Chapter 677: Challenge to Inferno

Everyone watched SoulfireBlade in silence, waiting to see what he would do.

He smiled faintly and turned to InfernoRider001. "Rider, I was thinking the same thing. But on second thought, I believe it would be better if each guild sent a team of ten to decide the outcome. That way, everyone gets a chance to fight."

He glanced at the members of both Inferno and Soulfire, then continued with a confident smile.

"Look at how many of my brothers are itching for a fight. If it’s just the two of us, and you end up running away with your tail between your legs, they’ll be disappointed. As their guild master, I have to consider their feelings, don’t I?"

"Mm."

SoulfireBlade nodded to himself as though he’d just come up with an excellent idea. "A ten-man battle sounds much better. At least that way, my brothers won’t be left standing around with nothing to do."

InfernoRider001 clearly hadn’t expected this response. He blinked in surprise, and several Inferno members exchanged bewildered looks.

’Clever!’

Marcus couldn’t help nodding in approval. SoulfireBlade certainly deserved his position as Soulfire Guild’s leader. A good fighter relied on more than brute strength, and knowing when to avoid an unfavorable confrontation was just as important as knowing when to strike.

SoulfireBlade understood perfectly well that he wasn’t InfernoRider001’s match in a one-on-one fight, so rather than walk straight into a losing battle, he’d proposed a ten-man team fight instead. Yet he hadn’t made himself look weak or backed down from the challenge. On the contrary, he’d found a way to turn the situation to his advantage without openly admitting that he was at a disadvantage.

There were two reasons his proposal made sense. First, SoulfireBlade had recently completed the Jasper’s Tomb quest, allowing him to concentrate the guild’s best equipment and pets in the hands of ten exceptionally strong players. With the right combination of equipment and abilities, those ten might have enough strength to turn the tables on Inferno.

Second, a team battle would prevent InfernoRider001 from ending the confrontation with a single overwhelming blow. Even if SoulfireBlade’s team couldn’t defeat Inferno’s ten chosen fighters immediately, they could at least hold them off long enough for Soulfire’s main force to arrive. Once the rest of the guild showed up, Inferno’s numerical advantage would no longer be nearly as decisive.

It was a sound plan, and SoulfireBlade had come up with it under considerable pressure. Unfortunately, a good plan wasn’t always enough. Inferno held the upper hand, and SoulfireBlade wasn’t in a position to dictate the terms. InfernoRider001 understood that perfectly well, and had no intention of giving him the time or opportunity he needed.

After a brief pause, InfernoRider001 threw his head back and laughed. "Hahaha! Blade, trying to buy yourself some time?"

He looked SoulfireBlade up and down, his expression full of contempt. "Fine. Let’s settle things between us first. After you’ve experienced my hammer firsthand, if there’s still time left, we can talk about a team battle."

His gaze then swept over the hundred or so players who had activated their recording functions, clearly eager to capture the confrontation.

With all the swagger of someone who believed victory was already his, he continued, "Besides, as long as you Soulfire lot don’t hide behind your shells like a bunch of turtles, forget itching for a fight. Even if you’re itching all over, Inferno can scratch that itch for you!"

His expression hardened, and he raised his voice. "Blade, enough nonsense. Stop whining like a woman and give me an answer. I’ll give you ten seconds to decide. Whether you have the guts to fight me is up to you!"

With that, InfernoRider001 waved a hand toward the ranks behind him. Two thousand Inferno members immediately roared in unison, beginning the countdown.

"Ten... nine..."

The atmosphere grew tense as the countdown began.

Inferno had complete control of the situation. InfernoRider001 could decide how the fight would proceed, while SoulfireBlade had little choice but to respond. The aggressive guild master had clearly run out of patience, and judging by the way his men were preparing themselves, he was ready to launch an all-out assault.

Anyone could see what was coming.

If SoulfireBlade refused to accept the duel, Inferno’s two thousand players would charge as soon as the countdown ended. InfernoRider001 wasn’t merely challenging him to a fight. He was using the threat of an immediate attack to put pressure on SoulfireBlade and force the entire guild into a corner, leaving them with almost no room to maneuver.

"Stone, what do we do?"

Faced with Inferno’s overwhelming numbers and the increasingly dangerous situation, Lydia grew anxious. She turned to Marcus, looking at him as though he were the one person who could still find a way out of this mess.

Marcus couldn’t help feeling a little awkward. ’Why was she looking at him like that? Did she expect him to step forward and replace SoulfireBlade as InfernoRider001’s opponent?’

