Chapter 325: The Mystery of Calamity
The players from the Golden Kingdom and Ashen did not directly attack, but they often unleashed skills that indiscriminately affected both allies and enemies.
There were skills that, once attached, would burn for an extended period, large-scale visual obfuscation that left everyone in a state of blindness, transparent and bizarre barriers, and some players didn't even bother to pretend. They simply wielded their weapons and cast their platinum skills, targeting both demons and players from the Hall of Valor simultaneously.
Amidst the various flames and colorful effects, high-energy reactions surged…
Meanwhile, the players from the Hall of Valor were furiously questioning each other.
"Are you all crazy?"
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Are you seriously still fighting among yourselves in this situation??"
As they shouted, they frantically dodged the attacks coming from behind them.
The players from the other two factions merely smiled.
"Sorry, we forgot to change our faction mode."
"Oh dear, my hand slipped, and I cast my skill again!"
"Please bear with us."
"We can't help it; aren't we usually enemies when we meet? It's a bit uncomfortable being on the same side for the first time today."
They casually remarked, with the more polite ones switching to faction mode after casting a few interference skills, ensuring their abilities no longer affected the Hall of Valor players.
The less courteous ones simply continued to attack furiously, while apologizing as if it were a mere formality.
Originally, with the three factions working together, the vanguard of the demon coalition should have been at least evenly matched, if not at a disadvantage. But now—
The players from the Hall of Valor were, instead, retreating step by step.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, they were being suppressed and dared not unleash their full power, fearing that demons or players from the other two factions would take advantage of them.
They could only use low-cost skills, while the demons, empowered by the hellish consciousness, charged forward recklessly, showing no fear.
The players from the Hall of Valor were in a miserable predicament.
At that moment…
In the distance, players could see several Supremes hovering above the battlefield, casting spells while changing colors. The Supreme from the Hall of Valor was particularly furious, shouting at the other Supremes, "What are you all trying to do? Control your subordinates!"
But the Supremes from the other two factions merely sneered. "Our organization is even looser than yours in the Hall of Valor; we can't control these people."
"Besides, it's just a few minor mishaps, right? None of your people are truly dead."
Hearing this, the Supreme's expression changed repeatedly with anger.
"Fine! Fine! Fine!"
He unleashed a strange beam of light. Instantly, streams of energy rained down, rapidly striking down several demigod-level demons below and suppressing them.
Unfortunately, this Supreme, having finally found some time to act, still hadn't managed to speak.
Immediately, a flurry of skills was hurled down below.
There were debuffs, increased damage effects, area freezes, and paralysis from Thunder. Although the Supreme's power far surpassed that of ordinary demigods, being bombarded by so many skills still caused him to stagger for a moment.
As a result, several previously suppressed demigod-level demons roared and charged up from below, enveloped in a blood-red aura as they rushed towards the Supreme.
Their tactics were simple and brutal.
Self-detonation!
Perhaps these demons didn't want to die so easily, but under the control of the will of Hell, their preferences no longer mattered.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Intense flames blazed, and even from his hiding place in the Shadow World, Sterl felt the space destabilize, with cracks forming in the connection to the main world.
He had no choice but to leap onto the battlefield, continuing to utilize Shadow Stealth, his equipment, and the Laws of Space to conceal himself.
Fortunately, the battlefield was in utter chaos; countless energy orbs whizzed past him, and for the moment, he remained undetected.
At that moment, crimson clouds rolled in from the horizon, swirling for three or four seconds before a figure staggeringly burst forth.
It was the Supreme from the Hall of Valor, who had previously appeared composed in his light blue garments, but now he was singed black and looked ill.
He had even used a life-saving item and was cursing under his breath, "What gall!"
It had been a group of ordinary demigods from the other two factions who had pulled a fast one, causing the Hall of Valor Supreme to be caught in the demons' self-detonation tactic.
Gathering his energy, he disregarded the demons and prepared to retaliate.
However, members of the Golden Kingdom and Ashen remained unfazed.
Swish!
Swish!
Like prophets, the other two Supremes joined forces to stand in front of the Hall of Valor Supreme. "Don't be angry, don't be angry, Bro." "Those kids don't know better; they've already switched to faction mode."
"Just take a look…"
As they spoke soothingly, the eyes of the two Supremes were filled with a threatening glint.
If the Hall of Valor Supreme forced an attack on the ordinary demigods below, he would expose himself to the combined strikes of the two other Supremes, which could easily lead to his demise ten times over.
"You…"
The expression of the Hall of Valor Supreme changed slightly, but he looked down below.
At that moment, the battlefield suddenly returned to normal, and the players from the Hall of Valor were no longer caught between the assaults of the Golden Kingdom and Ashen.
