Chapter 227: Celestial Guild Trump Card

“Wait, did I hear that right?” A young mage asked, her eyes wide with sudden surprise as she processed the command.

”The Celestial Formation?” An SSS-Rank assassin muttered, smoothly ducking under a savage sweep from a lizard’s blade and effortlessly putting safe distance between them.

”The Guild Leader is throwing everything on the line!!” A hardened warrior roared, snapping his head toward Margaret’s position on the front line.

”Then we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her!!”

They all yelled in unison, their voices blending into a singular war cry as they leaped into the air, flying straight toward Margaret’s side.

BAM!

They hit the dirt with synchronized thuds, forming a tight, unbreakable circle around their leader.

”We have arrived, Guild Leader!!” hundreds of celestial guild members shouted as one.

”Now what little trick is this?” The nearest lizard snarled, staring at the sudden ring of humans surrounding the human it was fighting.

Margaret ignored the monster completely, keeping her gaze locked on the fierce, resolute faces of her subordinates:

”We have been pushed to our absolute limits. We are facing fifty SSS-Rank abominations with only few of our own elite, and to make matters worse, their equipment tiers are superior to half of our standing army…” She slowly turned her eyes back toward the towering lizards:

”Let’s remind these arrogant monsters why we have proudly held the second position on the country guild leaderboard for decades!” She screamed.

”Yes!!!”

Every single member yelled in response without a fraction of hesitation. Drawing out sharp daggers, they all sliced deeply across their open palms, letting their warm blood drip unhindered onto the earth.

”What on earth are they attempting?” Eren asked, hovering in the air some distance away.

”It looks like the legendary trump card of the Celestial Guild, but I’ve only ever witnessed five members activate it at any given time… I’ve never seen an entire battalion attempt it simultaneously.” Gavin observed, blasting a lunging lizard backward with a concentrated spell.

”Um… Should we fall back to a safer distance?” Eren asked, glancing sideways at Gavin.

”I believe that would be the wisest course of action.” Gavin nodded. Without wasting another breath, the two powerful fighters beat their tails and retreated straight back to the security of the main wall:

”Any fighters down there who are not registered members of the Celestial Guild—fall back to the wall immediately!! Get behind the energy barrier!!” The two officers roared down at the bewildered awakened soldiers below.

Heeding the urgent warning, the remaining fighters scrambled toward the safety of the ramparts without looking back, leaving the open field entirely to the one hundred and twenty members of the Celestial Guild.

”Now!”

At Margaret’s sharp command, all one hundred and nineteen kneeling members slammed their blood-soaked palms flat against the earth:

”Celestial Formation! Activate!!!”

BOOOOM!!

A blinding pillar of crimson light erupted violently from the ground, shooting straight up into the morning sky like a bleeding geyser and enclosing every single member within its impenetrable red perimeter.

”We summon the Celestial Warriors!!!”

The unified, earth-shaking roar echoed across the entire eastern gate, stopping everyone in their tracks—including the lizards, who instinctively reined back their advance.

”The Celestial Warriors… I’ve only ever seen them being deployed five times!” Eren yelled from his vantage point atop the city wall:

”And the success rate for a stable summon always hovered below fifty percent.” He added anxiously.

”That’s precisely because the previous iterations lacked the mastery to fully stabilize the formation. This time, their Guild Leader, Vice Guild Leader, and their absolute core elite are all participating… Today, we finally get to witness the unadulterated might of the true Celestial Warriors.”

WHOOSH!!!

A streak of pure, luminous white arrow shot out like a projectile from the heart of the red energy pillar, screaming through the air directly toward the lizard Margaret had been dueling moments earlier.

”…?!”

The lizard instinctively raised the flat of its heavy broadsword in a desperate defensive block, but the moment the white arrow connected, the sheer force hammered through the blade, sending the massive, multi-ton beast skidding five meters backward through the dirt.

’That single strike carried the strength far exceeding baseline SSS-Rank… Is this truly the terrifying foundation of a top-two guild?’ The lizard thought, its eyes widening in sudden, unmasked shock.

Across the field, sixty massive white warhorses burst out in unison from the edges of the crimson pillar, carrying the core members of the Celestial Guild.

Assassins, warriors, battle mages, knights, swordsmen, archers, and even priests surged forward out of the light—but this time, they were no longer wearing standard low tiers armors. Every single one of them was clad from head to toe in gleaming, immaculate Heaven-Tier white armor. What truly stunned the onlookers, however, were the powerful mounts beneath them.

”Every single one of those summoned warhorses possesses the combat aura of an early SSS-Rank beast!” Eren gasped in utter disbelief, his eyes practically bulging out of his head.

”This is the genuine article—the legendary Celestial Warriors born from the complete formation. Every guild member who successfully bonds with the ritual is instantly elevated to SSS-Rank, and their equipment temporarily transcends limitations to lock in at Heaven-Tier. Combined with those summoned mounts, they transform into an aggressively lethal strike force.” Gavin explained gravely, before adding:

”Naturally, achieving a flawless summoning like this demands an exorbitant price.”

”An ability of this scale has to carry a severe drawback!” Someone in the crowd shouted up anxiously.

”It certainly does. Those who take on this armored avatar burn through a horrifying amount of vital life force… In simple terms, they will be left completely bedridden for two weeks to a full month afterward.” Gavin said solemnly, pointing a finger toward the glowing red pillar:

”Guild Leader Margaret knew this cost intimately, which is why only half of their active roster undertook the transformation; she and her inner circle are still channeling their spiritual energy deep inside that red energy pillar to maintain the anchor.” He added.

”Celestial Guild Vanguard!!”

The veteran assassin riding atop the lead warhorse bellowed, drawing two short, glowing blades and raising them high:

”As your Vice Guild Leader, I have very little to say to you right now!! Just keep your hearts beating and don’t you dare die out here!! Charge and slaughter them!!” He roared, kicking his mount’s flanks. The magnificent white horse vaulted forward like a streak of lightning, fifty-nine heavily armed warriors thundering right behind him in perfect synchronization.