Rebirth of the Thief Who Roamed the World

These past few days, all players were focusing their attention on the border between the Abernathy Great Grassland and Wild Plains. The two great armies, both several millions strong, left their hearts trembling. This was undoubtedly the showdown for the top. A war for the throne. Whatever the outcome, the entire Righteous Faction would be led into a new era. As for the losing side, they would be annihilated, returning to specks of sand in the ever-flowing river of time.

The spectators didn’t have to wait for long. Angel Corps and the Century Financial Group’s army started stirring before surging forward like an unstoppable tide.

Standing atop the Darkwing Dragon’s head, Nie Yan looked down at the world. He saw several million players moving forward. The heavy rumbling of their footsteps and their battle cries rang out across the air.

Several thousand catapults were slowly moving forward over the plain.

“It’s starting!” Nie Yan gazed into the distance as he reminisced on the past. In the previous timeline, he was only an ant in front of Cao Xu, easily crushed to death. He had to endure in silence as he suffered countless humiliations. It wasn’t until the very end that he got the opportunity to take revenge, though at the cost of his own life. However, in this timeline, he had finally reached the same heights as Cao Xu. Now, he was commanding millions of troops to determine the winner. This was probably the most glorious moment in his life. His eyes flashed with a peculiar light. “Cao Xu, you better prepare yourself. Today, I’ll crush you beneath my feet, and never let you get back up again!”

The Darkwing Dragon flew through the sky with Nie Yan standing loftily atop its head.

The millions of players below all raised their heads to stare at Nie Yan. In their hearts, he was a god. They excitedly awaited his commands.

「This battle today will mark the moment of our glory. We will wipe the floor with Angel Corps and the Century Financial Group! I want everyone to give me your 110%! Kill the enemy until they have nothing left and let them experience the full might of our Asskickers United! To the unification of the Righteous Faction! Everything our eyes can see across the Atlanta Continent will be ours!」Nie Yan declared. The upcoming battle meant life or death. So, they could only stake it all and fight until their very last breath.「Glory to Asskickers United! Charge!」

Nie Yan’s voice rang out like thunder, causing the hearts of all the Asskickers United players to blaze with passion. Unifying the continent and conquering everything under the heavens, a bad joke in reality. However, those who entered Conviction and truly immersed themselves in the game would no longer feel like these words were the ramblings of a fool. This virtual world was as real as the one outside. The people here were very much alive, had their own thoughts, and struggled to make a better life for themselves. It was almost as if you were transported into a medieval world of fantasy and magic. Here, the joy, anger, and various other emotions you felt were no different than those in reality. Which man didn’t dream of glory and honour? However, reality was governed by strict rules, and the expectations of society weighed down on everyone. There was no room for hopes and dreams. Inside the game though, they were unbound, free to be their true selves and pursue their own passions.

Sweeping through all obstacles and conquering them. Just how glorious of a feat would this be? The Asskickers United players felt their blood boiling with exictement. They let out battle cries which rang out across the air like thunder.

「Vanquish the enemy and unify the continent! Glory to Asskickers United! Charge!」It was as if everyone suddenly became medieval warriors, rushing into battle for honour and glory. The surrounding landscape, the equipment of the people around them, trebuchets and catapults, and the towering walls behind them only served to strengthen this impression.

Asskickers United felt their morale soar. All two million of them charged toward the enemy army, loudly cheering.

「Catapults are within firing range!」

「Load the brackets. Fire!」

「Warriors, charge!」

「Mages, provide cover fire!」

The two armies clashed. A hail of shells blotted out the sky, raining down on the enemy forces. Explosions and miserable cries rang out in the air. Guo Huai could hardly breathe. He and the 300 other members of the command team continuously gave out commands.

In a battle of this scale, it took something special for a single player to make any waves. The only thing you could rely on was a fierce offensive and safety in numbers. Countless pets were summoned onto the battlefield, bears, lions, imps, demon guards, flame fiends, and many more.

Casualties on both sides were rapidly climbing. Even so, one could hardly see a dent in the vast ocean of troops. The backlines weren’t even in range yet to fire. The two great armies didn’t go all out right away. It would take at least a week of continuous fighting to decide the outcome of this battle.

「Nie Yan, you stay here and command the troops. We’ll head down and join the battle!」Bladelight laughed. Seeing the chaotic melee going on down below, he was itching to join in on the fun.

「You guys be careful.」Nie Yan nodded. The entirety of Asskickers United revovled around him. He couldn’t participate in the battle just yet, or else he would’ve already done so. However, there was no harm in letting Bladelight and the others go down. This could allow them to gain a slight advantage. Plus, with their skills, even if they encountered danger, they could easily escape.

