Chapter 257: 257: The Eight Sages
The wall, made from a mixture of mud and wood, immediately cracked open, a huge fissure forming as half of the wall collapsed. The orc soldiers on top were buried alive.
Upon seeing this, the half-orcs erupted into loud, invigorating roars, their spirits soaring.
Ninelra raised her battle claw high and looked up at the Dragon in the sky, her voice filled with fervor: "The Dragon God shall live forever!"
At this, Orson felt a sharp pang of jealousy.
These ignorant half-orcs... they really couldn't tell who was the true leader, could they?
Orson grit his teeth and vented his frustration by mercilessly pounding the Crimson Lizard King's head.
The Crimson Lizard King soared above Bloodaxe City, and below, the massive orcs poured in like a relentless tide.
Orson's gaze turned cold as he scanned the area, searching for his prey.
Experience more tales on My Virtual Library Empire
Suddenly, a player's voice rang out: "He's here!! Don't let him escape—trap him here!"
Orson raised an eyebrow and focused his attention. He saw that from every corner around Bloodaxe City, eight flags appeared, each adorned with the symbols of two-headed magical eagles, white tigers, and black serpentine dragons.
At the same time, countless Dark Dragon players materialized, surrounding him in a perfect encirclement.
The eight eerie battle flags waved, and eight beams of light from different magical barriers pressed toward him.
Seeing this, Orson's eyes gleamed with insight. "Huh... I thought that with Usher being kicked out of the Light Dragon faction, the Eight Sages wouldn't be able to gather. Seems I underestimated his ability to rally people."
In his previous life, the Eight Sages of the Dragon's Kiss Guild were no small players.
Usher had divided the US battle zone into eight regions, under the guise of rebuilding the order of the apocalyptic world. These eight so-called "Saints" ruled the lives and deaths of those under their domain, and no one dared defy them. They were utterly ruthless.
Although the Eight Sages entered the game relatively late, the resources in their hands far surpassed that of normal players. Each one started with an extremely high-level profession—at least S-class. Now, three of them had already entered the global top 100 leaderboards.
"Orgod, how dare you make trouble in Bloodaxe City? You've got quite the nerve!"
A massive man, riding a stag-like war beast with eight exaggerated horns, let out a loud, manic laugh.
"CrimsonTiger," Orson murmured.
This man, known as the Saint of Slaughter, was a sadistic and bloodthirsty maniac. He once led a bloody massacre of several trial guilds over a powerful holy artifact, and no one dared to retaliate.
EclipseRider, a man in white robes, his elegant bearing in stark contrast to his level of just 30, spoke next: "I'll see what kind of storm you can stir under my sword, Orgod!"
Although his level was low, his awakening to the S-class profession Celestial Swordmaster had propelled him into the top ranks, and with his legendary gear and Epic Rank Human Soul Seal, he was already in the global leaderboards' top 100.
"Claiming to be a US sword master, but in reality, you're just a pro at group fights," Orson muttered with a shake of his head.
"Within the Demon God Formation, everything shall perish. Orgod, you owe the SSR guild an apology," a man in a grey robe, with a purple-gold star crown, spoke out. The flags shimmered and glowed with an intense light.
Orson's eyes narrowed. Of all these people, the mage was the most unpredictable.
"An apology to SSR?" Orson responded with a smile. "That's a new one."
"The dissolution of SSR guild is no small matter, and you are the culprit," the grey-robed mage declared grimly. "It's a major loss for US e-sports, you're a sinner."
Orson smiled lightly. The dissolution of SSR didn't surprise him—it was merely karma.
The grey-robed mage, TitanBreaker, was well known in the past. He was rumored to have single-handedly destroyed a city, starting a cascade of events where almost every major faction had been compelled to train forbidden magic users.
However, few could actually wield the power of SS-class spells effectively.
Orson also recognized the flags with barriers—these were exclusive to the Infinite Dimensions guild and could only be purchased with reputation and gold in the world shop. The cost was astronomical, and their effects were formidable.
"Kill him! Think you're invincible? We'll leave you here today!"
