Chapter 158

"This is…."

Robert furrowed his brow in frustration, as the protective barrier suddenly enveloped the royal palace.

'Is this Pierre's doing? He promised not to interfere!'

Court Mage Pierre had been deemed the most challenging opponent in the conquest of the royal palace, and as such, Robert had promptly persuaded this NPC to his side with an offer of doubling everything he currently received from the palace. Pierre happily accepted as well.

'…The mage wouldn't care about the royal family's safety. There must have been some other reason.'

Robert stepped back from the barrier, facing a guild member who was waiting nearby.

"Maxima. I trust you know what to do."

"Isn't this my specialty? You can count on me, Guild Master." A burly man grinned broadly.

He was a mage who possessed the League of Disturbance. While Maxima worked, Robert checked the status of the guild members who had already gathered. Everything was ready. Each one was dressed in their finest, most flamboyant equipment. They were the core force of Ironblood, and their image.

"Maxima, how much longer?"

"10 minutes will do."

"How are things at the Tower of Guardianship?"

"They're barely holding on. Nearly all the Royal Knights have been deployed there."

"Just 10 minutes…"

"They can hold out."

"Good. Be mindful of your words and actions from now on."

Robert began broadcasting. He had long understood what Seojin was ranting about from the reports of his guild members. He had thought of countermeasures, but the response was more intense than he had anticipated.

-The villain is here

-Don't bother our prince!!!

-Didn't you say the king was alive??

-Shouldn't Ironblood explain this LOL;;

The response was overwhelmingly negative. Many among them were likely paid workers, but there was also a significant number of "real" people as well.

"I also saw Seojin's broadcast. His claims are different from the truth. We will organize our position and post it on the community as soon as possible."

-Blah blah nonsense~~

-Can't you just explain it verbally??

-I can hear Ironblood stocks crashing LOL

"Explaining everything one by one is too time-consuming. Maxima?"

"5 minutes!"

"We will break through this barrier in 5 minutes. We'll reclaim the stolen Tower of Guardianship and capture the Tower of Valor within an hour. I will provide a detailed explanation after we completely take back the royal palace."

Robert ignored the raging chat. He knew how important it was to strike first in a battle of public opinion. Trying to persuade them with mere words would just be a waste of time. However, there were still things he needed to say.

"Almost done!"

"Let me just say one thing. My ultimate goal is not just for the benefit of us Ironblood Knights. It's to ensure that the players of Valaran, including myself, can enjoy the game in a more pleasant environment."

I'm not the bad guy here. I can't explain why right now, but that's just how it is—was practically what he meant.

"I, Robert, have always been like this since I started playing the game."

He appealed to their emotions. He mentioned the strategies they had posted so far and dryly recited the bases that were revived due to Ironblood' investment. In addition, he mentioned achievements that regular players wouldn't have even known how to obtain without Ironblood. In such a situation, the most effective thing was not logical reasoning, but bringing up past deeds that could appeal to emotions.

"Very soon, you'll all see who's the liar between Seojin and I."

* * *

The protective barrier trembled unsteadily. Previously, it had resiliently repelled intruders with its stable oscillations, but now it wobbled like a soap bubble about to burst.

"I'm through!" Maxima shouted, and Ironblood stamped the ground in unison. At the forefront was Robert. He charged forward, ready to obliterate any obstacle, but there was none.

'He must have deemed defending it as meaningless!'

It was an astute judgment. Robert's level had already surpassed 200. Moreover, he was clad head to toe in legendary equipment, having amassed all possible achievements. He even possessed two Leagues.

"Maxima! Head towards Pierre!"

"Right away!"

"Party 5 to the Tower of Dragon Magic! 4, 5, 6 to the Tower of Guardianship!"

37 guild members smoothly divided up and moved into formation. Their speed remained unabated amidst this maneuvering.

"Parties 1, 2, 3 to the Tower of Valor! Our goal is subjugation! No exceptions!"

Robert issued his commands boldly. Under normal circumstances, such orders would have been given through party chat. This was a deliberate display for the viewers.

'I'll overwhelm them through this situation!'

People tend to be swayed by what they see immediately. Even more so for viewers who had chosen to watch the broadcast. No matter how complex the situation, if such a dire scenario unfolded before their eyes, they would have no choice but to focus on the moment.

-Going straight to the Tower of Valor? Shouldn't they take Guardianship first? LOL

-He said he saw Seojin's stream. It's view sniping.

-Anti-Mainstream put all his troops in Guardianship.

-So, are they looting an empty house now?

The chat flowed as expected. At first glance, their actions were incomprehensible, yet the viewers were drawing their own conclusions after some deduction.

'Even though that's not the case at all.'

A raid on an empty house? Robert had no interest in such things. In terms of power, Seojin was never able to catch up to him. If it weren't for Seojin's bizarre ability to charm NPCs, this situation wouldn't have occurred in the first place.

