Rebirth of the Thief Who Roamed the World

At the command of Bladelight and the other group leaders, Asskickers United’s aerial troops split up into several groups, resembling an asian dragons flying through the sky. Each group consisted of several thousand flying mount riders.

Spectators looking up at this spectacle gasped in awe at the astonishing show of power.

The air force of Angel Corps and the Century Financial Group was also rapidly convening together. They were organizing their ranks for the next phase of this battle.

Every Asskickers United player felt their heart pumping with anticipation. Having clashed many times in the past, Angel Corps was already an old rival. Now, both sides were duking it out one last time to decide who would become the ruler of the Righteous Faction!

All eyes were on Nie Yan, who stood atop the Darkwing Dragon’s head. Those too far away to see clearly perked up their ears to listen to him in voice chat. Everyone held their breath.

The Darkwing Dragon’s enormous size left even them stunned.

The Rank 9 Darkwing Dragon was already massive to begin with. But after receiving the Cherubim’s Grace blessing, it had grown to nearly 40 meters tall. The aura emanating from its body resembled that of a primordial dragon.

Nie Yan swept his eyes over his men. He noticed the gazes staring at him were filled with feverish reverence, as if he were a god. It was clear as day what kind of position he had in the hearts of these players.

An odd feeling pervaded Nie Yan’s heart. In his past life, he was a no-name character. Never did he imagine that he would one day be overlooking the world.

Asskickers United had grown from a small, obscure guild to the leviathan it was today. The journey had been fraught with obstacles. They’d teetered on the brink of collapse on more than one occasion, but somehow they always made it through in the end. Though the contributions of the numerous guild members couldn’t be discounted, it was Nie Yan who single handedly propped up the entire guild on his back.

Angel Corps, Holy Empire, the War God Tribe, the 30 guilds under the Century Financial Group… Which wasn’t erected by a large financial group or gaming organisation? Which didn’t have a solid foundation before entering Conviction? None of them had to build up from scratch, only Asskickers United did! They had truly come from nothing. At the time of their founding, there were only Nie Yan, Tang Yao, Guo Huai, and a handful of others!

Nie Yan had taken advantage of his past life’s knowledge to seize opportunities everywhere, allowing Asskickers United to slowly rise up until they eventually became a whirlwind that swept through the entire Viridian Empire. If not for him, Asskickers United wouldn’t exist. If not for him opening the Starry Night Potion Shop, if not for him recruiting experts from all over to his side, if not for his brilliant strategies, the guild would’ve long since collapsed! Even now, after Asskickers United grew strong enough to compete for control of the entire Atlanta continent, he was still the de facto spiritual leader of the guild. No matter how large the guild grew, that would never change. Nie Yan had used his brilliance and charisma to thoroughly win over everyone’s recognition, and with his unrivalled strength, he had them awed and subdued.

Nie Yan’s wisdom was like the hand of god, guiding Asskickers United straight towards glory. It wasn’t strange everyone in the guild revered him like so.

Nie Yan’s cape fluttered in the wind; his mind stirred with a myriad of emotions. With a flick of his wrist, he swapped to Zennarde’s Sword. The flames burning fiercely around the blade perfectly mirrored the desire to do battle raging within his heart. As he looked down over the crowd, he resembled an awe-inspiring war god, causing everyone to hold their breath.

Nie Yan’s voice rang out with surging emotions,「Ever since Conviction first opened its server, I’ve fought tens of thousands of battles and experienced no less than a dozen wars. Wherever I go, my enemies flee in terror. Those I’ve crossed blades with include Masters from every class, expedition teams composed of thousands of players, and even the most powerful NPCs. But have I ever suffered defeat? No! I have single handedly crashed my way through Angel Corps’ Clemenci Stronghold and left without so much as a scratch. With Bladelight and several others, I’ve swept through Divine Guardian’s main stronghold, slaughtering thousands of their players before finally razing it to the ground. Gossipers on the forums have given me a nickname, they call me the Mad Rogue. When I first heard this name, I couldn’t help but smile. Honestly, I didn’t think it would stick.」

The crowd stirred with indescribable emotion. Not once suffering defeat, sweeping through all enemies in his path… Apart from Nie Yan, would anyone dare to boast such arrogant words? However, his achievements spoke for themselves, many of which could easily be found online in video format.

「Since the release of Conviction, I have founded Asskickers United and the Starry Night Potion Shop; I have defeated Victorious Return and numerous other guilds to unify the Viridian Empire; and I have gained my own dukedom in the Abernathy Great Grasslands and erected the capital of Okoron!」Nie Yan narrated his various achievements.

