Thud!

Shion slammed his staff onto the ground.

Transmigration of Souls!

This was a Sage's secret technique; a spell that allowed the user to revive themselves, or their allies.

Pillars of light arose from Lacus and Light Rock's bodies. Shion was capable of reviving two people at once.

"Mm."

Lacus and Light Rock stood up instantly. Their bodies glowed with light.

Transmigration of Souls didn't simply revive its target. It also applied a buff that increased their abilities too. Not only that, but it also removed the target's death debuff, and kept their level, experience, and proficiency intact.

"Thank you, Master."

"Thank you."

Lacus and Light Rock simultaneously said.

"Kill him."

"Yes, sir!"

"Attack!" Shion pointed his staff at Kang Oh.

The Phoenix attacked first.

Eternal Flame!

A giant fireball came flying at Kang Oh.

Kang Oh's necklace glowed.

Moon's Protection!

A barrier akin to a full moon blocked the Eternal Flame.

That was only the beginning. The Hercules Guild's elites began attacking him too.

Lacus swung his axe downwards, while Light Rock threw his hammer. Dulvanetta shot arrows at Kang Oh's ankles using his dual crossbows.

Because Shion had used Transmigration of Souls, and had to focus on controlling the Phoenix, he couldn't do anything else.

In his stead, the Hercules Guild's mages began chanting.

"Kill him!"

Shion's elite guard threw hooks and daggers at him. Some of them even used poison or javelins.

Slash!

Kang Oh swung Ubist, deflecting Lacus's axe. Then, he spun around and used Sword Parry, parrying Light Rock's hammer with Blood.

However, he couldn't dodge or block every one of their attacks. These were Hercules' elites! They weren't to be underestimated.

Bam!

A dagger pierced his shoulder, and a blade grazed his side.

The Phoenix prepared its next attack.

Sun Wing!

His sight was filled with feather-shaped flames.

Kang Oh swung Ubist diagonally.

Everlasting Darkness!

His jet-black blade unleashed a pillar of darkness, which cleaved through both the flames and the Phoenix itself.

The Phoenix tottered, and its flames weakened greatly.

However, using such a powerful attack left him open, and Lacus, who'd once been part of the Numbers, took full advantage of it.

Bam!

Lacus's axe hit his back. Red shards of light burst from the Dual Demon's body.

However, Kang Oh paid him right back.

Stab!

Blood pierced through Lacus's stomach.

"You bastard." Lacus grimaced in pain. He then threw his small axe into the air.

Flying Axe!

Three small axes flew at Kang Oh like a swarm of wasps. At the same time, Light Rock swung the edge of his shield at Kang Oh's head.

Kang Oh rolled onto the floor. That was his only way of dodging both of their attacks.

"Overwhelm him!" Shion yelled.

However...!

All of a sudden, the floor shook and a sharp stone pillar surged from the ground.

Earth Spear!

Helena, who'd followed the Phoenix all the way here, had cast the spell. Of course, the Blue Knight, Plum, the Wind Tracker, Dambi, the Druid, Yericka, Asu, and all her other guild members were by her side.

On the other side, Hernandez, Han Seol, and the Storm Guild were quickly plowing through the Hercules Guild.

Kang Oh had kept the Hercules Guild's executives busy, and during that time, the battle had been decided. The Hercules Guild had lost!

'It's time.' Kang Oh opened his wings and flew into the air.

"Guilds allied to the Hercules Guild! I have six of your soul dungeons. If you abandon the Hercules Guild and join the Storm Guild, then I'll give you a soul dungeon."

The 5 great guilds' power lay in their size and their immense power, but the support of their allies played a huge role too. Even if the Hercules Guild lost this war, it wouldn't collapse as long as its allies remained by its side.

But what if those guilds turned their backs on it? The Hercules Guild wouldn't be able to prevent the Storm Guild from invading their territory.

"Come to us. We'll protect your soul dungeons. But keep this in mind. There are only six soul dungeons available!" Hernandez yelled.

However, Kang Oh and Hernandez couldn't easily sway the likes of Hwarang, Sea Palace, Tyster, etc.; the more than twenty guilds that supported the Hercules Guild.

