Lord of Cinder in American Comics

Ash's voice reached the ears of the Nameless King. For the sake of Gwyndolin's revival, the Nameless King chose to believe Ash's words and spared Salvation's life.

The Storm Dragon carried the Nameless King away, clutching the half-dead Sharivan in its claws.

The departure of the nameless king brought a sigh of relief to everyone around him.

Hill looked at the destruction caused by the nameless king with lingering fear and murmured, "Is this the destruction caused by a god?"

Geralt sheathed his shield and said casually, "That's impossible. An attack of that scale was completely effortless. He didn't even absorb the Storm Dragon's power..."

Just as Hill was about to ask another question, Geralt interrupted her, saying, "The focus now is on them, the battle has begun..."

Chapter 302: The Battle of Mortals

Because of the sudden appearance of the nameless king, the gathering place and the remains of the earthen towers that were originally intended to be used as a battlefield were turned into a basin, and all the buildings disappeared.

The first planned street battle involving ordinary people has now lost its battlefield.

Lothric and the Dragon Academy, separated on opposite sides of the basin, gaze at the tiny figure on the other side.

If the battlefield is destroyed, then we have no choice but to find another way out.

Ash and Constantine did not discuss it; instead, they each began casting spells.

Ash shook the Holy Bell of Yorshka, and a milky white light enveloped the very center of the basin, while Constantine used his staff to spread a purple net over the basin.

Watching the two cast different spells, Hill asked, "What are they trying to do?"

"Mass-scale shelter and teleportation—this is a battlefield built for ordinary people... What was supposed to be urban warfare has turned into chaotic fighting. Oh well, these people's battles are just a sideshow anyway, not important..."

Geralt shook his head, commenting on the impending battle, but the thought of these warriors fighting face-to-face after losing their original city always seemed like a loss of face.

But Ash and Constantine didn't care about such things; for Constantine, this was an excellent training opportunity.

For the students of Dragon Academy, who were previously researchers at S.H.I.E.L.D. or students at S.H.I.E.L.D., combat was an insurmountable barrier for them. Now, a battle where they face death is laid out before them, making it the best training ground.

Even death loses its greatest deterrent power in the face of Ash and Constantine. Ash's protection allows them to escape death, and Constantine's teleportation can remove those who have lost their fighting ability from the battlefield.

This is basically a wargame for adults, a real game where you can't die.

After introducing him to Hill, Geralt sat down on the ground, watching the farce that was about to unfold.

Ash did not participate in command; after all, the outcome of this battle was no longer important. All they had to do was engage the enemy in close combat and face-to-face gunfights.

The battlefield commander was handed over to Ghost, who was boosting morale in the channel, telling the 141st task force not to hold back against those delicate women on the other side.

The only person who was detached from the combat team was John Wick. He was good at fighting alone and found it difficult to join such a large group.

Teamwork is crucial in group combat; each player only needs to cover their own firing range and leave the rest of the range to their teammates. But John, the proud Night Slayer, will not leave his back to anyone.

Knowing this, Ghost kept John on the sidelines. He only needed to take care of himself, and if things got too difficult, he could retreat back into the group. Task Force 141 would cover him.

Once the ghosts had assembled and assigned their tasks and targets, they led the team in chanting slogans.

Slogans are the most inspiring declarations; a strong, surging male voice can instantly ignite the collective consciousness, stimulate the hormones of all soldiers, and make their blood boil.

Compared to professional soldiers, the Dragon Academy was much less prepared. The students' spellcasting mediums were taken away, leaving them only with the makeshift standard weapons.

Grant Ward, who had combat experience, couldn't help but shake his head as he looked at the bustling crowd around him.

Without command or training, these armed trainees would only become enemy kills if they actually went to the battlefield.

Grant sighed inwardly as he looked at Constantine's indifferent gaze. Even his own dean offered no guidance to this group, so it seemed the dean had little confidence in them either.

The only thing Grant felt had any hope of winning was Black Widow on his team's side.

They remained silent, simply checking each other's equipment, but even so, Grant didn't feel there was any hope of victory, because their teammates were students from the Dragon Academy.

Even in the game, teammates will block your line of fire. Their heads will accurately find your crosshair and appear precisely when you pull the trigger.

Moreover, in reality, the outcome of this battle was already predetermined from the start.

