CHAPTER 171: THREE WAY BATTLE [4]

One after another, those with weaker intelligence stats were struck blind.

But this was the least of their worries. What was even more unsettling were the painful screams erupting right beside them.

Although they couldn’t see, it was easy to tell that someone—most likely from the Olympus Guild—was taking them out.

Panic spread through their hearts, and some of them even willingly threw their weapons to the ground.

"Please don’t kill me! I surrender!"

Scarlet watched all of this unfold with a cold expression. While she observed, her gaze suddenly locked with Gabriel’s electric blue eyes.

The two held each other’s gaze for several long seconds, as if silently communicating.

No one knew what they shared in that moment, but it seemed to give Scarlet a strange sense of assurance. She shifted her gaze toward Jack, who was smiling with an expectant gleam in his eyes, then tightened her grip on her sword.

"I guess that’s your answer." Jack shook his head disappointedly, gripping his golden spear even tighter.

And without hesitation, the two Hero Ranks clashed once more. Shockwaves exploded out whenever their weapons met, cracks spiderwebbing through the ground. Their movements were almost too fast for the eye to follow.

Each collision sent shockwaves rippling outward. Nearby, blinded Holy Church players and adventurers were knocked off their feet by the sheer pressure of the fight.

Suddenly Scarlet feinted low, then spun into a powerful upward slash. "Silver Moon Slash!" she cried.

Her blade carved a gleaming silver arc through the air.

Jack’s eyes widened, recognizing this skill as one of Scarlet’s most powerful techniques—at least, that’s what she had made them believe.

At the last second he threw himself back, but—SWOOSH!—the silver energy crescent still caught him across the chest, tearing through a piece of his black armor. A line of blood appeared on his torso as he landed lightly a few metres away.

Jack looked down at the cut in his armor, then back up at Scarlet, breathing hard. The smirk had vanished from his face, replaced by a hard glint in his eyes.

"You actually managed to wound me..." he muttered. A thin rivulet of blood ran down his abdomen, staining his gilded belt.

Instead of anger, excitement lit up his features. "Heh... It’s been a while since anyone drew blood from me."

Scarlet pointed her sword at him. She didn’t respond or attempt to chit-chat. That was never her style.

"Tsk." With a snap of his fingers, his golden spear—still sticking out of the ground from his earlier throw—shimmered and vanished.

WHOOSH! In an instant, it reappeared in his outstretched hand. Jack spun it overhead, golden lightning crackling along its tip.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

And then the two dashed at each other once more, leaving shockwaves in their wake.

⸻

Meanwhile, with a graceful twirl, Aria produced a dagger-like shard of crystal from one of her bracelets and slashed toward Ragnarok99’s throat.

The warrior’s danger senses screamed, and he instinctively brought his sword up to parry.

’Dang it, don’t tell me I’m going to die a second time this week!!’

This was the first game where he had died so many times in such a short span!

Why did the developers make all the NPCs so overpowered?!

A second later, Ragnarok99 gurgled, blood spraying as he collapsed. Before his body could hit the ground, his form dissolved into pixelated motes.

In mere moments, Aria had cut down three people with ruthless efficiency. And she was just getting started.

⸻

Forum Chat

Omega_Yellow: HOLY SH*T! Who is this NPC? Has she been around since launch?! The trailer didn’t say anything about her!

Veddezac_69420: She’s hunting them like flies! This is brutal!!

Icchan467: That light—was that an artifact skill? Int-based AoE blind, maybe. Damn OP...

Pedro_Sierra: Bro, she’s straight up executing them! Someone stop her!

Matthew_Oliver: Olympus doesn’t play fair at all... This is why they’re number one!

Wazeo: No mercy, no hesitation. Whoever she is... she’s terrifying.

⸻

In the real world, pandemonium broke out. Viewers were on their feet, shouting in shock at Aria’s sudden rampage.

"My gods—Aria’s skill just incapacitated almost everyone!" Noel exclaimed, half-rising from her seat as she peered at the screen.

Doodle’s face was pale with disbelief. "Th-That witch! She blinded them all and now she’s... she’s slaughtering the adventurers!" he yelled, nearly choking on the words. "This is an absolute massacre! Someone needs to intervene!"

Noel adjusted her glasses, her voice tense. "It appears to be a high-tier mental attack or light-based skill. Likely powered by those enchanted jewels on her body. Anyone with lower intelligence than Aria is completely blinded right now." She glanced at her partner. "Doodle, this might be one of the most ruthless moves we’ve seen in the entire gaming scene."

"Ruthless is right... She doesn’t care if they’re down or unable to fight back." Doodle grimaced, watching Aria impale another blinded knight through the heart with a crystal shard. "This is beyond cruel—it’s strategic annihilation!"

The studio audience was in an uproar. Boos and shouts mingled with awestruck gasps. Love her or hate her, Aria had instantly become the focal point of the battle.

⸻

On the battlefield, Alice’s heart pounded with fury as she heard the agonized screams of her guildmates. She spun toward the source of the commotion, just in time to see Aria ruthlessly cut down another Adventurer Guild member.

The assassin’s eyes flashed dangerously. "This annoying bitch again."

Naturally, Alice knew who Aria was. She was one of the young prodigies of Olympus Guild. Not only that, she was the daughter of the Guild Leader himself.

There were even rumors that she had purposely declined the position of Vice Leader, instead giving it to her close friend Jack Arefield.

"Alice, Gabriel and Scarlet are occupied—we need to stop her before she causes even more damage."

Sophie’s voice sounded beside her. She was barely hanging on. Her vision swam, and it took great concentration for her to see clearly, especially through her veil.

***

My exam went well incase you guys are curious anyways next Chapter coming up! Also I noticed this arc has been drawing on for too long but we’re close to the end, stay tuned!