Chapter 464 - Life is Strange
Chapter 464: Life is Strange
“This equipment… are all for me?” Black Rock asked rhetorically. He held the three Galbis Despair equipment in his hand and looked awestruck. His brow twitched with excitement, which made those around him felt like cussing.
“This bastard is showing off…”
“Definitely.”
Subjugator did not join the jeering this time. This was because he was also occupied at the moment. Anxious that the three Divinity-fused players on top of the lair might jump them suddenly, Qin Ruo directly transferred the Earth-type Divinity to Subjugator the moment he reunited with the group. The latter sat down eagerly and wrapped the Divinity with Combat Aura immediately under the protection of those three with Angelic Wings. Rings of yellowish elemental ribbons rapidly emanated from the Divinity core.
The fusion began!
Since the enemies did not rush toward them the first time, Qin Ruo made use of the spare time and described Galbis anti-flight ability and the knack of utilizing Groundhog Step to Black Rock.
Black Rock thanked him profusely while removing his Dark Gold robe, gauntlets, and greaves gleefully. He then put on the magnificent Galbis Despair Set.
“Tsk tsk, Legendary equipment are indeed extraordinary!”
“Crap. Your equipment is better than mine now.” Not only were Apocalypse and others jealous, even Qin Ruo felt a little bitter about it.
‘Can’t believe this lucky bastard is the first to put on a set of Elemental equipment.’
“Ha ha!! Worry not my Clan Leader. I guarantee I will not disappoint you and disgrace the name of Fallen Angels. F*ck it, even if Death Jesus challenges me now, I believe I am able to finish him off. Darn it, laughed at my lack of Legendary equipment eh… If I can’t kill him, I will make use of those Cyclops up there to trample him.”
Hearing Black Rock’s egotistical bluff, Qin Ruo started to feel a little concern…
‘Have I given him too big of a reward? Has this short-circuited his brain?’
***
While they chatted jubilantly, they were unaware that Savior and the other two Demon Faction players were utterly dazed by what they had just witnessed as they were retreating from the top of Galbis’ Lair.
Divinity Fusion!
Although they were far apart, it was hard for them not to notice the obvious feature shown during the fusion process.
They looked at each other as Death Jesus smiled helplessly. “Nobody from our side ever mentioned that he had obtained another Divinity Crystal…”
“It’s not odd that a Tier 4 Ultimate Boss will drop that. We should have thought about it earlier. What to do now?” Black Widow’s face became gloomier. It seemed like each encounter with Qin Ruo yields nothing good in the end. This scarred her psychologically.
“Now we wait.” Only Savior was able to maintain his composure. He said coolly, “Warriors with Angelic Wings are not used to aerial battles, so I believe Black Widow can handle him. We wait for Leon to arrive and take them down one at a time. We will finish the fight quickly.” Three Tier 5 Veteran Champions with Demonic Wings against three newly advanced Tier 5 Champions with Angelic Wings—Savior could not see how Fallen Angels could come out from this battle victorious.
***
Puff!
A brand new wings owner was born the moment a pair of pure and holy wings sprouted out from behind Subjugator.
Subjugator had a look of ecstasy on his face as he soared freely in the air. After few laps of free gliding, Subjugator released out a long yell and hovered proudly opposite Qin Ruo, Black Rock, and Apocalypse.
“Haha. It’s so energizing to have wings. Should we make our move now?”
“Can you match Black Widow now?” Qin Ruo asked.
“Black Widow?” Subjugator frowned.
The lady Qin Ruo mentioned was the top female Warrior of the Mythical Continent. She was infamous for her fierce battle skills and techniques. However, in terms of dueling, Subjugator believed he could still outmatch her due to his Fire-Resistant Equipment. Still…
“If the battle takes place in the air, I don’t think I stand a chance.” Subjugator voiced his concern.
“We are dead if we take the battle up in the skies. The two with Black Widow must be Savior and Death Jesus. Besides them, I think there will be another group of people coming over. We own neither the advantage in numbers nor strength… Thus, we have to avoid fighting them up in the sky. Luckily we have Galbis’ Despair Set. Our aim is to keep the fight on the ground. Black Rock, it will be up to you then. Apply Gravity Field to stop them from flying when the timing is right. If possible, throw them directly into the horde of Cyclopses.”
After Qin Ruo conveyed the battle plan, several of them grinned wickedly at the same time.
‘What a good plan.’
Not only that the enemies were unaware of their hidden trick Gravity Field, but their Pets also outnumbered the opponents by two. On the ground, two extra Pets might make a huge difference. Moreover, they have two Tier 5 Bandits lurking near them.
“Judge, go back to the town with Snowleaf. Fateless and Lock, the things in Galbis’ Lair will be counting on you two.”
“Okay!”
They all responded in agreement.
“Let’s go!”
Qin Ruo powered his wings and soared to lead the pack. Black Rock, Apocalypse, and Subjugator followed suit. Four players with Angelic Wings ascended rapidly toward the peak of Galbis’ Lair.
Fateless and Permanent Lock, on the other hand, activated Elemental Camouflage and Stealth to quickly disappear into the darkness down at Galbis’ Lair before it turned into an iron fortress.
***
“Here they come!” Savior alerted his comrades after he saw Qin Ruo bring his three other flying comrades to come forward. He balanced himself in the air at about two hundred meters away from the peak of the Galbis Nest.
They then quickly glanced at the other direction.
“Leon is here too.”
Out on the horizon, a dark spot was dashing toward them at a great speed. The spot was getting larger and clearer as every second passed.
