Chapter 140-4: Strangle the Evil Spirits, Node Seeking Aid (4) |
On another side.
A group of players who mainly cultivated the Duskhaze Inherited soul activated the Extreme Speed trait, turning into black shadows that ran wild across the battlefield. A Bloodthirst Brand hovered above their heads. They specialized in siphoning blood everywhere to make up for the qi and blood loss from Extreme Speed, joy written across their faces.
There were also a clone high-speed miner group, a roaming-serpent spellcaster DPS group, a monster mount build, a Thunderburst rolling-ball bulldoze build, a domain lone-wolf build. After landing, they each began their performance in turn.
One of the most outrageous features of players is that you cannot analyze their ability traits based on outward appearance.
For example, with the Black Tide or the Swarm, different unit types can be distinguished intuitively by form.
But the hallmark of the player legion is their bizarre and varied gear.
Players who look frail and gaudy can charge back and forth across the battlefield.
Players who look like heavily armored tanks actually hide in the rear to toss fireballs, not daring to enter the main front.
Different builds have different tactical roles on the battlefield.
The point is, some stunt tactics can produce very strong performances.
For example, the spirit weapon formation build. After the spirit weapons gather, their strangling advance has astonishing lethality, and their efficiency at killing Evil Entities even surpasses that of many guild squads.
When the creative juices are fully used, players can always pull off many eye-opening maneuvers.
In stark contrast to the players’ joy was the Evil Spirit Rotbane’s mood at this time.
Three hours later.
Facing the continually advancing player legion, Rotbane kept directing the Black Tide to counterattack, yet could not halt the players’ advance.
Realizing that if this push continued, defeat was inevitable, Rotbane said in a deep voice at this moment:
“Evil Eye, at this rate we are doomed to lose. I need support from other nodes.”
“Hold on, contacting now.”
After giving this response, the purple-skinned Evil Eye relayed the need-for-support message to the king class auxiliary eye managing the Pale Continent region.
Seconds later, the purple-skinned Evil Eye received a reply from the king class auxiliary eye.
Having received the reply, the purple-skinned Evil Eye looked at the Evil Spirit Rotbane standing on the platform before him.
“The king class Evil Eye is assisting the Black Tide in direct combat against the Anti-Tide Legion and has no extra energy to supply for now. It is recommended to seek support from other nodes.”
“Hurry.”
The purple-skinned Evil Eye did not answer, and began establishing an information link with other nodes.
—
Emperor’s Mound Mountain Range, Abyss of Heaven Territory Node.
On the Evil Eye Tower platform shrouded by dense pitch-black mist, the Earthmind Evil Spirit was, for once, at ease.
Because for most of the day there had been no disgusting members of the player race coming to offend.
Although the Swarm was still rampaging, in the Earthmind Evil Spirit’s eyes, the Swarm’s threat was far inferior to that of the player race.
Fighting the Swarm at least allowed the Black Tide to absorb nutrients.
Though the amount taken in was small, it could bring a little assistance to the Black Tide’s development.
By contrast, the player race did not give a single hair.
Evil Entities killed by players could not feed back to the Black Tide, and this period of clashes had disgusted it to the extreme.
Rarely at ease, a smile surfaced on the Earthmind Evil Spirit’s face.
“Evil Eye, it seems the player race’s foundation is almost exhausted by us.”
The Evil Eye hovering behind it heard and opened its huge eye.
“I would not say so. From our contact during this period, it can be seen that the player race descends from an extraterritorial world in succession. Even if their foundation is gradually worn down, they should show a step-by-step decline. How could they suddenly all disappear at once? I have two guesses about this.”
“Speak.”
“The first guess is that the player race deems the Emperor’s Mound Mountain Range difficult to invade, chooses to give up, recalled the players who were preparing to land later, and decided to change their descent location.”
“The second guess is that the player race believes a staggered descent cannot defeat us, so they are amassing strength in the extraterritorial world to prepare for a one-time, large-scale descent… We need to guard against this possibility and be ready at all times for a brutal war to arrive.”
Hearing this, the Earthmind Evil Spirit said with slight helplessness.
“I prefer the first.”
“So do I.” the Evil Eye agreed.
Just then, the Evil Eye’s eyelid dipped slightly, and it said in a deep voice.
“Earthmind, I have received a message from another other node requesting support.”
“Support?”
“It is information from the newly descended Evil Spirit auxiliary eye at the Azure Star Sea Region node. They have encountered an invasion by swarms of player race members and are undergoing a fierce battle. At present the Evil Eye Tower is not yet fully formed. The nutrients released by absorbing and refining the core energy need time to be digested. The situation is not good.”
Upon hearing this, the Earthmind Evil Spirit was stunned for a moment, then asked curiously.
