BXBX NOVEL Chapter 87: He’s Already Overwhelmed
These players, who had all passed the first stage of the Empire\'s trials, were quite capable. However, they were now up against the most elite troops of the Atlantean Empire.
All the soldiers were of second-class strength. Although their individual combat abilities were inferior to many of the players present, they could at least hold their own for a few moves and avoid being instantly defeated.
Moreover, the soldiers had proficient combat skills and worked seamlessly together, creating an extremely oppressive force.
In a corner of the banquet hall, Sterl, who was initially hoping for some peace and quiet, witnessed the scene firsthand. He saw an elderly player who had previously left a strong impression on him. This player had once demonstrated a burst of power that even made Sterl marvel.
Facing the combined assault of numerous soldiers, the elderly player first unleashed several explosive combos, effortlessly piercing the throats of two soldiers and killing them. It looked quite dashing and impressive.
Then…
The elderly player was surrounded by six soldiers from the Atlantean Empire, with no room to evade. The soldiers all swung their spears in unison, brutally killing the player.
Many other players around were also in dire straits. Each of them had considerable burst capabilities, ensuring that whenever they used a skill, at least one soldier would be unfortunate enough to fall.
Yet, the elite warriors of the Atlantean Empire seemed utterly unfeeling. Even as they watched their comrades die tragically, they continued to fight with unwavering determination. They were even able to simultaneously raise their shields to block the players\' attacks and then thrust their standardized spears in unison.
The players\' counterattacks did manage to take down enemies, and just before their deaths, they would hear a very pleasing system notification.
[You have killed a soldier of the Atlantean Empire\'s Death Legion, gaining 21,141 experience points.]
[You have earned 200 reputation points with the Divine Mountain Empire.]
The system informed them that they had received substantial rewards, both in experience points and a significant increase in reputation with the Divine Mountain Empire.
Under normal circumstances, the players would be ecstatic. Killing just one soldier yielded such high rewards. If they could continue this spree, wouldn\'t they be unstoppable?
Unfortunately, in this moment, the players had no chance to rejoice after killing a soldier. More often than not, they were quickly surrounded and beaten to death by the soldiers within seconds!
On the NPC side, things weren\'t much better.
General Constantine had managed to fend off numerous NPCs attempting to assassinate the Eldest Prince.
The Eldest Prince himself was reveling in the situation. "Weren\'t you all so arrogant just a moment ago?"
"Now die for me!"
"Send my dear brothers on their way!"
"And then those two…"
the Eldest Prince glanced in the direction of Sterl and Faye, his face breaking into a malicious grin.
He had hoped to recruit these two talents, but today\'s events left no room for any loose ends. Everyone present had to die!
Otherwise, if the news got out, the Eldest Prince would be branded a traitor, and any hopes of ascending the throne would be utterly dashed.
Following the Eldest Prince\'s orders, the soldiers and young generals of the Atlantic Empire responded swiftly and favorably. They quickly formed their battle formations and then charged into the crowd, initiating a massacre.
Among the NPCs of the Divine Mountain Empire, there were a few third class powerhouses. However, in theory, the consciousness space was the safest place within the Divine Mountain Empire. This was a place with no entrances at all.
If it weren\'t for the Eldest Prince acting as a mole, it would have been impossible for the people of the Atlantic Empire to infiltrate, no matter how meticulously they planned.
Therefore, most of the NPCs from the Divine Mountain Empire present in the consciousness space were non-combatant officials with minimal defensive escorts.
Their combat capabilities were far inferior to the commanders of the Atlantean Empire\'s junior officers.
Very quickly, the people of the Divine Mountain Empire were being slaughtered mercilessly. The few military officials from the Divine Mountain Empire were personally singled out and killed by the elite general, Constantine.
Constantine wielded crimson flames, furiously swinging his fists. Every strike resulted in a kill! The military officials of the Divine Mountain Empire were pierced through one by one, dying with anguished screams.
Among the remaining NPCs, the Fourth Prince was under heavy attack, surrounded by several soldiers.
The Fourth Prince had decent combat abilities, wielding a silver sword to fend off the soldiers\' attacks. However, he was still young and only of second-class strength...
Even against ordinary soldiers, the Fourth Prince struggled, his situation becoming increasingly perilous. If a few more soldiers targeted him, he would be undoubtedly doomed.
