Chapter 2191: Start of the Counterattack
...
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Diablo was leading the strike team with him to constantly launch a series of ambushes on the demonic players while waiting for more information about any news regarding the sacrificial altars.
They just finished wiping out another group of demonic players when he suddenly received some news from Mister Jiang that they had found another sacrificial altar.
Diablo quickly opened his virtual map, comparing the location that Mister Jiang had given him to the marked locations that he already had, which also had the rough layout of the Grand Sacrificial Formation that he had drawn.
He wanted to know if this discovery was one of the core altars that they were looking for.
"This position-..." he went silent for a moment, closely looking at the map, before smirking. "If there is a high chance that there is a core altar nearby."
Right after coming to this conclusion, Diablo turned to his team and said. "Clean up the battlefield. We will be moving toward our next target."
The team immediately responded, looting everything that their enemies had dropped alongside the other equipment that had been dropped by the experts who had been killed by the opposing side.
...
Not long after, Diablo led the team toward the sacrificial altar, planning to destroy them as fast as they could before looking for the possible places of the core altar nearby.
However, before he could even make any arrangements about their formation, he suddenly noticed something wrong.
Whoosh!
He immediately increased his speed, sprinting forward as fast as he could.
Swoosh!
He then came to a sudden halt after seeing what he was before him. "Someone beat us into it?"
He was confused at first after seeing that the sacrificial altar had already been razed to the ground. It was a clear indication that someone or some group had already attacked this place ahead of them.
A moment later, he seemed to have sensed something once again, causing him to turn his head toward another direction.
Swoosh!
He then saw a pile of corpses from Demonic Monsters, which seemed to have been purposely stacked together.
There was also a somewhat blurry silhouette of someone who seemed to be leisurely sitting at the top of the pile.
Squinting his eyes, Diablo activated his ocular skill to unveil the identity of the other person, but he was surprised to notice that he was unable to see through the other person due to their higher stealth.
However, the other party seemed to be aware of this as well and took the initiative to dissolve their passive stealth and fully revealed themselves.
Then the team led by Diablo was suddenly taken aback by this person right after seeing him and learning his identity.
A Bigshot! An Extremely Bigshot!
This was what everyone was thinking when they saw the other party. They might be able to keep their calm and put on their guard, but they were still a bit tense due to the infamous prestige of this person.
God of Mischief Loki, one of the Apex Gods of the virtual world, when it came to thief class.
His fame resounded throughout multiple games and eclipsed the others of the same profession, such as Death God Yami (Faker) and Shadow God Zoldryck.
However, aside from being a top thief of the virtual world, Loki was also known for another matter. He was infamous for always causing trouble anywhere he went.
Whether it was allies or his enemies, they always feared him whenever he was on the same field as them.
"Loki, huh? The Titan Guild sure knows how to send someone troublesome," said Diablo while staring at Loki, who was currently playing with his dagger.
"The situation is already complicated as it is, yet they have to send such an unpredictable variable as yourself," he continued, squinting his eyes. "I’ve heard that they have also sent someone to hold your leash, yet I do not see anyone around."
It was only at this moment that Loki had responded. "Diablo, the Dancer of the Shadows. People say that you rival even that guy Zoldryck in terms of abilities, particularly when it comes to Shadow Abilities."
"Yami-..." he paused for a moment before immediately continuing. "Ah! I think he has chased his In-game Name now and calls himself Faker."
"Anyway, he is known for his extreme speed and unrivaled techniques for assassination. He is a living manifestation of assassination, turning every situation into assassination."
"It is said that he can even a brawl can turn into an assassination when he is involved. A truly talented heir of an Assassin Family, don’t you think?" he said while carrying a hint of sarcasm with his words.
"Zoldryck, on the other hand, is known for his unparalleled stealth abilities, especially when he utilizes his shadow abilities. Legends say that no one will be able to find him unless he reveals himself on purpose."
"They have even said that he can be the manifestation of death itself. Others are even saying that he is more of a Death God than Faker, who bears that title."
