511 Decay

The s.p.a.ce in the cave was so huge that it could accommodate a large Teleport Portal.

This was the portal that connected the Surface World and the Underworld. The gamers called it the Dark Portal.

The name sounded awesome, and the appearance of the Dark Portal looked majestic.

The height of the portal was 20 to 30 meters, and the entire structure was made of reflective crystal. Mana was flowing in all directions in the portal.

It was the first time General s.h.i.+dan witnessed such a portal. The inner cave was illuminated by the brilliance of the portal, unlike the dim front part of the cave. The Dark Portal was now controlled by the Victorians, so it was almost impossible for the creatures of Eternal Kingdom to come to the Surface World. However, occasionally, a few creatures of Eternal Kingdom managed to slip past the defenses and enter the Surface World.

After the Victorians gained control of the Dark Portal, General s.h.i.+dan hadn’t seen the Underworld creatures for many days.

“This is the Dark Portal. If you pa.s.s through it, you’ll find the Eternal pigs on the other side. Be very careful,” Hoodlum, who had a severely deformed spine, said to the generals of the G.o.dly Kingdom.

General s.h.i.+dan had heard of the hunchbacked Hoodlum before.

He thought that it was an excuse made up by the incompetent Duke of York to explain his loss to the Victorians. General s.h.i.+dan didn’t expect the handicapped Hoodlum to be so strong. He witnessed Hoodlum and the Orcs fighting. The Orcs were no match for Hoodlum.

Previously, General s.h.i.+dan was prejudiced against the handicapped Hoodlum. But now, he saw Hoodlum differently.

“Hoodlum Boss, I feel you’re like an NPC after hearing your conversations.”

A Human beside Hoodlum was laughing. As he was pretty loud, the nearby General s.h.i.+dan could hear him. The Victorians would always say weird things in certain circ.u.mstances.

“General, after going through here, you’ll arrive at Victoria City. The creatures of Eternal Kingdom want to attack the Dark Portal. We only have to help the Victorians defend the Dark Portal. Then we stop the Underworld creatures from entering our Surface World,” George said to General s.h.i.+dan. They had already arrived at the portal and wouldn’t head back.

“Listen to my command…” General s.h.i.+dan turned around and unsheathed his Sword. He shouted to the soldiers of the G.o.dly Kingdom and the gamers of Victoria City,

“Warriors! I never thought of standing here and shouldering such heavy responsibilities! Behind me is the Dark Portal, and behind the portal are the horrifying Underworld creatures! I know you’re fearful. Anyone would be fearful when faced with these creatures. However, the best way to overcome this fear is to face it with courage…”

General s.h.i.+dan shouted as he tried to rally everyone. The soldiers of the G.o.dly Kingdom cheered, while the gamers of Victoria City shouted, “Aolige!”

General s.h.i.+dan didn’t understand what the gamers were shouting, but seeing the excitement of everyone, he believed that they were supporting him.

General s.h.i.+dan lifted his arm and shouted, “We are able to be here because of the King of the G.o.dly Kingdom, the brave King Potato…”

He was interrupted by Hoodlum, who said, “General, we have to keep it short. It’s almost 8 pm. The battle in front is intense. If we don’t reinforce our warriors, the Dark Portal will be overrun. We have to defend the Dark Portal in one and a half hours. Do you understand?”

The gamers of Victoria City nodded as they spoke of finis.h.i.+ng the battle before 10 pm, about how they hadn’t had dinner, and about not letting the Eternal pigs gain the initiative. General s.h.i.+dan understood that they couldn’t let the creatures of Eternal Kingdom gain control of the Dark Portal. But what was the meaning of ending the battle before 10 pm? Would the creatures withdraw at 10 pm? How did the Victorians know about this?

General s.h.i.+dan was full of questions, but the Victorians were shouting as they charged into the Dark Portal. Golden-haired George raised his weapon and shouted, “Those who love light and freedom, charge with me! We’ll be remembered in history!”

George spoke briefly, but the morale of the troops was boosted. The soldiers of the G.o.dly Kingdom shouted and followed George and the Victorians into the Dark Portal.

A h.e.l.lish environment awaited them behind the portal.

…

A large fireball flew past the sky and left a long trail of smoke. It illuminated the entire tunnel.

General s.h.i.+dan lifted his head and looked at the gray mist. He thought the Underworld was low and similar to bunkers. He didn’t expect the Underworld to be like the Surface World without sunlight.

The sky above his head had no end. A Magician released a large fireball that landed on the Victorian side.

The explosion rocked the entire battlefield. The warriors of the G.o.dly Kingdom were s.h.i.+vering with fright, but the Victorians weren’t afraid. Instead, they became more excited.

