Chapter 74: The Scales of Victory

Inside the castle, the air was thick with the smoke of battle.

James, leading over two hundred Group members, was locked in fierce combat with the players from The Brotherhood of Night Blades. Severed limbs and pieces of flesh were scattered everywhere, even some blood-stained organs, and the bloodstains had turned the floor a deep crimson.

"Damn it, I underestimated these people's strength…" James's armor was stained red, and his body was covered with wounds.

The reason The Brotherhood of Night Blades had managed to aggressively take over more than ten Groups in just a few days was not to be ignored.Their strength was formidable.

Although James and his team had launched a surprise night raid on The Brotherhood of Night Blades, gaining the upper hand by infiltrating the castle unexpectedly, the members of The Brotherhood quickly recovered from the shock, regrouped, and mounted a fierce counterattack.

"President! Many of our brothers have already fallen. If this continues…" a blood-soaked veteran player from James's Group approached him and said worriedly.

Looking around, the ground was littered with bodies, nearly forming a small hill. Both sides had suffered heavy casualties, with neither gaining any significant advantage.

"Shut up!" A glint of determination flashed in James's eyes. He glanced towards the central hall and said coldly, "We've come this far, we can't retreat now. Even if only one person remains, we must continue to fight!"

When two adversaries encounter each other on a narrow path, the braver one wins.

The battle had reached a fever pitch. At this stage, it was not only a test of skill but also a battle of nerves. Whichever side chose to retreat now would face total annihilation.

At this point, both the players of the Green Ivy Group and those of The Brotherhood of Night Blades had their eyes fixed on the central hall of the castle.

In the hall, Irving was engaged in a fierce battle with Duncan and his four chief elders. Blinding flashes of light made it impossible to look directly at the fight, with only the sound of explosions echoing through the hall.

The duel between the strongest of both sides would determine the final victory or defeat!

Below the hall, players from both camps could only silently pray that the scales of victory would tip in their favor…

Meanwhile.

The family Groups nearby, controlled by The Brotherhood of Night Blades, had also received Duncan's warning, instructing them to reach the castle for reinforcements as quickly as possible.

Upon receiving the warning, these Groups erupted into chaos.

Inside the Thunder Group.

Several key members of the Group were gathered, their faces grave as they discussed the situation.

"It's unbelievable that someone dared to attack The Brotherhood of Night Blades!" The Group's president, a middle-aged man, looked at the letter in his hand, his face filled with astonishment. He then asked, "Do we know which Group it is?"

The vice-president beside him shook his head, his tone complicated, "Not yet… but for them to have breached that castle, no matter which Group it is, their strength must be extraordinary."

"Don't delay any longer. The letter says we only have ten minutes. If we don't make it to the castle to reinforce them, The Brotherhood of Night Blades will definitely retaliate against us!" A small-statured player reminded, his eyes filled with fear.

"But... but if we do this, won't we become puppets of those bastards forever?"

"I'd rather face retaliation than continue to serve those bastards!"

"..."

A fierce argument erupted among the players within the Group. And it wasn't just within the Thunder Group.Other Groups controlled by The Brotherhood of Night Blades were also in heated discussions.

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The Group leader, seated at the head of the table, furrowed his brows, sighing and shaking his head intermittently, unable to make a decision. He looked at the other members of the Group. "Should we send reinforcements or not?"

An elderly man, nearing fifty, was the first to speak. "I believe this situation could be a turning point. If that Group manages to break through The Brotherhood of Night Blades' castle, we could seize the opportunity to rid ourselves of their control. But if they fail..."

A young man sitting nearby interrupted him. "Oh, shut up already. Time is running out. Are we going or not? Just give us a straight answer!"

"Fuck them!" Another burly man, with a giant axe slung over his shoulder, stood up and snapped, "Have you all gotten used to being their dogs? I'd rather face retaliation than continue to serve those bastards!"

The atmosphere plunged into silence.

