《The Game of God》 Chapter 1: I Came Here to Write a Legend Chapter 1: I Came Here to Write a Legend 2:44 PM, London. Henry hurriedly grabbed a can of Monster from the fridge and rushed back to his desk. The round table was cluttered with all sorts of gaming gear, dominated by six 34-inch monitors and three vertically rotated 21-inch screens, all glowing in the dimly lit room. The six 34-inch screens flickered with dazzling effects, sometimes completely obscuring the brutal battlefield behind them. "Get back to your position fast, the east side is being pushed hard! Shinn¡¯s team is moving in to fill the gap. Push right flank, right flank! Henry, can you rally more people? Do we still have the budget to hire more grinders? We¡¯re getting wrecked." Across the table, his teammate nearly screamed into the mic. Hours of shouting had left his voice hoarse. Henry took a quick swig of the energy drink and almost choked. He coughed a few times before burying his head close to the screen, his hands swiftly returning to the mouse and keyboard. A secondary vertical screen beside him was rapidly scrolling with chat messages from various groups. Their day had barely passed the three-hour mark. For the past two weeks, ever since Zephrania launched their Total Offensive campaign, they had been gritting their teeth, defending Asterith for an average of four hours a day. Henry glanced at the clan member list, which was now two-thirds grayed out, and felt a wave of frustration and helplessness. Most of their clan members, like many other players of this game, were regular people with their own lives. At 2 PM, they were either at work or in class. Clan leaders like Henry had even proposed paying those who could stay online for extended periods. About thirty people were available as a permanent force, while the rest could only take days off sporadically. Few could sustain this grueling schedule for two straight weeks. The Zephrania Empire had exploited peak online hours and time zone differences to the fullest. Chinese and Asian players made up a significant portion of Zephrania¡¯s forces. The offensives were launched from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM Beijing time, the region¡¯s prime online hours. Henry moved his mouse to shift his in-game camera downward, looking over the walls of Asterith, where a sea of Zephrania¡¯s signature red armor stretched out as far as the eye could see. Asterith was now almost the last remaining stronghold of Estapha. If Asterith fell, only a single mountain pass would stand between Zephrania and Estaphalia, Estapha¡¯s final city. If Estaphalia was conquered, the kingdom of Estapha would collapse, and the game would end. 7:44 AM, New York. Gamers Assemble HQ, 7th floor. Helen half-walked, half-ran down the glass corridor, glancing down at the vast square outside. Even with the relaxed dress code of a gaming magazine, her appearance today was borderline unacceptable. Her blond hair was still unkempt, strands hanging messily over her thick glasses. She wore a wrinkled t-shirt, loose-fitting khaki pants, and hastily slipped-on sneakers. ¡°Oh well,¡± she muttered while grabbing a cup of extra-strong coffee from the pantry¡ªa robusta blend her boss had recommended. "A little condensed milk will make it more palatable." Her 44-year-old Vietnamese boss had once told her that, and he was right¡ªcondensed milk and robusta beans made for an unexpectedly explosive combination. But it wasn¡¯t even 8 AM yet, and no staff were around to refill the milk trays. With no other choice, she took the black coffee and grimaced as she sipped the bitter liquid. The entire office was empty. It¡¯s not even 8 AM! she thought again. While her colleagues were still snug in bed or leisurely driving along Highway 87, she was already at work. "Oh well," she repeated to herself. "This is the climax of the Esta-doom campaign, and my tiny apartment doesn¡¯t even have a laptop strong enough to run this game. Streaming on my phone? Not happening." As one of the reporters covering this game, she knew the offensives would start at 5 AM New York time and last about four hours. By the time Helen booted up her office PC and logged in, it was already 8:11 AM. Still in time, she thought. Valia was a cross-platform game, meaning it could be played on PCs, laptops, tablets, and even phones. Helen had been monitoring the battle on her phone during her bus ride, but only her office PC could barely handle a livestream without lagging. Today, like the past few days, there hadn¡¯t been any significant developments on either side. After using the webcam to scan her face, she could finally control her in-game character. Due to the game''s face-recognition login system and the one-account-per-person rule, Helen had unconsciously begun treating her in-game character as an extension of herself. Her avatar, Helena, had the same shoulder-length blond hair, the same 5''9" height, and wore the signature ivory armor of Estapha. Just like Helen in real life, Helena was an energetic, on-the-ground journalist appearing at every major hotspot, using the game¡¯s Record function to broadcast the latest events to the audience. Helena spawned at the West Gate watchtower of Asterith, her last logout location. Only through the PC¡¯s wide screen could Helen fully grasp the scale and intensity of the battlefield. From the watchtower, she gazed down at the blood-soaked siege reaching its climax. "Zephrania¡¯s red-clad legions surge forward from the East, West, and South like a broken dam, clashing head-on with the resolute, indomitable warriors in Astapha¡¯s white armor. In these historic days, which will decide the fate of this game, every soldier has seemingly changed their armor back to its default color¡ªan unspoken declaration of loyalty and defiance." Helen began her commentary. This was a live stream. The view count instantly shot up to 200,000 across all platforms. North American teens, these days, were waking up much earlier than usual. "And also, so they can tell friend from foe more easily," Helen thought but left unsaid. Large-scale battles required uniform colors. She continued narrating, though today¡¯s scene was nearly identical to yesterday¡¯s. Her viewer count was dropping. Understandable. Audiences had grown too familiar with this grand war spectacle. Then¡ª "Grarghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!" A deafening roar from the game reverberated through the stream, shaking the screen violently. A white-hot inferno erupted below, and a massive silver dragon soared past Helena¡¯s view. With the precision of a seasoned camerawoman, Helen swiftly swiped her mouse to track the creature. The spiked silver dragon executed a flawless arc in the sky before turning and unleashing another blast of flames directly at Asterith. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! "Arcturus!" "Mighty Summoned Arcturus is here!" "A real Mighty Summoned beast!" "And Cerluva too!" "Cerluva and Bhaeta are here!" "Three Mighty Summoners in action, and they still can''t bring down Asterith?" "Maybe just for content." "Why is everyone scared of Mighty Summoners? They¡¯re overrated." "You''re wrong. I once saw a Demi Summoner go all out. One of them wiped out an entire battalion of my clan! And that was just a Demi Summoner!" The chat exploded with discussions about the three Mighty Summoned Gods. Asian journalists had reported this two hours ago, but for North American viewers just waking up, it was still fresh news. "Oh! That¡¯s right," Helen adjusted her camera for a full battlefield view while commenting. "Zephrania is getting serious. We know there are a total of eight Mighty Summoners to be reported in the game¡ªsix in Zephrania, two in Estapha. Today, Zephrania has deployed three!" "I thought Asterith would fall days ago. I¡¯m logging in to fight!" "Wait for me, bro!" "Helena, why do you think Estapha has lasted this long? It¡¯s beyond expectation." Helen had the same question. With over a million Zephrania players throwing themselves into battle like relentless tidal waves, with thousands of spells, tens of thousands of arrows, and cannon fire blotting out the sky, and with three Mighty Summoners leading the charge¡ªwhy was Asterith still standing? Many shared this question. And the answer wasn¡¯t that complicated. 5:14 AM, Airspace Over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) "The game¡¯s self-balancing mechanism." "Huh?" He pretended not to hear the harsh question from his companion, lazily stretching out in his seat and extending both arms. On the table in front of him, the tablet stood propped up, still streaming battlefield footage from Helen¡¯s livestream¡ªbut muted. He had taken long-haul flights before when participating in international tournaments, but his body had never quite adapted to the torture of air travel. Fourteen hours in the air was pure agony. "Hey, explain it properly!" Sitting across from him in their private jet, the Korean girl with a high ponytail and oversized sunglasses¡ªprobably a product endorsed by some idol group, Blackpink maybe? He wasn¡¯t sure¡ªleaned forward, smacking the seat armrest in frustration. Pouting, she spoke in a sharp, annoyed tone: "I told you, the Asterith fortress might fall before we even land! But you keep insisting it won¡¯t! Why the hell not? What do you mean by ¡®self-balancing mechanism¡¯?" As if the exhaustion wasn¡¯t enough, now he had to endure her piercing voice drilling into his ears. He regretted forgetting to bring his noise-canceling earbuds. His eyes drifted toward the five other men on the flight. Like him and the girl, they were all dressed in black suits and wearing sunglasses, making the entire team look like they were auditioning for Men in Black. Each one he glanced at simply shrugged as if to say, You¡¯re on your own, buddy. He sighed. Well, there were still about twenty minutes left before landing. Might as well wake himself up with some conversation. "From the beginning, Valia was designed around a very simple self-balancing theory," he said, straightening up and reaching for a notebook and pen on the table. "Since this is a two-faction war, if one side gains even a slight advantage, that advantage will snowball into an overwhelming lead." "You mean snowballing?" The girl scoffed. "Everyone knows that!" Suppressing another sigh, he shot her a glance over his sunglasses, paused for a few seconds, then drew a circle on the paper. He started shading one half of it in black until the darkened area almost consumed the entire circle, leaving only a tiny sliver of white. "If the black side keeps expanding¡­" "You mean the red side!" (A brief silence.) "If