530 - 540

Chapter 530: Einherjar's Bane Unit

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

"Haha… Wang Tong, I knew you could do it! But, I had never thought that you could get so much money. Hey, tell me, did you sneak into the city's vault?"

Battle Wolf had never seen so many provisions ever since its conception. These supplies would not only secure the living standards of the soldiers, but also create an environment for them to develop a research team. There was enough equipment for the engineers to run a Skynet level A communicator, which would restore the communication of the entire Maersa district.

"No, I tried, but they didn't let me in. Haha... Jokes aside, Dongyang, it is about time for us to make a move."

"You bet! By the way, why did you tell people that I had created those spells? Sooner or later, they WILL find out." Guan Dongyang gave Wang Tong wry smile. Even back at the camp, he had heard people referring to him as "the second most powerful Mastery caster the world had ever seen."

"Hehe... You are welcome, by the way. If you think you can't live up to the reputation, I suggest you hit the gym right now." Wang Tong shot back.

Guan Dongyang shrugged and conceded that he might have to be Wang Tong's puppet for a while before he could reveal the truth to everyone. Meanwhile, he should seek ways to increase his power so that he wouldn't accidentally blow Wang Tong's cover.

"While you were gone, we have recruited another hundred or so soldiers." Guan Dongyang remarked.

"We have enlisted a few members as well. There will be fifty Mastery casters coming from the Sect to join us in a couple of days, and there will also be a group of medics coming here to learn Mastery. You will have to be their teacher."

"Me? Teaching the Sect medics?" Guan Dongyang asked incredulously.

"Yes, that is why I told you to hit the gym. Oh, their chief medic will join them too."

"Chief...Medic..." Guan Dongyang's mind spun.

…

As soon as Wang Tong returned the camp, the soldiers picked up their slack and started to train hard. Nonetheless, he noticed that a lot of soldiers had made decent signs of progress while he was away.

"I can't stand it! Tan Bu is level fifteen, and even Duo Lun has reached level fourteen?" Ross shouted in surprise.

"Lieutenant, maybe I will take your job one day. Aren't you concerned?" Tan Bu jested with a smile.

"Captain, this is not fair! Why did you give them so much attention and ignore me? I should have gone with you guys!" Ross lamented. He wagered that the two soldiers had received many personal lessons from Wang Tong, which directly resulted in their huge improvements. The more Ross thought about it, the more jealous and indignant he felt.

Having caught a glimpse of Wang Tong's ambition during the auction, the two young soldiers had also elevated their life goal to beyond a lieutenant position in Battle Wolf. They knew that as long as they followed Wang Tong, greater achievements awaited them in the future.

Despite being the quartermaster and overseeing the burgeoning coffer, Hamir didn't get ahead of himself. Wang Tong had urged Guan Dongyang to make a move against the Maersa City, but he knew that compared to other larger bands such as Blizzard and Thunder Fire, Battle Wolf's power was still meager. A move against the Zergs would only be meaningful if Battle wolf had a sizable army. Therefore, Hamir decided to start a recruitment campaign around the area.

Wang Tong agreed with Hamir's approach, so he waited patiently for the Battle Wolf's ranks to swell.

After a few days, the local skynet was finally up and running. Guan Dongyang received many congratulations and appreciation for establishing the only local communication line that connected them with the outside world.

As soon as the skynet went online, soldiers from all over the Maersa district poured in to stay connected with the world once again after five years of digital starvation.

With the restoration of the communication line, people inside the Maersa district finally found a shred of civilization in the ruins of the old confederation.

The most popular information being searched on skynet was the ranking of the warriors. Guan Dongyang was the only person in Maersa district who made it to the list.

"Hans, have you found out who restored Skynet?"

"Yes, it has to be Battle Wolf. I have heard that they hit the jackpot at Jade City."

"How much did they make?" Aamir asked.

"Millions." The words sounded unbelievable even to the speaker himself.

Aamir was shocked by the number, and it took him a while to gather himself. "Something is going to happen very soon," Aamir said slowly.

"Captain, I think a stronger Battle Wolf is good for everyone. "

"It's still too early to say for sure, but we need to act before it's too late."

"You mean…"

"Talk to them, and see if they are willing to let us work with them." Aamir cracked a smile.

The power of Battle Wolf had been increasing at an alarming rate, so much so that it had become suspicious. Feeling a greater power was at play behind the rise of Battle Wolf, Aamir decided to take the initiative and form an alliance with the greater power through the pact with Battle Wolf.

Meanwhile, on Earth, a battle between the human force and the immortals had just finished. A human leader wearing a red Einherjar Armor stood on the battlefield, letting the wind toss up her long silken hair. It had been a small victory for humans, but she wondered how many of these small victories were still needed to save the human race.

"My Lady, we have cleaned the battlefield. None of the dark ones got away."

Ma Xiaoru removed her helmet and revealed her beautiful features. She gazed into the twilit sky and wondered how she could have done it all by herself in the last five years.

As soon as the war started, House Ma had become the Zergs' main target other than House Li. Einherjar Ma Dutian's low profile had made the Zergs underestimate his Einherjar level strength at the beginning of the war. From a mysterious device, Ma Dutian harnessed the tremendous power and dealt a devastating blow to the invading Zerg. After that, House Ma disappeared off the Zergs' radar entirely, presumably hiding in one of their many secret vaults.

It was evident that House Ma was well prepared for the cataclysmic event.

Seeing that Ma Xiaoru had fallen into a reverie, the soldiers left her alone and didn't disturb her. They knew that she was thinking about Wang Tong, the only man in her life.

Although people kept on telling her that Wang Tong was dead, she could feel his presence every living moment, so she waited.

Many times, Ma Xiaoru thought about giving up the wait and her life altogether. But, his smiling face in her memory kept her going.

Half a year ago, she finally reached the legendary level.

Many people saw it as a miracle, but she considered it as long overdue. Li Ruoer had reached the legendary level a year ago, and by now, she should be at least level twenty one.

Despite the huge blow House Li had received over the years, under the leadership of Li Zhedao, House Li had shown an incredible perseverance and tenacity. The performance of Li Shiming and Li Ruoer had also won many resistance forces' hearts. By then, House Li, Ma, Zhang, and Porten's family had formed an alliance which was the backbone of the human resistance on Earth and Moon.

As the mastermind of the alliance force, Li Shiming's answer to the overbearing Zerg forces was guerrilla warfare. He also made it a rule that none of the surviving Einherjars were allowed to face the Zergs alone. Patroclus had even formed a unit called Einherjar's Bane that specialized at killing Einherjars. The humans had paid a costly price for their heroism at the beginning of the war. Within the first couple of weeks of the war, the confederation lost over twenty legendary level warriors at the hands of the Einherjar's Bane. It had been a devastating blow to the morale of the human forces, and the killing needed to be stopped.

Chapter 531: Life Mastery

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

Based on the power of legendary warriors, the Einherjar's Bane (EB) unit composition could be very different. Because of its flexibility and deadly power, they had been a serious threat to powerful human warriors.

After the death of two Einherjars at the hands of the EB unit, the humans learned their lessons very quickly. However, they need to strike a fine balance between caution and cowardliness. Therefore, Li Shiming had made it a law within his territory that no Einherjar should fight on the battlefield with less than a dozen level eighteen guards. The changes had caught the Zerg's EB unit off guard, and the Einherjars and their guards were able to deal a few serious blows to the EB unit.

Seeing the benefit of Li Shiming's policy, many other factions adopted it, and finally, they were able to halt the slaughter of powerful human warriors.

Patroclus' unequivocal efforts to eliminate the legendary warriors convinced Li Shiming that once these human warriors advanced into the next level, they would have the ability to challenge Patroclus and his immortals.

Soon after the fall of the Confederation, the marriage between Li Shiming and Ma Xiaoru was also brought onto the agenda. The union of the two families would strengthen the humans, but so far, Ma Xiaoru had refused the proposal, using her wartime duty as an excuse.

Ma Xiaoru halted her train of thoughts and gathered herself. It was time for her to move onto the next battle. She was a woman, but that didn't mean she was weak. As the leader of House Ma, she had to be strong.

…

Ever since Wang Tong came back from Jade City, quartermaster had assigned each and every mastery caster a METAL suit. The band even reserved some more powerful sets of METAL suits for the casters who were about to level up. Meanwhile, Wang Tong also intruded another instructor to all the METAL warriors; he was a middle-aged man with a stubble beard. He would be solely responsible for the METAL training while Wang Tong focused on the Mastery team.

Hamir had also used the massive funding Wang Tong had acquired and purchased much more advanced training equipment. In just a few days, the camp of Battle Wolf received a full renovation, and it started to look like a camp that belonged to a powerful band.

Although none of the METAL warriors wanted to see Wang Tong leave them for the mastery team, they didn't protest against Wang his decision. After all, Wang Tong wouldn't assign the entire METAL combat team to Mr. Wannabe without full trust in him. Nonetheless, the Warriors were still besieged by doubts. How powerful exactly was this middle aged man?

