Chapter 803. Attack of White Death’s Force
It was impossible to mask the movement of 7,000 people. The landscape around the reinforcement army's camp was flatland. Hence, White Death didn't bother sneaking. Furthermore, the guild mobile platform that controlled the guild armies could not be relocated once it was activated. Deactivating it would unsummon the guild army and the one-week cooldown began. So, White Death didn't worry. Even if the seven guild leaders inside the camp saw White Death's force approaching, there was nothing they could do.
White Death, Manager Steelhand, The Real Man, and Regim stayed behind with a handful of players. They didn't think they needed to follow the others to kill a mere seven players. They also didn't activate their guild mobile platforms. They had suffered terrible losses on their guild army during the first battle. The army they had left was not enough to make a difference in the current ongoing battle near the fort. It was even less worth it to summon these guild armies for the seven guild leaders inside the camp.
"They truly come," Silverwing said.
"It is expected. It will be weird if they didn't exploit this chance," John said. "They have been cast aside by Therribus after that first battle. They just hover around like vultures. It is too easy predicting their move."
"You are a good tactician, Saint John," David said. "My boss asks if you are interested in doing consulting work for the Dogs of War? In exchange, we could give you a discount when your guild needs our service."
"I'm too busy," John replied. "By the way, Serpent Boss is here but why are you the one operating that platform?"
"He never likes the commanding role. He prefers fieldwork."
"Then why is he the guild leader?"
"Because we all ask him to. He didn't want the position but no one other than him had the charisma to bring us ex-soldiers together."
John nodded. "He will have his chance on that fieldwork soon."
*
It didn't take long for White Death's force to arrive at the edge of the reinforcement army's camp. They soon rushed inside, heading towards the center where the seven were located. As before, there was no sense of coordination. Just a bunch of players trying to compete to get to their prizes.
As they rushed by the thousands of tents scattered around the camp, they didn't notice some of the tents had their doors flapped open. Figures rushed out from these tents.
Before the players realized what happened, they were struck from all sides. They were startled at first, thinking that the comrades next to them had suddenly changed sides. Then they saw that the ones that hit them were not players, but natives.
"They are guild soldiers!" Someone uttered after using Inspect.
White Death heard the commotion inside the camp but didn't see the commotion directly. The landscape was flatland. Additionally, many tents and players were blocking the view. He immediately activated his own guild mobile platform, not to summon his guild army but to have a better look at the situation. As he did, he saw on the 3D map projection above his platform, many red dots pop out all around his army that had charged inside the camp.
The 3D map on the field was different than when it was used for defense inside one's guild territory. On the field, the enemy's dots only showed when a guild member made eye contact with the enemy. Otherwise, they remained hidden. Hence, John was not worried even if White Death and the others activated their guild mobile platforms before having their army charging into the camp, they still won't be aware of the hidden troops inside the tents.
Manager Steelhand turned to the distant army who was fighting near the fort. "Isn't their guild army over there?!" He said.
"They must have kept some behind. Damn those sneaky bastards!" White Death uttered.
With so many troops on the move, it was difficult to notice one section of the armies had 7,000 fewer troops. Additionally, these guild armies were mixed together in Jack's left-wing army, making it less obvious to estimate the exact number. John also purposefully sent their most eye-catching force, the five ice cannon tanks and the lava dragonet to lead the charge, creating the assumption that they had gone all out. Hence, White Death and the others didn't expect there were still some troops hiding in wait for them.
The guild army that John had hidden inside the tents numbered 7,000 troops, equal in size to White Death's force. But because White Death's force was caught in an ambush, they lost the initiative. The main number of the ambushing troops came from Everlasting Heavenly Legends, with other guilds filling up the number. John figured with an equal number, they should still be at an advantage considering their surprise element, native soldier's high HP, and the enemy's lack of formation. They couldn't spare too many, after all, the main battle at the fort required manpower as well.
It was as John had expected, White Death's force was thrown into chaos once the ambush was sprung. The units that shone the most were Everlasting Heavenly Legends' Blood Counts. During the last fight, it was daylight. Now, it was nighttime. These units' vampirical traits received a boost. They were like shadows sneaking through the enemy's rank claiming lives when they were least expected.
The Imperial Knights formed a protective formation that kept the enemies from reaching John and the others. Uruk led the Twilight Champions and the Squires rampaging from inside the enemy's rank. The Bandit Archers deftly climbed the tents and shot from up there. Mages threw their spells without restraint. The natives had higher HP than players, it was not a problem for a few friendly fires.
A bunch of the players were experts. These experts fared better during this chaotic situation. Even though they couldn't turn the tide, they fought hard to get to where John and the others were located. If they could kill those guild leaders and destroy their guild mobile platforms, then these troops would be automatically unsummoned.
One of these groups of experts was led by Goliath and Kruger. Kruger was a member of Jackal Crews. He was a level 48 Assassin. They were leading a ten-player squad as they tried to sneak to where enemy guild leaders were. Eight out of the ten were Jackal Crews' members. For players who were ex-military, they didn't find such a chaotic situation confusing. What frustrated them was why they had to work with such an uncoordinated army. If only the leadership of this army was handed to the Jackal Crews, things might have gone differently. But they were mercenaries. They were used to being told what to do instead of vying for the leadership position.
Lenny, who was killed by Domon during the invasion of Heavenly Citadel, was with this group. He was currently at level 32, the lowest in the bunch, but his expertise allowed him to join this war. There was one time another guild's player mocked him for his level. Lenny pinned the player to the ground using a grappling technique. While incapacitated, Lenny stabbed the player until his HP was critical. Lenny demanded the player beg for mercy. The player did, only for Lenny to still deliver the killing strike. No one in White Death's force dared to make fun of his low level anymore.
Still, although this Lenny was still as ruthless as before, he was not as arrogant. He was now wearing the Amulet of Rebirth. He wasn't cocky as before and thought of himself as being invincible.
The ten of them tried sneaking stealthily while everyone was fighting around them. The problem was Goliath, this guy was too large and too clumsy for a sneaking mission. Kruger sent a signal for his crew members to ditch this fellow once there was a chance.
The chance soon showed itself. Goliath's large frame was spotted by a bandit archer. He was soon bombarded with arrows as a couple of squires rushed over. Goliath didn't back down. He lunged at the two squires, fully expecting his squad to back him up. But as he clashed with the two, he was startled to find that only one player was backing him, the other eight had disappeared without a trace.
"Assholes!" He bellowed.
Kruger and the others were already away, keeping a low position to avoid detection. They were used to stealth operations, they should have no problem completing the mission by themselves. All they needed to do was get to those seven guild leaders at the center of the camp. They were taking a roundabout route because the straight route was blocked by those imperial knights.
Kruger looked back once in a while as they moved. "Hey! Where is Sonny?"
The other six looked back. There were only seven of them.
"Bollocks! How can he lose his way? He should be ready for an Alpha Charlie once we are back to base. Everyone, stay close!" Kruger commanded. They had no time to go look for that missing member. The mission took priority.
After another couple of minutes, Kruger looked back again and found out that they were only six now. "Bollocks! Am I leading a bunch of amateurs? Everyone, pair up. Pay attention to your teammate. Knock them hard if they move in the wrong direction."
They continued again. They were out of the hot zone now. There was less fighting where they were at. Kruger studied the situation and decided to go further and strike from the opposite position from where they first came from. That should catch the guild leaders unaware. They should have enough time to at least destroy the guild mobile platforms even if they couldn't kill those leaders.
As he looked back to give his group the signal to move again, he saw that there were only four of them.
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