The system announcement repeated throughout the Star Valley three times, And everyone in battle fell silent for a moment at the Main God Systemâs cold, mechanical voice.
âWhatâs going on?â
âSomeone captured the Starlight Fortress?â
The Silver Lion Legion members couldnât keep up with the sudden developments. They hadnât even made it through the walls or gate yet, so no one shouldâve been able to capture the fortress. How could this have happened?
It wasnât just the legionâs various experts who were confused; even MacAffrey, the legionâs vice commander, was stunned.
What happened to the Starlight Fortress? MacAffrey gazed at the fortress several thousand yards away, confounded. Did someone sneak in and slay the final Guardian boss?
Even as MacAffrey wondered this, he tried to deny the possibility.
In Godâs Domain, players couldnât enter a sealed fortress until they destroyed the front gate or broke a hole in the walls.
Since the Starlight Fortressâs walls and gate were intact, how could any player get into the fortress?
Even if players could accomplish the task, the fortress was still home to hundreds of thousands of Elemental Creatures. All of these monsters were Level 110 or higher, and the weakest of them was Lord rank. Not even a 1,000-man, Tier 3 team would be able to handle the final Guardian Boss in such a situation, much less a 100-man team of Tier 3 players.
Even if players miraculously managed to reach and challenge the final Guardian Boss, fighting the Mythic ranked Boss should cause a huge commotion, but although they had been engaged in battle outside the fortress, they hadnât heard any noise from within.
The only strange part about this siege was that over 50,000 monsters had emerged to attack, rather than the 10,000 they had expected. Moreover, this monster army had over 100 Grand Lords and a Mythic Boss, a creature that normally should remain within the fortress.
âCould it be?â MacAffrey suddenly thought of a possibility, and he spun toward Shi Feng, who was busy looting the Starlight Behemothâs loot near the rear line.
In all of his experience sieging Godâs Domainâs fortresses, the final Guardian Boss had never charged out of the fortress, yet the Starlight Behemoth had been extraordinarily powerful.
As a Mythic ranked Realm Lord, the Starlight Behemoth could be considered on par with a World Boss, albeit one of the weakest. Of course, a Level 113 World Boss was an absolute nightmare for current players.
Not to mention, the Starlight Behemoth had the support of an army of 50,000 monsters. Defeating it was far more difficult than defeating an ordinary Realm Lord. If Shi Feng hadnât used Miniature World to suppress the Guardian Bossâs Domain earlier, MacAffrey wouldâve prepared to lose half of his legion at least.
Meanwhile, Shi Feng stood in the middle of the crater, holding a dark-gold token. The token radiated dense Mana and served as proof of their success in capturing the Starlight Fortress.
The Starlight Fortress Lordâs Token!
MacAffrey wasnât the only one to notice. Crimson Witch and the others had turned to look at Shi Feng as well.
âTheyâve captured the fortress, just like that?â Crimson Witch stared at the token in Shi Fengâs hand with wide eyes.
Although she knew that Shi Fengâs group had a high chance of capturing the Starlight Fortress, she had never thought heâd secure the Fortress Lordâs Token so soon.
This was one of Star Valleyâs Fortresses they were talking about! It was something the western continentâs various superpowers dreamed of obtaining!
And yet, Shi Feng had captured the fortress so easily. If she told this story, not even fools would believe her!
Every member of the Silver Lion Legion was stupefied. None of them had ever expected a fortress in a Level 100-plus forbidden land to be so easy to capture. If the continentâs other superpowers found out about this, theyâd likely faint with angerâŚ
In reality, even Shi Feng was astonished. He hadnât expected to obtain the Starlight Fortress Lordâs Token so quickly either.
He had even been prepared to use the Heroâs Tome to summon a Tier 4 Hero. If the first Guardian Boss they had faced had already been a Mythic ranked Realm Lord, the final Guardian Boss might be a Superior Mythic.
Players like them wouldnât be able to deal with a Level 110-plus Superior Mythic easily. Only a Tier 4 Hero would have a chance of defeating such a monster.
This has saved us a lot of effort, but we have much less time to fortify the fortress now. Shi Feng was not particularly pleased to see the Fortress Lordâs Token, and he gave it a bitter smile.
The fact that he had obtained the Fortress Lordâs Token so soon was both a blessing and a curse.
Now that he had secured the Fortress Lordâs Token, he would have full control of the Starlight Fortressâs magic array. Although he still had to reach the fortressâs core to activate the defensive magic array, it would no longer buff the monsters within now that he had the token. This would make capturing the fortress far easier.
Now, he only needed to clear out the monsters in the Starlight Fortress, and he wouldnât have to destroy the fortressâs wall or gate to do it. He could simply waltz through the front gate.
The only problem was that he needed to clear out the monsters and strengthen the fortressâs defenses within three days, before the fortress opened to the public, and players began to flood in. Without adequate defenses, managing the fortress would become troublesome, and the various superpowers might use the opportunity to take it from him.
Unfortunately, sealing the fortress and preventing players from entering wasnât possible.