Mr. Wannabe stood haughtily in front of the row of METAL warriors. Had he been here before? No, it wasn't here. In his memory, it wasn't these Bloody Poor Infantry that he had commanded. No, they had been real warriors. He knew right then that he had been a powerful commander, someone who could change the world on a whim.

Slowly but unwillingly, Mr. Wannabe pulled his mind out of his reflection. The images in his memories were still vague, but the inability to recall the details no longer bothered him as it used to. Why would he be mired in the past when it was the present that could bring him joy? He had watched every step Wang Tong had taken on his journey, and he was proud to see that he was more like him than the Blade Warrior.

Tan Bu and Duo Lun never doubted Wang Tong, and therefore, they had faith in this mysterious Mr. Wannabe. However, the same could not be said for the other soldiers. Ross studied the pedestrian looking middle aged man and hoped that he would survive the first day.

Mr. Wannabe finally gathered himself and scanned the soldiers in front of him. A smile found his mouth.

"You slackers, listen up! I don't have a class for you today. If you can land a blow on me, I will let you go right now. If you can't, there will be no lunch for you!"

The soldiers looked at each other in disbelief. Some even feared that the old lunatic was suicidal.

While everyone was hesitating, two dark shadows left the rank and charged at Mr. Wannabe.

It was Duo Lun and Tan Bu.

The soldiers didn't see Mr. Wannabe move, but both Duo Lun and Tan Bu were knocked to a side, and both collapsed on the ground.

Mr. Wannabe then cracked a smile and said, "What are you guys waiting for? I want to know if anyone of you would be able to eat today."

"Charge!" Ross shouted and led the soldiers to swarm towards Mr. Wannabe.

A few blocks away, Wang Tong also heard the commotion coming from the METAL training ground. Mr. Wannabe had been staying inside the tiny crystal for too long; some exercise would be good for him. Wang Tong knew that he possessed incredible control over his strength, and therefore, he reckoned that the soldiers would be safe.

"Who is this guy? Is he a legendary level warrior?" Guan Dongyang was shocked by Mr. Wannabe's power.

"Legendary is to put it lightly. He can't join us in battles for some reason though." Wang Tong said. "How is the new element?"

"It is awesome. I haven't closed my eyes for two nights, but I feel great! I never knew Mastery could be so useful!" Wang Tong had introduced a brand new element to Guan Dongyang: the element of life. It was able to transform the natural forces into life force and use it to replenish the essence of life in humans.

"Let's call it Life Mastery. How about that?"

"I like that name. I also wonder if the spell can resurrect the dead at a higher level?" Guan Dongyang half asked and half-joked.

Although this Mastery was not an attack spell, it required a deep understanding of the nature of the world in order to wield it.

"Not in a real sense, but it might appear to have the ability to resurrect the dead by bringing people to life while they are on the brink of death. Put it to good use, Dongyang, and show those Sect Medics that we are a power to be reckoned with." Wang Tong remarked.

"I can't promise you anything, especially if Xiao Yuyu is going to be here. She might blow your cover."

"Balls! Can you be a bit more optimistic?"

"I am, but I am also pragmatic, haha… I better leave those beauties to you; otherwise, Lie Xuan is not going to let me have a good time." Guan Dongyang shook his head and said.

Wang Tong rolled his eyes at Guan Dongyang and then smiled. He was genuinely happy for him and Lie Xuan.

…

With the aid of the energy crystals, the mastery casters were finally able to cast the most rudimentary level hybrid spells. The ranks of Battle Wolf had quickly swollen and reached three hundred strong. Guan Dongyang not only took in soldiers who were in their prime, but also many older soldiers, and even women who needed more protection. To provide shelter for the weak was part of the reason behind the inception of the Battle Wolf.

Guan Dongyang's compassion had struck a chord with Wang Tong. Unlike Patroclus, who dictated that only the fittest would survive, Wang Tong believed that everyone deserved a chance, and it was the weakness in humans that had given them strength during hardships.

Wang Tong took three hundred thousand or so from the coffer and purchased many crystals in order to create more mastery crystals. Since the buff spells were the easiest to create, most of these ordinary energy crystals would be filled with buff spells.

Only Tan Bu had earned his right to have lunch on Mr. Wannabe's first day as the instructor. However, more and more soldiers passed the test as the days went by. No one ever questioned Mr. Wannabe's strength after that.

Duo Lun had asked Wang Tong where to draw the line between sparring with Mr. Wannabe and hurting him. Wang Tong smiled and willed him to try all he could. He knew that the combined strength and wits of all the METAL fighters would not be able to measure to that of Mr. Wannabe.

Chapter 532: Golden Zerg

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

Despite the unorthodox methods, Mr. Wannabe's training sessions were much more effective in strengthening the soldiers than those of Wang Tong. Meanwhile, Wang Tong had spent most of his time in the workshop, tinkering the crystal gun he had brought back and trying to find a way to mass produce these guns. Wang Tong wished to equip the weaker soldiers —Guan Dongyang had to call them the reserves— with crystal guns, so that they would have a chance on the battlefield.

Wang Tong had tried, but they lacked soul energy to catch up with the pace of the class. Therefore, he was convinced that the only way for the reserves to fight was using the crystal energy guns. Although its power would fall short when used against the dark ones, these guns should be able to handle primitive Zergs with ease.

After working on the original gun for a while, he realized a fatal flaw in the Kaedeian design: it was too sophisticated.

Wang Tong started his soul scan and studied the gun with new found interest. Despite its convoluted wiring and intricate details, he quickly grasped the working principle of the gun: it used a web of soul energy to merge the energy crystal with the gun itself. With even the slightest GN force, one would be able to trigger the energy web and amplify the GN force by several magnitudes.

Wang Tong quickly realized that the only hurdle to its mass production was the manufacturing of the core. Wang Tong pondered on the solution for a few fruitless hours. But after a while, he had to shelf the project temporarily.

By then, Battle Wolf's name was heard all over the Mars, and its ranks swelled quickly. Wang Tong conceded that he would need to make sure of the combat capabilities of any new additions. Otherwise, the progress would be slowed by too much dead weight. However, he also needed to maintain a well-rounded talent pool, so that, in addition to combat, other aspects of the band could be covered as well.

Although Wang Tong had been spending most of his time inside the workshop, he stayed connected with the rest of the world through the skynet.

As he browsed the news headlines, he conceded that a good public relationship was essential for Guan Dongyang, since he was the face of the band. Guan Dongyang was a Martian, and therefore, it was much easier for him to connect with the Martian public than Wang Tong. In addition, Guan Dongyang had cultivated a decent public image, and all he needed was a little bit of tinder to ignite his popularity.

The headlines were depressing to read. The Zergs had waged numerous surprise-raids on the human settlements as humans used to do to the Zergs before the war. Now, the tides had changed, and so had the roles of aggressors and victims.

No doubt these raids had put a lot of strain on the human community. The new breed of dark ones that led these assaults had easily crushed the human settlements' resistance. Despite the progress the Zergs had made in their breeding program, Wang Tong was convinced that it was doing more harm than good to them. The number had always been the Zergs' decisive advantage over the humans. He calculated that if the Zergs had not shifted their focus from quantity to quality, the human resistance would have been overwhelmed by them by then. However, since the Zergs had shifted their priority, the swarms, albeit still large, had gotten significantly smaller than before. The so-called "progress" had inadvertently given the humans a brief respite.

Nonetheless, while watching the footage of the Zergs' outrageous attacks, Wang Tong felt that he needed to do something before the morale of the human resistance took a toll.

The Divine Mastery Sect and House Lie were able to defend against the raids with ease. However, the same could not be said for small factions. So far, House Lie had shown no interest in helping out the other factions that were in dire need of aid. House Lie was still possessed by the warlord mentality. After some city was decimated by the Zergs, House Lie would move in its troops and brazenly claim the territory when the local factions were too weak to respond. House Lie's actions were a stark contrast with the Divine Mastery Sect, as the latter sent humanitarian aid to all the affected factions. But, despite the Sect's efforts, the overall morale on Mars was low, and the general political atmosphere was that of distrust and intrigue. Lie Jian had led the other factions by a terrible example, spurring more leaders to harbor a dream of becoming the sole ruler of Mars.

"This the Einstein City… We are under attack! The city center has already fallen, and we are trying our best to prevent the Zergs from spreading. We need help!"

Martians had a habit of naming their cities after famous historical characters, as they believed that the spirit of these famous people would protect the city. However, it was evident that the spirit of a physicist was useless against the Zergs, not even with the theory of relativity.

In the air, a dark one with a pair of nightmarish wings led the attack. On the ground, a swarm of mindless primitive Zergs wreaked havoc in the streets.

The Einstein city had been a tribute city to House Lie, and therefore, it was under Lie Jian's protection. The local militia trained at the city was assimilated into the House Lie's ranks as the sixteenth Battalion. The leader of the battalion was Lieutenant Kun Caiyi, a level twenty METAL warrior.

