As the system announced the competitionâs victory, silence descended on the entire venue. Only after some time did the audience snap out of their daze.
âWhat?! Zero Wing won, just like that!?â
The spectators couldnât believe their eyes as they stared at the words hovering above the battlefield.
Although Zero Wing had killed all of Starlinkâs top combatants, Zero Wingâs army had suffered. After such a long fight, Zero Wingâs top combatants should have exhausted much of their Stamina and Concentration. If they had continued this battle, they wouldâve likely collapsed from exhaustion.
Moreover, Zero Wingâs 300-man vanguard only had a little over 100 survivors remaining. Among them, less than 70 were Refinement Realm experts. In contrast, although Starlink had lost all of its Domain Realm experts, it still had over 200 Refinement Realm experts. Overall, Zero Wing had still been at a disadvantage.
Most importantly, Starlinkâs main army had crushed Zero Wingâs main army to a point where it couldnât even be considered an army anymore. The situation wouldnât be easy for Zero Wing to salvage.
And yet, Starlink had taken the initiative to admit defeatâŚ
âStarlink surrendered?â Delicate Blood watched Lu Xingluo, who had already returned to the Divine Colosseumâs main hall, in astonishment. She had never expected this outcome.
Starlink was the Dark Night Empireâs overlord and a Guild that developed on both the eastern and western continents simultaneously. The Guild had countless experts under its command, yet Starlink had surrendered so strangelyâŚ
âHahaha! I told you that the outcome wasnât set in stone! Zero Wing has won!â Unyielding Heart exclaimed, grinning at Delicate Blood.
âDonât celebrate so soon. Starlink might have lost, but there is a high chance that it only surrendered to keep its true strength hidden,â Delicate Blood said, clicking her tongue. âIf Starlink accepted defeat in such an important competition to hide its strength, it must have something massive in store.â
âThat doesnât change the fact that Zero Wing won,â Unyielding Heart said, chuckling. âEvery player in the empire was watching this match. Now that Zero Wing has won, the powers that previously doubted the Guildâs strength will begin to side with Zero Wing.â
Unyielding Heart didnât know what Starlink was planning, but the fact that Zero Wing had won this 10,000- versus-10,000 match was undisputable.
Today, the Dark Night Empire entered a new era. Starlink would no longer have full control over the empire. Instead, two powerhouses would contest for control. The various major powers that had hesitated to pick a side would swarm toward Zero Wing.
The Dark Night Empire was very large, and although it appeared to be under Starlink, Unyielding Soul, and Crimson Emperorâs control, the three superpowers only commanded the empireâs core areas. There were plenty of small, obscure cities that were free of these three superpowers, controlled by upstart powers.
Corporations around the world were actively trying to invest in Godâs Domain, and while some invested in existing Guilds, others had chosen to form their own. As a result, upstart powers were secretly rising all over Godâs Domain. Naturally, the Dark Night Empire was no exception. Meanwhile, these upstart powers had been annexing small Guilds and adventurer teams across the empire, and by this point, they were no weaker than first-rate Guilds. Some were even stronger.
Since these upstart powers had their own agendas, they werenât willing to submit to Starlink. That being said, they didnât dare oppose the superpower, either. As a result, they had remained in an awkward position. However, now that Zero Wing had defeated Starlink and proven itself to be just as powerful in the Dark Night Empire, these upstart powers would eagerly ally themselves with Zero Wing to work against Starlink.
Delicate Blood had no response to offer Unyielding Heart. Instead, she shifted her gaze to Shi Feng, who had just left the battlefield.
It seems Iâll have to report this to the old commander, Delicate Blood thought as she watched Zero Wingâs Guild Leader.
Unyielding Heart hadnât been wrong.
A victory was just that. From today on, the Dark Night Empire had a new powerhouseâZero Wing.
Meanwhile, in one of the Divine Colosseumâs second-floor VIP rooms, Happy Art could not believe her eyes as she stared at the outcome of this competition.
