Chapter Seventy-Three: The Beheading Tactics of the Beastmen

"Intercept!"
"Rescue!"
"Ice Shield!"
"Force Field!"

A barrage of prepared combat techniques and spells erupted, forcibly halting the sudden assault of the two extraordinary chieftains. The soldiers around General Elro did not fall into chaos as one might expect; instead, they drew their weapons, staring menacingly at the elite orc warriors who had broken in.

"Kill!"

No words were wasted. The general directed his sword in command—front row shield-bearers dropped to a crouch, while the row behind raised crossbows and loosed a volley of bolts with sharp whistling sounds.

"They were ready for us!"

Grizzel, though unsure how the human commander had anticipated them, knew there was no turning back. He raised his massive battle axe to shield his head and chest from the bolts; some were deflected, others struck his body, bursting forth in a spray of blood. Yet he felt nothing, yanked the arrows free, and, hoisting his axe, leapt more than thirty meters, smashing down toward the human general.

Elro raised a Lionheart shield from behind him. With a deafening clang, a wave of force exploded outward. Elro’s body bent slightly, but he countered, slashing upward with his sword.

On the other side, Chieftain Brandon of the centaurs similarly hefted a heavy battle axe. His towering figure rose up and crashed down, stunning a circle of soldiers. With a mighty sweep, he sent a group of warriors flying, then charged straight at Elro, hooves pounding. But halfway there, a magical aura shimmered over him, and a thick layer of ice formed, freezing him in place.

He broke free in just two seconds, but by then, other human officers and bodyguards had already surrounded him, trapping him in a tight circle. Despite the vast gap in power—these officers could not hope to stop an extraordinary centaur chieftain—several mages nearby provided support, casting restrictive spells to hold him back.

At the same time, other orc officers and elite guards were not idle; they clashed fiercely with the human elite guards around them. To be precise, they were being besieged, but their formidable strength allowed them to hold out for a time.

With the two chieftains contained, it looked as if the situation was under control. Normally, their decapitation tactic would be considered a failure.

But...

Just as most believed this, something strange happened behind General Elro amidst his deadly struggle with the orc chieftain. The air suddenly blurred. In that instant, Grizzel surged forward, pinning Elro in place. At the same time, a shadow materialized out of thin air behind the general, thrusting a blade fiercely at the gap in his helmet at the base of his skull.

Riftclaw (Terror): Orc Warlord, Level 50, 66,000 HP.

A jet-black dagger stabbed through the gap in the helmet, but instead of the expected spray of blood, only fragments of magical light scattered. Surprise flickered across Riftclaw’s grotesque face; without hesitation, he stabbed again and again.

By now, General Elro had recovered. With a sharp cry, a layer of golden light burst from his body, encasing him in tangible golden armor. The black dagger stabbed like lightning, but only sparks of starlight scattered with each strike.

"Now!"

"Target: Riftclaw!"

Sun Yu’s voice rang out in the channel. He stepped from hiding, a scroll in his hand igniting with blood-red flames and burning to ashes. A beam of intense crimson energy shot at Riftclaw, and above his head, a bleeding dagger icon appeared, its tip pointing down. Blood light rained down, and Riftclaw’s entire outline was instantly rimmed in vivid scarlet, making him an obvious target.

All forty-plus members of the squad charged out. Two mage-class students had already been silently preparing their spells. One extended a finger.

A chill gathered above Riftclaw’s head, swiftly coalescing into chains of ice that shackled him. Black light flashed across Riftclaw’s body, and he turned into a cloud of smoke, slipping free from the chains. But the other mage had just finished casting—a mass of black, smoky tentacles erupted from the ground, plunging into the mist and coiling tightly around him.

Both the Ice Chains and Aiyi’s Black Tentacles were powerful immobilization spells.

With the target restrained, everyone else, well-prepared, unleashed their strongest attacks.

What does it feel like when over forty elite students erupt in unison? Even if their levels were not high—most around seventeen or eighteen, with only a few above twenty—facing an extraordinary being meant a massive suppression in rank. Yet, as these were their burst skills, the power was formidable.

Coupled with the bleeding dagger marker, which severely weakened the boss’s defenses and resistances, they could still inflict more than a third of normal damage despite the rank gap.

Each burst skill dealt at least five hundred damage, some exceeding a thousand. Over forty unleashed their power at once; in a single instant, countless damage numbers from a hundred to over three hundred sprang up in a dense cascade, as if the screen was flooded.

In a flash, Riftclaw’s health dropped by 6,240—a full tenth of his total.

Staggered by the massive assault, the ice chains shattered.

The group pressed their attack; arrows and combat skills rained down in waves. In several rounds, Riftclaw’s HP fell from 66,000 to 52,350.

But by this time, Riftclaw had broken free. His body exploded into black smoke. The nearest shield-bearer charged into the mist, but as it dispersed, Riftclaw was nowhere to be seen.

At that moment, a mage in the squad raised his hand. A large magical gem on a ring flashed, releasing a blast of icy mist that blanketed the ground.

Immediately, a footprint appeared in the frost. Sun Yu reacted instantly, charging into empty air. With a muffled bang, a shockwave erupted, and a blurry outline was knocked into view, drawing the group into a frenzied assault.

Sun Yu and another tank braced their shields in front, while the others attacked relentlessly.

Though their ultimate skills were on cooldown, the combined force of their lesser abilities still took a toll. Particularly, the constant barrage of control and debuffs left Riftclaw dazed, unable to retaliate despite his high level.

Yet skills eventually run dry. After draining nearly twenty thousand health, with only half his total remaining, the chain of controls finally broke. Riftclaw regained his senses, a feral gleam in his eyes. In a flash, he slipped behind Sun Yu, stabbing twice with his daggers.

-624

-625

+500

Two massive damage numbers and a healing number appeared at once. Sun Yu’s heart leapt; he quickly raised his shield wall for damage reduction and drank a health potion from his pouch.

"Bang!"

Riftclaw knocked the potion aside with a dagger, then twisted his black blade, plunging it into Sun Yu’s mouth—blood spurted forth.

-1250

A critical hit!

Sun Yu’s face drained of color, life fading as he fell backward.

But suddenly, a brilliant light surged above his head. A True World Stone burst out and shattered, releasing an overwhelming aura of vitality. Sun Yu’s ashen face flushed with life, vibrant energy pouring from him.

Revived by the True World Stone, Sun Yu sprang to his feet and slammed his shield, brimming with life energy, onto Riftclaw, stunning him. He followed with a reverse slash, releasing a surge of life force.

-189

-1000

The first was his normal attack damage; the latter was the bonus true damage from the True World Stone’s buff.