Under Lieutenant Kun's leadership, the Einstein City had enjoyed a long period of peace and prosperity. Lie Jian often used Lieutenant Kun and the Einstein city as an example while persuading other factions to join House Lie.

However, the Einstein city's fast development did not go unnoticed by the Zergs. This had been the fourth time that Zergs had waged a full-on assault on the city.

"Elbert, bring my personal guard here, and I will lead the charge!" Lieutenant Kun commanded.

"Wait for a second, Lieutenant! These Zergs are here to capture powerful soldiers; we can't fall for their trap. They will leave us be if they can't get what they are looking for. " Elbert urged Lieutenant Kun to think twice about his actions.

"Bullsh*t! If I let them step on my toe every single time, show would you expect the soldiers to respect me?" Lieutenant Kun shouted. Ever since he joined House Lie with his local militia band, he was ordered to exercise restraint during Zerg attacks. However, Lieutenant Kun's patience had been wearing thin.

Seeing his persuasion was useless, Elbert compromised, "If you insist, let me call the mastery unit to go with you, just in case."

"Move then! I can't wait to twist that ugly head off that dark one! Move, move!" Kun Caoyi Shouted.

Elbert quickly summoned a group of METAL warriors led by four level twenty legendary fighters.

Kun Caiyi scanned his guards and announced, "I only need to take the four of you with me to lure the dark on into the mastery caster's attack range. The rest wait here for my return."

"Yes, sir!"

The five warriors flew towards the dark one, and the Lieutenant shouted, "Hey d*ckhead, I'm here. Come at me!"

The dark one's eyes glinted. He was given only two instructions: one, to capture the leader alive, and second, if the first mission failed, to take the leader's DNA samples.

Chapter 533: Death To the Zergs!

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

As the attackers led by a dark one in golden colored armor approached the human warriors, the five warriors spread out their formation. The five of them had fought many wars together, and had drilled the formations and team attacks so many times that it had become a part of their muscle memories.

"Number two and three, stop that big a*s bug, NOW!"

"Roger!"

Warrior number two and three charged towards the giant Zerg; they were surprised by its agility despite its lumbering weight.

Lieutenant Kun was confident that two of the level twenty METAL warriors should be enough to fend off that giant bug. These types of giant Zergs were not bred to dish out damage; they filled the role of a tank in the Zergs' army composition. Kun Caiyi conceded that their real threat was the dark one in the golden armor.

Seeing Kun Caiyi getting closer, the dark one let out an ear piercing shriek. Kun Caiyi didn't waver, and jabbed at the dark one with his spear, which landed squarely.

The public cheered after seeing Kun Caiyi's attack landing. The first Zerg attack had killed hundreds of innocent people, and the second attack was worse. However, Lieutenant Kun was ordered to stay put during both battles. Their champion had finally risen to the Zergs' brutality, which gave the citizens much-needed hope and encouragement.

"Kom!"

Despite the supposedly legendary power in Kun Caiyi's spear techniques, he staggered back a few feet after the impact. He was forced back by a sharp bone that suddenly protruded out of the dark one's armor. The move a resemblance to that of a mastery spell. The dark one's power not only came from the energy crystal on his METAL, but also from within his body. Although the dark ones were not able to use the natural force directly as the humans could, this particular dark one was somehow able to convert the natural force into his own and release it through his armor.

Kun Caiyi could tell that this dark one had reached at least level twenty one. Although he was only one level below the dark one, the gap in their power could be huge.

The other two soldiers quickly closed in onto the dark one and attacked him from both sides. However, the dark one was able to stand his ground with ease, despite the barrage of deadly attacks.

The dark ones were not well known for complicated moves, as their attack relied only on speed and strength. Occasionally, the dark ones would copy the humans' moves.

While his guards kept the dark one busy, Kun Caiyi had charged up his soul energy and was ready to unleash his coup de grace - Ice Drill!

This was one of the authentic Templar moves that survived the war. Although Kun Caiyi had not yet reached the legendary level, he had learned to harness the cold element through this spear technique.

The other two soldiers didn't back away; instead, they increased the frequency and vigor of their attacks, trying to overwhelm the dark one while Kun Caiyi readied his attack. Sensing the human fighters' intention, the dark one cranked up his strength in order to get out of harm's way. As he poured out his GN force, bone-like protrusions speared out of his armor and pierced through the flesh of both human soldiers. However, the two soldiers didn't flinch, as they swallowed down their pain and doubled down on their attacks.

"KOM!"

The Ice drill was only inches away from the dark one, and it was too late for him to dodge. So seamless was the teamwork among the human soldiers that the timing of the attack was perfect.

But, just as everyone thought that the dark one was done for, bones in his ugly head shifted, and he opened his mouth, letting out a sharp bone towards Kun Caiyi.

Kun Caiyi hadn't let his guard down, so he reacted quickly and shifted his body to the side. The bone wheezed pass his scalp; it was a near escape.

"KOM!"

Only with the slightest hesitation, Kun Caiyi carried on his attack and drove the tip of the spear deep into the dark one's chest. At the other end of the field, the two other soldiers had successfully lured the giant Zerg into a Mastery caster's ambush, and by then, the giant Zerg caught on fire and was rolling on the ground in agony.

Sensing the promise of victory, the citizens rushed to the streets and started celebrating.

But, the dark one quickly taught them a lesson: never celebrate too early.

"Zenn, Zenn."

Two bone shards pierced the chest of the two warriors, and the dark one reappeared amidst the smoke. His golden armor shimmered under the sunlight, casting a golden hue against the screen of black smoke behind him.

Immediately, the dark one hurled another two bone spears at the two soldiers who were finishing off the giant Zerg. The two human warriors dodged. Still ablaze, the giant Zerg took off and flew to the sky like a rising fireball.

The turn of events caught all the mastery casters off guard. Was their spell ineffective against the Zerg?

The dark one landed on the back of the giant Zerg, and the fire extinguished suddenly, leaving only a thin layer of charred crust on the large bug's shell.

"For f*ck's sake, they evolved again! Now, our fire spell is useless!" Kun Caiyi shouted.

"Evacuate the city! "

"Lieutenant, I will protect you!"

"NOOO! QUICKLY! GET TO THE CHOPPER! NOW!" Kun Caiyi shouted.

Kun Caiyi knew that the Zerg's target was him, and therefore, he could easily attract his attention and save some precious time for the citizens.

Elbert started to order the soldiers to evacuate, but no one wanted to leave their Lieutenant alone to face the Zergs.

"Let's kill them! Save our lieutenant!" Some soldiers shouted.

As Kun Caiyi struggled to fend off the Zerg, he could feel energy draining away from him; he knew he couldn't last for very long.

In a few seconds, he was dealt a blow in the belly. The Zerg cut through his armor and into his flesh. The blow staggered Kun Caiyi, and from the corner of his eyes, he saw a tail sweeping towards him.

"KOM!"

Kun Caiyi felt that he was hit by a semi-truck. The blow sent his body flying until he hit a skyscraper a few blocks away.

The mastery casters hurled fireballs at the giant Zerg and the dark one, but their attack couldn't even make a scratch on the two.

The dark one didn't spare any attention to the mastery casters. Instead, he went straight for Kun Caiyi.

Kun Caiyi picked himself up from a pile of rubble and gathered himself, but was struck by another bone shard right away, the pain making him drop to one of his knees.

In the streets, children cried in their mothers' tight embrace as fire licked the tattered pavement, melting the tarmac right before their eyes.

The soldiers on the ground froze in action as they watched their leader subdued by the Zerg. In the air, the dark one let out a shriek that could pass for a laugh.

"Mom, there's an Einherjar!" A child shouted out at his mother.

The mother looked up at the smoke ridden sky and saw nothing. However, she heard many people gasp around her. She narrowed her eyes and finally found a golden speck in between the fingers of the black smoke.

"Einherjar!" She gasped.

"He is coming to save us!"

"We are saved!"

The dark on also noticed the approaching human in the Einherjar METAL. He shot a piece of bone shard at him. But, the Einherjar waved his hand gently and deflected the it with ease. His movement carried a certain measure of levity.

The dark one's eyes glinted as he realized that this human was much more powerful than the keeper of the city.

The giant Zerg charged towards the Einherjar and attacked him with its claw.

"KOM."

The Einherjar blocked the giant claw with one hand. Before the citizens realized what was going on, they heard the giant Zerg's painful howling. The Einherjar had twisted the claw off, jabbed it into the Zerg's underbelly, and pinned it onto the side of a skyscraper.

The dark one didn't seem to mourn over his companion's brutal death. The fire in his eyes burned even brighter, and a bone spear appeared in his hand out of nowhere. He was about to unleash a powerful attack, which looked like the Ice Drill used by Kun Caiyi.

Lieutenant Kun's face was knotted after seeing that his ability was copied by the dark one.

The dark one's golden armor pulsed with light as it pumped energy into the bone spear. The bone spear was part of the dark one's body, and therefore, the transfer of the energy was effortless.

Everyone looked up in the sky, watching the showdown with new found determination. This time, they would not choose to run away and let the Zergs lay waste to their city. This time, they chose to stand with their hero.

