Lionheart was just about to swing her sword at the enemy when her instincts screamed danger. A bolt of magic appeared out of nowhere. It was too late to dodge.
[-1565!]
Shock filled Lionheart as the powerful spell took the last of her HP. When she opened her eyes again, she was already back at their guild headquarters, staring ahead in disbelief.
Lionheart was a prominent figure among Force of Nature. Her elimination immediately attracted much attention.
When Fortune's next arcane bolt sped through the battlefield the tanks moved hastily, throwing their bodies in the way.
Fortune furrowed her brows as her attack had little impact. Focusing her mind she turned her body, scanning the battlefield for those ambushing thieves.
Holding back the skill put a lot of strain on her mind. She couldn't delay for long, betting on her luck as she sent out another bolt.
Unfortunately, it didn't prove effective.
But it bought Fortune enough time to finally lock onto a thief. From then on, the thieves fighting against the backline felt as if a predator had targeted them. Fortune's subsequent attacks were all focused on them, taking out two more enemies, which allaviated the pressure on the other mages.
Final Fend also breathed in relief as the enemy's numbers dwindled. He even had time to observe how his friends were faring.
Silver Blade and Radiant Shield were entangled by their respective enemies. The same was true for Quickstep who faced a tank and a warrior alone. Despite that, her movements were impressive showing the might of a famous pro player.
Surprisingly Watchful Eye proved to be quite the menace on the battlefield. Maybe it was because the man was usually inconspicuous that Force of Nature underestimated him. Watchful Eye's staff moved swift as lightning engulfed in purple flames eliminating weaker warriors in quick suggestion.
Just then Final Fend's ears twitched. He perceived Melodious Edelweiss's voice, which faintly sounded through the battlefield.
Listening closely, Final Fend's eyes showed anticipation. Obviously Force of Nature didn't place much importance on the bard. Either her reputation wasn't great enough yet or Force of Nature simply didn't understand her skills. But Final Fend clearly recognized Melodious Edelweiss's [Song of Vengeance].
Surrounded by the tumultuous battlefield Melodious Edelweiss stood like a lonely flower, her lute in hand, her demeanour unfit for war.
The young woman felt unaccustomed to the situation, afraid of the fierce exchange of skills, her heart fluttering. Yet she gathered all her courage to not let the guild down.
She joined Dream Avenue despite her shyness after realizing that Fate of Crunaboul presented an unprecedented chance for her. If she let her shyness stop her again, she might regret it for the rest of her live.
Melodious Edelweiss focused on her singing trying to blend out the war around her. Finally, she noticed her mana dropping dangerously low. She stopped her [Song of Vengeance], looking around for a target.
[Final Fend: Edelweiss, strike at Earthquake!]
Melodious Edelweiss trembled glancing at Radiant Shield locked in combat with a powerful orc, whose every blow caused the air to stir.
Despite her quiet demeanour she also had friends who discussed some popular heroes with her. She had long since admired the likes of Earthquake and Phoenix Feather.
She never imagined that she would one day dare to aim her sword, or rather lute, at them.
But now that it had come to this, Melodious Edelweiss didn't hesitate any longer. Suddenly her bright voice echoed through the battlefield, startling everyone:
"Mabavr!"
Force of Nature needed a moment to recall what this entailed. Earthquake's eyes abruptly shot wide open, revealing bloody veins. He felt an unprecedented danger.
[Earthquake: Shield me!]
His tanks reacted quickly to the command, using whatever they had to protect their guild leader. Even ultimate skills were spent generously.
Layers of barrier enveloped Earthquake just before the soundwaves in the air suddenly concentrated on him.
An image of a mighty army formed in everyone's minds as they watched it advancing towards Earthquake. The soldier's spears were surrounded by an air of vengeance, stabbing at the orc's tall body.
[-8735!]
Everyone watched in horror as layers of magic barriers shattered under the overbearing force. Earthquake however let out a sigh of relief. When the damage reached him there was not much left, barely scratching his HP.
