The Light Holy Flame and Triumph Empire were locked in fierce combat. These former allies had finally parted ways.
According to Breaksky’s original plan, he led the Triumph Empire’s forces to withdraw from the main battlefield to preserve their strength. He intended to wait until the duration of the Aberration Lord’s summoning expired. By then, the battle outside Krips Fortress would likely have concluded. Although the ten-thousand-strong combined forces of Bloodthirsty Blade, Mage Alliance, and Sacred Defense had been completely annihilated, the Savage Blade Tribe, Blue Temple, and Holy Roman Empire had also suffered heavy casualties—likely retaining no more than fifty to sixty thousand troops in total. Among them, the Savage Blade Tribe would have approximately twenty thousand remaining, while Blue Temple and Holy Roman Empire would have around thirty thousand combined. However, these surviving forces were a mix of elite and mediocre players, unlikely to regroup into an effective combat formation.
(Note: “牛人部落” is translated as “Savage Blade Tribe” based on common gaming terminology conventions where “牛人” implies elite/expert players and “部落” translates to “tribe.” Adjustments can be made if an official English name exists for this faction.)
At that moment, he would ally with the Radiant Sacred Flame. Together, these two guilds would command over a hundred thousand players. Returning to the battlefield, they could utterly annihilate the Niu Ren Tribe, the Blue Temple, and the Holy Roman Empire, seize the Krips Fortress, and divide the remaining strongholds between them. The Triumph Empire would then rise once more in glory!
Though the ideal scenario was beautiful, reality proved to be cruel.
At this critical juncture, the Light Holy Flame unexpectedly betrayed him, catching him completely off guard. It turned out that the Light Holy Flame had already been bribed by the Bull Tribe, and the situation had spiraled far beyond Breaksky’s expectations. Consequently, he was defeated. Breaksky harbored deep resentment but was powerless to alter the outcome.
The Triumph Empire and Light Holy Flame began their fierce battle, and the chaos would last for some time. Meanwhile, the battle outside the Krips Fortress was already entering its final stages.
Nieyan, commanding the Aberration Lord, was wreaking havoc. The remaining forces of Mage Alliance and Sacred Defense were utterly no match for him.
Nieyan glanced at the time. The summoning duration of the Aberration Lord had already exceeded two hours, leaving only thirty-six minutes remaining. After clearing this battlefield, he would no longer be able to assist Light Holy Flame. However, the remaining players from Cow God Tribe, Blue Temple, and Holy Roman Empire would soon be able to unite and crush Triumph Empire, sealing their inevitable defeat!
The victory was already decided!
Nieyan swiftly assessed their losses. In the direct clash between Bloodthirsty Blade and Bull Tribe, Bloodthirsty Blade had been utterly annihilated. Bull Tribe’s casualties amounted to nearly eighty thousand, with fifty thousand from Bull Tribe itself and thirty thousand elite members from five affiliated guilds. The original defending force of one hundred thousand had been whittled down to just around twenty thousand.
Blue Temple and Holy Roman Empire had faced off against Mage Alliance, Sacred Defense, and Triumph Empire, suffering severe losses as well. Their initial force of over one hundred thousand had been reduced to only three or four thousand. However, with the help of the Aberration Lord, they had finally defeated Mage Alliance and Sacred Defense. Mage Alliance and Sacred Defense had only a few thousand players left, fleeing to nearby maps.
Once the battle between Light Holy Flame and Triumph Empire ended, the entire struggle for Krips Fortress was finally settled.
Nieyan had already dispatched two or three thousand thieves to start looting the battlefield.
After such a massive war, the amount of equipment obtained was considerable, helping to offset the losses incurred during the conflict.
With this war now over, the Niu Ren Tribe needed to focus on recovery. If another large-scale battle occurred, the Niu Ren Tribe might not be defeated outright but would still be severely weakened. The average level of the Niu Ren Tribe had already dropped too low.
Nieyan continued to command the Aberration Lord to chase down and kill the retreating players from Mage Alliance and Sacred Defense, further expanding their victory.
The remaining elite players on the battlefield began organizing themselves to support Light Holy Flame in preparing an attack on Triumph Empire.
The players of the Niu Ren Tribe were stunned to discover that Light Holy Flame had suddenly switched sides to support them. Many of them had recently been in conflict with Light Holy Flame, so they were puzzled by this abrupt change. Nevertheless, their morale soared. Light Holy Flame’s defection decisively secured the Niu Ren Tribe’s victory. As it turned out, Nie Yan had orchestrated this all along. The triumph belonged to the Niu Ren Tribe!
Under the pincer attack from both sides, Triumph Empire quickly fell into a major defeat. Light Holy Flame’s betrayal had crushed their morale to the lowest point. After all, Light Holy Flame had once been their ally, but now stood on the opposing side.
After the defeat of Bloodthirsty Blade, Mage Alliance, and Sacred Defense, they were completely surrounded in Carol City, fighting alone. Even if they won, what would be their place in Carol City?
As a result, no one in Triumph Empire had the will to fight anymore.
The battle for Krips Fortress ultimately ended with the downfall of Triumph Empire.
The two strongholds of Triumph Empire were swiftly seized and assimilated into the Tribe of Legends.
The entire Carol City had now become the territory of the Niu Ren Tribe!
