Sterl's expression tightened.
Previously, it was his side that had been oppressed, and he had acted decisively, relishing the dramatic effect.
But now, the Twilight Guild had become the oppressors.
Sterl recalled the information Sosia and Sonis had shared with him; the Twilight Guild had become the dream guild for players in the Hall of Valor.
Their powerful buff benefits had attracted numerous talented solo players.
Moreover, the original members that Sterl had recruited weren't exactly paragons of virtue; they were all exceptional talents, proud and ambitious.
It was only natural for them to clash with others over interests.
But Sterl felt a twinge of dissatisfaction.
This trip to hell had only strengthened his resolve:
To seize every opportunity that benefits him, without regrets.
If the stakes weren't too high, he would do whatever felt right!
Accumulating contributions didn't have a significant impact on him.
The real way to quickly obtain resources for guild upgrades wasn't through the tedious grind of boss farming, but by dismantling and assimilating other guilds.
At his core, Sterl still held the values instilled in him from his past life, which were far more noble than those of most characters in Transcendence/Swallowing Heaven.
Though he typically set those values aside and focused solely on profit.
Without hesitation, Sterl chose to intervene!
"You all..."
"You all..."
The players were incensed, glaring furiously at the Twilight members.
In front of the giant serpent's corpse, a burly man with a face full of flesh stepped up to the female knight, yanking off her helmet.
"What are you pretending for?"
"I see some talent in you, why don't you..."
A lecherous glint flashed in the burly man's eyes as he eyed the female knight's curvaceous figure.
"Serve me well, and I can secure a recommendation slot for you in our guild."
As soon as he said this, the female knight's gaze turned icy, her chest heaving with anger.
"Presumptuous!"
"You're asking for death!"
Many players behind the knight also changed their expressions, particularly some of the female players.
"Why should it be him? Am I not as good-looking as him?"
"Why not let me serve him and give me a chance to join the Twilight Guild!"
"Wait, are we really going to let our vice president be seduced like this?"
"Forget about him; even if it means serving an animal or a goblin, just give me a chance to join the Twilight Guild!"
"That's a free revival opportunity! Plus, future guild buffs could increase!"
...
They looked on with envy, wishing they could take her place, some even getting riled up.
Bang!
A dull thud resounded.
The burly man, who led the Twilight Guild, had been forcefully shoved into the ground, yet he was still alive; his energy had been completely dispersed, rendering him unable to fight back for the time being.
"After all, he's a member of my guild."
"Sosia and Sonis must have vetted him, and as long as he's useful, I don't care about his character."
Sterl thought to himself, standing in place with a peculiar expression.
The plot development had once again caught him off guard.
"Let's tie up this guy who dared to attack the Twilight Guild and let him vent their anger!
That way, we can at least secure our lives..."
Sterl found himself both amused and exasperated.
"Get lost!"
He roared, and with the enhancement of the Holy Spirit Bloodline, even a simple use of Divine Power created a shockwave that stirred up a storm!
Both sides felt as if they had crashed into a mountain!
The overwhelming mental pressure swept through them, crushing them like insects!
After a deafening roar, there were hardly any standing figures left on the battlefield.
Only the flying female knight from the Twilight Guild and a few players who bore no ill will toward Sterl remained, trembling in place...
They stared at Sterl, utterly bewildered, unable to comprehend what had just happened...
They simply looked at him with immense fear!
Who on earth was this person?
They hadn't even sensed him using a skill before being knocked out all at once!
This had to be... at least a perfect-level demigod?!
Sterl glanced at the members of his own guild; he certainly hadn't harmed them.
But to avoid raising suspicion, why only show mercy to the Twilight Guild? Was it because he had a connection with them, or was he afraid of them?
Sterl wanted to show off, of course, but he couldn't appear cowardly. Not wanting to expose his relationship with Twilight, he decided to let the group that had tried to ambush him go as well...
"Ahem."
Sterl slowly spoke.
"My lord, what do you wish to say?"
One player standing beside the female knight quickly approached with a smile.
At that moment, Sterl realized with a headache that he hadn't had a chance to say anything during his display of power.
"I..."
He had intended to say some words to set the scene, something like calling out injustice.
But suddenly, a demigod from the Twilight Guild stood up, gritting his teeth. He seemed to possess a special talent that allowed him to resist mental damage.
"You're finished!"
"Our Twilight Guild must not be provoked!"
"If you harm one of us, we will be at odds with you to the death!"
With that, a strange light shot from his hand into the sky.
In the distance, many players in the Hall of Valor, who were busy executing tasks, grinding monsters, or lounging in their estates, suddenly opened their eyes.
Many of them had reached demigod status.
At this moment, they quickly got up and donned capes emblazoned with the tattered World Tree emblem—Twilight Guild's uniform!
Before Sterl had established his own infamous reputation, many talented demigods had joined Twilight.
Under the allure of Sosia and Sonis's promises and their respect for the powerful figures behind Twilight, they were deeply loyal.
They believed that Twilight was the guild highly valued by that formidable figure who provided SSS-level materials! When something happened, they had to show their worth; who knows, they might catch the eye of that powerful being!
Before Sterl could say anything, a beam of teleportation light shone beside him.
Dozens of demigods, cloaked in Twilight Guild capes and wearing serious expressions, appeared, surrounding Sterl!
Simultaneously, more beams of teleportation light lit up, and in total, several dozen demigods appeared, all eyeing him menacingly.
"Whoever insults our guild..."
"Will die!"
One demigod whispered.
A chilling aura locked onto Sterl.
Sterl "..."