Chapter 55: The Great Labyrinth Battle (Part Two)

Lokwin fell, but there were not a thousand Lokwins rising in his place—only shock, wide-eyed stares, and silence, or perhaps minds already too numb to think. That savage Throne Warrior, the one who had stormed through the first and second level guardians, was once called fierce. Now, that fierce strength could only be used to collapse onto the ground.

A heavy thud echoed.

Gasps of cold air came from all sides. Wang Wei’s mind was in disarray; his mouth was chilled, the tip of his tongue dry, the sensation of the wind crashing in. Blood still trickled from his lips, his two front teeth gone, making his appearance almost comical.

Now was not the time for further thought—the more he dwelled, the more chaotic things would become, and one wrong turn would plunge everything into irretrievable disaster. As he watched his former comrade fall, Wang Wei no longer cared about saving face.

“Attack!”

With a sweeping gesture, the Flame Dragon Mage retreated at lightning speed, while nearly twenty members of Bloodshade surged forward, surrounding him. Gao Mingyang and his companions moved as well, and within three seconds, both sides stood locked in tense confrontation just beyond the safe zone. The numbers were not comparable: Bloodshade fielded two full squads of thirty men, while the other side could barely count to eight on their fingers.

Lokwin’s corpse lay between them, blood pooling across the ground.

At this moment, Ximen Yu’s Infernal Guard did not move.

Nor did the Guardian Knights.

But Zhao Nan did.

A brilliant magic circle appeared above the safe zone, directly over Bloodshade’s gathering. This was the moment he’d waited for—the enemy clustering together, as tight as a pack of rats.

All within range of Meteor Shower.

Thunder rumbled.

No one could withstand a level-twenty magic skill, even if this was only the LV1 version—it was still a weapon of mass destruction. As the meteor fire rained down, curses rang out on all sides and figures dashed about clutching their heads. Only those with shields, or who could activate protective skills, remained calm under this indiscriminate and powerful assault.

Certainly not the swordsmen gripping air with one hand and a sword with the other, nor the archers with a quiver slung across their backs and an arrow in hand, and certainly not the thieves who, overwhelmed by their own numbers, could not find space to move.

Shocked by such methods, many in the safe zone leapt to their feet, their eyes wide with disbelief.

This was the act of one who dared challenge the entire field—one with the courage to stand alone.

That mage was unafraid of death.

None of the remaining members of World's End feared death either.

Zhao Nan’s opening strike was his declaration: he would not surrender.

The Meteor Shower did not last long, but it struck hard at the ranks of Bloodshade, scattering their dense formation until only a few, isolated as pins that stubbornly remain standing after the bowling ball has swept the rest away.

Lokwin was dead; others fell under the enemy’s first assault. Bloodshade’s pride had been thoroughly shattered—but so be it, Wang Wei thought, seeing things with brutal clarity. He waved his hand, lips moving in silent commands, directing his force.

The second round of battle began.

Swordsmen, shield-bearers, berserkers surged forward. Bloodshade’s mages were few, huddled tightly around Wang Wei, with a handful of priests among them. Archers nocked their arrows further back, and thieves had already vanished into stealth.

Their ranks, fierce and numerous, faced a solitary, slender figure who approached in silence: the Sky Sword Saint.

At Zhao Nan’s signal, Xu Yang had already cast an enhancement spell on Fenina as the enemy began to move.

Fenina’s speed soared once more. Now, the tip of her longsword was no longer a gentle tap but a merciless killing stroke, unleashed with all her strength.

“Split into two groups! Take down that swordswoman first!”

Wang Wei’s gesture was sharp, his voice leaking through the gaps in his teeth, at once grotesque and absurd. The mages and archers beside and behind him let fly spells and arrows in a downpour of attacks, relentless and unceasing.

Gao Mingyang and his companions instinctively formed a circle around Zhao Nan, just as he had instructed when forming the squad earlier.

Fenina darted through the enemy ranks, striking ahead and slicing behind—a flurry of attacks both sweeping and precise. Her small figure radiated a terrifying combat power, leaving a trail of blood and chaos in her wake.

She also had to evade the relentless attacks of mages and archers, a challenge that only heightened the spectacle, drawing all eyes to her and distracting them from another deadly assault that was already brewing.

Zhao Nan bit the rim of a mana potion, the pale blue liquid seeping into his mouth. Before him, crimson fireballs drifted through the air at the rate of one every half second, each one following the last in a straight line, then spiraling into a jagged arc.

A festival of fire magic—countless lesser fireballs, cast three times faster than when he’d previously dueled Wang Wei.

Lesser fireball alone was not enough to kill a player of level ten or above, no matter the boost. At best, it wounded or forced them to dodge.

