The main force of the Snake of the Body definitely wouldn't make it in time.
The main force of the Zero Wing Guild had also been firmly blocked at the outskirts of Silver Leaf Forest, unable to push through at all.
And from what Shi Feng had learned, over three thousand Dark Star members were currently participating in the siege. Nearly all of the Dark Star Guild's elites were among these three thousand. The six thousand blocking them outside were nothing more than cannon fodder.
If Zero Wing continued to sit idle without making a move, they could easily get caught in a pincer attack between Dark Star and Dominating Heaven's World, and their entire force would be wiped out.
"Shuisè, is there any chance you could break through a gap?" Shi Feng contacted Shui Se Qiangwei.
"With our current numbers, it's definitely not enough. But I've already put the word out in the guild channel, and more and more guild members are heading this way. In about half an hour, we should be able to gather three thousand people. Our members' equipment and levels are considerably higher than Dark Star's. As long as we can assemble three thousand here, we can break through," Shui Se Qiangwei said with considerable confidence in their guild's combat power.
Although Zero Wing's total numbers were far inferior to Dark Star's—on the surface, Dark Star had over thirty thousand members—the difference in their elite player count wasn't nearly as dramatic.
Of Dark Star's thirty thousand-plus members, over ten thousand were newcomers around level 10. The elite players at level 16 or above numbered only around six thousand. As for Zero Wing, although they'd recruited relatively few players during this period and currently had only around five thousand members, nearly four thousand of them were elite players above level 16.
If other guilds knew just how high Zero Wing's quality-per-player was, they'd be stunned. This was exactly why Shui Se Qiangwei had always been optimistic about Zero Wing's future.
As long as Zero Wing could gather three thousand, they'd be more than enough to handle those six thousand low-level cannon fodder.
However, going head-to-head with the full might of Dark Star was still beyond them. The gap in elite numbers was significant, not to mention those ten thousand or so cannon fodder. Even if their combat power was poor, sheer numbers could still grind down a fair number of elites.
"Got it. Bai Qingxue has been ambushed by Dominating Heaven's World—they're trying to stop her and her group from reaching us. Don't bother trying to push through Silver Leaf Forest anymore. Turn around and pincer Dominating Heaven's World together. Drive them out of White River City," Shi Feng said after a moment's thought.
But the words Shi Feng spoke stunned Shui Se Qiangwei. She was frozen for a solid few seconds.
"Guild Leader, we're supposed to be rescuing people. Starting a fight with Dominating Heaven's World right now—wouldn't that be unwise?" Shui Se Qiangwei worried.
Dominating Heaven's World was, after all, a first-tier guild. While their main force wasn't stationed in the Star Moon Kingdom, they weren't to be underestimated. Just like the Snake of the Body—their main force wasn't in White River City either, yet they were still the top guild there. And Dominating Heaven's World was one of White River City's six strongest guilds!
If they went after Dominating Heaven's World's players now, it would be a direct declaration of war.
Facing Dark Star was already trouble enough. If they also took on one of White River City's six top guilds, how would Zero Wing ever survive in the city?
"Just go. The moment you get there, activate the guild's war seal and lock down the area—prevent everyone from Dominating Heaven's World from using Return Scrolls to escape that zone. Make sure you wipe those bastards clean. Let Dominating Heaven's World know that if they want to take advantage of Zero Wing, they'll pay a heavy price," Shi Feng said, his killing intent palpable.
Shi Feng preferred to keep a low profile and develop in secret. That didn't mean he'd smile and welcome it when someone kicked down his door.
Whether it was Dark Star or Dominating Heaven's World—if they really treated Zero Wing like a sick cat they could bully, they'd pay a steep price.
"But what about Huo Wu and the others? The fifty-something people still with them are our guild's elite of the elites. They're all flagged red right now—losing them would be a massive blow to our guild," Shui Se Qiangwei said. She could hear the anger and killing intent in Shi Feng's voice, but she pressed on anyway.
"Huo Wu and the others—I'll go rescue them myself," Shi Feng replied with absolute confidence.
"Fine. But as the Guild Leader of Zero Wing, you really ought to say something to the members. After the war with Dark Star broke out, you never made any official statement. Everyone kept quiet about it, but with something this big happening and now a fight with Dominating Heaven's World—you can't just stay silent as the leader," Shui Se Qiangwei sighed, dropping the subject.
Ever since the war with Dark Star began, the entire Zero Wing Guild had been fired up and seething with rage, desperate for revenge. Plenty of members had been posting in the guild channel about wiping out those bastards from Dark Star and showing them what Zero Wing was made of. But as the fighting dragged on and more people died, the guild's morale had steadily crumbled.
After all this time fighting, they still hadn't broken through the Silver Leaf Forest entrance, and Zero Wing's elites inside the forest kept dying in greater numbers. Naturally, their fighting spirit faded.
By now, there wasn't much motivation left in the ranks, let alone the will to turn and attack Dominating Heaven's World.
Shi Feng understood Shui Se Qiangwei's concerns perfectly. But rather than posting a message in the guild channel, he did something far more decisive—he put up a post directly on the official forums.
"Dark Star Guild, today you dare send over ten thousand to siege a few hundred of our Zero Wing members. I swear that the Zero Wing Guild will repay you a hundredfold. Even if we're reduced to our last soldier, we will slaughter your thirty thousand as retribution!"
The name Black Flame had long since shaken the entire Star Moon Kingdom—the kingdom's foremost Blacksmith, and Zero Wing was also the first guild to own a guild base. A great many players knew of them.
The moment the post went up, it instantly drew the attention of the entire Star Moon Kingdom.
"Holy crap, this is a declaration of all-out war!"
"I support Zero Wing! Damn, they're seriously impressive—just a few hundred people, and Dark Star had to send over ten thousand to siege them."
"Does anyone know how it turned out?"
"I heard that out of the few hundred Zero Wing members being besieged, over three hundred died, and a few dozen are still being hunted down. But Dark Star lost over a thousand. Right now, the entire White River City is buzzing about it."
"That's insane—facing over ten thousand from Dark Star with just a few hundred people and still managing to take out a thousand while getting dozens to escape? I want to join Zero Wing and become one of the strong ones."
"I despise Dark Star. Bullying the outnumbered? If you've got any real skill, challenge Zero Wing to an arena match—having more numbers is nothing to be proud of!"
"I'm one of the Zero Wing members who got besieged. You guys have no idea how crazy our Sister Wu and Brother Hei were at the time. Sister Wu wove through a thousand people and cut down over a hundred in a row. Brother Hei dropped a single spell and instantly wiped out several hundred from Dark Star. I've got the recorded video right here—you can check it out on our Zero Wing official forum!"
After Shi Feng's post, the entire forum exploded. Even newcomers who'd just started playing Divine Realm began paying attention to Zero Wing, especially after seeing footage of the massive battle involving thousands of players.
The battle scenes in movies had nothing on this. Especially the moments when streaks of starlight rained down on the battlefield with world-ending force, obliterating hundreds of players in an instant—leaving viewers gaping, blood pumping, and hairs standing on end.
Seeing those videos made even more players want to join Zero Wing.
(To be continued...)