As the a.s.sa.s.sins' weapons collided, a metallic clang echoed across the battlefield. The players fighting their own battles couldn't help but pause at the sound.
The distant Mad Beast Legion members froze, staring at Fire Dance. They simply couldn't process that someone had nullified their number one a.s.sa.s.sin's ultimate move so easily.
With Divine Phantasm active, Ink Rain's speed was unparalleled. When combined with Nine Phantom Steps, not even Domain Realm experts could distinguish between her five phantoms; they'd be forced to gamble on a target with only a 20% chance of success. However, not only had Fire Dance targeted Ink Rain's real body without hesitation, but she had also kept up with her enemy's divine Attack Speed effortlessly. As if that weren't enough, Fire Dance's attack had the Strength to send Ink Rain flying.
"She's been repelled?"
The various major powers and independent experts watching the fight via Magic Mirrors gaped when they saw the scene. They didn't even know how to react.
The players in Silverwing Town knew how powerful Ink Rain was; she had single-handedly destroyed a h.e.l.l Tank and Guardian Puppet during the last major battle outside of the town, after all. Moreover, she had completed the task as the Dark G.o.ds Legion watched.
Yet, Fire Dance was able to throw such a terrifying expert so easily. Why wouldn't the watching players be shocked?
How is this possible? Yan Tianxing stared at Fire Dance in confusion, shock and joy dominating his heart.
He had never expected Fire Dance to be so powerful, enough so that she could even contend with Ink Rain!
Yan Tianxing was certain that Ink Rain's ultimate move could kill him in an instant if he had to stand against it. Whether or not he could match her speed, he'd only have a 20% chance of stopping Ink Rain's a.s.sault. Not even he could determine which of the five phantoms was Ink Rain's true form.
While the spectators were shocked over the clash's unexpected outcome, Ink Rain stood back up and carefully observed her opponent.
"Not bad! You're the first to stop me since I've learned Nine Phantom Steps!" Ink Rain praised, watching the other woman with excitement. "I wonder if you can stop my next move? This is my initial application of Nine Phantom Steps.
I have never used it against anyone before. Hopefully, you won't disappoint me!"
As soon as Ink Rain finished speaking, her body split into two copies. Even the copies' auras were identical, and both were physical manifestations.
Both copies then executed Nine Phantom Steps simultaneously, creating ten clones in total. All ten clones then pounced on Fire Dance, and Yan Tianxing's scalp tingled as he watched.
Executing a combat technique through a doppelganger was extremely difficult. Players didn't have as much control with their doppelgangers as they did with their true bodies. Yan Tianxing could barely execute a Basic Combat Technique through his doppelgangers, yet Ink Rank used a complex technique like Nine Phantom Steps. Her combat standard was absurd.
Now, not only did Fire Dance have to deal with ten copies of Ink Rain, but two of them were also the real deal. Even if Fire Dance could block one of the physical copies, she couldn't block both without using a Doppelganger Skill that could summon a combat-capable clone with how high Ink Rain's Attack Speed was. However, such Doppelganger Skills were incredibly rare. Not everybody had a Doppelganger Skill as perverted as s.h.i.+ Feng's, which allowed him to summon eight combat-capable copies that shared 100% of his Basic Attributes.
The commander of Zero Wing's main force is certainly strong. She has actually forced Ink to take her seriously. Brilliant Python, who had just reached the battlefield, was astonished when he saw his comrade's ten phantoms.
Even their commander, Startled Wind, had praised Ink Rain for her latest move. He had admitted that not even he could stop the move without using an Invulnerability Skill with more than a few-second duration.
Meanwhile, Ink Rain altered her attack pattern, using a different pattern than earlier. Her ten phantoms intertwined. It was obvious that Ink Rain no longer wanted to face Fire Dance head-on. Rather, she planned to defeat her opponent with her superior technique.
After circling Zero Wing's top a.s.sa.s.sin for a moment, all ten of Ink Rain's copies attacked Fire Dance from multiple directions.
Absolute Strike!
The ten phantoms immediately transformed into streaks of shadow as they plunged toward their target with far more Attack Speed than what Ink Rain had revealed thus far.