The Hercules Guild was one of the 5 great guilds!

Though this war was lost, the Hercules Guild could always pay them back for their betrayal. This meant that no one wanted to go first.

Kang Oh assessed the situation, and then stared at someone. He was staring at the Oracle Guild's leader, Otler. He had taken the Alkartan's Nest from him. Their gazes briefly met.

"We are no longer allied to the Hercules Guild!" Otler yelled.

Kang Oh and Hernandez had already won him over prior. They had agreed to give him a soul dungeon even better than Alkartan's Nest, and the Storm Guild had also agreed to accept him as one of their own.

He'd rather join the winning side than stay on a sinking ship. By doing so, he'd get a small share of the profits.

"Alright. Welcome, Oracle," Hernandez immediately said.

"There are five soul dungeons left. Whoever joins first will get a better soul dungeon! The Storm Guild will also accept you like they did the Oracle Guild!" Kang Oh yelled.

"I swear upon my title as the Storm Guild's leader and the Spear King that Kang Oh's words are 100% true!" Hernandez immediately backed him up.

"Those who reject our offer will be punished! Besides, the Hercules Guild will soon no longer exist!" Kang Oh roared.

The battle had already turned against the Hegang Alliance.

"Don't listen to him! He's trying to trick you!" Shion yelled desperately.

Taking the first step was hard, but not the second or third one.

"The Baekdusan Guild will join the Storm Guild too!" Baekdusan's guildmaster said. They were one of the Hercules Guild's greatest allies.

"Welcome, brother!" Hernandez opened his arms.

"The Sea Palace Guild will join you too!"

"No, the Tyster Guild was first!"

"No, we joined first. Please!"

In an instant, the Hercules Guild's allies joined the Storm Guild.

There were only three guilds, including the Hwarang Guild, that stayed loyal till the very end.

"Haha." Hernandez beamed.

The Storm Guild had gained so much power in such a short period of time. It was obviously something he'd be happy about.

"We have to retreat," Paton whispered to Shion.

"What!?" Shion yelled angrily. 'They humiliated me, yet you want me to run!?'

"If we lose any more troops, then there's a chance that our headquarters and the guild itself will fall," Paton said calmly.

"Mm... Will they let us go?"

"We have to save as many as we can. And we have to regroup at headquarters. If we manage to get through this, then we may be able to rise up again."

"Got it!" Shion heavily nodded his head and said, "All forces, retreat! You have to survive! I'll see you at headquarters!"

"Retreat!"

"Retreat!"

The Hercules Guild began to run away.

"Where do you think you're going!? Don't let a single one of them escape!" Hernandez yelled.

"Kill them all!" Han Seol yelled.

The Storm Guild, as well as its new allies, began to execute the Hercules Guild's members.

"Die!"

"Uhahk!"

Shion rode atop the Phoenix and flew into the air. Kang Oh quickly followed him, and threw himself at the Phoenix.

Roar!

The Phoenix's flames devoured him. His body felt warm, like he was in a sauna. Messages informing him that he was losing HP kept popping up too.

However, he didn't let that worry him.

'I just need to kill you!' Kang Oh swung his sword at Shion. Shion gritted his teeth.

Great Spirit's Barrier!

He was encased in a green barrier.

Bam!

Blood bounced off the barrier.

"I'll break through!"

Kang Oh, in his demon form, released dark red energy.

Festival of Blood!

Abyss Claw!

Fresh Blood Wave!

Kang Oh crossed Demon Sword Ubist and Demon Sword Blood together, and unleashed two auras together.

Bam! Bam!

The Great Spirit's Barrier was shredded instantly.

Tempest Tiger!

A golden aura shot out of his jet-black blade. However, the Phoenix's flames blocked the tiger.

"You can only fly for another 30 seconds!" Tasha's voice resounded through his head.

"30 seconds is plenty!"

Mad Wind's Sword!

His blades danced through the air. He began shredding not only Shion's body, but the Phoenix's as well.

It was due to Ubist's Abyss Blade, which allowed him to cut through the immaterial.

