The evening, around 7 PM.
...
"Get out of the way, damn it!"
"Those who block the path die!"
"All the Villains are on patrol, civilians, make way!"
Loud voices echoed outside the forest, accompanied by the sound of hooves. Over 2000 members of the All Villains guild kept teleporting into the map from the teleportation cavalry. They didn't rush to spread out and plunder resources; instead, they gathered in large numbers within the forest, appearing ready to strike. By the time Ding Chunqiu, Qiu Qianren, and Jiumozhi appeared, the faces of everyone looking at the players within the secret realm map were already filled with ambition for Cloud Top County.
"Boss."
Qiu Qianren approached, carrying his war bow, and smiled, "We've found out. The Scarlet Moon Knights are all in the southeastern corner of the map. We'll pressure them from the north, and the Azure Knights will pressure them from the west. Once the pincer attack is formed, the Scarlet Moon Knights guild won't be able to handle it."
"Mm!"
Ding Chunqiu nodded with a smile, "Let's wait a bit longer for boss Li's attack order. After all, we're hired now, so we can't be too reckless."
"What's there to be afraid of..."
Jiumozhi said with a defiant tone, lowering his voice with a smile, "If Li Canghai really gets too demanding, we'll just take care of the Azure Knights too. What are we afraid of him for!"
"Shh!"
Ding Chunqiu frowned, "Don't talk nonsense. We haven't received the final payment yet. Alright, tell the brothers to assemble quickly. This is our first battle in Cloud Top County, we have to make it a good one."
"Mm!"
...
The Western Border of the Titan Secret Realm.
The Azure Knights were fully armed and ready to go. Li Canghai, holding a long sword shimmering with flowing light, wore a slightly smug smile. "Alright, everyone depart. Slowly push east, prepare to join forces with All Villains in a pincer attack, and strive to crush the Scarlet Moon Knights in one go, giving them no chance to recover."
"Yes, boss!"
The Azure Knights, the army was pressing in!
...
Secret Realm Map, Southeastern Corner.
Lin Zhao, Chen Xue, and Lu Han stood on a small hill, looking at the distant movements. It seemed... they could faintly see the figures of the All Villains guild members, not too far away.
"What do you think?"
Lu Han looked at their alliance leader, "Fight or not? If we fight, how do we fight?"
Chen Xue also looked at Lin Zhao. On such important matters, she ultimately couldn't make up her mind and had to rely on Lin Zhao, the alliance leader's decision. After all... when it came to large-scale warfare, Lin Zhao seemed to be the most qualified person to speak for the entire Scarlet Moon Knights.
"Fight, we must fight."
Lin Zhao took a deep breath. "But we must prepare a retreat route. Otherwise, if we rush in blindly, our brothers will suffer heavy losses, and we, the Scarlet Moon Knights, will definitely be at a disadvantage."
"Indeed."
Lu Han frowned, "Boss, you take command."
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded, raised his Qinglu Sword and pointed west. "Lu Han, you will lead the Youth Corps here to set up a defensive line and block the Azure Knights from a higher position. Hit them hard."
He then drew his sword edge northward and said, "Chen Xue and I will lead the White Robe Corps and the Thousand Cities Corps to set up a defensive line here and beat the All Villains' bad guys thoroughly."
"Understood."
Lu Han and Chen Xue nodded in unison.
"But remember this."
Lin Zhao's brows were tightly furrowed. "Our objective in this battle is only to declare the Scarlet Moon Knights' stance. We are not to be bullied by anyone. We will fight, but we certainly cannot win. The Azure Knights and All Villains combined have over 5000 people, more than five times our number. Tonight, we are destined to withdraw from the secret realm map."
"Ah!?"
Lu Han gritted his teeth, "Do we really have to give up the Titan Secret Realm?"
"There's no other way if we don't give it up."
Lin Zhao took a deep breath. "If we clash head-on, we will suffer heavy losses. And remember this: for any of the corps, if anyone has a sin value exceeding 400, they should prioritize retreating. This means that once they have killed more than 4 opponents and feel pressured, these individuals must all withdraw from combat, return to the city, and there's no need for senseless sacrifice."
"Mm."
Chen Xue nodded in agreement, "The losses are too great once a red name is killed. I support Lin Zhao's statement. If we need to leave, we leave."
"Understood!"
Lu Han nodded forcefully.
"Alright, prepare for battle!"
Lin Zhao smiled slightly. "We will lose this battle, but we must lose gracefully. Before leaving the Titan Secret Realm, we must inflict heavy damage on the Azure Knights and All Villains, the two major guilds."
"Mm!"
...
Night, 7:30 PM.
Lin Zhao and Chen Xue stood side-by-side in front of a pine forest highland, with over 600 members of the White Robe Corps and Thousand Cities Corps behind them. The members of the two corps stood in formation, firmly holding the northern flank.
"They're coming."
Chen Xue narrowed her beautiful eyes and gently gripped her long spear.
Lin Zhao nodded, raised his sword edge slightly, and said, "Don't rush to attack yet. The brothers in the front are ready to meet the enemy's charge. When the front ranks of the enemy turn gray, we will counterattack. We must minimize our own sin value obtained from PK."
"Good!"