The Starlight Fortress was in Star Valley, a forbidden land. Godâs Domainâs forbidden lands werenât controlled by any kingdom or empire, and almost all of their fortresses had survived since ancient times, created before the Great Destruction. Forbidden landsâ fortresses werenât like those in neutral maps or Guild Towns and Cities. Even with the Fortress Lordâs Token, one would not gain full access to the fortress. They couldnât open or seal the fortresses as they wished.
This was also the reason that any power to capture a fortress in a forbidden land was forced to send a large number of members to garrison the fortress.
In truth, the Main God Systemâs settings for this werenât unreasonable.
Forbidden lands had far more abundant resources than other maps. If a power could acquire full control of an ancient fortress in a forbidden land, it would be nigh-impossible for other powers to break through the defenses and take it from them due to the defensive mechanisms that had also survived since ancient times. The power that had first captured the fortress would have permanent access to the forbidden landâs resources, while everyone else would have to watch from the sidelines. This certainly wasnât a fair situation.
Take the Starlight Fortress, for example. It might only be a Small Fortress, but once its defensive magic array was activated, only Tier 5 beings would be able to break it. In an era where the Gods had gone into seclusion, Tier 5 powerhouses stood at the peak of Godâs Domain. Even emperors had to show proper respect. These powerhouses could wipe out entire kingdoms. Not even empires would get away scot-free after provoking such an individual.
Shi Feng had thought that heâd have three full days to bolster the Starlight Fortressâs defenses after he captured it, but now he had to waste some of that time clearing out the hundreds of thousands of monsters within.
While Shi Feng and the others continued their fight against the Starlight Fortressâs monsters, the Storm Heart adventurer team watched from a distance with dropped jaws.
âWho are those people?â the ruthless, greatsword-wielding man muttered as he stared at the system announcement in shock. âTheyâve actually managed to capture the Starlight Fortress?â
âWe donât know who they are, but this will certainly cause an uproar across the continent,â Krow, Storm Heartâs commander, said. He couldnât help but glance Shi Fengâs way.
The various powers and expert teams all wanted to conquer Star Valley, but players couldnât remain in the area for very long, which slowed their exploration progress in the forbidden land. Although the various superpowers had frequently tried to capture fortresses within Star Valley, none had succeeded.
Now that someone had, Krow didnât even want to imagine how this event would change Star Valley.
While Storm Heartâs members discussed the matter amongst themselves, news of the Starlight Fortressâs capture spread like wildfire throughout the western continent.
âWhat did you say? Zero Wing has already captured the Starlight Fortress?â Adolf was momentarily stunned when he heard MacAffreyâs report. âImpossible! Your group only left a while ago! Even if you hadnât rested, how could you have slain several hundred thousand monsters in the fortress so quickly?!â
Adolf felt as if MacAffrey were playing a joke on him. Zero Wing and the Silver Lion Legion hadnât even been gone from Silver Lion City for more than a day, and the Starlight Fortress was home to hundreds of thousands of monsters, the weakest of which was Lord rank. Furthermore, there were plenty of Great Lords and Grand Lords in the fortress, and multiple Mythic ranked Guardian Bosses.
Even if the Starlight Fortress had opened its gate to the Silver Lion Legion, the legionâs 8,000 players would still need a lot of time to clear out all of the monsters. Itâd be a miracle if the legion finished the job within two or three days.
However, less than a day had passed since the legion had left for Star Valley, and including travel time, they had spent even less time in the area.
Did MacAffrey assume he had gone senile with old age?
âItâs true, Great Elder,â MacAffrey insisted, smiling bitterly when he saw Adolfs skepticism. âTake a look for yourself if you donât believe me. Weâve already entered the Starlight Fortress and are clearing out the monsters. The fortress magic array is now buffing us, rather than its previous residents.â
As MacAffrey spoke, he changed the video chat to display his view of the situation.
Adolfs display then revealed the Silver Lion Legionâs fight with the Elemental Creatures within the Starlight Fortress. Although the weakest of the Elemental Creatures were Level 110 Lords, and many of them were Level 110-plus Great Lords and Grand Lords, the fortressâs magic array suppressed every one of the monsters, drastically reducing their Basic Attributes and mobility. In addition, the legionâs members were surrounded by a faint purple glow, significantly enhancing their Attributes and physiques.
Although the Silver Lion Legion was badly outnumbered, the Elemental Creatures were no match for them, and the monsters continued to fall as the fight continued. Seeing this made it obvious that the Starlight Fortress was now under player control. Otherwise, the fortressâs magic array wouldnât behave in such a way.
âHow is this possible?!â Adolf stared with wide eyes.
They were talking about one of Star Valleyâs fortresses!
Even if several superpowers worked together, they still couldnât capture a fortress in this Level 100-plus forbidden land, much less Divine Tribe alone.
âGreat Elder, I doubt it will be long before the other superpowers hear of this. The Main God System had announced the Starlight Fortressâs capture in a regional announcement. We couldnât keep this a secret if we wanted to,â MacAffrey cautioned. He could sympathize with how Adolf felt at the moment.
When Shi Feng had first declared that he wanted to capture the Starlight Fortress, MacAffrey had assumed the Swordsman was both insane and ignorant.