But the barrage alone could suppress two or three dozen opponents, and if focused on a single target, it could grind them down mercilessly.

Damn it! Damn it!

Wang Wei gritted his teeth. Both were mages, and the other might even be a hidden class, but the gap was staggering! That swordswoman was a monster, and the mage was even more of a freak.

His mages and archers were rendered useless by such a simple, low-level skill, turning Fenina’s path through the enemy ranks into a walk in the park. As Afanti had said, Bloodshade’s average member was only level seven. The ones who had entered this dungeon were level ten, but only a handful were truly strong.

A level-fifteen Sky Sword Saint was simply crushing them.

“Push forward! Take out the mage first!”

Wang Wei had to change tactics. Suddenly he found himself missing Lokwin—at least that brute could charge ahead, drawing fire.

“Now it’s our time to shine!” Gao Mingyang declared with a laugh, his courage infectious as those around him hefted their weapons and rushed forward as one.

The fireballs continued unabated, and Zhao Nan’s safety now depended on Gao Mingyang’s group. The sight of just two people suppressing Bloodshade’s entire force was electrifying, stirring the onlookers to a fever pitch.

“I’m not half bad myself!” someone shouted.

“Playing a thief? I’m the real master here!” another jeered.

Gao Mingyang, Xu Fei, and their two comrades had always worked as a team, their coordination seamless even without verbal cues.

Few could break through Zhao Nan’s relentless barrage, and those who did were already wounded.

Their attack started with a surge, pressing hard to break the suppression, but soon their momentum faltered, and in focusing forward, they left themselves open to flanking attacks.

Bloodshade’s numbers ensured that a few always slipped through.

“Earth Spike!”

A sharp stalagmite shot up from the ground before Zhao Nan, blocking his path. A slender figure flashed behind him, wiping sweat from his nose with a proud, triumphant grin.

This was Jiang Lun, who pumped his fist and laughed, “Not bad, right?”

“Not bad,” Zhao Nan replied with a quiet chuckle, all the while directing Gao Mingyang’s group to advance toward the labyrinth’s passage, retreating as they fought, slowly drawing away from the safe zone.

Fenina moved to join them, most of her skills still on cooldown, making it impossible to repeat her earlier overwhelming assault.

“Block them! Don’t let them escape!”

Wang Wei screamed wildly, no longer caring for anything else. He lunged forward, spewing a torrent of flame that sealed off the labyrinth’s passage like a living wall of fire.

“Xu Yang, give me an enhancement spell!” Zhao Nan called out.

“On it!” Without hesitation, Xu Yang clapped her hands together, light shining from her palms. Her enhancement spells had grown stronger, now capable of giving her teammates a significant boost.

A cool sensation coursed through Zhao Nan’s body. He checked his status, relaxed, glanced at Xu Yang, and said calmly, “Take care of yourself.”

“You be careful—” she began, but Zhao Nan had already leapt from Gao Mingyang’s protective circle, covering three meters with each stride.

“Fenina, switch!”

No longer a suppressive artillery from afar, Zhao Nan became a mobile cannon deep in enemy ranks.

With speed and reflexes far superior to any ordinary thief, and a mastery of melee skills, Zhao Nan calculated the attack patterns of Bloodshade’s fighters. His own offense was no longer just lesser fireballs, but an arsenal: fireballs, explosive fireballs, dragonflame strikes, scorching rays—all filling the battlefield with smoke and fire.

Twin Spiral Slash, Assault Wind Blade, combined with his extraordinary speed, left his enemies reeling, unable to keep up.

Mud Trap, Bewitch, Bramble Vines!

Rock Armor, water-based healing, and a host of debuff resistances—plus terrifying health regeneration.

Between his fingers, Zhao Nan now held a health potion and a mana potion, launching a ceaseless barrage of five schools of magic, single-handedly holding back the bulk of Bloodshade’s force.

Arrows could not track him, magic attacks could not pierce his relentless onslaught, and his own strength was astonishing.

“Mingyang, you six form a unit; attack from the left and advance slowly with Xu Yang at the center. Fenina, take the right and stay ready to switch with me!”

World’s End had only eight members, but two of them held unique, powerful hidden classes, both at level fifteen.

Sky Sword Saint—Star Combo! Fenina’s cooldowns had ended, and a new storm of sword-light exploded on the right. Gao Mingyang’s small squad was formidable as well; Xu Fei was a priest, Xu Yang a sage, providing healing and buffs without missing a beat.

“In the end, you’re all just greenhorns,” Wang Wei sighed, watching his own ranks fall into disarray, defeat already evident.

Clenching his fists, he shouted, “Stop! Cease fire!”

Now was not the time for pride, but for survival.