The huge Dark Portal was behind General s.h.i.+dan, and countless Underworld creatures stood before him. They wielded terrifying weapons while riding strange Darting Birds towards the Dark Portal. The fortifications built by the Victorians using rocks and wooden stakes were in ruins. Many Victorian Magicians were singing weird chants and releasing intimidating Mana to stop the creatures of Eternal Kingdom. Some Victorians wielded Greatswords and charged towards the enemy in a bid to kill three creatures before dying. General s.h.i.+dan and the soldiers of the G.o.dly Kingdom watched the brutality of the battle intently.

They were deeply shocked by the fearlessness and bravery of the gamers. Previously, General s.h.i.+dan felt disdain towards the Victorians because of their inferior combat strength, but now he thought differently. If his army were to fight with the Victorians without any preparations, even if he won, his army would sustain grievous casualties.

The gamers of Victoria City were in a precarious situation. In terms of troop numbers and war machinery, they were inferior to the Underworld creatures. They were bogged down in a vicious battle. It was only a matter of time before they lost control of the Dark Portal to the Underworld creatures.

However, the Victorians weren’t bothered. According to their words, they only needed to last until 10 pm, and they would win.

The warriors of the G.o.dly Kingdom charged forward while maintaining their formation. Under the direction of the generals, they marched neatly into battle. It was a stark contrast to the ill-disciplined gamers. After all, the soldiers were professionally trained. The generals spotted weaknesses in their frontline and ordered the soldiers to fill the gaps.

The soldiers of the G.o.dly Kingdom didn’t have green symbols above their heads, so they were easy to differentiate from the gamers of Eternal Kingdom and Victoria City. Gamers from both factions were overjoyed to see the NPCs, as it meant they could get more and better equipment.

To the soldiers of the G.o.dly Kingdom, it would be the hardest battle of their lives.

…

“Ah—!”

A soldier of the G.o.dly Kingdom lifted his s.h.i.+eld and Short Sword as he shouted and charged towards a nearby Orc. Behind him were two other soldiers. The three of them formed a team and helped each other advance with high efficiency. They were able to inflict considerable damage on the gamers of Eternal Kingdom.

Though the soldiers were brave, the gamers of Eternal Kingdom were even more valiant and fearless.

A Gnome rushed towards the soldier and used his s.h.i.+eld to parry the soldier’s Short Sword. At that moment, the Gnome smashed the soldier with his Greatclub.

The gamers of Eternal Kingdom tried not to kill the NPCs. Instead, they tried to capture them alive. Each NPC could trigger a Hidden Mission, and there were no rewards for killing them. Knocking them unconscious and taking them back to the Dungeon would garner handsome rewards.

That was the Mission Guide provided to the gamers by the system. Bru did that because he was kind hearted and didn’t want to kill these soldiers. As a member of the Underworld, Bru didn’t have a chance to interact with the Surface World. However, he knew the soldiers of the G.o.dly Kingdom could be exchanged for money and resources.

Magic Stones could be obtained from rare Magic Stone ore veins, but they could also be obtained from the Mana of Humans, Elves, and Fairies. However, Magic Stones couldn’t be extracted from dead Humans, Elves, and Fairies.

After extracting Magic Stones from the Surface World races, they could be sold as prisoners to the G.o.dly Kingdom in exchange for resources and equipment. It was more worthwhile than killing the soldiers.

Sherlock was agreeable to capturing the soldiers of the G.o.dly Kingdom. He lured the soldiers to the Dark Portal because of this. On the one hand, he wanted the G.o.dly Kingdom to see the combat power of the Victorians so that they would dismiss their plans of attacking Victoria City.

On the other hand, Sherlock wanted to capture the Humans to extract Magic Stones.

The soldier was. .h.i.t on the head by the Greatclub, and his metal helmet emitted a loud clanking sound. He twirled one round before collapsing to the ground.

Though other soldiers tried to rescue him, the unconscious soldier was immediately dragged away.

The gamers of Eternal Kingdom tried their best to capture the soldiers on the battlefield.

The battlefield became an arena for the gamers of Eternal Kingdom to capture the soldiers of the G.o.dly Kingdom.

There were even Victorians who helped…

General s.h.i.+dan swung his Superior Sword at the Underworld creatures. A Victorian who was holding an iron chain got close to him. Though the Victorian’s weapon was strange, as long as he was fighting for the Humans, all weapons were acceptable.

When General s.h.i.+dan glanced at the Victorian, the Victorian charged at him with his iron chain while shouting strange words. General s.h.i.+dan didn’t understand, but the Orcs nearby understood and replied in the same strange Dragon-like language.

Then General s.h.i.+dan was bound by the Victorian using the iron chain, and the end of the chain smashed on General s.h.i.+dan’s head. He felt dizzy and almost fell to the ground. His guards rushed over, shouting and trying to protect him.

The Orc dashed forward in a bid to capture General s.h.i.+dan, but there were too many guards. The Orcs were unable to break the defenses. However, the betrayal of the Victorian gave General s.h.i.+dan a shock. He didn’t expect a Victorian to be corrupted by the Underworld creatures. It was a despicable act.