A young, well-known journalist prepared to livestream the Siege of Tyo, both on YouTube and his own website. He already had over ten million viewers in chat, waiting for the stream to begin, breaking his former record by a huge margin.

Finally, the time was right, and he began the stream.

[0)ᴠᴇʟ “Hello to all! I’m Raphaëlle Bacqué, AKA ‘Pro-Streamer.’ I’m live from the siege camp outside Tyo, the planetary capital of the planet Era, in the critically acclaimed VRMMORPG you all know and love, ‘Horus!’

“All the biggest guilds in the game are here to plunder the biggest city on the planet! It’s one of the biggest community events ever organized in a video game. Over fifty million players have already answered the call! According to our sources, the leaders of the big guilds are also leading this event, but they still haven’t settled on a common plan for their assault!

“In ‘Horus,’ of course, the usual MMO sandbox elements have been pushed to the extreme. Therefore, nobody can truly predict what will happen after players defeat the main faction of this planet! This was Pro-Streamer bringing you news from the front lines. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!”

***

In the biggest tent in the siege camp, the most important players of “Horus” were gathered to discuss their attack strategy.

Unlike in other VRMMORPGs, the guilds, despite their natural rivalry, tended to cooperate to increase their mutual gain.

That was especially true now that the SuperGuilds represented financial interests in the real world. Most were supported by thousands of shareholders as proper corporations, after all. The main goal of the SuperGuilds was not only to become the most powerful and prestigious, but also to make money for their shareholders!

Members of First Order Guilds and SuperGuilds offered their players contracts with salaries and obligations, and so their players had more to think about than their own fame and power.

In the command tent, the official spokesmen of the different guilds sat around a central table.

There were, of course, the future 7 Gods of “Horus:” Arthas, Ceasar, Joker, Lucifer, Mario, Zelda, and Zeus.

These players were already legends in the world of video games, though they were destined to become even more renowned in the future. Everything they said was followed by countless people, as though they were politicians. And, as every MMO player knew, what characterized them the most was their legendary rivalry!

These players all hated each other viscerally and never missed an opportunity to harm one another. As they all frequented the same VRMMORPGs, there were ample opportunities for this behavior.

Yet, each one among them instinctively understood the total difference between their old games and “Horus.” They all knew that the one who became master of “Horus” would become a true legend in the world of video games, while the others would only be footnotes on the page of history.

With this in mind, everyone around that central table tried to exert their influence to ensure their own strategy would be chosen.

Of course, many ordinary guild members could technically have their own say, but their voices were completely meaningless compared to the opinions of true legends!

Among the most renowned players in the tent, Lucifer was the most aggressive in his suggestions. “We should use all the players below lvl 5 as cannon fodder, allowing the second, more useful wave to deliver the fatal blow!”

Zeus replied, “I think that’s too risky! The NPC fortifications are extremely resistant to this kind of strategy. Many small guilds have already tried to force their way through and have been pushed back without difficulty. I think we should, rather, nibble away at their defenses with careful attrition!”

Zelda interrupted him. “And why not just lay siege? This game’s NPCs have to eat like real people. Just wait until the citizens starve to death, and we’ll reap the rewards without a fight!”

Ceasar, who was also participating in the war council, became very angry at all this useless bickering. He was on the verge of leaving to attempt another Nightmare dungeon, so he could catch up with that bastard Apophis, when one of his subordinates suddenly whispered in his ear.

“One of our patrols has spotted the Apophis a few kilometers from the siege camp.”

Adrenaline rushed through Ceasar! He knew that if Apophis had changed his mind about joining the siege, it was for a good reason.

So Ceasar stood and said, “It seems we’re at a dead end. This conversation is going nowhere. Please be aware that Renovatio Imperii will launch its frontal assault in one hour—with or without the rest of you!”

Everyone began murmuring! What right did Renovatio Imperii have to take the lead? Furthermore, Ceasar wasn’t even a guild leader!

Despite her previous argument to lay siege, Zelda quickly agreed. “Very well. The Hyrule guild will also launch an assault accompanying Renovatio Imperii.”

It was a chain reaction. With their backs to the walls, all the guilds quickly agreed to follow the largest land assault in history! Ceasar’s departure from the command meeting after giving this announcement caused a real scandal, but also forced all the warring parties to take a clear stand.

***

Apophis, riding his motorcycle on the road to Tyo with Antanria behind him, was curtly surprised by a group of players in Roman-style armor. Just as he was about to destroy them all with fire, Ceasar got out of a limousine.

“You stop here,” he said firmly.