After twenty or thirty minutes, the duration of the Aberration Lord’s summoning finally ended. Bennett’s spirit slowly rose from the Aberration Lord’s massive body and returned to Nieyan’s backpack.
Without the support of the spirit, the Aberration Lord’s body, like a stone statue sculpture, quickly lost its vitality. Cracks slowly appeared, and eventually, it shattered into pieces, collapsing into a pile of rubble. It had fulfilled its purpose.
The battle for Krips Fortress was over.
The priests on the battlefield could finally resurrect the fallen players like Watercolor Smoke. Some teams lacked priests with resurrection abilities, so they could only revive at the graveyard, which would result in a significant loss of levels.
Nieyan was dismayed to discover that players who had died in the fortress battle generally lost about five levels. This was a setting implemented by the game to prevent a guild from quickly recovering after the fortress battle ended.
However, the level penalty for fortress battles was mutual. Players from Bloodthirsty Blade and other guilds who had died would also lose five levels.
After a while, Nieyan received news that Bloodthirsty Blade had disbanded. Some of its elite members joined Mage Alliance and Sacred Defense, while the ordinary players from Bloodthirsty Blade, unable to follow, naturally scattered and went their separate ways.
As for Blackstone Fortress, which had been captured by Bloodthirsty Blade, it was naturally reclaimed by Nieyan following Bloodthirsty Blade’s disbandment.
War always brought both rewards and punishments. Although the Bull Tribe suffered heavy losses in this war, they gained two fortresses and solidified their position in Carol City. The war rewards were substantial. In the future, the Bull Tribe would face no significant threats in Carol City and would stand on equal footing with the Angel Empire. The Bull Tribe controlled Carol City, the capital of the Greenlan Empire, while the Angel Empire held the capital of the Satyr Empire, the Orc King City.
Although the strength of the Niu Ren Tribe was still far behind that of the Angel Empire at this point, its future was bright!
Nie Yan and Guo Huai began tallying the battle losses of the Bull Tribe. As for the seized equipment, it was all stored in the Bull Tribe’s guild warehouse. After counting, there were as many as 250,000 to 260,000 pieces. Since Blue Temple, Holy Roman Empire, and Light Holy Flame had already joined the Bull Tribe, they shared the Bull Tribe’s guild warehouse, though the guild contribution points were issued by the Bull Tribe.
Nieyan and Guo Huai distributed generous compensation to the players, especially those who had lost five levels after dying. The higher their kill count, the more substantial the rewards. Among them, the player who had destroyed one of Bloodthirsty Blade’s Ironclad Catapults with a single spell, Xiao Qi, received the most rewards.
After distributing the rewards, the Niu Ren Tribe had spent nearly six hundred thousand gold coins and a large amount of guild contribution. Without Nie Yan’s return from the underground, they wouldn’t have been able to raise such a substantial sum.
However, with the unification of Carol City, all the fortresses within it now belonged to the Niu Ren Tribe. The six hundred thousand gold coins would soon be recouped.
The next task for the Niu Ren Tribe was to reorganize the entire Carol City, eliminating all hostile forces and developing the remaining fortresses. Then, they would help the players of the Niu Ren Tribe quickly level up to avoid falling behind the Angel Empire.
The guild had many affairs that required handling, all managed by the administrative team. Nie Yan only occasionally issued one or two directives, without needing to invest too much effort. What he needed to do next was to leverage his over a decade of gaming experience to strengthen the Experts’ Tribe.
Now that Carol City had become a unified stronghold, even if the Mage Alliance and Sacred Defense wanted to stir up trouble, they would likely be powerless. As for the Angel Empire, being so far away, they could only send a few elites to harass Niuren Tribe. Before the air cavalry was established, they posed no threat to Niuren Tribe.
Based on past experience, the air cavalry wouldn’t appear until nearly a year and a half after the release of the “History of the Sealed” expansion. This was an exceptionally long period, and it was crucial for the Niu Ren Tribe. If the Niu Ren Tribe still couldn’t reach the level of the Angel Empire within this year and a half, they would face severe challenges once the air cavalry was introduced. For the Niu Ren Tribe, the upcoming period would be relatively peaceful and tranquil.
Since the game’s launch, Nie Yan had leveraged his past gaming experience to acquire a formidable set of equipment. Completing quests earned him the title of Aberration Lord, enabling the Legendary Tribe to unify Carol City. Yet, despite his strength, Nie Yan alone could not defy fate beyond this point. Reaching this level was already a remarkable feat. After hitting level 100, it would usher in an era where countless top-tier professional players would rise to prominence—Shadow Dancers, Magisters, Holy Knights, Divine Priests, Divine Warriors…
Countless top-tier players would dominate this era.
Each of them was an extraordinary genius. Given the early-stage advantage Nie Yan had established, even making it into the top ten would be an outstanding achievement. Maintaining his previous dominance would prove extremely challenging. After all, individual strength has its limits—only by empowering all the brothers in Asskickers United could they truly become formidable!
With so many elite players gathered in the Niu Ren Tribe, Nie Yan intended to influence them with his ten years of gaming experience. In the coming year and a half, he would make the Niu Ren Tribe shine with countless stars!
He would transition from being a top-tier player to a true guild leader, becoming a true leader!
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