A unified Azure Prime was a nightmare to crack. But crack it from the inside, sow a few fractures, and the whole realm would fall like a house of cards.
It made sense for a faction like The Crimson Vow to hunt other classes. Racking up their Kill Count brought massive, bloody payouts. But what Ash Valor couldn't wrap his head around was why they would willingly stand against the entirety of Azure Prime. If the realm collapsed, the members of The Crimson Vow would burn in the same ashes. No one wanted to die. It defied all logic.
Unless they weren't players anymore. Unless The Crimson Vow was a sleeper cell, a ticking landmine planted by the Abyssal invaders in the heart of humanity.
There’s still something missing. Some piece of the puzzle I don’t have.
Ash shook his head, clearing his mind of the conspiracy. There was no time to play detective. The crisis wasn't over. If he and Dusk Whitmore fell today, The Crimson Vow’s treasonous announcement would shatter what little morale Azure Prime had left.
The thought left a foul taste in his mouth.
Only slaying a few Voidlords would clean his palate.
Ever since the lord of Grimwind Fortress had fallen, Ash had been waiting, bow drawn, eyes scanning the horizon. The moment a new Voidlord stepped into his range, he would send them straight to the grave.
"Strange," Ash muttered, his fingers twitching on his bowstring. "Why hasn't a new Voidlord spawned yet?"
"It’s only been ten minutes," Dusk Whitmore rumbled from beneath him, his massive tiger shoulders shifting. "Patience."
"Exactly! Ten whole minutes!" Ash retorted. "We've been at this for ten minutes and not a single Death Strike has triggered? Dusk, something is seriously wrong here."
With Ash's blistering Attack Speed, the battlefield was a storm of damage numbers. By all rights, the instant-kill probability of Death Strike should have triggered multiple times over.
"Maybe our luck is just running dry," Dusk murmured, though even he didn't sound convinced.
Deep within a pocket dimension, shrouded in absolute darkness, a black stone idol stared silently in Ash’s direction. The statue was perfectly still, yet phantom damage numbers continuously flickered across its stone flesh.
[-1]
[-2]
Every point of damage mirrored the slow, agonizing decay of the Prime Citadel's health bar.
"You slew another of my Voidlords, squandering a fortune in my resources," a voice grated from the shadows. The statue’s stone jaw didn't move, but the psychic projection dripped with venomous hatred. "Well played, insect."
The unseen entity scrutinized Ash's form. "He looks utterly unremarkable. Average, even. No wonder he slipped through our net. Evan Valor survived through sheer cunning and paranoia, but you... you got by on pure luck. Too bad luck always runs out."
The entity cast a brief, dismissive glance at Dusk Whitmore, then closed its spiritual eyes, losing interest entirely.
On the battlefield, Ash had been pouring relentless firepower into the Spatial Conduit and the Prime Citadel for over thirty minutes. The air hummed with the friction of his arrows, but the stone remained stubbornly intact.
"Unbelievable," Ash growled, his shoulders burning. "Is my luck really this trash today?"
Death Strike should have shattered this place ten times by now.
Dusk let out a heavy sigh, as if he had already accepted their fate. "We did what we could, Ash. Whatever happens next, we face it. I’ve spent my life on the battlefield. I never expected to draw my last breath alongside you."
"Hey, shut your mouth. Don't go writing our obituaries yet," Ash snapped. "I only accept victory. Failure isn't on the menu."
Yet, despite his bravado, Ash could feel the cold dread creeping in. They were out of options. If they couldn't bring the Citadel down, they weren't escaping this place alive.
Over the guild channel, Orion’s voice crackled with tight anxiety. "Ash, if the fortress won't fall, pull back! It's a Prime Citadel. Retreating isn't a disgrace."
"There is no retreat," Ash said, his voice dropping into a rare, hard edge. "We bring it down today, or we die trying."
In the distance, Wolfking Galehorn was fighting like a demon possessed, throwing occasional, desperate glances toward Grimwind Fortress. Far away on the ramparts of Peerless City, Evan Valor stared at his timer, his knuckles white. The powerhouses of Azure Prime were losing faith, and Ash’s own anxiety was reaching a boiling point.
Suddenly, the black idol in the pocket dimension snapped its eyes open. Fear, raw and cold, pierced its ancient gaze.
