Chapter 1000: The Wedge Breaks the Front Line

Yes, at that very moment, right at the edge of the magical blast zone, the cameras caught sight of a lone figure wrapped in an emerald-green barrier. The shimmering shield protected both Leo and his mount while arrows poured from the sky in a relentless, whistling rain.

Archers and Gunners had one advantage Mages could never match. Their attacks came quickly and continuously, while Mages needed precious time to complete the long chants required for devastating area spells. The ranged players never stopped firing, filling the air with arrows and bullets. It didn’t matter. Every projectile slammed harmlessly into the overlapping shields of the Shield Tanks, their carefully raised defenses absorbing everything without letting a single attack through.

"GO!"

The instant the cameras found Skyblade, Leo urged his mount forward and burst out of the magical bombardment zone, leading the charge. Victor and the others followed without hesitation. Less than a hundred meters separated them from the coalition’s front line now. On mounts with a full one hundred percent speed bonus, that distance disappeared almost instantly.

They swept past OneSwordBreaksArmy, who was still hovering overhead on his flying mount, and crashed straight toward the coalition’s defensive wall. Leo’s staff swung in a wide arc as a fierce battle cry tore from his throat. His first strike came down directly toward the Shield Tank standing at the very front.

"Ah!"

The man instinctively panicked, but years of experience took over. He snapped his shield upward, trying to block the incoming blow.

"BULL..."

Just before the staff connected, a burst of golden light spread across Leo’s weapon. Earthy yellow energy raced from one end of the staff to the other, wrapping it in ancient power. A deep, echoing bellow rolled across the battlefield.

Moo...

The phantom of an enormous primal bull emerged around the staff, its colossal forelegs crashing down onto the enemy’s shield.

Crack.

The Shield Tank didn’t even have time to scream. His shield exploded. A heartbeat later, so did he.

The phantom bull smashed into the ground, and every player standing directly in front of Leo died instantly. The enormous beast dug all four hooves into the earth, lowered its head, and charged. Like an unstoppable battering ram, it carved a massive path straight through the coalition’s front line.

Leo advanced without slowing, and the entire formation surged forward behind him.

Watching everything unfold from the rear, Ethan smiled faintly.

"Blade Edge."

Just two words.

Whoosh!

The wedge formation changed instantly. The shields that had been protecting them from above rotated downward in perfect unison. They had already broken into the enemy formation, so there was no longer any need to defend against indiscriminate long-range attacks. Unless the coalition wanted to bombard their own soldiers, those attacks had effectively become useless.

The shields shifted outward through the gaps between the front-row Shield Tanks, locking into place along both sides of the formation. The entire wedge suddenly resembled a giant armored pangolin, rows of steel plates flaring outward like razor-sharp scales. Every movement was perfectly synchronized. This wasn’t the strength of a single player anymore. It was the strength of an army moving as one.

Coalition players rushed toward them from every direction, only to slam headfirst into those outward-facing shields. The same people who had been hacking uselessly at the formation moments earlier were now thrown violently to the ground. The impacts didn’t deal much damage, but that hardly mattered. In a battle involving hundreds of thousands of players, falling to the ground often meant you would never get the chance to stand back up.

Because something else was already waiting. The instant they fell, long, slender greatswords shot out through the gaps in the formation.

Thunk. Thunk.

Blood sprayed through the air. The Renegade Alliance never slowed their advance. The blades thrust forward with ruthless precision before slicing cleanly through everything in their path. Shields shattered. Bodies split apart. Some players lost both legs. Some were cleaved clean down the middle. Others had half their skulls sliced away.

Within moments, the battlefield had transformed into a living nightmare. Screams echoed from every direction. People stumbled over one another, desperately trying to retreat while others frantically dodged to the sides.

Then came the trampling. Ironically, the Renegade Alliance hadn’t personally killed the majority of the casualties. Most of the fallen were crushed beneath the feet of their own allies. The players farther back had no idea what was happening ahead. Their vision was completely blocked by the massive crowd, so they simply kept charging forward, unknowingly pushing countless teammates onto the blades waiting below.

"STOP THEM! CHARGE! CUT THEM OFF!"

Hovering overhead, OneSwordBreaksArmy screamed himself hoarse. Only minutes ago, he’d mocked the Renegade Alliance’s formation as flashy, complicated, and completely impractical. Now reality had slapped him in the face. Not a single member of the formation had fallen since the clash began. Their advance was steady, relentless, and impossible to stop.

In the span of a few breaths, the rear of the wedge had disappeared completely into the sea of enemy players. And during that same short time, the coalition had already lost well over ten thousand men.

The harder OneSwordBreaksArmy shouted, the more desperate the coalition became. Thousands of players threw themselves at the advancing wedge. For the first time since the breakthrough began, Leo’s advance slowed slightly. Not because the enemy was overpowering them, but simply because there were too many bodies packed together, creating a wall of flesh that even the wedge couldn’t cut through instantly. Even so, his companions never stopped attacking. Every enemy who came within reach was struck down. One attack. One kill.

"MY TURN! EVERYONE DIE!"

Markham roared from the rear before bursting forward to Leo’s side. Without needing a single word, Leo eased his pace and smoothly shifted into the position Markham had just vacated. The exchange was seamless, the result of countless battles fought together.

Behind Markham, an enormous blood-red spectral greatsword slowly materialized.

"YOU DARE..."

High above, OneSwordBreaksArmy spotted it immediately. GetRichQuick. Markham’s name was infamous throughout the Northern Frontier. Back during the Fortress Wars, he’d harassed the Blade Syndicate so relentlessly that people still talked about it. He was irritating beyond belief, but no one who had fought him ever questioned his strength.

Realizing exactly what was coming, OneSwordBreaksArmy wheeled his flying mount around and dove straight toward Markham.

At almost the same moment, Ethan called out from behind. "Markham! Don’t destroy the ground!" He remembered all too well what usually happened whenever Markham unleashed this skill. The earth split apart. Lava erupted everywhere. Their own advance would become a nightmare.

"Don’t worry, Boss!" Markham answered without looking back. "I’ve got it under control!"

Then he reached behind him and grabbed the massive phantom greatsword. "OPEN UP!" The instant his fingers closed around the hilt, the blade expanded at an unbelievable speed. One hundred meters. Two hundred. Three hundred. It kept growing until it stretched an entire thousand meters across the battlefield. The transformation happened in less than a heartbeat. Then Markham swung.

"HALT!"

A figure descended from above, carrying an enormous greatsword aimed directly at Markham’s head. Markham glanced upward, frowned for a split second, then broke into a confident grin. "You guys keep moving."

"I’ve got this."

SeraphWarrior had already been preparing to leap into the air to intercept the terrifying attack, but before he could move, Victor spoke first. At the same time, he guided his adorable chibi owl upward to meet the descending enemy.

"A Priest dares stand in my way? DIE!" OneSwordBreaksArmy roared as he brought his weapon crashing down.

Victor simply smirked. "Heh." He casually swung his staff toward the incoming blade.

"Hmph! CLEAVE!"

Only then did everyone notice the thin chain connected between OneSwordBreaksArmy’s arm and the giant sword. With a sharp twist of his wrist, the massive blade suddenly changed direction in midair. It curved around Victor entirely, bypassing him, and shot straight toward Markham’s head.

The gigantic sword screamed through the air. Markham never even looked at it. He didn’t dodge. He didn’t block. He simply continued swinging his own weapon as though the attack didn’t exist.

Seeing that, OneSwordBreaksArmy’s eyes narrowed with savage delight. "YOU’RE DEAD!"