"Too many zombies!"
"We need support here!"
Noticing the situation, Liam hastily turned his ballista around. After the lengthy reloading process, he began shooting in the direction of Venuoav. As he killed more of the blue-famed zombies the crowd was thinned out but now the zombies in other directions faced less suppression.
Thus, Liam had to constantly switch targets, keeping a delicate balance. He ordered the ranged players to follow the same pattern, focusing their attacks where the situation was the most dire.
The ranged players worked up quite the sweat but for a while the situation was stabilized. However, Liam knew that they couldn't continue like this for a long time. He swiftly made another decision:
[Bleary Mirage: All melee players! Leave the stronghold! Only 100 of you stay back!]
"Haha, finally!"
"Let's go!"
Cheers rang out as the idle players were finally allowed to throw themselves against the zombie hordes. So far Liam had always held most melee players back. They were to switch with the players outside whenever the latter were low on HP. But now that the guild war was approaching its final moments, Liam threw caution to the wind. Now was not the time to care for possible casualties.
Yet Liam still held one hundred players back to defend the statue. They had reluctant gazes as they watched their comrades leave through the gates.
The might of the newcomers quickly pushed back the zombies on all sides. The common zombies were slaughtered by the powerful players. Only the blue-flame zombies caused some trouble. Especially their explosions soon caused more casualties before the players got used to escaping in time.
For a while Dream Avenue got the situation under control. Their points began to skyrocket. But Venuoav put a lot of pressure on the players facing her directly. Soon, her HP approached the 500.000 mark, and the Dark Bride seethed in anger.
"No! No! You are just like them! Die!"
Suddenly the boss disappeared from everyone's view. The light seemed to dim by another level. An extremely tense atmosphere engulfed the battlefield.
"Where is she? What should we do?"
"Keep your eyes open guys!"
"Attack the zombies! Don't slack off!"
Quickstep was also fighting outside the stronghold. She stormed left and right, cutting down zombies with her two blades. Suddenly her instincts warned her of a great danger. The fine hairs all over her body stood up. Without thinking she instantly threw her body to the ground.
The experienced warrior acted just in time. The next moment the blue flames burning in the eyes of a zombie next to her erupted, shooting towards the sky. They took the form of a large scythe and swung in a large arc. Many players were hit, suffering terrible damage. The tanks and healers had to work overtime to reduce the casualties as much as possible.
Multiple locations witnessed the same scene. The blue flames unleashed brutal attacks, threatening the players. Immediately everyone kept their distance from the zombies. However, the undead monsters wouldn't allow the players to escape that easily. With every step Dream Avenue retreated, the zombies would advance.
Liam watched the scene and reprimanded his guild members. They were losing the ground they had just won. If the zombies pushed the players back, they would soon end up with their backs literally against the wall and then the situation would become perilous.
[Bleary Mirage: Don't run away from them! Dodge! It's not that difficult!]
Liam's words immediately proved effective. The players gritted their teeth and kept their eyes open for the blue flames around them. When flames surged out of the eyes of one zombie, the players quickly ducked without retreating. The flame scythes passed above their heads without dealing much damage.
Of course, not everyone managed to evade in time. Often the other zombies also kept attacking the ducking players. Thus, the guild still took damage, but the overall situation improved, nonetheless.
The situation went on for thirty more seconds when the battlefield regained some of its illumination. The attacks stopped and the players were granted a brief respite. Everyone took a few deep breaths, but their wary eyes remained on the zombies. They watched as all the blue flames left the zombies, who instantly fell to the ground as lifeless husks. Meanwhile the blue flames raced to the sky, concentrating on one point, creating a small blue sun. But instead of the comfortable heat it spread an icy cold.
Spinning and churning the sun suddenly turned into many small fireballs circling around Venuoav who got revealed at the centre. The Dark Bride stared down at the players, sparks of blue flames burning at the edges of her long, black robe.
[Bleary Mirage: Melee players, keep the zombies away from the stronghold! Ranged players, attack the boss!]
Instantly a shift went through the guild as Liam's orders were executed without fail. All kinds of projectiles shot towards Venuoav who kindly didn't float out of range of the ranged players.
"Finally, we can fight the boss! Let's go!"
Cyclone was quite eager. She was already numb after firing at the zombies throughout the guild war. Her cast had just finished, and she swung her wand. A crackling rope of lightning shot towards the sky, binding Venuoav's waist, connecting her to Cyclone. Shocking energy travelled along the rope, surging into Venuoav's body. Her skeletal face didn't show much expression but the fire burning in her eyes jumped eerily.
[-283!]
A few sparks flickered over the surface of the world boss's robe. Cyclone's eyes lit up with hope of paralyzing the Dark Bride. But Venuoav quickly shattered the hope as she turned around, staring at Cyclone with her burning eye sockets.
"Oh no! The boss has gotten rid of the aggro!"
"Protect the guild leaders!"
Venuoav's skeletal face radiated a freezing cold as she pointed towards Cyclone with a single finger. Instantly one of the flaming balls surrounding her leaped out of the circle, shooting towards the ground.
[Bleary Mirage: Cyclone! Buy a small-scale defensive spell!]
When the world boss began to move, Liam instantly reacted, warning his guild leader. Cyclone didn't dare to hesitate. The guild has saved up on more than two thousand points. It didn't hurt Cyclone to buy a small scroll worth fifty points. As soon as it appeared in her hand, she unfurled the scroll and activated the spell.
In no time at all a thick layer of rocks floated in the air above Cyclone, protecting the tower she was standing on in its shadow.
Boom!
The ball of blue flames crashed into the rock shield. A heavy explosion rocked the surroundings. The shield was shattered and small rocks rained down on the players. When the dust settled Cyclone looked back up and noticed a hole of at least three metres in the shield. She could only shudder imagining what would have happened if the flames landed on the tower.
Surprisingly Venuoav didn't continue her attack. Instead, she slowly came back to the ground. As she descended, the circle of flaming balls surrounding her expanded. Soon, the flames orbited around Venuoav in a distance of multiple metres. Now there were big gaps between the flames, enough for someone to cross the dangerous ring if they were quick enough.
Still under constant bombardment by the ranged players Venuoav landed among the zombies. Multiple undead were touched by the blue flames and burnt to ashes. The players shivered seeing this scene. As Venuoav began moving towards the stronghold the melee players showed signs of retreating until someone brought up the courage to face the challenge.
Gnetic watched Venuoav coming closer. He took a deep breath, closely observing the flames. One passed right in front of his face. But instead of retreating Gnetic suddenly jumped forward. He slipped through a gap between the flames, now reaching the safer area close to the world boss.
"Guys, watch! Gnetic made it!"
"Right, what are we afraid of? Let's go! Attack the boss!"
With someone taking the lead the others also brought up the courage. The players passed the dangerous flames and were free to attack Venuoav. They blocked the world boss, stopping her from advancing. This was quite important as the circling flames were soon about to reach the stronghold. The walls were not thick enough to hold on under the explosions of the flames.
For a while Dream Avenue was under little pressure. Without the enhancement brought by the blue flames, the zombies were less of a threat and were slowly pushed back. Even the Dark Bride couldn't advance and suffered from constant attacks. Her HP were reduced at a steady pace. Although it was a bit slower than earlier, this was a worthwhile trade-off for the guild.
"450.000HP! We got this!"
"Slow and steady wins the race!"
While Dream Avenue advanced through the fifteenth challenge, the others could only watch with solemn faces. However, finally Mountain Lord noticed something. The number of zombies appearing on their side increased as well. The guild leader felt inwardly relieved realizing that it was time for his guild to enter the last challenge as well.