"Kommm!"

The dark one charged the bone spear at Wang Tong; he was able to pack more energy into the spear than Kun Caiyi would.

Wang Tong moved gently and caught the tip of the spear with his fingers employing a graceful finality. The dark one let out a cold gasp: the human was much stronger than he thought.

"Whoever defiles the human race… will die! "

Wang Tong pushed the spear tip and drove the other end of the spear into the chest of the dark one. Before long, two Zerg bodies, one small and one big, were pinned together on the same skyscraper.

"Victory!"

"Long live the human race! Long live the Einherjar!"

When the citizens finally realized that both Zergs were killed, they shouted out into the sky, where the Einherjar was already nowhere to be seen.

The little boy tugged his mother's hand and shouted: "Mom! I want to be an Einherjar when I grow up!"

Although the Einherjar had left the fight scene as soon as the battle was over, he had left a strong message for the Zergs.

The victory at Einstein City quickly spread throughout the internet. The image of the two powerful Zergs being skewered and pinned onto a skyscraper ignited human soldiers' spirits. The morale of the human forces was improved significantly.

The defeat of one or two high-level Zergs might seem trivial in the large scheme of things, but it had encouraged the entire human race to look forward and fight for their freedom.

The words of the mysterious Einherjar at the end of the battle struck a chord with everyone. "Whoever defiles the human race… will die! "

Chapter 534: Human Alliance

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

"My lord, do you think we need to tighten our control over the media?" One of House Lie's advisers asked Lie Jian.

"We can't find anything on this guy?"

"No, sir. He must be a new Einherjar. Not sure where he has gotten his Einherjar METAL though. He first appeared in Jade City, and the second time was in the Einstein City." One of the intelligence officers, Ambani, reported to Lie Jian.

"An amateur wants to play the hero, doesn't he? " Lie Jian remarked lightly.

"My lord, his actions so far are all against the regulations. I am afraid that he is trying to horde the public's attention for ulterior motives. If he fails, it would be the defeat of yet another Einherjar, but if he were to be successful, he would be a threat to us nonetheless. Either way, we cannot allow him to attract more attention." Ambani analyzed. Although the new Einherjar's influence was just starting to bud, House Lie could not afford to have such an unmanageable warrior existing in their future empire.

"What do you think we should so?"

"I need some time to investigate, if you would permit."

Lie Jian waved in approval. "Sure. But, keep a low profile."

"Yes, my lord."

Lie Jian didn't plan to waste much time on the subject, so he willed the meeting to move to the next item on the agenda. He was still convinced that the new Einherjar was a youngster who had just entered the Einherjar level, and wanted to blow off his steam.

The battlefield in Albany district was turning into a stalemate. The Zergs had gained the upper hand during previous skirmishes, but recently, they stopped attacks and gave the human forces a chance to recuperate their strength. Lie Jian knew that there was more to the Zergs' inactivity.

Lie Jian's priority was never to eliminate the Zergs; instead, his goal was to claim control over Mars during this time of chaos. He had been trying to cozy up to the Kaedeians, particularly to their heir-apparent, Princess Heidi. Only when he had gained the support from both the Kaedeians and the Divine Mastery Sect could he claim dominance over Mars.

The thought of sitting on the throne of the red planet lit up the fire in Lie Jian's eyes. He always had been an ambitious person, and thanks to the Zergs and the chaos they had brought to the human world, his wild dreams might actually come true.

…

Ever since Wang Tong returned from Jade City with the spoil, lives around the camp had improved significantly. After getting enough resources, everyone worked round the clock to improve the condition of the camp. The new recruits also alleviated some of the band's growing pain by providing sufficient manpower.

Despite the improvements around him, Wang Tong had hit an invisible wall in his research of the crystal gun. All of his attempts to modify the gun's core component for the purpose of mass production had failed.

By then, Wang Tong had retired himself from roles of METAL and mastery instruction. These two roles were taken up by Mr. Wannabe and Guan Dongyang. With more free time on his hands, Wang Tong sneaked into the Maersa city a few times in order to survey the enemy forces. After seeing the number of Zergs in the city, he concluded that there was little chance for Battle Wolf to take over the city outside. His only option was to lure the enemy out of the city. But how? Even if they could lure the Zergs out of the city wall, how could they eliminate them effectively?

One question bode another, but none could be answered until Battle Wolf grew stronger.

After having received another batch of new recruits, their rank had swollen to five hundred. However, the actual retinues that were able to fight effectively during a battle were only three hundred or so, which consisted of one hundred Mastery casters and another two hundred METAL soldiers.

Battle Wolf had enjoyed only a few weeks of quietness before it was interrupted by visitors from Blizzard. This time, instead of sending a representative, the captain of Blizzard had paid a visit himself.

Both Aamir and Hans were shocked by how much Battle Wolf's camp had improved. Aamir found it hard to believe that the same band had been on the run only a few months ago.

"Brother Guan, you are doing pretty good for yourself. I am really jealous! Haha."Aamir said with a broad smile.

"Haha… It is nothing compared to Blizzard."

"Oh you, stop that humblebragging business. Without you fixing that skynet, we would have still been in the dark age."

"Haha, that was nothing. We will do whatever it takes to help all of us defeat the Zergs. What brings you here today?" Guan Dongyang asked.

"I am here to bring you a proposal. I think the time for the fragmented bands to unite together has arrived. We should form an alliance and start to prepare for the final assault on Maersa City." Aamir announced with a serious face.

"I agree! But, we have tabled it at the annual gathering many times, and it never passed the discussion stage. What do you think we should do, Captain Aamir?"

Guan Dongyang knew that Aamir came with a solution. He cast a glance at Wang Tong and noticed that he was not paying attention at all.

"I think we should lead by example. It is impossible to unite all the factions right away, but we can start persuading the key players. We should call a meeting and tell everyone how senseless it is to backstab each other while the Zergs are living like kings inside our city."

"I wonder which key players you are going to invite to the meeting." Wang Tong suddenly put in.

Aamir was not surprised by Wang Tong's interruption, since he had heard many stories about Guan Dongyang's left-hand man. Aamir also noticed Guan Dongyang relax his straightened back as soon as Wang Tong started to speak.

"Blizzard, Thunder Fire, Pamir's Eagle, Flame Squad, and Battle Wolf… These are the five bands that I hope to see at the meeting. As long as we can unite together under one banner, we can turn the situation around on Mars." Aamir puffed a cloud of smoke and shifted his gaze in between Guan Dongyang and Wang Tong, deciphering their expressions.

"We are honored, Captain Aamir. Why do you think Battle Wolf is worthy of this invitation? We are one of the weakest bands, after all." Hamir asked.

All the other bands had over five thousand members, among which, many were level twenty warriors.

"Because of the contribution Battle Wolf made in restoring the vital communication in Maersa district. Plus, you have also defeated Thunder-Fire's ten thousand men strong army. Now, tell me why I would consider Battle Wolf as a weak band? I know you don't get along with Thunder Fire, but our real enemies are the Zergs. We should learn to forgive and move on."

"Well said! Battle Wolf is ready to work with any war-band that kills Zergs, regardless of our past history. However, I want to make it clear that once we have signed the pact, we will never tolerate betrayal." Wang Tong said with a confident smirk; his words sounded like a threat.

Aamir was taken aback by the Wang Tong's imposing tone. "Of course, whoever betrays the alliance will be the public enemy of the entire Maersa district. Captain Guan, do you and your fellow warriors need some time to think about your decision?"

"No need for that. You have my full support, Captain Aamir."

"Excellent! I have already talked to the other leaders, and they all have agreed to my proposal. We can have the meeting in just a few days."

Chapter 535: Xiao Yuyu's Gift

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

This was the first time that humans on Mars made some progress towards an alliance. This was mostly thanks to the restored communication system which reconnected the fragmented factions.

Five days later, Marcos from Thunder Fire, Pamir from Pamir's Eagle, and Bu Zhihuo from Flame Squad had gathered with Aamir and Guan Dongyang at Battle Wolf's camp for the meeting.

Most of the attendees came because they respected Aamir, but not everyone had confidence in achieving anything during the meeting.

Pamir started off as a Mercenary, and he still was to some degree. He cared less about becoming the alliance leader than the benefits—in terms of blues— of joining the alliance. Bu Zhihuo was completely opposite of the indifferent Mercenary; he and his warriors were a patriotic lot who could even pass for being xenophobic sometimes. Their obsession with purity had made him a bad choice as a candidate for the leader. Therefore, the competition had come down to Aamir and Marcos.

The five leaders and their associates sat by a table and chatted with each other while waiting for the meeting to start. Everyone talked to Guan Dongyang with a certain measure of respect, expect for Marcos. Despite the tremendous respect people held towards Guan Dongyang, the factions' leaders still considered Battle Wolf a miserably weak team.

"Captain Guan, let me be frank. We are all very appreciative of you restoring the communication line. However, I am afraid that you need to grow your band a little bit more in order to survive a battle with the Zergs. We don't want to babysit your team on the battlefield." After some time, Bu Zhihuo spoke abruptly to Guan Dongyang.