"Crimson Gaze, what did you just say?" the entity hissed into the psychic void. "His Death Strike... can target entities of a higher Plane? Don't lie to me! That is fundamentally impossible!"
"Why in the goddamn hell didn't you tell me this sooner?!"
"The ancestor just confirmed it," Crimson Gaze’s frantic voice echoed back. "Just be careful!"
"Be careful? How the fuck does being careful help me now?!"
The entity looked at Ash again, but the arrogance was gone. The mortal enveloped in divine light no longer looked like an insect. He looked like a god of ruin.
"What do we do?"
"Maybe the intelligence is wrong. It's been forty minutes and his Death Strike hasn't triggered. Yes, it has to be a mistake!"
"If I had known, I would have activated the Ward before he ever got close! Dammit, I don't even have the resources left to channel an invincibility Ward!"
"I don't believe it. He’s a Level 1 Plane trash. How could he possibly possess such a power?"
Right at that moment, a massive, blood-red, bolded string of numbers erupted over the Spatial Conduit.
[-9,999,999...]
The fabric of reality tore open. The space above the fortress buckled and collapsed in on itself, and the invading monsters caught mid-transit were instantly shredded into bloody mist by the raw fury of planar gravity.
The black sun in the sky shattered, and brilliant, natural light flooded the battlefield.
Astride the white tiger, Ash threw his head back and laughed, the sound echoing across the canyon.
[System Announcement: Player Ash Valor has successfully destroyed the Grimwind Fortress Spatial Conduit. For his monumental contribution, all players of Azure Prime receive +100 to All Stats. All players of Wolfcrag receive +500 to All Stats.]
[Guild Member Bonus: All Stats +1,000, War Merit +100.]
[You have completed the War Quest. Reward: +100,000 War Merit.]
[You have received a Planar Vault reward: Level 2 Attack Gemstone!]
"Finally!" Ash gasped, a massive weight lifting off his chest. He didn't even bother looking at the mountain of rewards. The conduit was gone. That was all that mattered.
Dusk Whitmore stared at the system notifications, completely frozen. It took several seconds before the tiger lord unleashed a deafening roar. "Holy shit! You actually did it!"
"One hundred thousand War Merit," Ash whispered, a manic grin spreading across his face. "I'm rich."
Back in Wolfcrag, Orion slumped against a barricade, letting out a breath he felt like he'd been holding for hours. "I knew you had it in you, kid! The Skystrider Guild actually has a shot at the top twenty now. With a contribution this massive, the Stellar Pact better fund our entire guild hall!"
Across the ruins of Wolfcrag, a chorus of thunderous howls rose into the sky. "Wolfcrag is saved!"
On the ramparts of Peerless City, Evan Valor looked out at the advancing hordes and burst into wild laughter. "Ash Valor, you beautiful bastard! I'm in a great mood today. Eat this, you wretched parasites!"
"Frostfall Dominion!"
With the Spatial Conduit shattered, the crushing pressure on Azure Prime’s defenses instantly vanished. The siege of Wolfcrag had just been neutralized.
Ash hadn't expected the stat rewards to be this absurd. A global buff to the entire plane, and a massive boost to guild members that practically elevated their combat power to an entirely new tier. This wasn't just a personal victory; it was a lifeline thrown to all of Azure Prime.
"The portal is down. Now, let’s see about this Prime Citadel!"
Armed with newfound confidence, Ash ignored the scattered mobs and focused his entire arsenal on the massive black castle.
As Ash unleashed hell, the black idol in the pocket space felt its heart stop. The threat of instant death loomed over it like a guillotine. It couldn't just sit here and wait to be erased.
"Ash Valor!" A booming, majestic voice echoed from the heart of the fortress, though a tremor of panic cracked its facade. "Your invincibility only lasts another ten minutes. Leave now, or this place will be your grave."
Ash blinked, his fingers pausing on the string. "Well, look at that. My gut was right—you are alive. So, what are you? A monster, or just a very angry building?"
"Your time is running out, mortal!" the fortress roared back. "If you turn back now, I will grant you safe passage!"
Ash laughed. "Who’s granting who safe passage here? I don't need your charity. Ten minutes is more than enough to kill you three times over. Normally, my stuff triggers in three or four."
Though, admittedly, the trigger rate today had been painfully low.
"Are you truly willing to gamble your life on mere luck?" the voice hissed. "Have you not realized? Your trigger rate for Death Strike against me is currently lower than 0.01%."