the red side keeps expanding, taking over nearly the entire map, and uses that overwhelming advantage to attack the last stronghold of the white side¡ªwhat happens next?" "Easy. The red side will crush the remaining white forces and end the game!" The girl cheered triumphantly, but he shook his head. Pointing his pen at the tiny white space left, he explained: "Remember, this little area will be where all the remaining white players gather. The player density in that region will be extremely high. The red faction may have an overwhelming numerical advantage, but no matter how many players they have, only a limited number can attack at once, right? Now, imagine that in each skirmish, the red side loses 100 troops, and the white side also loses 100 troops. The difference is that the 100 red troops will respawn at their nearest base, while the 100 white troops will respawn right at their defending point. If the white side keeps defending, respawning, and defending again, the red side will gradually lose its initial momentum, and their assault won¡¯t be sustainable. If they fail to break through quickly, the battle will eventually return to a balanced state." Through her sunglasses, he could see Sara frowning in deep thought. Sitting across from her, a bald man with a long, gaunt face, a rugged beard, and a tattoo running down his cheek suddenly chuckled. His voice was calm and measured¡ªalmost gentle, a stark contrast to his intimidating appearance. "Ha ha, Sara¡¯s used to brute-forcing her way through opponents. These kinds of analyses are tough for her. But Korea is a MOBA powerhouse, right? Try thinking of it like a MOBA game." Sara¡¯s face lit up with excitement. She grinned. "A MOBA game! How did you know that Faker-oppa is my idol, Alex?" She gasped, then suddenly remembered something. "Oh! There was this super old match¡ªso old that I wasn¡¯t even in elementary school yet! But I was a die-hard Faker fan, so I went back and watched it. In that game, Faker¡¯s SKT team had a huge lead, but no matter how hard they tried, they just couldn¡¯t break into the enemy base. The enemy ADC farmed up to 1000 CS and eventually turned the game around!" Alex, the bald man, chuckled. "See? Makes more sense now, doesn¡¯t it? There are differences, of course, but from a bird¡¯s-eye view, Valia can be considered a massively scaled MOBA game. Naturally, it has to have an inherent self-balancing mechanism. In fact, many analysts predicted this situation nearly a year ago. But¡­" He paused. "There¡¯s been an unexpected variable." "Not entirely unexpected," another man¡ªchubby, sitting next to Alex¡ªinterrupted. "Everyone got it wrong¡­ except two of us." He gestured toward him. He remained silent. "Huh? Huh?!" Sara couldn¡¯t hide her curiosity. "What variable? What are you talking about?" "Why Asterith?" Alex asked slowly. "The final siege should have been on Estaphalia¡ªthe capital city of the Estapha Kingdom. Asterith isn¡¯t even the kingdom¡¯s last fortress. Why would Zephrania go to such lengths to publicly launch a massive campaign against Asterith? Didn¡¯t they realize that by announcing such a large-scale invasion, they would also alert countless veteran Estapha players and bring them back online to defend? Even if they conquer Asterith, will they still have enough resources and strength to storm Estaphalia, which will be packed with defenders?" "Nobody expected Zephrania to make such a strange move, right?" The chubby man grinned, revealing his yellowish teeth. "But two months ago, within our team, two people predicted this exact scenario¡ªour Captain and this Vietnamese gamer right here." Sara looked at him, her eyebrows raising above the frame of her sunglasses, unable to hide her curiosity¡ªand perhaps a bit of admiration. "You made the same prediction as our Captain?" she gasped. "Our Captain that we are talking about! You¡¯re that good? Hey, tell me! Why Asterith? How did you figure it out?" Annoying. Headache-inducing. He cursed under his breath. Could the Zephranian Emperor have come up with this strategy to launch an all-out assault on Asterith? Probably not. But that-guy could. He and that guy knew each other too well. If he put himself in that guy¡¯s shoes, there was only one answer to breaking the game¡¯s self-balancing mechanism¡ªlaunching a Total War campaign against Asterith. Through his sunglasses, reflecting the first rays of the morning sun, he stared intently at the tablet screen still displaying the brutal battlefield of Valia. There, gamers fought for survival, each struggling to carve out their moment of glory. Kingdoms rose and fell, greedy players struck it rich overnight only to lose it all, and countless people wasted hours of their real lives in this virtual world. And in that world, nobodies could become legends. Before Sara could bombard him with more questions, the cockpit door opened, and a man with slightly wavy, shoulder-length hair and a rugged, wandering look stepped inside. Lowering his sunglasses, he scanned everyone on board before flashing a lazy smirk. "Alright, my fellow frustrated, life-hating no-name gamers. Get ready for landing. Remember, we¡¯re here to make history." His deep blue eyes locked onto him, and he stared back without hesitation. The Captain kept his unreadable smirk, but there was a hint of amusement in his gaze. He smiled back. It had been three years, and now he had finally arrived on the battlefield of Valia. The real world had taken everything from him. Now, he had come to Valia to take it all back. He had come to write his own legend. Chapter 2: Plug in Your Mouse, Henry Chapter 2: Plug in Your Mouse, Henry Many online gamers are deeply invested in the lore and world-building of their favorite games. In Valia, the 54 fortresses scattered across the land are remnants of an ancient civilization. Millennia have passed since their fall, until the Adventurers¡ªaka avatars of the players¡ªarrived and began utilizing what was left behind. Some believe these fortresses hide a grand secret¡ªperhaps a massive treasure¡ªand that only when a faction activates all 54 strongholds will the treasure map be revealed. Or something along those lines. Over time, more and more theories have emerged, all revolving around the same question: why must the two factions fight to death? The answer is simple¡ªwhoever controls all 54 fortresses can reach that secret treasure. However valuable this rumored treasure may be, it ultimately exists within a virtual world. Most players don''t particularly care about it. The ones actively participating in this war do so partly due to the competitive spirit ingrained in every gamer¡ªbut more importantly, because of the absurd amount of real-world money being poured into this game. That¡¯s right¡ªreal money. === Shun shifted uncomfortably in his brand-new suit, which he had picked up from some high-end boutique in town. Handcrafted by a seasoned French tailor¡ªat least, that''s what the sales clerk had enthusiastically babbled about. The suit was paired with seamless oxford shoes made from cordovan leather, crafted by some Paolo-someone who only produced ten pairs per year. Shun didn¡¯t care much for Western fashion. He had simply walked into the store and asked for the most expensive outfit available. The shoes were as stiff as rocks. Muttering curses under his breath, he strode across the cobblestone boulevard. Leather shoes required a break-in period, but he hadn¡¯t known that. Western shoe lasts were long and narrow¡ªill-suited for his broader Asian feet¡ªbut he hadn¡¯t cared either. As the second son of a wealthy Chinese - Japanese family, had he ever once needed to dress up like this for anyone. Shun¡¯s father was a Japanese politician who had risen from humble farmer origins in Fukui. Hardworking and charismatic, the man was a shining presence on media. In stark contrast, Shun¡¯s mother was reserved and enigmatic. Few knew that her Chinese family wielded immense influence¡ªcontrolling a third of Japan¡¯s economy and exerting significant sway over South Korea. For twenty-two years, Shun had been the black sheep of his family. His older brother became the Japanese Prime Minister¡¯s secretary at the age of twenty-eight, and his younger sister was on track to earn a Harvard Law degree and pursue a Ph.D. at just nineteen. In comparison, Shun had dropped out of three universities within a month of enrollment and burned through tens of millions of dollars on frivolous pursuits. To his parents, he was nothing short of a colossal disappointment. "What are your aspirations in life? Your passions? Surely, you must have a purpose beyond drifting aimlessly?" His mother had once asked him this, her voice calm and composed, even as she became one of the most powerful figures in their clan. "I like games," Shun had replied curtly before walking out the door. That had been over a year ago, and he hadn¡¯t returned home since. Could this be considered running away? He wasn¡¯t sure. It didn¡¯t seem like his family had even noticed his absence¡ªafter all, his bills were still being forwarded to them, and the household functioned just fine without him. "Down on the boulevard, they take it hard They look at life with such disregard~~" He hummed softly, turning into a secluded alleyway. === No one would have guessed that behind the narrow entrance of this old townhouse lay a private club. A small reception counter was tucked behind the doorway, where an elderly Chinese man in a sleek tuxedo stood silently. A Chinese elder in a tuxedo¡ªit was an unusual sight. He neither moved nor spoke when Shun entered. Here, silence was an unspoken rule. Shun stepped forward and presented a card. This was his first time here. The atmosphere inside was far from stuffy or oppressive¡ªrather, it was cool and pleasant. A faint scent of vanilla lingered in the air, reminiscent of the oak tea table in his father¡¯s study. The fragrance wafted from the liquor shelves and bookshelves lining the room. The chandelier¡¯s soft glow cast gentle waves of light over the black-lacquered reception desk, where a jade box lay open. Wearing pristine white gloves, the elder respectfully placed Shun¡¯s card inside the box. The old man then led him to the staircase, motioning for him to ascend while he remained behind, bowing slightly. As Shun climbed, he suppressed the discomfort in his feet from the stiff shoes. The wooden stairs led to a spacious tearoom, its refined elegance resembling his mother¡¯s reserved style rather than his father¡¯s ostentatious displays. Seated at the tea table was another man. In an instant, Shun could feel the man¡¯s gaze scan over him. Though brief and nearly imperceptible, Shun was well-versed in assessing glances¡ªhe had received plenty in his lifetime. The man leaned on a cane as he stood, nodding slightly, acknowledging that Shun¡¯s new attire met the club¡¯s standards. "Requiring people to dress formally¡ªit¡¯s a subtle form of psychological manipulation," Shun mused. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The solemn atmosphere, combined with the stiffness of his suit and the pristine elegance of the man before him, made him more tense than he had anticipated. It was just a discussion about an online game, yet even as a wealthy heir, he couldn¡¯t help but feel the pressure. "Longjing, Jade, or Pu-erh? What¡¯s your preference?" The man, naturally and comfortably dressed in a formal daytime suit with a white bow tie, casually revealed a Patek Philippe Calatrava peeking from his wrist. (Unlike fashion, Shun had an eye for luxury watches.) The man¡¯s European features were sharp yet not overly angular, and his voice was warm and inviting¡ªenough to charm any woman in Asia. "I¡¯ll have Oolong." Shun responded in a softer tone than usual. He rarely drank tea, and even when he did, it was reluctantly during family gatherings. To him, Oolong was the safest choice. If he were being honest, his ideal drink was still just a few cans of Monster Energy for an all-night gaming session. The man nodded slightly, reclining in his chair. Within moments, a group of attendants materialized, swiftly and silently arranging an elaborate tea set before them. "This is our first time meeting, isn¡¯t it, Shun?" The man finally spoke after taking a sip of tea. "Relax¡ªthis is a space for our Guild. No need for excessive formality. Of course, certain standards must be upheld, as this building holds a long tradition. Ah, traditions¡ªyou must be familiar with them. This property still belongs to the World Bank, after all." Shun took in his surroundings. He imagined a time when this room was filled with the world¡¯s elites, sipping tea while shaping the course of history. And now, here he was¡ªa dropout and a drifter, clad in a unfit RTW suit, about to discuss an online game. "I heard you¡¯re a senior member of the World Bank, aren¡¯t you, John?" Johnathan nodded, his emerald-green eyes blinking as golden lashes caught the light. "For now, yes. I don¡¯t crave power, but sometimes, a title can smooth things over. It¡¯s not always about wealth¡ªsometimes, just having the right designation can make life easier." "Like getting access to this room?" "Exactly. And also our Guild. But most importantly, it allows me to connect with remarkable individuals like you. You all make my otherwise dull life far more interesting." "Hah. I¡¯m just a college dropout who¡¯s addicted to games." "The Guild has strict standards regarding background and ability, that much is true. But above all else, every member must have a genuine passion for the-game. So, tell me, Shun¡ªwhat does Valia mean to you?" Shun hesitated for a moment. This was an important question. "In that world," he finally answered, "I was reborn." Johnathan smiled. === "The damage from Arcturus¡¯s last attack was 156k." Henry lowered one side of his headset and spoke to his five teammates in the room. Their clan was originally responsible for defending the eastern gate, but with the western gate on the brink of collapse, all six of them had to rush to reinforce it. "If we let it spew a dozen more attacks like that, the western gate will be gone. The JAV team really is all talk!" A teammate, galloping beside Henry, grumbled. Just like them, JAV¡ªshort for Javelin¡ªwas also a professional team. Both clans were from Europe, roughly equal in strength, and frequently faced off as rivals in tournaments. Unlike Zephrania, which had a well-organized command structure, Estapha lacked centralized leadership, making it difficult to issue top-down decisions. Most of the time, the major teams were just seen bickering and competing with each other to pocket as much of the budget as possible. To counter Zephrania¡¯s Grand Offensive campaign, Estapha had also been granted a massive financial boost. This was real-life money, which was converted into "army upkeep"¡ªessentially salaries for players participating in the defense. The rest was spent on thousands of in-game gear sets. At present, statistics showed that over 20 million players had been part of Estapha¡¯s faction at some point. However, the actual number of online players had been gradually declining. Zephrania¡¯s expansion was draining Estapha¡¯s resources¡ªplayers were losing cities, farming zones, and dungeons. Leveling up became slower, and acquiring gear and materials grew increasingly difficult. Too many players were crammed into ever-shrinking territory, and the experience wasn¡¯t exactly enjoyable when they were constantly getting crushed by Zephrania¡¯s dominant forces. This had caused more and more players to quit the game. However, thanks to the recent influx of sponsorship money, the number of active players had surged again. At one point, as many as 500,000 players were online simultaneously in Asterith to defend the city! Casual players returned for the financial support¡ªand for the free gear upgrades. Some were also motivated by a sense of patriotic duty toward their virtual homeland, Estapha. Standing on the grand battlefield, they, too, felt a surge of pride and courage. For professional teams, however, this defensive campaign was more than just a battle¡ªit was an opportunity to showcase their skills, secure funding, and, most importantly, ensure that the game didn¡¯t end. This game was their livelihood. If Zephrania truly defeated Estapha and brought the war to a conclusion, where would the professional tournaments go? How would they make a living? Perhaps many players on Zephrania¡¯s side had their own internal conflicts as well, but they were on the winning team. The prize pool had been set by major backers¡ªreal money, a fortune for the victorious faction. The top players of Zephrania would receive a hefty sum, enough to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. That was their primary motivation for pushing to end the game. In contrast, professional gamers from Estapha, like Henry and his team, were the ones who desperately wanted to prolong the war. Henry¡¯s team, KOG¡ªKnights of Gale¡ªhad six official members, the very same six people who were now in the midst of this grueling defense. They charged forward on warhorses, beasts tamed through the Tamer skill tree. The steeds from the Cassian plains were reliable partners for Knights and Paladins, turning them into fearsome war machines on the battlefield. Henry spurred his horse forward. His mount, Copenhagen¡ªnamed after the legendary steed that carried the Duke of Wellington to victory over Napoleon¡ªsurged ahead, breaking from formation as its superior stamina and speed propelled him toward the Summoner who had called forth the Ice Dragon, Arcturus. "We¡¯re charging straight for that Summoner. Force him to burn all his Spirit Points, or better yet, send him back to base!" Henry shouted. "Mighty Summoners are always surrounded by elite bodyguards," said Jin, sitting across from him. At 28 years old, Jin was considered somewhat "old" for professional gaming, but he made up for it with stability and experience. As the team captain, he was always the one to rein in their youthful recklessness when needed. "That much is obvious!" Henry was still resolute. He quickly downed another gulp of Monster energy drink. "But this is our best option right now. It¡¯s rare for a Mighty Summoner to expose himself like this during a siege. If we take him out, he¡¯ll be crippled for an entire month, and Zephrania will lose one of their biggest weapons." Jin had to admit that Henry had a point. He glanced at him through the gap between their screens. The freckle-faced, cocky blond, usually smirking or rolling his eyes, now had an intense, focused expression. Whenever Henry looked like this in a match, he always pulled off something spectacular. At this moment, there was only one thing left for Jin to say. "Plug in your mouse, Henry." Chapter 3: Into the Battle Chapter 3: Into the Battle Valia is a game that allows complete freedom in character development, without predefined classes. The names of different classes are merely labels created by the community to describe specific playstyles. This means that any character can freely reset and allocate their stats to become any class. Except for Summoners. To become a Summoner, a character must obtain a Summon Relic, which allows them to summon the projection of a corresponding god. Acquiring a Relic isn¡¯t purely about grinding or meticulous exploration¡ªit largely depends on fate. No reliable method has been discovered to narrow down the search for Summon Relics. Some even believe that the gods themselves seek out suitable players to grant them the role of Summoner. Whether it''s random luck, predestined fate, or the reward for perseverance, one thing is certain: Summoned Gods are immensely powerful. But with great power comes great sacrifice. A Summoner must permanently give up a portion of their Mana. If you sign a contract with a Quad Summoned God, you sacrifice one-fourth of your Mana bar. A Demi Summoned God requires you to sacrifice half. And finally, a Mighty Summoned God demands all of your Mana, converting it into Spirit Points instead. Spirit Points are the only resource a Summoner can use to summon and command their Summoned God. However, they do not regenerate naturally. Once a month, Summoners must spend an entire day at their god¡¯s sanctuary to replenish their Spirit Points. Becoming a Mighty Summoner means completely losing your Mana bar, rendering you unable to cast normal skills. Moreover, your Spirit Points are limited and must last the entire month. However, in return, Mighty Summoners gain a unique advantage¡ªthey can burn all their Spirit Points in a single battle, unleashing catastrophic destruction. Quad Summoners serve as trump cards in mid-scale battles. Demi Summoners are strategic-level weapons. But each Mighty Summoner is a weapon of mass destruction, a national treasure. Each one is an atomic bomb. In three years of war between the two Empires, never before had a Mighty Summoner flown high above the battlefield to launch an assault on a fortress. The siege power of the Dragon God Arcturus was terrifying, but putting the Summoner in the air like this also made him a prime target. If they lost a Mighty Summoner for an entire month just for a few siege attacks, it would be an unacceptable trade-off. Estapha understood this. But even after three hours of battle, they had been unable to exploit this vulnerability. The heavy firepower from Zephrania created a perfect curtain of defense, and breaking through it would require a large force. If they sent too many troops deep into enemy lines to hunt the Summoner, their formation would collapse, leaving them vulnerable to a counterattack. That¡¯s where Henry¡¯s keen tactical mind shone. If it were just the six of them launching a surprise attack, even if they failed, it wouldn¡¯t disrupt Estapha¡¯s defensive line. Henry boasted about sending the Summoner back to respawn, while Jin believed that even disrupting Arcturus¡¯s siege would be a major success. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Just as expected, a national treasure like a Mighty Summoner would never be left unguarded. Around him was a high-level escort squad, forming a tight security satellite formation. These were Zephrania¡¯s elite soldiers, paid specifically to do one thing¡ªprotect the Summoner. They were not like ordinary players who might recklessly charge into battle. These guards had no bloodlust, no desire to rack up kills. Their job was simple and dull: shield the Summoner at all costs. They would not show any openings. There were 20 of them, including the Summoner. When the Summoner finally appeared within sight, Jin analyzed their formation. Each party in Valia could have up to 10 members, forming a squad. Coordinating more than two squads effectively was difficult, so having two squads protect a Summoner was a common defensive strategy. ¡°Henry, don¡¯t get shock-killed.¡± Jin barely had time to call out before Henry spurred his horse forward, charging ahead without hesitation. "Cover me! Cover this side!" Jin tapped his Tab key to voice-call the commander of the western fortress defense. Recognizing the importance of this assault, the defensive players quickly gave the order. Thousands of arrows rained down from above. Hundreds of spells descended like a storm. A vast AOE barrage wiped out almost all of Zephrania¡¯s regular players, preventing them from using sheer numbers to overwhelm Henry. Now, only the two elite guard squads stood between him and the Summoner. Void Lock! Gravital Chain! Paralyze Bolt! As expected, the escort squad specialized in crowd-control skills. The Paralyze Bolt was cast last but would reach first. It was a high-speed lightning attack with a 30% chance of paralyzing movement. Its only warning sign was the elaborate casting motion of the attacker. The battle hadn¡¯t even begun, yet they dared to cast such a sluggish spell in broad daylight? They had underestimated Henry¡¯s reflexes. In just two frames, Henry calculated the cast speed and adjusted accordingly. He made his horse leap into the air and swiftly tilted his camera downward, pressing the Double Jump command. Cassian Warhorses had a unique skill: they could jump a second time in mid-air. If the camera was tilted upward, the second jump would ascend higher. If tilted downward, the horse would dive forward at high speed. The first jump was just enough to dodge Paralyze Bolt. The second sent Henry plummeting downward, avoiding unnecessary air-time. The moment his hooves touched the ground, he was already executing the next move. Heroic Trial! A holy aura wrapped around him and his steed. Heroic Trial, a Might-Holy skill, increased resistance to debuffs. This skill was essential for high-speed mounted combat. The longer the movement, the stronger the effect. At that moment, Gravital Chain activated. The Gravital Chain spell created a gravity-linked chain between the caster and a fixed point in space. Phase 1: The caster prepares the anomaly point. Phase 2: The caster activates the chain, forcing all targets within range to suffer heavy slow and eventual stun. "Trying to force me off my path? Keep dreaming!" Henry smirked. Instead of dodging, he raised his ivory-colored shield and jumped off his horse at the last second. With one flick of his pinky, he tapped Ctrl. Switched from third-person to first-person view. From this perspective, he could perfectly aim at the anomaly point right in front of him. He smashed his shield straight into it. Shield Bash! A basic Might skill, normally weaker than Gravital Chain. But Henry¡¯s shield wasn¡¯t ordinary. The Holy Aegis Narwhal. Legendary +20, granting Invincible when using Might skills. The Shield Bash disrupted the Gravital Chain, allowing Henry to flip mid-air and land perfectly back on his horse. His speed never dropped. Ahead of him¡ªVoid Lock. Wing of Gale! A Wind-Heart spell that boosted movement speed. But it wasn¡¯t enough. Wing of Gale! This time, cast by Lana, a pure support. With her boost, Henry became a streak of divine light. He blazed past Void Lock, shining like a war god, dual Cross Swords raised high. ¡°HERE COMES YOUR DADDYYYY!!!¡± In real life, Henry shouted at the top of his lungs. Chapter 4: The Land of Legends Chapter 4: The Land of Legends The sight of a lone knight rampaging through the enemy ranks quickly caught Helen¡¯s attention. From the West Tower, her view was crystal clear¡ªone figure in white wreaking havoc among the enemy troops. ¡°That¡¯s Henry!¡± ¡°Show some respect! You should call him Sir Henry! The chat channel instantly erupted with comments. ¡°Call him Sir Henry, bro.¡± ¡°Sir Henry!¡± ¡°Sir Henry is here!¡± ¡°Wait, why do we call him ¡®Sir¡¯ though?¡± ¡°Henry giveth, Henry taketh¡ªwin or lose, it¡¯s all by his decree!¡± "Henry giveth, Henry taketh"¡ª this had become a famous meme summarizing the playstyle of the Knights of Gale team. Henry was notorious as a reckless Paladin, always the first to charge into battle. If Henry successfully disrupted the enemy¡¯s formation, his team would achieve a crushing victory. If Henry got surrounded and killed, his team would suffer a devastating defeat. He was the dispenser of victory¡ªthe only question was, for which side? Helen wished she could just leap off the tower to capture a close-up of Henry¡¯s charge. The observation post was 200 meters high¡ªjumping down would mean instant death. She certainly couldn¡¯t afford a Pegasus, either. She had debated completing the Dragon¡¯s Eye quest to gain long-range vision, but the cost would be a significant reduction in movement speed, making her slow as a turtle. As a battlefield reporter, she couldn¡¯t afford to trade mobility for zoom functionality. She cursed her stingy boss under her breath. Despite being one of the top three gaming magazines in North America, they refused to fund in-game upgrades for their staff. ¡°Don¡¯t use work as an excuse, you just want better gear to play, don¡¯t you?¡± Damn that old bastard! The man had been a deputy editor at a traditional print newspaper, a relic from the old journalism world, and somehow ended up leading an online gaming magazine. What a disaster! In his eyes, game reporting was nothing more than playing around. Real journalism required field reporting, interviews, editing, and print issues¡ªwithout that, it wasn¡¯t true journalism. That was also why Helen could never get approval for a high-end laptop to work from home. Work-from-home was a joke to her old-school Vietnamese boss. ¡°I¡¯ll invest in a high-performance PC, but it must be set up at the office. If you want to work, you come in!¡± ¡ª ¡°Steve, Steve!¡± Now was the time for her journalistic instincts to kick in. A year in Valia had earned her some useful connections. Stephen, currently in charge of defending the West Tower, was one such contact¡ªthough not exactly a close one. He was the one who allowed her access to the tower for reporting, albeit reluctantly. ¡°Don¡¯t move the camera around too much. If you reveal our defensive positions, I¡¯ll get yelled at, AGAIN!¡± he had grumbled yesterday. Now, amidst the chaos of the siege, Helen hesitated to bother him, afraid of triggering his temper. But she had no choice. ¡°Steve, lend me a Peg Knight.¡± She ran up to his character, worried that the battlefield noise would drown out her voice. ¡°What?!¡± As expected, he was annoyed. ¡°A Pegasus Knight! I need to get down there and film Henry up close.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this! Damn it¡ªarchers, aim at coordinates 333,17. Mages, hold your fire! I said hold it! Wait for cooldowns, don¡¯t shoot randomly! I¡¯m swamped here, lady!¡± ¡°Your team needs morale! Let me put Henry on stream¡ªhe¡¯ll inspire all of Estapha!¡± ¡°CC team, slow the left flank! Cover the tanks below! Ugh, fine, fine¡ªMud, drop this woman down there. One-way trip only, though! Once she¡¯s down, she¡¯s on her own!¡± Helen sent him a flying kiss emoji. ¡°Thanks, darling!¡± Neeeighhh! Flap! Flap! You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. A loud neigh and the beating of wings followed. A white-winged horse descended gracefully. The Pegasus Knight class, known for aerial combat, specialized in mobility and agility. Like Knights and Paladins, they had diverse skill and stat customization paths. Seated on the Pegasus was Mud. He guided the mount down low enough for Helen to mount up. In Valia, mounts allowed up to two riders. Helen wasn¡¯t a combatant¡ªshe was a battlefield journalist, built for endurance rather than agility. Though her armor wasn¡¯t as bulky as a heavy tank, it still weighed down the Pegasus. The steed neighed, picked up speed, and then took flight. Its movements were no longer as fluid, and its speed dropped by about 20%. Even through a computer screen, Helen felt dizzy from the height. The sound of rushing wind filled her headset, partially drowning out the clang of weapons and the whizzing of spells below. Despite her Press Banner marking her as neutral, stray projectiles were still a real danger. Luckily, Steve had already did as Jin requested, ordered the tower¡¯s archers and mages to provide covering fire. This conveniently cleared a path for Helen. ¡°This is as far as I go.¡± ¡°Got it, thanks!