When the stats of the Holy Dragon appeared, the entire channel fell silent.
It was undeniably powerful.
Absurd attack and defense, a full 1000 HP, terrifying speed—
If such a monster appeared on the battlefield, it would be a massive advantage no matter how you looked at it.
[Sushang]: One point for ten Holy Dragons… If we buy fifty, wouldn't we be invincible?
[Silver Wolf]: I don't think so.
[Guinaifen]: How not? Fifty Holy Dragons still can't beat Hu Tao?
[Herta]: Very possible.
[Ruan Mei]: Don't buy the Holy Dragons. It's a trap.
[Jade]: A trap???
[Ruan Mei]: The Stronghold faction has a Tier-5 unit called the Behemoth. It has a skill that reduces unit count, not HP.
[Silver Wolf]: So… fifty Holy Dragons get wiped by one skill?
[Ruan Mei]: Exactly. Once Holy Dragons appear, the enemy will absolutely try to counter them with Behemoths.
[Herta]: That's a disgustingly unreasonable mechanic…
Everyone was stunned.
So there really were skills designed specifically to hard-counter high-tier units.
Top-tier troops were already rare and insanely expensive—
Getting deleted by a single Behemoth skill would make anyone cry blood.
[Jing Yuan]: Which means… we really only have one path left.
[Asta]: Do we really have to buy Angel Alliance? It's so expensive… We only have thirteen points total.
[Herta]: Expensive or not, we have to buy it. If we lose, points are meaningless anyway.
[Serval]: Still feels bad… What if there's another solution?
[Topaz]: Decide quickly. I only have ten minutes here. After that, I'll be force-teleported out.
[Feixiao]: Only ten minutes? Then vote. I vote yes.
[Yanqing]: Yes.
[Herta]: Same.
In an instant, the majority voted in favor.
A few still opposed, but with the numbers against them, there was nothing more to say.
[Topaz]: Then… I'll buy it.
[Herta]: Do it. Don't hesitate.
With the decision made, Topaz turned toward Valerius.
"I want to purchase Angel Alliance."
"Alright."
Valerius nodded calmly, then produced a large pile of artifacts and handed them to her.
"As long as you equip all of these, they'll combine into Angel Alliance."
"I'll try it."
Even though she knew the item wouldn't ultimately belong to her, Topaz couldn't resist testing it.
The moment she equipped the artifacts—
Her stats skyrocketed.
"Whoa… this is insane."
She had expected a big boost, but not this big.
All four attributes increased by 21 points, and she gained an additional effect:
Before battle, all allied units automatically received Advanced Prayer.
Which meant—
On top of the base increase, all troops gained another +8 to their stats.
At this moment, Topaz felt that as long as she had any troops at all, she could chase Hu Tao all over the map.
With stats like these, even Tier-1 units would outperform Tier-7 elites.
What threat were skeletons, really?
"Excellent. I'm very satisfied."
"As long as you like it."
Valerius smiled noncommittally.
You are strong right now…
But did you forget something?
They can come here too.
He glanced at the remaining combination artifacts.
There was still Cursed Armor left.
Valerius didn't even want to imagine what would happen if Hu Tao got her hands on that.
"Mr. Valerius, I'll be heading back now."
Holding this thing felt dangerous.
Topaz wanted it out of her hands as soon as possible.
"Alright. Safe travels."
Stepping through the portal, Topaz immediately scanned her surroundings.
Seeing that Hu Tao was gone, she finally let out a sigh of relief and sprinted in the opposite direction.
On another hill.
Hu Tao spotted Paimon from far away.
But Paimon was just standing there, unmoving.
"What's wrong with her?"
Hu Tao found it strange.
Hadn't she just heard Paimon eliminated someone? Why was she frozen in place?
Riding closer, Hu Tao saw it clearly.
One hand on her hip.
One finger pointing proudly at the sky.
Chin raised high.
A smug grin plastered across her face.
"Paimon, what are you doing?"
Hearing the voice, Paimon slowly turned her gaze.
"Oh. It's Hu Tao. Nothing serious—
I merely eliminated an enemy earlier. Rather dull, really."
Pfft—!
Hu Tao almost spit blood.
Why are you suddenly acting like a final boss?!
Eliminating one player isn't a big deal—I've eliminated plenty.
Did you see me putting on airs?!
"Let's go. I'll escort you back."
After what happened earlier, Hu Tao decided it was safer to send Paimon home first.
At this rate, with her ego inflating like this, she was bound to get ambushed.
"Already going back? Very well… I shall spare those players, then."
"Enough. Move.
Or I'll leave you here alone."
Hu Tao shot her a sideways glance.
Try posing again—I dare you.
"…Alright, alright."
Paimon instantly dropped the act.
If Hu Tao really ditched her here alone, she'd probably die without even knowing how.
Fortunately, they had already cleared the route earlier.
No need to waste time clearing paths—just head straight back to base.
Near the border between the two factions.
Yae Miko and Raiden Ei hid behind a tree, quietly observing a figure in the distance.
"That person… looks like Bronya."
"Hard to tell clearly… but it's probably her."
"So what now? Charge her?"
If they'd spotted an enemy, Raiden Ei's instinct was simple—kill first, ask questions later.
"Are you stupid?"
"Just the two of us charging in—do you want to die?"
That annoyed Ei.
"You're saying I can't beat her?"
"…Can you?"
Yae Miko rolled her eyes.
Look at her army.
Look at yours.
"I don't believe it."
Despite Bronya's terrifying record, Ei felt her own forces were pretty decent.
With Miko's help, losing felt impossible.
"Heh."
Miko ignored her and opened the chat instead.
[Yae Miko]: Paimon, are you back yet?
[Paimon]: Yup! I wanted to eliminate a few more players, but Hu Tao wouldn't let me.
[Yae Miko]: I see. Which route are you taking?
[Hu Tao]: Lower-middle area of the map. Why?
[Yae Miko]: Bronya is lying in ambush there. Be careful.
[Hu Tao]: Ambushing me?
Hu Tao blinked.
Someone dared to ambush her?
Then it clicked.
"They're not after me… they're after you."
Hu Tao turned to Paimon.
"Paimon, be careful. Bronya is coming for you."
"T-T-Truly?!"
Paimon instantly shrank.
Bullying underdeveloped players was one thing—
Running into Bronya was another story entirely.
"She's probably after the treasures you're carrying."
"T-Then take them! I don't want them anymore!"
Hu Tao: "..."
Why are you THIS scared?!
I'm literally right here!
"Ah—got it."
Suddenly, Hu Tao's eyes lit up.
A brilliant plan formed.
She grabbed Paimon and whispered rapidly into her ear.
"Will this really work…? You won't betray me, right?"
"Of course not."
"Hmmm~~~~~"
Paimon crossed her arms, thinking hard.
It was risky.
But—
If it worked…
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
She slapped her tiny hand against her palm.
"…Let's do it."
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