Scattered throughout the tall grass, Eldric and his hundred-strong force watched the scene unfold with a smug sense of satisfaction. With a Lord-level boss in front of them and an elite raid at their backs, what could they possibly do?
Eldric had studied Dawnbreaker extensively—his skills, his weaknesses—and was confident he had the perfect counter.
He held the order to attack, however, curious to see how Dawnbreaker and Lila would possibly deal with a beast like Norlun.
What they did next left Eldric utterly baffled.
In the face of imminent death, Kael and Lila stood calmly, each holding a hand behind their back.
"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" they chanted in unison.
Kael showed a fist: rock. Lila showed two fingers: scissors.
"Again!" Lila demanded.
"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"
Kael showed a flat hand: paper. Lila showed a fist: rock.
"How do you always win?" Lila pouted. "Is your Luck stat really that high? I never lose at this!"
After ten straight losses, she looked like she was about to cry. Kael finally broke into a smile. "We never said winning was the goal," he said gently. "The loser gets first pick."
Lila's face instantly brightened.
Watching from the bushes, Eldric was dumbfounded. "What the hell are they doing?"
It wasn't that he didn't understand the ga. He just couldn't fathom what the prize was.
Suddenly, Lila turned to face the tall grass where they were hiding.
"Oh, crap," Eldric realized a second too late. "The prize is us."
She hefted Dragonbane, and with a mighty leap, launched herself directly into their ranks.
"Engage!" Eldric roared.
Before his players could react, a heavy thud echoed through the grass. Lila's landing sent out a shockwave, stunning everyone within five yards and slowing those within twenty. Eldric had ordered his n to spread out to counter Dawnbreaker's AoE, a move that luckily minimized the impact of Lila's attack; only two players were caught in the stun.
Lila didn't bother with a skill. She just raised Dragonbane, capitalizing on the 150% damage bonus from her initial strike. With two swift, brutal swings, she cut them down.
-30,981
-31,421
Instant kills.
She then vanished into the tall grass, hunting the players still hobbled by the five-second slow. Guided by the rustling of the foliage, she found two archers trying to retreat. One swing of her greatsword cleaved through them both.
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A knot of regret tightened in Eldric’s stomach. Hiding in the grass was supposed to be the perfect trap. From the outside, Dawnbreaker wouldn't be able to target them. If he ca into the grass to fight, his advantage as an archer would be nullified, making him easy prey for their lee fighters. He had never imagined Lila would be so reckless as to just jump into the middle of them. Now, the grass that was ant to be their trap had beco her personal hunting ground.
But Eldric was the second-in-command of the most powerful guild in House Myrden for a reason. He quickly regained his composure and issued a new order.
"Fall back! Draw her to the other clearing!"
Though the plan had changed, the primary objective had been achieved: separate Dawnbreaker and Lila, then eliminate them one by one.
After sacrificing ten more players, Eldric’s forces managed to pull back to an open field Kael had cleared earlier. And just as he'd hoped, Lila followed, charging out of the grass by herself.
Seeing her alone, Eldric felt a surge of contempt. Pathetic. Is this the best warrior from the Earth server? Just a brainless berserker.
He ordered his main force to continue their feigned retreat while a group of thirty lagged behind, baiting Lila further into the open. She didn't hesitate, striding forward to et them.
Suddenly, a wave of weakness washed over her. Her limbs grew heavy, her feet sinking into the ground. A cascade of debuff icons filled her status bar—curses from Shadow Priests and Warlocks, hexes from Witches, auras from Dark Knights.
Her movent speed, attack, defense, and attack speed were all slashed by more than twenty percent.
The trap was sprung. Mages and archers took aim. Eldric himself turned to face her, a triumphant laugh booming from his chest.
"I’ll give you this—you’ve got guts," he gloated. "In terms of pure damage, not even Guild Leader Nyria can match you. But unlike her, you are impulsive and foolish. Your strength is useless if you can't hit anyone, isn't it? Turns out the rumors were right. Without Dawnbreaker, you’re just a target."
"Fire!"
At his command, dozens of ranged attacks streaked toward Lila.
She didn't bother with a retort. Faced with a storm of steel and magic, she showed no panic. She simply raised Dragonbane, planting its edge before her.
Clang. Fizz. Thwack.
Every projectile, whether physical arrows or magical bolts, was deflected. Only a handful of direct-damage, non-projectile abilities managed to land.
-3,651 (Shadow Priest, Mind Blast)
-1,938 (Warlock, Life Drain)
...
She lost barely 10,000 of her 90,000 health. Eldric and his players stared, their jaws hanging open.
"Is she really a Blademaster?"
"How the hell is she blocking attacks?"
"She's parrying projectiles, fine—but she's blocking spells too? What the hell is that?!"
"It must be Dragonbane..."
A sharp voice cut through their shock from the center of the battlefield.
"My turn."
Having weathered their initial assault, Lila wasn't about to waste the opportunity. She launched herself forward with another [Earthshatter Leap]. Having seen it once, Eldric's players scattered, and the stun failed to land on anyone.
But she didn't stop. Activating [Blazing Charge] from her [Inferno Striders], she instantly closed the distance to three of the slowed players and raised her greatsword.
"Lock her down! Now!" Eldric scread.
A volley of control spells—a mage's Frostbolt, a priest's Mind Control—flew at her.
-2,342 (Frostbolt)
Resisted (Mind Control)
-3,753 (Paralyzing Shock)
...
They had saved their hard crowd control abilities specifically for this mont, to interrupt her offensive. But this ti, Lila wasn't using a basic attack. She was executing a weapon art: Flurry Strikes. While in the skill's animation, her resistance to debuffs was increased by 200%. The freeze, the mind control, the paralysis—they barely affected her for more than half a second combined.
Swish, swish, swish!
Three clean strikes sliced through the air. Three more players hit the ground.
Though he'd lost another three n, Eldric was ecstatic. He'd found it. He'd found her weakness.
"Her blade!" he roared, a manic grin spreading across his face. "It can only block what's in front of her!"
He pointed a finger at Lila, his voice ringing with newfound confidence. "Spread out! Completely surround her! Attack her from the back!"
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