They could finally engage with the demons properly.
However, that recent round of attacks had already caused extremely severe consequences.
For the Hall of Valor, not only had the Supreme lost a life-saving item, but many of the demigod and legendary members were also forced to reveal numerous trump cards, barely managing to create a situation without casualties for the time being.
The Supreme from the Hall of Valor, hovering in the sky, could no longer contain his anger. But seeing that the battlefield had indeed returned to normal and he had a way out, he gritted his teeth and said,
"Well then, I hope you two will keep your subordinates in check from now on."
"Let's avoid any more blunders!"
He spoke each word with emphasis.
The other two Supremes merely smiled in response, "Those individuals can only be considered our colleagues; we can make suggestions, but we can't impose any restrictions."
The implication was clear: whether or not to cause trouble next was entirely up to them.
Though the expression of the Hall of Valor Supreme darkened further, he thought for a moment.
He chose to… endure!
However, he gazed deeply at the other two Supremes, "Are you really going to do this?"
"Why?"
"There aren't many slots available in the upper realms, but there should be enough for everyone."
"Why go to such lengths?"
This statement was conveyed through a secret transmission, audible only to the three Supremes present.
The other two Supremes paused for a moment, then communicated quietly among themselves.
"Apologies, we each have our own loyalties."
"We have our own pressures."
"Getting as much merit as possible is secondary; the main focus is on ranking…"
The Hall of Valor Supreme instantly understood the meaning behind the other two's words.
Although the Hall of Valor was already at a disadvantage in the merit ranking competition, the Golden Kingdom and Ashen aimed to seize higher merit rankings and secure slots in the upper realms.
The most stable tactic was not fair competition.
Instead, it was to directly undermine the Hall of Valor's path to merit acquisition to ensure that no one from the Hall of Valor appeared on the leaderboard, maximizing the benefits for these two top factions.
"Ha, those gods keep saying that this calamity is unprecedented, that everyone is destined to die, and all they think about is fleeing. Meanwhile, we who can't escape still have to serve them."
During the secret conversation, one of the Supremes from Ashen grumbled, pointing out a serious flaw in the strategy to suppress the Hall of Valor for higher merit rankings.
That flaw was that the players from Ashen and the Golden Kingdom, including this Supreme, would also suffer losses.
Instantly, another Supreme warned, "Watch your words! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
The Supreme who had spoken out of turn realized he had misspoken, shaking his head slightly, "Whatever happens, those of us at this level know some truths."
"Who isn't aware of the terror of this calamity?"
"The Hall of Valor has already been making moves, both big and small, right?"
However, the Hall of Valor Supreme fell into an inexplicable silence at that moment…
He couldn't speak recklessly because the Hall of Valor was different from the other two factions; the artifact spirits were the true controllers of the Hall of Valor.
Every action of the artifact spirits was predetermined by that creator from years ago.
In the past decade, the actions of the artifact spirits had revealed a sense of anxiety and unease. Clearly, the Hall of Valor was not ignorant of the horrors of this calamity; they were all too aware of it!
The situation was far more outrageous than what the Golden Kingdom and Ashen could imagine!
The gods of the Hall of Valor had long ceased to concern themselves with their subordinates' affairs, having become embroiled in a frenzied internal conflict among themselves, all in a desperate bid to gain more means of self-preservation in the face of the calamity.
These gods had enjoyed many benefits since joining the Hall of Valor, but as a price, they would not allow members to seek more slots in the upper realms in the face of disaster.
…
The secret negotiations high above were, of course, unknown to the other players below.
What they witnessed was the Hall of Valor in utter humiliation, while the other two factions flaunted their dominance!
The members of the Hall of Valor were instantly filled with anger.
"Damn! So this is how you want to play it?"
"If you've got the guts, never step onto the front lines again; otherwise, you'll soon find out whose methods are more ruthless!"
"Is this premeditated?? What does this mean?"
"I will not rest until I settle the score with you!"
Their fury was palpable, and if it weren't for the demons from Hell not letting any players nearby escape, the members of the Hall of Valor would have already turned against their "allies" in the Golden Kingdom and Ashen.
No, even now…
Some players from the Hall of Valor had already braced themselves against the demons' attacks and were ready to strike back!
Until—
The figures of the three Supremes reappeared in the sky.
The Supreme from the Hall of Valor coldly stated, "Everyone, please calm down for now; we have renegotiated the treaty."
"From now on, all three factions are prohibited from attacking each other. Any grievances can be settled after this event is over."
"We are here to gather resources; let's secure those resources first."
With this statement, the members of the Hall of Valor reluctantly began to calm down.