“How is the player race’s combat power over there?”
“According to the footage the node sent me, the invading player race is about the same strength as the player race we fought. It is very likely that the player race changed their descent location to the Azure Star Sea Region, which may also be why the player race in the Emperor’s Mound Mountain Range suddenly vanished.”
The Evil Eye paused, then spoke gravely.
“Earthmind, the request for help has come again. I need your answer.”
“No.”
“According to the king’s directives, other nodes must provide support to nodes that are engaged in combat. This is a regulation.”
“No.”
“Earthmind, you must understand the consequences of doing this. Your behavior violates the king’s regulations and will be severely punished. In serious cases you will become nourishment for the Black Tide.”
Hearing the Evil Eye’s warning, the Earthmind Evil Spirit fell into contemplation.
Mutual aid among Evil Spirits is a hallmark of the Black Tide, but ever since clashing with the player race, his craving for resources had reached a pathological state.
He understood deeply how passive it would be to confront the player race without sufficient resource supply.
If it had been when he first descended into this world, he would have agreed without hesitation to a support request, providing a portion of Black Tide energy to the embattled node.
But the current situation was that whether the player race had truly withdrawn remained unknown.
At such a time, sending tremendously important Black Tide energy to other nodes might cause him to be placed at a disadvantage once the player race returned.
In any case, he could not give up these resources.
But doing so carried the risk of violating Black Tide regulations.
“Evil Eye.”
“I am here.”
“Give me an idea. How do I refuse the support request without violating the regulations’ requirements?”
“Your thinking is very dangerous. As Black Tide warriors, we are a whole. When one prospers, all prosper. When one is harmed, all are harmed. Every warrior is a bit of energy in the Black Tide that sweeps through myriad worlds. It is precisely the convergence of countless of us that becomes the Black Tide cataclysm that brings fear to billions of lifeforms. Therefore our starting point should be the collective, not the gains or losses of an individual’s development.”
Hearing such a stern warning from the Evil Eye, the Earthmind Evil Spirit was taken aback.
The Evil Eye’s admonition suddenly made the Earthmind Evil Spirit realize how dangerous his thinking had become.
As the Evil Eye said, the Black Tide is a whole and never serves the growth of a single individual.
“I understand. It is my thinking that has gone wrong. I will immediately transfer one third of the resources to the Azure Star Sea Region to aid the newborn node’s battle.”
Just as the Earthmind Evil Spirit was ready to provide support, the hovering Evil Eye changed its tone.
“Wait. I sense that the Swarm’s current advance trajectory is very dangerous and could strike at us at any moment. I suggest we strike first.”
Hearing this, the Earthmind Evil Spirit was momentarily stunned.
He then switched his perception view toward the direction where the Swarm was rampaging and, after several successive jumps, found everything normal.
As he was about to ask in puzzlement, he suddenly realized something, turned, and cursed at the Evil Eye.
But the Evil Eye blinked innocently.
“I only provide a suggestion. The decision on how to execute it is in your hands.”
On hearing this, the Earthmind Evil Spirit’s expression froze, then he said solemnly.
“The Swarm is about to attack. To repel the incursion, mobilize the Emperor’s Mound Mountain Range’s resources and prepare for war.”
“Understood, Earthmind.” the Evil Eye blinked again.
“Reply to the Azure Star Sea Region node: the Emperor’s Mound Mountain Range node is engaged in battle and cannot supply any resources.”
“No problem.”
“By the way, send the footage of me commanding the Black Tide to fight the Swarm to the king class auxiliary eye… and delete all our conversation logs just now.”
“Deleting conversation logs does not comply with regulations and would arouse the king class auxiliary eye’s suspicion… but as a child of the Thirteenth Evil Eye, I have the authority to modify the feedback content of this segment of dialogue.”
Hearing that the Evil Eye was willing to take risks for him, the Earthmind Evil Spirit was somewhat moved, but still warned.
“Evil Eye, what you are doing now is very dangerous, daring to use authority to modify content for the sake of my growth.”
“No, I believe your thinking is more dangerous. But as your auxiliary eye, I will still wholeheartedly aid your growth, until together we climb to the summit of the world, or together we walk into death via war.”
Halfway through, the Evil Eye fell briefly silent, then continued.
“The third support request has arrived. The Evil Spirit Rotbane wishes to establish a mental link with you and hopes you will assist it in controlling the power of the Black Tide to fight the player race. After all, the relevant data on the player race was provided by our node, and Rotbane believes you can provide effective war guidance.”
Upon hearing this, the Earthmind Evil Spirit decisively directed the Black Tide to launch an attack toward the Swarm’s direction.
“Do you not see I am locked in fierce battle with the Swarm? I have no time to accept its link, nor resources to supply it. Tell it to apply to other nodes.”
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