He had originally intended to stay out of the matter and let SoulfireBlade handle it himself. However, the countdown had already reached seven, and there was no time to waste. He immediately sent a private message to SoulSync, who was standing nearby.

’Sync, duel him. Kill that bastard.’

Without waiting for a reply, Marcus sent SoulSync a trade request. The vice master of Soulfire Guild was already looking grim, clearly troubled by the situation, but he accepted the request without hesitation.

"Stone?"

SoulSync looked at Marcus in confusion as the trade window opened. Marcus said nothing, simply began placing items into the trade one after another, lending them to him for the upcoming fight.

When SoulfireBlade noticed what was happening, his confusion quickly gave way to shock. He stared at the items in disbelief, then looked at Marcus again, his eyes lighting up with excitement and gratitude.

Marcus merely smiled and nodded, reassuring him that there was no need to say anything.

"Mm."

SoulSync understood as well. He returned Marcus’s smile with a grateful nod and accepted the equipment and supplies, knowing full well how much this timely assistance could change the outcome.

Meanwhile, the countdown continued.

"Three!" With Inferno’s two thousand members shouting the number together, SoulfireBlade had little time left. He raised a hand, preparing to accept the duel himself. Every second he could buy was precious, and if nothing else, he could at least keep Inferno occupied until his main force arrived.

That was his only remaining hope.

Unfortunately, his main force was still roughly ten minutes away. Even if he accepted the duel immediately, there was little chance they would arrive in time to make a difference. InfernoRider001 had clearly anticipated the delay and used it to his advantage, leaving SoulfireBlade with almost no options.

"Good!"

A faint, vicious smile appeared on InfernoRider001’s face as he saw SoulfireBlade finally raise his hand. Certain that his opponent had run out of excuses, he prepared to hear him accept the challenge.

But before SoulfireBlade could speak, a voice rang out from behind him.

"You want a duel? Then let’s duel!"

The speaker was none other than SoulSync, Soulfire Guild’s vice master.

Urging his blue warhorse forward, SoulSync rode out from the ranks of Soulfire’s members and approached SoulfireBlade with an air of confidence.

He looked straight at InfernoRider001 and declared, "Rider, I was originally planning to kill ten of you today. It’s a shame you don’t have the guts to accept a proper team fight. Since you insist on a one-on-one, I suppose I’ll have to settle for taking you down myself."

He shook his head with exaggerated disappointment. "What a pity. What a pity! Looks like our haul today is going to be much smaller than I’d hoped."

His words were deliberately provocative, and several Soulfire members immediately caught on to what he was doing. Rather than let InfernoRider001 dictate the confrontation, SoulSync had stepped forward to take the pressure off their guild master, giving SoulfireBlade a chance to prepare without losing face in front of the two guilds.

By the time SoulSync reached SoulfireBlade’s side, he was still wearing his defiant grin. Without drawing attention to himself, however, he quietly sent SoulfireBlade a trade request.

"Ah!"

The moment SoulfireBlade saw the items being transferred to him, he nearly cried out in surprise. He instinctively turned to look behind him, wanting to see where they had come from, but SoulSync immediately stopped him.

"Brother, don’t look back. Stone doesn’t like attracting attention."

"Mm."

SoulfireBlade quickly understood. He suppressed his curiosity and began equipping the items SoulSync had handed over, carefully preparing himself for the fight.

The first three items were pieces of equipment. First was the Ice Hoe, the ice-element half of the +7 one-handed Mythic Artifact known as the Ice-Fire Twin Dragon Hoe. Since it was a one-handed weapon, SoulfireBlade could wield it comfortably alongside a shield.

The second was the Divine Artifact Adamant Shield, which gleamed with a deep purple light. Marcus had already upgraded it to +7 using Dreamland Gems, making it an exceptionally powerful piece of defensive equipment.

The third item was something Marcus had given SoulfireBlade for emergencies: the Red Artifact Bone Barrage, a hidden weapon that could serve as a trump card if the fight took an unexpected turn.

Next came a collection of consumable items designed to boost his combat abilities.

For additional health and combat power, there were five taels of Thousand-Year Grain Wine, a honey date that restored 200 HP and 100 MP per second, and a red pear that increased attack power by 10%. He also received Green Tide Aged Brew and Millennium Fire-Apricot Wine, which enhanced water-element and fire-element attacks respectively.

