554 Golden Phoenix Vs. Fate Alliance & Great Dynasty



The others distracted Silvia and Ruru as Roni charged toward Pamela, his colossal fists clenched with raw power, and the ground trembled beneath his weight. Sensing the imminent danger, Pamela's eyes widened, a mixture of worry and determination flickering within them.

However, Lucia saw the imminent threat and acted without hesitation. With a resolute expression on her face, she positioned herself between Roni and Pamela, ready to shield her at any cost.

Roni's massive fists swung towards Lucia, aiming to crush her and reach Pamela. But Lucia, summoning the last remnants of her MP, conjured a shimmering barrier of crimson energy. The impact of Roni's blow reverberated through the barrier, causing it to crack and strain under the immense force.

Lucia gritted her teeth, her body quivering from the strain of maintaining the protective swirling of fire. She casted a desperate glance at Pamela, urging her to move away. "Go, Pamela! Protect the others!" she shouted.

Pamela's heart wrenched with a mixture of gratitude and sorrow. Tears welled in her eyes as she reluctantly complied, sprinting away from the impending danger. She knew that Lucia's sacrifice would buy her the time she needed to position herself again and heal her allies.

The remaining adversaries, realizing the perilous situation, redirected their attention to Lucia; their attacks focused on exploiting her weakened state. Hugo and Dimitri launched a coordinated assault, their swords slashing through the air with deadly precision. Fern unleashed a barrage of shadowy projectiles, attempting to overwhelm Lucia's defenses.

Despite the onslaught, Lucia stood her ground, her barrier faltering but not breaking. With each passing moment, her MP waned, but her resolve remained unyielding.

In the midst of the chaos, Lucia summoned one final surge of magic emptying her MP to zero in one swoop, her flames burning brighter than ever. With a defiant roar, she unleashed a devastating explosion, engulfing her adversaries in a scorching inferno. The enemies howled in pain as the flames consumed them, their HP decreasing rapidly, and she even managed to kill the two unknown extra players.

As the flames subsided, the battlefield fell silent, save for the crackling embers.

Ren got to admit that he didn't expect Golden Phoenix to last long in this fight.

Lucia was still alive but barely hanging with a single-digit HP. Pamela was quick to heal her, but she could do nothing to restore Lucia's MP.

They had no MP potions left and thus rendering Lucia incapable of fighting. Two days traveling in the Fey Realm and all their provisions, potions, and duds were almost gone. Especially their MP potion.

The opposing side had two-digit HP as well, but there wasn't a look of worry on their faces.

"While I'm still asking nicely, go back. You don't have enough HP to continue while more than half of us have enough HP left," Silvia bluffed.

God only knew that they didn't have even one MP potion left, and if Pamela depleted her MP as well, then it was game over for them.

Silvia needed to make herself believable if she wanted to live one more day in the Fey Realm. She had already paid so many millions to get her groups here. She needed to last until the seven days if she wanted to get her money's worth.

So far, the items, beasts, and treasures they forage in the Fey Realm only covered half of their expedition. If they got wiped out here, the investors wouldn't be happy about it, and she might get replaced, just like what happened with Black Ravens, Black Lion, and Sleeping Dragon.

Fate Alliance and Great Dynasty didn't have any healers with them. Surely they would see this fight as futile if they themselves would risk their life for it.

However, Silvia's hope was crushed when Dimitri only smiled. He snatched something from his inventory, and a bottle appeared on his palm.

"This is a [Greater Restoration Potion] that Black Lion purchased from the auction. One drink from this, and we would get fifty percent of our HP back and also purify any status effect. Not bad, don't you think?"

Ren almost slipped from his hiding spot. That's the potions he made before the expedition and sold on the auction! Fancy that Black Loin would just give it to other guilds, considering the price of one potion.

Scar would never . . . it must be Joker, then. Ren was sure of it.

Everyone in Fate Alliance and Great Dynasty drank the potion, their HP increased to full, and hope rash out from the faces of Golden Phoenix.

Roni, Hugo, Fern, Dimitri, and Rayna stepped forward, their faces etched with a mix of smugness. Dimitri, his voice booming with false charm, spoke out to Golden Phoenix, attempting to sway them.

"It wouldn't have to be this way. As your fellow schoolmates, I asked you to join us and acquire these potions too. All you have to do is temporarily ally yourselves to Black Lion," Dimitri declared, a sly smile spreading across his face.

Hugo, his voice laced with cunning, added, "Think of the benefits. With our combined might, we can explore more places here."

Golden Phoenix exchanged glances, their expressions reflecting a mix of defiance and worry. Silvia stepped forward, her voice laced with unwavering conviction.

"Huh. Funny. And how do you expect us to pay homage? Hmm . . . let me guess. Surrendering our loots and rights to items and treasure and be dogs for Black Lion in exchange for . . . potions?"

Dimitri's smile fell. "It's better to stay alive and rake EXP and gil and recover your losses than be dead and broke. Don't you think?"

"No thanks. We're determined not to die here and continue on our journey with all our loot, freedom and dignity intact," said Pamela, voice gentle yet firm.

Despite their situation, Lucia echoed her comrades' sentiments. "That's right. We'll be damned if we'll become errand boys like you."

Hugo lost his patience with the women's taunts. "Enough of this! Let's just kill them!"

"A pity." Dimitri shook his head in false sympathy while the rest moved in and surrounded Golden Phoenix from all sides.