Chapter 280: Imperial Ranking War: Elimination

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The Berserk Mountain God Team had no time to recover.

The moment the first wave of Heavenly Bronze assassins entered their formation, the battlefield descended into complete chaos. The explosions had already scattered their formation, the smoke had blinded several of them, and the sudden appearance of enemies within their ranks had destroyed whatever advantage their numbers were supposed to give them.

Fifty people should have overwhelmed fifteen.

That was what they had believed when they entered the forest.

But numbers only mattered when the people carrying them were given the opportunity to use them.

The Berserk Mountain God Team never received that opportunity.

Adrian’s squad had come prepared specifically for this moment. They knew where the enemy would be, they knew how their formation was arranged, they knew which members were stronger, which ones were weaker, which ones preferred certain techniques, and even which directions they were most likely to retreat toward. Ren had spent more than an hour watching them through his sensory network and had fed every useful piece of information to Adrian before the ambush began.

The fifteen people didn’t have to think about what to do.

They simply followed the plan.

That was enough.

One Berserk Mountain God member raised his weapon and tried to defend himself against an approaching attacker, only for another Heavenly Bronze member to appear behind him. The first strike broke through his armor, and the second ended the fight before he could even turn around. Another opponent tried to rush Adrian directly, believing that killing the squad leader would disrupt the formation, but Adrian had already anticipated it and stepped aside before countering with a clean slash.

There was no hesitation.

No wasted movement.

Every action had a purpose.

The difference in equipment made the situation even worse. The Berserk Mountain God Team had spent months struggling to maintain basic supplies, while the Heavenly Bronze Empire had been able to manufacture and acquire proper weapons and armor throughout their stay. Their opponents’ attacks were weaker, their defenses were easier to penetrate, and their equipment could not withstand repeated clashes against properly prepared martial artists.

It wasn’t simply fifteen versus fifty.

It was fifteen equipped and prepared hunters against fifty exhausted survivors who had walked directly into an ambush.

The result was obvious.

Another body fell.

Then another.

The Berserk Mountain God members finally began trying to fight their way out of the encirclement, but even that had already been accounted for. Every possible escape route had been observed beforehand, and every location where they might try to regroup already had someone waiting for them.

One group attempted to break toward the east.

They were intercepted.

Another tried to retreat south.

They ran directly into an assassin waiting behind a cluster of trees.

A few members attempted to stay together and protect one another, but the Heavenly Bronze squad simply attacked from multiple directions, forcing them apart before eliminating them individually.

It was almost impossible to believe.

The Berserk Mountain God Team had fifty people.

Yet they couldn’t even form a proper defensive line.

Their numbers became a burden instead of an advantage because nobody knew where the next attack was coming from.

"Stay together!"

"Don’t separate!"

"Where are they?!"

"Behind you!"

The shouting became increasingly frantic.

Someone tried to use a large-scale technique to clear the surrounding area, but the moment the chakra began gathering, an assassin appeared and interrupted the technique before it could be completed.

Another member attempted to retreat and heal his injuries.

He never made it.

A blade pierced his chest.

The Heavenly Bronze assassins weren’t simply killing them.

They were preventing them from doing anything that might allow them to recover.

This was particularly obvious when the first few Berserk Mountain God members attempted resurrection.

The World System had provided methods for participants to return after death under certain circumstances, and some of them had already prepared themselves to use those methods.

But the assassins seemed to know exactly what they were going to do.

A wounded member fell.

His companions immediately moved toward him.

Before they could begin the resurrection process, an assassin arrived and finished him again.

Another tried the same thing.

He was interrupted.

A third attempted to create distance so that he could resurrect safely.

Someone was already waiting for him.

It was terrifying.

It was almost as if the Heavenly Bronze assassins could read their minds.

In reality, they didn’t need to.

Ren could see them.

Every movement.

Every attempt at retreat.

Every gathering of chakra.

Every formation.

Every person trying to move toward a fallen comrade.

Information had become the greatest weapon on the battlefield.

And the Berserk Mountain God Team had none.

Their enemies knew where they were.

They knew what they were doing.

They knew where they were going.

The Berserk Mountain God Team knew almost nothing.