¡± At 20 meters above the ground, Mud maneuvered the Pegasus into a glide, and Helen dismounted, executing a not-so-graceful landing. She lost 1/10 of her HP from fall damage, but it was worth it¡ªshe was now close enough. Positioned on a rocky outcrop about 600-700 meters from the Zephrania Summoner¡¯s defensive line, she activated Focus Aim, a skill from the Precision skill tree. It wasn¡¯t as powerful as Dragon¡¯s Eye, but it allowed archers and gunners to snipe targets from up to 400 meters away. From 700 meters, it was perfect for filming. That¡¯s when she saw Henry charge out of Void Lock, a divine figure on horseback. Boom! Boom! Crowd control skills failed to stop Henry. But in games, the strongest CC was always reducing your opponent¡¯s HP to zero. The Summoner¡¯s Guard had no intention of merely delaying him¡ªthey launched a full-scale barrage. Flame Surge! Ice Spike! Plasma Surge! Necrotic Wave! Corrosive Rain! Piercing Arrow! Power Shot! Of the 19 defenders, 9 were ranged DPS. They didn¡¯t attack simultaneously but coordinated their skills in a well-practiced rhythm, covering every angle. Clang! Clang! Clang! Henry raised both his shields¡ªone black, one white¡ªblocking nearly every attack. This Dual Shield playstyle was Henry¡¯s trademark, an art few could replicate. Even in professional tournaments, Henry¡¯s Parry Rate had been recorded at 88%! But no matter how high his defense, he was still taking damage. Blocking skills didn¡¯t nullify all damage, and the remaining 12% of attacks that got through added up fast¡ªespecially in a 1v9 situation. Except¡­ Henry wasn¡¯t alone. Right behind him was Lana¡ªthe Healing Knight, dubbed The Mounted Health Potion. She couldn''t heal crazily as a traditional healer, but her mobility allowed her to zip across the battlefield, constantly patching up Henry as he charged. ¡°Here comes the Lightning Rod strategy!¡± ¡°Sir Henry, absorbing all aggro as usual.¡± ¡°Sir Henry plugged his mouse!¡± Sir Henry plugged his mouse¡ªyet another meme. Henry¡¯s Dual Shield and Dual Sword playstyle required two mice, one in each hand. The left handed mouse was gaining popularity among gamers nowadays, since it provided the double wielding style, but not that everyone was skilled enough for it. ¡°The rest of KOG is moving in! It¡¯s now 6 versus 20!¡± ¡°Summoner in danger! If they¡¯re forced to recall Arcturus, that¡¯s a massive win for KOG!¡± The chat exploded. KOG had taken a huge gamble, but it was paying off. And Henry? ¡°Come to daddy, baby! One down! Two down! Three down!!!¡± His laugh echoed through the team¡¯s London headquarters. No one complained. Whenever Henry got this hyped, it only meant one thing¡ªKOG was winning big. Henry the Paladin rampaged through the battlefield as if there was no one around. In no time, he had cut down three mages. The defensive formation had been shattered, and the KOG team surged forward. Even Henry¡¯s own teammates, who had initially doubted the possibility of a miracle, now felt as if they were just moments away from claiming the enemy commander¡¯s head. Just a little more. The holy knight of Gale. The legendary player. The one the community often ¡°affectionately¡± mocked as Sir Henry was about to lead them to victory. But¡ª Valia was a land that never lacked legends. Just as Henry, brimming with unstoppable momentum, charged forward to take the Summoner¡¯s head, a blazing crimson blade slashed through the air with pinpoint accuracy¡ªsevering the head of his warhorse, Copenhagen. Copenhagen¡¯s health bar instantly dropped to zero, vanishing back to the city to await resurrection. Henry crashed to the ground, rolling over the dirt. A voice rang out, cool and unhurried. "You''ve strayed a bit too far, little Paladin." === The plane had landed. They stood up, preparing to disembark. At that moment, on Helen¡¯s live stream, a figure appeared¡ªa swordsman draped in a crimson cloak, his long hair flowing down his back, engulfed in roaring flames. In his hands, an abnormally long, blood-red katana curved like a crescent moon. He froze. His fist clenched tightly, almost subconsciously. The Captain turned to glance at him and offered a faint smile. "Let¡¯s go. The day you cross paths with him isn¡¯t far off." He cast one last look at that blazing figure before turning away and stepping forward. Ignis Flamma. The right hand of the Emperor of Zephrania. The legendary Adventurer of Valia. "Just you wait. I¡¯ll come for you, you bastard." Chapter 5: Black and White Twin Swords Chapter 5: Black and White Twin Swords "Henry fell off the horse." Helen¡¯s comment through the stream was so familiar to the fans of KOG in particular and those who follow the tournament regularly in general. How many times have they heard this phrase in KOG matches already? With Henry¡¯s strategy of using his reckless, aggressive playstyle as bait, how many times has he fallen for it? === "Damn Ignis you dog!" Henry shouted. "Handle it yourself." Seeing his team''s ace in a dangerous situation, Jin coldly gave his orders, as he always did. "Split into two paths, I¡¯ll tank for Joseph, keep pushing against the Summoner. Xylo and Drift will push the left flank, harassing the guards. Lana will stick close to me, watch out for the Snipers, occasionally buffing Henry." The KOG team was built around the "Lightning Rod" strategy. In the 5v5 battlefield, Henry was the spearhead, disrupting the enemy¡¯s formation, while the other four teammates would maximize the opportunities he created. KOG had a balanced roster, but with one key difference: everyone was mounted on horseback. Jin was the Tank Knight, Lana the Healer Knight, Xylo the Mage Knight, Joseph the Cavalier, and Drift the Archer Knight. When Henry¡¯s Paladin got trapped in the enemy¡¯s encirclement (which usually happened), Jin, the Tank Knight, would lead the charge, becoming a second lightning rod to draw some of the enemy¡¯s fire. Protected by him, Joseph would use his Cavalier to sweep through the front lines, while Lana followed closely to support the team. The other flank would be handled by either Xylo or Drift, alternating for professional tournaments, though both were fighting together now. They would circle around the battlefield, using long-range skills to harass the opponent. As for Henry, well, Henry took care of himself. === In Valia, after completing the main quests at the castle where players registered their residence, they would quickly reach level 80. At level 80, each character would have 1600 stat points. These 1600 points could be freely allocated into 4 categories: Vitality, Intelligence, Agility, and Endurance. Each category had 4 stats, totaling 16 types: Vitality: HP, Power, Strength, Stamina Intelligence: Mana, Magic Power, Cast Speed, Focus Agility: Speed, Reflex, Attack Speed, Critical Endurance: Defense, Magic Defense, Resistance, Recovery Each Class had one or more "standard" stat distribution methods, allowing players to allocate points to fit their personal playstyle or optimize based on gear and skills. Among these, there was a group of Classes that followed an extreme stat allocation, completely neglecting Speed¡ªthese were the Classes that used mounts. The simple argument for this approach was: since they had a mount, why bother with running speed? With 1600 points evenly distributed across 16 stats, that would average 100 points per stat. Ignoring Speed completely, players would have 100 extra points to allocate elsewhere. If those 100 points were added to offensive stats, the resulting damage output would far exceed that of walking Classes, while the mount would "carry" the character¡¯s speed. Run fast and hit hard, but this style comes at a cost. First, the number of skills that work well with mounts is limited, making up about 20% of all the skills in Valia. Second, fighting while mounted is a skill in itself, requiring high expertise. Finally, the critical weakness is the risk of "falling off the mount"¡ªwith no speed points added, the character is essentially a stationary target for the enemy. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. This fully mount-dependent playstyle is called Full Mounted. It¡¯s a style that professional players like Henry would never choose. To be prepared for all potential situations, the Half Mounted playstyle was created: it allows one to be strong on horseback while still capable on foot. The Paladin is a Class designed for this playstyle. The Paladin¡¯s mount-to-foot ratio is 50/50, creating a balanced character build. The downside is that neither playstyle is overly powerful, but the advantage is flexibility in all situations. At the same time, the Paladin¡¯s strength almost entirely depends on the skill of the player. The Paladin is one of the most difficult Classes to master in the game. === "Leave it to me!" Henry shouted to his teammates as if he were truly standing on a vast battlefield and they were running far away, rather than all sitting together in a gaming room. He rolled his mouse to switch weapon sets. Stowing away his signature shields to lighten his load, he was now left with only two Long Swords in his hands. "Henry''s using Dual Blades!" Not far away, Helen exclaimed excitedly. "Black and White Twin Swords!" "Hey, it''s a Mystic Item!" "Mystic Item!" "A Mystic Item paired with a Rare Item, the most unbalanced combo in Dual Wield history :))" The twin swords Henry wielded in professional tournaments were already well known. They had a similar cross-shaped design, one black and one white, yet their ranks were as different as heaven and earth. Right hand: Xaltheon Lucis, Long Sword, Mystic Rank +10, Holy Attribute Stats: Power +150, Magic Power +50, Attack Speed +50, Critical +10, Defense +15, Magic Defense +15, Resistance +5, Recovery +5 Skill Upgrade: Valiant Heart +2 Mystic Effect: When Valiant Heart reaches 25 stacks, activates Radiant Spirit, multiplying all stack effects by 1.5x and adding 20% Holy damage to attacks. Legendary Effect: Increases Holy damage by 30%. Holy attacks have a 3% chance to reduce the opponent''s Power, stackable. Left hand: Devil Sword, Long Sword, Rare Rank +90, Dark Attribute Stats: Power +100, Magic Power +20, Attack Speed +20, Critical +10 Rare Effect: 2% chance to reduce the opponent''s Attack Speed. Each successful attack has a 10% chance to convert the opponent¡¯s debuffed stats into self-buffs for 5 seconds. In Valia, the most basic gear is Common, followed by Uncommon, Rare, and Epic. Regular players strive to grind a full Epic set from farming spots, dungeons, bosses, or purchasing from the market. This marks the boundary between casuals and pros. Beyond this, items with overwhelming effects belong to the Majestic, Legendary, and Mystic ranks. For an Adventurer, Mystic gear is the pinnacle of the game¡ªultra-rare treasures. Among 100 million Valia players, only 127 Mystic items have been recorded, of which only 24 are weapons. Like all RPGs, high-tier weapons are the most coveted. Mighty Summon Relics have only 8 recorded pieces, while Mystic weapons number just 24¡ªmaking them equally rare. Henry wields Xaltheon Lucis, a Mystic-rank sword that 100 million players dream of owning. Yet, he pairs it with a mere Rare-rank sword¡ªthe unimpressive Devil Sword. Lower-ranked weapons are much easier to upgrade. Xaltheon Lucis took an immense amount of money and time to reach +10, while Devil Sword easily hit +90, bringing decent stats in return. A standout feature of Valia is