In Crystalsong Glade, the battle took a sudden turn for the worse.
The arrival of fresh demon forces completely halted the players' advance and even drove them back. The battle line fell apart, forcing the players to form small defensive circles around thick corrupted trees, raised mounds, and their comrades' corpses against the demons pouring in from every direction.
"We can't hold, boss! Looks like the rear can't hold either!"
A fast-running player scrambled over to Shanghai Pirate King. He had been trying to flank the enemy when he glimpsed something strange in the sky above their rear position and heard faint gunfire and cannon fire.
Shanghai Pirate King was having a rough time himself. He had just barely parried a Berserker Demon's massive axe, and his heart sank at the news. He kicked the demon back half a step, then seized the opening to roll backward several times. Only after the players on either side rushed in to fill his position did he find a moment to look toward the beachhead.
The dense, twisted trees blocked most of his view, but he could still see lingering arcane radiance in the sky above it, along with smoke that had yet to disperse completely.
More importantly, the gunfire and explosions from the rear, which had previously been little more than background noise, now seemed fiercer and more chaotic. Mixed in were sharp screeches that clearly did not belong to players.
"Fuck, they hit our base!?"
A terrifying thought flashed through Shanghai Pirate King's mind. They had been fighting the demons tooth and nail here, forgetting that demons could fly. If the Resurrection Point fell, this force deep inside the glade would be cut off from its lifeline and eventually worn down to nothing.
There were no radios, no magical messaging, and