Watercolor Rose and the others suddenly closed in, the pressure they had been hiding erupting all at once. While each individual's aura couldn't compare to Bai Qingxue's or Fire Dance's, over twenty of them standing together created an oppressive force that surpassed even those two.
In that moment, even Jing Feng and his group felt a chill run down their spines.
Before, these people hadn't been doing much fighting, and amid all the chaos, there had been no opportunity to truly feel the weight of their presence. After all, Bai Qingxue and Fire Dance had been far too dazzling — like two blazing suns in the crowd.
Now that Watercolor Rose and the others had dropped their concealment, the sensation was crystal clear.
"This has to be a joke!"
"It's just Zero Wing — how can they possibly have this many powerhouses with such overwhelming stats?"
The feeling Watercolor Rose and her group gave off had already surpassed what any current player should have been capable of reaching. The weakest among them were no less imposing than Yu Mo and Hui Mang while the latter stood at the heart of the battle formation. And some — Watercolor Rose, Ziyan Liuyun, Ke Le, Zhao Yueru — were practically on par with Fire Dance herself.
Standing together, every member of the Beast Legion present couldn't help but want to take a step back. Not a single one dared draw near. The only ones who could hold their ground were the top-tier experts, and even they couldn't entirely suppress the fear in their hearts.
It was as though over twenty High Grand Lords had materialized right beside them. Who would dare make a move rashly against a lineup like that?
"Could it be that they've all advanced to Tier 3?" Hui Mang stared at Watercolor Rose and the others, a jolt of shock running through him.
He had the battle formation bolstering his strength. As its core, he was capable of going toe-to-toe with an equal-level Tier 3 Class. And Watercolor Rose and the others radiated an aura no weaker than his own. Apart from Tier 3 Classes, he couldn't think of any other explanation.
"No — advancing to Tier 3 requires reaching Level 100. No matter how fast they level, there's no way they've hit Level 100 already, let alone completed the advancement quest. Without adequate equipment, they probably wouldn't even pass the quest's threshold," Yu Mo shook her head, speaking with absolute certainty.
She refused to believe that Watercolor Rose and the others were Tier 3 Classes. Setting aside the astronomical amount of experience required to level up, the very life-force signature of a Tier 3 Class was unmistakable — the gap in vitality between Tier 2 and Tier 3 was immense. Watercolor Rose and her group showed none of that qualitative leap.
Even so, their combat power likely wasn't far behind actual Tier 3 Classes.
"Everyone, stay calm! Their stats may be high, but their skill level is nothing special. We have several times as many Perceptive Realm experts as they do — enough ants can bring down an elephant. Don't engage them head-on — spread out and harass them! The follow-up troops use combined magic to attack! Xie Dao, you and I pin down Black Flame; everyone else coordinate with the combined magic to keep them busy! Once Zero Wing's main army is wiped out, we can grind them down to nothing!"
Jing Feng was the first to regain his composure, immediately issuing orders for all Perceptive Realm experts to scatter and surround Shi Feng's group.
Twenty-odd powerhouses with combat strength rivaling Tier 3 Classes were formidable, indeed. But the gap between experts wasn't just about stats — fighting skill played an enormous role as well.
Zero Wing had fewer than a hundred Perceptive Realm experts in total. By spreading out and besieging them, Star Ring could fight them the way one fought a boss. The stat gap wasn't so overwhelming that a single blow could end things.
The Star Ring members snapped to their senses upon hearing the orders. They had been shaken by the pressure Watercolor Rose had displayed, but their numerical advantage hadn't changed in the slightest.
Following Jing Feng's commands, the Star Ring forces sprang into action. The Perceptive Realm experts in the back line joined forces to launch combined magic at Watercolor Rose and her group. The power of their combined spells far exceeded that of an ordinary single-caster Tier 3 magic — enough to inflict serious damage even on a High Grand Lord. Wielded by Perceptive Realm experts, these combined magical attacks were devastatingly sharp.
The Ghost Shadow Quartet and the others flanked toward Watercolor Rose's group as well. The stat gap might exist, but in their eyes, Watercolor Rose and her companions were riddled with openings. Coordinated with the combined magic, finishing them off shouldn't be difficult.
But the instant the clash began, every Star Ring member realized they were wrong — and catastrophically so.
Watercolor Rose, Ziyan Liuyun, and Zhao Yueru surged forward from the midst of the group. Facing dozens of combined magical attacks, Watercolor Rose swept her Ocean Dragon Staff and unleashed the Water Domain.
Twelve colossal water serpents materialized out of thin air, radiating an aura no weaker than that of a Level 75 High Grand Lord. Under Watercolor Rose's precise control, they surged forward and intercepted the majority of the combined magic head-on.