"Kill!"

Candlelight Shadow rushed me with a zigzag pattern when the countdown hit zero, but it was more of a probing attack than a full-on assault. His partner, Ye Yuse, approached me from the flank before crying, "Hold!"

I saw it coming, so I dashed to the right and dodged the spell easily. With my speed, dodging a spell like this wasn’t an issue.

However, Candlelight Shadow was already in front of me when I looked up. He brought his sword down toward my head while shouting, "Shatter, Lu Chen!"

His Cyan Rain Sword burst into flames, brimming with a tremendous power anyone inside or outside the arena could sense. I hurriedly took two steps backward and tried to parry the attack!

Chiang!

Something utterly shocking happened. Not only did the Cyan Rain Sword knock away the Purple Ying Sword and cancel my parry through sheer force, it struck the Heaven-burning Armor and left behind a huge web of cracks! Pain burst from my shoulder as my HP dropped drastically—

109894!

Combat Log: Player "Candlelight Shadow" used "Shattering Sword and Shield" to shatter your parry, increasing their own Attack by 50% and dealing 109894 damage to you!

……

My heart sank. As it turned out, Candlelight Shadow had learned a new skill that ignored both Guard and parry, making it a better skill than even Barrier Break. It completely disregarded the target’s action and couldn’t be stopped.

Thud!

In retaliation, I grabbed Candlelight Shadow’s sword arm, pulled him toward me and lifted my left knee in one explosive motion. It hit Candlelight Shadow in the chin and triggered War Crush at the same time—

49028!

42848!

44236!

The Martial God didn’t panic despite losing half his HP in one go, however. After glancing to his right for an instant, he jumped onto a rock on the creek and launched himself past me. Before I could react, he bounced back and slammed me into my back, shouting, "Yuse, Petrification!"

Ye Yuse had already activated Great Earth Transformation, so I dared not underestimate her spells at all. Rolling under the Petrification charm and wetting my battle robe in the process, I shouted, "Beiming, keep her busy!"

It was an unnecessary command, because seven Evil Spirit Volley arrows struck Ye Yuse’s Magic Shield at the exact same time. Not only that, the remaining five arrows were flying straight toward Candlelight Shadow. Beiming Xue was currently standing at the edge of the map and attacking two targets at once, proving that her bow flicking technique had surpassed even the likes of October Rain and Transient Smoke and Clouds completely. It couldn’t be helped. Not only was Beiming Xue naturally talented, she enjoyed honing her skills and tactics just like Lin Yixin. A true expert always strives to discover new tactics without warping their style.

After Candlelight Shadow parried the arrows that flew his way, he cast two Outer Flames in a row while ordering, "Hold Beiming Xue!"

Swhoosh swhoosh!

The Outer Flames forced Beiming Xue to back all the way to the corner of the map, allowing Ye Yuse to hit her with ease. "Hold!"

Thud!

Beiming Xue’s entire body froze in mid-motion. Even her cape was frozen as if stuck in time. Hold lasted for 12 seconds and couldn’t be canceled by the victim through any means. The only way they could be freed before the spell was over was through outside interference, also known as any form of attack.

I immediately jumped away from the creek and Charged to Beiming Xue’s side. Then, I raised my left fist and tapped her lightly on the shoulder.

"Ah…"

Beiming Xue escaped her paralysis just like that. However, another figure had arrived beside us using Charge during this time. It was Candlelight Shadow!

God dammit, Candlelight Shadow and Ye Yuse’s teamwork is too good!

I grabbed Beiming Xue’s shoulder and pushed her behind me. At the same time, I swung the Dragon God Shield and activated Great Earth Transformation!

Bang!

My shield arm actually felt numb after clashing against Candlelight Shadow’s weapon. His Strength stat was ridiculously high.

"You’re dead!"

Candlelight Shadow crossed his weapon and shot me a menacing smile. The fucker wanted to skewer both me and Beiming Xue with Barrier Break! He could definitely do that since he had activated Great Earth Transformation as well!

