The moment Rysa reappeared, Kael was already letting arrows fly.
-35483
-7463
-34222 (Silkbind Shot)
…
His damage output was relentless. He summoned his two clones, and the three archers unleashed a coordinated volley, pinning Rysa in place. Though she still had seven million HP, her health bar drained like a waterfall under the combined assault of Kael and his clones—a steady fifty to sixty thousand damage per second.
In just one minute, they had burned through another three million of her health.
Rysa attempted to use several escape abilities, but each one was perfectly countered by the Third Chieftain, who stood nearby, watchful.
The surrounding players could only stare, dumbfounded.
“Is… is that guy even human…”
“His DPS is insane!”
“Two bosses ganging up on one, feels kinda cheap, doesn't it?”
“What are you all staring at? Get in there and help!”
The comment snapped the others back to reality, and they rushed forward to attack the boss.
-1
-1
-1
…
Their attacks couldn't even scratch her.
“Holy shit, she’s tanky as hell.”
“How were we supposed to kill her without Ullr?”
“I swear, the devs just wanted us to lose this.”
“Good thing we’ve got our own absolute monster, haha…”
“Careful calling our Fourth Chieftain a monster. He might put an arrow in you.”
“Lmao!”
Kael ignored the banter, his jaw set in concentration. He poured every ounce of focus into his assault, never letting up for an instant. With the Third Chieftain providing support, Kael finally drew back for the last shot.
Rysa clutched her chest, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth as her eyes locked onto Kael.
“You… Your soul belongs to Chief Kromgar… He… He will avenge me.”
With that, her legs gave out, and she fell.
“Woooah!”
“Awesome!”
“The Fourth Chieftain is a legend!”
As the players cheered, Kael received a series of system notifications.
System: You have slain Shadow Assassin Rysa. +5000 points.
System: You have received [Shadow Cloak].
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System: Lucky Bonus triggered! Your reward has been upgraded to [Soul Cloak]!
[Shadow Cloak]
Allows the wearer to cast [Phantom Step (High-Rank)].
Class Requirement: Rogue
.....
[Soul Cloak]
Allows the wearer to cast [Phantom Step (High-Rank)].
Class Requirement: None
Kael blinked, then his eyes widened as he reread the description for the Soul Cloak. A wave of euphoria washed over him. Gear that granted cross-class abilities was absurdly rare, and a high-rank skill like Phantom Step was a prize on par with an Ascendant-tier item.
Even better, cloaks were trinkets, not regular armor, meaning he wouldn't have to swap it out as he leveled.
After equipping the Soul Cloak, his trinket slots were now full: Heart of the Ocean, Warp Emblem, Ranger’s Mark, and Soul Cloak.
Four powerful and versatile abilities.
Just then, Fenris approached him. "Fourth Chieftain, we need to push the Starlight Village resurrection point. We're running out of time."
Kael nodded.
Their force of 5,000 strong advanced unopposed, quickly reaching the enemy's final holdout. The eastern assault force, over 13,000 strong, was already there, locked in a fierce battle at the edge of the safe zone. The enemy, with fewer than 7,000 players left, had turtled inside, holding on for dear life thanks to the healing of a white-robed Archon.
With half an hour left on the clock, it was 18,000 attackers against a cornered 5,000. It was two of their own "bosses" against one of the enemy's. By any metric, the battle was over.
“Haha, the Chieftains are here! Let’s push, everyone! Wipe out those bastards cowering in there!”
“Yeah! Where’s all that trash talk now, huh?”
“Kill them all!”
Victory was so close they could taste it, and the attackers were already celebrating.
But Kael wasn't so optimistic. He knew the enemy Archon hadn't used his ultimate yet.
Just as the defenders’ numbers dwindled to less than a thousand, the white-robed Archon threw his head back and let out a wild, maniacal laugh.
“Haha, yes, kill them! Kill them all! The more you kill, the more the God of Death smiles upon me!”
Confused, the attackers hesitated, their eyes fixed on him.
Suddenly, the white-robed Archon floated slowly into the air. He spread his arms wide, and a black, necrotic energy poured from his body. The tendrils of smoke didn't dissipate; instead, they shot out, burrowing into the nostrils of the few hundred remaining defenders around him.
BOOM!
With a sickening, muffled explosion, every last one of them detonated in a fine red mist.
The bizarre, horrifying scene left Kael and everyone else completely stunned.
Floating in the air, the Archon closed his eyes. His hands wove intricate patterns as he whispered a chilling incantation. Then, his eyes snapped open and he roared, his voice booming across the battlefield:
“UNDEAD REBIRTH!”
The ground began to tremble violently. Before their horrified eyes, the corpses of the slain defenders began to rise. Every single one was back on their feet, wreathed in the same black energy.
Players with scouting abilities quickly inspected them and shared the details in the faction chat.
[Undead Rebirth]
Resurrects at full health and all stats are enhanced by 40%. Upon the conclusion of the battle, you will die once more.
The moment the buff was posted, the attackers' chat exploded in outrage.
“What?! A 40% buff!?”
“Are the devs insane?”
“Fuck this, they’re rigging it so we can’t win!”
“What the actual fuck is this bullshit?!”
Kael was shocked as well. A 40% enhancement was equivalent to an extra 1,200 health and 600 attack and defense. Technically, with his [Right Wing Commander] aura providing a 20% buff and the five stacks from the Sunfire Bell, his core group wasn't weaker. They were probably still stronger on an individual basis.
The problem was numbers. The enemy now had 50,000 players. They had less than 20,000.
Could Kael kill 30,000 players by himself? It seemed impossible.
Staring at the enemy army, now more than double their size, Kael grit his teeth and prepared for the fight of his life.
But before he could even move, a light shot from the Archon, enveloping and binding him completely.
System: Your soul has been tethered to the White-Robed Archon.
“Son of a bitch!” Kael cursed.
He knew this skill: [Soul Tether]. It was a strange one, placing both the caster and a single enemy target in a state of mutual invulnerability, unable to move or act. It could only be used on players of a lower level and had a notoriously low success rate, so almost no one learned it.
It was generally considered a niche, almost useless skill. But in this moment, it was the perfect checkmate.
Kael couldn't use skills. He couldn't use items. All he could do was watch as an army more than twice their size descended upon his allies.
He frantically opened his points menu, searching for anything, any function that could help him…
On the battlefield, the two armies clashed in a final, brutal melee. The attackers, who thought victory was in their grasp, were now facing a nightmare. Not only had their enemies been reborn, but they were stronger than ever. And there were so many of them.
Just as their morale was about to shatter, five deafening chimes echoed across the heavens.
BONG
BONG
…
The Sunfire Bell. Ten stacks.
