Reign of the Hunters

Chapter 377 Void Dragon

 

Ye Ci watched from midair as the flying machine tumbled downwards to its doom. With a loud crash, the expensive machine disappeared in a ball of fire and smoke. She did not know if its occupants were able to escape, but it was a shocking spectacle. 

 

Her heart was heavy as she watched it unfold. She was saddened not by the losses suffered by Golden Era, but by the certainty that her enemies would retaliate after their loss on this day. 

 

Upwards Ho! was able to gain a large amount of funds by selling Mithril equipment, and they were put to use by Bai Mo to further develop the guild. Upwards Ho! grew quickly, and according to Bai Mo, there were already four hundred thousand members in the guild. 

 

Of course, not all of the new additions to the guild could be deployed into battle. They still needed to be trained and armed with better equipment by the guild before they could effectively take part in any guild activities. Their loyalties to the guild needed some nurturing as well. 

 

Many of the newcomers were eager to bring the fight to Golden Era, and they were granted the chance by Timely Rain to join the defense of Upwards Ho!’s fort. These players were rewarded slightly more DKP than usual as a measure to promote activity among the new members. Of course, a significant number among the new players refrained from taking part in the battle, which led to the situation at hand. 

 

Ye Ci turned Ol’ Six around and headed to the battle that was still raging near the fort. The players that were airdropped by Golden Era were elites that were adept at fighting in urban environments. They immediately hid themselves and waited in ambush for Upwards Ho! players, which forced the guild to expand even more manpower in an effort to hunt them down. And these were manpower that were diverted away from the walls of the fort, which severely reduced the firepower the guild could employ against Golden Era’s siege weaponry.  

 

The siege engines used by Golden Era were light, moderately powerful, and could be reloaded in a short amount of time. Their best advantage was that each of them would only require three players to be operated. 

 

But this also meant that these weapons were very expensive. The scale of Golden Era’s guild however, meant that they had a large number of Engineers in their employment, which reduced the cost of the siege for them. 

 

The magical cannons installed by Upwards Ho! were powerful and were very effective against catapults. But they were having a hard time against the lighter and more easily maneuverable siege engines used by Golden Era due to their long reload time and the time it required the gunners to take aim. 

 

And that was why Golden Era’s siege weapons were able to survive the battle that had been raging for a few hours. The attack was planned meticulously by the higher ups of Golden Era, which had taken into account many aspects of Upwards Ho!’s defensive capabilities. Have they somehow overlooked the combat potential of my Holy Dragon? Mused Ye Ci. 

 

Without Ye Ci around, Golden Era’s strategy against Upwards Ho! would have resulted in a victory. They knew that she would appear. So why are they going with a strategy like this? 

 

Ye Ci was highly suspicious of the entire situation. A feeling of unease seeped into her heart. She noticed that the players on the ground immediately retreated when they saw her on her Dragon. Even if they’re afraid of my Holy Dragon, there’s no way they’ll run away just like that. Is this a bait?

 

And the more she was not able to understand, the more her annoyance grew. She flew Ol’ Six above the retreating players and bathed them in Dragon Breath. The sea of red damage indicator was a glorious sight. 

 

Just then, Ye Ci felt danger approaching from her back. An arrow was flying towards her before she could even react. 

 

The speed of the arrow and the relatively short range meant that Ye Ci was not able to evade the attack entirely. While the arrow failed to land on her vital spot, it still buried itself below her collarbone and knocked her off her steed. 

 

Ye Ci quickly reoriented herself in the air and whistled at Ol’ Six. Her Dragon immediately flew towards her and she landed safely on its back. Arrows flew towards Ye Ci once again before she could steady herself, and she found herself enveloped by thick smoke that dealt damage to her and Ol’ Six. 

 

There was simply no time for Ye Ci to acquire a target. She gulped down a few bottles of Health Potion, and was hit by a strong gust of wind. It was an attack that she had expected, but she still took a large amount of damage as she spun Ol’ Six around. 

 

With her health almost fully depleted, Ye Ci immediately flew Ol’ Six in a zig-zag pattern as she continued chugging down Health Potions. Arrows were zipping past her as she maneuvered in the sky.  She pulled on Ol’ Six’s reins and stopped her steed midair before dismissing the Dragon.

 

It was apparent that her pursuer did not expect such a maneuver and the attacks missed. She was able to steal a glance at the player above her, and saw a large silhouette in the sky. 

 

The player on the silhouette had temporarily lost track of her. And once Ye Ci was successfully located, the figure immediately dove at Ye Ci.

 

Ye Ci blew her whistle just before she was about to hit the ground, and Ol’ Six appeared to break her fall. She immediately flew up to meet her attacker that she could finally see. 

 

Her opponent was also a ranged player who was either a Hunter or a ranger. But what attracted Ye Ci’s attention was the player’s steed. It was a Dragon, and a very rare breed known as the Void Dragon. 

 

Like the Holy Dragons, Void Dragons were relatively rare. A Void Dragon might not be as powerful as a Holy Dragon, but it was faster and had a very powerful skill: Stealth. 

 

A Void Dragon’s Stealth was similar to that of a player’s. A Void Dragon in stealth would decrease its movement speed by 50%, and would be revealed whenever they cast an ability. These Dragons were primarily used by the Dragonia race as scouts and assassins.     

 

Golden Era has a Void Dragon?! Even as a reincarnator, Ye Ci had never seen a Void Dragon in her life, and she was now fighting against one. 

 

Ol’ Six had not evolved into its highest tier, and so was the Void Dragon. But the speed of the Void Dragon was something that Ol’ Six could not hope to match. A battle in the air was completely different than fighting on the ground. A player must possess very good spatial awareness to excel in aerial combat. 

 

While Ye Ci was confident in her abilities to predict the movements of her opponents on land, she was not as confident in the sky. 

 

Her opponent might have a lower level, but it was apparent that the player was way more adapted to aerial combat than Ye Ci. This  meant that her advantage in level was nothing in this situation. 

 

Ye Ci’s opponent was able to evade her attacks due to the high movement speed of the Void Dragon, while some of the attacks made by the player were hitting their mark. While she did not take large amounts of damage from the attacks, Ye Ci knew that the fight was not going well for her. 

 

She could not afford to drag out the battle. Her supply of Health Potion was depleted, and her enemy was still well supplied. Realisation flashed across Ye Ci’s mind. This was her first taste of aerial combat, and no matter the outcome, it was a very valuable experience. 

 

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