「We are at a critical juncture whereby the results of this war will decide who will rule over the Righteous Faction. Angel Corps was once an insurmountable foe, leaving us quaking in fear. Now, we stand on equal footing with them. This is our moment of glory, to crush all obstacles beneath our feet and unify the Atlanta continent! This glory does not belong solely to me, but also to each and every single one of you standing here before me!」Nie Yan stared into the eyes of the players in the crowd.

「Recall Conviction’s poem that I recited that day. Amid the mist before the dawn. By the last glow of the bonfire. Let God be my witness! As the first light shines and the moon and stars fall. As the embers fade and the darkness dissipates! The world shall transform in our wake! From this day forth, we stand as one! Bound are our paths! So to our souls! ‘Till our presence spans heaven and earth! For glory is our fate! I have no idea whether this world really has a god, but I know it’s a real as the one in reality. By your sides are brothers who have shared life and death with you, who have fought shoulder-to-shoulder with you in battle! This world might be virtual, but that doesn’t make it any less real! Maybe one day, you’ll tell your friends out there in the real world about how you accompanied Nirvana Flame in his campaign through the Viridian Empire and Satreen Empire; how you bravely fought with your fellow guild members in blood-soaked battlefields! Engrave this moment into your memories! Today, we will create yet another legend! For glory is our fate!」Nie Yan’s voice endowed to a hoarse cry, battering at the heartstrings of everyone here.

“FOR GLORY TO THE GUILD!”

“GLORY TO ASSKICKERS UNITED!!!”

…

The crowd of 50,000 bellowed out with deafening battle cries. The sound swept across the City of Sin, threatening to bring the whole place down.

The world-shaking sound startled the forces of Angel Corps. Many of the low rank flying mounts were even scared. Their ranks descended into chaos.

Soaring Angel had an unsightly expression on his face. Just what did Nie Yan say to cause such an impassioned reaction? Before every battle, he would also say a word or two to rouse his subordinates’ hearts. It usually evoked good responses, but never to that kind of effect.

Soaring Angel gradually realized the reason didn’t lay in his players, but rather himself as a leader. He could only bitterly accept the fact he couldn’t compare to Nirvana Flame. His face darkened. So what if you can say a few inspirational words? At the end of the day, strength rules over all! I’ve already prepared my trump card. So, you better wash your neck!

Fallen Angel already seized the initiative. Let’s not let it go to waste! Kill!」Bladelight said.

「Boss, let’s go win this war!」Summer Bug added.

Nie Yan glanced over at Fallen Angel’s side. Their troops were still operating the enormous Apocalypse Storm, using it to sweep through the forces of the Century Financial Group and Pantheon and forcing them to retreat. The kill count had broke through 4,000.

Bladelight was right. It was time to take action.

“BROTHERS! TODAY, WE KILL!”

Nie Yan’s words immediately spread out to every corner of the army. All the guild members stirred in excitement. They’d been eagerly waiting for this order. Like an erupting volcano, they rushed forth.

“KILL!”

“KILL!!!”

Their killing intent soared to the sky. 25 groups of several thousand flying mounts each charged toward the forces of Angel Corps like a soaring tide. The sky darkened. Leading the charge were the high rank flying mounts of Nie Yan and Xie Yao. The army of flying mounts looked like it would engulf everything in its path.

The spectators on the ground held their breath in awe.

Angel Corps descended into panic. They still hadn’t finished organizing their forces. Many group leaders were busy passing orders down the chain of command. Directing so many players truly wasn’t a simple matter.

Asskickers United’s chain of command was relatively easy and clear cut. Every group, be it comprised of Asskickers United players or of allies like Holy Empire or Radiant Sacred Flame, was commanded by a pillar of Asskickers United, like Bladelight or Smoke Stub. They had full authority. By comparison, Angel Corps’ chain of command was extremely complex. Apart from their main force, there were 30 auxiliary guilds both large and small, each with their own set of rules. When adding the 30 guilds under the Century Financial Group, it became even more complicated. That wasn’t the end, however, as there were still the 60 gaming organisations Cao Xu had recruited for this battle. Simply put, it was a mess. Getting everyone in order in a short time was impossible.

Asskickers United’s army was already closing in. It was too late to take up any sort of battle formation. Soaring Angel gritted his teeth.「Like I said before, today we’re going to wipe out every last enemy! All of you will be rewarded handsomely for every flying mount you kill, the higher the rank, the higher the reward. I, Soaring Angel, am a man of my word. Brothers, charge!」

After receiving Soaring Angel’s orders, Angel Corps’ 50,000 flying mounts charged forward to greet the forces of Asskickers United.

In an instant, the world was engulfed in the flames of battle.