Chapter 327: Battle Amongst The Players (1)
Sixty seconds passed with everyone in a daze.
After stepping into the barrier, many players hadn't even been able to find a place to rest their feet before their one minute break was up. The skies above the sea began to roll once again, but with a far greater intensity than the previous two times.
"F*ck!" The more hot-tempered players cursed out loud.
"All disciples, assemble!" Distant Tyrant cycled the qi within his dantian once again and took command of the situation.
Following the arrangement made by the Sect Leaders of the Six Great Sects, players from the Mara Hall would be stationed at the forefront to take the enemies head-on. With their high HP and ability to endure attacks, they'd act as a shield for the rest. Next in line were the players from the Swordmaster Pavilion. While the Swordmaster Pavilion wasn't able to match up to the Mara Hall in terms of HP, they boasted higher defence stats. Skills targeted at them would often miss, and many of their skills had the effect of increasing their defence. Placing them behind the Mara Hall was undoubtedly done to provide the shield, the Mara Hall, with an additional layer of protection. Then, third in line was White Cloud Temple.
Players who hailed from White Cloud Temple possessed an average attack range. With their current placement in the formation, monsters would simultaneously be entering both theirs and the Mara's attack radius. Since White Cloud Temple specialised in crowd control skills, keeping the monsters locked within the Mara Hall's attack radius was a great strategy. Behind White Cloud Temple were the healers from the Nymph Abode. Nymphs had rather short hands, and aside from those Nymphs who specialised in using poison, their offensive power was nothing out of the ordinary. Thus, they were stationed here to act as the reserve for the players in front of them. After all, no matter how short their hands were, they were still capable of healing their teammates.
Dragonkin Tower stood at the very back. Dragonkin Tower was made up of magic DPSers. Their role was to attack from a distance and deal devastating damage. However, compared to the other classes, they were much frailer. In a sense, the vanguards were done up in this manner to protect the players from the Dragonkin Tower who were the main DPSers.
As for Lich Palace, due to the nature of their class, the Sect Leaders didn't assign them to a party. Instead, they were given free rein to do as they pleased. In the eyes of the commanders, players from the Lich Palace only possessed an advantage when they were allowed to roam about the battlefield, or if they were to engage in close combat. However, placing them at the forefront of the battle would be far too dangerous for them. So, the decision was made for the other five Great Sects to draw the attention of the enemy, while Lich Palace's players would roam around and mount sneak attacks whenever the opportunity presented itself.
An earth-shattering commotion was raised when the Pathfinder and the Guardian Monsters made their appearance. This was especially so when they entered the water. It was as if they were afraid that the people beneath the ocean wouldn't be aware of their arrival. However, this time around, all of the Shinra Sect's players appeared without a sound. Many people only sensed the area above their heads turning dark. When they looked up, they saw a whole swathe of people standing about fifty metres away from where they were!
These newcomers were all clad in black cloaks that completely covered their bodies. They stood there, unmoving, without making a single sound. They looked as if they were a group of dummies, and looking at them from afar gave people chills. The Guardian Monsters, who before were furiously attacking the barrier with all their might, seemed to have received a command as they ceased their attacks in succession. They slowly turned around and haltingly ran over to the black-clothed people, taking their place beside them.
A person in the middle of the first row took a step forward. He looked tall and lanky, making the black cloak that draped around his body seem a little empty. He stretched out his right hand. The wide sleeves of the clothes he wore slid past his arm, revealing a fair and smooth arm.
This ought to be the hand of a woman, which meant that the person with the highest status amongst the Shinra Sect players was a woman.
The woman's slender hand made a slight motion, and several people stepped out from the crowd behind her, positioning themselves between her and the other Shinra Sect players. This time around, she brought out both her arms and raised them over her head, appearing as if she were trying to conduct some kind of ritual. Several seconds later, her hands that were previously over her head suddenly shot to the front. With a 'swoosh', all of the Shinra Sect players disappeared before everyone's eyes!
The Lead Disciples of the Six Great Sects weren't required to stand in formation with the rest of the players. Instead, they formed a row right at the forefront. When the players from the Shinra Sect disappeared, Quiet And Steadfast immediately shouted, "Everyone, be on guard!"
Zhang Wudi's refining furnace was supposed to be able hold out for a quarter of an hour. But, he'd stowed away his furnace when the players from the Six Great Sects assembled. This meant that the players on the side of good no longer had the safety of the barrier to protect them.
With both the Shinra Sect and the Lich Palace having the ability to turn invisible, neither side was able to see the other party. All they could do was rely on their intuition.
But, no matter the case, the Lich Palace was still a sect of assassins. When it came to their intuition and senses, they were definitely head and shoulders above any of those converted Shinra Sect players. Even if the other party was invisible, the Liches were still able to pick out their quarry by using their intuition.
Sure enough, when the Shinra Sect players suddenly showed up where the 'good' players were with the intention to blitz them and eliminate all of their healers, the players from the Lich Palace also made their appearance without a moment's delay. The Liches either mercilessly plunged their daggers into the chests of their enemies, or they launched every single one of their skills at them.
The Shinra Sect had gone through great pains to bring their plan to fruition, but it ended up falling through before it had even begun. The much-anticipated results of their first-rate plan didn't manage to achieve the desired outcome in the least. Instead, it caused numerous players to lose their lives.
"F*ck, are these people from the Lich Palace all a bunch of perverts? How'd they manage to guess where we were?" Return Of The Jedi complained beside Nine Ballads.
Nine Ballads gave a cold laugh. "Humph. From the very beginning, I never expected this plan to succeed."
"Then why didn't you speak out before? What's the point of mentioning it now?" Tiny Little Loli said enigmatically.
Nine Ballads shot a glare at Tiny Little Loli before turning her attention to a pair of figures standing at the forefront of the players on the side of good, right in the middle; one short, and one tall. "What kind of person do you think Quiet And Steadfast is? He probably saw through your little trick a long time ago and passed the word on to a Lich he could trust. Them discovering our players is a very normal thing. The reason why I didn't say anything before was to let you guys see just how naive your way of thinking was."
By this point, Tiny Little Loli was fuming with anger. But, the outcome was indeed as what Nine Ballads had said, so she was wasn't able to refute her.
"Nine Ballads, it's our loss. Let's go with your plan; we can't afford to lose," Inseparable Love said.
Nine Ballads narrowed her eyes. "What's the point of overthinking it? I say… just charge them head-on!"
Inseparable Love was stunned. By the time he'd returned to his senses, he realised that Nine Ballads had already activated her invisibility and was sprinting towards the 'good' players.
True, at this point, everyone's blood was boiling. There was no need for these petty tricks; they should just charge them head-on! Inseparable Love's gaze turned resolute. He called out to his comrades, and they went invisible themselves before charging the enemy as one.