I hurriedly shifted to the right while crying, "Beiming!"

I crouched and threw my leg into a sweep, hitting Candlelight Shadow’s foot and causing him to lose his balance. At the same time, Beiming Xue planted a foot on my shoulder armor and swung her dagger at Candlelight Shadow’s weapon, somehow parrying the Barrier Break in the nick of time.

There was no way in hell I was going to let the opening slip. I slapped Candlelight Shadow’s shoulder with my God Binding Art at nearly zero distance.

"Ah?!"

Despite the unexpected retaliation, Candlelight Shadow responded with War God Rampage and just barely nullified my CC skill in time. At the same time, he dropped to a kneeling position and swung his sword three times in a row, executing Blazing Purgatory Slash!

The sword auras could pass behind me and hit Beiming Xue if I didn’t block it, so I raised the Dragon God Shield and Guarded!

Bang bang bang!

Three hits later, my health almost hit rock bottom. I immediately made the snap decision to kick Candlelight Shadow in the chest and sent him rolling before executing Coiling Dragon Revolution!

"Ah…"

Candlelight Shadow rolled rather unceremoniously across the creek, but he maintained a cool head and pushed himself back to standing position with one hand. Then, he spun around and slashed at the spinning Purple Ying Sword!

Chiang!

MISS!

He parried that?

I couldn’t help but feel a bit stunned. Just how skilled must Candlelight Shadow be to be able to parry the lightning-fast Coiling Dragon Revolution?

Meanwhile, Ye Yuse finally joined us and raised her scepter into the air, summoning a gigantic charm above our heads. Here comes the Nether Curse!

……

Beiming Xue wasn’t idle either. After shooting Spiraling Arrow Blade and Skypiercer into the air, she raised her arm and used her Divine General Skill, Well of the Abyss!

Candlelight Shadow backed away and did the same thing, "Outer Flame!"

I too moved to the back and launched five golden seals into the sky. They came back down an instant later like the judgment of heavens!

……

Bang bang bang...

Four Divine General Skills clashed against one another. The arenas of the WEL had never looked this gorgeous and intense until now. The Ancient Seals ripped into Candlelight Shadow and Ye Yuse’s body and dealt an incredible amount of damage, but I also got hit by the Nether Curse and turned into stone. It was the Petrification status effect!

Behind me, Beiming Xue suddenly cried out softly, "We won!"

I wasn’t sure until I saw a hail of arrows falling from the sky. It was the late but absolutely critical Skypiercer. The skill easily pierced Ye Yuse’s Magic Shield and killed her where she stood. Although her secret class was formidable, her Magic Shield was actually weaker than a regular Magic Shield. Naturally, it wasn’t enough to withstand the combined might of the Ancient Seal and Skypiercer.

Candlelight Shadow’s HP had hit rock bottom as well, but he still activated War God Rampage and tried to rush us. Unfortunately, he couldn’t move faster than Beiming Xue could shoot her arrow, and two Spiraling Arrow Blades later, he was taken out of the fight as well.

The score turned 1:0. It was a hard fight, but it was a win nonetheless!

……

Swhoosh swhoosh!

After we exited the waiting area, Murong Mingyue shot us a smile and praised Beiming Xue, "Well done, Beiming! Your ability to control the battlefield is much better than Ye Yuse’s…"

Lin Yixin also said with a smile, "Candlelight Shadow is as skillful as ever, I see. He actually went even with Little Cheat…"

I nodded in acknowledgment. It was a fact that I hadn’t been able to gain any real advantage over Candlelight Shadow during that fight. In fact, I was completely caught off-guard by his Shattering Sword and Shield at the beginning. If the fight hadn’t ended as quickly as it did, I could very well have died and lost us the round.

