Chapter 674 - Dominant Surge
Eastern Gate.
And then there was Melliandra. Countess Murmur had broken free of containment and was charging straight for the fortress. Chaos trailed in her wake, leaving the players stationed there helpless to stop her advance. One by one, they fell, unable to withstand her devastating assault.
Melliandra sprinted across a series of floating, translucent platforms, desperately dodging a relentless barrage of magic missiles raining down on her. Her face was etched with frustration and despair.
"Damn it, this bitch! Goldrich! Jovina! Do something!" she shouted.
Northern Gate.
Kingsley, meanwhile, was under relentless assault, barely managing to hold his ground. Charmelyn wasn't in much better shape, overwhelmed by the unending swarm of summons unleashed by Marquis Orias.
Forced to stay grounded, Kingsley found himself struggling against a pack of spectral lions that relentlessly attacked him, Charmelyn, and Skywarden. The trio could do little more than defend each other. They were becoming increasingly powerless, unable to mount any kind of meaningful offense against the Demon.
The team was stretched to its absolute limit, and with every moment, the battle's outcome grew more uncertain.
Southern Gate.
Meanwhile, on another part of the battlefield, Elincia lay pinned to the ground, two swords crossed at her throat. Towering over her was Duke Alloces, his cruel grin promising her demise.
Livelywood stood nearby, frozen by the Duke's chilling threat—any attempt to intervene would lead to Elincia's immediate execution.
"Livelywood, do something! Attack this demon!"
"Ho ho ho… such desperate cries," Alloces sneered. "I quite enjoy them."
Elincia was moments away from being taken out of the fight entirely. Without her, this battle would only become harder for the team to win.
Then, out of nowhere…
A figure shot toward Duke Alloces, moving so fast that the Demon couldn't react in time. The impact was sending Alloces flying across the battlefield. He crashed to the ground, staggering to his feet with an enraged snarl, his eyes scanning for the one who dared to strike him.
Standing calmly amidst the chaos was a man clad in heavy black armor, his dark hair catching the flickering light of the battlefield.
"Hah! Looks like I got here just in time!" the man declared.
Elincia's eyes widened in shock as she recognized him.
"Booba! What are you doing here?" she exclaimed, scrambling to her feet.
Livelywood and Starfall hurried closer.
"Booba, I don't think this is the place for you," Livelywood said cautiously. "The demons here… their levels are way too high."
Booba glanced at Livelywood, a cocky grin spreading across his face. Without a word, he tapped into the guild conference channel.
"Hey, everyone in the guild! Listen to me!" he called out as he began walking toward Duke Alloces.
"Booba, you asshole! What crazy stunt are you pulling now? Stop making this war harder than it already is!" Melliandra snapped.
"Khi khi khi… so, you finally decided to show up, Booba," Goldrich chuckled.
"You know," Booba began. "I was the first person in this guild to recognize Broken. The first to ever call him a friend. All of you? You're second to me."
"Nobody cares! You're useless, just dead weight!" Melliandra shot back.
Booba smirked. "Well, today!" he declared, "I'm announcing to everyone that I'm the third person in this guild to have become..."
"What?!"
But before anyone could respond further, Booba launched himself toward Duke Alloces with blinding speed. In a flash, his blade clashed with the Demon Duke's, sending Alloces hurtling backward with such force that even Livelywood, who had struggled against him, stared in astonishment.
"Whoa… Booba!" Livelywood exclaimed.
Booba didn't slow down, his voice ringing out across the battlefield.
"Dominant Surge!" he declared. "That's the blessing I received from my Divine Champion of Wrath. And now…" he grinned confidently, gripping his sword tighter, "let's see if this Demon Duke can keep up!"
"What the fuck?!" Nearly everyone reacted in shock.
"Divine Champion of Wrath?!"
"How the hell?!" another exclaimed.
Booba continued, "This Blessing allows me to gain extra stat points depending on how many enemies are surrounding me! Plus, it boosts my stats by up to 50% if I'm up against opponents with a level difference of up to 100."
"Damn, that's broken!" Melliandra exclaimed.
"Oh, come on now. Name one Divine Champion Blessing that isn't broken?"
Western Gate.