"Within the Demon God Formation, no High-level Dragon can escape—your fate is sealed!"
The eight major guild players grinned, pleased at the thought that Orgod had walked into their trap. The flags' powerful barriers gave them the upper hand in all major Dark Dragon faction dungeons and forbidden zones.
Each of the eight flags' barriers could stack with others. Once fully formed, the Demon God Formation would impose eight powerful effects on the target: weakened attack power, reduced defense, restricted flight, and prevented escape, among others.
The barrier expanded over a large area, so even a boss with Body Domination would struggle to escape.
The flags fluttered in the air, their totems glowing menacingly, summoning eerie, monstrous shadows to form a web of demonic light descending toward Orson.
"Attack power reduced by 60%."
Orson's eyelids twitched as the black light from the Crimson Lizard King's scales dimmed, its output significantly reduced. At the same time, the shadow of a dark turtle appeared, enlarging quickly, and reflecting the remnants of the Doom Dragon Breath back to the ground.
Clearly, the turtle flag had a rebound effect.
Indeed, when faced with absolute financial power, even the strongest individual player couldn't make much of a difference!
EclipseRider's eyes gleamed with greed as he stared at the Crimson Lizard King. "I could spare your life, but your war beast stays. I'll also compensate you with a million gold. What do you say?"
The beast had over a billion health and had even swallowed lower-tier dragons. To EclipseRider, this creature was far more valuable than killing Orgod.
The other Seven Sages frowned at this. If EclipseRider obtained the beast, the balance of power among them would be shattered. However, they couldn't openly oppose him at this moment.
Orson laughed mockingly, his eyes cold, radiating an aura that silenced the crowd. "You think you have the right to make deals with me?"
EclipseRider's face reddened with fury. "Do you really think you're the king of Infinite Dimensions?!"
"No," Orson said smoothly, "Let me correct you—among your kind, I am a true god."
TitanBreaker and the others froze. A chilling mist spread around Orson's body. His eyes slightly widened, as if a god of ice had descended. He sneered, "Ice Prison Ring!"
Maximum power!
The air crackled as endless ice fog unfurled like a crystalline tapestry in the sky.
In an instant, every orc in the vicinity froze in place, becoming statues of ice. The once loud, rowdy eight guild players fell silent and were locked in place, frozen in time.
For a ten-kilometer radius, there was absolute silence!
The once lively Bloodaxe City had, in the blink of an eye, turned into a dead city!
"Even from five kilometers away, we're still affected?" EclipseRider stammered, quickly downing an ice resistance potion to alleviate the effect.
"I knew it… You all got too close," Ivy murmured, her face pale, surrounded by ice crystals, already prepared with countermeasures against the freezing effects.
Skyslasher's expression darkened as he saw the scene unfold. "Retreat! Pull back to at least ten kilometers! Let the orcs wear him and his war beast down."
But the eight guild leaders, with their lofty pride, didn't even glance at Skyslasher. To them, retreating in front of a mere player was a huge disgrace.
"Everyone, take your potions! Trap him, and wait for Usher to come and finish him off!" CrimsonTiger commanded.
EclipseRider smirked. "Such a large-scale ice aura… no matter how much mana he has, it will run out eventually. I've got plenty of potions."
The eight flags gathered, forming a tightening celestial prison.
"He has spatial items. Don't let him escape!" Skyslasher warned again.
TitanBreaker shook his head. "The barrier is closing, spatial items will become useless. He won't get away."
"Is that so?"
A cold voice echoed through the shadows of the demon beast formations, and TitanBreaker's eyes narrowed in unease.
"Release the jailers."
Orson whispered calmly, raising the Heavenly Fire Staff. Several space vortexes appeared, and four hundred grotesque jailers leaped out with a roar.
Under Orson's control, they formed a human wall, climbing up the gap where the barrier was closing, blocking the formation's collapse!
"Guild-paid items are useful, but they're only effective against enemy players—magic summons are not included," Orson said coldly, his words far more shocking than his Ice Prison Ring.
The Mirror of Folding appeared in an instant, and the next moment, Orson had already teleported outside the barrier.