An awkward silence quickly took over the fragile amicability in the air. Marcos remained calm as ever. He knew he didn't have to fire at Guan Dongyang by himself, since others had come with loads of ammunition.

"Captain Bu, you should know better than me that the strength of a team is not solely in its number, shouldn't you? Flame Squad has no more soldiers than us. Shouldn't you exclude Marcos from the meeting as well then? " Guan Dongyang fired back.

"What makes Battle Wolf a worthy band to stand with the Flame Squad?" Marcos grunted.

"If we are not worthy of Flame Squad, at least we are better than Thunder Fire." Wang Tong rose to the comment.

The topic of Thunder Fire's defeat had been a taboo among the leaders. Everyone considered it a fluke, and no one doubted that if Thunder Fire were given a second chance, they would be able to destroy Battle Wolf.

As everyone expected Marcos to jump out of his chair and shout back at Wang Tong, he slowly picked up his cup and took a sip of his tea, ignoring the comment.

Ever since his defeat, Marcos had taken a hard look at his situation in order to find out the reason for his defeat. He quickly reckoned that the culprit for his defeat was Wang Tong, the same person that had bluffed Nihlathak. Seeing that Wang Tong had spoken for Guan Dongyang at the meeting, he was convinced that he had played a more significant role in the recent rise of Battle Wolf than anyone could have imagined. He reminded himself to exercise caution when dealing with Wang Tong before he learned more about him.

"Captain Guan, although we should let go of our past and focus on our common enemy, Brother Bu's concern is not entirely unfounded. If there are only a couple hundred soldiers under your command, you might as well stay behind the front line and help the others with their logistical work." Pamir put in his two cents; he thought he had been very objective.

"Hehe… Captain Aamir, what do you think?" Guan Dongyang tossed the burning question to Aamir. Since two of the four faction leaders had voiced their concerns, it was time for Aamir to weight in his opinion.

As the organizer of the meeting, Aamir had expected such disagreement. "I agree with Captain Guan. The strength of a band is not in the numbers. I believe that if Captain Guan is able to demonstrate his band's power, there should be no reason to exclude him from this discussion." Aamir proposed his solution.

Guan Dongyang hesitated as he didn't want to disclose the real strength of Battle Wolf to potential would-be enemies. However, he realized that he had no other choice.

"Perhaps, you would allow me to testify for Battle Wolf?" A musical voice came from outside, and a girl in a white robe sauntered into the meeting room.

It was the chief medic of the Divine master sect, Xiao Yuyu.

No one would have thought that such a goddess would appear in a squalid countryside camp in the middle of nowhere.

"It's an honor to meet you, Chief Medic!" Ye Zi saluted.

"No need to be formal. We will be training together from now on." Xiao Yuyu replied.

The words "training together" hit everyone like a hammer.

Before the leaders realized what that meant, another dozen Sect Medics filed into the meeting room. It was evident that they were Xiao Yuyu's companions during her stay at the Battle Wolf.

What was going on? Never had the chief medic stayed at any other camp other than the Sect's headquarter.

"Brother Wang and Guan, the other fifty casters have arrived. They are all level fifteen and above. This is all I can offer, so make sure you put them to good use." Xiao Yuyu announced.

Everyone was shocked by the turn of events as they looked out of the window and saw a few columns of young casters standing outside the meeting room, all bearing the official badge of the Divine Mastery Sect.

Why would the Sect be so generous to Battle Wolf?

Aamir knew almost instantly that this development had more to do with Wang Tong than Guan Dongyang. He lamented for not doubling down on his effort of recruiting Wang Tong.

By then, it was evident to everyone that Battle Wolf had gained the Divine Mastery Sect's unequivocal support.

"Hehe… I thought you were a hero, but you have become another guard dog of the Sect! Congratulations on finding a good master! Haha" Marcos laughed while his eyes held deep contempt. Every leader feared and hated the powerful Sect and House Lie; their might was a blade constantly hanging over their heads.

"You must be Marcos. You are mistaken. Captain Guan didn't join the Sect. Instead, we are here to learn from Captain Guan as his students. Since we are here, we won't stand by and let Battle Wolf fight alone." Xiao Yuyu explained with an alluring smile.

Marcos was so shocked that his mouth gaped open like a fish struggling to breathe.

"Welcome chief medic. Please, have a seat. We are discussing our plan to drive out the Zergs from the city."

"Oh? I would love to hear about it!" Xiao Yuyu scanned the room and sat down at an empty seat beside Wang Tong.

"Nice to meet you again, Brother Wang. I hope you like our gift." Xiao Yuyu winked at Wang Tong wittily.

Chapter 536: Templars On Mars

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

Xiao Yuyu had spent a lot of time digging into Wang Tong's history. It didn't take long before she realized that this captain Tong was hiding something. Although Wang Tong's name reminded her of a long lost memory at the back of her mind, she never connected him with the heir of the Blade Warrior. Many things had changed over the five years, and it was almost impossible for people to keep track of the names of the people who had passed away.

Wang Tong had made a name for himself during the tournament, which was equivalent of the ancient games called Olympics. No one would remember the name of a rising star five years ago, especially on Mars, since most Martians had lost their interest in the tournament the moment Lie Jian and Michaux were eliminated from the matches.

The woman's instinct told Xiao Yuyu that there were things that Wang Tong hadn't been honest about with everyone. What drove her suspicion even deeper was the fact that she could not detect anything out of ordinary about Wang Tong.

Xiao Yuyu's appearance had changed the mood of the meeting as everyone became reticent, fearing they would say something stupid and make a spectacle out of themselves. Only Aamir and Marcos remained talkative since they were commanding two of the most influential bands.

After some time, Bu Zhihuo and Pamir also loosened up. Everyone at the meeting conceded that with the addition of these Sect casters, Battle Wolf's mastery team was unmatched within Maersa district.

"Hehe… I think Captain Guan has proven his band's strength to us. We should include him in our alliance. " Aamir announced.

"I agree!" Bu Zhihuo chimed in.

Pamir also nodded, as he didn't plan to get involved in the drama between Thunder Fire and Battle Wolf in the first place.

Everyone looked to Marcos, and the latter nodded reluctantly.

"Boss, there are a hundred or so soldiers marching towards our camp. They will be here in minutes." Ross hurried in and reported to Guan Dongyang.

"Hehe… Are those a hundred refugees?" Marcos laughed sarcastically.

"No! They are at least level sixteen. The leader of the group is most likely a legendary level warrior." Ross replied. He had never seen a legendary warrior before, and the sight had sent him into a panic mode.

"Let's go take a look." Wang Tong and Guan Dongyang both stood up from their chairs calmly. There was no need to lose composure before even knowing if those soldiers were friends or foes.

Xiao Yuyu also furrowed her brows as she doubted Ross' judgment. She had never heard of another legendary warrior in Maersa district before.

Before long, Battle Wolf's soldiers had taken up their defense posts, and the group of leaders arrived at a lookout tower to investigate. They watched as a group of maglev riders slid across the landscape towards the camp. All soldiers except for the leaders were wearing METAL suits. The soldiers' weary expression suggested that they had just gone through an intense battle.

The riders slowed down as they approached the city. Guan Dongyang was dumbfounded by the development; however, he registered that these riders were not hostile. Who were they?

The leader of the pact walked through the city gate and approached the group of leaders. Guan Dongyang felt the presence of his power grow stronger with every step he took.

From the stately steps of the leader, Bu Zhihuo was convinced that his power was of at least level twenty. Bu Zhihuo looked over the leader's shoulder and saw a group of haughty fighters in aged twenty-five to thirty. Everyone's eyes held the fragile edge of calm that threatened to explode. Their high-quality METAL suits boasted their might. What were they doing here?

The leader quietly scanned the group of warriors in front of him with a solemn gaze. Xiao Yuyu could smell the promise of a fight in the air. She had heard reports about the surge in the number of incidents involving rogue human soldiers. There had been the Mysterious Einherjar that everyone was talking about, and then there was this unfamiliar face in front of her. Was he one of the rogue factions that didn't play by the rule?

The visitor's eyes found Wang Tong's face, and his lips quivered slightly.

Wang Tong held the stranger's gaze for some time, and the rest of the warriors noticed their exchange of intense glances.

The visitor suddenly saluted to Wang Tong and pleasantly surprised the latter with a familiar gesture. Wang Tong gave the visitor a thumbs up and then turned towards Guan Dongyang. "Captain Guan, these warriors are here to join Battle Wolf." Wang Ton nudged Guan Dongyang with his feet.

"Oh…ha…Yes… um…Yea…AH HA… Welcome! Welcome!" Guan Dongyang improvised a few words, pretending that he was not oblivious about what was going on. Although, he doubted that his act had beguiled anyone.

Among the one hundred or so warriors, at least half of them were METAL warriors with high-level METAL suits, suggesting that they were powerful fighters with deep pockets. Why would they want to join Battle Wolf?