Everyone nodded in unison.
Ahead, rustling sounds continuously came from the forest. Soon, a tide of people emerged from the woods – it was a large group from the All Villains guild. The alliance leader Ding Chunqiu rode his warhorse, a long sword strapped to his back. He smiled and said, "Brothers, tsk tsk... look, the White Robe and Snow Thousand Cities are personally welcoming us. Such a grand occasion, they really think highly of us All Villains!"
Qiu Qianren laughed heartily, "Brothers, shout the slogan!"
Instantly, the sea of people behind him roared in unison—
"Crush Scarlet Moon, capture White Robe, prepare the bridal chamber to catch Chen Xue!"
At that moment, Chen Xue's pretty face turned red with anger, wishing she could immediately rush down with her spear and stab these bastards to death.
"Calm down..."
Lin Zhao glanced at her, "This is just the beginning. Stay calm."
"Mm."
Chen Xue gritted her teeth, "I'm not angry."
Lin Zhao couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. How could she not be angry? The reins were gripped so tightly that the bay horse was almost being strangled to death.
...
"Alright!"
Ding Chunqiu raised his hand, drew his sword, and smiled, "Attack! Brothers who will crush the Scarlet Moon Knights!"
"Kill!"
In an instant, battle cries erupted. The 2000+ members of All Villains advanced in unison, like a tide pouring out of the forest. The front-line heavy players of the White Robe Corps and Thousand Cities Corps simultaneously crouched, raised their shields, and held their spears, creating a grim scene of bristling blades and spears on the front line. Just as many of the enemy players had activated their charge skills, Lin Zhao pointed his sword and shouted, "Activate defensive skills!"
Immediately, sounds of "peng peng peng" were continuous. Skills like Sword Qi Protection and Holy Hall Shield Armor were activated one after another. The next second, the All Villains players continuously collided with the southern front line. The players in the rear raised their weapons and unleashed AoE skills like Consecutive Stab and Sword Slash. In the blink of an eye, almost all the All Villains front-line players had turned gray.
According to the rules, those who aggressively attack white-named players will enter a temporary gray-named state. Killing a gray-named player will be judged as "self-defense" and will not incur any sin value. This was precisely the outcome Lin Zhao wanted. The next second, the Scarlet Moon Knights players counterattacked in unison. Sword light danced wildly, and skills like Divine Throw, Sweep the Thousand Armies, and Sword Slash were unleashed into the enemy ranks. In the rear, mages, sharpshooters, and storm gunners also launched their attacks. Amidst the magical fire rain, the front-line players of All Villains began to fall one after another.
"Ranged units, push forward!"
In the distance, Ding Chunqiu raised his sword and roared, "Kill them all immediately! Don't be afraid, we have an absolute numerical advantage, they can't withstand the pressure!"
Numerous ranged attackers charged forward like a tide.
Lin Zhao didn't care about this. He controlled his sword with qi, and his flying sword attacked in two directions. The next moment, the Qinglu Sword pierced the heart of a level 54 mage in the enemy's ranks who had not activated their shield, while the flying sword Mingyue, with its sharpness, pierced the throat of a level 57 storm gunner. All were instant kills, with no suspense. Lin Zhao was now level 64, ten levels higher than the enemy mages, and the damage bonus from the level disparity was considerable.
Seizing the moment the Qinglu Sword spun back, a normal attack plus a Divine Throw landed on the neck of an enemy swordsman, causing blood to splatter. The Divine Throw crit, dealing over 8000 damage, also resulting in an instant kill. Thus, at the very beginning of the battle, Lin Zhao had already turned red.
It didn't matter; it would be difficult for the enemy to kill him.
"Hold them back!"
Chen Xue gritted her silver teeth and directly activated the attack form of her Holy Sword. A long spear shimmered with golden light. She unleashed a combo of Divine Blades + Divine Throw + Consecutive Stab towards the front, which could also kill instantly. As for Ding Chi, Zhang Jun, Luo Man, Young Xu Du, Deep Blue Blade, and others, they also joined the battle one after another, becoming pillars of strength in their small battle zones.
In terms of raw strength, the White Robe Corps and Thousand Cities Corps were much stronger in individual combat. However, the enemy had too many numbers. The players of the Scarlet Moon Knights often had to face more focused fire and more crowd control. While the front-line players of All Villains were falling one after another, the members of the White Robe Corps and Thousand Cities Corps were also having a difficult time, being picked off one by one by the enemy.
...
To the West.
In the direction of the Youth Corps, the Azure Knights were also fiercely attacking. In just ten minutes, both sides were fighting with bloodshot eyes. There was even a scene where Lu Han and Li Canghai clashed. However, both retreated when they were at low health. Both bore the heavy responsibility of commanding their teams and dared not be careless. Throughout the secret realm map, many small and medium-sized teams were observing from afar. The battle between the three major guilds had exceeded their tolerance, and no one dared to intervene.
The entire secret realm map instantly seemed to be stained with blood.
And as the three major guilds were locked in a life-and-death struggle, a group of people quietly entered the map. It was the Flourishing Peony, led by Ghost King. They quietly infiltrated, leveling up, appearing to be watching from the sidelines and waiting to reap the benefits.