"You bastard. Do you know who I am? I'm Shion!"

'You won't beat me this easily!'

Summoning plants was his specialty. Unfortunately, he couldn't summon plants on top of the Phoenix. It was a spell that was only usable on land.

But that didn't change the facts. Shion was still a Sage, which made him better than any Druid in existence.

Super Heal!

Wise One's Rest!

Indolence!

Mother Nature's Fury!

Nature's Senses!

Summon Strong Soul!

Shion cast a variety of spells with his staff. This included healing spells, buffs, debuffs, and offensive spells!

Add to that the Phoenix's flames, which attempted to consume Kang Oh.

However, Kang Oh was a stronger predator. Each time he swung his swords, he got stronger, and Darkness Strike activated too.

The red, bat-shaped wave and the black beast's wave mixed together, extinguishing the Phoenix's flames, and striking both the Phoenix and Shion simultaneously.

"Ugh!" Shion's body shook.

At the same time...!

A giant chunk of ice came flying, and struck the Phoenix's body.

Kang Oh wasn't the only one with a grudge against Shion. Helena and the members of Witch's Forest hated him more than him. There was no way they'd just let him get away.

Vortex Spear!

Chain Lightning!

Helena attacked the Phoenix repeatedly with powerful spells. Kang Oh also kept swinging his swords at both it and Shion.

Swish, slash, swish, slash, swish!

Ultimately, the Phoenix plummeted to the ground.

Thud!

The Phoenix crashed into the ground. It briefly surged with flame, and then turned into a pile of ash. Kang Oh, Shion, and a Phoenix Egg came out of the pile of ash.

"Cough!" Shion suddenly stood up. 'I have to get out of here no matter what!' That's all he was thinking about at the moment.

However, Blood reached Shion's throat first.

"Stop."

"Shut up!" Shion instinctively swung his staff. Kang Oh easily avoided it and overpowered Shion with pure physical strength.

Kang Oh grabbed him by the back of his neck, and pushed his face into the ashes.

He wanted to just end it right then and there. However, he relaxed his grip when he saw the Witch's Forest Guild come over.

Sometime later...

"Do as you please with him." Kang Oh gave him to Helena. He wanted to kill Shion himself, but he believed it best to leave him with the Witch's Forest this time.

After all, Asu was with them too. She'd probably feel a lot better if she could get revenge against him in person.

In exchange, Kang Oh secretly placed the Phoenix Egg inside his inventory.

'First come, first serve.' Kang Oh's lips curled upwards.

Kang Oh excused himself, and Helena coldly stared down upon Shion.

"Mana, annihilate him."

Mana Burn!

Helena's hand, which was pressing down on Shion's shoulder, began to glow. Then, Shion's MP completely disappeared.

"Yericka, heal him."

"Yes, ma'am." Yericka cast Super Heal, healing Shion back to full.

Why, you ask?

"Beat him up!" Helena ordered. The Witch's Forest immediately rushed at Shion, and began hitting, stomping, and scratching him.

"You're just like Yoon Se Hwa!" Asu had specifically prepared stilettos for this very moment. She took them out, wore them, and began stomping on a very delicate area.

"You jerk!"

"Pay us back for our guild house!"

"My experience; my proficiency!"

"This is all due to your greed!"

Arth limited the pain a player could feel, but it didn't mean all pain was completely eliminated. The purple energy surrounding Helena's fist, or Mana Burn, inflicted more pain than normal.

Anyhow, inflicting small amounts of pain continuously can eventually become too much for one to handle. This was the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Ugh!" Shion cried out in pain.

"Yericka!" Helena said coldly. Yericka, who'd been enthusiastically beating on Shion, immediately began healing Shion.

Shion's HP went back to full!

"Beat him again!"

"You bastard!"

The members of Witch's Forest continually beat on Shion, venting all of their anger and rage.

"P-Please let me die!" Shion begged.

"No!" the Blue Knight, Plum, said decisively.

"Unni, heal him again!"

"We're not through with you yet, you bastard!"

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!

They kept venting their anger... for quite some time!