Ten minutes before the start of the fourth wave, every territory owner participating in the event heard a voice from the sky.
[Do you want to participate in the next wave?]
Many territory owners who had barely saved their territories with varying degrees of loss immediately declined, unwilling to put their lands in further danger. Relief washed over their faces as they chose to preserve what remained of their domains.
However, many others looked forward to the next wave, eager to earn more riches and glory. Their vast armies stood ready, confident to prove their mettle in battle. For these owners, the prospect of more challenges was a call to arms they couldn’t ignore.
Some territories, unfortunately, had been decimated by the onslaught of monsters, reduced to dust and ruins. The crazed monsters had ravaged entire lands, leaving rivers of blood in their wake as they harvested countless lives.
The players, on the other hand, showed little concern for the losses faced by the territories. Their primary regret was losing places to get quests, necessitating the search for new opportunities elsewhere.
Drake, like the other territory owners who accepted the further challenge, also agreed to participate in the next wave. He noticed that after he accepted, all the monster corpses disappeared, save for those reserved for food. He mused that this was likely to make space for the upcoming monsters.
Drake stood at the forefront of his territory, observing his followers as they prepared for the next wave. The air was thick with anticipation, and the ground seemed to hum with the energy of those readying themselves for battle.
[Wave 4]
Starting from the fourth wave, the monsters didn't appear all at once but came in smaller, relentless surges. Over a hundred thousand Mortal monsters, accompanied by thousands of Veteran monsters, advanced in waves. Behind them, three rank 1, Extraordinary monsters waited, biding their time.
Other than Samantha and Maria, who were respectively the strongest and second strongest in the territory, everyone else joined the battle. Samantha and Maria stayed back to guard Drake and were prepared to intervene in any unexpected situations.
The rest of the defenders attacked the monsters directly, as the traps hastily assembled in a small area were insufficient to stop such a massive force. They decided to take matters into their own hands to defeat the monsters efficiently.
Explosions punctuated the air as they occasionally used explosives to decimate large swaths of monsters. The points spent to purchase these explosives were quickly recuperated by the points earned, resulting in massive profits.
Even though there were more than a hundred thousand monsters, they were no match for the more than a hundred Extraordinary defenders. Including the twins and the nineteen assassin squad members, there were eighty-two fox women, making a total of one hundred and three fighters.
No one held back. They fully unleashed their abilities, prioritizing the defeat of the monsters over the collection of low-level loot. The battlefield was a cacophony of clashes, roars, and explosions, a testament to the fierce resistance put up by Drake's forces.
Samantha and Maria remained vigilant, their eyes sharp and focused, ready to spring into action at the first sign of trouble. The tide of monsters seemed endless, but the defenders fought with relentless determination.
The air was thick with the scent of blood and smoke. The ground trembled with the force of the battle. Despite the overwhelming numbers, the defenders stood their ground, their skills and coordination turning the tide in their favor.
Drake watched his new followers in action properly for the first time. He knew about the twins' capabilities but was eager to see how the new ones would fare.
His eyes first fell on the two ice foxes. Wherever they went, the land was covered by a sheet of ice. Weaker monsters turned into ice sculptures upon contact and shattered, lifeless. The veteran monsters didn’t freeze entirely but their movements were slowed drastically, making them easy targets for the foxes' swords.
The three lightning foxes wrought havoc in different parts of the monster horde. Bolts of lightning crackled and struck, turning monsters into charred remains. The air was filled with the smell of ozone and burnt flesh, a testament to their destructive power.
The three wind foxes moved with an almost casual grace. They navigated through the chaos as if strolling through a serene garden. Wind blades sliced through the monsters, severing limbs and heads with precision. If a single blade wasn't enough, multiple attacks followed until the monsters lay in pieces. They harvested lives with methodical efficiency, leaving trails of dismembered corpses in their wake.
The normal foxes initially used their translucent yellow fox fires, incinerating Mortal monsters into ashes. Realizing the waste, they switched tactics. Instead of acting as mages, they fought as close combat warriors. Their punches and kicks, cloaked in flames, seared through monsters without burning them completely, preserving the bodies for potential loot.
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The reason they could freely use their magic without fear of exhaustion was the magic-restoring auxiliary potions they had purchased. Whenever they felt their magic depleting, they simply drank a potion to replenish their reserves.
As the clash continued, the sounds of the battle filled the air—the crackling of thunder, the whoosh of wind blades, the hissing of ice, and the roars of dying monsters. The ground beneath Drake’s feet trembled with the force of the combat, but he remained steady, observing his followers' prowess.
There were many flying monsters in that wave too. However, Yumi was no longer the only archer among Drake’s followers; the team now boasted more than ten archers. Among them were the three wind foxes, who, with their wind manipulation abilities, could greatly increase the damage of their arrows.
Each archer readied their bows and aimed for the skies. One arrow equaled one life. Exploding arrows were used against the large swarms of monsters that darkened the horizons. Each exploding arrow tore through massive numbers of those monsters, lighting up the sky with bursts of fiery destruction.
Drake watched as arrows rained down on the flying creatures, his heart swelling with pride. “Excellent,” he thought. “They’re performing perfectly.”
