Chapter 87: Intervention and Revelation

With our mana reserves utterly depleted, this level-crushing massacre was drawing to an imminent close; before long, we would be whittled down and killed, much like those World Bosses ganged up on and overwhelmed by hordes of players.

‘They can’t hold out much longer… All units, alternate status recovery, maximize your damage output! It’s already been five minutes, and failing to kill two opponents with five hundred men in five minutes is utterly shameful for all of us!’ Yan Quan commanded, his teeth gritted, as if he yearned to personally sever Su Shunhua’s and Yingning’s heads.

‘What sin had he committed to deserve such an unexpected calamity?’ ‘Once this ordeal was over, if Lihuanhuan couldn’t provide him with a reasonable explanation, he knew he wouldn’t be able to command respect if he failed to punish her.’

‘Everyone, stop at once!’

From the opposite bank, a deep, resonant sound, akin to a great bell, echoed forth, effortlessly drowning out the very roar of the spells.

No one stopped, for Yan Quan had not issued the command, and no outsider possessed the authority to halt the members of Sword Sweeping the World’s 029 branch.

‘Yan Quan, I’m telling you to stop, dammit! Can’t you hear me?! If you harm them, I’ll hold you accountable!’

‘Who was this person, so utterly obnoxious?’

With an impatient glance, Yan Quan cast his eyes towards the opposite bank, and as his gaze registered the figure, a sudden shiver ran through him.

It was a burly, dark-skinned man with a square-shaped face, adorned with black-rimmed glasses, and in his hand, he clutched a priest’s staff that seemed utterly out of place with his imposing physique.

[ID: Black Mirror Healer].

He was the esteemed leader of Sword Sweeping the World’s Main Guild Healing Group 1, holding the prestigious position of an Elder within the Main Guild itself. In the rigid hierarchy of the guild, his rank surpassed Yan Quan’s by a full level, despite Yan Quan being a branch leader.

Ordinarily, Yan Quan wouldn’t have been obligated to obey the command of a Main Guild Elder, yet Black Mirror Healer was a singular exception. He was a favored confidant of Guild Master Jiangu, a trusted aide whom Jiangu relied on heavily. More often than not, his very appearance signified the personal will of Jiangu himself!

‘These two girls have slaughtered over a hundred of our men! You demand I stop? By what right do you command me to stop?! If we back down now, how will I, or the brothers of the 029 branch, ever hold our heads high in front of others again?’ Yan Quan’s face was contorted with indignation as he glared at Black Mirror Healer.

‘Then don’t hold them high.’ Black Mirror Healer stated coldly.

‘What kind of joke is this?! If we don’t kill them, morale will plummet, and the 029 branch might as well just disband!’

‘Then let it disband.’ Black Mirror Healer replied with an icy tone.

Yan Quan froze, then stared at Black Mirror Healer with an incredulous gaze. ‘Why?! Why do you expect our brothers to swallow such an immense humiliation?! Just because of your single word? No! I refuse to accept this!’

‘It’s useless to refuse; it was personally decreed.’ Black Mirror Healer sneered.

This single sentence shattered Yan Quan’s last shred of hope. ‘That’s right,’ he thought, ‘it was personally decreed by the Guild Master. What could he possibly do? Defy the Main Guild’s orders?’

To put it bluntly, a branch guild was nothing more than a dog tethered to the illustrious name of Sword Sweeping the World. If the Main Guild commanded them to go east, they went east; if it commanded them to go west, they went west; and if it commanded them to disband, they had to obey without question. Failing to do so meant losing the prestigious halo of ‘Sword Sweeping the World,’ and being relegated to the status of rootless wanderers, left to be slaughtered at anyone’s whim.

The Main Guild possessed the power to bestow glory upon them, and just as easily reduce them to stray dogs; all it required was a single word from Jiangu.

‘First, have your people cease their attack. One of these two individuals possesses an extraordinary identity, and I’ll explain more to you shortly… Rest assured, the Guild Master is not an unreasonable person; knowing the immense grievance you’ve suffered, he will certainly offer you a satisfactory compensation.’ Black Mirror Healer stated.

Yan Quan angrily slammed the shield in his hand to the ground, then, gritting his teeth, he practically squeezed out the command from between them: ‘Everyone, stop!’

Astonishment, unwillingness, and a myriad of complex emotions flickered in the eyes directed at Yan Quan and Black Mirror Healer. Yet, without exception, they all carried out the cease-fire order. Even as merely a branch of Sword Sweeping the World, their execution capability was absolutely top-notch, which was precisely why they had remained standing strong in the Second World to this day.

‘Guild Master! Why?!’

‘Guild Master! We just barely managed to drain these two demonesses’ mana…’

‘Guild Master! Hundreds of our brothers have died!’

‘Guild Master! The brothers demand an explanation!’