âGuild Leader, Zero WingâŚwon,â Happy Art muttered, dazed.
She had insisted that Zero Wing was an excellent Guild, but she hadnât actually expected it to defeat Starlink in this competition. The difference between the two Guilds was just so massive.
âI can see that,â Melancholy said, smiling at Happy Artâs dazed expression. âZero Wing has certainly surprised me. With such strength, weâll have a much better chance of securing the fortress. I really must thank you for your recommendation and reports. I will leave our cooperation with Zero Wing to you. Also, I want you to tell Black Flame something for me; others will always envy those who stand out. Even Super Guilds will be envious of Zero Wingâs incredible development speed.â
Melancholy didnât particularly care about Zero Wingâs other experts, but the strength its vanguard had displayed in this battle had surprised him. Now, he, more or less, understood why Shi Feng had been so confident.
Zero Wingâs growth rate was too frightening. It had grown from an obscure Guild in a kingdom into Starlinkâs rival in such a short time. Moreover, it had successfully nurtured so many powerful experts. There was definitely a secret behind Zero Wingâs success, one that even tempted Melancholy.
âI understand,â Happy Art said, nodding.
While everyone discussed the competitionâs outcome, Shi Feng, who had just left the battlefield, was puzzled.
He had been prepared to order a retreat into the forest, employing guerilla tactics against Starlinkâs remaining forces. Not only would his strategy compensate for Zero Wingâs numerical disadvantage, but it would also give his players time to recover their Stamina and Concentration. With their level and Attribute advantage, they could whittle Starlinkâs survivors down.
He had never expected Lu Xingluo to give up so quickly. Shi Feng found the situation strange since it didnât fit with Lu Xingluoâs usually rash behavior.
Just forget about it. In any case, weâve won. Shi Feng shook his head as he dismissed the issue.
What mattered the most was the reputation boost Zero Wing would gain with its victory. Although Zero Wing had established a foothold in the Dark Night Empire, it hadnât made any developmental progress yet, even with the benefits Stone Forest City provided. Starlink was simply far too strong.
However, Starlinkâs prestige in the empire would suffer, while Zero Wingâs would soar. After this, Zero Wing could finally absorb the empireâs talented players.
If a Guild wanted to become a true superpower, it needed enough talented players and experts.
Although Zero Wing had already surpassed first-rate Guilds in this aspect, it wasnât a match for superpowers. This competition had made that much obvious. The difference between each sideâs Refinement Realm experts had been massive. There was no need to mention other aspects.
To gain more Refinement Realm experts, Zero Wing needed to recruit a large number of talented players and experts, but relying on Star-Moon Kingdomâs player population wasnât enough.
Most importantly, Zero Wing had exposed too much of its strength during this competition. Superpowers would start to become interested in the Guild. Shi Feng needed to increase Zero Wingâs overall strength as quickly as possible.
Thinking up to this point, Shi Fengâs gaze drifted toward the 10,000 Ancient Gold he had won from Lu Xingluo.
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Ten thousand Ancient Gold Coins!
Even for Starlink, this amount was extremely difficult to acquire. If Shi Feng hadnât signed a contract with Lu Xingluo before the competition, Lu Xingluo would likely have gone back on his word, even if his reputation would take a hit for it. Ancient Gold Coins were immensely difficult to acquire. Most independent experts on Dragonheart Island only earned Ancient Copper, with an extreme few earning Ancient Silver Coins. Only superpowers were strong enough to earn Ancient Gold Coins.
Itâs about time I pay Dragonheart Island a visit, Shi Feng thought, smiling.
He had assumed that heâd only earn so many Ancient Gold Coins after fulfilling his agreement with Thirteen Thrones, but now that he had them in hand, he could secure a foothold on Dragonheart Island.
Later, Shi Feng left the Dark Night Empireâs affairs to Aqua Rose while he made his way to Dragonheart Island.