The target's power level far exceeded the limits of Azure Prime, suppressing the probability of his instant-kill talent to near zero.
"What do you know about it?" Ash smirked. "Ever heard of a conceptual weapon, you overgrown rock?"
Ash had done the math long ago. He was entirely unfazed.
"Ignorant, arrogant worm!" the voice spat. "We shall see who rots."
The entity knew Ash's conceptual attack had been suppressed, and that he could likely shoot at the castle for an hour without triggering the effect. But it didn't dare wager its immortal soul on a 0.01% chance. To Ash, it was a game. To the entity, a single trigger meant permanent annihilation.
"Ash Valor, we will settle this score!"
"There is no 'later,'" Ash called out. "You're a castle. What, are you going to grow wings and fly away?"
The castle couldn't fly, but the entity could abandon its vessel.
A streak of absolute darkness shot out from the keep, moving with such terrifying speed that it blurred into nothingness before Ash could even track it with his eyes.
"What the hell was that?"
Ash instinctively raised his bow, but the shadow was already gone, vanishing beyond the horizon.
"Dammit. If I had just landed one hit, I could have stun-locked it to death," Ash muttered, frustrated.
But the system prompt quickly dispelled his annoyance:
[System Notification: The Lord of Grimwind Fortress has abandoned the keep. Grimwind Fortress is now an unclaimed city.]
"The Lord of Grimwind Fortress? Was that the Voidlord?" Ash muttered. "And what does an unclaimed city mean? Do I keep shooting it?"
The system quickly answered:
[The System will now take control of Grimwind Fortress. Grimwind Fortress will be converted into a forward Outskirts for the denizens of Azure Prime, secondary only to Peerless City.]
[Requirement: Wolfcrag must be defended. All guilds may now establish Guild Grounds between Grimwind Fortress and Wolfcrag.]
[You have assisted the System in capturing Grimwind Fortress, exceeding the parameters of the War Quest. Reward: +200,000 War Merit.]
With three hundred thousand War Merit sitting in his inventory, Ash decided he had absolutely nothing to complain about.
The moment the system claimed Grimwind Fortress, the entire structure underwent a radical transformation. Dozens of high-tier Defense Towers hummed to life, immediately turning their glowing barrels upon the surrounding Abyss Creatures.
[You have received the Grimwind Fortress Region Buff: All Stats +30%, Attack Range +30%, Max HP/MP +30%, HP/MP Regeneration +300%.]
The regional buffs here made Southhaven look like a starting village.
Ash wasn't about to waste this ridiculous power-up. He drew his bow and rained down a continuous barrage of Meteor Volley into the teeming hordes of monsters below.
[War Merit +26, EXP +1.06 Million, Random Stat +52...]
[You have triggered Death Strike.]
[-11,560,000!]
[Ding! You have reached Level 320. All Stats +100, Attack Range +20m, Attack +32,000, Attack Speed +0.2.]
As Ash tore through the battlefield, another massive system notification blared across the realm:
[The Rift Gate connecting Grimwind Fortress and Peerless City is now open!]
A tidal wave of players began pouring through the portal, eager to harvest the massive packs of Abyss Creatures trapped within the fortress perimeter.
With the Rift Gate open, Dusk Whitmore gave Ash a nod and immediately teleported away. The White Tiger Bastion was still vulnerable, and he needed to return to his post.
Ash stood atop the ramparts, taking stock of his haul. A casual stroll into enemy territory had netted him three hundred thousand War Merit and a Level 2 Attack Gemstone.
Curious, he opened the War Merit shop. A Level 2 Gemstone normally cost a staggering one million War Merit to purchase.
[Level 2 Attack Gemstone: Attack +20%.]
It was incredibly expensive, but the stat boost was undeniable.
Ash didn't hesitate. He immediately socketed the Level 2 Attack Gemstone into one of the empty slots on his gear. In an instant, his base attack shot up by nearly a million points.
Opening his character sheet, the sheer numbers made him grin.
Character Sheet: Ash Valor
Level: 320 (330,000,000 EXP)
Total Stats: 2,310,000
Attack: 5,800,000
Health: 7,900,000
Mana: 1,490,000
Defense: 613,000
Attack Range: 1,830 meters
Attack Speed: 22.2
Movement Speed: 516
Critical Hit Chance: 74%
Innate Talent: One in a Million (LV6) — Grants +2 to All Stats for every Worldborn slain.