「Let’s go down. We’ll wipe the floor with them!」Lei Su said excitedly.

More than a dozen flying mounts descended to the ground. Bladelight, Smoke Stub, Lei Su, and the other Warriors jumped down toward the ground.

As soon as they joined the fray, the battle became more lively. These members had all class advanced long ago. How could the ordinary players of Angel Corps and the Century Financial Group ever hope to compete with them?

「Bladelight, Smoke Stub, you guys go that way. I’ll go over there!」Tang Yao said. With a wave of his staff, an enormous black meteor fell from the sky. BOOOM! Swaths of Angel Corps players were engulfed in scorching hot flames and burnt to a crisp.

In this kind of large-scale battle, a squishy Mage like Tang Yao didn’t dare to charge headfirst into the enemy ranks. Even so, he posed an extreme threat by simply firing his magic from a distance. His magic was like a tornado, sweeping through several hundred players.

Tang Yao’s killing power was too frightening. It didn’t take long for him to attract the ire of the enemy. A sharp whistling sound rang out through the sky. His heart trembled. Raising his head to the sky, he just about froze in fear. A hail of shells was flying straight towards him.

「Sweet buddha!」Tang Yao cried out. After several consecutive blinks, he escaped just far enough away. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Several dozen shells bombarded the ground behind him.

The catapults stayed far back, firing at the opposing troops. Several thousand catapults fired a continuous barrage of shells. Each one had an astonishing range. Their killing power was frightening.

The trebuchets had a far greater range. They aimed for the enemy catapults. Unfortunately, their reload speed was significantly slower and they could only fire one projectile at a time. It involved a combination of luck and skill to hit a catapult, not to mention destroy it. In general, it took dozens of trebuchets working closely together to take out a single catapult.

The battle had only just started, but the graveyard was probably already packed with players waiting to revive.

The Magisters on both sides could only hide behind the Warriors and cast long range magic to attack. Even the strongest Magisters would only become cannon fodder if they rushed into enemy lines. Warriors like Bladelight, Smoke Stub, and Lei Su could completely ignore the enemy thanks to their frightening defense.

「Bladelight, how about a little competition? Let’s see who can kill the most players!」Smoke Stub said, cutting down an enemy in front of him.

「You’re spec’d offensively. I’ll be at a disadvantage,」Bladelight said, brushing off the attacks coming at him.

「I’ll give you a 100-kill head start,」Smoke Stub said. He really did have the advantage when it came to killing power. Berserkers had far higher attack power and AoE attacks.

「What do we bet for?」Bladelight asked.

「The loser owes the winner a beer.」

「Sounds good. Let’s start counting,」Bladelight laughed.

「That’s +10. You guys can count me in too!」Lei Su said after mowing down a dozen enemy players.

「Now!」Smoke Stub grinned.

Smoke Stub had hardly finished speaking as the three of them stepped up the offensive, splitting through Angel Corps’ ranks like a sharp dagger.

Lei Su brandished his massive greatsword, which was almost as long as he was tall. As he cleaved down with his sword, a 10-meter long beam extended out from the tip of his blade. BOOM! Several dozen Angel Corps players were sent flying by his powerful slash. Lei Su put away the greatsword with a slight smile.「Plus 56!」

「Good job, seems like someone came prepared! We better up our game or we’re paying, Bladelight,」Smoke Stub laughed. He charged into the fray with a battlecry, spinning around his axis with his blade outstretched. Sword beams shot out continuously and beheaded more than 30 enemy players.

Bulwark of the War God! A massive golden armoured god of war took shape behind Bladelight. It smashed down its hand into the ground. BOOM! Several enemy players wearing high quality equipment were instantly killed.

No one was their match. They spread out across the battlefield, wreaking havoc over their sections of the battlefield. Even if Angel Corps and the Century Financial Group sent their Masters, they still couldn’t stop them.

...

Cao Xu looked at the livestream of the battle with a gloomy expression. Watching Bladelight, Smoke Stub, and Lei Su made him all the more upset. He couldn’t understand for the life of him how Nie Yan managed to recruit so many top talents. No matter what guild they would join, they’d be their number one expert, even in Angel Corps or one of his own guilds. He’d offered them more money than they could ever dream of spending. However, they’d rather be second best in Asskickers United. It were these players that led Asskickers United to continuous victories and glory. He tried to understand, but it simply didn’t make any sense. Why did they all choose for Asskickers United?