At this moment, the Fourth Prince instinctively looked towards a person in the corner of the banquet hall. It was none other than David, who had previously outshone everyone to take the top spot in this trial.
"David, can you create another miracle?" The Fourth Prince, in his desperation, was clutching at straws, hoping for a miracle from a second-class player instead of the numerous third class NPCs present.
David had consistently surprised him, making the Fourth Prince instinctively feel that perhaps David had a trump card up his sleeve!
Besides, David had already demonstrated combat prowess far beyond that of an ordinary third class player. If anyone could stop Constantine, it would likely be him!
As for Faye, she barely possessed the combat capabilities of a third class warrior. Moreover, those present were the elite of the Atlantic Empire. Faye, who could suppress an ordinary third class opponent, would likely only be able to hold her own against them. It would be quite an achievement for her to just protect herself and avoid any mishaps.
How could the Fourth Prince rely on that?
The Fourth Prince\'s subtle maneuvers certainly did not escape the notice of those present.
Constantine showed a hint of interest. He had learned from the Eldest Prince\'s intelligence agents that a highly talented player had emerged in the consciousness space\'s tournament, a second class player comparable to some third class powerhouses!
"Excellent." Constantine couldn\'t help but reveal a bloodthirsty smile. His greatest pleasure was crushing these so-called geniuses bit by bit! Watching these proud individuals show fear and humility, their dignity shattered as they begged for their lives...
The thought made Constantine\'s face flush slightly, his body trembling. He had endured countless hardships to become a general, all because of his lack of innate talent and potential.
Now that Constantine had power, he intended to repay the humiliation he had suffered in front of those geniuses, multiplied many times over!
The Eldest Prince mocked further, "Are you still counting on him?"
"David is already overwhelmed. Even if he\'s strong, what can he do? Facing so many soldiers, he\'s bound to die!"
"This time, your capable subordinate won\'t be able to do anything. He\'s just going to die miserably!"
Following the Eldest Prince\'s words, the Fourth Prince looked around, his face showing a look of despair, just as his older brother had said—
David was surrounded by several soldiers, looking restrained and without the previous domineering aura that had allowed him to annihilate everything with his Celestial Stars. Instead, he seemed to be retreating under pressure, giving the impression of being hunted down.
Suddenly, the Fourth Prince felt a wave of darkness wash over his eyes. His morale plummeting, and he almost got captured by the soldiers attacking him on the spot.
"It\'s over! David can\'t do it either!"
"Does that mean we\'re doomed?"
"David, weren\'t you always so relaxed before? You must have a trump card left, right? Are you really just going to be hunted down like this?"
"What about the NPCs? Is there no hidden powerhouse among them to come to our rescue?"
The players also heard the Eldest Prince\'s words, and their morale shattered instantly!
David\'s strength was evident to all. Maybe a single Celestial Stars could even take down third class powerhouses, but now he looked as pathetic as a stray dog…
...
Sterl, on the other hand, was unaware that his less-than-stellar performance had caused such a shift in the crowd\'s emotions. He was just feeling frustrated because he was surrounded by players!
This meant he couldn\'t use Celestial Stars, as it would harm the players unless they were all in his party.
However, the battle had erupted so quickly that, although Sterl had swiftly sent out party invitations to everyone, many had yet to accept them.
If he used Celestial Stars now, the soldiers would certainly suffer heavy casualties, but the players would likely be wiped out too…
Sterl could only release a few bursts of Ignition Flame to incinerate and eliminate the soldiers encircling him.
To his slight surprise, the elite soldiers of the Atlantic Empire were indeed formidable. The damage from the Ignition Flame barely managed to kill them, failing to generate any energy threads from the starlight splashes.
After clearing out the soldiers around him, Sterl took a deep breath and aimed a Celestial Stars at the direction where the NPCs were.
His reputation with the Divine Mountain Empire had already reached "Revered". So by adjusting his attack mode to faction mode, the NPCs of the Divine Mountain Empire wouldn\'t be harmed by his attacks.
Instantly, a Celestial Stars descended from the sky, and a pale blue warning marker appeared on the ground.
Sterl hadn\'t used Celestial Stars much outside, and apart from the first time, he had always enhanced its range with stardust.
Therefore, at this moment, neither the Eldest Prince nor the people of the Atlantic Empire had any defenses in place. They believed that David\'s ability to summon meteors had a wide range and would inevitably affect their own troops, making them hesitant to use it due to the potential collateral damage.