When the enemy clones were less than a yard from her, Fire dance lightly swung her Thousand Transformations, cutting the s.p.a.ce before her. A crescent-shaped spatial tear appeared around Fire Dance, rapidly extending until it acted as a s.h.i.+eld to protect its creator.
Before anyone could react, they heard two m.u.f.fled sounds. Two figures then flew 15 yards away from Fire Dance.
These figures were none other than Ink Rain and her physical doppelganger. The doppelganger had lost half of its HP, while Ink Rain had lost another one-fifth.
Impossible! Ink Rain stared at the other female a.s.sa.s.sin in astonishment. She couldn't wrap her mind around how Fire Dance had repelled her attacks.
Her speed was undoubtedly at the peak of Tier 2 players. Just blocking one of her attacks was nearly impossible. Blocking two would be a G.o.dly act. Admittedly, Ink Rain had considered the possibility that Fire Dance would use a Lifesaving Skill to block one of her attacks, but she had never dreamed that the other a.s.sa.s.sin would send both her and her doppelganger flying with a single counterstrike.
To make matters worse, Ink Rain recognized that Fire Dance hadn't used some powerful Skill to throw her and her doppelganger. It had been a simple slash, yet this normal counterstrike had kept up with both of her attacks. It just didn't make sense.
As Ink Rain watched her opponent in confusion, Fire Dance abruptly disappeared.
"Where is she?"
"Did she use Vanish?"
Everyone's curiosity grew when they lost track of Zero Wing's a.s.sa.s.sin.
Ink Rain pushed her five senses to their limits to detect her opponent, but before she realized it, Fire Dance already stood before her, her Thousand Transformations gracefully descending on her. However, despite discovering the woman, Ink Rain wasn't fast enough to react to the attack, no matter how hard she tried. She could only watch as the short sword bit into her.
As Thousand Transformations sliced through Ink Rain's body, Starlink lost the last of her HP. Ink Rain's vision darkened, and her body collapsed before she even had the chance to comment.
"So fast!"
Although the process seemed slow, the spectators hadn't had time to take a breath before Fire Dance had ended Ink Rain's life.
"Ink Rain's dead!"
"How is this possible?!"
The players watching the battle stared with slack jaws. Without any suspense, an expert of Ink Rain's caliber had been slain. Why wouldn't they be shocked?
The scene even surprised Cola. No one here had a better idea of Fire Dance's prowess than he, and even if she carried a Fragmented Legendary Weapon and more Epic items than he had, she shouldn't be this powerful.
Naturally, the victory didn't faze Fire Dance. She wielded one of the Guild's top secrets, the Falling Fire Orb, which only her and s.h.i.+ Feng knew about. With her artificial rise to Tier 3, fighting a Tier 2 player like Ink Rain was like pitting an adult against a baby.
To everyone else, Ink Rain might have seemed lightning-fast, but Fire Dance had no issues keeping up with the other a.s.sa.s.sin's speed. When it came to a compet.i.tion of Strength, needless to say, Fire Dance had an overwhelming advantage.
While everyone was shocked over Ink Rain's death, Fire Dance wasn't idle. She s.h.i.+fted her sights to the Mad Beast Legion's remaining members.
Tier 2 players were little more than infants before a Tier 3 player. Without powerful Lifesaving tools, they had no hope of contending with Fire Dance. Furthermore, Fire Dance had a Fragmented Legendary Weapon to amplify her Basic Attribute and physique advantages. In moments, Fire Dance annihilated Ink Rain, Black Panther, and Brilliant Python's parties. Of the three Mad Beast Legion party leaders that partic.i.p.ated in the battle, Brilliant Python was certainly the most unfortunate. As soon as he arrived on the battlefield, Fire Dance's sword claimed his life. He hadn't even had the chance to flee.
For a time, silence dominated the battlefield. The spectating major powers and independent players in Silverwing Town were terrified as they watched the fights play out.
How was this supposed to be a battle? This was just a ma.s.sacre.
"What should we do, Vice Commander?" one of the Mad Beast Legion members asked Cloudy Mountain, watching Fire Dance slaughter his allies, one after another, with a terrified expression.
"Retreat!" Cloudy Mountain commanded, still watching Zero Wing's top a.s.sa.s.sin.