After a long pause, the elderly man continued, "We need a foolproof plan, one that protects us without giving The Brotherhood of Night Blades any leverage, yet also gives us a chance to break free from their control."

At that moment, the Dream Group leader's eyes suddenly lit up, as if he'd come up with an idea.

...

Meanwhile

At a military base in the suburbs of the capital city.

Inside an office in the underground secure area, Anna and Aron sat in silence, both wearing grim expressions. The tension hung thick in the air.

Finally, Aron couldn't hold back any longer. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up, shouting, "We've already passed the agreed-upon time. They must have already started fighting. If we don't go now, it'll be too late!"

Seeing Anna still silent, the hot-tempered Aron could no longer contain his emotions. He picked up a cup and hurled it to the ground with force.

"I've already had people investigate. That Brotherhood of Night Blades has direct ties to the Night Blades. They might even be a subsidiary force sent to our country." Aron continued, his voice brimming with anger. "That kid was right the last time! This should have been handled by our Angel Guild, but now..."

"What good does it do to take your anger out on me?" Anna cut him off, her eyes also filled with fury. "Do you think I don't want to send reinforcements?"

Hearing this, Aron fell silent.

He could only channel all his pent-up rage into the wall beside him, landing a heavy punch that left a dent in the hard surface.

After hearing Irving's plan in the car, Aron had immediately returned to Anna's office, relayed the plan verbatim, and then they split up to take action.

Aron was responsible for selecting elite members from the Angel Guild and quickly forming a combat team.

Anna, on the other hand, reported the situation to the top leadership as quickly as possible.

She hadn't expected any problems, but after reporting, she waited over two hours without receiving a response.

She eventually called the higher-ups directly, only to find out that they were deeply divided over the operation and were still in a meeting to discuss it.

After another hour, Anna finally received a call back. When she saw the final decision made by the senior leadership, she felt as if she'd been doused with cold water.

The response was as follows: "Without any official complaints or relevant evidence from any Group, members of the Angel Guild will not be allowed to participate in this incident!"

In other words, the senior leadership had treated The Brotherhood of Night Blades as a regular Group in the game, and deemed Irving's actions as player disputes.

According to the rules, the Angel Guild, officially formed by the authorities, would not interfere in any player disputes unless national interests were at stake.

"This is fucking bullshit!" Aron had never felt so frustrated. As he punched the wall, he said, "If The Brotherhood of Night Blades didn't have support from foreign forces, would they dare to be so arrogant?"

"They even dare to openly kill people on the streets of our capital now. If we don't eradicate them now, they will only become more arrogant in the future!" Aron said.

Anna knew this all too well. She shook her head and let out a sigh, "An hour ago, I received a call from the security department. The leader they caught has committed suicide by poison."

Aron found this hard to believe, "Suicide by poison? Are the people from the security department incompetent? Didn't they search him before the interrogation? How could they let him die so easily,"

With the death of the leader, all the evidence was gone...

"I also think there's something strange about this." Anna said with a complex expression, then continued, "Well, it's no use discussing a dead person. We can only investigate it slowly later, the most crucial thing is what's happening right now."

After interacting with him for this period of time, she was clearer than anyone about Irving's importance.

A player who could casually provide thousands of pieces of equipment would be a key protection target in any country, under any force!

"I really don't know what the higher-ups are thinking..." Anna shook her head, but a subtle gleam flashed in her eyes.

"Alright." Aron didn't notice this, heaved a long sigh, "What other options do we have? Honestly, I'm very disappointed with the decision from above. Now, all we can do is hope he can survive this."

With that, Aron was about to turn around and leave.

Looking at his originally straight spine, which now seemed slightly stooped due to despair, Anna made up her mind at this moment and quickly stopped him, "Wait!"

She then said, "Now, I have a plan, one that does not violate the orders from above, and can also lend him a hand. It all depends if you dare to join me."

Aron paused mid-step, and when he heard what Anna had to say next, the sorrow on his face instantly disappeared.