Chapter 83: The Tournament of Champions (XII)

“Hmph, so chummy—just wait, you’ll regret it soon!” Murong Shanshan gritted her teeth.

Coco looked at her in surprise. “What happened? Who upset you?”

Murong Shanshan’s expression was dark. “Nothing. Soon, I’ll curse their archer with everything I’ve got and take her out first!”

The glamorous host, Fei’er, had changed into a pure white uniform and was sashaying across the stage, loudly announcing, “Next up is the finals of the First Hero Challenge Team Tournament! It’s currently 12:40 Beijing time. I know many players haven’t eaten yet, but this spectacular match will make the wait worthwhile!”

She paused, then continued, “Let’s welcome both teams onto the stage now. The match will begin in thirty seconds!”

With a flash, both our team and Murong Shanshan’s team were teleported onto the competition platform. Though many of us knew each other, tension filled the air. Murong Shanshan gripped her sword tightly, her gaze cold as she looked at me, saying nothing.

Xu Lin bit her lip. “A swordsman, a rogue, two mages, and a priest. Lin Fan, you know them well—what’s our strategy?”

I glanced at Murong Shanshan, replying quietly, “Murong Shanshan’s skills and explosive power are terrifying. That rogue’s attack shouldn’t be underestimated either. The two mages must be competent, since Murong Shanshan picked them. Coco’s a student, not as fierce as Murong Shanshan. I’ll go with Xinyu and take out Coco—the priest—first. Lin and Xuehan, be careful of Murong Shanshan’s Sword Qi skill—it can hit targets up to five yards away with tremendous power. Try not to get taken out instantly.”

I added, “Li Qing, use your summons to disrupt their mages’ spells. Lin and Xuehan, if possible, cast slow spells on Murong Shanshan. Avoid close contact with her, especially you, Xuehan. If you fall, our chances of winning drop drastically.”

Xuehan blinked her beautiful eyes and smiled. “I’ll do my best!”

The system began the countdown for the start of the match:

“Three!”

“Two!”

“One!”

It began!

On Murong Shanshan's side, she was immediately afflicted with a slowing curse, but she still moved swiftly toward us. I rushed straight at Coco.

With a puff, Coco also cursed me.

I acted decisively, activating “Swordsman’s Rush,” instantly restoring my movement speed to normal. After casting her curse, Coco was stunned by a Shock Arrow. I unleashed my combo and heavy strike without holding back.

Four bright red numbers floated above Coco’s head, and she became the first player eliminated from the match.

Before I could celebrate, a woman’s scream sounded behind me…

Who was it? Who had fallen?

Through a flash of white light, I caught a glimpse of Xinyu’s fading shadow, traces of frost lingering on her body. Skythief withdrew his blue-glinting dagger and dashed toward Xuehan nearby.

Damn! Xinyu was instantly taken out by Murong Shanshan’s Frost Slash and Skythief’s Ambush!

Xuehan was in danger!

Murong Shanshan’s Night Elf Sword shimmered, a blue ripple flowing slowly along the blade. She was about to use her signature skill—Sword Qi—against Xuehan!

It was too late to save Xuehan; I could only target the two mages in front of me. Seeing me approach, they ran left, but it was too late. My Dark Sword, sparkling with icy blooms, blocked their escape.

Frost Slash, deployed for the first time in the match!

“724!”

The 1.5x damage effect was extraordinary. I followed up with another strike, ending the mage’s life.

Glancing back, I saw the scene I most dreaded unfold.

Skythief’s dagger gleamed green. Xuehan, despite her clever maneuvering, was still struck by the dagger’s poison. Murong Shanshan’s lethal Sword Qi landed on Xuehan the next second—

“684!”

Was fate determined to doom us to defeat? Xuehan was dealt a fatal blow by Sword Qi, her beautiful figure fading from the stage…

“Unbelievable, she was eliminated so quickly!” I cursed inwardly, dragging my sword toward the opposing mage. He seemed stunned by my earlier display of power, moving quickly to the right, but my combo caught him, grazing his side. Though I didn’t land maximum damage, my three strikes still depleted more than half of the level 26 mage’s HP.

On the other side, Xu Lin was being relentlessly pursued by Murong Shanshan and Skythief. The rogue had activated Swift, boosting his movement speed by 150%—so fast it was dizzying. Even with her skill, Xu Lin couldn’t escape the dagger’s poison, which slowed her by 50%. In front of two high-damage melee classes, the mage became a lamb for slaughter.

With a slash, my Dark Sword swept across the mage’s back, his figure flickering before dissolving into white light!

Almost simultaneously, Xu Lin was eliminated by Murong Shanshan’s relentless attack. Li Qing, despite coordinating with her pet to strike at the rogue, simply couldn’t deal enough damage, barely halving his HP after ages.

“Take out the summoner first!”

Murong Shanshan turned swiftly, her sword swinging out with a powerful combo and heavy strike, instantly killing Li Qing, whose HP was already low.

I wanted to save Li Qing, but it was too late. Two minutes into the match, the momentum had completely shifted in Murong Shanshan’s favor. They still had a swordsman at full health and a rogue at half, while I was left alone—the last man standing. Worst of all, Skythief’s Stealth skill had finished its cooldown. As he vanished swiftly into the void, my heart sank.

Murong Shanshan didn’t rush to attack. She leaned on her sword with a sweet smile. “Surprised, aren’t you?”

I dared not respond—Skythief could be lurking behind me. An ambush plus backstab from him would be devastating; even with my defense at 363, it wouldn’t be enough.

The situation was awkward. Murong Shanshan smiled sweetly but refused to strike, clearly wary of my powerful attacks—waiting for Skythief to ambush me before delivering the fatal blow herself.

A sudden crack—

The sound signaled that the rogue had finally made his move!