Geralt, who had been idly waiting to watch the show, suddenly reached out and caught a light bug from the air. The light bug rhythmically vibrated its wings, conveying a message to Geralt.

Geralt stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and slashed through the air with the weapon beside him, creating a loud bang.

After confirming that everyone below had noticed him, Geralt slowly said, "The original battlefield has been destroyed, and now your battle is confined to this small area. To make things more fun, we've decided to change the rules of the game..."

To protect ordinary people, the battlefield is confined to a magically protected area. Anyone who suffers a fatal injury or mental breakdown will be teleported outside the battlefield and lose the right to continue fighting.

Similarly, to make the battle more interesting, Ash and Constantine decided to reward the last person who could still stand by granting him a wish.

But it will only be given to one person, which means that the person currently on your side will not be your teammate, but your competitor…

Geralt's words caused a huge uproar; no one expected things to turn out this way.

The students of Dragon Academy looked at each other, fearing that their former classmates might shoot them on the battlefield.

The situation on the Ghost's side is not good either. Their morale has been dampened by these conditions, and no one will underestimate the value of this wish.

“Fools, look behind you. The person who made this promise is standing right behind you…”

Ghost's words rang out in the channel, and everyone realized that they had been blinded at some point. The big shot Ash, who could make such promises, was watching them with amusement from the back of the group.

Upon receiving the signal, both sides began to advance towards the center of the basin. Task Force 141, led by Ghost, steadily advanced, since they could only fire after entering the spell's range, so there was no rush.

To ensure effective firepower, Ghost did not have his men maintain a skirmish line, but instead formed an ancient military formation, with soldiers in front holding large shields to provide defense for the firepower output from behind.

The people from Dragon Academy weren't so organized or disciplined. Some started running, and then got more people running too.

Standing at the highest point, Geralt and Hill could clearly see that a scattered group of people was about to enter the combat zone, while on the other side, a group of people were steadily advancing in a coordinated manner.

The Dragon Academy members had barely stepped into the spellcasting range when they eagerly opened fire on the other side. Blinded by greed, they forgot the most basic rule: the combat range is limited, meaning that they cannot attack before the other side enters.

The bullets fired from these reckless men's guns instantly appeared on their own bodies, and the flying blood and holes in their bodies told them that their eligibility to participate had been eliminated.

Meanwhile, some of the impatient guys in the rear closed their eyes and fired forward, completely disregarding whether the enemy or their own troops were firing.

Hill looked down at the battle below, shook his head with a strange expression, and said, "I didn't realize they were so violent..."

Battle commentator Geralt said, "That's because Constantine cast a spell on them. Those with weak minds are drawn out with their deepest, darkest desires. And these guys who keep firing, just wait, they'll soon be sent back to Earth..."

"He's entrapping us! Are we just going to hand over victory like that?"

Geralt shook his head and said, "Everyone on the battlefield is under a spell, but others are able to calmly analyze the situation and control their desires."

The most terrifying aspect of magic is the study of those forbidden things that have already been recorded, which will open up an endless abyss of darkness.

"And the victory you're talking about, in a game for ordinary people, has absolutely nothing to do with victory. Victory is determined by the strong. Look at the basin that the nameless king created by randomly entering the fray. Don't you understand this principle yet? No matter how many ordinary people there are, they will only be an insignificant number when facing a strong person of that level..."

Hill did not refute, but silently observed the battle below. Ghost's squad had already entered the permitted combat zone.

The shield in front slammed into the ground, and flames began to spew out from the gaps on the side.

Facing the unarmored targets from the Dragon Academy, the bullets accurately located the chaotic group in the distance and sent them off the field.

Even though the Dragon Academy's numbers were several times greater than the Ghost's 141st Task Force, and even though they had the same weapons, there was no organization, no command, and the command made the battle one-sided.

It was a one-sided massacre. Only a few clever ones managed to hide at the back of the line, where the fierce bullets could hardly penetrate the thick wall of people in front of them, thus sparing their lives for the time being.

But this situation didn't last long, as the Black Widows disrupted the original battlefield atmosphere.

The Black Widows did not rush into the battle area; instead, they chose to take a detour and attack Ghost and his companions from the flank.

