After a quick glance at the approaching Swordsman, Colorful Fruit returned her attention to the enemy Berserker before her. Bright Dawn's expression was tight and grim as if he were looking at an absolute monster. He completely ignored her, his gaze glued to that distant Swordsman.
Her enemy's intense reaction confused Colorful Fruit.
"What's going on?"
"Who is that guy?"
She wasn't the only one confused. Late Autumn, who commanded Purple Shadow's members from some distance away, was just as shocked by this turn of events.
Based on the strength Bright Dawn had revealed thus far, Late Autumn was certain the man was a monster on the battlefield. He even suspected that Bright Dawn could annihilate every Purple Shadow member here by himself.
Yet, such a monster clearly feared the Swordsman who had just arrived.
Moreover, Bright Dawn wasn't the only person to react like this. Starlink's other members wore the same grim expressions, all of them staring at the approaching Swordsman.
"Black Flame! What are you doing here!?" Bright Dawn demanded frostily.
At this point, Bright Dawn's hatred for the player known as 'Black Flame' was immeasurable.
He had made the difficult decision to abandon Unyielding Soul, joining Starlink as one of its Vice Guild Leaders. He had wanted to make himself more important to Lu Xingluo by sabotaging Unyielding Soul and Crimson Emperor's plans to secure the Traveling Bard hidden cla.s.s, but Black Flame had single-handedly ruined his. In the end, Starlink had gained far fewer Traveling Bards than its compet.i.tion.
Lu Xingluo had been disappointed in his failure and refused to a.s.sign Bright Dawn any notable tasks for some time.
Now, after a long list of arduous tasks, trying to earn the responsibility of the Ancient Undead Country's management, Bright Dawn, once again, encountered Black Flame.
His recollection of this man's strength was still crystal clear. He couldn't forget it if he tired. After all, Black Flame had defeated Sword Demon in the battle for White River City's Auction House.
Although Sword Demon was quite old, he was a bona fide monster, far stronger than Bright Dawn. There were less than a handful of experts that could rival the old man's strength.
"What? Am I not allowed here?" s.h.i.+ Feng asked, smiling as he swept a glance over Starlink's agitated members.
Bright Dawn expressed his exasperation in reply. If he were talking to anyone else, he would've attacked already. He wouldn't have bothered to trade nonsensical pleasantries. After a second to calm down, he asked once more, his tone soft, "What do you want?"
The Berserker's question caused Purple Shadow's players to turn to s.h.i.+ Feng again, gaping in shock. Late Autumn felt particularly tongue-tied. He couldn't believe this was happening.
Bright Dawn was a peak expert, earning the 'Undead Sword' t.i.tle[l]. He was famous for his ruthlessness, and he never let an enemy escape with their life. He never negotiated, either.
Take their Purple Shadow adventurer team, for example. Despite ranking among the top adventurer teams in the Dark Night Empire, Bright Dawn had attacked without hesitation.
Yet, this vicious man was pausing mid-battle to converse with s.h.i.+ Feng. It was unbelievable.
"Commander, who is this Black Flame? He's so amazing!" Colorful Fruit whispered through the team chat.
Alone, s.h.i.+ Feng was strong enough to still Bright Dawn's expert team with fear.
These Starlink experts didn't even show Unyielding Soul or Crimson Emperor's experts any respect in the Dark Night Empire.
"I've heard of Black Flame before. I think he's Zero Wing's Guild Leader, the Guild that previously helped the Hundred Flowers Palace. Black Flame himself ranks among the top 50 on the G.o.d's Domain Experts List. He stands at the very peak of G.o.d's Domain," Late Autumn explained what he knew. "I hadn't expected an expert like him to show up in a place like this."
"Top 50 on the G.o.d's Domain Experts List? It's no wonder why Bright Dawn seems so afraid!" Realization dawned on Colorful Fruit.
She barely ranked among the top 100 in the Dark Night Empire's overall combat power ranks. Naturally, she'd be considered quite powerful in any kingdom or empire, but on the full scale of G.o.d's Domain, her strength was nothing.
Although the G.o.d's Domain Experts List focused on players' public achievements, it did reflect a portion of the players' strength.
Those who could rank among the top 50 would likely be some of the strongest players in the Dark Night Empire. Although Bright Dawn was quite powerful, he definitely couldn't rank at the top of the empire.
If Bright Dawn could hear Colorful Fruit's thoughts, he'd likely vomit blood.
If his opponent had merely ranked among the top 50 on the G.o.d's Domain Experts List, he wouldn't have been so afraid. In fact, he'd gladly take any of those experts over this Swordsman.
"I want this Boss and that Dark-Gold Treasure Chest," s.h.i.+ Feng calmly replied, glancing at the Level 69 Grand Lord, which only had 18% of its total HP remaining, and the treasure chest behind it.
The Purple Shadow members' jaws nearly hit the ground when they heard s.h.i.+ Feng's demand.
"Is this guy insane?"
s.h.i.+ Feng actually intended to steal the Boss and its treasure by himself. Even arrogance had a limit. And he had just demanded this from one of Starlink's Vice Guild Leaders...
Most importantly, they were currently in Starlink's territory. With just a quick call, Bright Dawn could likely summon a large number of reinforcements. More of his Guild's peak experts would probably answer his call, as well.
s.h.i.+ Feng might be stronger than Bright Dawn, but could he take on three or five peak experts simultaneously?
This guy is way too reckless. We're still in the Psychedelic Forest; Starlink's fortress isn't the far away. If Bright Dawn calls in reinforcements, none of us will escape, Late Autumn thought to himself, watching s.h.i.+ Feng with an exasperated expression.
All fortresses could teleport players across long distances, even in the Ancient Undead Country. The Psychedelic Forest wasn't that far from Starlink's fortress; a single teleport would be enough for players to reach the forest's edge.
Furthermore, plenty of Starlink's expert teams were operating in the area. If s.h.i.+ Feng truly angered Starlink, he wouldn't have a s...o...b..ll's chance in h.e.l.l of leaving the forest alive.
Late Autumn and his team had already prepared themselves for utter annihilation when they had decided to stay and fight the Boss, despite Bright Dawn's team trying to steal the kill. As long as they could claim the Boss's loot and the treasure chest it guarded, their deaths would be worth the effort.
However, it was a different story for s.h.i.+ Feng. s.h.i.+ Feng was an apex expert in G.o.d's Domain. One of his lives was likely worth more than a Grand Lord's loot and a Dark-Gold Treasure Chest.
As Purple Shadow's members expected a fight to break out between s.h.i.+ Feng and Bright Dawn, the Berserker sheathed his white-bone greatsword.
"Since Guild Leader Black Flame wants this bounty, we'll leave out of respect. Let's go!" Bright Dawn said before turning to leave, not even sparing the Boss and treasure chest a second glance.
Starlink's members promptly withdrew from their fights with Purple Shadow's members and retreated from the battlefield, following their commander.
In less than 15 seconds, all of Starlink's members had left the area, the speed and decisive nature of their withdrawal stunning the adventurer team players.
