The east had developed two unique schools of magic revolving around insects and sand. These practitioners engaged Kang Oh's guardians.

"The Sand Mages will take care of the lion and the turtle."

"Then we'll take care of that hunk of metal and the wyvern."

Summon Sand Giant Sandium!

200 Sand Mages worked together to summon this colossal beast. The giant quickly swung its fist at Violf.

Kuheong!

Violf roared and swung its front paw. However, Sandium wrapped its arms around it and sucked it into its body.

The Platinum Lion struggled, but the more it did, the deeper it would get sucked in.

"Concentrate! Don't let Sandium crumble!"

"Understood!"

The Sand Mages worked their asses off.

Sandium had a tendency of breaking apart into individual grains of sand. It wasn't an easy task to clump this sand together and maintain a solid shape.

"Now we have to deal with the turtle."

The Sand Mages gave it everything they got and summoned a sandstorm, which obscured Teyno's vision. Then, they buried Teyno's feet into the ground, preventing it from moving.

Teynos had to be attacked in order to be effective. By binding it in one place, it wouldn't be able to do anything.

Now it was the Insect Mages' turn.

"...Great queen, please honor us with your presence!"

Summon Insect Queen Insectura!

A giant, 20 meter large insect appeared in the air. It was accompanied by all manner of insects, blackening the sky.

"Kuheok."

"Grit your teeth!"

Insectura's power was so great that it was normally unsummonable. However, they just barely managed it by concentrating the efforts of 200 Insect Mages.

It was extremely difficult to maintain the summon, as well as control it. Several of the Insect Mages' hair was already starting to turn white.

In exchange, it was extremely powerful.

Insectura opened its mouth and spewed acid at the Red Knight.

Hiss!

The Red Knight's body began to melt.

Plus, Insectura's minions flew through the battlefield and made the Alliance troops' lives a living hell.

Even Wakaiser, Waryong, and the wyverns were having trouble dealing with them. There were so many of them that they couldn't take them out one by one.

Kang Oh's guardians did far less than he had originally expected.

"It's our turn."

"Let's wash away our failure at the Nazrak Plains!"

"Let's go."

All of the Empire's captains, aside from Erik and Black Wolf (one was fighting Kang Oh and the other was dealing with the orcs), entered the fray. This included Taker, Moby Dick, Ridgeley, Kuskal, Tainos, and Irene!

This was an opportunity to show the world their skill, so the Empire's high rankers joined in too.

They rushed at the Alliance's power houses such as Bart, Helena, or Hernandez.

Two all-star teams were heading right for each other.

* * *

Dukeram, Erik, and Dalton!

They were not to be underestimated.

Even so, Kang Oh grinned.

'This is fun!'

Dukeram attacked from the front, Erik from behind, and Dalton from the side. However, he wasn't pushed back at all. In fact, they were the ones feeling the pressure. He hadn't even used Gluttony.

'Now!'

Kang Oh crossed his demon swords and used Switch. Then, Blood disappeared, replaced by the heavier Ubist.

The Frostblood Demon naturally transitioned into a black beast with icy horns.

Sword Parry!

Screech!

Dalton's blade slid off Ubist's wide blade.

At that moment...

His blade emitted a ton of darkness, and Kang Oh's form disappeared.

"Not on my watch!" Erik unleashed a mighty gust of wind. He was intent on blowing away all of the darkness!

Dukeram created countless sand spikes, which pierced through the darkness.

Dalton, whose body was halfway through the darkness, quickly pulled himself out. However, he found that he couldn't.

'What!? When did he...?'

The ground and his feet were frozen solid, so he couldn't get out.

Then...

Ubist slightly peeked out of the darkness.

Dalton instinctively extended his sword. Although it looked like it was swung in panic, there was plenty of force behind it.

Whoosh.

Dalton's blade emitted a threatening 'whoosh', and clashed with Ubist.

Clang!

That was unexpected.

The collision resulted in a powerful shockwave. As Dalton backed off, shards of light fell from his body.

Swish!

Ubist flew through the air and came straight for Erik. Kang Oh hadn't thrown it himself; he had used Weapon Bombardment.

