novelSword Unsheathed, Blood Spilled
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Chapter 283 Sword Unsheathed, Blood Spilled
Translator: ASB /EndlessFantasy Translation
Swish! Swish!
Under the fixated gaze of few tens players, the rhythmic sound of water flowing through the Frostlake quickly resonated from within the tunnel. The sound got nearer and nearer until they saw a player in white magic robe turnaround the corner gracefully. They were unable to sense the vigilance and cautiousness usually seen in an ordinary player when exploring a maze-like tunnel like this one. The intruder was like taking a stroll in his own backyard as he waltzed past the tunnel.
Cruz could hear his own heartbeat. He quietly took a swallow after a quick glance on the dark gold pattern that glimmered on the intruder's snow-white robe, and once again tightened his grip on the weapon.
Qin Ruo, a Level 41 Aquamancer.
The subordinates behind Cruz were all tensed up too after they received the system notification on the intruder's identity.
They were especially infuriated when Qin Ruo did not show the slightest sign of surprise and stumble when he saw the tunnel's end was guarded by Cruz as well as several Bowmasters and Elementalists that stood by attentively. It was as if he already knew that they were there from the first place. Their face turned grimmer and unconsciously applied more force to further tightened the bows that were already in full stretch.
All eyes were locked onto the approaching intruder now just roughly thirty meters away from them. They prepared to launch the most vicious attack on him once he was within shooting distance. They were confident that as soon as that happened, he would longer be able to maintain his irritating carefree attitude.
Even Cruz was not buying that a Level 41 Aquamancer would dare to look down upon a bunch of Tier 4 players, who were at a higher level than him and were equally equipped with few Dark Gold Equipment.
Blood red radiance quietly rushed away from the air surrounding Cruz. His powerful Berserk aura continuously dispersed from within and repelled the Frostlake's icy water under his leg away.
The Berserk state also transformed the weapon in Cruz's hand. Bloody radiance materialized vividly on the Dark Gold Claymore held by him as if the sword itself was a beast thirst of blood. Cruz was garnering an inflated momentum and ready to strike at any time.
Even the group stayed few ten meters away at the left flank behind Cruz could felt the tension looming when they could hardly contain the Vampire Leech. All they could do was to speed up their attacking frequency and finish off the fight as early as early as possible.
"Be quick!"
"Use your Magic Scroll!"
"Warriors, give everything you have!"
Both Twelve Zodiacs and Maverick Vatican players started to shout urgently. They had witnessed the true strength of Cruz throughout their expedition. He was no doubt the most outstanding one among the thirty of them. Even though he was not yet the level of a Squad Leader from Twelve Zodiacs or Maverick Vatican, he could definitely match that if given a full set of Dark Gold Equipment.
Henceforth, judging by his resolute and careful measure, the intruder coming through the tunnel must be some formidable foe!
They were not going to let some passerby hijack their loot at this final moment.
...
Inside the tunnel, Qin Ruo had grasped every movement going on out in the cave. There were 15 Demon Faction players out there welcoming me...
Among them, there were three Bowmasters, two Bandits, and two Summoners. There were also a total of three Warriors—the one headed the operation and two lurking at both flanks behind the tunnel entrance. Finally, there were four more Elementalists and a Radiant Priest standby behind the frontmost visible guard.
The formation was indeed a knotty one, unfortunately, it was still rather old-fashioned.
All the range attackers were positioned five meters away from the melee fighters. This was made known to Qin Ruo, again, thanks to his all-mighty Elemental Perception.
This formation was set up by the enemy mostly to prevent him from breaking through the front. If he was going to force his entry through the opening with range magic, then he would be caught unprepared and ambushed immediately by the two warriors hiding at both sides of the entrance.
But this formation was deeply flawed due the unnecessary five meters' distance between the Warriors and the range attackers.
Right when he was about to enter the attacking range of those Bowmasters and Elementalists, Qin Ruo raised his left hand index finger unnoticeably and spelled in his mind the term, "Water!"
*Splash!"
With a loud bang, a two-meter-long water curtain suddenly rolled up from the Frostlake without warning. The half a meter thick Aquarampart directly obstruct both parties' line of sight and blurred the enemies figure behind the broad water curtain.
Tier 1 Elementalism actually did involve a slight magical fluctuation and still required some time to condense. But when it was cast by an overpowering Aquamancer like Qin Ruo, it could be done almost instantaneously.
This was entirely out of Cruz and co. expectation. They never anticipated that Qin Ruo could complete the casting so easily in such a short span. Such efficiency was certainly unheard of.
Nevertheless, Cruz's party was no weaklings either. Without Cruz's order, one of the Summoner took the matter into his own hands. He howled wildly and blasted off a pre-charged Devouring Flame towards the curtain—they knew well the advantage an Aquamancer would have in this Frostlake after spending so much time here, so it was only natural that they have prepared several countermoves to cope with unexpected events.
Shadow Element of the attack instantly corroded the water curtain and poke a hole on the Aquarampart. Two AoE spells were then released almost simultaneously. Despite having the water curtain as a shield, it did not completely block the vision of the two Elementalists.
