NOVEL NEXT Chapter 91: Overcharged Illyria
Fallen Illyria was already advancing toward the third encampment, leaving behind a trail of blood and the bodies of countless Orc faction players.
Their sacrifices hadn't been for nothing. Illyria had already slaughtered the generals of two encampments, shattering the Human faction's grip on Blood Gorge.
Maybe the Orc faction players were simply out for revenge—but in doing so, they'd stumbled into a strategy that could cripple the Humans entirely.
Ryan didn't care whether this was personal vengeance or calculated warfare. He couldn't stand by and watch the Humans lose precious time, letting the Dark Horde tighten its hold over the Alliance of Light.
That was why he was now sprinting toward the third encampment—Darkwood Camp—counting the distance in his head, praying he could arrive before Illyria did.
"Guild Leader," came a voice in his earpiece. "That Guardian's gotten stronger again—her kill speed's even faster now."
It was the rogue he'd stationed to shadow Illyria from a safe distance. A new video popped into the guild channel. Ryan glanced at it and felt his breath catch, his pace faltering.
Blue lightning orbs swirled around Illyria's form. Every time she felled a player, a bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky, fusing into the orbs. The blue glow was slowly burning white-hot.
Lightning Charge. That was a Lightning Shield.
'Damn it… she actually got that skill.'
Ryan's gut clenched. Should he even continue toward Darkwood Camp now? In her current state, Fallen Illyria might be completely untouchable. A Lightning Shield meant that every one of her attacks carried an extra lightning strike.
The damage from those strikes wasn't colossal, but for someone like Ryan—who relied on exploiting tiny openings—that extra hit would be a nightmare. His Resilience Armor could reflect her Finger of Death, but not the constant lightning shocks from the shield. Each one could deal hundreds of thousands in damage. Not as devastating as the tens of millions from Finger of Death, but still enough to kill him a hundred times over.
To go, or not to go? He hesitated. Before, she hadn't had a Lightning Shield, and she couldn't chain two attacks in quick succession. Now? Was there any opening left?
Ryan gritted his teeth. He would go. He had to at least try—test whether he could survive the lightning's secondary damage and, maybe, land a Finger of Death of his own.
It was the only shortcut left to stop her.
Still, the thought weighed on him. This run could cost him a death, and in his race to level up, that loss of stamina would hurt.
Around him, the battlefield was changing. Fewer and fewer Human faction players dared to face Illyria. Despair was settling in, the sight of her unstoppable advance breaking their will. Even some Orc faction players stayed clear, unwilling to die in vain.
Only the determined few kept sacrificing themselves, pulling her steadily closer to the Human faction's third encampment.
Human players ground their teeth in helpless rage, watching as Orc sacrifices guided her forward.
"It's over," someone muttered in the Regional Channel. "It's really over this time."
The message sparked a flood of agreement. No one believed they could stop this overwhelming Guardian anymore. All their hope now rested on the last line of defense—General Gantai at the final encampment.
Hopefully.
Ryan watched the flood of despair in the regional channel, the endless laments from Human faction players scrolling by. His feelings were a knot he couldn't untangle. Would he soon be like them—reduced to spamming bitter messages after failing to stop her?
Or… with a miracle's help, would he strike Illyria down, end the crisis, and maybe even earn another Glorious Achievement?
He didn't know anymore. All he knew was this—if he didn't try, he'd regret it for the rest of the war.
Several Human players retreating from the front spotted him sprinting toward the battle lines.
"Don't go!" one called out. "No one can stop that Guardian anymore! Everyone's falling back to Gantai Encampment—we're praying our last resort works!"
Ryan didn't even slow down. What was the difference between Gantai and the other camps? All the generals were level 40 leaders. The first two had been flattened—how long could Gantai last?
He'd seen what happened in later years—bored players wiping out these low-level camps for fun. Gantai had been destroyed countless times. Not once had he heard of it turning the tide.
When the Paladin kept running, the well-meaning players gave up. With a snort, they spurred their mounts and rode off, unwilling to waste time on someone they saw as charging straight to his death.
Ryan reached Darkwood Camp in record time. Fallen Illyria wasn't there yet. The camp was a ghost of itself—barely a tenth of the defenders that had manned the second encampment. Many had already given up, logging off in frustration or retreating to Stormhold Fortress to wait out the slaughter.
He didn't stop. He passed straight through the gates and out the other side, heading to meet her before she arrived.
In the distance, a massive, glowing red Dryad loomed—Illyria's corrupted form. Ryan finished off a small monster at his feet, keeping his Divine Power maxed out. He'd spent the last stretch hunting low-level creatures, making sure he wouldn't run dry in the middle of the fight.
He even provoked a passing critter, just to stay in combat and keep the Divine Power meter topped.
When Illyria finally came into full view, Ryan froze.
On either side of her, streams of Orc faction players swarmed past, riding direwolves in tight circles. They weaved in and out of her combat range, taunting and pulling her forward with surgical precision.
And with every step, her health climbed. Her hulking form swelled larger, the crimson glow on her bark-like skin deepening toward black.
Ryan's jaw tightened as he checked her stats.
—
Fallen Illyria
Guardian – Overcharged State
Level: 20
Health: 1,123,242,311
Type: Humanoid
—
The number was obscene—over 1.1 billion health points.
The damned Orcs had been feeding her kills, fattening the monster until she was more than "Fallen."
She was Overcharged.
Overcharged Illyria.