Leon arrival brought them another piece of good news.
Tiger Cub from Demon Faction’s Twelve Zodiacs was near Galbis’ Lair too. He was hunting Fateless from Fallen Angels down. He entered the Mythical Battlefield and had followed Fateless’ trail all the way since after some unknown source told him that his Legendary-quality Dagger had fallen into Fateless’ hands.
“Let’s go!” Savior bellowed. The four of them flapped their wings and approached Galbis’ Lair once again carefully.
Enemy faction player Savior sent a chat request.
Request accepted.
Qin Ruo and Savior halted at the same time. Eight winged owners from two different factions soon lined up to face each other. The confrontation was going to commence anytime now.
Below them, on the hundred-meter-long mountain peak, more than a hundred oversized Cyclops monsters swung their weapons violently and looked hungrily at the eight human adventurers that had just invaded the airspace of Galbis’ Lair.
***
“Congratulations. Even Galbis died in your hands. Looks like your skillset has indeed reached that of a veteran Supreme Champion.”
Qin Ruo was not provoked by Savior’s meaningless opening speech. This person in front of him was one of the main culprits that had caused the fall of Moonrise City. Though his glory and strength as a player are very much respectable, Qin Ruo still despised his villainy and refuted coldly, “Let’s go straight to the point. It’s impossible for you to gain Galbis treasure. They belong to me.”
“Do they?” Savior sneered. “I don’t see it that way. I have never failed to get what I desire.”
“That’s about right. This is the type of tone I want to hear from an enemy.” Qin Ruo’s words slightly baffled Savior. He glanced at Black Rock, Apocalypse, and Subjugator behind Qin Ruo without any expression.
“Since neither of us is going to give up, then the fight is imminent. Let’s see whether the three people behind you have what it takes to snatch the treasure away from our hands.”
“Don’t talk like you own this place. Remember, I killed Galbis. So, you have to ask me if you wish to pillage Galbis’s… Wait, my treasure,” Qin Ruo continued to rebut sarcastically.
“Hahahaha!” Savior guffawed. He returned to his calm self and said, “Very well. Come on then, four versus four. I will let you pick the opponent first.”
The irony was once again all over Qin Ruo’s expression. “Sorry, I do not plan to do this the gentlemanly way. I would like to have a tangled fight, all eight of us. Let’s end this quick!” The final sentence was said in a commanding manner.
“…” Savior scowled and raised his voice too, “You sure?”
Truth to be told, a tangled fight was the most brutal way of battling between two parties. It usually ended with no real winner as both sides would need to pay a hefty price.
Usually, a player would not choose such a method when both sides have almost identical strength. In the midst of chaos, anyone could be targeted by multiple enemies at the same time and death was always just around the corner.
Besides, such a battle required more on team play rather than strategy. Whether a team could work tacitly in the fight was often the key determinant of the battle outcome. This was because, in the face of a group of Champions, any scenario could arise. Players could only deal with it using their personal wit and grit.
Parties formed by Champions would usually avoid choosing this mode. The main concern was on its unpredictability and ever-changing nature. Most experienced players disliked being forced into a situation that was uncontrollable.
Thus, when Qin Ruo suddenly mentioned tangled fight, he felt a sense of anxiety looming in his heart. His mind was boasting with confidence a while ago, but it had now been replaced by uncertainty instead due to Qin Ruo bold suggestion.
Savior understood that unless one was absolutely sure about the victory, nobody would bear the risk of being wiped out and suggesting a tangled fight. He was well aware that his opponents were all newly promoted Tier 5 with less experience than his team, but they were not that stupid.
‘This kid…’
Savior breathed it steadily and thought hard.
Then, Savior looked past them and gazed far into Moonrise City’s direction.
“No wonder. Apparently, you have reinforcements. You have won. We will excuse ourselves now.” Savior and three of his counterparts turned away at the same time. They activated their wings and fell back deep into the Demon Faction’s Battlefield zone without any delay.
Qin Ruo and company were equally baffled by the Savior’s abrupt exit.
They turned around at the same time and saw two white dots that were flying toward them at high speed.
Qin Ruo could name every single player in the Angel Faction that has Angelic Wings. He finally understood why the opponents retreated so hastily. Four against six? The Demon Faction would have no chance to win this at all. He initially wanted to use Gravity Field to humiliate the four powerhouses from the Demon Faction. ‘What a wasted opportunity.’
‘But then, who are the incomers?’
Qin Ruo squinted his eye to get a clearer take on the two white dots.
‘Ah… It’s them.’
They were Netherspirit’s Claw Leader, Netherclaw, and his fellow assistant, Snowmelt.
Netherclaw and Snowmelt also came to realize the four people at the peak of Galbis’s Lair were Qin Ruo and his members. They were stunned and could not help but peer at Subjugator, who they once met under the Graveyard of the Gods, and his wings.
They were taken aback.
“Don’t tell me the two of you are also here for Galbis’ treasure?”
Qin Ruo flapped his wings and moved up to greet the two of them. This was actually the first time he officially met Netherclaw in person. He never expected that it would happen under such a circumstance.
Two of them floated proudly in the air. Netherclaw’s expression was equally complex. He never could have thought that the Tier 4 Aquamancer who he scorned so much in the past had managed to achieve the Clan Leader status. Qin Ruo was now the leader of Fallen Angels, a status very much comparable to his. The Aquamancer even talked to him in a domineering manner.
‘Life is strange sometimes…’