SoulfireBlade consumed the items one after another, and his attributes began climbing rapidly as their effects took hold.

The next batch consisted of five Blood-Root Pills, each of which increased health recovery speed by 1,000 to 1,500, along with four bundles of Super Health Potions. Each bundle contained twenty bottles, and every potion increased health recovery speed by another 500.

Marcus had only lent SoulfireBlade the equipment and supplies he could spare for this particular fight. His other gear was far too valuable to hand over casually, even temporarily, and he had no intention of exposing everything he possessed. Still, he had chosen these items carefully, giving SoulfireBlade the strongest possible advantage without compromising his own preparations.

More importantly, SoulfireBlade and InfernoRider001 shouldn’t have been separated by an insurmountable gap in strength. With the additional equipment, boosted attributes, and recovery items, SoulfireBlade now had a genuine chance of winning.

As long as he made good use of what he’d been given, taking InfernoRider001 down was entirely possible.

"Rider, I’ll give you ten seconds to prepare. Once those ten seconds are up, the duel officially begins!"

Having announced the terms, SoulfireBlade stood ready as the high-level clerics and knights behind him hurriedly cast every available buff on him, boosting his attributes as much as possible. Marcus, meanwhile, remained hidden among the crowd, quietly applying his own support effects without drawing attention to himself.

"Good!"

InfernoRider001’s expression darkened when he heard SoulfireBlade’s declaration. His opponent’s sudden confidence irritated him, especially after he’d spent so much time forcing SoulfireBlade into a corner.

"Blade, you’ve certainly got a big mouth. Let’s see if you can keep it open for more than a second once the fight starts!"

He immediately ordered his own subordinates to apply every available buff, determined to overwhelm SoulfireBlade with sheer power. In his mind, this duel wasn’t simply about defeating another guild master. He wanted to humiliate SoulfireBlade in front of both guilds, crush Soulfire’s morale, and make sure every player watching understood what happened to anyone who dared challenge Inferno.

Ten seconds passed in the blink of an eye.

SoulfireBlade moved first, issuing a system command to initiate a Life-and-Death Duel with InfernoRider001. The moment InfernoRider001 accepted, a system announcement rang out across the entire US Region.

Ding!

[Attention, players. Soulfire Guild Master SoulfireBlade and Inferno Guild Master InfernoRider001 are about to engage in a Life-and-Death Duel. The battle will officially begin in five seconds.]

As the announcement sounded, golden light enveloped both players, placing them in an Invincible Defense State. Neither could be harmed while the effect lasted, and once the five-second countdown ended, the protective barrier would disappear and the duel would begin in earnest.

The rules of a Life-and-Death Duel were straightforward. Once the battle began, no other player could apply buffs to either combatant or restore their health. Death carried the same consequences as dying in a Lawless Zone, but killing one’s opponent wouldn’t increase their PK value.

With the rules established, both sides had to rely on their own abilities and whatever preparations they’d made beforehand.

"Golden Bow Skeleton Ghost!"

While the five seconds of invincibility ticked away, SoulfireBlade immediately summoned his pet, the Golden Bow Skeleton Ghost. At almost the same moment, a massive golden shield appeared in his left hand, its broad, thick surface large enough to conceal nearly his entire body. In his right hand, he gripped a blue, one-handed hoe.

The moment the two pieces of equipment appeared, confusion spread through the watching crowd.

’What on earth were those things?’

Even InfernoRider001 and the members of Inferno Guild were caught off guard, and Soulfire’s own players were just as bewildered. ’When had their guild master acquired two pieces of equipment they’d never seen before?’

Unfortunately, SoulfireBlade hadn’t activated the equipment’s level-display effects, so no one could determine their actual grades. For all the spectators knew, the items might have been Golden equipment, Mythic Artifacts, ordinary Artifacts, or something else entirely.

Their appearances, however, were impossible to ignore.

The shield was enormous, with a thick, imposing frame and a golden surface that covered almost SoulfireBlade’s entire body. It looked more like a portable fortress wall than a conventional shield. The weapon in his other hand was equally bizarre. It was blue, clearly designed for one-handed use, and unmistakably resembled an ordinary farming hoe.

’A hoe? Of all the weapons SoulfireBlade could have chosen, why would he bring a hoe to a life-and-death duel?’

For a moment, the crowd’s attention shifted entirely to the strange combination of shield and weapon, and even the formidable Mythic weapon in InfernoRider001’s hands, the Flame Gold Mystic Hammer, was temporarily forgotten.