that low-tier weapons, when heavily upgraded, can still hold up in raw stats. The main drawback is their lack of powerful effects. Compared to Xaltheon Lucis¡¯s overwhelming buffs, Devil Sword only had a simple debuff transfer effect. Yet, despite the existence of far superior weapons, Henry insisted on using this Rare-rank sword. Raising the unimpressive Devil Sword to shoulder height, he pointed it straight at his opponent. "Ignis, people say you''re the mastermind behind all of Zephrania¡¯s dirty tactics, huh? Even resorting to sneaky ambushes?" Henry sneered. "I¡¯ll cut you down¡ªthen I¡¯ll take out that Summoner hiding behind you!" The Summoner stood atop a small hill. The slope behind it conveniently blocked the KOG team¡¯s line of sight, as they had rushed in from the East without scouting properly. If they had circled around to the West Gate before attacking, they would have spotted Ignis Flamma lying in wait. As Henry charged toward the Summoner, a blinding red blade suddenly filled his vision. He wasn¡¯t just knocked off his mount¡ªhe went tumbling down the hillside. Now, looking up from the foot of the hill, he could only see the red-cloaked swordsman standing tall, his cape billowing in the evening light. "Forget those small fry. Keep pushing the siege." Ignis Flamma didn¡¯t even bother replying to Henry¡ªinstead, he turned and gave orders to the Summoner. "They won''t even get close to you, so don¡¯t worry." "Son of a b*tch!" Henry gritted his teeth at the sheer disrespect. His Paladin class only had +50 Speed¡ªnot much. And his heavy armor made him slower than many other classes. Running wouldn¡¯t help. But Ignis Flamma was blocking his path to the Summoner, forcing a one-on-one fight. And in a duel¡ªHenry feared no one. He charged forward. Chapter 6: Hes More Terrifying Than I Thought Chapter 6: He''s More Terrifying Than I Thought Swords clashed. The Holy Sword Xaltheon Lucis traced a radiant arc in the air, colliding with the elegant fiery slash from a curved longsword that resembled a blood-red crescent moon. A Long Sword is a heavy-class weapon, requiring at least 120 Strength to wield. Heavy weapons possess high judgment force. Holy-type weapons also inherently deal 5% Holy damage per attack, and Paladins frequently enchant their blades with Holy Blade. Elemental enchantments not only add magical damage of their respective type to physical attacks but also grant special effects. There is even a Spell Blade class that specializes in utilizing these effects, executing fast-paced physical strikes while dealing tremendous magic damage. Other classes, though not focused on magic damage, still allocate skill points to obtain elemental effects. The Holy attribute boasts high judgment force¡ªimbued with the divine righteousness of Holy Light, capable of cutting down gods and demons alike, leaving no room for resistance. With such power, Xaltheon Lucis struck down, knocking aside the opponent¡¯s katana. In a sword duel, using judgment force to overpower the enemy¡¯s weapon could throw them off balance, creating a massive advantage. But could Ignis Flamma, his opponent, possibly be unaware of this? He was a Sword Master, a class known for exceptional solo combat prowess. Though his Flame Edge-enchanted katana couldn''t match the Holy Sword¡¯s sheer force, Ignis skillfully used the impact to his advantage, leveraging his 140 Reflex stat to spin mid-air. His 150 Attack Speed allowed him to swiftly deliver a downward slash aimed directly at Henry¡¯s head. The flames on his sword roared wildly, painting half the screen in a deep crimson blaze. CLANGGGGGG!!!!!!!! The enemy had high attack speed, while Henry wielded dual swords. His left-hand Devil Sword rose to meet the strike. Without Xaltheon¡¯s overwhelming judgment force, however, Henry was knocked three steps backward. The flames from the impact latched onto the Devil Sword, spreading to his hand, inflicting burn damage. The Self Heal effect that Lana had recently cast on him had its duration halved. "Black Flame¡­" Henry muttered as he checked his debuff status. That damn effect was just as annoying as ever. === "Henry got hit by Black Flame!" "The legendary demon sword Vajnar lives up to its name. Black Flame transfers through weapon contact. But more importantly¡­ how did he counterattack so fast after being knocked back?" Helen was puzzled. Meanwhile, the chat was exploding over this rare high-level duel. "Henry vs Ignis!" "Is this the semifinals from last year¡¯s world championship? :)" "Henry got destroyed in that match." "Looks like Henry just ran into his dad again." "That last exchange was insane." "Shouldn¡¯t he have been staggered for at least one frame? How did he counter so smoothly?" While the chat was going wild, the fight itself only took mere milliseconds to escalate into a second clash. Henry¡¯s relentless fighting spirit drove him forward, but his opponent was just as aggressive. The Paladin had barely closed one-third of the distance, and the Sword Master had already engaged again. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. CLANG! CLANG! CLANGGGGGGG!!!!!! SWISH! SWISH! SLASH!!! From Helen¡¯s perspective, Ignis Flamma appeared like a flickering flame, his red cloak dancing wildly. The demon sword Vajnar unleashed dark red sword waves, striking endlessly. Yet, amidst the raging inferno, a knight stood firm, parrying each strike with precision, his twin swords moving with impeccable rhythm. His block rate remained exceptionally high, and the battlefield echoed mostly with the clash of metal, interrupted only by the occasional slash cutting into flesh. Despite Ignis¡¯s overwhelming offense, Henry managed to land a counterstrike each time he took a hit. Both health bars were steadily draining, but Henry¡¯s HP drops were far more severe. "Ignis¡¯s damage output is clearly higher!" "The Black Flame effect burns and increases critical damage. Even with an oversized blade, Ignis maneuvers effortlessly in close combat. He constantly adjusts his position¡ªit''s like watching a dance. This must be seriously frustrating for Henry." "And there! He just dodged Henry¡¯s strike by stepping back twice, then immediately landed a perfect mid-range Pyro Slash¡ªso smooth!" "Henry got hit again¡­ but he keeps moving forward. Another trade! Henry¡¯s HP is down to 50%, and he¡¯s still burning! Ignis still has three-fourths of his health!" "Looks like a father teaching his son." "Hard counter matchup, not much he can do." "Henry has high defense and strong self-healing, but Black Flame¡¯s burn damage ignores armor." "Vajnar is a Mystic-grade weapon too." "How is Ignis fighting this smoothly?! Not a single stagger frame!" === "Ignis Flamma¡­" In the tea room, Shun hadn¡¯t expected the painting on the opposite wall to be a massive screen. They were watching live footage from the world of Valia, displayed in crystal-clear resolution with sound booming through a high-end in-wall speaker system. Johnathan really goes all out, Shun thought. At first, he was a little uneasy about the volume, but after some consideration, the room must have had excellent soundproofing. "Ignis Flamma," Johnathan muttered suddenly. "His skills are truly terrifying." "Yeah, he uses his high Reflex stat to pull back his attack just before the judgment calculation occurs. There¡¯s a 2 to 3-frame gap between the moment of impact and when the system determines the outcome. A high Reflex stat allows the player to cancel their attack animation faster, but ultimately, it still comes down to pure player skill." "From the first time I met him, I had a feeling he would become something quite terrifying." "You know him too, John?" "I once invited him to join the Guild¡ªas an exception. I didn¡¯t even care about his background. At that moment, he was so outstanding that he overshadowed all notions of class or status. Shun, earlier, I mentioned how having the right backing can help you accomplish things more smoothly, didn¡¯t I? Well¡­ he¡¯s an exception." "He turned you down, didn¡¯t he?" "That¡¯s right. Shun, do you know how many people in this world would pay an astronomical price just to get my phone number? How many would sell their very souls just to sit at the same table as me? You might not pay much attention to these things, but I¡¯m not exaggerating. Five minutes of conversation with me can be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And yet, back then, Ignis Flamma was just an unknown gamer¡ªand he rejected the opportunity to connect with our elite world without the slightest hesitation." Johnathan let out a small laugh. Shun couldn¡¯t quite figure out what that smile meant. "So, Shun, you know him too?" "Yeah¡­" Shun searched his memory. "Oxford. We were in the same class. I was bored back then, and some of my friends convinced me to try Valia. They were all from wealthy families, but pretty easygoing. We had players from both factions, no discrimination. So, they started looking for other students who played Valia to recruit into our group. That¡¯s when we were pointed toward him." "And he turned you down too?" "He did¡­ but not in the way you might think." Shun hesitated. "Even if he wanted to join, he couldn¡¯t." Johnathan raised an eyebrow. "He¡­" Shun continued. "At the time, he didn¡¯t even have a Valia account. But do you know why we got that tip about him? One day, I happened to see see him with stacks of notes, all filled with analyses of Valia¡¯s world. That was three years ago. I wasn¡¯t really paying much attention back then¡ªI was carefree¡­ still am, I guess. I didn¡¯t think much of it, even after I dropped out and the name ¡®Ignis Flamma¡¯ exploded in popularity. It wasn¡¯t until recently, when his real face appeared in the news, that I realized he was that same classmate." Johnathan studied him for a few moments, then turned back to the screen, deep in thought. "No account, yet deeply researching Valia?" Another faint smile appeared on his lips. Once again, Shun couldn¡¯t decipher its meaning. "Maybe I misjudged him. That guy¡­ is far, far more terrifying than I thought." Chapter 7: As Expected, Such a Hassle Chapter 7: As Expected, Such a Hassle Hidden behind the moss-covered stone walls of Oxford was the narrow cobblestone alley of St. Helen¡¯s Passage, leading into the ancient pub, Turf Tavern. It would have been easy to overlook the secluded alley if Shun hadn¡¯t stumbled into it during one of his aimless wanderings. A sign at the entrance had caught his eye. Turf Tavern ¨C Welcome. Stepping through the alley into the pub felt like crossing into another world, much like entering the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley. A spacious