"Is it broken?"
Qi Yitao stared at the magic barrier that had already dissipated, unable to suppress a sigh of relief. To break through the defensive magic array, he had sacrificed over four hundred thousand evil beasts in one go.
The defenses of Stone Forest Town had far exceeded his imagination.
If he had known the losses would be this severe, he would never have moved so early. At the very least, he should have assembled six or seven Evil Blood Earth Dragons before taking action.
"We finally did it!" Yi Xiaoduzang, watching from the guild headquarters, wiped the sweat from his brow.
It had been incredibly close. If the magic barrier had held for just a few more minutes, this entire operation would have been a total failure.
The evil beast army was attacking frantically, but their numbers were dwindling rapidly. The further along it went, the less energy they could throw at the barrier—especially since the three remaining Evil Blood Earth Dragons were now at less than a third of their health.
Once the Evil Blood Earth Dragons fell, the evil beast army would pose even less of a threat to the magic barrier.
A defensive magic array with such extraordinary resilience was simply unheard of. Fortunately, it had been the powerful, high-HP evil beasts attacking the array. If it had been players trying to drain the magic barrier's energy, the cost would have been terrifying before they could even come close to depleting it.
Yi Xiaoduzang's gaze toward Stone Forest Town only burned hotter after seeing all this.
The most critical point of a guild town was safety—only then would investors be willing to settle in and develop the area.
A defensive magic array with such heaven-defying effects was obviously not something a one-time consumable like a magic scroll could achieve. It was very likely the effect of some kind of building or item.
Moreover, from the footage relayed from inside Stone Forest Town, this defensive magic array was clearly originating from that massive machine atop the Magic Tower.
"It's truly a waste for a guild like Zero Wing to have it," Yi Xiaoduzang said, turning to a Berserker beside him clad in deep purple armor, level 43—Duan Liushui. "In a moment, you'll teleport through to Stone Forest Town's private residences. Secure that item at all costs. If things get desperate, I authorize you to use the Dark Contract."
Zero Wing was the biggest rival guild in the Star Moon Kingdom, so Sky Burial naturally had planted numerous spies among them. They had even secretly purchased two residences inside Stone Forest Town—preparations for exactly this kind of emergency.
Now was the perfect time to activate them.
With the magic barrier shattered, Zero Wing would have to commit everything to repelling the evil beast invasion. That was when Sky Burial could make its move.
Evil beasts were a threat to ordinary players, but they held special items that meant the beasts and evil demons wouldn't touch them in the slightest—so long as they didn't actively provoke them.
"You're authorizing the use of the Dark Contract?" War Saint Duan Liushui licked the corner of his lips and glanced at the mobile defensive magic array on the Magic Tower, grinning. "Guild Master, there shouldn't be any problem if I destroy that Magic Tower, right?"
"Do your best. Destroying the Magic Tower should be the last resort," Yi Xiaoduzang replied, nodding as he looked at the tower.
"Understood. Just wait for good news, Guild Master." Duan Liushui smiled and left the Guild Master's office.
Meanwhile, on the walls of Stone Forest Town, every Zero Wing member was on high alert, bracing as if facing a mortal enemy. They had ultimately failed to eliminate all the evil beasts before the magic array's energy ran out.
Though fewer than a hundred thousand evil beasts remained outside the town, every last one of them was formidable. The weaker elite-level evil beasts had long since perished from all the collateral damage. The weakest among the survivors were all special elite-level.
Roughly half of the high-tier Great Lords were still alive, along with seventy or eighty Great Lord-level beasts—not to mention the vast numbers of high-tier Lords and ordinary Lords.
"We cannot let a single evil beast inside the walls! Magic array squads, use the arrays to lock down the high-tier Great Lords first! All ranged classes, assist the NPC guards and prioritize killing the Great Lords! All MTs, hold the aggro on everything below Great Lord level—absolutely do not let these evil beasts enter the town or destroy the small ballista carts!" Shuise Qiangwei ordered urgently.