Snow’s View

Snow and the leftover Players and Hunters stepped out of the portal. A sour taste lingered in her mouth. They haven’t truly won the fight; even though the Demon King was slain, a new one took its place.

There were a large number of injured and even dead. Many of the people couldn’t be revived as they were either eaten or obliterated. Even the Golden Phoenix guild was hit hard. The player count died a hundred.

Dairen was carried out on a stretcher. He was sleeping as they went back on the ship.

A fresh air washed through the air as the smell of saltwater tickled her nose as Snow was stranded on the helm. She missed the calming sound of the water and its smell. It brought her back to her sense of self. Everyone was getting on the ship, getting ready to leave. So many were exhausted at the war that they had gone through.

Snow observed the giant flower, so far, it had barely done anything, and she hoped nothing else would happen. The only thing she had gained from it was the strange vine bracelet that wouldn’t leave.

“Snow,” Mike walked up from behind. “We got in trouble.”

Snow sighed. She couldn’t get away from the constant barrage of problems.

“It’s Levian.”

Alerted by his name, she frowned. “What is it?”

“The slippery bastard had taken over Atlantis city,” Mike growled. “That’s not all; there is something strange happening.”

“What do you mean?”

“Videos of another city hovering over Atlantis.”

Snow was confusing. “Another city?”

“Yea, we don’t know where it came from, but it's like a mirror of Atlantis, but different.”

“Could you show me what you mean?”

Mike nodded. He fished out a tablet and handed it to her.

Snow was shocked to see what she saw. The live stream that was happening made her realize what Levian was possibly doing.

It wasn’t like Atlantis cityscape but had a bit more metallic and grungy feel to it. Small flying vehicles were moving in and out of the city buildings. Flashing neon colors streaked across multiple buildings.

A beautiful night city was present, illuminating with lights. A large round bubble surrounded the city as Snow noticed a thick smog rustling against the ground.

“Where did that come from?” Snow asked. It was strange to see another upside-down city over Atlantis. “Is this another dungeon?”

“No,” said Mike. He was silent for a moment before he spoke. “It’s my home.”

“Wait, what?” Snow spoke out loud. “How?”

“I don’t know, but Levian did something, and I don’t like where he is going with this.” Mike replied, “we need to quickly get back to Atlantis. I don’t know what he is trying to pull, but it could affect all of us Players.”

Snow nodded. She handed the tablet back to him. “Let’s hope we get there in time.”

The whistle of the ship blew, telling everyone that the ship was ready to depart.

Throughout the next couple of days, Snow took care of Dairen. She worriedly sat next to the bed, wondering when he would wake up. His steady breathing was present that he was still alive. She wondered why he wasn’t waking up.

Numerous meetings took place between the different guild leaders waiting on the ship.

“How are we going to do this?” Gilbert asked, crossing his hand. “The whole city is completely overrun by demons.”

“The only thing I can see us doing is bulldozing through,” Audrey replied. He was pointing at the map of Atlantis before them. “When all the ships land, we will have to fight our way through.”

The other groaned.

“He has a point,” said Mike. “Already, Levian knows we are coming back. Some of our scouts already see that the demons are moving in position to stop us.”

Everyone was tense. They knew that whatever was coming was completely against them, and it was not in their favor.

“If Dairen was awake, he could use his army to push back most of the demons that would jump on us.” Mike sighed.

“How is he?” Audrey asked.

“It's odd. He’s not waking up,” said Snow. “I know his soul is back in his body, but he isn’t waking up.”

“Do you think there is something else that is making him stay asleep?”

Snow shrugged, “I don't know. I can only pray that he awakes. Still, we need to figure out how to get to Levian. He’s at the center of the city. At the city hall.”

Snow pointed at the middle of the map. There were dots of thousands upon thousands of demons surrounding the city hall.

“The only thing we can do at this point is bulldoze through,” Mike replied, crossing his arm in front of him. “Our last hurrah.”

“That’s not much of a plan,” said Audrey.

Mike shrugged, “do you have a better idea?”

Nobody answered. They couldn't as all of them reached the same conclusion.

“We have lost a quarter of what we started. I’m quite sure that maybe half or all of us might not make this battle.” Mike replied with a serious expression. “Whatever Levian is doing will impact all our lives. We need to make sure whatever he is doing won’t destroy both of our homes.”

Everyone nodded. They all agreed that this world was their second home.

Every day, she watched the recordings of Atlantis.

News spread; Levian had completely taken over Atlantis city, using the demon army he had

brought with him from another dimension.

People hid in fear.

The only place that the demons never encroached upon was the Sacred tree planted near the Gold Phoenix Guild building. Thousands upon thousands of citizens arrived near the Sacred tree in the hopes of staying protected from the demon army.

Waves upon waves completely blanketed the city floor, keeping many players and hunters in check. It was as if they were patrolling the city ground with terror, so nobody would come out.

On the third day, Snow noticed that the demon's army was slowly changing. Even the city above the sky seemed too close for comfort. One would have thought the city would have fallen through if they hadn’t noticed the thin barrier that kept both worlds apart.

“We will be landing on the shores of Atlantis in thirty minutes.” The captain spoke up. “Get ready for a fight. I wish you all luck.”

Aurelius waited for a moment. Finally, she reached over and squeezed Dairen’s hand. Bringing it up to his forehead, he said, “Wish me luck, Dairen.” She smiled, “I’ll make sure I’ll be back.”

Letting go, she stood up. Her mind was made up. To save the city and stop Levian.

At first, her steps were slow, but she became more confident with every step she took. Finally, her eyes glazed over with fire and commitment.

She headed straight toward the exit, where other Hunters and Players were waiting to get out.

It didn’t take long for the ship to arrive.

Hundreds of archers and magic casters on the helm sent out magic to push back a large number of demons trying to jump on them.

Snow summoned up her armor as it glimmered with light as it perfectly fit against her skin. She stared at the exit, waiting patiently for it to open up.

Loud sounds of magic rumbling through the port could be heard as demons were eradicated from left to right.

The door shook, the loading dock rumbled as it reached out toward the exit. It felt like time started to drag on, making everyone antsy.

When the loading dock connected, the door flew open.

What awaited them was hundreds of demons bolting toward them in an attempt to eradicate them.

Snow bolted forward, her sword, White Gryphon, flashed before her.

The first demon that she took out was a demon dog. After that, she danced through the hordes of demons, pushing them back.

Others followed closely behind, creating a barrier to allow the others to spill out without trouble.

“Holy Redemption!” Snow shouted. A powerful wave of magic swept through the Players and Hunters, buffing up their magical and physical power. This allowed them to move through the swarm of demons much more easily than before.

“Division of the Sun!” Snow jumped up into the air. Hundreds of small orbs of light appeared around her. They circle around her for a brief moment before they send out numerous beams of light.

The beams of sunlight exploded into the waves of monsters, a small explosion scattered all around, wiping out the demons in one hit.

Snow did not stop. She continued forward. Her sword flashed dangerously, cutting through the demons like butter.

More and more of the other ships landed, pushing out more extended reinforcements.

They were able to push back against the demon hoards, clearing paths for them to make a base.

Everyone followed Snow, putting down demons as they slew through the heavy waves of

monsters that wanted to stop them from advancing.