Suddenly, the members of Everhold Dominion surged forward like a crashing wave, their eyes filled with bloodlust. Their killing intent locked onto Kaito and his team, unrelenting.
Gravemind took the lead, unable to suppress his rage any longer. Drawing his treasured longbow, he charged directly at Kaito, his arrows already nocked and trembling with murderous energy.
Only by piercing Raen's heart with his own hands could he find peace.
Kaito, calm amidst the chaos, unsheathed his twin swords once more—Solstice Blade in one hand, Dragon Fang in the other. The twin edges gleamed with a deadly light.
He opened team chat and issued crisp commands.
"Be ready. Go all out from the start—but don't overextend yourselves."
Just as Mei Rin and the others took their first steps into the fray, they were surprised to see Velena and Zephyr suddenly dart ahead, flanking Kaito from either side as they charged directly toward Gravemind.
Kaito's voice continued over team chat:
"Hiroto, take point. Do not push too far out—hold the line."
"Aika, focus on healing. Prioritize Hiroto and the frontline."
"Kaede, cast Flame Burst in areas with high density—force them to scatter."
"Mei Rin, stay at the back. Clean up anyone who drops below half HP."
"Suzune, you're with me."
Before the two sides could collide physically, a barrage of enemy spells flew through the air like a rain of death.
Dozens of Fireballs, Frost Arrows, and Wind Blades streaked across the battlefield, striking toward Kaito's group.
A Shield Warrior from StormLife stepped forward, bracing his shield as flames and ice exploded across its surface.
Hiroto arrived just in time beside him, raising his newly acquired Molten Guard Shield—a rare drop from the previous dungeon—and activated Iron Guard. His entire body shone with a layer of molten-red energy, reinforcing his defense.
Boom!
The enemy spells struck the twin shields with explosive force.
But even as the shockwaves rippled out, healing spells from Aika and the Crimson Rose support line hit the tanks in perfect sync, washing over them in waves of light.
Each spell that struck the frontline sent small shockwaves across the battlefield—but the results stunned the Everhold Dominion players.
The StormLife Shield Warrior took 20 to 30 points of damage from each magical attack—manageable, but still decent.
But Hiroto?
Most attacks only chipped away single digits, the highest barely crossing –30.
Even a fully charged Flame Burst from a Level 13 Elementalist—who was fully geared in bronze equipment—landed for just –32.
Just moments before, that same Elementalist had seen his Flame Burst melt through other tanks with over –100 damage per cast. Now, the very same skill barely scratched this enemy?
"What the hell is that defense?!" he gasped in disbelief.
And before he could recover from the shock, waves of healing light washed over Hiroto and the StormLife tank. Their HP bars, which had dropped only slightly, were immediately restored to full.
The entire Everhold Dominion team froze for a breath.
Dumbstruck.
Even among them, veterans who had seen dozens of dungeon-cleared tanks… had never witnessed anything like this.
This defense… it was absurd.
Especially Hiroto—his resistance and physical mitigation were simply ridiculous.
What they didn't know was that Hiroto, like every other member of Genesis's core team, had been optimizing his growth under Kaito's meticulous guidance.
From attribute point allocation, to gear selection, to skill rotation and cooldown planning, every decision had been tailored for peak combat efficiency.
The result?
A frontline that was nearly unbreakable.
And they hadn't even started attacking yet.
.....
Hiroto's defense, alongside the StormLife Shield Warrior's, was simply overwhelming.
Despite the relentless barrage of spells from Everhold Dominion's mages, the two MTs stood like immovable walls. None of the attacks managed to break through. And behind them, four powerful healers sustained them with unwavering focus—nullifying every bit of damage with precise, high-efficiency healing.
The mages of Everhold Dominion were left frustrated and helpless.
And worse, they couldn't even reach the others.
With the two MTs anchoring the front, the rest of Genesis and their allied forces remained completely untouched.
"Don't panic!" Gravemind bellowed, though his own voice was tense.
"Keep attacking! We'll grind them down if we have to throw bodies at them!"
Then, through team chat, he added grimly:
"Assassins—flank them and take out the healers. Now!"
Even Gravemind was growing frustrated. The two tanks were practically unkillable, and trying to break through would only waste time and resources.
He considered personally attacking them with his arrows—but quickly dismissed the idea.
If he fired even one shot, Kaito, Zephyr, and Velena would pounce on him instantly.
In that case… he wouldn't even survive three seconds.
Still, Gravemind wasn't inexperienced. Years of battle leadership had trained his instincts. And now, he saw a way to shift the tide.
But before he could act, a system notification rang out—loud and clear:
System Alert:
Team Everhold Dominion has initiated an attack against your team.
For the next two hours, all members may freely retaliate without penalty.
The air shifted.
A sudden silence fell over the allied teams… and then it erupted into roars of excitement.
"Heh, so you've really done it now."
"You picked the wrong fight, Dominion trash!"
No longer burdened by the red-name penalty, the members of Crimson Rose and StormLife surged forward with renewed fury.
"You dare initiate a war against us—Crimson Rose and StormLife?" Velena's voice rang cold and sharp across the battlefield.
"None of you know the immensity of heaven and earth."
"Fine then—every last one of you… die!"
At that moment, Ravena Flameveil, the Vice Guildmaster of Crimson Rose, stepped forward, her crimson cloak fluttering as she raised her hand toward the sky. Known across the Astralis Region by her fearsome pseudonym—the Scorching Empress—Ravena was a name that even top-tier Elementalists dared not provoke lightly.
As she traced the final glowing rune into the air, her ultimate skill Ice flame Explosion activated.
A vortex of searing blue fire and icy tendrils burst forth, slamming into Everhold Dominion's main tank.
—232!
—287!
—264!
A string of damage numbers erupted as the MT's HP dropped instantly into the danger zone.
But before he could fall, Everhold Dominion's healers scrambled to respond, pouring their restoration spells onto him. His HP surged back, stabilizing at just over 50%.
Ravena only smiled.
"Flame Dragon's Roar."
As her words softly echoed, she pointed a single finger forward. The surrounding mana ignited into a swirl of blazing fire, coiling like a serpent before erupting into the form of a gigantic flaming dragon.
Roar!!
With a thunderous cry, the fire dragon surged across the battlefield and collided with the tank, engulfing him in a vortex of flame.
Despite still having over half his HP… the MT of Everhold Dominion was obliterated on the spot.
The fire subsided—leaving only scorched earth behind.
Gasps rippled through the Everhold Dominion frontlines.
Their cold-type MT—one of the most durable players in the guild—had just been erased in two spells.
That tank had been equipped with a full set of Level 12 Mysterious Iron gear, and carried a Level 15 Bronze-tier Shield. Under normal circumstances, even the strongest mages in their guild could barely deal –70 to –80 damage per spell against him.
But now?
Even while being healed…
He was gone.
The melee players subconsciously took a step back, cold sweat forming on their brows.
Just how high was that female Elementalist's damage?!