Staring back at Dream Avenue he could instantly feel a shift in the atmosphere though. Everyone's eyes suddenly focused on him. Dream Avenue knew that most of Force of Nature's big defensive skills were gone, leaving them vulnerable.
The brief respite brought Earthquake out of his battle frenzy, giving him a second to assess the situation. He had to realize in horror that their side was at a heavy disadvantage. If the fight continued like this, they were under threat of extermination.
Just as Earthquake pondered his options, distressed shouts came from his own backline. Silent Acacia stood proudly on a hill, looking down on Force of Nature.
The young man had returned from his task of gathering the nearby scout teams. Now about forty players, many of them thieves, ambushed the enemy's back under his command.
Earthquake let out a sigh. With a reluctant expression he gave a new order, heavy hearted.
[Earthquake: Retreat!]
[Immortal Boulder: Boss! We can still fight!]
Earthquake looked at his good friend who tied down four warriors by himself and slowly shook his head.
Seeing this, Immortal Boulder let out an angry shout, freeing himself from the fight. His entire being almost went on strike as he turned around and retreated.
Silver Blade face remained stern watching the development, but she didn't give the order to chase. She allowed Silent Acacia to wreak havoc for a bit until Force of Nature disappeared into the fog.
Finally Silver Blade let out a turbid breath, her shoulders slumping. Tension left her body.
"Such fierce warriors...", commented Radiant Shield, still trembling from Earthquake's attacks.
"They are indeed powerful."
"Impressive."
Words of agreement came from the guild members as their gazes lingered on the spots where Force of Nature left.
"Hey, why are you all so downtrodden?! Didn't we win?!"
Silver Blade glanced over her shoulder, looking at Overbearing Zen. Her expression was complicated as she answered him:
"It depends on your perspective. We outnumbered the enemy and used our blizzard scroll. Despite that we lost 52 people while killing about 75 enemies. Many thanks to Silent Acacia's ambush."
"But it can't be denied that we started the fight in a disadvantageous location."
"You're not wrong..."
Silver Blade didn't know how to evaluate the battle herself. Seeing his sister like this, Final Fend quickly changed the topic:
"Who cares about that now? We need to return and assist Mirage! Come on, guys!"
The young man's words revitalized the guild members. Everyone realized that they weren't done yet, shaking off their exhaustion.
Silver Blade also adjusted her mind, taking command. She ordered a single warrior on low health to carry back the relic.
She didn't send anyone to protect it. If Earthquake came back to contest the relic, she could only allow him to get away with it.
But the person carrying the relic would see a massive decrease in their movement speed. If Silver Blade sent people to escort the relic it would pose too big a risk.
Thus, one warrior remained behind while the rest of the guild hurried back to the base.
When Silver Blade was close enough to get a clear look on the town, she witnessed the long line of enemies slamming their weapons against the wall.
About 20 members of Dream Avenue were left, casting their spells from above. Their ultimate skills were already used up, making it difficult to deal much damage.
Liam was still on top of the tower, trying to snipe some enemies. But with everyone staying close to the wall it was almost impossible to find suitable targets. He frowned, worry apparent in his eyes as he scanned the wall's several segments.
One of them was in danger of breaking any second, its HP as low as 2.000.
Just as Liam was about to get ready to defend the breach with his own body, he spotted the movement in the distance.
His eyes fell on the heroic woman in pristine white armor leading a large group of people to the rescue. A smile involuntarily formed on Liam's face, realizing that her approach signalled their victory.
A short while later the sound of a marching army entered everyone's ears. Golden Fang looked towards the back. Seeing the enemies approaching despair filled his eyes.
"We were so close..."
Despite his feeling Golden Fang's thoughts stayed active. He immediately came to a decision. Following his order Force of Nature split into two groups, escaping towards the left and right.
Silver Blade knew that it would be difficult to catch up with them. She sent a few swift thieves to keep an eye on the enemy and perhaps get a few opportunistic kills, while leading the rest of her guild members back to the base.
The town's gate opened wide as Liam and Cyclone welcomed their friends back.