The westâs various superpowers had to expend a lot of resources and manpower to obtain a single town, yet Shi Feng wanted to capture a fortress in a Level 100-plus forbidden land. Clearly, he hadnât been taking the western continentâs superpowers seriously.
Star Valley had leveling resources that were unique to the area. It was also home to the westâs only two known God Mode Regional Dungeons.
It was no exaggeration to claim that owning one of Star Valleyâs fortresses was on par with owning several Grade 1 veins.
If the various superpowers were capable of capturing these fortresses, they wouldâve already done so. How could a pseudo-superpower like Zero Wing possibly succeed where the various superpowers had failed?
In the end, however, Shi Feng had succeeded. Moreover, the strength Zero Wing had displayed was far beyond anything MacAffrey couldâve imagined. When it came to laying siege to fortified locations, Zero Wing outstripped ordinary superpowers. In fact, not even Super Guilds would prove as adept as Zero Wing in this respect.
The Domain tools and the Crimson Dragon Flying Ship Shi Feng had revealed were godly tools during an offensive siege. Watching those tools in action had changed everything MacAffrey had thought he knew about siege battles. Before the Ring of Gospel and Flying Ship, Tier 3 experts were nothingâŚ
âIt seems I still underestimated Zero Wing. Not only can it travel between the continents, but it has even proven capable of capturing the Starlight Fortress. Not even Super Guilds have such firm foundations,â Adolf said, taking a deep breath to calm himself. He also reevaluated what he knew about the Guild known as Zero Wing. âSince that is the case, I want you to give everything you have in assisting Zero Wing from now on. Also, inform Black Flame that Divine Tribe is willing to go all-out in helping his Guild manage the Starlight Fortress. Not only will we send the Divine Hymn Legion and a 150,000-man expert army to garrison the fortress free of charge, but weâll also give Zero Wing 100 Bottles of the Special Enchanted Bloodline. In return, all Divine Tribe wants is a temporary Residence in the Starlight Fortress!â
Adolfs declaration stunned MacAffrey.
âDo we really need to go that far, Great Elder? Setting aside the Divine Hymn Legion, we went to great lengths to save up 100 bottles of the Special Enchanted Bloodline. If we give them all to Zero Wing, our Guildâs Tier 2 experts will have a much harder time reaching Tier 3 than other superpowersâ players,â MacAffrey quickly tried to dissuade Adolf from his decision.
The Divine Hymn Legion wasnât as strong as the Silver Lion Legion, but it was the Guildâs second-strongest trump card legion. Normally, it was responsible for garrisoning the Guildâs important mining towns. If they transferred the Divine Hymn Legion to the Starlight Fortress, those mining townâs defenses would become a problem.
The 100 Special Enchanted Bloodlines were also supposed to be the capital Divine Tribe used to compete with the various Super Guilds. These Bloodlines could help the Guild quickly nurture Tier 3 experts. With another 100 Tier 3 experts, Divine Tribe could start raiding Level 100 super-large-scale Team dungeons, instantly surpassing the various Super Guilds.
Although Zero Wing had secured the Starlight Fortress, fortresses in forbidden lands werenât like those in other maps. Even after capturing them, players couldnât gain full control of these fortresses. Moreover, NPCs wouldnât be around to help manage the fortresses, and thus, they would require a large number of experts to protect them long-term. Otherwise, it wouldnât be long before the ruling power started having problems.
Since news of the Starlight Fortressâs capture had already begun to spread, many powers would swarm to it in the near future. Meanwhile, Zero Wing had barely any manpower on the western continent. Without Divine Tribeâs help, defending the Starlight Fortress was impossible for Zero Wing. There was simply no reason for Divine Tribe to give Zero Wing 100 bottles of the Special Enchanted Bloodline.
âMhm. We have to. You should realize that if we want a temporary Residence in Star Valley, Zero Wing is our only option for an ally. On the other hand, Zero Wing can choose from many superpowers to ally with. However, Small Fortresses can only have one temporary Residence, and we have to have it, no matter what!â Adolf sternly informed his subordinate.
The potential wealth and resources related to the Starlight Fortress couldnât be underestimated, especially the leveling resources. If Divine Tribe could secure a temporary Residence in the Starlight Fortress, the Guildâs overall leveling speed would surpass the other superpowersâ by a large margin.
One hundred Special Enchanted Bloodlines? Zero Wing really has lucked out. When Crimson Witch overheard Adolfs statement and tone, she knew the Great Elder had already made up his mind. She wasnât happy about it, but there was nothing she could do to change it. A lot of superpowers will be paying attention to the fortress, and it still isnât guaranteed that Zero Wing can defend its ownership. Hopefully, Zero Wing doesnât act foolishly.
While Divine Tribe discussed the matter, the westâs various superpowers began to grow restless.
âInteresting! It seems someone has proven capable of capturing the Starlight Fortress! Which power is it?â
âCould it be a hidden superpower that has finally decided to spread its wings?â
âRegardless, letâs go take a look at the fortress. If this unknown power canât manage the fortress, this is the perfect opportunity to take it from them!â
The western continentâs various powers began to dispatch large expert teams, sending them to Star Valley.