Hearing this, Diablo felt somewhat interested, especially when the previous two were dubbed as the best assassins within the game despite their young age. It was also something that he currently pursued as someone in the same profession.
"Then I wonder about your specialty," asked Diablo.
"Me? Creating trouble, perhaps?" mumbled Loki before shaking his head. "I am not as good as those two when it comes to pure skills and techniques alone."
"If there is something that I am truly skilled at, then it is disguising myself as other people, I guess?" he added before turning to Diablo along with a sadistic smile. "That is why I am truly curious if you are someone who has false fame."
"Can I also turn into you just like those ordinary people? Or do you belong to the ranks of those monsters that are unique on their own," he added, along with a burning fighting spirit.
It was clear that he was quite eager to fight Diablo in an epic battle.
Hearing this, Diablo could only sigh before shaking his head. "I do not have any time to play with you."
"The situation here is urgent, so if you do not have anything better to do, then you can go back to where you come from or head to where Poseidon is," he added before turning around.
He was about to give orders to his team when Loki’s voice suddenly rang right beside his ears.
"What if I insist?"
Diablo’s eyes suddenly contracted when he heard this. He then swiftly turned around, swinging his dagger to block the incoming attack.
Clang!
The two were locked in a standoff, pressing their daggers against each other and maintaining their stances.
"I am quite clinging, you know? I will not let go of someone once they have piqued my interest~!" said Loki while grinning quite evilly.
"Tsk! Unfortunately, I am not interested in you. I do not swing that way!" said Diablo before putting more strength in his arm and pushing Loki away.
Bang!
Loki was just slightly pushed back, but he adeptly bounced right after his feet touched the ground and swiftly launched forward once again.
"You have no choice but to fight me, though," he said while slashing with his dagger, which was now releasing an intense amount of purple mana.
"What a stubborn and annoying fool," said Diablo while crossing his arms before him, holding the dagger in a reverse-grip manner, while the stiletto was held in forehand grip.
The shadow energy gathered in his weapons, blazing with a black and shadowy flame that danced alongside the air.
Crack! Crack!
The ground underneath his feet cracked when he gathered his strength on his face, preparing to launch himself forward.
He was about to pounce forward when, somewhat suddenly appeared before him, placing themselves before him and Loki, who was currently charging straight at him.
This person grabbed onto Diablo’s crossed arms, preventing him from uncrossing them or advancing.
The other hand of this person was holding a two-pronged spear, which stuck Loki’s dagger, catching its blade between its dual tips.
Bang!
Bang!
The two were forced to halt their advances, forcing them to release their raging mana as well.
"Loki. I have already warned you about creating trouble, yet here you are starting one right after I have taken my eyes off you," said this person while glaring at the latter.
Loki, who was already in full-battle mode, swiftly gathered himself and returned to his nonchalant and lazy attitude.
"What are you talking about, Hades? I am just playing with our new friend and getting acquainted," he said while retrieving his dagger and sheathing it.
"Getting familiar with each other will make our teamwork more seamless, don’t you think?" he added.
Hades ignored him before turning to Diablo. "I apologize for his reckless attitude. I promise that this will not happen again during the entire operation."
Diablo stared at Hades for quite a while before retracting his stance. "Hmph! You’d better hold the leash on that person tight. Accidents are bound to happen if he continues to be on the loose."
Hades then nodded his head before retracting his hand. He then turned toward another direction before shifting the topic. "I suppose that you have also figured out the possibility of a core altar being nearby?"
Diablo raised his brows before asking. "I guess you have found something?"
"My children have already scaled the area and found a slight disturbance in the surrounding mana, which indicates that a certain Magic Formation is currently in operation. It must be the place that we are looking for," answered Hades while keeping his eyes in the same direction.
Diablo figured that this was a technique that let Hades communicate with his summoned undead, similar to Chaotic Luck’s shared vision.
"If that is the case, then it is time to launch a proper counterattack," said Diablo, gesturing Hades to lead the way.
...