"Excuse us, everyone. Can we resume our meeting a bit later? " Guan Dongyang asked.

"Of course, Captain Guan. We can wait." Aamir answered. Meanwhile, his eyes darted left and right, trying to discern the motives of these powerful warriors.

Guan Dongyang knew it had something to do with Wang Tong, so he ordered everyone to leave except for him.

"Who are you?"

"Yin Tianzong. I am from the Templar's court… Well, what is left of it, that is. I have been waiting for you, young master!" Yin Tianzong exclaimed.

"How did you find me?" Wang Tong asked curiously. He had never known that the Templar's court had established a branch on Mars. Nonetheless, these warriors had come at a good time.

"We had been searching for you for the last five years, and to find you were the last orders I had received before the communication line was cut off. I had heard about you at Jade City and what you did at that auction." Yin Tianzong answered.

"How is the old man? Is he still alive?" Wang Tong's first thought went to his only relative, Old Fart.

"Yes. Please don't worry about grand master. We received the God's revelation about the Zerg invasion a long time ago, and we had known all the while that you would lead us to overcome this dark time. I had gathered about one hundred and twenty Templars before I came here. I apologize for the delay, since everyone was spread out on Mars. Finding them had been time-consuming. "

"Thank you! I will forever remember your assistance!"

"It is my honor, young master."

"Hehe… Please call me to captain from now on. It's easier for me that way. We can talk about our plan later on. I need to deal with that group of factions leaders waiting for me outside."

"Yes, young…Captain Tong."

As the leader of the Templar's branch on Mars, Yin Tianzong was an extremely powerful warrior. His orders were to wait for the reappearance of the young master. Although he had doubted if the young master would actually show up on Mars, he never gave up his search.

Chapter 537: Small Tank, Big Fish

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

Ye Zi quickly cleared some room to accommodate these Templar warriors. Some of these soldiers had been traveling for days without much sleep. They had been waiting for five years, and now, their wait was finally over.

Aamir and the other leaders also marveled at this development, wondering who these warriors were.

"Captain, I am sure most of those new METAL soldiers are super warriors, and that leader could very well be at the legendary level," Han said.

Although even with the addition of the one hundred warriors, Battle Wolf was still one of the smallest bands, the high level of these new warriors meant that Battle Wolf's power would have increased by ten folds. It was particularly the case after the addition of a legendary warrior. Hans doubted if he would be able to find another legendary warrior in the entire Maersa district.

Guan Dongyang was a powerful mastery caster, and by now, he had the support of a chief sect medic, a mysterious super mechanic, and a group of super warriors led by a legendary warrior. Hans was convinced that it was only a matter of time before Battle Wolf became the dominating power in Maersa.

Aamir's plan was to table the proposal of the alliance and compete with Marcos to become the leader. However, he doubted that he could ignore Battle Wolf's power after it had received so many reinforcements. Even if Guan Dongyang and the other leaders decided to vote for him as the leader, he was not comfortable with commanding a legendary warrior and the Sect's chief medic.

Aamir conceded that the situation had spiraled out of his control quickly.

When Guan Dongyang, Wang Tong, and Yin Tianzong came to meet them again, the group of leaders knew that Battle Wolf was finally ready to discuss the alliance.

The new developments had lent Battle Wolf prestige and power; however, the presence of a legendary warrior had given other leaders a lot of pressure. These band leaders' eyes darted left and right, not daring to speak up.

Guan Dongyang cracked a smile and then said, "Allow me to introduce… This is Mr. Yin Tianzong. Just like Xiao Yuyu, he is one of Battle Wolf's guests. I have just confirmed that Mr. Yin has reached the legendary level."

The words took the wind out of other leaders' sails. They sensed that some big changes were about to come to Maersa, starting in this meeting room.

Battle Wolf was still a small war band, but be it the Chief Medic or the legendary warrior, either one of them could have squashed anyone at the meeting like an inset. Therefore, challenging Battle Wolf was courting death. Despite the fear and concern over the chief medic and the new warriors, Aamir's eyes didn't leave Wang Tong. Something told him that Wang Tong was the culprit behind all of these developments.

Aamir pulled his thoughts back to the meeting table; his questions could wait, as now was the time to figure out the leadership and the chain of command within the alliance.

From the reports he had gathered, Aamir knew that it was impossible to eliminate the Zergs in the city without gathering all the resisting forces. Aamir had already laid out an attack plan, and once he tabled it, it was up to the group of leaders to approve it. If the leaders failed to form a united front, they would have to fight on their own. In the end, the meeting ended inconclusively.

News about the sudden surge in Battle Wolf's power had spread across the Maersa district. Although the newly formed alliance had a very loose structure and lacked a leader, it was a good step in the right direction, a huge contribution from Aamir to the resistance forces.

After the new warriors arrived at Battle Wolf, the original METAL warriors were under a great pressure, and felt the urge to improve themselves.

That night, Yin Tianzong held a long conversation with Wang Tong. He told him that although these Templar were not the best warriors, they were extremely loyal, and unwavering on the battlefield. They had been waiting for Wang Tong for five years, and they believed that he would be able to lead the humans out of the age of darkness.

Yin Tianzong also asked many questions about Battle Wolf, and Wang Tong answered all of them patiently.

Although Yin Tianzong did not have the slightest doubts about Wang Tong's power, he could not feel any presence of conventional soul energy inside the latter. Instead, the power inside Wang Tong was pure and hard to gauge. It was a sign of true power.

Wang Tong's near perfect power and his shrewd methods in dealing with the politics had earned Yin Tianzong's approval as the future leader of the human race. Yin Tianzong had observed Wang Tong closely even before the Zerg invasion, and had been worried that after the five years, Wang Tong was still reckless and naive, unfit to lead the world. He felt fortunate that he had been wrong.

Wang Tong listened excitingly as Yin Tianzong briefed him on the abilities of these new warriors. Battle Wolf had finally made a breakthrough in their limited capacity of METAL warfare. These Templars had a solid foundation, and with the help of Mr. Wannabe, they were bound to become a deadly force on the battlefield.

"Chief Medic, why do you think a legendary warrior would join Battle Wolf?"

"I bet it had something to do with Wang Tong. Investigate Yin Tianzong's records. It is impossible for a legendary warrior to slip under our radar. "

"Ok… And there is another complication: Antonio is going to join Battle Wolf," Vorenus said.

Xiao Yuyu furrowed her brows and asked, "Can we stop him?"

"It might be difficult, since he is not under our command." Vorenus shrugged. Antonio was born into a military family, and both his parents were legendary warriors.

"Let it be then. " Xiao Yuyu replied.

The new additions had given Tan Bu, Duo Lun, and their friends a lot of pressure after just one round of sparring. These Templars' solid foundation in METAL combat was unmatched. However, thanks to the new abilities that Wang Tong had taught them, despite their lower levels, the original Battle Wolf warriors were able to gain an edge during the spar from time to time. So, the advantages shifted between the new and old warriors frequently, and it was difficult to determine the victor at the end of a real fight.

Despite Yin Tianzong's warning, conceit quickly grew within the ranks of the Templars. However, it only took one METAL lesson under Mr. Wannabe to purge their arrogance.

In the afternoon, Wang Tong started to teach these new warriors the Divine Burst skill. These Templars picked up the ability much faster than the soldiers of Battle Wolf.

In the first couple of days of the Sect casters' stay, dissidence and discontent spread across their camp, since they were convinced that the small camp of Battle Wolf was unworthy of their appearance. However, they quickly realized that they were wrong after joining the mastery class. Never had they expected to see hybrid element spells outside of their sect.

In the days that followed, Guan Dongyang taught these Sect casters the Divine Light spell by first introducing the life element. Soon, Guan Dongyang's knowledge and power had quickly made him the Sect medic's second idol after Michaux. However, as the leader of these Sect casters, Xiao Yuyu was not beguiled by him. She could tell that Guan Dongyang was only a beginner, far away from mastering the life element. Therefore, he was definitely not the creator of the spell.

Chapter 538: The Zergs' Infighting

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

While the new and old soldiers trained together, trying to further their teamwork, Wang Tong had been busy poking around Maersa City. He knew that in order for Battle Wolf to grow, they would have to take over the city.

After a few days, Wang Tong found something suspicious in the city: there were immortals in the city, living with the dark ones. Wang Tong knew the suspect was an immortal because he knew him: it was Turbolix.

This discovery shocked Wang Tong; it was the first time it had occurred to him that not all humans were willing to stick their necks out for the survival of the human race.

The defense of the city was impeccable, giving the invading forces no chance of breaching the city wall. Wang Tong conceded that his only option was to lure the enemy out as he had suspected. But how? After some days of observation, Wang Tong noticed that Turbolix and his clandestine companions moved in and out of the city as if they were searching for something or someone.

Wang Tong laid on his back on a large flat rock while waiting for Charcoal to gather information.

"Master, I am back."

Wang Tong pushed himself up and asked, "How was it?"

"I have listened to some conversations in the city, and I think Turbolix is looking for you. Or, at least he is trying to confirm your existence."

