Chapter 552 The Lingering Shadow of Kingserp
"I'm truly relieved to see you've returned so swiftly. I feared you might have encountered insurmountable crises after heading to South Harbor. To be honest, I've always held a deep mistrust towards adventurers like yourself.
Despite your top-tier strength, you remain an adventurer, do you not? I had assumed you would seize this opportunity to flee. Yet, who could have anticipated not only would you aid South Harbor in overcoming its threats, but you also ventured to the Naga tribe and secured the assistance of a Legend Magus."
Natasha's tone remained calm, yet her facial expressions conveyed her genuine pleasure.
After all, securing the support of two top-tier powerhouses was crucial for her.
John did not dwell on this matter, understanding that Natasha, much like Duke Arsena, harbored little trust in adventurers.
His primary concern was to discuss the defense strategy for Storm City, as he anticipated the assaults from the Dark Faction to intensify and become increasingly difficult to repel.
"I'm not concerned with your opinion of me. What really matters to me now is how we are going to defend Storm City. Where has Duke Arsena gone? Without him, how can we continue our defense? Has Duke Arsena lost faith in Storm City, or has he decided to abandon Storm City and return to the capital of the Northern Myst Empire?"
John's mood was understandably not the best.
In his view, he had already given his all, so why were others not willing to fully cooperate?
Natasha was taken aback by John's anger but found no fault in the questions he posed.
She, too, was searching for Duke Arsena and was perplexed by his sudden disappearance.
To Natasha, Duke Arsena was a very rigid and dutiful individual, a Paladin who would unlikely abandon Storm City to flee alone.
It was highly probable that Duke Arsena had encountered some trouble.
"I don't know where Duke Arsena has gone either. I intended to discuss the defense strategy for Storm City with him. However, upon my arrival at his palace, I found no sign of him.
More importantly, it seems Duke Arsena might be in some trouble. He mentioned he had more pressing matters to attend to, but when I inquired about the nature of these matters, he provided no response. That's why I'm here."
Natasha's words heightened the sense of urgency for John and Shatras, suggesting Duke Arsena might have fallen into a trap.
"We must locate Duke Arsena as soon as possible. He is the lord of Storm City, and it's crucial that he remains here. Without him, the defense of Storm City is surely compromised."
John recognized the importance of maintaining confidence among the Order Faction's members in the current situation.
If the lord of Storm City, Duke Arsena, was missing, how could the other members maintain their morale?
A loss of confidence would inevitably lead to Storm City's fall to the Dark Faction, a scenario that had played out many times before.
John understood that confidence was paramount, both for NPCs and players.
Thus, John, alongside Shatras and Natasha, embarked on a search for Duke Arsena.
To save time, they decided to split up in their quest.
At the same time as John and his companions were taking action, a figure very familiar to John was discussing plans with other players in the southern district of Storm City.
This familiar figure was none other than Kingserp. Despite facing a series of setbacks previously, Kingserp hadn't given up easily.
As one of the earliest players to pledge allegiance to the Dark Faction, he received considerable support from them.
With the Dark Faction's assistance, Kingserp had returned to his prime condition and had even gained the ability to fully transform into a demon.
The players in front of Kingserp were his newly recruited subordinates, tasked to coordinate with the Dark Faction's assault on Storm City.
Kingserp had obtained scrolls capable of nullifying defensive spells.
However, aware of the significant risks involved in direct action, he wanted lower-level players to carry out his quest.
"All you need to do is take these scrolls and bring them to the top of the city walls. During the operation, avoid any unnecessary actions. Just ensure the scrolls reach the walls. Once the scrolls are there, they will activate quickly.
You must avoid detection by the Order Faction's guards at all costs. If Storm City's guards catch you, you're on your own, as I can't provide protection throughout the city.
But don't worry too much, as the Dark Faction's operation is bound to succeed this time. And, of course, I'll reward you handsomely with a lot of gold coins."
Kingserp was extremely confident in the Dark Faction's operation this time.
However, even if the Dark Faction's operation failed, it wouldn't be a bad thing for these low-level players.
This was because, in order to allow them to carry out his plan as he wished, Kingserp had paid a lot of gold coins to these low-level players in advance.
Even if these low-level players were eliminated by the Order Faction's guards, the gold coins they had received could be transferred to other accounts.
This meant that they had definitely already earned enough profit.
After listening to Kingserp's speech, all the players immediately began their actions.
Their actions did not encounter any trouble because the Order Faction's guards were actually unable to handle all the situations.
The Order Faction's guards needed to deal with the Dark Faction's attacks on one hand, and on the other hand, they needed to allocate some manpower to search for Duke Arsena.
This situation directly led to the gradual failure of the Order Faction's defense on the walls of Storm City.
Kingserp could even see some of the Dark Faction's demons climbing up the walls.
After seeing this scene, Kingserp naturally appeared very pleased.
Because this meant that his plan had been greatly successful, and it also meant that he could seek revenge against John.
"John, you can't be too arrogant for too long. With the support of the Order Faction, you've gained such immense power, and I can also gain tremendous power with the help of the Dark Faction. After Storm City is captured, I will undoubtedly receive more rewards. With the assistance of numerous Sacred Relics at that time, I can eliminate you one-on-one.
You better not be eliminated prematurely by other opponents! If you get eliminated by others before our showdown, I will be very disappointed."
After uttering these words, Kingserp immediately transformed into a dark mist.
He concealed himself within the shadows, hoping to continue hiding until the Dark Faction's plan succeeded.
After all, for Kingserp, being too brazen would surely draw the attention of Order Faction members.
Although he believed he could eventually raise his power to match John's, he had to be cautious for the time being.
However, at least in the current situation, Kingserp felt that he was still far inferior to John.
He needed to temporarily avoid John for now.
While evading John, Kingserp also observed the situation in Storm City.
He realized that the city's defense was indeed in a state of complete failure.
Almost all of the top-notch experts had inexplicably left the city's walls.
This meant that Storm City's defenses were about to be breached by the Dark Faction.
Once the city lost its walls' protection, it would be impossible to hold it successfully.
So, Kingserp didn't need to be too impatient; he just had to patiently await the Dark Faction's eventual success.
Kingserp remained unaware that within the vast expanse of the Great Library, an individual harbored an even greater fervor for the triumph of the Dark Faction.
This enigmatic guardian secretly collaborated with the Darklord, sharing a fervent desire for their cause's ultimate success.
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