outdoor courtyard, a proud sign detailing its 12th-century history, and the warm, rustic wooden interiors¡ªit had an undeniable charm. During his month of drifting in Oxford, Turf Tavern became his second favorite escape from dull lectures, right after the internet caf¨¦s along Cowley Road. It was also the place where he encountered a classmate whose name he couldn¡¯t even remember. Sitting in a secluded corner of the courtyard, his shoulder-length hair obscuring a pale, gaunt face, the boy¡¯s deep blue eyes were fixated on the scattered sheets of paper on the table. Everything about him radiated a clear message: Leave me alone. Shun was not an extrovert. He had no interest in making small talk, even with classmates¡ªespecially not with someone so visibly withdrawn. But the pub was full, and the only available seat was at a table near the boy. His classmate occasionally glanced up and noticed him. Shun caught a sharp gaze sweeping over him¡ªyet it felt like he was looking through him, into something far beyond. Then, the boy simply returned to his notes. Shun followed his gaze and saw pages covered in intricate formulas and mathematical graphs. More specifically, probability and statistics. Does he recognize me? Shun wondered. A week ago, he and a few friends had tried inviting this guy to play Valia, but he had flatly refused, saying he had no intention of creating an account. A difficult person. Even as introverted as Shun was, he never went so far as to completely isolate himself like that. And yet, here the guy was¡ªskipping class just like him, but instead of doing anything remotely fun, he was solving math problems. Shun didn¡¯t dwell on it. His Oxford Blue had arrived. He took a sip, unable to tell what made this beer any different. He just wanted to relax, to let his soul wander in this space, gazing at the perpetually gray sky of a country he felt no connection to. The old pub, steeped in mystery and history, felt comfortable. But Oxford itself, this somber England, even this monotonous planet¡ªit all felt like it wasn¡¯t meant for him. The name Nakatomi Shunsuke, the father from a farming background obsessed with restoring the family¡¯s lost glory, the powerful mother who never appeared in the media, the hidden estate buried within Tokyo¡¯s bustling streets. None of it was meant for him. He belonged nowhere. ¡°How do you counter a Paladin?¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± A hoarse, icy voice broke through the air, as if emerging from the throat of someone who hadn¡¯t spoken in years. It startled Shun. ¡°You play Valia, don¡¯t you?¡± Caught off guard by his gloomy classmate suddenly striking up a conversation, Shun hesitated. ¡°Uh, yeah. You mean the Paladin class in Valia? It¡¯s a hard class to play. Most players I¡¯ve met just feed. Mounted swordplay makes timing attacks difficult, and on foot, they¡¯re even clumsier. Some Paladins are decent, but only while on horseback. Knock them off, and they¡¯re useless.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it is in practice, isn¡¯t it?¡± the boy muttered, intertwining his fingers. ¡°Valia has only been mainstream for three months. Of course, players haven¡¯t mastered Paladin yet.¡± He scribbled something onto his notes again. ¡°But in my theoretical models, Paladin is one of the most troublesome classes. If they dual-wield swords while utilizing the judgment mechanics of a longsword, they leave almost no openings. Unless¡­ Could it really be as ¡®he¡¯ suggested? Eliminating the animation freeze during weapon collision calculations¡­¡± Muttering to himself, his hands moved quickly, sketching out a coordinate plane, a circle centered at point O, several intersecting lines, and then an avalanche of equations. ¡°Hey,¡± Shun frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re using Monte Carlo simulations to optimize gameplay?¡± The boy didn¡¯t seem to hear him. After about thirty seconds of calculations, his face suddenly lit up as if he had just achieved enlightenment. ¡°Imagination. That¡¯s the missing element I needed to complete my hypotheses. The thing that ¡®he¡¯ has¡­ I finally understand. It¡¯s imagination!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Shun hesitated, unsure if he should get dragged into this bizarre conversation. ¡°Hypotheses and imagination? Why don¡¯t you just create an account and log into the game? Wouldn¡¯t firsthand experience be more reliable?¡± The elated expression on the boy¡¯s face abruptly vanished. His sharp gaze locked onto Shun with chilling intensity. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°I cannot recklessly step into that world unprepared. The moment I enter Valia¡­ it will be only to verify my solution.¡± ¡°Solution? Solution to what? Some kind of way to beat the game?¡± ¡°Far beyond that, my friend.¡± He exhaled slowly. ¡°The solution to the mystery of the universe. The answer to God¡¯s puzzle.¡± That was the first and last conversation Shun ever had with his mysterious classmate. Not long after, Shun dropped out. === ¡°Ignis Flamma was still overwhelming Henry. The other KOG members were struggling. The supporting fire from the Western Tower was also dwindling. They had suffered heavy losses from Arcturus'' blasts. The Estapha forces were hesitating¡ªshould they continue providing cover fire for KOG, or shift their focus to attacking Arcturus? If the situation kept deteriorating, they might be forced to target Arcturus, leaving KOG to be crushed under the full might of Zephrania¡¯s army.¡± "It''s too tough for KOG." "They¡¯re powerless." "If Henry can break through, there''s a chance." "If it weren¡¯t Ignis Flamma but someone else, Henry would¡¯ve already breached their defenses." "Insane, Henry can''t even budge!" "Determination Cheat, it¡¯s Determination Cheat, guys!" "Deter Cheat is busted!" "What kind of skill level do you need to consistently land Deter Cheats like that?" The game community had no shortage of skilled players and those who deeply understood its mechanics. The one-to-two-frame window when the system began its judgment process wasn¡¯t a secret. The technique of canceling an attack animation to perform a new action was also widely known, but executing it required perfect timing and extremely fast reflexes. Not only did you have to cancel successfully, but you also had to hit the exact window between weapon animations clashing and the system finalizing its judgment. That was the Determination Cheat, a technique that exploited the system¡¯s decision-making. It was so difficult that even if a pro player pulled it off in a professional match, many would assume it was just a lucky accident. Yet, throughout the entire fight, Ignis Flamma had been consistently executing Deter Cheats¡ªagainst a top-tier pro player like Henry¡ªleaving the audience in utter disbelief. "He''s on another level." "I never thought a strategic genius would have such insane solo skills." "This is completely broken. I thought Paladin was the most OP class, but Ignis Flamma is even more OP!" "The only way to balance this is to nerf Ignis Flamma!" "Nerf Ignis, please!" "Dear God, please nerf Ignis!" "Dear God!" "Dear God!" "Dear God!" The chat was flooded with "Dear God" comments, making Helen both amused and exasperated. The situation looked grim for Estapha. If even Henry, who had been performing at his peak, couldn¡¯t turn things around, who else could possibly save them? Helen shifted her in-game perspective toward Asterith Fortress. The jade-like citadel was struggling under the relentless fiery breath of Arcturus, bombarded by thousands of attacks from both the sky and the ground. Could this be the day Asterith finally fell? "7k DAMAGE!" "Holy crap! A single slash for 7k damage!" The chat started flooding with messages, making Helen snap her attention back to the duel. She was shocked¡ªHenry was regaining control. A radiant aura blazed around him. "Valiant Heart is fully stacked!" Helen gasped. "He reached 20 stacks!" Both Paladin and Warrior were sword-based classes built around Might skills, but their playstyles were entirely different. Warrior was an easy-to-learn class, perfect for beginners or less skilled players, whereas Paladin was incredibly difficult to master. While both classes relied on heavy, straightforward attacks, Paladins didn¡¯t focus on raw Power like Warriors did. Instead, they invested heavily in Attack Speed and relied on continuous combo chains to build up stacks. At the core of the Paladin''s gameplay was the Valiant Heart skill. Valiant Heart (Might + Will Passive Skill) The stat boosts were easy to understand, but the "(50xn) bonus damage" puzzled many players. At first, Valiant Heart was heavily underrated¡ªlanding a Great Combo wasn¡¯t easy. Typically, it required 10 consecutive hits, or fewer if mixed with special abilities. In PvP, maintaining combos was even harder. On top of that, stacks only lasted 10 seconds, forcing players to continuously land hits to maintain them. The initial bonuses seemed too weak to be worth the effort. That was until the community realized how insane the scaling actually was. The damage increase was exponential: Paladins lacked raw burst damage, but 10.5k bonus damage per attack was ridiculously strong. Henry¡¯s last strike had dealt around 12k total damage¡ªafter Ignis¡¯ physical defense, he still took 7k damage! Ignis, as a Sword Master, had low defense and HP. Even with his shining high-tier gear, his HP was only around 80k. A single 20-stack slash from Henry shaved off nearly 1/10 of his health bar. The sheer damage stunned the entire audience. "It¡¯s usually impossible to keep a combo going this long, but Henry¡¯s precise blocking allows him to maintain his hit count. That¡¯s right! Perfect blocks also count toward combos. Now that he¡¯s at 20 stacks, Henry¡¯s Paladin has fully awakened!" "21!" "22!" "23!" "He¡¯s at 23 stacks! Ignis is struggling to parry. Henry¡¯s awakened abilities are just too fast¡ªIgnis can¡¯t maintain Deter Cheat anymore! He missed a beat! And he got hit¡ª10k damage! Oh! 24 stacks! Henry just faked him out¡ªhe slashed with his left hand! 25 stacks! Finally, he reached 25 stacks! IT¡¯S HERE!" Henry¡¯s radiant aura faded. Instead, his entire character burst into golden flames. "25 STACKS!" "RADIANT SPIRIT ACTIVATED!" "Sir Henry¡¯s ultimate form!" "Forget that¡ªlook at his Devil Sword!" "Look at his sword!" Helen noticed it too. "Oh! Henry¡¯s Devil Sword is engulfed in black flames. That¡¯s the effect triggered when it absorbs debuffed stats from the opponent¡­ But wait, this fire looks different. That¡¯s right! The debuffs on Ignis weren¡¯t just from the Devil Sword¡ªthey also came from