The Gods' Foolish Game

Chapter 6: Desperate Straits!

Summer was the first to sense the enemy closing in from behind.

Her eyes narrowed, suddenly glowing with a dense, verdant light. Her left hand flipped over, producing an emerald longbow, while her right hand drew an arrow from thin air. She spun and fired in one fluid motion, sending a shaft wreathed in jade energy screaming into the air.

***BOOM—***

The arrow exploded mid-flight, releasing a cloud of shimmering spores.

The horde of Terrorfiends charged heedlessly through the spore-filled air. The moment the spores touched flesh, they transformed into countless, thread-like filaments—resembling parasitic dodder vines—that ensnared every Terrorfiend within the area, binding them into squirming, cocoon-like parcels.

Deprived of their beating wings, the bound fiends plummeted, crashing hard onto the ground below.

The earth was already seeded with Hunter’s **[Life-Seed Sprouts]**. Upon contact, the Terrorfiends’ abdomens began to swell grotesquely. Within a few breaths, something inside them started thrashing violently, desperate to break out.

Hunter’s trap combo had been executed flawlessly, and the dual-control effect was clear. The vanguard of the Terrorfiends had failed to reach the group.

But even with Summer firing like a torrential rain, she could only hold back a limited number. The enemy’s numbers were simply overwhelming. Like a swarm of locusts, the shadowy mass soon exhausted the airborne spores and surged once more toward the Believers’ position.

“No time! Assassin, watch yourself! Everyone else, behind me, now!”

Hunter bellowed. He tossed the unconscious Three toward Nangong, then drew the massive shield from his back. He spun and slammed it down, driving its pointed base deep into the rocky ground with a thunderous crash.

Eyes blazing, he roared, “**Order Endures!**”

The shield’s faint glow erupted into a blinding cascade of holy light. It surged upward like a reversed waterfall, arced perfectly in the high air, then cascaded down, rapidly extending to either side of the group. The path of light formed the shape of a colossal, radiant wall, sealing Chen and the others securely within.

***SCREEE—SKREEE—***

***THUD—THUD—THUD—THUD—***

The sky-darkening Terrorfiend army dove, slamming into the luminous barrier with a series of deafening impacts. The wall of light held firm, unshaken. Inside, the group stood secure.

Hunter’s face was grim, the veins on his arms bulging as he braced the shield, not daring to move a muscle.

“There are too many. The Bastion of Light can only hold for five minutes. With dual Cleric support, we might stretch it to fifteen. Think of something, fast! Forget twenty-four hours—if we don’t have a plan in fifteen minutes, we’re done for here!”

The urgency in his voice was palpable, but panic was useless now. The enemy force was staggering.

Nearby, Nangong was channeling a restorative spell into Three. Her healing was potent; Three was already shaking off his stupor.

“A Scion Cleric’s output is high. If you manage the ‘Newborn’ affliction on you properly, we might buy a little more time,” Three said, trying to rally the team, though his own heart felt like ice.

He hadn’t expected this Trial’s engagement to be so immediate, the enemy’s assault so ferocious. Even the 2000-point matches he’d been in before weren’t this intense. Here, *he* was the highest-rated at just 1900. The lowest was barely 1400. What had he done to deserve attracting a Terrorfiend army of this scale? Anyone would think this was a damn 2100-point, high-stakes match.

Everyone’s expression was grave. Sheltered by the radiant wall, Summer had ceased firing, instead focusing to recover her strength. Nangong, her face pale, glanced at her with a strange look, frowned, and sent another healing spell Summer’s way.

Summer gave a slight, surprised nod of thanks. Feeling the potent restorative energy flood her body, she summoned several more spore-tipped arrows into her hand.

In contrast, the other Cleric—Chen—simply sat on the ground, gazing blankly outward, looking every bit the slacker.

To be honest, Chen was also feeling the pressure. Scenes like this weren’t new to him, but he’d never faced one alongside teammates with ratings this low. His mind raced, searching for a way to use the cards currently in his hand to escape this deadlock.

In high-stakes matches, every player was formidable. When crisis hit, the tricks and ultimate moves they pulled out were increasingly wild, always finding some way to turn the tide. Beyond their vast combat experience, the most crucial factor was their sheer confidence and capability.

This was precisely why your score on the Path to Divinity—the Leaderboard—mattered so much.