Chapter 146: Too late

Chapter 146: Too lateAside from Skylon, every single one of them—Demon King Faker, Amaterasu, Vishnu—actually had two Tier 11 units each! Two Tier 11 units! Do you even understand what that means?! If Ethan hadn’t come out of nowhere like a dark horse, shaking up the entire battlefield, then in all of North America, the only person who could even remotely hold his ground would’ve been Xavian Serpentis—who had just recently acquired a single Tier 11 Wyvern. For any faction, a Tier 11 unit was the ultimate trump card, no question about it. It was a symbol of national power. And what made it even more terrifying? Each of them also had at least one S-rank blue Rare Hero—some even had purple Epic Heroes! Anyone in the player community knew exactly how terrifying an Epic Hero was. And when you combined all these Tier 11 units, Rare Heroes, and Epic Heroes together... The sheer power they could unleash was beyond imagination. ... "This guy is done for. And he actually dared to force a PK? He’s literally digging his own grave!" "As expected of the top players from our Asia region. With the four of them working together, even the strongest players from Europe, the Middle East, or Russiania would have to back off!" "Back off? More like no one could take them on, even in a one-versus-three scenario! Look closely—six Tier 11 units! Do you even realize what that means? No one else could possibly bring out that kind of firepower!" "Yeah... Something about this feels off. That Naga Siren and Wyvern... don’t they look really familiar to you?" "Now that you mention it... Those are Europe, Middle East, and Russiania’s Tier 11 units!" "Wait... Are you saying—" "This is a goddamn meteor crashing into Earth!" — Even Caesar, Xavian, and Nathaniel’s faces drastically changed when they saw what was happening. They hadn’t expected this. Their faces went pale, their hearts sinking into the abyss. To be honest, they had a lot of faith in Ethan’s strength... but even the strongest fighter couldn’t take on four opponents at once! Could he really win in this situation?! ... And yet, just as the crowd was reeling in shock, awe, and disbelief—just as Demon King Faker, Amaterasu, Skylon, and the others started regaining their smug confidence, their sneering expressions returning— Ethan suddenly shook his head. His voice was calm, but tinged with disappointment. "...Is that all?" ... Silence. The entire battlefield froze. "What... did he just say?" Even Demon King Faker and the others stiffened. Amaterasu narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean by that?" Ethan clasped his hands behind his back, his tone indifferent. "I mean, after all that buildup... this is all you’ve got?" He sighed, shaking his head. "I really overestimated you guys. You strutted around like you were untouchable, but in the end... this is it? Honestly, I’m disappointed." As his words fell, he casually raised a hand. A brilliant white light burst forth. The radiance was dazzling, almost blinding. And from within that light— A majestic, pure, and holy Tier 11 Unicorn stepped forward. "An 11-Tier Unicorn?" Seeing this, the crowd’s expressions shifted slightly, but no one reacted too strongly. Given the current situation, a mere 11-Tier Unicorn wasn’t nearly enough to change the tide of battle. Buzz! At that moment, another flash of light erupted. Right beside Ethan, two massive creatures materialized, their entire bodies radiating pure magical energy. "W-What... what the hell are those?!" The crowd froze, momentarily stunned. Even Demon King Faker’s pupils contracted in shock. His voice carried a rare trace of disbelief: "An 11-Tier Psychic Elemental?!" The Conflux faction was almost nonexistent in the player community—rather, most players simply weren’t qualified to interact with them yet. Because of that, elemental creatures were still largely unfamiliar to the general player base. But Demon King Faker was different. He had crossed paths with the native forces of the Conflux faction before. So the moment he laid eyes on them, he recognized them instantly—these were 11-Tier Royal Units from the Conflux faction... Psychic Elementals! And that wasn’t even the scariest part. Ethan had now summoned three 11-Tier Royal Units. In other words, his strength had already completely surpassed Demon King Faker’s. And yet—this was only the beginning. Buzz! Another flash of light erupted beside Ethan. From within the glow, a towering figure emerged—a Champion Knight of overwhelming presence. A majestic warhorse. Armor gleaming with a cold, deadly sheen. A Paladin’s lance, exuding an aura of sheer dominance. An indestructible knight’s shield, radiating unshakable resolve. The moment this figure appeared— Every single person’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief. Even Xavian Serpentis and Overlord Caesar were no exception. They stared at Ethan, their expressions frozen in shock, their bodies trembling uncontrollably. Their voices were barely above a whisper, as if they were witnessing something beyond comprehension: "A... A 12-Tier Royal Unit—Champion Knight?!" A 12-Tier Royal Unit—what did that even mean? This was the first in the entire global player base! Even in Europe, the Middle East, or Russiania, such a unit would be an absolute, undisputed force of dominance! To put it simply—aside from 13-Tier Legendary Units, a 12-Tier Royal Unit was the strongest existence possible. In the world of players, such a unit was nothing short of a god among mortals. Until now, no one had even considered the possibility of something like this happening. No one had even dared to imagine it. A 12-Tier Royal Unit?! H-How... how was this even possible?! The sheer absurdity of it made them question reality itself. And yet—just when everyone thought this was the peak of insanity— Another flash of light appeared beside Ethan. Amidst the dazzling light, an even more imposing and majestic magical being appeared before everyone—far surpassing even an 11-Tier Psychic Elemental in sheer presence. Its very