The level-two catapults were devastating. Firing in unison, they could obliterate an arrow tower in just three salvos.
The Starlight Village players, seeing their defenses crumbling, mounted another desperate charge, hoping to repeat their earlier success and destroy the siege engines. This time, however, the catapults were surrounded by a thick wall of Blackwind Brotherhood players, who met the charge head-on.
A vicious melee erupted around the siege engines. But through it all, the catapults, safe from 200 yards away, never stopped their bombardment.
The number of standing towers dwindled. Six… five… four…
Finally, amidst the chaos of the brawl, the last of the towers collapsed. The defenders’ charge had not only failed to destroy a single catapult, but it had also cost them another 2,000 players. With their towers gone, fighting outside the village walls was pointless. They turned and fell back once more, retreating behind the relative safety of their fence.
As they did, the sun finally dipped below the horizon, plunging the battlefield into darkness. Players on both sides activated various light-emitting trinkets from their gear slots, dotting the landscape with small pockets of light.
From his perch in the distance, Kael activated his Heart of the Ocean. The last time he’d used it was in the Blackheart Grotto, where it had defaulted to night vision. He lifted his head and gazed toward the village, realizing with a jolt that he could see everything with perfect clarity for a full 1,000 yards. He paused, then understood—it was another benefit of his [Right Wing Commander] title.
Down on the front lines, despite the towers being gone, the assault had hit another wall. The attackers swarmed the perimeter fence, hacking away at it, only to find its health bar was absurdly high.
"Holy crap, is this bamboo made of steel or something? I can't even dent it!"
"Judging by the health bar, this wall has over 100,000 HP..."
"Hey! It's regenerating! They have people repairing it from the inside!"
"What the hell is this bullshit?"
"Even the catapults are barely scratching it."
"It's been almost an hour and we're still stuck out here!"
The Starlight Village fence looked flimsy, but it was proving to be an unbreakable barrier.
Seeing this, Kael quickly spent 1,000 points from the War Treasury on two siege rams. Unlike catapults, the rams had to be right up against a wall to be effective, but they dealt colossal damage to fortified structures.
The defenders saw the massive, iron-tipped logs rolling forward and immediately focused all their fire on them. However, the rams weren't as fragile as the catapults. With health pools in the six-digit range, destroying them with ranged attacks was a monumental task.
Another brutal, close-quarters battle erupted, this time centered around the two Siege Rams.
In the end, both rams were destroyed, but not before they had smashed four massive breaches in the village fence. The way was finally open.
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Unfortunately, the attackers no longer had the numerical advantage. An hour of fighting had whittled their numbers down. The eastern flank, Kael’s flank, had just over 12,100 players left. The western flank was in even worse shape, with only 8,200.
The defenders, however, still had 30,500 players.
At this rate, taking Starlight Village was impossible.
The attackers' morale began to plummet. Many gave up on the idea of victory, focusing instead on getting a few more kills to boost their personal point totals.
But Kael wasn't worried at all.
He was waiting. Waiting for the Third Chieftain's trump card.
A few moments later, a brilliant golden light erupted from the ground on both the eastern and western fronts. Every single attacking player who hadn't released their spirit yet was instantly brought back to their feet at full health.
It was the Third Chieftain's mass resurrection spell.
In an instant, the attacking force swelled from a meager 20,000 to over 48,500.
At that exact moment, the restriction on Kael was lifted. He was free to move, and more importantly, free to use his items.
He reached into his inventory, pulled out a tiny bell, and tossed it onto the ground before him. The trinket grew as it fell, landing with a heavy thud as a massive, ornate bronze bell.
It was the Sunfire Bell.
[Sunfire Bell]: Level 1
HP +420
Physical Attack +210
Magical Attack +161
Physical Defense +125
Magical Defense +105
Skill Effectiveness +3%
Kael knew that even with 48,000 players, attacking 30,000 entrenched defenders was no guarantee of success. But the Sunfire Bell's buffs, which would boost the entire army's combat effectiveness by roughly 10%, could be the tide-turning factor.
The moment the bell appeared, a system notification popped up.
System: [Saint Relic: Sunfire Bell] detected. It can be activated using points from the War Treasury.
Kael blinked, then immediately opened his Commander interface. Sure enough, a new option had appeared on the points panel.
[Activate Sunfire Bell]: 1000 Points per use (0/10)
Kael’s eyes went wide. Ten times! I can ring it ten times!
The right flank had earned a total of 13,000 points. He had already spent 7,000 on catapults, rams, and various upgrades, leaving him with just over 5,000.
Without hesitation, he slammed the "Activate" button five times.
GONG!
GONG!
GONG!
GONG!
GONG!
System: The Right Wing has rung the Sunfire Bell! The stats of all members have been increased!
System: The Right Wing has rung the Sunfire Bell! The stats of all members have been increased!
System: The Right Wing has rung the Sunfire Bell! The stats of all members have been increased!
...
With five chimes of the Sunfire Bell, the players on the right flank felt a surge of incredible power.
[Voice of the Sunfire Bell]: 5 Stacks
HP +2100
Physical Attack +1100
Magical Attack +850
Physical Defense +650
Magical Defense +550
Skill Effectiveness +15%
In an era where the average player's attack power hovered around 2,000, an extra 650 physical and 550 magical defense was a game-changer.
Infused with the bell's power, the morale of the right flank skyrocketed.
"Whoa! The Sunfire Bell is here!"
"Haha, I just one-shotted their priest!"
"With 650 extra defense, their attacks feel like tickles."
"I could take on ten of them myself!"
"It was the Fourth Chieftain! I saw him summon the bell!"
"The Fourth Chieftain is a total badass!"
Meanwhile, the players on the left flank were not feeling so festive.
"That's not fair! How come the right flank gets the Sunfire Bell and we get nothing?!"
"Yeah, I want to switch to the right flank!"
"Everyone calm down. You can get a buff from the Third Chieftain over here. It gives +155 attack and defense."
"What? I want that too, then."
Moments ago, the two armies had been on relatively equal footing, with the defenders merely having a positional advantage. Now, the attackers not only vastly outnumbered the defenders, but one of their flanks was also overwhelmingly superior in stats.
The defensive line on the right flank shattered. Empowered players poured through the breaches like a flood.
And Kael, his commander duties fulfilled, finally drew his weapon and joined the fight.