"Hehe… That's good… very good! I think he was sent by Patroclus."

"What should we do master?"

"Let's give them what they want." Wang Tong decided to put the newly trained warriors of Battle Wolf to use and deal a blow to Maersa City. Meanwhile, the attack would serve as a loud and clear message to Patroclus.

In the weeks that followed, the alliance waged a few coordinated surprise attacks on the Zergs and achieved sizable victories. This development had inspired all the other smaller factions to join the alliance's cause.

The taste of victory had elated the Battle Wolf warriors. After the training, these warriors had grown their power by leaps and bounds, and therefore, killing Zergs had suddenly become an easy task.

Lie Xuan had witnessed the change in Battle Wolf first hand. Although she knew that Guan Dongyang would never serve his family, she was madly in love with the Fire Lord, and she would never leave him.

…

Despite their victories, the resistance wasn't too optimistic about the future. They had caught the Zergs off guard, and without the element of surprise, they could be easily swarmed by their huge number.

With their guard up, the factions stayed tuned with each other over the Skynet. As soon as one faction was attacked, they would radio the entire region for reinforcements. This way, the factions were no longer fighting on their own.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside Maersa City was intense.

Turbolix held Kun's accusatory gaze. He knew thatKun, the Maersa City Lord, had been reprimanded by the dark lord for his activities in the city. The struggle between the dark lord and Patroclus was no longer a secret. Kun was troubled by not only the clandestine activities of Patroclus' agents, but also the recent surge in the number and audacity of the human resistance forces' attacks.

"My lord, how can you let these weaklings step on your toe? Might as well let our divine lord manage the city for you… Haha. " Turbolix jested.

"Phf! I will make them pay, make no mistake about that." Kun grunted as fire spurted out of his eyes. Failing to suppress his anger, Kun shot a wave of soul energy at a human servant, who collapsed to the ground without making a sound.

As Turbolix marveled at the savagery of the dark one, a messenger walked to him and whispered something. The messenger brought out a hologram projector and turned it on to display a clip that showed Wang Tong's face.

"Haha! He is alive! I have been looking for him everywhere, and I have finally found him!" Turbolix laughed.

Kun narrowed his eyes as he studied the face of the human whom Patroclus was so interested in.

"Have you located him yet?"

"Yes. He is with a war band called Battle Wolf. It's a small band, four to five hundred soldiers at the most. Oh, the leader of the band is Guan Dongyang. He was in the tournament as well. Wang Tong is his assistant."

Turbolix guffawed, "Haha! I wonder what our Lord would make of the news. The heir of the Blade Warrior now has to serve under a no account! Haha! Let's move… I need to find him and hand him over to our master."

"Stop! That's the man the dark lord wants for himself." Kun stood up and announced.

"Kun, that's none of my business. My goal here is to capture Wang Tong, and let me remind you to not stand in my way!" Turbolix watched Kun with contempt.

"You are on Mars, not on Patroclus' turf!" Kun rose to the comment as his wings trembled with anger.

"How dare you address our lord by his name!" Turbolix rounded his eyes as his GN force poured out. In a blink, he and his Immortal companions were ready for combat. Calling the divine lord by his name was an act of blasphemy. Aggression burned in Kun's eyes for a while, and then it dimmed down. Kun softened his face and said in an apologetic tone, "Please forgive my insolence. We respect your lord as much as you do. However, I have received a direct order from the dark lord to capture this individual." Kun had to swallow down his pride since he knew Patroclus was not the person he could mess with.

"Hehe… apologies accepted. I understand where you are coming from, but please consider that my situation is no easier than yours. How about this? Let's capture Wang Tong first, and then we will let our lords decide who should have the spoils."

"Sounds like a plan. Let me report this development to the dark lord at this instant."

'"No, no. Not now. "

"Why not?"

"We haven't gotten him yet, have we? What's the point in letting our bosses' hopes high while we are not guaranteed a success yet? Let's report to our higher ups when we have the man."

It took Kun a while to understand what Turbolix meant. Despite Turbolix's drastically different style in handling such a situation than a dark one would, Kun had seen sense in his words. He had disappointed the dark lord once already, so he knew that in order to stay alive, he needed to be careful. Being a dark one had given him many pleasures that a Zerg would not have the capacity to appreciate; they enjoyed these pleasures so much that they had started to fear the lack of them.

"Dispatch all of our scouts and locate Battle Wolf! I want to lead the attack myself."

"Hehe… That's a smart move, Kun. Let me help you too… We cannot fail!"Turbolix announced.

…

Somewhere outside the city wall, Wang Tong emerged out of a shadow. He had purposely let the surveillance drone capture his face in order to lure Turbolix out of the city. Soon, he wagered, the former heir of the Wind-Cloud Kick was going to rise to his bait.

Chapter 539: High Risk, High Reward

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

The resistance forces were still too weak to take the Zergs' blunt force, and therefore, the best option was guerrilla warfare, using movement to nibble away the strength of the Zerg slowly.

When the human factions noticed the activities of the Zerg scouts, they were on high alert, since they didn't know who the Zergs' target was.

In the meeting, when Guan Dongyang, Xiao Yuyu, Ye Zi, Hamir, Ross, and Yin Tianzong heard Wang Tong's plan, they were shocked.

"We are going to attack Maersa?" Ross asked incredulously.

"Hehe… The Zergs are outside the wall, looking for me, so their defense is the weakest right now. I have investigated their defense thoroughly; there is no underground tunnel system inside the city." Wang Tong remarked. He had full confidence in Charcoal's survey capabilities. He wagered that the dark ones inside the city had grown too comfortable and human-like, and had started to dislike the unsanitary living conditions of the primitive Zergs, therefore driving them out of the city.

"Even if we can sack the city, we wouldn't be able to hold it." Hamir lamented. Wang Tong's audacious plan had unnerved him.

Wang Tong didn't mind the opposition, as he turned on the skynet and produced a hologram of Maersa city. "Look here. This north-west corner of the city is a production facility. The dark ones have reinforced it with steel plates, allowing us to establish a strong footing there. As long as we are holding our ground inside the city, the other factions will keep putting pressure on the Zergs from the outside."

"Don't you think this is a little bit too risky? We will be pretty much trapped in there." Guan Dongyang hesitated.

Lie Xuan suddenly piped up, "You idiot! It's such a good opportunity, don't you see? The METAL warriors can hold their ground while the mastery casters can rain spells on them from safety. Even if there are casualties, we have eleven field medics and a chief medic with us. All we have to do is to wait for Blizzard to flank our enemy from behind and destroy them." Lie Xuan was the first one to support Wang Tong's proposal.

Yin Tianzong kept his silence. Although Wang Tong's plan was risky as hell, once successful, they could deal a devastating blow to the Zergs in Maersa District, and turn the tables around.

"I agree with Wang Tong's plan. It might seem dangerous, if not stupid… But in reality, we have the upper hand. The Zergs' attention is focused outside of the city. Once they notice the fight in the wall, they might very well split their forces up." Xiao Yuyu remarked.

Once the Zerg forces were fragmented, it would be much easier for the human resistance forces to overcome them. It would be even better if the dark ones came to the city first, so that Battle Wolf could focus on eliminating them. Once the dark ones were gone, the rest of the Zerg army would pose little to no threat to the human force.

"Well, since you guys are down for it, I am in as well." Ross nodded.

Wang Tong had chosen his battleground carefully. Not only would the confined space inside the city hinder the Zergs' charging abilities, but the city had already been the dark ones' home. So, they would be extra careful with the properties, and would not wreak havoc as they would in human settlements.

Wang Tong had built a dangerous team, and it was time to put them into use. They would light up the beacon of hope for the rest of the humans on the Mars, and send them this message, "In unity, we survive!"

Once the situation on Mars turned around, Wang Tong could then focus on the more difficult task: the Earth and Moon.

"Um… How do we sneak into the city?" Ye Zi asked quietly under her breath.

"We will pack up tonight and decide our route once we have figured the Zergs' marching direction."

Ye Zi nodded and issued the order to all the soldiers in the camp using skynet.

Wang Tong had ordered the reserves to travel to Blizzard and seek temporary shelter there. Wang Tong didn't expect the Blizzard to agree with him, but he informed them about his plan nonetheless.

Guan Dongyang and Yin Tianzong went ahead to the city while Wang Tong remained in the empty camp. He needed to stay here in order to lure the Zergs further away from the city. Yin Tianzong was a legendary warrior, and Wang Tong was confident that he and Guan Dongyang could handle any threat in their way.

Right after Guan Dongyang had left, the Zergs found Battle Wolf's camp and surrounded it. Luckily, Wang Tong was able to persuade everyone to evacuate the camp before the Zergs closed in.

After having confirmed that Wang Tong was inside the closed gate of the camp, the Zerg army started to close the encirclement.

Wang Tong was preparing a large pot of fish soup while he was waiting for the Zergs' advancement. Suddenly, he heard rustling noise outside the gate: his guests had finally arrived.