Phase Step: 30%
Reflect: 30%
Active Skills:
1. Tenfold Shot
2. Armorpiercer (LV2) (Damage increased by 20%)
3. Crushing Blow (LV2) (20% chance to deal double damage)
4. Meteor Volley (Deals 10% of Attack power per Stormquiver arrow; AOE scales with Spirit)
5. Lifesteal Radiant Aegis (10% Lifesteal)
6. Skybreaker Arrow (Condenses all arrows into a single devastating strike)
Universal Skills:
Phantom Summon, Blink, Eye of Clarity, Ward's Bulwark, Damage Reflection, Granite Bulwark, Enthrall
"Might as well spend the remaining three hundred and sixty thousand War Merit," Ash murmured.
With the war raging, every drop of power counted. The sheer amount of Merit he possessed was astronomical, enough to buy high-tier survival skills.
[You have consumed 300,000 War Merit.]
[You have acquired Skill Tome: Life Ward.]
[Life Ward: Your Phantom Summon units will share your damage. If you take fatal damage, a summon will sacrifice itself to take the blow in your stead.]
Damage sharing was already top-tier, but a cheat-death mechanic was absolutely broken. Spending three hundred thousand Merit on this was far more valuable than buying raw stat stones.
With his remaining sixty thousand Merit, Ash purchased the rare evolution materials needed to upgrade Chitin.
[You have ascended your Phantom Summon beast to Legendary-Tier!]
After equipping Chitin with a fresh set of high-tier defensive gear, the summon's health and defense reached monstrous levels.
Undying Skeleton (Chitin): LV320 (Legendary-Tier)
Health: 30,000,000
Attack: 1,600,000
Defense: 840,000
Skills: Phantom Summon (LV7) (Each clone inherits 70% of the host's stats)
Ascension Requirement: Undying Divinity
With eleven summon slots, the damage-sharing property of Life Ward became absolutely ridiculous. Ash only had eight million health, but with his summons acting as a buffer, he could effectively survive two hundred million points of damage.
With high health, massive defense, and his Lifesteal Radiant Aegis, he was practically a walking raid boss. He could comfortably solo high-level dungeons now.
He closed his menu, satisfied. From now on, his standard protocol would be to keep Ward's Bulwark active and a small army of Undying Skeletons hovering around him at all times.
He turned to Wolfpack-36, who was hovering awkwardly nearby. "Wolfpack-36, from now on, you're joining the Skystrider Guild with me."
"What?" the beastman stammered. "I'm a Lupine!"
"So? Lupines are great. Don't worry, I'll clear it with the Wolfking myself. No one's going to call you a traitor." Given how Ash had just single-handedly saved Wolfcrag, he had more than enough leverage to make the request.
"It's not that... I just don't really want to go," Wolfpack-36 mumbled.
"You don't want to?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "Are you rebelling against me? If you don't come, I'll go straight to the Wolfking and tell him his people are ungrateful cowards. Let's see how that goes."
Wolfpack-36 choked on his words, his jaw shutting tight. If Ash actually took that complaint to the Wolfking, the rest of the Lupine tribe would literally drown Wolfpack-36 in spit.
[System Notification: Wolfpack-36 has joined the Galeforce Squad!]
With their new recruit secured, the Galeforce Squad now had a pocket stealth-initiator.
Ash quickly sent a message to his squad chat. "Guys, hold tight in Wolfcrag. I'm coming back to power-level you."
Grant Fang was the first to reply, practically weeping through the text. "Captain! I thought you got famous and forgot about us. You're so busy saving the world, yet you still want to carry us? I'm so touched. Honestly, these Level 300 mobs are kicking our asses. We need your Stormquiver, man!"
"You don't have to worry about leveling slowly, Captain," another member added. "Go do your big hero stuff."
Ash chuckled. Right now, there was no 'hero stuff' more important than farming stats. His next goal was to push One in a Million to Level 7 and get his total stats over four million.
"Grant, don't get too emotional," Ash replied dryly. "Carrying you is just a byproduct. My main goal is to level up Vera Laine and the other girls."
Power-leveling them was just an excuse to use his teammates as mana batteries anyway.
