Chapter 995: When the Corridor Opens
Ethan’s chariot, the demonic fel war machine, rumbled steadily across the land, its presence imposing but its pace anything but impressive. At best, it matched a sixty percent movement speed mount, painfully slow by current standards.
By now, almost everyone in the Northern Frontier had upgraded to full-speed mounts, which meant that more and more players were steadily catching up from behind, their banners and silhouettes stretching far into the distance as they trailed the Renegade Alliance’s column.
"How far back is Blade Syndicate?" Ethan asked. He had not been idle during the march. Scouts, Druids and Rogues alike, had been dispatched forward and backward at regular intervals, keeping a constant flow of information coming in.
"About a hundred kilometers," Victor replied after checking the latest report. "They’re moving fast."
"They’re afraid of missing the show, huh?" Ethan said, nodding to himself.
"I’m more worried they’re planning to get in on the action," Williams muttered as he polished the edge of his greatsword. "Or stab us in the back when we’re not looking."
"That would be perfect," Ethan said with a smile.
The reaction was immediate and universal. Everyone stared at him as if he had just said something completely unhinged. His calm confidence only made it worse. From their perspective, his entire plan looked reckless to the point of insanity.
He had told them that once they reached Dragon City, they could enter without a fight. No siege, no prolonged bloodbath at the gates. But if that was true, then why not send people in waves? Or scatter the forces entirely, slipping individuals inside quietly? Even a handful of Warlocks, paired with a few supporting classes, could have opened summoning portals from within the city. Given enough time, the entire army could have been smuggled inside without anyone noticing.
Instead, Ethan had chosen the most blatant option possible, marching straight toward Dragon City in full view of everyone.
In their minds, there had to be a hidden trump card. There was no other explanation.
Victor had tried asking more than once. Every time, Ethan only gave that infuriating, knowing smile, the kind that made people want to shake him until answers fell out. It was driving everyone crazy. The man was a sealed vault, not a single hint escaping no matter how much they pressed.
"By the way," Ethan said suddenly, as if the tension didn’t exist, "how did you get one hundred and ninety thousand flying war mounts?"
The question caught them off guard, but it was genuine curiosity on his part. Flying war mounts were notoriously difficult to acquire. In his past life, they had not become common until nearly five years into the game’s lifespan. The Alliance had been confined to the Northern Frontier Region the entire time, so how they had managed to amass such a number made no sense to him.
Victor chuckled. "Someone gave them to us."
"Someone gave them to you?" Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
Victor’s smile turned deliberately mysterious. "Classified. You’ll find out when the time comes."
He glanced around at the others on deck. Almost everyone there knew exactly where the war mounts had come from. Only Ethan was left in the dark, and for once, the roles were reversed. Laughter rippled through the group. It was petty, but satisfying, a small bit of payback for all the times Ethan had teased them by withholding information.
"Seriously..." Ethan muttered, feeling like he had swallowed a fly. He had enjoyed watching them squirm. Now he was the one left guessing. He rolled his eyes. "Fine. You’ve got your own trump cards. Then what’s there to be afraid of? Let’s do this. It’s only nine million people. You ran those drills I told you about, right?"
Everyone could tell he was deflecting, and they rolled their eyes right back at him. Ethan was a master at changing the subject the moment things got too close. Victor had hoped to trade information, maybe lure him into revealing something important, but Ethan shut it down the instant he sensed it.
They all knew he would never spill, even though no one on that deck would ever betray him. That only meant whatever he was hiding was enormous, something that could decide the outcome of the entire battle. More than that, it was obvious Ethan was looking forward to the moment he finally revealed it, just to see their reactions.
"We’ve practiced the drills in small groups," Victor said after a moment. "But never at this scale."
"That’s fine," Ethan replied calmly. "One clean execution scales up. As long as the command structure holds, it’ll work."
He nodded, more to himself than to them. This was the moment the Renegade Alliance would show the world what they were truly capable of. Somewhere deep down, he wondered what a certain someone would think when they saw it unfold.
It was time to force that person’s hand.
At that exact moment, far away in Harbor City, within the Dragonspire district, a man wearing board shorts and a tank top suddenly shivered. He sneezed, frowning.
"What the hell? Someone talking about me?"
His phone rang. He answered with clear annoyance. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll log in soon."
He was at the beach and had no intention of entering Ethereal anytime soon. Hanging up, he noticed two beautiful women walking toward him. His mood instantly improved. Grinning broadly, he strode over and slipped an arm around each of them, pulling them close as if the world could wait.
Two more hours passed as the Alliance continued its march.
"Blade Syndicate’s caught up," Victor reported. "Whispering Bamboo and the others are asking if they should block them."
"No," Ethan said without hesitation. "Tell them to clear a path. Let Blade Syndicate through. Make sure everyone stays well clear of them."
Earlier, Ethan had sent representatives to negotiate with the allied guilds trailing behind. Now, his intentions were finally clear to everyone involved. He really was heading straight for Dragon City.
Most of those guilds had followed out of habit, uncertain of what the Alliance was planning. Whenever the Alliance moved, they moved too. This time, even without prior notice, they had come along, though only about a third of their total forces, nowhere near a full mobilization like the Alliance’s.
When Ethan’s people explained the plan, their reactions had been immediate. If enough players entered Dragon City to cross the fifty percent threshold, the teleporter would unlock for everyone. The news spread like wildfire, and excitement surged through their ranks.
Ethan did set conditions. They would become affiliated with the Renegade Alliance, under the same terms as before. For them, it was pure upside. Orders were sent back immediately. Every remaining member still in the Northern Frontier Region was told to assemble and head south at once.
Since they were already behind the Alliance’s column, and since the Alliance was moving so slowly, even after nearly a full day had passed, they would still be able to catch up before reaching Dragon City.
What no one understood was why Ethan had waited until now to tell them. Even Victor was in the dark. Ethan could have coordinated with all the allied guilds before the march began. Instead, he had marched for almost an entire day, right up to the edge of a clash with a nine million strong coalition, before finally sending word.
The distance between the Alliance and the coalition had shrunk to fifty kilometers. Scouts reported that the enemy’s massive formation had stopped advancing.
Battle was imminent.
Ethan looked back over his shoulder. Behind them, the allied guilds had parted, forming a wide corridor through their ranks. At the front of that opening stood Marcus Skeiner, with Blade Syndicate’s five hundred thousand strong force surging forward behind him.
The trailing guilds had been five kilometers back.
Blade Syndicate closed that distance in an instant.