rapidly approaching; this was the real test.
It's coming.
As a battle-hardened hero, he knows all too well how to fight against players.
The interplay of strength, numbers, and Transcendental Grade abilities creates a system of checks and balances, much like how the 'God's G-Virus' is powerless against the 'Time Bullet'.
The Beast Tamer Family and the Survivors are not particularly strong, but they are numerous and extremely difficult to kill. They are most effective for probing the enemy or stalling for time. Once the harassment is complete, it's time for the enemy's strongest member to deliver the final blow.
Emiya drew his longbow, raised his right hand, and copied a spear and a short sword, nocking them on the bowstring. When he fired, a sound like a nuclear bomb was heard.
It's no use; something intercepted it halfway.
A scorching breeze brushed against his face. Emiya couldn't see the fireball blooming in the darkness; he only saw the few lights pause for a moment before continuing forward. He couldn't help but look to the side.
A girl in a Night Watchers uniform was protected in the middle, her Manas Consciousness already activated, her fair little hands choosing the future. Beside her was Illya, wearing a long black dress, with an intricate magic circle unfolding in front of her.
With a high-speed divine incantation, a pink beam of light disappeared into the night. With a booming echo, a distant light went out, and several of the besieging team's summoned creatures vanished.
"You hit the summoner, Mona- chan!"
"Great, I'll pick your next target."
The two girls clapped happily, seemingly without much tension. Illya, who had activated her Caster class card, and Manas Consciousness worked together to kill another player.
But Emiya's expression didn't change at all. On this battlefield, the Monster II players were just cannon fodder; the truly strong wouldn't be so easily killed by them.
"Mona, shall we continue?"
"Otherwise, it's too late to break out separately now. You can't protect both of us." Mona asked with a smile, leaving the young man in red speechless.
He certainly didn't believe in that so-called Hidden Sage, but he knew that Mena Ryougi wouldn't be easily fooled. However, a warrior's intuition told him that things were now extremely precarious.
The wolf was exhausted from fighting the summoned creatures and executing several players. He and Homura Akemi wouldn't protect anyone; if they were truly outmatched, they would retreat immediately.
Then came this lazy bishop, who was no ordinary man.
To replicate, to nock an arrow, to shoot.
The energy shockwave from overhead shattered several layers of defensive barriers, and Mona's next plan was nothing short of insane: he intended to deploy his domain and take the bishop away, but what about the remaining players? Two more factions were about to join the battle.
What to do? Staying put and waiting to die is definitely not an option.
An invisible hand keeps striking from a distance of over ten kilometers, combining offense and defense; there's simply no chance of winning a long-range firefight.
"Illya, use the Saber class. The rest is up to you."
Emiya acted decisively, disappearing instantly in the center of the squad. A lamp streaked across the sky without encountering any obstacles along the way.
Of course, Monster IV players need another Monster IV player to resolve this. Why should the Beast Tamer Family and Survivors interfere? Even the Aether Particles' own people split to the sides and joined the battle.
"Heh, king versus king?" The Sloth Bishop also sensed the battle intent, cracking his neck. "Alright, I'll take on such a diligent player. You keep scanning the battlefield; I feel like something's off."
Deldore nodded slightly. She was also Monster IV player, but had only just entered this level and was not good at direct combat.
The bishop vanished before her eyes, meeting the charging heroic spirits. The three players from the 'Adventurers' faction remained alone in the air, their invisible spiritual power covering the battlefield of thousands of square kilometers, controlling every move.
With five minutes remaining, the Moonlit Demon Wolf and the Spirit Messenger will join the battle. They have lost a third of their strength, but their remaining power is enough to break the balance. Let those two girls be freed; falling into that madman's hands, they'd have a hard time dying even if they wanted to.
The Night Watchers' choice was unexpected; they came to support the players, but they couldn't make it in time. Without a commander and with the responsibility of protecting the giant war machine, they could only be spectators in this battle.
Then there's Asura, why hasn't he dealt with the Night Watchers yet?
The woman opened her eyes, her gaze filled with confusion, for the two people from the battlefield were gone. Looking back, she saw only the deep darkness of night in the distance.
Wait, where's Asura?
A mentally-based player is monitoring the battlefield; using any Transcendental Grade ability will expose their identity and trigger a chain reaction.
Subsequent plans will be impossible to implement, and naturally cautious players will simply retreat. Faced with this dead end, Yuki's solution is simple:
As always, we will make the Limit the land.
The tides of night formed a clear dividing line. According to previous intelligence, the world inside and outside the tides is two separate worlds, and no ability can cross between them.
Mental detection and spatial teleportation are useless; otherwise, spatial players would be too overpowered, and they wouldn't even need to fight, just throwing the enemy into the tide and letting the night deal with them.
Even a Monster IV player couldn't make a judgment based solely on eyesight, even from hundreds of kilometers away, just by the light.
"What... what's wrong with you?" Asura, whose whole body was radiating purple light, blinked, somewhat confused.
He had just firmly subdued this Night Watchers, who was clumsy and lacked the Night Watchers's elegant use of soul energy.
Estimating that twenty minutes were almost up, he prepared to go all out to end the game. Then, as if he had taken a drug, he suddenly erupted, tightly binding the somewhat careless Asura and letting the spreading tide cover the two of them.
It truly felt like being swept away by the tide; his Soul Lamp flickered like a candle in the wind. But he remained calm. This was the edge of the tide; a single dash would allow him to escape.