The legendary Moonlight Sculptor

After the Hermes Guild conquered the Kalamor region, Bard Ray himself made a statement.

- We respect the progress that has been made. We will keep the policies of the Arpen Empire, but it is a rule of nature that the strong will be the ones to rule.

It was a statement that they would not exploit the players like they had done in the past and would rule for the sake of power while leaving the achievements of the Arpen Empire intact. It excited the players who were bored by the long era of peace.

High level players had no reason to disagree with the attitude of the Hermes Guild.

On the other hand, the players who were afraid and concerned were relieved to hear that the Arpen policies would stay in effect.

Bard Ray announced once again after invading Tulen.

- We will not repeat our past mistakes. If we do, rise up whenever.

The Hermes Guild confirmed their emphasis on ruling by power.

- This is incredible. Hermes Guild vs. the Blacklion Guild!

- I bet that the Hermes Guild will win.

- Still, it's gonna be a spectacle.

- Total war. Will it be a reenactment of the legendary War on the Garnav Plains?

- It's not at that level. Then it would be one of the legendary battles.

- Hey grandpa. Your humor is so outdated…

- Sorry. Take it as a joke.

- Gasp… I can't breathe.

- Laughing makes you smile.

- This man is weird. Let's run.

- Don't go. Let's dance at the gates of hell!

The discussion board went ablaze after such a long time.

The broadcast networks also became active like there was rain in a drought.

Executive Kang of KMC Media. He had been promoted from being a mere manager and organized a special program.

"Pour all of our resources into this program! There will be a war against CTS Media."

The viewer rate of the broadcast stations had stagnated for a while.

Executive Kang missed the days when Weed brought up the viewer count and in turn expected the Hermes Guild to stir up something huge.

"The tides of war are approaching. It has been a long time since something this big happened. The battle against the Blacklion Guild will only be the beginning."

With the anticipation of all players and the broadcast stations, the two guilds collided at Fortress Laconne.

Carlise roared from the central tower and commanded the battle.

"Magical siege cannon, fire! Stop their approach!"

The Blacklion Guild grew steadily under the influence of the Arpen Empire.

Using the vital region of Tulen, they fortified their defenses and recruited new guild members. They raised fortresses in advance for the day the Hermes Guild took over the Kalamor region and invaded Tulen.

It was far sturdier than Fortress Odin that had existed since the beginning of Royal Road and was fully equipped against magical attacks.

The magical siege cannon fired dozens of magical beams one after another.

"This will be the grave of the Hermes Guild!"

The Blacklion Guild fought valiantly.

They signed a contract with the Blacksword Mercenaries and combined their forces, drawing all the high level players in the region.

The guild was well aware of the Hermes Guild's threat level.

Before Weed, they were considered unstoppable.

Bard Ray and the Hermes Guild had bent down on their knees and had grinded their weapons until now, so they had to be stopped somehow.

"If we crush the Hermes Guild, we will have the opportunity to dominate the continent."

Carlise put everything he had into this war.

The Blacklion Guild too did not hesitate to do the same unlike in the past.

They sincerely planned to take Tulen and the nearby regions, Kalamor and even Haven.

"Break the gates!"

The warriors led by Boemong chopped down the gates with axes and invaded.

"Stop them!"

"We are the black lions!"

The players that waited inside pushed against the invaders.

Magic and arrow attacks were fired at the flying units in the sky, causing the pterosaurs to drop with sharp screeches.

The power balance was maintained quite extensively.

"Get out of the way!"

That was until Bard Ray and his elite guards came into the scene.

They overpowered the defending forces and pushed inside.

Their levels were at least 100 higher than other players and displayed overwhelming power.

"Send in our elites too!"

Vindel and his comrades set out from the Blacklion Guild but they could not hold out for even five minutes. Bard Ray and the elite guards penetrated through the enemy with various skills. The Blacklion Guild members concentrated their attacks on Bard Ray but he withstood them all.

"You can't inflict a single serious wound."

Bard Ray and the Hermes Guild had grown more powerful during all the time they were busy expanding their own faction.

The difference in power was immeasurable.

The Hermes Guild proceeded to take over the fortress with overwhelming force.

***

The Blacklion Guild was defeated in the siege, lost all of Tulen and retreated to the Rasal region.

"There is no need for us to take on the Hermes Guild alone."

"That's right. We haven't been lazy all that time."

The guild reorganised its forces.

"We will join forces with Lionstar and continue to wear down the Hermes Guild."

Carlise prepared a strategy. In exchange for giving up their land, they acquired a wide battlefield. Their strategy was to hunt down the Hermes Guild and come out victorious in the end.

They burned down villages and cities, slayed many Hermes Guild members and achieved significant military exploits.

- For Arpen!

- The Hermes Guild is a threat to the continent.

They never forgot to sell the name of the Arpen Empire for their gains.

It was an overused excuse but it did represent the act of maintaining order of the Arpen Empire.

Aside from the Hermes Guild and the old prestigious guilds, Norton, Nest, Gradian, Ritten, the Britten Alliance, Aidern, Dale, Brent, Rosenheim and Subain: in the region of old kingdoms, there were factions of different players.

The lords of the Arpen Empire gathered their powers and formed small to large factions.

- The ones who will suffer the losses from the conflict of the great lords are the weak like us. To not be taken advantage of, we need to stick together.

- I will lead the order of a new world.

- We are sick of war without meaning. Those who want freedom, collaboration and challenge come to us.

Many players spread their influence on Royal Road through hunting and quests. Some were lords, others were knights that became reputable enough to create or become part of a faction. Like so, war was endless much like the early days of Royal Road, resulting in the destruction of cities and villages.