Erik swung his sword horizontally and deflected Ubist.

Tap.

The Frostblood Demon walked out of the darkness.

Then, Dukeram quickly swung his blade downwards.

At almost the same time, red ice rose from the ground.

Bam.

Dukeram's blade struck ice. However, the opposing force made his sword hand sting.

Red Avalanche!

Giant, red energy came rushing towards Dukeram.

Dukeram gritted his teeth and infused a ton of energy into his blade.

Sword that Brings Victory!

Boom!

The golden energy broke the ice and clashed with Kang Oh's attack.

Erik and Dalton simultaneously attacked Kang Oh from the sides. Their strikes were incredibly sharp.

Red Demon's Dance!

Kang Oh moved with such grace and beauty that it made their eyes hurt. Whenever he did, Erik and Dalton would strike an afterimage.

Mad Wind's Sword!

Kang Oh fiercely swung Blood and Sarahoff with such speed that Dalton had already been cut several times.

Shards of light fell from Dalton's wrinkled skin. Blood voraciously ate every single one of them.

Seven red stars had manifested on Blood's length. At the same time, red energy glowed around Kang Oh's heart.

Dukeram urgently stomped on the ground.

Invincible Guardian!

Glittering sand covered Dukeram, Erik, and Dalton's bodies.

Blood Storm!

Boom!

A blood red whirlwind raged around Kang Oh's body, sweeping through everything in its vicinity. However, it didn't possess enough power to break through Dukeram's Invincible Guardian.

Kang Oh was well aware of this fact. Thus, he immediately followed it up with another card.

Clang.

A black chain came flying at them like a snake aiming for its prey.

Darkness Chain!

The chain was aimed at Dalton, who was frozen solid by glittering sand. In an instant, his upper body was wrapped in chains.

Although the sand slowly disappeared, Dalton still couldn't move his arms properly.

However, he had to get out of the chains as soon as possible. After all, Kang Oh would clearly go after him first.

Dalton lowered his body and stabbed his sword into the ground.

Earth Slash!

The ground was upturned, and a powerful shockwave came rushing at Kang Oh. However, he dodged the shockwave with a single leap and came straight for Dalton.

"Now!"

"Go!"

Erik and Dukeram had expected this, so they immediately went for Kang Oh's sides.

Spirit's Fury!

Steel Thrust!

This would work 100%! Erik and Dukeram were sure of it.

However...!

Kang Oh forcefully flapped his wings, and his body soared into the air!

Erik and Dukeram had never had wings before, so they couldn't have predicted this.

'Damn it!'

'We missed!'

Their attacks hit nothing but air.

Kang Oh attacked from the sky.

The key to Flying Swordsmanship was properly moving one's upper body. Since one's feet weren't planted on the ground, they wouldn't be able to add power to their blows the normal way. Instead, they had to make full use of their upper body to increase the strength of their attacks.

Of course, Kang Oh was proficient in Flying Swordsmanship, so he was able to land a precise attack on both Erik and Dukeram.

"Ugh."

Dukeram and Erik reeled from the impact, and took a half step back.

Flap.

With a mighty flap of his wings, Kang Oh fiercely spun like a drill and rocketed towards Dalton.

Dalton had already gotten out of the chains. He lowered his body and swung his sword upwards.

Guardian God's Strike!

Sand surged from the ground, which transformed into a wave. This was one of the techniques Dalton specialized in.

But Dalton knew this was nowhere near enough to stop Kang Oh's advance. Thus, he immediately threw himself out of the way.

It was the correct decision.

Kang Oh instantly cut through his sand wave, and flew through the air Dalton had previously been occupying.

Bam!

He extended his blades and spun his body like a top! It was like he was a high-power mixer.

Dalton protected himself with his sword, and was just barely able to block Kang Oh's attack.

Then, Dukeram and Erik approached him. They instantly exchanged glances.

"This won't work."

"We tried to buy as much time as possible, but at this rate, he'll kill one of us."

As said, their objective was to buy as much time as possible.

If the Empire managed to defend the fortress, then Kang Oh would be trapped. It wouldn't be too late to take care of Kang Oh then.

But if they didn't give it their all, then they would lose Dalton.

"Let's pull out all the stops."

"Yes, sir!"

Erik's body swelled and glowed green.

Spiritization: Great Wind Spirit!

Dukeram used his secret techniques one after another.

Enlightened One!

Summon Invincible Army!

Invincible Emperor!

Dalton's eyes ignited with fire too. The flames then spread across his entire body.

Sun's Warrior!

The flames that'd engulfed his body came flying at Kang Oh.

Kang Oh pulled back while summoning a wall made of Frostblood. Then, he stabbed Blood into the ground and extended his hand. Ubist came flying back to him.

If they were going full force, then he would respond in kind. But he decided not to use Max Cain for Gluttony.

Using Gluttony on Max Cain would give him max Stamina, which would allow him to use the absolute killing technique, Divide the Sea, repeatedly.

Even so, Max Cain was too valuable to sacrifice for a temporary power up. It was a legendary blade, after all!

Erik, Dukeram, and Dalton weren't strong enough to warrant the sacrifice of Max Cain.

Ultimately, Kang Oh pulled out God Spear Kantos' weapon, the Blood Bringing Butterfly Spear. He had gotten it after killing him and his son.

Gluttony!

Ubist's darkness devoured the spear.

[Demon Sword Ubist has consumed the Blood Bringing Butterfly Spear.]

[It is an SS-rank item.]

[Entering Gluttony mode.]

[For 30 minutes, the demon sword and your character's abilities are tripled.]

[Demon Sword Ubist's attack power has increased. Attack Power: 1814.]

[The activation rate of Rip Apart has increased significantly.]

[You may use all of the consumed item's abilities: Master's Spear, Grievous Wound, Butterfly's Dance, and Blood Bringing Butterfly.]

A demon appeared with Ubist and Sarahoff in hand, its body radiating fierce jet-black darkness. Tasha, whose blood red dress fluttered in the wind, had appeared beside him too.

"You bastard!"

"Die!"

The Great Wind Spirit, the Incarnation of Fire, and the Desert Emperor surrounded Kang Oh and attacked him all at once.

In the past, Kang Oh had been the challenger, but the situation had changed.

Kang Oh was the champion.

Dukeram, Erik, and Dalton were the challengers.

* * *

"Climb the wall!"

"Stop them!"

The battle between those who sought to climb the wall, and those who sought to prevent them continued.

The Empire poured oil, shot arrows, and dropped rocks, causing countless soldiers and orcs to fall off the wall.

Some of them managed to reach the top of the wall via the Criders, but they were quickly dealt with by the Empire's troops and the Black Wolf Squad. There weren't any other troops that'd reached the top.

The Insect Queen's presence was akin to a catastrophe for the Alliance.

What were they supposed to do when all manner of poisonous insects latched onto them!?

Waryong, Wakaiser, and the wyverns did their best, but it wasn't easy.

Ultimately, it was near impossible to conquer Saw Rock Fortress with pure force. The only ones who could turn the tides of this battle were the players that'd reached the top of the fortress.

However, their situation wasn't much better.

Although the Alliance had more rankers, the numerical advantage didn't help that much.

Why?

Their teamwork wasn't nearly as good.

The Alliance's all-star team fought separately.

Whereas the Empire's all-star team was unified under Irene's leadership.

Moreover...!

Irene used her secret move, Flag of Absolute Victory.

It was an incredible ability that allowed her to imbue her troops with one of five special effects for 30 seconds. In a small-scale battle, it was basically as overpowered as Divide the Sea.

At least the Alliance had unrivalled powerhouses like Bart, Helena, and Kuharap. If not for them, then they would've already lost by now.

Despite their best efforts, the soldiers felt the shadow of defeat looming over their heads.

At that moment...

Boom!

Saw Rock Fortress's highest watchtower blew up, and Kang Oh, Tasha, Erik, Dalton, and Dukeram appeared.

They leapt onto another watchtower and fiercely fought atop it.

However...!

Kang Oh was completely overwhelming them!

He was their light in the darkness!