After the panicked Berserker reported the situation outside the stronghold, the entire conference hall fell silent.
"How is that possible?!"
"How could Zero Wing's people be charging over here? Didn't they just finish attacking Brutehammer Town?"
"Are you sure you didn't see wrong?"
The crowd was stunned by this sudden turn of events, unable to comprehend what was happening outside. Even though the Berserker who had come to report had been perfectly clear, they still found it hard to believe.
They had just fought a battle at Brutehammer Town, and regardless of the outcome, there had to have been some losses. It had only been a little over two hours. Logically, Zero Wing's first priority should have been consolidating their hold on Brutehammer Town.
Zero Wing's completely unorthodox approach had thrown all of their plans into disarray.
"So we haven't even gone to retake Brutehammer Town yet, and Zero Wing wants to strike first?" A hint of amusement played at the corners of Yu Zhongyun's lips.
"This Zero Wing guild is far too arrogant! They just conquered Brutehammer Town, and now they want to take Gold Stream Town as well? Are they planning to wipe out our entire Starlight Alliance in one fell swoop?" Axe Shadow, the guild master of Knight's Judgment, said coldly.
Previously, Zero Wing had been able to occupy Brutehammer Town solely because their side had lacked intelligence on giant players and the ability to teleport a thousand players at once. Had they known about these capabilities beforehand, Zero Wing would never have been able to take Brutehammer Town.
"Occupied Brutehammer Town and now their tails are up. Zero Wing probably doesn't even know that our Starlight Alliance has already consolidated our forces here in Gold Stream Town!" Tian Jing, the guild master of the Hundred Battles Empire, said, his brows furrowed tightly, eyes burning with fury. "Pass along my orders — have all of the guild's experts teleport back to Gold Stream Town immediately! I'll make sure they come and never return!"
"We should still be careful, though. Zero Wing's Black Flame is not to be underestimated. There could be some trick waiting to lure us in," Yu Zhongyun cautioned.
The Starlight Alliance existed precisely because of Brutehammer Town and Gold Stream Town. Losing either one could push the Alliance to the brink of collapse. If both fell, the Alliance would be finished entirely. Caution was essential.
"Of course! I'll make everyone in the Star Moon Kingdom know that Zero Wing is yesterday's news — the future belongs to the Starlight Alliance!" Tian Jing scoffed. "Gather every monster player in the town, prepare our war machines and magic scrolls. Let's go have a word with this Zero Wing!"
"...I hope so," Yu Zhongyun said, exasperated, feeling that Tian Jing wasn't listening to a word he said. But he had to admit that Gold Stream Town was in a far different position from the empty Brutehammer Town. The entire leadership and elite forces of the Starlight Alliance had already gathered here.
The members of the Starlight Alliance sprang into action, summoning guild experts to teleport to Gold Stream Town while directing their subordinates within the town to form a cordon around Zero Wing's giant players, lest the destruction of the small town escalate further.
Inside Gold Stream Town, Zero Wing's one thousand giant players were already engaged in battles on all fronts against the town's defending players. Combined with the effects of Miniature World and Ring of Glory, the Starlight Alliance's defending players and NPC guards were completely at a disadvantage. Everywhere, players could be seen being launched skyward by Zero Wing's giant players. Craters from the fighting pockmarked every street — it looked less like a battle between players and more like a monster siege.
The free players throughout the town watched the scene in panic.
Facing the unreasonable power and defense of Zero Wing's giant players, even the level-80 NPC guards were nothing but a joke.
However, as Zero Wing's players continued their rampage, the Starlight Alliance, under the command of their guild leadership, quickly formed an effective defensive net. Second-tier expert players led their teams in using magic circles to suppress the giant players before engaging them directly.
Leading the charge were the top brass of the major guilds, each an astonishing fighter in their own right. Their hundred-man teams were composed entirely of second-tier class holders, and each member was an expert capable of reaching the late stages of the fifth floor of the Trial Tower or beyond. With the coordination of magic barriers, they worked together to exploit the giants' weaknesses in speed and reaction, making it perfectly manageable to deal with several giant players at once.
The four major factions of the Starlight Alliance were particularly fierce. Tian Jing, the guild master of the Hundred Battles Empire, wielded a Blazing Demon Staff, its fire magic reaching third-tier levels with extraordinary speed — perfectly suited to countering the slower-reaction giant players.
Tian Jing's firepower alone was enough to make a second-tier giant player's HP plummet. In just over ten seconds, he took one down, and in less than two to three minutes, his hundred-man team had wiped out a squad of over a dozen giant players, plugging the gap in the town's defensive net and preventing any other giant teams from advancing further.