Chapter 2057: Chapter 686: Schemes of the Split Claw · The Day of the Star-Shattering Earthquake

In the deep, thunderous rumbling like an Earth Dragon turning, the entire defensive line began to collapse downward, with dust soaring into the sky, revealing layer upon layer of land peeling away, as if the ground below had been completely hollowed out.

Maxim could even see the Retinue Army on Position One trying to retreat, but they were suddenly swallowed whole into the cracked earth by the splitting ground.

Even more terrifying was that the great rift caused by the underground tremors was still spreading toward Position Two and even further back.

That’s not a very accurate way to put it.

A more precise description would be that while Position One was collapsing, the other positions were collapsing together.

The foremost third of the seventeen-kilometer region at Blackflame Mountain Pass was like a sandcastle being hit by tidal waves, with the exception of those fortresses and sectors reinforced with Spiritual Energy by the Earth Priests; all other areas were sinking downward.

The players, who had always been so fearless, were also at a loss due to this sudden and shocking change.

Those with wings were fine; they could fly into the air immediately.

But those without wings would suffer; Lord Qin and his soldiers had just rushed out from their resting place when they stepped into emptiness.

In the weightlessness of the ground splitting open, the old man and over thirty Brother Ah Bing were swallowed by the violently shaking earth amid screams as it cracked apart.

The good news is, they did not die.

Falling four or five meters downward could not kill Black Iron Warriors.

The bad news is, before Lord Qin could get up, the unforgettable chaotic noise resounded around him. He disregarded his bleeding head, grabbed his Chainsaw Sword, got up, and looked out.

Good heavens!

In the dark crevices of the pit, pair after pair of green eyes were shining with an eerie light.

Ratmen!

These ugly bastards, unforgettable once seen, appeared once more, and this time, they caused a wilder uproar than before.

These bastards had dug through the defenses deep underground and, by drilling upward to plant explosives, sent the positions painstakingly molded by Lord Hether soaring skyward; this scale of earthquake absolutely couldn’t have been caused solely by explosions, and likely included Jackal-Man Spiritualists joining forces to unleash a massive Earthquake Skill.

“Quick! Climb up!”

Lord Qin saw the terrifying number of Ratmen around him and knew this battle could not be fought. With a glance, he saw a fortress reinforced by the Dwarf Priest holding intact at the spot where he fell, and the slope from the split just right for climbing up.

The Crimson Hammer Sickle Group of the Happy Stick stood guard there, and upon seeing Lord Qin and his soldiers being chased by Ratmen, players immediately threw down ropes in an attempt to pull them up.

But before this wave of rescue could finish, another damn violent tremor struck again.

This time the epicenter was right at the core of the triple positions. The Earthquake Skill hadn’t destroyed the Nocturne Enchantment, but it opened a fissure beneath it, through which the hidden Ratmen screeched and charged, sidestepping the heavy enchantment of Nocturne in a “burrow forward” manner, directly into the enchantment’s center.

This caught the soldiers protected by the enchantment completely off guard.

Now they not only have to face the raging earth shaking but also fight these damned Ratmen.

Could things possibly get worse?

Reality shows that whenever you think you’ve hit rock bottom, fate will demonstrate how to dig a hole at the bottom for you.

Nearly at the same moment the Ratmen breached the Nocturne Enchantment, Ayu, holding out at a lone fortress on the completely collapsed Position One, heard the excited roars of the Jackal-men.

Dusted and dirty, Ayu spread his wings and flew into the air. Then, he saw the Jackal army, bearing the Pichao Clan’s War Banner, charging towards the chaos of Blackflame Mountain Pass under the lead of a massive Military Governor.

The big Jackal-man wore black armor, yet wielded a giant sword distinctly in human style.

“Damn! Screw you, development team!”

Ayu cursed.

But cursing couldn’t change reality; when he turned around, he could clearly see the Nocturne Enchantment flickering with unstable light, and in a few seconds, it completely dissipated, causing even the area housing the Enchantment Stone to collapse.

The original layered defensive lines of Blackflame Mountain Pass had now been devastated beyond description, with those few fortresses yet to collapse standing like lone stone pillars or “islands” amid the terrain of the great rift.

No one knew how many had died, but no matter how many survived, there was no hope of them holding off the Split-claw Jackal-men surging like beasts and emptying their nests under these circumstances.

Blackflame Mountain Pass was doomed!

But this was just the beginning, yes, the fangs of the Black Disaster had only just been stained with blood.