A faint golden light pulsed around Lila, the visual effect of her active [Divine Ward] buff.
Before her stood the remaining nine players, their party a standard meta composition: two Mages, two Priests, a Knight, a Protection Warrior, a Swordsman, and two Archers.
The key players were clear.
From [Sovereign] came Magnus and Roland.
From [Aegis Prime], there was Cole—Ashveil the Swordsman—and his Priest, Amy.
Closest to Lila were Magnus the Mage and an Archer.
Twenty seconds left on [Divine Ward]. No more time to waste. She charged.
Her primary target was Magnus. He was the leader, and according to Kael, the giant tortoise boss was likely tethered to him. Kill the controller, and the mob de-spawns, returning to its domain.
Just as the tip of her blade was about to taste Magnus’s robes, a flash of light erupted where he stood. He reappeared fifteen yards away.
[Blink]. The Mage’s infamous ability, one of the most broken escape skills in the game.
Magnus had escaped, but the Archer beside him wasn't so lucky. The agility-based class should have been able to react, but he was deer-in-the-headlights, completely stunned by her sheer aggression. He froze.
Roland, the Knight, threw a divine shield on him.
Lila didn't hesitate.
[Rising Slash]!
-5,000 (Shield Absorbed)
-7,931
The Archer was launched into the air, his health bar critical. Before he could even land, Lila dispatched him with a casual swing of her blade.
-8,012
Archer down. Eight left. Eighteen seconds on the buff.
As Lila moved toward the other squishies, Roland and the Protection Warrior intercepted her, planting themselves in her path. The Warrior let out a booming shout, a taunt that forced Lila’s auto-attacks onto him.
-2,731
-1,914
+3,600
A heal landed on the tank. Once the taunt’s effect wore off, Lila ignored the hulking warrior and pivoted, charging toward a Priest ten yards away. He was in the middle of casting [Resurrection] on the fallen Druid. If that Druid got up, she’d have to deal with his pet—a creature somehow even more annoying than its master.
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Luckily, the cast time was a full ten seconds. She wasn’t about to give him the chance.
When she was just a few yards from the Priest, a heavy arrow whistled toward her.
[Knockback Shot]!
Getting hit would cost her at least three or four precious seconds. Gripping her blade with both hands, Lila activated an ability mid-stride. The swing wasn't meant to hit anyone yet; it was to proc her innate talent, which granted her 200% resistance to crowd control while executing a skill.
The arrow struck her as she began the first arc of her [Flurry Strikes]. Instead of being thrown back, her forward momentum only faltered; she skidded to a halt after a single yard. She powered through, her blade a silver blur as she unleashed the remaining two strikes of the combo. The third strike connected with the Priest.
-8,815 (Armor Break)
The [Armor Break] debuff from [Flurry Strikes] had triggered. The Priest’s health plummeted below a thousand. He instantly canceled the resurrection and slammed a self-heal.
+3,250
From a distance, the other Priest, Amy, landed another heal on him.
+3,550
Lila followed up with a final, clean strike.
-8,235
The Priest crumpled. Seven left. Eleven seconds.
The other players had scattered, retreating beyond twenty yards. The two tanks, Roland and the Warrior, moved up again to body-block her. Staring at the Protection Warrior in her face, Lila felt a surge of annoyance. Enough messing around. Time for her trump card.
Instead of creating distance, she closed it, getting right up in his face.
[Dragon Slash]!
In an instant, three waves of pure blade energy erupted from her sword, passing straight through the Protection Warrior. The attack dealt magic damage, rendering his high physical defense useless. Roland’s shield absorbed the first hit.
-5,000 (Shield Absorbed)
-3,277
-8,721
-9,112
The Warrior was only level 27 with just over 15,000 HP. The three blasts vaporized him instantly.
Six left. Nine seconds.
The waves of energy didn't stop. They fanned out—left, center, and right—traveling another twenty-five yards before dissipating. The remaining players easily sidestepped the slow-moving projectiles.
After dodging, they looked back to the center of the fight, only to find that Lila had vanished.
"Ah!" a Mage cried out.
Everyone whipped their heads around to see Lila standing exactly where the rightmost wave of energy had just disappeared. The same question flashed through everyone's mind: How the hell can a Blademaster [Blink]?
Lila wasn't about to explain. She swung her blade.
-8,304
Another one dead. Lila was surprised. A guild leader, and he didn't even have his magic shield up? She glanced back at her original position, a flicker of satisfaction in her eyes. It had been worth it, grinding [Dragon Slash] to max level. The hidden teleport was a game-changer.
[Dragon Slash (Max Lvl)]: Unleash 3 waves of blade energy, dealing damage equal to "Attack + (Strength * 2)" to all enemies in a 25-yard line. You may teleport to the final location of any of the three energy waves. Cooldown: 8 seconds.
Five left. Four seconds on the buff.
Five yards away stood the Archer who’d hit her with the [Knockback Shot]. He was quick on his feet; the moment Lila had reappeared and killed the Mage, he had turned to run.
But Lila’s twenty-second cooldown on [Earthshatter Leap] was up. She launched herself through the air.
BOOM!
The ground cracked as she landed, stunning the Archer. She raised her blade and brought it down hard on his head.
-14,382
The empowered strike after [Earthshatter Leap] dealt 150% damage, one-shotting him.
Four remained: Magnus the Mage, Roland the Knight, Cole the Swordsman, and Amy the Priest. They had scattered to the four corners of the clearing, each more than thirty yards away.
Her objective hadn't changed. She sprinted toward Magnus.
The Mage had long since lost the will to fight, terrified by her relentless assault. Seeing the avatar of death that was once again charging him, his only thought was to run.
Suddenly, Roland’s voice boomed across the field.
“Her buff is down!”
Magnus froze. He glanced back and saw that the golden aura around Lila had indeed vanished.
He spun around, raising his staff.
[Frostbolt]!
-3,837
Lila was frozen solid.
