Chapter 1700 - 431: Steel Surge, Prelude to Counterattack_4

Chapter 1700: Chapter 431: Steel Surge, Prelude to Counterattack_4

"Damage-taking group one, prepare to fall back to the second line. Mage group eight, open your Towers on my marked positions... go."

Moon Shadow seized this fleeting window of opportunity.

The mage formation in the rear activated in response.

Rushing Thunder, Ice Mist, Ink Flame, Void, Dark Cloud... one Magic Tower after another, each fusing multiple Rule Elements and Elemental Power, sprung up at the very front of the battlefield like bamboo shoots after the rain, autonomously launching elemental bombardment toward the front.

The mechanical units that had just rushed out of the Slow Domain were blown apart into spraying mechanical components by the elemental turbulence of the "Magic Towers."

Several assassin squads also chose this moment to slip into the enemy lines under cover of the explosions.

They wove through the steel jungle like shadows, daggers stabbing precisely into Iron Soul Level combat units, using the Sealing Spirit Attribute to markedly reduce the self-repair efficiency of the Living Metal, kicking off a new round of executions.

The clash between the two sides sent the battlefield into a full boil.

Up front was the savage collision of muscle and steel; at mid-range, elemental storms and volleys of Energy were trading insane barrages; overhead, Petrified players being hurled through the air traced parabolic arcs, crashing down like black Meteors into the densest clusters of the Mechanical Army.

Beacon Spear Rain came down like a torrential downpour, trying to tear open the players’ rear formation.

As the intensity of the clash ramped up, the Mechanical Army’s supporting Strength started leaping to higher tiers.

The Gold Coin United Battle Group quickly fell into a comprehensive disadvantage.

...

Just as the war in the Land of Chasing the Sun entered a white-hot phase—

The sudden "Mechanical Invasion" incident set off a frenzy of discussion among players on the forums.

In players’ eyes, the Mechanical Army was a hostile faction they were destined to challenge in the future.

Back then, the Mechanical Army was, to the players, an enemy they simply could not beat.

When they first appeared, players’ Levels were mostly just over 20.

Yet the Mechanical Army’s cross-border war unit, the "Iron Soul," had a minimum Hunting Level of over 80.

On their debut, they made both players and the Evil Boss curl up into social anxiety.

Fortunately, the Mechanical Army didn’t rampage through the Emperor Tomb Mountain Range; they only stayed briefly before crossing Space and leaving.

Only after the Land of Chasing the Sun opened did players get to see this faction again.

In most veteran players’ understanding, the Mechanical Army was like follow-up content sealed inside a "patch expansion."

It would be unlocked some day in the future.

But nobody had expected—

This faction they’d treated as "future XP fodder" would flip the board on its own before their wings had fully grown.

Starting to pump the difficulty ahead of schedule.

Though this was, in truth, the norm in the Monster World, accidents could drop in at any time.

It was like this for the Alien Race, and just the same for them as players.

There is no such thing as developing step by step; there are far too many overwhelming enemies at this stage who can suddenly flash in just to slap you across the face.

But players generally still felt slighted.

All players share one trait: in their own eyes, they are the absolute protagonists of the Monster World.

As protagonists, they ought to enjoy privileges.

The Mechanical Army’s unreasonable steel downpour instantly made the forum players deeply annoyed.

The forums were flooded with "rally up" hype posts:

"I log off for a bit to swap my nutrient fluid and this kind of massive event happens? That’s totally disrespecting me. I’m calling the Mechanical Sovereign later to ask just what the hell it thinks it’s doing, and whether it’s forgotten who I am."

"Hard-forced into a raid? I’ve got to join this. Any big shots organizing a counteroffensive?"

"LF party, heading to the Land of Chasing the Sun later to clear the map and explode them into sacrificial power. This Mechanical Army is way too presumptuous; this heavenly lord can’t tolerate even a little of that."

"As a super-old player who was on-site when the Mechanical Army first descended, they made both us and the Evil Boss shut down; especially the Evil Boss, who turtled in the Tower and didn’t dare come out. Times have changed—now we are no longer the small fry we were back then. The Mechanical Army still playing Divine Descent strikes is just over the line; we absolutely have to return a heavy punch."

"Before we start fighting, I need to know who swung first. If the Mechanical Army made the first move, we must retaliate hard; if we struck first... my fellow villagers, nicely done."

The forum never lacks instigators and fun-seekers.

Cries of "start the fight" instantly filled the screen, with all sorts of memes and inflammatory lines flying around.

To stir the pot, some veteran players even dug out old forum footage of the Mechanical Army’s Divine Descent back then, where they steamrolled the entire field.

They added a tragic soundtrack to the video and slapped on a blood-boiling title: Today we, the later generation, shall wash away our old shame.

Players who love watching chaos jumped from thread to thread just to stir up a big one.

They hoped for another full-scale rally operation to enjoy a bout of thrilling, all-out war.

Especially this wave of newbie players who had just entered; they all wanted to follow in the veterans’ footsteps, fish in troubled waters, and feast on sacrificial power.

A massive rally, fermented by the forums and joined voluntarily by countless players, quickly snowballed into shape.

A Surge formed from the converged will of countless players surged toward the Land of Chasing the Sun.