The assassin squad moved silently among the ground monsters, reaping lives with lethal precision. Their blades flashed in the dim light, and monsters fell before they even realized they were under attack. The assassins also provided crucial support to other fighters, eliminating monsters that threatened to overwhelm their comrades.
The air was filled with the sounds of arrows whistling through the air, the screeches of dying monsters, and the occasional thunderous explosion. The sky was a chaotic mix of movement and light as the defenders launched their relentless assault.
Drake observed the battlefield with a keen eye, noting the efficiency and coordination of his forces. “They’ve truly come together as a team,” he mused.
As the wave continued, the defenders held their ground, their confidence growing with each successful attack. The combined efforts of the archers and assassins were proving devastatingly effective against the monstrous horde.
With every arrow that found its mark and every silent strike that felled a monster, Drake felt more assured of their victory. His followers were not just surviving; they were dominating.
Drake then turned his attention to Zara, the time fox. Calling him impressed would be an understatement when he saw her fighting.
Zara moved gracefully among the monsters, her sword slicing through any that crossed her path. As an intermediate swordswoman with significantly increased agility and a minor boost in strength, the mortal monsters were easily cut down by her swift strikes.
As she felled another monster, she swiftly dodged the bladed arm of a huge mantis monster. The mantis suddenly froze, its body rigid like a statue. In that moment, Zara deftly removed its head.
Venturing deeper into the horde, Zara found herself surrounded by a pack of veteran wolf monsters. The alpha wolf, still a veteran but stronger than the others, watched her every move with keen eyes. At the alpha's signal, the wolves lunged at her from all directions, leaving her no space to dodge.
Zara didn’t panic; instead, she smirked. Suddenly, the world within a few meters of her slowed to a crawl. She impaled the throat of the wolf whose claw was inches from her face, turned and decapitated another wolf behind her, then moved forward and pierced the head of yet another wolf. She turned to the right and killed another wolf and then turned around and killed the last two wolf monsters attacking her. She killed each wolf in turn with precise, fluid motions.
Time returned to normal, and the alpha wolf blinked in disbelief. It had only seen a blur as Zara dispatched its packmates. Undeterred, Zara ran towards the alpha, killing any wolves in her path. The alpha tried to flee, but Zara was faster. She leaped gracefully onto its back and drove her sword through its skull, nailing it to the ground. Withdrawing her blade, she easily finished off the remaining wolves.
“Interesting, time freeze, slowing time for herself,” Drake mused aloud, watching her with admiration.
He then turned to look at Dawn.
Dawn moved among the monsters while cackling maniacally. A large area around her was shrouded in darkness. The monsters within it stumbled blindly, their movements sluggish as if the darkness were corroding them. In contrast, Dawn moved freely, her dark hair whipping around her as she cut down any monsters that hadn’t yet succumbed to the corrosive shadows.
Occasionally, she shot balls of darkness that exploded upon impact, sending shockwaves that further corroded the monsters caught in the blast. At other times, she conjured chains of darkness, binding the monsters. The chains inflicted immense pain, immobilizing and slowly horrifyingly killing the creatures.
Drake paused, watching her with a mix of awe and amusement. “Looks like she is having fun,” he remarked, a slight smile tugging at his lips.
Nearby, Ruby moved silently across the battlefield. Wherever she went, monsters rapidly lost all the blood in their bodies, collapsing lifelessly. The blood collected into a massive, multicolored sphere hovering behind her. The different types of monsters contributed to the varying colors, creating a mesmerizing, if gruesome, display.
Drops of blood would periodically separate from the sphere, shooting out like bullets to strike down monsters further away. The precision and efficiency of Ruby’s attacks were as deadly as they were mesmerizing.
The air was filled with the eerie sounds of Dawn’s maniacal laughter and the whooshing noise of Ruby’s blood projectiles. The battlefield was a chaotic symphony of darkness and blood.
The vast horde of monsters was decimated within half an hour, leaving only a few hundred Mortal monsters and the three Extraordinary monsters. These, too, faced defeat as they were no match for the many Extraordinary fighters eager to claim a piece of them. The Extraordinary monsters were either burnt to a crisp, turned into popsicles, or cut into multiple pieces.
Once the monsters were defeated, everyone began collecting the loot. Meanwhile, Samantha, accompanied by some fox women, ventured into the new fog zones. They returned half an hour later, deposited their findings, and left again with a few more followers. Twenty minutes later, they brought back all the items they found in the fog zones.
Time passed, and soon it was time for the next wave. As expected, Drake accepted the challenge. The fifth and sixth waves passed smoothly despite the increasing number of monsters. Each time a new wave started, any remaining monsters from before would disappear.
The fifth wave consisted of seventeen rank 1 Extraordinary monsters, and the sixth wave had forty rank 1 Extraordinary monsters. Drake’s followers handled these monsters with ease. The sixth wave also included a rank 2 Extraordinary monster as the boss, but it was swiftly defeated by Samantha before it could even launch an attack.
Twenty-four hours had passed since the event started. Drake and his followers took breaks between waves to conserve their energy for the increasingly difficult challenges ahead.
Soon, the voice from the sky asked if Drake wanted to participate in the next wave. He accepted once again without hesitation, ready to face whatever new challenges awaited them.