Eviscerate!
Swamp!
Poof!
The Aeromancer and Terramancer who released the spells were both from Cruz's clan. They coordinated their attack tacitly and stepped forward at the same time. The two-meter-long giant aero blade spun at 360 degrees in high-speed slit through the water curtain and shot vibrantly into the tunnel. The straight line attack would certainly tear Qin Ruo apart unless he has chosen to fall back after performing the Elementalism.
The Swamp spell cast by the Terramancer, on the other hand, was aimed at the hard rock hidden under the Frostlake. It directly softened the rock into a swamp that was difficult to tread on.
They still remember Cruz's order, which was to retain the enemy inside the tunnel for as long as possible. They only need to hang on until the Boss was killed by their counterparts.
However, everyone in Cruz's party was left baffled by the battle notification they received.
Eviscerate was neutralized.
***
This was no doubt Poochie's doing. In a flash, Qin Ruo's Pet effortlessly shattered the powerful Eviscerate into pure Wind Element using its fluffy tail.
With another leap, the little creature returned to its owner's shoulder.
Qin Ruo was busy himself. His Elemental Perception quickly detected the magical fluctuation and the sticky sensation transmitted from under his feet.
"Freeze!"
A chilly aura swiftly emerged from under the Frostlake. In the dark, the softened floor was quickly covered with a layer of solid ice.
Qin Ruo quickly walked away from the Swamp spell effect range. At the same time, another water curtain was pulled out from the lake and he furiously condensed the Water Element in it.
"This is..."
Cruz widened his eyes and saw a chilling frost ball took shape hastily in less than five meters in front of him. It's magnificent chilly aura cause those in the surrounding to feel ominous...
Just when the Bowmasters and Elementalists by Cruz side were about to release another round of attack... Bang!
The frost ball exploded with a loud noise! Numerous ice shard shot out and flew towards those who stayed at about five meters away from the tunnel entrance.
Cruz had never heard of such a spell; thus he did not expect the successive explosion. He failed to react when the frost ball burst with a bang. Same goes to his comrades in the surrounding.
The three Warriors, three Bowmasters, and two Summoners were the first line victim. All eight of them were stopped short and simultaneously inflicted with Frozen effect due to the brutal chilly aura. One of the Bowmasters even got blasted off into the lake and was instantly killed after a series of quick explosion.
The Bandits and Radiat Priest at the peripheral, despite not being attacked, were equally stunned seeing the eight of them being covered in thick white frost.
"Purify!" A holy light pillar immediately shone on Cruz and remove the frozen debuff on him under his frantic roar.
Four Elementalists who escaped the Frozen status consensually gulped down an HP Potion (L) and could not be more terrified.
Who the hell was this Aquamancer? The Status Effect: Frozen inflicted by his AoE spell was utterly startling.
***
Qin Ruo did not stop his action after the explosion. The second and third Frostrampart quickly emerged while he shied away from the enemies' attack. He was only hit by few weakened spells, which did not affect him much.
"Freeze!!!"
With a light roar, the three Frostramparts were successfully constructed right just at the moment Cruz got himself out from the Frozen effect with the Radiant Priest help. The ramparts were sent out to obstruct the Elementalist's vision and then...
"Explode!"
The three Frostramparts exploded at the same time and the triple Frostburst accelerated the death of the Demon Faction players still trapped in the Frozen state.
"Rival faction player has been killed... Rival faction... Rival..." The system notification rang continuously. Qin Ruo clearly saw seven out of eight Frozen players had fallen under his Frostburst combo using Elemental Perception.
Cruz was the only one to survive the attack. His back was bathed fully with cold sweat after being taken away more than 700 HP. Right after he was saved by the Radiant Priest, he quickly retreated owing to the enormous threat he felt from the three Frostramparts being pushed out successively from the tunnel opening. He happened to escape the certain-death situation thanks to his intuitive awareness.
But others were not as lucky as him. With only one Radiant Priest, nobody could have saved them in time. The snow that filled the sky resulted from the Frostburst directly engulfed and eliminated them.
"Fall back!"
Cruz who survived the massacre had completely given up.
'This is outrageous. We're unable to hold him at all! Although this bastard has only made two moves, his exceptional Elementalism, attacking prowess, and the favorable environment have made him a greatsword. '
When a greatsword is unsheathed, blood will be spilled!
After Cruz instructed the retreat, he immediately fled alongside the two remaining Elementalists from his clan. This turn of event baffled the players who were still battling enthusiastically against the Boss...
'What? They were defeated in mere seconds? Damn it! The Boss is going to fall anytime now!'
Most of them were reluctant to leave the battle after fought hard for such a long time. However, Cruz collapse at the other side of the battle equally shocked them. While they were being indecisive, a small and brownish figure quietly leaped into the giant cave from the tunnel without being detected.
"Ah!!!"
A horrible shriek was heard coming from an Elementalist's mouth. Rings of pure element were seen disappearing rapidly outside of his body.
| ← Ch. 282 | Ch. 284 → |