‘Enough!’ Yan Quan ground his teeth, his gaze fixed on Black Mirror Healer on the opposite bank. ‘I also want to know why! I also need an explanation! Black Glasses (TL Note: A nickname for Black Mirror Healer, referring to his black-rimmed glasses), I sincerely hope you can provide us with a satisfactory explanation! Otherwise…’

‘Rest assured, I understand everyone’s feelings. The Main Guild will distribute KDP compensation to everyone. Furthermore, a new batch of high-quality blue-tier equipment has just arrived in the guild’s warehouse, and we will grant you priority exchange rights…’

Black Mirror Healer smiled and nodded, and only then did the expressions of the Sword Sweeping the World players on the opposite side soften considerably.

Oblivious to the ravenous gazes that threatened to devour them alive, Su Shunhua stood back-to-back with Yingning, raising his staff high to communicate with a higher deity and restore their status.

‘The reason isn’t very convenient to explain right now… However, as far as I understand, this entire incident was initially provoked by our own people, wasn’t it?’

‘Hmph.’ Yan Quan knew full well that this incident had been instigated by Lihuanhuan, his guild’s vice-leader. It was she who had first humiliated the opposing guild’s female mage and assassin, prompting the other party to rally their forces for revenge. He had already pieced together the entire sequence of events the moment the female mage and assassin first appeared.

But what did that matter? This was not the real world! This was ‘Pursuit II,’ where the law of the jungle reigned supreme as the iron rule! Had Sword Sweeping the World not trampled on enough faces already? So what if they had humiliated the other party? His backing was none other than Sword Sweeping the World! In ‘Pursuit II,’ those four characters—’Sword Sweeping the World’—were the very definition of the rules!

He didn’t believe Lihuanhuan had done anything wrong; this was ‘Pursuit II,’ this was the online world. It was simply that Lihuanhuan’s luck had been exceptionally poor; she had stepped on a thumbtack—or rather, an entire pile of them—causing the 029 branch to bleed profusely.

Yet why would the Main Guild be willing to pay such an enormous price to favor outsiders?

‘Since our people initiated the incident, let’s put it aside for now… We are not in the right, and besides, a 500-on-4 situation is inherently shameful enough. If we still refuse to be reasonable, that would be truly excessive.’ Black Mirror Healer smiled at Su Shunhua, who understood he was trying desperately to win them over.

Yan Quan, however, scoffed at Black Mirror Healer’s words. ‘Reason?’ he thought. ‘When did Sword Sweeping the World ever start advocating for reason? Clearly, the entire guild had always devoutly believed that might made right!’

Yet he couldn’t help but admire Black Mirror Healer’s cunning. The moment those words were uttered, the ignominious incident of Sword Sweeping the World’s 500-on-4 attack was greatly sanitized. The outcome was no longer portrayed as four individuals shamelessly worn down and killed by Sword Sweeping the World’s overwhelming numerical advantage, but rather as Sword Sweeping the World showing mercy, acting with impartiality, and magnanimously granting their opponents a path to survival.

Instantly, this scandal sounded much more palatable. Although those who had personally experienced or witnessed the event understood the true facts, it could still easily mislead some future observers.

Yan Quan still couldn’t comprehend why the Main Guild would issue such an utterly terrible cease-fire order. This mystery lingered until Black Mirror Healer sent him a private message.

[That priestess secretly joined our guild; she is currently the legitimate Guild Master of Shadow Branch 003. For some unknown reason, she’s unwilling to reveal her affiliation with Sword Sweeping the World… However, this works out perfectly, as the Guild Master intends to cultivate her into an ace spy for the Shadow Branch! You must keep this strictly confidential!]

[Shadow Branch!]

Yan Quan’s eyes widened in horror.

‘…So this kind of thing actually existed!’ he thought, utterly stunned. ‘He had always believed it was merely a legend!’

Yingning noticed Yan Quan’s peculiar gaze directed at Su Shunhua and felt a pang of doubt. ‘Xiaoya, do you know that person?’

Su Shunhua shook his head. ‘The leader of the opposing guild? No, I haven’t seen him. Why, do you dislike him? Or… should I go beat him to death?’

‘No need… I just feel like his gaze towards you was… strange. Was it just my imagination?’ Yingning furrowed her brow in thought for a moment. Unfortunately, Yan Quan quickly shifted his gaze away, and unable to make sense of it, Yingning didn’t dwell on it.

‘After all, he was merely a pet, and everything about him was bound to a player. Even if she suspected something, she wouldn’t guess that he had been in contact with other players behind her back.’

Simultaneously, Su Shunhua sent a message to Black Mirror Healer: [Plan 1 is complete; we can prepare for Plan 2 at any time.]

Black Mirror Healer nodded, then turned to Su Shunhua and Yingning, a profoundly sincere smile spreading across his face. ‘Then, I now formally invite both of you to join Sword Sweeping the World.’

[Plan 2, commence!]