6 months!

It was the time taken for the production in Versailles to be reduced to half.

The players suffered significantly one battle after another, but they had entered a stage where they could no longer stop themselves.

Even if lasting peace dangled in front of them, they striked first so they would not be betrayed.

"The days of the Arpen Empire may have been boring, but it sure was peaceful."

"Whew… Well, we cannot stop now."

The great lords knew that they would not be able to recover from a single fall and therefore they fought even more desperately.

The motto of the Hermes Guild was simple.

- Power rules supreme. We are the strongest in the continent.

There were no tricks. These enthusiastic fighters gained the trust of the players with sheer power.

- We will not forfeit the North to anyone.

The lords of the Northern Continent united with Pale as the pivot.

They swore to avoid involving themselves with the conflict in the Central Continent, but they would not allow an invasion into the North. Many of these lords had played together since the birth of Morata and they had the history of the Arpen Empire deeply engraved in their memories. Though there were some issues of command among the lords, they quickly assembled before Pale.

"We urge Pale-nim to be the emperor."

Oberon too expressed that he was willing to pass up the crown. They would get together on occasion to hunt with Weed and they had no greed for reputation.

If Weed were to return, it was highly likely that everything would return to normal.

The Central Continent was a mess, but uniting the North was as easy as flipping one's hand for someone of Weed's reputation and calibre.

"Oberon-nim, please continue to take care of the Arpen Empire."

"This is too much for me to handle. The Central Continent refuses any sort of communication. Even the Northern players are blaming me for everything. This is too stressful."

Oberon wore a tearful face.

Pale also understood his feelings but there was no choice.

"Weed-nim said Oberon-nim must maintain the seat of the emperor."

"Weed-nim said that? Why?"

"Um… It's complicated."

"I don't understand. You spent the most time with Weed-nim. It's only common sense that it should be succeeded by Pale-nim."

"7 packs…"

"Pardon?"

"He said it was because you ate 7 packs of his ramen."

Weed never forgot even the tiniest grudge!

He put Oberon in the seat so he could suffer as much as he pleased.

***

Bard Ray stayed at Castle Formoss of Tulen.

"A war of attrition… It isn't easy to conquer the continent just with our forces alone."

The Hermes Guild was continuing to grow. For the sake of world domination, they had to accept even more players and become stronger.

One step at a time.

He was not going to risk making the same mistake in his conquest as last time.

"Attain more power. Then show it to the world. The Hermes guild has no need for tricks and deception."

Bard Ray's level reached 850.

The defensive skills he acquired as the Ironblood Warrior also reached master level!

He dueled against Carlise but he won easily without any effort.

Boemong spoke in awe.

"We address you as the world's strongest, the God Warrior. They acknowledge your strength."

"Fighting against others is not important. Weed. I must defeat him to be called the God Warrior."

Bard Ray, funnily enough, did not feel any satisfaction from winning against Carlise.

It was preordained and turned out exactly as expected.

The other lords were also powerful, but he did not think of them as his equals.

"Weed. If you fight against him, you will definitely win."

Boemong believed that Bard Ray would come out ahead. But, truthfully the future was vague and uncertain. Almost all of the top ranked players in the guild could not escape the deep sorrow of defeat they felt against Weed.

Even Bard Ray was not exempt from it.

After the Arpen Empire united the world, he was anxious about not hearing anything regarding Weed. He could not imagine the kinds of quests and hunting he might be doing to train himself. The last time they met, Weed's confirmed job class was a warrior.

Only after hunting countless monsters and completing his physicality as the Ironblood Warrior had he acquired a bit of confidence.

Bard Ray spoke with a heavy tone.

"I must challenge Weed. I won the first time at the Melbourne Mines and lost at the Garnav Plains. Now, we have to determine who really is the true winner."

"We believe in your victory."

"Let's crush him."

"Let everyone know that the age of Arpen will soon end."

Arkhim, Gaushu, Lamifter.

They respected his will.

Indeed it was a dangerous challenge. Nonetheless, Weed was the largest challenge before the Hermes Guild members could claim the continent in earnest. Without defeating him, they would not be able to shake off the anxiety.

- I, Bard Ray, will state a challenge.

Emperor of Arpen, god of war, Weed.

I request an honest duel.

Decide on a time and location.

The strongest player will be decided.

Bard Ray's challenge heated up Royal Road.

- An amazing match is about to happen.

- How long has it been? Weed and Bard Ray going at it…

- This is the fight of my dreams. The Emperor of Arpen and God Warrior Bard Ray!

- The number 1 of the continent will be determined!

The news spread rapidly.

The media broadcasted it as urgent news, bringing all the discussion boards into an intense frenzy.

- I will make a bold bet on Weed's victory. Based on what he has shown us up until now, it is more than plausible. Weed did win their last battle after all.

- Weed-nim is the best. His hunting speed was and still is legendary.

- He had a slow start as a sculptor, then proceeded to wreak havoc as a necromancer and now he's an unstoppable warrior.

- He is the living god of grinding. I cannot even imagine how much stronger he has become.

- Bard Ray hunted so much after the Arpen Empire united the continent. Bard Ray fought every single day. I can say there is no player stronger than Bard Ray at this point in time.

- Bard Ray's battles are sheer perfection. He absolutely dominated Carlise. Stomped them without even 1% chance of fighting back. What makes you think Weed will be different?

- KMC Media assessed Bard Ray's combat level once. Attack at peak level. Defense at peak level. They reported that after becoming the Ironblood Warrior, he will not die against enemies 2 or 3 times more powerful than himself.

- Even Weed… There is no way he can win against the current Bard Ray. Nobody can.

(To be continued…)