Chapter 331: Fighting Spirit and Impulse
Edward was about to say something when suddenly someone stepped forward.
“Hey, um, mister! Aren’t you being a bit too absolute with your words?”
Fiery Conflict Across the Sky spoke respectfully but with a tone that wasn’t exactly bowing down.
Edward turned and frowned.
He had no real prejudice against the Adventurers, but he certainly had some issues with Outsiders.
Right now, he was talking to Yuliya, so he believed no one else had the right to barge in.
Fiery Conflict Across the Sky, sensing Edward’s displeasure, held his head high.
“You are Her Highness the Princess’s teacher, and we will respect you. But please, we’d like a bit of respect in return.”
“Why are you so sure we can’t hold our ground?”
Others chimed in, “Exactly! What gives you the right to say we can’t hold this place?!”
This got Edward’s attention. He started to take these people seriously.
Mutual respect, huh? That was something to consider.
But it had to be between equals in status or power.
Why should the weak demand respect from the strong?
Were they naive or were they hiding some secret trump card?
“You speak boldly, so do you really think you can defend this city? Even if there are just as many monsters outside as you, every single one of them is way more powerful than you!”
That sentence firmly established the power dynamics.
Coming from someone who was way stronger than anyone present, his judgment couldn’t be wrong.
No one would dare to overly question what he said.
Looking at it on paper, the wave of monsters was indeed much stronger than the Adventurers.
Some folks slightly bowed their heads, losing the bravado they had when they were shouting earlier.
But there were still a few who showed no fear.
“How do we know if we can hold out unless we try?”
“Exactly! We’ve held on this long! What’s one more wave to us?!”
“We’re not just defending a city; we’re stalling for time! Even if we have to leap into the fray, there’s still hope!”
Watching the fervor around him, Edward felt his mouth hang open, speechless.
This was passion; this was fire!
It was an undeniable belief, as hot as flames, that didn’t allow for dissent.
“Teacher, with just a little time left, I want to see the outcome, win or lose.”
Yuliya looked at Edward, her words oozing determination, her eyes burning with spirit.
Edward closed his eyes, sighed, and finally said slowly, “Do what you want.”
He suddenly felt like this old man had lost his former enthusiasm somewhere along the way, the edges blunted by time.
Well, why not indulge in the young people’s impulse this time?
After all, he was here, and no matter if the city fell, protecting Yuliya was completely doable.
“Thanks, Teacher!”
Fiery Conflict Across the Sky quickly sent out a flashy message on the public chat to every Player in the Golden City.
“The enemy approaches! This will be the most severe challenge we’ve ever faced! They’re strong—really strong! But we’re not pushovers either! We have fire and fighting spirit!”
“If worse comes to worst, we’ll just come back and do it again! We’ll stall them with our lives!”
“Just these last two hours! Let’s show the Princess’s teacher, that old man who looks down on us, what the belief and madness of Players really look like!”
Two seconds after the message was sent, the entire Golden City erupted in enthusiasm.
Roars and shouts formed a wave of sound that drowned out the vibrations of the approaching monsters.
Like thunder from the heavens, it resounded throughout the desert.
“Heh, there’s still some spirit left.” Edward’s lips curled up just slightly at the edges.
Yuliya smiled calmly.
Soon, everyone got mobilized.
They stocked up on supplies and set up extra defenses on the walls.
They aimed to prepare as thoroughly as possible before the monsters got too close.
They stood firm, determined as ever.
In the distance, a swirling cloud of yellow sand approached, the black tide of monsters more visible than ever.
These were monsters, much stronger than before.
This time, they didn’t go out to meet them. Facing such fearsome monsters, charging out would be a d*ath wish; they wouldn’t even be able to stall for time.
They waited, watching as the monsters drew nearer.
Perhaps this was the final wave.
Finally, the monsters approached, mere kilometers away.
But then, they suddenly halted one kilometer from the city walls.
It looked as if they were waiting for monsters from other directions to join them.
This wasn’t the chaotic assault from earlier; there seemed to be a hint of command and coordination.
The higher the level of the monsters, the more intelligence they had; elite monsters were smarter than ordinary ones, and BOSS monsters? They were practically geniuses!
Once the city was completely surrounded, they would charge in from all sides together.
Meanwhile, the BOSS monsters stayed put, letting the bulk of elite monsters lead a charge that was accompanied by just a few lesser monsters.
“The BOSS isn’t approaching?”
“Isn’t that better?”
If it’s only elite monsters, we can handle it!
The next round of battle began.
“Are they… being cautious?” Yuliya asked, puzzled.
“Hah!” Edward scoffed, “I did a little something earlier; looks like it paid off. Those creatures don’t dare get too reckless.”
BOSS monsters are intelligent; attacking the city is their top priority, but they wouldn’t throw themselves at the enemy for nothing.
With legendary strong persons around, the ones who step up first are the ones who get squashed.
“Teacher, can you deal with those…?”
“They’ve locked on to my aura. If I go out, the rest will swarm in.”
Besides, Edward’s primary objective was to protect Yuliya. There was no way he would leave her side now.
From every angle, it was clear: Edward needed to stay put.
However, if he didn’t go out, the BOSS monsters wouldn’t just sit idly by.
They began attacking the Golden City from a distance.
Those who lacked long-range abilities dragged in a bunch of other monsters to assist them in the offense against the city.
Elite monsters gathered close, while various elemental attacks and energy blasts poured down from afar.
Every attack struck harder than before.
Up close, some were standing as the first line of defense. They braced themselves; at least, for now, they posed no threat to the barrier.
But the bombardment from afar was beyond their control.
With such a large Golden City and an even bigger barrier, any single attack could strike the barrier, causing waves of light to ripple out.
And the barrier’s durability was rapidly decreasing.
