The onlookers stared at the level 85 direct guard Anna who had appeared, utterly bewildered.
"Destroy it?"
Immortal Warheart and the others looked at Anna, whom Shi Feng had summoned. The faint glimmer of hope they'd held vanished in an instant, and the higher-ups of the Scarlet Emperor Guild nearby couldn't help but laugh.
"Has this kid lost his mind? What can a second-tier NPC possibly do?" A woman in the Scarlet Emperor Guild — clad in white robes, tall and exuding a mature charm — looked at Shi Feng and couldn't help but shake her head.
A level 85 direct guard did indeed far exceed the highest level they knew of, but Anna was ultimately still a second-tier Class — fundamentally no different from the second-tier players present, just with a higher level.
But magic circles weren't something that could be broken simply by having a higher level. Otherwise, a level 200 first-tier player would be far stronger than a level 80 fourth-tier one when it came to a town's defensive magic circle — yet a level 200 first-tier player couldn't easily shatter a magic circle, while a level 80 fourth-tier one could do so effortlessly.
This was the power of tiers!
Not merely an increase in quantity, but a fundamental transformation in quality.
Magic circles were no different — the more advanced the circle, the more refined the energy it condensed, and the magic barrier it formed was like the difference between paper and iron.
For now, Anna as a second-tier Class merely surpassed the second-tier players present in sheer volume — nothing fundamental had changed. If their combined attacks had been ineffective all this time, sending Anna in wouldn't make a difference either.
"Vice President, Stargazer Ring's play here is just too ruthless. It looks like we'll have to sacrifice one person — quickly pass the key to the Guild Master so he can reorganize our forces." A level 57 second-tier Guardian Knight quietly reported to the woman.
Because this woman was none other than the Scarlet Emperor Guild's second Vice President — and one of the Ten Great Priests currently listed by the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion: Huan Yu.
"Fine. Get ready." Huan Yu nodded.
The magic barrier had everyone trapped inside, and there was more than one way out — though it wasn't a method most people would resort to. That method was death. Thirty minutes after a player died, they would respawn at the nearest cemetery, naturally finding themselves outside the barrier's blockade. The downside was that the player would lose a level to the death penalty.
But there was no room for hesitation now. Having one player carry the key and die — wasting thirty minutes — was far better than everyone wasting eight hours in the plaza. Those thirty minutes of death could also give the Guild Master time to reorganize their forces for entry into the Sea Forest.
With a bit of luck, they might even claim two or three slots — at the very least, that was better than walking away with nothing.
Just as the Scarlet Emperor Guild and the others prepared to act, Anna — standing before the magic barrier — finished her incantation and inscribed the divine runes. In an instant, a golden magic circle appeared in the sky, and a level 85 War Angel with pristine white wings materialized before everyone.
The War Angel's fourth-tier aura radiated outward, instantly pressing down on every player in the plaza until they felt like they couldn't breathe.
"A fourth-tier War Angel?" Huan Yu gazed at the sacred, beautiful War Angel hovering in midair, then turned to look at Shi Feng in his black cloak. "Could he be Black Flame?"
Too many things happened in the Divine Realm every single day — new powers rising, new prodigies emerging. Even as the Scarlet Emperor Guild's Vice President, it was impossible for her to keep track of everything and everyone. However, she did have some recollection of a fourth-tier War Angel. After all, such combat power posed a serious threat to any superpower.
The level 85 fourth-tier War Angel gently flapped its wings, conjuring a gust of storm before vanishing from its spot. When it reappeared, it was already in front of the ethereal magic barrier, and the Thunder Holy Lance in its hand thrust forward with devastating force.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rang out as countless bolts of lightning wove across the surface of the magic barrier.
The ethereal magic barrier suddenly twisted and wavered — a far cry from before, when everyone's attacks had produced not even a ripple. Now, with a single strike from the War Angel, the entire magic barrier began to tremble.
"Such incredible power!" Huan Yu stared at the trembling magic barrier, a hint of astonishment in her eyes.