the Mystic passive of Xaltheon! Xaltheon has a 3% chance to lower the enemy¡¯s Power stat. Over this entire fight¡­ Ignis has lost 70 Power! And Henry¡¯s Devil Sword has absorbed all of it!" "Henry just sheathed Xaltheon. Now, he¡¯s only wielding the Devil Sword¡­" Helen was speaking at rap speed, yet she still struggled to keep up with the battle¡¯s unexpected twists. Henry, now wielding his Devil Sword with both hands, had skyrocketing Speed and Attack Speed. "Devil Sword at +170 Power!" "That¡¯s practically a Mystic-grade weapon now!" "And it¡¯s insanely fast." "It¡¯s much lighter than Xaltheon." "A Rare-tier sword just turned into a monster!" "THIS is Henry¡¯s true ultimate form¡ªone sword, absolute dominance!" From a losing position, Henry completely reversed the fight. The black flames of his Devil Sword engulfed the battlefield, threatening to swallow Ignis¡¯ crimson fire whole. A message appeared in the chat from Ignis Flamma: "Paladins are as expected, such a hassle." Chapter 8: The Moment of Judgment Chapter 8: The Moment of Judgment Three years ago. "There will be a delay between the moment a weapon makes contact and the final calculation of the judgment." A chat window appeared on the screen, followed by the sound of keyboard tapping. "What makes you so sure of that?" "Nothing concrete yet. I''ve been monitoring many PvP matches between top melee-class players. So far, I haven''t seen anyone cheat the system''s judgment process. But I have a feeling it exists." "Why? Keep in mind that the server transmits data at the speed of light. The moment a weapon makes contact, the system instantly calculates the outcome. I can''t think of any reason for a delay, not even a single frame." "Even the speed of light has limits, Ignis. Every speed in this world has limits. Every action causes a reaction, right? The event of weapon collision is an input data point, and that information needs time to be transmitted to the system where the reaction is determined. This is just my hypothesis, but if a delay exists, then it would prove another theory of mine." "And what theory is that?" ¡­ === "The tide has turned, and the battle has taken an unexpected twist!" Helen disregarded the safety of her in-game character, rushing forward excitedly for a clearer view of the battlefield. "Compared to last year''s World Championship, Henry seems even stronger! He doesn¡¯t seem fazed by his opponent¡¯s overwhelming skill. Before absolute power, all tricks are meaningless!" "So imbalanced." "What does the judgment delay even matter? Henry¡¯s attack speed is insane." "Human reaction speed has its limits." "No matter how strong he is, Ignis is still just human." "25 stacks of Valiant Heart, Radiant Spirit activated, plus all the stolen stats¡ªthat buff amount is beyond human reflexes." "Ignis Flamma underestimated his opponent." The last chat message suddenly caught Helen and many others off guard. Underestimated? This entire massive Esta-doom campaign, 14 relentless days of failing to breach Asterith, risking their Mighty Summoner, and now allowing a Paladin to freely stack his buffs¡ªwas this truly a rare moment where the strategic genius, Zephrania''s national treasure, had choked? "Henry is charging forward! His body radiates golden flames, while his sword burns with eerie black fire. Ignis¡¯s HP has reached critical levels! Henry leaps¡ªValiant Judgment! The moment of judgment has arrived!" The hack & slash skillsets of Paladins and Warriors were designed for simplicity and effectiveness. Heroic Judgment was a high-tier skill that embodied the essence of accessibility: the user leaps into the air and delivers a downward sword strike. A straightforward but powerful move, its high damage compensated for the predictable and somewhat cumbersome animation. However, when awakened by Valiant Heart, the skill evolved into Valiant Judgment. The downward strike now carried additional effects depending on the weapon used and the user''s status. Henry''s Dark-element Devil Sword, imbued with 25 stacks of Radiant Spirit and 70 stolen Power, descended with overwhelming force, unleashing a pitch-black sword energy that tore through the battlefield. "Valiant Judgment is unleashed! The terrifying sword energy surges forward, aimed directly at the Summoner! Ignis has no way to dodge¡ªif he evades, the Summoner will take the hit! The dust is too thick, I can''t see! Did Ignis avoid the attack? What happened to the Mighty Summoner?" The entire audience held their breath, waiting for the dust to clear. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Grarghhhhhhhhh!!!!!! Boommmmmmmm!!!! In the distance, Arcturus''s roar and bombardment continued unabated, signaling that the Summoner had remained unharmed. Two figures emerged from the haze. Helen''s eyes widened¡ªIgnis Flamma''s Sword Master had just driven a knee strike straight into Henry''s Paladin''s stomach. "Ignis Flamma! He¡¯s still standing! Instead of dodging or blocking, it seems he was waiting for Henry to use Valiant Judgment! No matter how fast the skill is, its jump animation is unskippable. Ignis seized that moment to land a Flying Knee and send his opponent flying!" "Holy shit." "A Sword Master using a martial arts move?" "Speed buffs don¡¯t matter if you just wait for your opponent to jump, then knee them mid-air. This is even easier than using Deter Cheat." "He had waited for this very moment!" "Henry unequipped Narhual, so he lost his Invincible buff when using skills." "A low-tier Flying Knee was enough to throw him off balance, and now his Judgment wave has completely missed its target." === "That bastard!" Henry was furious. After all that struggles to reach these massive buffs, his opponent had just crushed them with a simple trap. Just one more hit and Ignis would be dead. He was right there. The buffs were still active for one more second! His APM exploded as he poured all his focus into a last-second weapon swap. The Holy Shield Narhual appeared, restoring his Invincible state. His Paladin spun mid-air, swinging the Devil Sword from below¡ªValiant Rising Slash! "Enough playing around." A cold message appeared in the chat. Ignis Flamma spun in the air and stepped onto Henry¡¯s sword. Aerial Kick. Bop! Before the system could finish the determination, Ignis canceled his kick and backflipped away. To the spectators, it looked as though he had lightly stepped on the sword and retreated with ease. "Deter Cheat again!" "Henry re-equipped his shield, but his attack speed dropped significantly!" "He¡¯s still mid-air, with an awkward swing¡ªtoo easy to time against." "He fell into another trap!" "Damn¡­ it!" Henry gritted his teeth, watching his enemy vanish from his screen. The monster named Ignis Flamma remained undefeated. A second later, Henry¡¯s screen was engulfed in Sniper attacks. "The Snipers are focusing fire on Henry! Four players in the escort squad swapped to Dragon Eyes¡ªthey can maintain a 1km range and use extreme zoom vision to snipe targets! Henry is still airborne, struggling to block with his shield, but it''s too much. Both physical and magical abilities are raining down relentlessly. He has performed beyond all expectations today, but unfortunately, his opponent¡­ is simply too strong." Ignis Flamma was too strong. "Ridiculously overpowered." "The Faker of Valia." "Someone, please, take this monster down just once!" "Ignis could¡¯ve called for sniper attacks much earlier. He¡¯s been soloing all this time, as if to send a message." "KOG¡¯s team is being wiped out one by one. They fought bravely, but..." "This is true despair." "Asterith is falling. The last two Summoners are moving forward¡ªare they planning to release the Ultimates simultaneously?" Ignis raised a hand, signaling a halt. A Mage Sniper, ready to land the final blow, switched to a crowd-control spell instead. Henry was rooted, his HP hanging by a thread. "Witness your insignificance, little Paladin." Ignis sent one last message before ignoring Henry completely. Instead, he turned his gaze skyward¡ªtoward the three divine figures that had now gathered. Helen barely had time to process Henry and KOG''s futile struggle¡ªshe hurriedly turned her camera toward Asterith. Arcturus, freed to wreak havoc, had nearly exhausted its Spirit Points from absorbing all the defenders'' firepower. Then, the two remaining Mighty Summoned Gods of Zephrania stepped forward, shielding Arcturus with their bodies. Everyone knew what was coming. All three Gods were preparing to unleash their Final Ultimate Attacks.

Arcturus, the Dragon God with the Frosted Hellfire

Ultimate Cast: Frozen Abyssal Requiem Arcturus flapped its wings, unleashing a chilling wind that enveloped the battlefield. Cold mist condensed into an archway connecting to the frozen abyss, triggering the Abyssal Frozen effect. This effect reduced the stats of all players (both allies and enemies) and structures within a 500-meter radius: -20% Defense, -20% Special Defense, -50% Speed Arcturus then soared through the archway, transforming into an icy hellfire before crashing down and exploding. This unleashed 50,000 + 200% of its remaining Spirit Points as damage to all targets afflicted by Abyssal Frozen, while also inflicting Hellfire Burn for 10 seconds.

Bhaeta, the Mountain-Shattering Deity

A colossal being resembling an elephant, but with a massive horn in place of a trunk. Ultimate Cast: Terror Crack Bhaeta gathered Force, shattering the space before it. Enemies in the affected area had a 50% chance of being stunned for 3 seconds. Five seconds later, Bhaeta charged forward, transforming into an unstoppable Force vortex, pulling all enemies within range toward it. Then, Bhaeta morphed into a black hole, lasting for 5 seconds. Enemies caught inside suffered 1,000 + 20% Spirit Point damage per second. If they reached the center, they took 10,000 + 250% Spirit Point damage and were stunned for 5 seconds.

Cerluva, the Flow of the Celestial Waters

A mermaid-like deity, the embodiment of the celestial river. Ultimate Cast: Flow of Life Cerluva summoned a whirlpool at the target location, which expanded over time. All players caught inside lost 10% HP per second. The more players affected, the shorter the whirlpool¡¯s duration. Upon ending, the total HP drained was absorbed by Cerluva and returned to the celestial realm. A divine rain then poured over a designated area for 20 seconds, dealing 5,000 + 20% Spirit Point + 10% of the total absorbed HP per second 20% chance to inflict Erosion (stackable) Enemies suffering from Erosion took 10% additional damage per stack. All three Ultimates were calculated for maximum devastation, striking Asterith at once.