-314- [ Knights of the Blood Oath ]

"New guild?"

"A new guild is joining the clearing group?"

"Is this for real?"

When Rozen's announcement spread throughout the entire strategy meeting venue and reached the ears of everyone present, each of the top-level players in attendance was taken aback, and discussions immediately ensued.

Even Kirito, Agil, and Klein were no exception; they all expressed their surprise.

"Somebody's actually joining at a time like this?"

"And it's a whole guild?"

"Is that really okay?"

Kirito, Agil, and Klein spoke up one after another.

Of course, Zahard didn't let this opportunity pass.

"Forgive me for being frank, Guild Leader Rozen," Zahard frowned as if he found the idea unimpressive, "Although the clearing group suffered a loss in combat strength due to the disbandment of the 'Aincrad Liberation Squad,' it doesn't mean just anyone should be allowed to join."

Zahard's underlying meaning was quite clear.

"If you let guilds with players who don't meet the standard of strength join just because we lack combat power, they'll only drag us down."

Zahard bluntly spoke, completely unaware that he himself had proposed gathering players from lower floors to serve as combat strength.

Of course, the two scenarios were not the same.

Gathering lower floor players to bolster combat strength was merely utilizing these players to make up numbers; it didn't necessarily mean they would be allowed to join the clearing group.

Temporary gathering versus long-term membership were different matters.

At least, that's how Zahard saw it.

In response, Rozen just shrugged.

"I think strength is one thing, but character is what matters most. Even if someone has sufficient strength but constantly causes trouble, whether they're in the clearing group now or not, we'll have to find an opportunity to deal with them. Don't you think so?"

Rozen looked at Zahard and said with a smile.

"What did you say...!?"

Rozen's comment, akin to pointing fingers and scolding, finally ignited Zahard's anger. He was about to step forward.

But this time, Rozen wasn't going to let him act.

"Know your place."

Rozen's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a sharp gaze fixed on Zahard.

"While I don't want the 'Crimson Wing' to become a guild that attacks players recklessly, I'm pretty sure 'Divine Dragon's Alliance' won't lack orange players. Do you really want me to put you in your place?"

The attacking words were like sharp spikes that seemed to pierce through Zahard's ankles, freezing him in place.

Zahard's face contorted, but he couldn't say a word.

After all, Rozen's 'Crimson Wing' was the strongest guild.

If the other party truly didn't care, 'Divine Dragon's Alliance' wouldn't stand a chance.

"Do you understand?" Rozen raised an eyebrow and said, "If you do, then shut up."

Zahard clenched his fist tightly, as if he could feel the intense gaze from all directions piercing into him, and he had to suppress his rage.

For someone with such ambitious aspirations, being berated by Rozen in public was certainly unbearable.

Yet, Zakhad didn't dare to provoke Rozen too much; after all, without a leader like Rozen who could maintain an undefeated record, the first target for the clearing group would be 'Divine Dragon's Alliance.'

Zahard would dare to provoke 'Crimson Wing', but he couldn't dare to provoke the entire clearing group.

"I understand..." Zakhad managed to control his anger, coldly snorting, "I hope Leader Rozen won't make a wrong decision."

With that, Zakhad stepped back and joined the 'Divine Dragon's Alliance' players, his face a picture of displeasure to outsiders.

Rozen withdrew his gaze and looked at everyone once more.

"I learned about this news just yesterday, so I certainly won't make a hasty decision about allowing someone to join. Let Argo explain the situation in detail."

Rozen's words redirected everyone's attention to Argo.

In front of the public, Argo coughed and spoke seriously.

"This is the information I brought to Leader Rozen, and it's also a request from the guild that's about to join. They asked me to come and seek Leader Rozen's opinion on joining, and he ultimately agreed."

Even in a public setting, Argo refrained from calling Rozen "ZenZen" and spoke more formally.

"The guild that's requesting to join is a newly emerging one. It has only seventeen members, but each member's level is above level 40, which is the average level of the clearing group. Their strength is also exceptional, and their equipment isn't inferior to top-tier players'. Based on my investigation, this guild possesses the capability to join the clearing group. While they might not be as powerful as the strongest guild 'Crimson Wing,' and their member count is fewer than 'Divine Dragon's Alliance,' they're not weaker than 'FuurinKazen'."

Here, Argo paused for a moment.

"Especially the guild's leader and vice-leader. Their strength surpasses most players in the clearing group. Though it's my personal opinion, I believe those two are likely to rank among the top five players in the clearing group, and even breaking into the top three wouldn't be a problem."

Top three!

Argo's statement immediately made the players in the clearing group gasp.

"This is..."

"Is it really true?"

Kirito, Agil, and Klein exchanged surprised glances.

"Top three?"

Rozen raised an eyebrow.

Yesterday, Argo hadn't mentioned this to him at all.

More accurately, Argo had only spoken about their capabilities without going into detail about every member of that guild.

Hence, Rozen hadn't anticipated that Argo would hold such a high opinion of them.

Only Zahard, with a completely disbelieving expression, voiced his skepticism.

"I really want to know the name of that guild."

Wasn't that the question on everyone's mind?

Agil didn't keep them waiting and directly answered.

"The 'Knights of the Blood Oath.'"

Agil said this.

"That guild is called the 'Knights of the Blood Oath.'"

After saying that, Argo turned her head to look at the entrance of the venue.

"Look, here they come."

With this statement, all the players present turned their gaze toward the front.

In the next moment, everyone saw.

"Thud—thud—thud—thud—"

It was the rhythmic sound of footsteps.

At the entrance of the venue, a group of players marched in perfect synchronization, heading towards them.

They were all dressed in red and white knight attire, with equipment matching the same red and white color scheme. The weapons they tightly held emitted dazzling arcs, exuding an extraordinary aura.

Although there were only a dozen or so players, they created a sensation as if an army of thousands was approaching, filling the air with a solemn atmosphere.

As they looked at this group of players, everyone from the clearing group couldn't help but hold their breath, caught in awe.

The reason for their awe wasn't just due to the impressive aura of the newcomers.

There was another reason.

The leader of this group of players had a striking appearance.

"This…"

Agil was dumbfounded.

"...No way."

Klein was astonished.

"Eh?"

Kirito was in disbelief.

"What... What the heck!?"

Zahard was shocked.

Even Rozen, in this moment, was taken aback.

"A female player?"

Yes.

The leader was indeed a female player.

Moreover, an extremely beautiful female player.