Advancing to C-rank Arcane Skill!

Sterl had the leisure to marvel at the quality of the players' mounts, his expression utterly relaxed.

Meanwhile, the approaching player squad quickly found themselves in dire straits. Before they could even form up properly, just as they neared the massive checkpoint—

The gates below the city walls suddenly swung wide open.

Then, an overwhelming force surged forth!

A heavy horn sounded.

Sterl watched as a torrent of cavalry, followed by heavily-armored infantry, surged towards the players!

In an instant, a cavalry regiment of over a thousand riders was upon the players!

With his Star Insight, Sterl saw clearly that these cavalrymen were elite forces from various nations within the Netherworld, forcibly gathered by the world's will.

Though their armor was standardized, it was clearly not from a single set. Their mounts varied as well—tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves.