The new command is issued, and the battle formation is reorganized according to Ye Xing’s requirements.
Accompanying the continuous deaths caused by the Plague Ball, the number of assassin players rapidly decreases.
This gives Ye Xing a headache.
There are simply too few assassin players. There are at least several hundred Plague Balls following the Black Tide, with new ones being spawned all the time.
Through Perception, it can be observed that most of our assassin players are not skilled enough, and it’s difficult for them to even trade one-for-one under the overwhelming Black Tide.
Among these assassin players, only Ash from the Old Army Group can move freely along the front lines, launching precise assassinations, but even he alone is unable to cross the lines at will and can only deal with some of the Plague Balls in a specific area.
The advance of the front line once again reaches a stalemate.
On the first front line, the Stone Statue Players can resist the Black Tide’s advance, and their ultra-high defensive power allows them to shrug off most of the damage, but their low damage output means they can’t kill the Plague Balls quickly enough and are soon pushed back by the Evil Tide.
The Artifact Spirit players on the second front line have a very high damage output but can’t withstand the Black Tide like the Stone Statue Players do, and they easily fall under a dense offensive, making it hard for them to get close to the Plague Balls.
In the Magic Stream, players with the Eagle-Headed Demon Life Soul can indeed achieve long-range precision targeting.
But there are dense Evil Spirits protecting each Plague Ball, and the Fireballs struggle to break through the flesh-shield defenses composed of the Black Tide Demonic Spirits.
If only they had the defenses of a stone-statue ghost combined with the output from the Artifact Spirit Stream.
This very thought had just popped into Ye Xing’s mind when he suddenly remembered a very popular post from the forums a few days ago.
It talked about a complementary strategy to shore up weaknesses, dubbed by the poster as the Mount Stream.
When he first read through the post, he felt that from a practicality perspective, this combination was highly reliable.
The generated power was not as simple as 1 + 1 = 2.
With complementary Star Veins covering for each other, in theory, if two players of the same Life Soul Level combine, each having 3 Star Vein Slots, the combination would yield the combat power of 6 Star Vein Slots.
They could have both offensive power and defensive power as well as mobility.
With the idea in mind, Ye Xing immediately spoke up in the voice chat:
"Guilds, quickly tally the remaining number of Monster Stream players. After you’re done, report to me through the mini-region voice channel."
Two minutes later, after seeing the tally, Ye Xing once again issued orders:
"All Monster Stream players fall back to the third battle line, and the Artifact Spirit players in the middle section of the first front line (map mark) also retreat to the third battle line."
"Magic Defense players go to the first front line and use the Light Shield to resist for a while; try to buy me as much time as possible."
Under Ye Xing’s command, the battle formation changes again.
Magic Defense players with the Life Souls of Shu Fu + Light Shield take the first row, and by conjuring Light Shields, they resist the Black Tide’s fierce onslaught.
But unlike the stone-statue ghost players.
The Magic Defense players have to consume spiritual power in combat; even if they can conjure the Light Shields for a short time, the duration won’t last long.
While waiting, the Monster Stream and Artifact Spirit players gather on the third battle line.
Seeing this scene through Perception View, Ye Xing takes a deep breath and then says in a deep voice:
"I know that the next command might be hard to accept for many who have chosen the Monster Stream, but we are only one step away from victory. How can we give up at this moment? I believe you all feel the same as I do. So, for the final victory, I implore all Monster Stream players to make a sacrifice... Once this battle ends, every Monster Stream player come to me for cash compensation. Thank you all for your contributions."
After speaking, Ye Xing’s tone suddenly rises:
"All Artifact Spirit players, mount up on the backs of the Monster Stream players and prepare to charge at the Black Tide!"
Upon hearing Ye Xing’s order, although Monster Stream players are reluctant, Ye Xing has already lowered his stance to the lowest point.
More importantly, they have already expended a lot of resources and effort in this battle; how could they be willing to give up now?
Before the prospect of victory, they make no complaints and choose to follow Ye Xing’s directions.
In contrast, the melee players who chose the Artifact Spirit Stream can barely hide their joy, swiftly mounting their good brothers, or the good brothers of others.
After confirming through Perception that the Monster Stream and Artifact Spirit Players on the third battle line have paired up, Ye Xing issues another order:
"Third battle line switch to the first battle line, prepare to charge."
Instantly, the players shaped like the Black Armored Snake, Roar (bear), and other monsters ride toward the first battle line, while the Magic Defense Stream holding up the Light Shield barriers on the first battle line fall back to the second battle line.
"Look at the coordinates I’ve marked in the mini-region chat channel, all Monster Stream players, charge!"
At the command, the cavalry combination on the first battle line charges forward with a thunderous momentum, heading straight for the Plague Balls hidden in the Black Tide.
With their ultra-high mobility + the powerful physique of a single Life Soul from the Monster Stream + the high melee output from Artifact Spirit Stream, the killing power of the mounted combination surpasses what Ye Xing had anticipated.
The advancing first battle line resembles the dawn’s breaking light, standing against the storm-like suppression of the Black Tide Demonic Spirits and transforming into a surging advance.
Meanwhile, in the team and guild voice channels, players keep exclaiming:
"Holy shit, this is so exhilarating. This combination is truly unbeatable."
"I really want to bond with the brother beneath me right now and have him as my mount forever, but I’m afraid to message him privately; don’t want him to turn around and bite me."
"I’m over the moon, mounts are the strongest Star Vein combination. If only future Star Vein Slots could be embedded with a Monster Stream player, and I could just summon them with their trait when I need to, that’d be like a dream come true for melee players seeking the perfect combination."