Furthermore, these Black Widows deployed their mobile shields the moment they entered the battlefield, providing necessary protection for their sisters behind them.

These shields, specially developed by Ivan, are made of completely transparent bulletproof material and are taller than a person. They not only provide comprehensive protection but also allow Black Widow behind them to clearly see everything in front of her.

Meanwhile, it has electric wheels at the bottom, which provide basic mobility. It can even fold and extend its upper part. Black Widow can simply press a shortcut key on her wrist to instantly retract it, providing a window for Black Widow to unleash her firepower.

This defensive advance forced the Ghosts to adjust their defensive focus, shifting the first line of shield walls to the side.

The Black Widows' attack only took away two guys who hadn't had time to move, and after the Shield Wall moved, both sides became heavily fortified turtles, unable to find a way to attack each other.

Taking advantage of a lull in the stalemate, Ghost pressed the communicator and shouted to Swagger in the team: "Swag, find an opportunity to take them out. If that doesn't work, make it difficult for them to leave cover, and we'll deal with them last..."

"Swag is hitting a woman! Come quick! Swag is hitting a woman!"

Suddenly, someone shouted this in the channel, and immediately the channel was filled with lively noise and discussion, making Swagger's veins on his head almost explode.

Although he was eager to find the culprit, Swagger maintained his basic professionalism and took down a Black Widow who didn't have time to raise her shield with a single bullet.

What followed was Swagger's targeted shooting. Whenever Black Widow lowered her shield to attempt an attack, Swagger would always be one step ahead, delivering a bullet into her body.

In the Ghost Squad, a front-line soldier, shield in hand, idly chatted with his comrade beside him: "If only we had explosives, even just two grenades would be enough. It's so much better to be hiding in a turtle shell and fighting the enemy like this. I really miss the days of bombarding everything with firepower..."

"By combat standards, the enemy can call in bombing now. Save your breath. After this battle, I need to go to that Undead Settlement outside to buy my wife some souvenirs. She keeps reading that famous author's Twitter and keeps nagging me about it..."

As soon as he said this, those who heard it all turned to look at him.

A surprised exclamation came from the channel: "Listen everyone! Fatty made a promise! He said he's going to buy his wife a gift after this match!"

"What nonsense! This is just a drill! How can a drill count? I'm a professional..."

The guy codenamed Fatty hadn't even finished speaking when a bullet fired from a gap in his shield pierced his skull, and he instantly appeared on the outskirts of the battlefield.

The fall of the fat man only prompted his teammates to exclaim, "Sniper! There's a sniper on the other side too!"

Without heavy firepower or heavy armor protection, relying solely on shields for defense inevitably leads to such problems. Swagger was forced to abandon the task of eliminating the Black Widows and shift its focus to searching for the enemy snipers.

The one who fired that bullet was Grant Ward. He was hiding at the very edge of the engagement zone, trying to keep his presence out of sight. There was no cover in the engagement zone, and anyone who was shot would just be teleported outside. This forced Grant to keep his distance in order to survive longer.

The fall of Fatty caused a blunder in the shield wall of Task Force 141. Before the men behind him could fill the gap, Grant pulled the trigger again at the opening.

"Zero Hour is dead too! Find the enemy sniper and provide fire support!"

Dust began to rise around Grant, a warning of bullets hitting the ground from the opposite side, but Grant did not move an inch and fired a third bullet at the task force's shield wall.

The third bullet flew toward the original gap again, but before it could hit, it was blocked by the soldiers who came up from behind with their shields.

Swagger also found Grant and killed him upon discovery.

Grant, who had been declared dead, appeared on the outskirts of the battlefield. He touched his forehead in disbelief. There should have been a hole shot out by a sniper rifle there, no, it should have been that his skull had been blown off, but now he was completely unharmed.

After calming down, Grant surveyed the battlefield and muttered to himself, "You've created your opportunity; now it's up to you..."

The opportunity was created for the Black Widows, who were already close enough to Ghost and the others, but had been suppressed by Swagger.

Grant not only lured away the biggest threat, Swag, but also caused some of the firepower to disappear from Black Widow's mobile shield.

This gave them an excellent opportunity to attack.

Without hesitation, the Black Widows pushed their mobile shields and charged forward, engaging in close-quarters combat with Task Force 141.

Chapter 303: The Victor of Mortals