That difference was enough to turn what should have been a difficult battle into a massacre.

Adrian continued moving through the battlefield with complete composure. His squad had already eliminated more than half of the enemies, and their own losses were practically nonexistent.

He didn’t need to shout much.

The plan was already understood.

Whenever one of his people encountered resistance, another immediately moved to support them. Whenever an enemy attempted to concentrate their forces, someone disrupted their formation. Whenever a wounded Berserk Mountain God member attempted to flee, an assassin intercepted them.

The entire squad moved like a single organism.

It was beautiful in its efficiency.

The Berserk Mountain God Team had never experienced anything like this.

They had fought monsters.

They had fought other participants.

They had survived calamities.

But those fights had always been battles where they could understand what was happening.

This wasn’t.

They were being dismantled.

One person at a time.

Before they could even understand how many of their comrades were dead, another body would fall.

Then another.

Then another.

The number of survivors dropped rapidly.

Forty.

Thirty-five.

Thirty.

The battlefield became covered in blood.

The forest that had been quiet only minutes ago was now filled with screams, explosions, and the sounds of weapons tearing through armor.

Yet the Heavenly Bronze assassins remained frighteningly calm.

They weren’t enjoying the slaughter.

They weren’t angry.

They weren’t even particularly excited.

They were simply following orders.

Ren had told them what to do.

So they did it.

The Berserk Mountain God Team began to realize that they couldn’t win.

That realization broke them.

Some fought harder.

Some tried to run.

Some simply froze.

One man dropped his weapon and stared at the approaching assassin with a pale face, unable to understand how a team of fifty had been reduced to this state so quickly.

He never even had time to beg.

A sword passed through his chest.

Another fell.

Then another.

The number dropped below twenty.

At this point, there were more Heavenly Bronze assassins than living members of the Berserk Mountain God Team.

That was when the remaining survivors finally lost whatever courage they had left.

They were no longer thinking about merit points.

They weren’t thinking about rankings.

They weren’t thinking about catching up to the other Imperial Teams.

They only wanted to live.

Unfortunately for them, Ren’s orders had already been given.

Nobody leaves the forest alive.

The remaining members were hunted down one after another.

Those who attempted to hide were found.

Those who attempted to run were intercepted.

Those who attempted resurrection were killed before they could complete it.

There was nowhere to go.

There was nothing to hide behind.

The Berserk Mountain God Team had entered this forest believing that the Heavenly Bronze Empire was a group of fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

They had been so confident in their own desperation that they never stopped to consider why the strongest team in the secret realm had remained undefeated for six months.

Now they understood.

Unfortunately, understanding came too late.

The final member of the Berserk Mountain God Team stumbled backward, blood covering his armor. He looked around the forest, seeing the bodies of his companions scattered everywhere.

Fifteen enemies remained.

His own side had only a handful left.

For a moment, he simply stood there.

Then Adrian appeared in front of him.

There was no dramatic exchange.

No speech.

No final declaration.

Adrian simply raised his weapon and ended the battle.

The last body collapsed.

Silence returned to the forest.

The Berserk Mountain God Empire Team had been completely wiped out.

Adrian looked around at the battlefield before lowering his weapon. His squad had completed their orders exactly as instructed.

Fifteen people.

Fifty enemies.

Not one member of the Berserk Mountain God Team escaped.

The communication formation connected them back to the Rock, and Adrian reported the result.

"All targets eliminated."

Ren received the message without surprise.

He had already seen it happen.

The sensory network slowly moved away from the battlefield as Ren’s attention shifted toward the remaining three teams that were still approaching.

Then, throughout the entire secret realm, the World System spoke.

Its voice contained no anger.

No sympathy.

No praise.

It was as cold and indifferent as ever.

[The Berserk Mountain God Empire Team has been completely eliminated.]

[All fifty participants have been removed from the Imperial Ranking War.]

[The Berserk Mountain God Empire’s participation in the Imperial Ranking War has ended.]

[The remaining Imperial Teams are advised to continue their preparations.]

The announcement ended.

For a brief moment, the secret realm was silent.

Then, somewhere far away, the remaining teams heard the news.

The first team had fallen.

And the Imperial Ranking War had only just begun.