Chapter 2293: Ripples in the Sandspine Waste

Right after the mace-wielding Commander fell, the entire battlefield came to a sudden halt.

The remaining six Commander-ranked NPCs could not help but stare blankly at the corpse of their fallen comrade before shifting their gazes toward the two ’demons’ who had killed him.

They were still unable to fully process what had happened, especially since everything had happened far too quickly.

It took them quite a while before they could finally accept that one of their comrades had actually fallen.

BOOM!

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Immediately afterward, the six NPC Commanders sprang back into action, charging forward and launching relentless attacks at the two ’demons.’

Swoosh! Swoosh!

In response, Diablo and Alucard moved as well, engaging the group of NPC Commanders in yet another intense battle.

...

In the meantime, Shin, who was watching everything unfold from the top of the building, couldn’t help but nod his head after seeing how well the Demonic Duo handled their opponents.

When it came to solo play, these two were more than capable of handling a King-Class Monster or NPC from the Aurora Continent on their own, so long as the gap in levels did not exceed a hundred.

But fighting a group of powerful NPCs, who could fight systematically, was still quite tricky to deal with, which was why teamwork was crucial in such battles.

"I guess they’re finally starting to look like a team," he chuckled as he watched the two work seamlessly despite not actively communicating with each other.

Both were god-level experts, so there was no need to question their individual strength. However, becoming a true team required a great deal of experience in working together and trusting one another.

Even though the other members of the Empyrean Talons had a basic level of trust in each other, there were still lingering doubts and hesitations between them when working together.

Especially when they were experts in their own right and possessed immense pride in their respective strengths.

After all, not everyone was like Shin and the other founders of their adventurer team, who had known one another for a long time.

Simply working together and integrating each other’s fighting styles were two completely different concepts.

And right now, Diablo and Alucard were finally starting to feel like real teammates—ones who could fully trust each other to watch their backs—rather than powerful experts who were merely working together.

After watching them for quite a while, Shin turned his attention toward the other parts of the fortress.

The bombardment by their artillery units was still underway, and the damage they were inflicting on the fortress was becoming increasingly destructive.

"Tsk! I guess it can’t be helped," Shin clicked his tongue after seeing the extent of the destruction being inflicted on the fortress.

He found it somewhat regrettable that the fortress was slowly being destroyed when it could potentially become one of their bases in this kingdom in the future.

He was already treating the place as one of their assets even though they had yet to fully conquer it.

"I wonder how much money we’re going to have to invest to rebuild all the damaged structures?" he mumbled to himself. "Should I ask them to stop now?"

He was still thinking about it when he suddenly noticed a growing cloud of dust in the eastern direction of the fortress.

That was where Owen was currently fighting the three Wall Commanders of the fortress by himself.

"I guess the battle on that side is heating up as well," he mumbled.

He then nodded before shifting his attention to the team channel, where he saw Samael moving alongside the members of Deicide and fighting their way toward the fortress.

Shin thought for a moment before giving the rookie Paladin his instructions.

Sickarius: Brat, lead the people on your side toward the watchtowers. Take down as many sentries as you can.

Samael immediately replied.

Samael: What about the cannons, Big Brother Sickarius?

Shin shook his head.

Sickarius: You can have a few people from Deicide take down the operators of those cannons, but don’t cripple the cannons themselves.

After issuing a few more instructions, Shin opened another message panel, this time contacting the members of the Desert Bandits.

Sickarius: How’s the situation on your side?

***

In the meantime, while Shin and the others were carrying out their operation, the situation in the Sandspine Waste was becoming increasingly chaotic.

The members of the Desert Bandits were running rampant throughout the region, causing trouble for both the players regularly using the area as a route toward the Raja Desert and those who were simply grinding on the map.

Even members of the Desert Sun Coalition, Illusion Dream, and Mirage Soul repeatedly clashed with the Desert Bandits over various disputes within the region.

Given the strategic location of the Sandspine Waste, it was only natural for these Powerhouse Guilds to station some of their people there to monitor the situation.

Even if they had given up on fully monopolizing the region, they still needed to keep an eye on what was happening here so they could prepare for any unexpected developments.

Just like the situation unfolding right now.

...

In one of the outposts established by the alliance between Illusion Dream and Mirage Soul within the Sandspine Waste, the guild officials responsible for monitoring the region were currently holding an emergency meeting.

These two Ultra Guilds had stationed several of their most elite members in the region to ensure they could maintain the upper hand whenever problems arose while their members were operating within the map.

Among these elite members, the most well-known were Fleeting Dream and Black Soul, two of the most celebrated Maverick Gods in the Green Marbly Kingdom.

Both were rising stars who had been making a name for themselves throughout the virtual world.

Dream Entertainment had even invested a considerable amount of money into the two, sparing no expense to nurture their growth.

Their equipment, skills, and Legacies were among the best available to players at the current stage of the game.

Fleeting Dream was known as the Xeromancer, a title derived from his Unique Class, which granted him control over sand, dust, and other forms of aridity magic.

His Unique Class gave him tremendous advantages when fighting within desert environments, making him particularly notorious throughout the Green Marbly Kingdom.

Black Soul, on the other hand, was a notorious assassin within the kingdom.

He specialized in stealth within desert environments and could even bury himself beneath the sand, earning him the moniker ’Desert Spider.’

He might not have been as famous as Fleeting Dream throughout the kingdom, but within the Sandspine Waste itself, he was far more feared.

After all, he was an assassin who spent most of his time operating in this region.

Bang!

Fleeting Dream slammed his hand against the wooden table, startling the others currently present at the meeting.

"What is that idiot Khavin thinking!? Is he declaring war on us? How dare he interfere with our operations!?" he demanded, his expression turning solemn as he assumed that the Desert Bandits were deliberately targeting them.

Black Soul, who remained relatively calm, shook his head. "I’m not sure what they’re thinking, but I’m certain they’re trying to ward everyone away from a particular area of the Sandspine Waste."

Fleeting Dream turned toward him. "What did you find?"

He was far too familiar with his old partner to dismiss those words.

Black Soul wasn’t the type to make such a conclusion without solid evidence, so Fleeting Dream knew he must have discovered something to support his claim.

However, contrary to his expectations, Black Soul merely shook his head. "I’m not sure either."

Fleeting Dream frowned. "Even you can’t find anything?"

Black Soul turned toward him before answering. "If you only look at the surface, those guys appear to be going crazy and wreaking havoc throughout the area."

"But if you observe them closely, you’ll realize that they’re being quite discreet about hiding their true intentions."

He paused for a moment before continuing. "They’ve brought everyone from the Desert Bandits here and thoroughly sealed off the area they’re trying to cover, making it difficult even for me to infiltrate."

Fleeting Dream couldn’t help but scoff. "Can’t you just force your way in? I doubt they have enough people to stop you, don’t you think?"

Black Soul stared at him before calmly replying, "As I said, they’ve brought everyone from the Desert Bandits here."

"That means their most elite units are also in the area, including their five Captains and even Khavin himself."

"Even his right-hand man is personally overseeing the patrols. So, do you really think it would be easy for me to force my way through?"

Fleeting Dream fell silent after hearing this.

Even though the two of them had managed to rise to the ranks of Maverick Gods, he was well aware that they were still far from reaching the level of the monsters standing at the pinnacle of the game.

Moreover, Khavin was more than just a Peak Titled Ranker. It was rumored that his current strength was already enough to challenge some of the weaker Godlike Players in the game.

Even Serv, his right-hand man, possessed a similar level of strength.

Fleeting Dream turned toward Black Soul again. "What do you think they’re trying to hide? Could it be a hidden Legacy?"

His words immediately caused the eyes of everyone in the room to light up.

No one was immune to the temptation of obtaining a Legacy within the game.

Black Soul thought for a moment before nodding. "That is a possibility."

Given the behavior of the Desert Bandits, it was quite clear that whatever they were trying to protect had to be something important.

"Should we make our move?" one of the leading figures in the meeting suggested.

However, another immediately disagreed. "We have too little information about the situation. We can’t afford to be careless."

"Heh! Are we afraid of that little mercenary company? We can just crush them and rob whatever they’re trying to ’dig up’ in that area," another leading figure sneered.

Black Soul immediately refuted him. "If it were just the Desert Bandits, there would be no problem."

"However, it’s clear that they must have gained powerful backing from someone, giving them the confidence to provoke us..." He paused for a moment before adding, "I even heard that we’re not the only ones they’ve provoked. The Coalition has been targeted as well."

The meeting room immediately fell silent upon hearing this, leaving no one able to refute his words.

After a while, Fleeting Dream suddenly suggested, "Should we contact those guys from the Desert Sun Coalition and probe their intentions?"

Black Soul thought for a moment before nodding. "Alright. Let’s sound them out and see what they’re planning."

......