existence exuded the aura of an emperor, looking down upon all with absolute dominance and arrogance. A terrifying pressure radiated from its body, making scalps tingle and faces turn deathly pale... And the moment Demon King Faker laid eyes on it, his legs buckled instantly. He collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably, his face drained of all color. "Tw-Twelve Tier... Royal Unit... Magic Elemental?!" The words had barely left his mouth when the entire battlefield fell into a dead silence. Not again... Another 12-Tier?! For them, just one 12-Tier Royal Unit was already enough to bring about total annihilation. But two? That was beyond comprehension—there were no words to describe the sheer devastation this implied. Everyone felt their throats go dry, their legs weak, and a chilling sensation creeping down their spines. They stood there, dumbfounded, as if trapped in a waking nightmare. As for Demon King Faker, Skylon, Amaterasu, and Vishnu, the four of them felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over their heads, freezing them to the core. Despair. Pure, suffocating despair. To be honest, if Ethan had summoned five 11-Tier Royal Units, they would still have had the confidence to fight back. Hell, they might have even won. But a 12-Tier Royal Unit? The pressure was unbearable. It was crushing them. And the worst part? They were locked in a forced PvP battle. If they died here, they’d lose at least two levels—a catastrophic setback at their rank. For players at their level, losing even a single level was a massive blow. Losing two? That was a nightmare. And it wasn’t just their own levels at stake. If their units died—especially their unit heroes—the losses would be astronomical. Because unlike Ethan, they didn’t own any territory. In Glory Lords X, having no territory meant they could only hire and recruit units. In other words, every time the unit recruitment cycle refreshed, they had to pay a huge hiring fee just to keep their units under their command. If they didn’t? Their troops would desert immediately—just like employees walking out when they don’t get paid. And that? That was a money pit of epic proportions. This was exactly why most players were actually broke as hell. Sure, everyone talked big about their wealth and power, but in reality? Their liquid funds were pitifully low. And without territory, the revival cost for fallen units was three to five times their original recruitment price. As for unit heroes? The revival cost was hundreds of times higher. Because they weren’t lords, they had no castle of their own. Reviving units through wild Creature Dwellings or hero revival points came with insane service fees—fees that were downright extortionate. Ridiculously expensive. But for lords who owned castles? They didn’t have to deal with any of that. Once you became a lord, all your units and unit heroes were soul-bound to you. No middlemen. No outrageous fees. Everything was way, way cheaper. Gulp— Demon King Faker swallowed hard, forcing a nervous smile onto his face. "F-Friend... we were just joking earlier, right? You know, Korea was once an ally of Greater America—we should be helping each other out, not fighting... How about this? You take first place in the finals, and we call it even?" "Y-Yeah, exactly! We didn’t mean to offend you before. It was all just a misunderstanding. We sincerely apologize... Let’s just drop this, alright?" Amaterasu chimed in, his arrogant demeanor from before completely gone. Now, he was nothing but humble, practically groveling. But Ethan just chuckled and shook his head. "You guys forget... this is a forced PvP match." The moment those words left his mouth, Amaterasu and Demon King Faker froze, their faces stiffening in realization. Shit. That’s right—this was a forced PvP battle. It wouldn’t end unless one side was completely wiped out. Boom! "F-Friend! We’ll kill ourselves to make amends—just please, don’t kill our units or our unit heroes!" Skylon dropped to his knees, begging for mercy. In a forced PvP match, players couldn’t commit suicide, couldn’t recall their units, and couldn’t withdraw their unit heroes—unless the opposing player agreed to it. Ethan let out a soft chuckle. "Oh? Now you want to beg?" His voice was calm, almost amused. "Too late." And with that, he gave the order. "Attack." Screeeech! Hiss! Hissss! In an instant, the 11-Tier Unicorn and 11-Tier Psychic Elemental charged forward like unstoppable war machines, their bodies radiating immense power. Their first target? The 10-Tier Ice Maidens standing closest to them. Boom! Boom! Two dull, sickening impacts. The two 10-Tier Ice Maidens were obliterated on the spot, their bodies shattered into nothingness. Thud! The 11-Tier Unicorn reared up on its hind legs—then kicked a 9-Tier Minotaur Epic Hero straight into the air, sending him flying like a ragdoll. At the same time, the 12-Tier Champion Knight and 12-Tier Magic Elemental moved in for the kill. They rushed toward the Minotaur hero. Screeeech! The 12-Tier Magic Elemental spread its wings and dove from the sky, plummeting like a bombing aircraft. Its eyes flashed with dazzling magical energy—then it unleashed a devastating attack, slamming directly into the Minotaur hero. BOOM! BOOM! A deafening explosion erupted. The Minotaur hero let out a piercing, agonized scream. And then— The 12-Tier Champion Knight arrived. Schlkk! The terrifying lance of the Champion Knight pierced through the air like a dragon’s fang, cutting through everything in its path. With a sickening squelch, the lance impaled the Minotaur hero straight through the chest, pinning him to the ground with a massive shockwave. BOOOOOOM! The entire arena trembled violently, as if an earthquake had struck. Then— BOOM! The battlefield exploded, reduced to nothing but rubble. And in the midst of the destruction— Schlkk! The 12-Tier Magic Elemental struck again, showing no mercy. With a final, devastating blow, it obliterated the 9-Tier Minotaur Epic Hero, sending him straight back to the respawn point.