Sitting not far away from us, Stranger of Three Lifetimes suggested, "You should watch out for that shattering skill, Lu Chen. it would be bad if he landed a critical hit on you."

"Understood…"

A true competitor wouldn’t neglect even the tiniest factor that might affect the outcome of a battle. A person who relied on luck to bring them their victories could never become the ultimate victor.

After we were teleported into the arena once more, Beiming Xue and I moved into the same position as before. Both sides’ strategy was clear for everyone to see. Candlelight Shadow and I were the attacker and defender, while the two girls were the crowd control and kill securer.

"What’s our tactic?" Beiming Xue asked in the party channel.

I thought for a moment before answering, "I’ll delay Candlelight Shadow and force Ye Yuse to use her Blink with Coiling Dragon Revolution. Once you destroy her shield with Evil Spirit Volley, I’ll one-shot her with Dragon Slaying Slash!"

But Beiming Xue said, "Big bro, Dragon Slaying Slash has a long cast time, right? Are you sure you won’t be interrupted before you blow your load?"

I gritted my teeth before replying, "Beiming, never ever say that again…"

Beiming Xue burst into a giggle. "I get it, big bro is the endurance type…"

Me: "..."

……

The second round began, and all four of us activated Great Earth Transformation the second the countdown hit zero. No one dared to use their Divine General Skills, however. It was smarter to save them for when the enemy reveals an opening, or it would just be a waste of cooldowns. Sure, Ancient Seal and Outer Flame technically had no cooldowns, but they couldn’t be used on the same spot repeatedly, at least not until the initial effects faded completely. That in itself was a kind of cooldown.

The hint of a sneer crossed Candlelight Shadow’s lips as he charged toward me!

This time, I decided to assume a more active role and slashed at Candlelight Shadow’s shoulder before he even got close!

Whoosh!

Candlelight Shadow sidestepped and parried the attack with just the right amount of strength. Undeterred, I withdrew the blade and slashed three times in rapid succession!

Chiang chiang chiang!

Sparks flew everywhere as Candlelight Shadow parried the attacks. When my attack came to an end, he immediately retaliated with a triple strike of his own! I parried them repeatedly with the Purple Ying Sword!

I threw a punch, and Candlelight Shadow did the same. A shudder coursed through our bodies as our gauntlets smashed against one another. The impact caused us to split away about six steps away from each other, but that also created the exact opportunity I was looking for. I immediately tossed the Purple Ying Sword at Ye Yuse!

Coiling Dragon Revolution, go!

"Ah…"

Ye Yuse dared not take the skill head-on, so she immediately Blinked out of harm’s way. Just as fast, Beiming Xue responded with Evil Spirit Volley and Spiraling Arrow Blade just as planned!

Swhoosh!

But to our surprise, Ye Yuse had Blinked toward us instead of away. What is she doing?

Ye Yuse smiled at us and raised her scepter, firing Nether Curse into the air.

Fuck! She’s going all-in!

Thud!

I grabbed my returning weapon, took two steps forward and one-shot Ye Yuse through her Magic Shield with Universe Break!

However, the Nether Curse hit me right after the kill, and I immediately fell into a drunken stupor. Worse, Beiming Xue was hit as well, and the first thing she did was to fire an Armor Breaking Arrow into my back, dealing 79299 damage! It was the Confusion effect!

Stunned, I cried out in the party channel, "What the fuck, don’t hit me Beiming…"

Beiming Xue’s tone was equally urgent, "I know, but I can’t control my body, big bro…"

……

Swhoosh swhoosh!

A while later, we reappeared outside the waiting area. Although Candlelight Shadow was alone, he didn’t have much of a problem killing me and Beiming Xue as a matter of course, not to mention that he had "help" from Beiming Xue.

He Yi and Lin Yixin stood shoulder-to-shoulder and questioned both of us, "Well? Is there anything you two would like to say?"

I clenched my fists and shook it. "That was horrible luck. Well, whatever. The third round will decide it all!"