"Are you kidding me, Captain? That is blatant discrimination!" Grant cried. "I'll have you know my Radiant Aegis can buff your attack power now!"
"Oh, right. I actually forgot about that."
"You did that on purpose! By the way, who's the puppy that just joined the squad?"
"Show some respect. That's Wolfpack-36. Be polite," Ash warned.
With the Rift Gate active, traveling back to Wolfcrag was a breeze. Ash took the portal to Peerless City and immediately transferred back to the front lines of Wolfcrag.
Reuniting with his squad amidst the chaotic ruins of the fortress brought a sudden wave of warmth to his chest. "Good. Not a single one of you is missing."
Even Grant Fang’s punchable face looked incredibly welcoming right now.
"Vera, take a look at Wolfpack-36's kit and see how we can integrate him into our setup," Ash instructed. "Ellis, Celeste, get ready to funnel mana to me like old times."
Ash was practically itching to start the grind.
"Brett, once we step out there, we're going to attract a lot of attention. You and the other tanks are going to have to put in some serious work."
Vera Laine pulled up Wolfpack-36's profile for the squad, and the room instantly went silent.
"Immune to most physical damage? And he can grant group stealth?" Grant’s eyes went wide. "Uh... Wolfpack-36, would you mind showing me that skill?"
A second later, Grant was enveloped in a shimmering Phantom Veil.
"Alright, quit playing around. We've got a war to win," Ash said, cutting off the chatter.
The situation on the field was still incredibly tense. The endless tides of Abyssal monsters were relentless, and the defenders were taking heavy casualties. But Wolfcrag’s defensive lines were slowly holding. A few ramparts had been hastily rebuilt, and the newly erected Defense Towers were spitting fire into the canyon.
"If we grind like this for two months, you guys should easily hit Level 300," Ash calculated. By then, his own stats would easily exceed four million.
Ash led his squad straight toward the main guild force. There was no point in farming in isolation when he could cover the guild's flanks and clear mobs with maximum efficiency.
He drew his bow, releasing a massive sequence of Meteor Volley.
"Meteor Volley, hundred-shot burst!"
The arrows rained down in a massive, sweeping arc, blanketing the entire Skystrider defense sector. In an instant, the pressure on the frontline halved, leaving hundreds of elite monsters hovering at critical health.
Orion, who had just cleaved a weakened Undying Skeleton in half, looked around in bewilderment before finally spotting Ash’s figure. "Ash! Get your squad into the main raid group! Why the hell are you guys farming experience on the side?"
With the sheer density of high-tier mobs, joining the main raid group wouldn't slow down their leveling speed. If anything, the massive buffs from the raid coordinators would make Ash’s Stormquiver output even more absurd.
"On our way!" Ash called back.
The main raid group was a massive, sprawling army. Aside from the familiar faces of the Skystrider Guild, there were plenty of powerhouses from Eternal Guild—Roland Blackwood, Declan Ward, and several other top-tier leaders had arrived to secure the sector.
Yet, the moment Ash accepted the raid invite, he immediately regretted it.
The raid communication channel was blaring with Orion’s booming, overly enthusiastic voice.
"Listen up, Southhaven! Our god of war, Ash Valor, has returned! Let me hear you roar for the man who just saved our skins!"
"Move up, vanguard! Don't be afraid to push! Our captain's Stormquiver is covering your six! We're going to turn these monsters into meatpaste!"
Hearing himself referred to as a "god of war" made Ash want to dig a hole and crawl into it.
"Our captain needs mana! He needs an endless, bottomless pool of blue! All support classes, prepare to transfer your mana to Ash Valor! We've set up one hundred designated transfer stations. Queue up and wait for the captain to grace you!"
What the hell is he saying? Why does he make a simple mana-share sound so incredibly wrong?
But the players of Southhaven didn't care. Hundreds of thousands of voices erupted in a deafening cheer, shouting Ash’s name across the battlefield.
"Awooooo!"
Tens of thousands of Lupine warriors joined the chorus, letting out a thunderous, rhythmic howl that shook the very foundations of the canyon. Beside Ash, Wolfpack-36 solemnly cleared his throat. "They are saying you are the greatest hunter to ever walk the plains, and they wish to offer you their finest prey."
The morale in Wolfcrag was at an all-time high.
Ash, however, simply pulled his hood low over his face, wishing the ground would open up and swallow him whole.