'Seojin, that guy, he's absolutely powerless.'

His only skill was to manipulate and push responsibilities onto NPCs or other players.

'I must show who's really… Oh no!'

Whooosh!

Something reddish burst from the ground. At first, it seemed like flames, but it wasn't. Sticky lava, like a wave, surged towards Ironblood.

"Guild master!"

"Break through!"

At Robert's command, the guild members moved without hesitation. A Paladin cast a Divine Field. The ground they stood on was sanctified in an instant, and within that moment…

"Freeze!"

A cry of bravery emerged from an ice mage. This too was part of the showmanship. But the effect was more than mere theatrics.

Crack-crackle!

The surging lava instantly froze, halting its advance. They stepped on the blackened, frozen ground. All of this happened in a flash.

-That was epic!

-LOL, Ironblood are really something

-Did you see that reaction speed? LOL

"Guild master! The members who logged in are…"

"To the Tower of Dragon Magic! We'll handle things here!"

There were about 50 members in the guild's headquarters. There were still enough members logged in to form two more parties, but Robert indicated they weren't needed. However, the guild member reporting wasn't trying to say that. Suddenly stopping, they began sending messages in the chat.

-That's not it! Everyone logging in is immediately logging out again!

"…Everyone, halt!"

15 guild members halted instantly. A braking force was contrary to their previous momentum. But unlike the impressed viewers, Robert was confused.

-I'll check it myself.

He turned on the notification feature he had turned off earlier. Only then did Robert realize something was happening. Irritation began to prickle at the back of his neck.

'What now…'

Not only the headquarters, but also the reinforcements rushing from other territories to the capital were disconnecting without a word.

Bibigo has logged out.

Baeksuk has logged out.

Rugal has logged out

…

"…"

The same thing was happening again. Members of two party-sized alliances disconnected, almost simultaneously.

'…It's an attack. An enemy so strong they can't even send a single chat message.'

-To all members of the union: As of now, join the nearest allied members and move. Form at least 10 parties, groups of over 50. Only depart for the capital when a force of 50 or more has gathered.

This should extinguish the immediate fire. Although irritated at falling into Seojin's trap, it was just irritation.

'No major changes from this amount of damage.'

While thinking so, he communicated the situation to nearby guild members. It seemed like there was something outside.

After a brief regrouping, Robert was about to move out again when…

Mudamudamuda has logged out.

CapA has logged out.

Decisive_Earthquake_Strike has logged out…

"…"

The same thing happened again.

A total of 50 logout messages filled Robert's view.

* * *

-Why did Robert suddenly stop like that??

-Why did he halt all of a sudden?

-Did Anti-Mainstream do something?

"Ah, I did do something. They're probably still view sniping me, so I can't tell you exactly what. But they must be quite flustered."

Seojin spoke in a relaxed tone, as if he had anticipated everything. Two screens were displayed in front of him. One was Seojin's own broadcast screen. And the other was Robert's stream, displaying a bewildered Robert staring into space.

'You will have no reinforcements.

Ironblood's prowess was indeed formidable. Especially the members of the main guild. Each of them were powerful enough to rank among the top players in Valaran. But no matter how strong they were, it was impossible for a mere 37 members to conquer the royal palace.

'That's why he's stopped and is thinking. Wondering how to overcome this situation.'

And the ones who swallowed up those players were the elves they had met in the Sleeping Desert. Each one was a force to be reckoned with, surpassing level 200. Moreover, their number was close to a hundred. Even the most skilled adventurers would be swept away if they didn't fight in proper formation.

'In fact, with their help , it wouldn't be impossible to wipe out the main forces.'

But that wasn't feasible. It wasn't that there were no alternatives, but it would undoubtedly result in the many elves' deaths. Risk was a part of an adventurer's life. Of course, the adventurers immediately beside him were few, but that was something that could be remedied.

Kiri has sent a party join request

Bigfoot has sent a party join request

Red Tower, and Resistance. The masters of two guilds that had taken up the mantle of opposing Ironblood, reached out.

Additionally.

Boricha has sent a party join request!

Greendear has sent a party join request!

Savior has sent a party join request!

Invincible has sent a party join request…

"…"

Five more guild masters applied to join the party. In total, there were seven guild masters. All were from Valaran's top 10 guilds.

-Seojin! We would have come if you had just contacted us!

-We feel left out. Our members were all on standby.

-Nice to meet you. I'm the Firefighter Guild leader.

-I'm the Mana Infinite Guild leader! The payment was confirmed!

The reason these guilds willingly sided with Seojin was because…

-We also received the payment. I'm the Justice Guild Leader. We will join immediately.

… Hwang Soochul, the CEO of SMU Entertainment, had bought their day in its entirety.