With the north and south watchtowers gone, the eastern one was quickly brought down by the catapults.

  Without the tower's assistance, the area of effect for Kael’s [Phantom Barrage] shrank back to its original 15x15 yards, covering only a few dozen players at a time. His maximum range also reverted to Galeharrow’s standard forty yards. Seeing that Kael’s biggest threat was severely diminished, the players on the eastern front finally charged.

  “The tower’s down! Go, go, go!”

  “Get them!”

  “Kill Ullr!”

  “Time for some payback!”

  The players of Crimson Bloom were all defending the southern and northern gates, leaving only Kael and a contingent of NPCs to defend the east. The NPCs alone would be quickly overrun by the player onslaught. Kael had no choice but to stand at the eastern gate alone, a one-man firing squad against the horde.

  -7262

  -16422

  -25385

  Each damage number represented another fallen player. Even with [Phantom Barrage] on cooldown, Kael’s kill rate was terrifyingly high.

  Galeharrow’s innate [Splintering Arrow] effect had perfect synergy with his [Divine Archer · Pierce] talent. With a single normal attack, Kael’s arrow would split into three. Each of those three arrows would then pierce through its initial target to hit two more players behind it.

  In essence, one shot from Kael meant nine dead players. With an attack speed of about 0.8 seconds per shot, if he had enough space, he could kill the entire remaining army in about ten minutes.

  But reality was rarely so kind. The enemy players had a movement speed of over ten yards per second. Without the bandit NPCs to body-block them, they could close the forty-yard distance in under four seconds. As he fired, Kael prayed the NPCs would hold the line for as long as possible.

  The attackers understood this as well. They pushed forward with their five remaining boss-level NPCs, focusing all their power on tearing through the defenders’ front line to get to Kael. His splintering arrows chose their targets randomly, and the massive health pools of the enemy bosses soaked up many of the hits, further reducing his efficiency.

  The battlefield devolved into a brutal, grinding stalemate. NPCs and players on both sides were falling in droves.

  Crimson Bloom’s numbers were dwindling. Some of the girls had already died twice. Now on their last life, they didn't dare venture outside the fortress walls, falling back to their final defensive position: the main hall.

  The attackers' numbers had also been slashed, with less than two thousand remaining.

  In the faction channel, the girls of Crimson Bloom tried to keep their spirits up.

  “Hold on, girls!”

  “Just twenty more minutes!”

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “We’re going to win!”

  “For the Bloom! We’re not done yet!”

  “Let’s show them what we’re made of!”

  If things had continued on this trajectory, it seemed victory was within the Blackwind Brotherhood’s grasp. But the Archon had one last card to play, and it plunged the resolute defenders into despair.

  [Mass Holy Resurrection]!

  The Archon used his final ultimate ability. A blinding pillar of golden light descended from the heavens, and in an instant, more than four thousand dead players rose to their feet. Though newly revived, they still retained all three stacks of the Sunfire Bell’s buff. The buff was undispellable and persisted through death.

  Faced with an enemy force that had suddenly tripled in size, the girls who had been fighting tooth and nail felt their hearts sink. The will of the more fragile among them broke, and quiet sobs could be heard over the comms.

  “We can’t win…”

  “This is… this is so unfair…”

  “I don’t want to fight anymore.”

  “It’s too hard…”

  Soon after, the northern gate fell. The attacking players swarmed into the fortress, immediately moving to flank the other two gates and encircle Kael and Lila's teams. With no other choice, the eastern and southern defenders also retreated inside the main encampment.

  All three gates had been lost.

  “Ladies, don’t give up!” Lila shouted as she fell back, her voice trying to cut through the rising despair. “Fight to the end!”

  She was frantic. At this point, morale was more important than anything. As long as they held their weapons, they still had a chance. If they gave up, it was truly over.

  But what could she say to inspire them? Talk was cheap. She bit her lip, a fierce internal battle raging within her. It was a matter of pride, of stubbornness; she hated the idea of asking an outsider for help with her guild’s internal problems. But seeing the morale cratering around her, Lila finally relented.

  She opened her friends list and sent a private message to Kael.

  “Dawnbreaker, is there anything you can do?”

  The moment she sent it, a strange sense of relief washed over her. Deep down, she felt there was no problem this man couldn't solve.

  A reply came back almost instantly. It contained no text, only a single gesture emote.

  OK.

  What is he going to do? Lila wondered.

  Thirty seconds later, she had her answer.

  [System]: The player [Ullr] has upgraded the Thunderclap Drums!

  The buff effect has been enhanced: Strength, Constitution, Intelligence, and Agility are increased by an additional 600. Physical and Magic Defense are increased by an additional 1200. Skill effectiveness is increased by 60%.

  This was Kael’s solution. A brute-force solution, purchased with 2,100 points.

  Low morale? That was just a symptom of doubting your own strength. If every soldier became a demigod of war, what need was there for morale? What gives a lone hero the heart to face an army a thousand times their size? In the end, it all comes down to power.

  Empowered by the massive stat increase, the women of Crimson Bloom suddenly found that the enemy had gotten a lot weaker.

  “Hey, their attacks don’t hurt anymore!”

  “Me too! They can’t even break my defense!”

  “My heal just crit for over 3,000!”

  “Haha, my Inner Fire gives me 1500 armor now!”

  “My Meteor Shower kills them in two ticks and they can’t even interrupt it! Hahahahaha!”

  One after another, these excited messages flooded the chat, and the guild’s shattered morale instantly soared to its peak. These girls were already stronger than the average player. With this new surge of power, each of them became a boss-level threat.

  The attackers on the receiving end felt the shift most keenly.

  Magnus, who had just been resurrected, tossed a lightning bolt at one of the defenders and watched in disbelief as a two-digit number appeared over her head.

  -79

  “What the hell?” Magnus stared, incredulous. “How did these girls suddenly get so tanky?”

  He was the GL of Sovereign, decked out in gear from the Hidden Realm, one of the top mages in the entire game, and his spell couldn't even scratch a random defender?

  “Bullshit! This is impossible! Fucking game balance!” Magnus roared at the sky.

  “Hey!” Gorgon_Viper nudged him.

  Magnus turned. “What? You have a plan?”

  Viper didn't answer. He just pointed into the distance. Magnus followed his gaze and saw a high platform inside the fortress. On the platform was a frame holding a massive drum, guarded by five NPCs.

  Magnus instantly understood. He turned to his raid group.

  “Everyone, stop what you’re doing! Follow me! We’re destroying that damn drum!”