Ivana and Optimus were trapped in the crushing grip of King Balam, the demon's massive hands holding them firmly as flames gathered around his body. In a terrifying display of power, he unleashed a fiery blast directly at the two. Their protective shield shimmered, straining under the heat, visibly thinning with every passing second.
Nearby, Toberry and Trison were desperately evading the relentless swarm of demons closing in around them. They fought to stay on their feet, darting and blocking as best they could, but the horde was overwhelming. Other players nearby were falling one by one, unable to withstand the onslaught.
Until—
Out of nowhere, a spinning object tore through the chaos. It whirled past Toberry and Trison, the sheer force of its rotation striking down the demons around them.
The spinning projectile flew with precision and slammed directly into King Balam with a deafening D-D-D-DOOM!
The impact sent the massive demon staggering backward, loosening his grip and dropping Ivana and Optimus. Freed at last, the pair quickly repositioned themselves, retreating to safety.
From a distance, a figure came sprinting across the battlefield, smashing through anything in his way. As he neared Ivana and Optimus, his pace slowed, and his steps became deliberate.
Ivana turned toward the figure, her eyes glistening with emotion. "Mr. Fokil..." she whispered.
The dwarf gave a small, knowing smile. "What a mess," he said.
Optimus bowed slightly. "Optimus, member of Vensalor Guild, greets you."
Fokil strode past them without pause.
"Where is Broken? He promised to protect Ivana, and yet he's not here. Hah!"
With a slight huff, he raised his right hand, summoning his hammer back into his grasp as it spun through the air toward him. He caught it effortlessly with his iron grip.
"Let's deal with this rude visitor," he said, his tone low and resolute.
Eastern Gate.
Just before Melliandra could be overwhelmed by the barrage of magic missiles that might have been fatal, something moved swiftly from the direction of the fortress. The force slammed into Countess Murmur, causing her to lose her balance and crash to the ground.
Seizing the moment, Goldrich quickly advanced and cast his cage skill, trapping the demoness in a shimmering magical prison.
The figure that had delivered the blow descended to the battlefield, revealing itself to be a massive wolf cloaked in shadows, with crackling flames dancing along its body.
Jovina approached, a grin spreading across her face. "Thanks, Fang. Hahaha."
"Dammit, Jovina!" Melliandra snapped, still catching her breath. "Why did you wait so long to summon Fang? You nearly got me killed!"
"Hah!" Jovina retorted with a smirk. "Did you think Fang is some kind of winged wolf? There's no point summoning him if he can't attack effectively yet. Now shut up and do your job!"
Northern Gate.
Charmelyn continued her relentless assault on Marquis Orias in the air, supported by Kingsley, who worked tirelessly to divert the demon's attention. Riding atop Kingsley hawk form, Charmelyn cast an array of clones to repeatedly strike at the demon, each attack aiming to wear him down.
But Marquis Orias moved with startling speed this time. A sudden surge of magic lashed out at Kingsley, hitting his hawk form and sending him spiraling to the ground.
Charmelyn, caught off guard, lost her footing and plummeted, while Skywarden struggled to fend off the onslaught from below.
Until…
A figure shot in from the distance, catching Charmelyn from behind and holding her steady in the air.
As Charmelyn floated in their grasp, another figure appeared before her, descending gracefully. Five gleaming swords hovered in a perfect orbit around the newcomer.
The woman with wavy blonde hair turned her head. "Hi, I saved you… so this means I'm better than you, doesn't it?" she said, chuckling softly.
The person holding Charmelyn sighed heavily. "Grill, this isn't the time for rivalry."
Still shaken from her near fall, Charmelyn stammered, "SexyGrill, Sexy—"
"No!" the short-haired blonde interrupted, cutting her off. "Just Bloom. Only Bloom, okay?"
"Yes, sorry. Thanks, Grill, Bloom," Charmelyn muttered quickly.
SexyGrill took the lead. "Now, let me and Bloom handle the aerial battle. You and the others focus on their summons on the ground."
"Okay, got it," Charmelyn replied. As SexyBloom released her, she landed smoothly on the battlefield, immediately preparing to rejoin the fight below.
Turning toward Bloom, SexyGrill added with a mischievous chuckle, "We only have a little time, so let's take this demon out—and I'll be sure to take all the credit in front of Broken."
"Save your confidence for after we've actually won," Bloom retorted.