"Smells good!" Turbolix walked through the gate and towards Wang Tong.

"Come, help yourself." Wang Tong willed Turbolix to sit down beside him.

"Wang Tong, join us," Turbolix asked, almost pleading.

"No." Wang Tong said calmly. He held Turbolix's gaze and noticed that his guest had transformed completely into the Immortals.

Turbolix pulled a taut face and said, "How arrogant! It's no longer the time of the Confederation. This world belongs to us, the immortals… not you, loser!"

Wang Tong cast a pitiful glance at Turbolix, "Patroclus is a traitor, and you are worse than that… You are a bug."

"Say whatever you want… but your life ends today! Both Divine lord and the Dark Lord want you dead."

"I am honored." Wang Tong picked up a slice of fish from the soup and chewed on it. "What do you think will happen if the human resistance force attacks Maersa right now as we speak?"

Turbolix paused for a second and smirked, "That is none of my business. It's Kun's city anyways. I just want you to die…Oh, one more thing, don't you know that Zhou Sisi is still alive?"

Wang Tong put down his fork and looked at Turbolix. "Where is she?"

Sensing that he had caught Wang Tong's attention, excitement flashed across Turbolix's face. "I bet you want to know that really bad, don't you?"

"Yes, but you don't need to tell me. I will find her. Thanks for coming, by the way." Wang Tong stood up and rubbed the grease off his shirt.

Turbolix's face blackened. He knew what Wang Tong meant: he was going to kill him and scan him mind using soul energy to learn the location of Zhou Sisi.

"Haha… You haven't changed a bit! Well, let me introduce you to Mr. Kun, and his level twenty-two Einherjar's Bane!"

"Level twenty-two? You think too highly of me."

"Save your words! Kun, attack!"

Chapter 540: The Weakened Defense

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

In addition to Kun, Wang Tong could also see another dozen or so dark ones, including some Web Zergs and Kamikaze Zergs that made up the Einherjar's Bane Unit. On the other side of the gate, tens of thousands of primitive Zergs surrounded the Camp.

Wang Tong fished out the last slice of meat in the soup and wolfed it down. He then pressed a button on his skynet communicator as he mumbled, "We have so many guests today. Should have prepared a feast for you."

"Kaboom!"

The ground trembled as bombs exploded outside the camp. Wang Tong had bought these bombs from Syracuse at a rock bottom price, since no one had ever shown any interest in these bombs.

Wang Tong flew to the sky and found out that the camp had already been surrounded by fire. Many Zergs outside the camp were either shredded into pieces by the shockwave or devoured by the fire.

Turbolix followed Wang Tong to the sky; he couldn't let him escape under his nose. He calculated that the best outcome for him was to capture the latter and let the human resistance weaken the city. It would be like one stone killing two birds. On the other hand, the worst could happen was having Wang Tong slip away; and Turbolix doubted that Patroclus would tolerate such a failure.

Wang Tong didn't slow down; he flew across the sky with Turbolix hot on his heels. After a while, he landed on a giant flat rock and waited for the latter. When Turbolix arrived, Wang Tong was amused by the exhausted expression on his face. Turbolix was startled by the sudden explosion, as he didn't expect Wang Tong to be so cunning. He lamented on the mistake of conglomerating the tropes around the camp, which exacerbated the damage of those explosives. Luckily, Turbolix thought, those were all Moye's soldiers.

Wang Tong studied Turbolix's faces, and he immediately saw through the immortal's plan to deal a blow to both Wang Tong and Moye by pitting one against the other.

Wang Tong conceded that the transformation had given Turbolix a more tenacious body. However, Turbolix lacked something that was intrinsically human: a soul.

It was the soul that had driven the humans to fight for a brighter future, and transcend the animalistic desires into spiritual pursuits.

Humans' strength came from the ability to improve themselves. But, while the immortals had already gained the perfect body, there was no more potential left in them. The lack of goal made the immortals forget their place in the world, and lost control over their power.

Turbolix's chest heaved as he charged up his soul energy to level twenty one. "Wang Tong, taste the power of my Wind-Cloud Kick!"

Before Turbolix finished his sentence, he attacked Wang Tong with a flurry of kicks. He had perfected his kicking technique over the years; his kicking moves were so powerful that they could attack in all directions.

Turbolix rained the attacks on Wang Tong without giving him an opportunity to resist.

"Die, Die, DIE!"

Turbolix landed a kick on Wang Tong's side, and the impact sent him flying. Before Wang Tong landed on the ground, Turbolix charged at him and bore down his elbow on Wang Tong's soft belly.

"KOM!"

Turbolix's elbow-strike hammered Wang Tong down and buried him deep in a pile of rubble. Turbolix didn't stop, as he charged GN force into his legs and kicked at Wang Tong again.

"KOM!"

The kick sent a flurry of loose gravel flying, and the impact trembled the ground. This was the real power of a legendary immortal warrior.

The surge of power inside his body brought Turbolix a euphoria; he threw back his head and shouted to the sky like an animal in heat.

After Turbolix finally gathered himself, he failed to locate Wang Tong's dead body. Had his attack pulverized Wang Tong's mortal body?

Dead or alive, Turbolix needed to bring Wang Tong back to Patroclus, so he started searching.

"Where are you going?" A lazy voice came out from behind Turbolix.

Wang Tong stretched himself and yawned, "Turbolix, are you kidding me? What have you been doing over the last five years?"

Turbolix took a half step back and murmured, " How… how is that possible? How are you not dead?"

"Dead? Hell no. But, you have indeed spoiled my clothes!" Wang Tong furrowed his brows and inched closer towards Turbolix.

Layered Fist of Tong!

"KOM!"

Turbolix's kicks were too slow to react, and he was dealt a blow squarely on his chest. The impact sent him staggering back until he tripped and fell to the ground. However, he was unharmed, thanks to his nearly invincible body.

Turbolix quickly picked himself up and charged at Wang Tong. When he was close, he rained kicked on Wang Tong from above. Wang Tong clenched his fist, melting the air around his fist into liquid.

"KOM!"

Turbolix only saw a fist before he was dealt a blow in his face.

Turbolix was knocked back a few dozen meters, and when he finally pushed himself up, blood welled from his face. However, he kept walking towards Wang Tong. "Haha! Haven't I told you that your attacks won't work on me?" Suddenly, Turbolix turned his heels and took off in the other direction: he was running away.

Wang Tong waved his arms forcefully, and Turbolix was jolted by an unseen force in the air as he fell back to the ground. Wang Tong pressed his palm downward and summoned a wave of energy to pin him where he had fallen.

"Wang … Wang Tong, you can't kill me! Please, I will tell you whatever you want to know. You are the heir of the Blade Warrior… I can help you."

Wang Tong walked to Turbolix, who was still struggling to get up. He pressed a hand on the latter's mouth and said, "Be quiet!"

Wang Tong channeled out his soul energy and started to scan Turbolix's mind using soul energy. After finding the fragments of images of Zhou Sisi in his sea of memories, Wang Tong heaved a sigh of relief. She was still alive, and she was still a human.

"Please don't kill me, Wang Tong. I can be your informant; I can be useful to you!"

"Thanks, but no. May you find peace in the next life" Wang Tong said.

A worm like Zerg wiggled its head out of Turbolix's chest and bit at Wang Tong's hand with rows of filed teeth. Wang Tong poked it with only one finger and squashed the Zerg into pulp. Life suddenly drained from Turbolix's face, and in a blink, he died.

Wang Tong had finally ended his suffering. Wang Tong summoned a tendril of fire in between his fingers and lit Turbolix's body ablaze.

…

"Do you think Boss is in danger?" Lun Duo's eyes were glued to the screen displaying battle updates. The last update said that the Zergs had surrounded Battle Wolf's camp.

"Don't worry about him. You know who he is. Plus, he had bought so many bombs. I doubt he will let them go to waste."

The Battle Wolf traveled light and fast; in just four days, they had arrived in Maersa City.

"What should we do now?"

"Let's bash the gate open and storm in!" Yin Tianzong suggested. He could sense that there were only a small number of Zergs inside the city.

After a while, a few thousand Zergs poured out of the city to meet the besieging forces. Yin Tianzong led a group of warriors to meet the attackers. Yin Tianzong was a master of shields; he carried two tower shields, one in each hand, as he rammed into the ranks of enemies. The heavy shields were decked out with sharp protrusions which skewered and smashed the Zergs wherever they went. Behind the shield and Yin Tianzong were a hundred or so mastery casters, who also rained death onto the attacking Zergs from above.

"Ready… Initiate Divine Burst!"

Ross shouted the command and led another group of warriors into the city.

( Updated by NovelFull.Com )

It only took Battle Wolf less than an hour to take control of the strategic points in the city. Vorenus and a few warriors took an excursion to the Zerg's hatchery and destroyed all the hatchlings.

Sensing that their future generation was at risk, instinct drove the Zergs to swarm the humans with abandon. However, just as Wang Tong had indicated, the production facility boasted a few inches thick steel plates, and held firm under waves after waves of relentless attacks.