Chapter 679: Ice Dragon’s Breath

InfernoFiend001 watched the duel intently, waiting for the right moment to act. The situation had taken a disastrous turn in a matter of seconds, and he was desperately trying to figure out how their guild master could turn things around.

In just one exchange, InfernoRider001 had lost nearly half his HP. Worse, the freezing effect from the blue ice hoe in SoulfireBlade’s hand had slowed his movements, leaving him at a serious disadvantage in close combat. Under these circumstances, trading blows with SoulfireBlade was practically asking for death.

The situation was even more frustrating when he considered that SoulfireBlade’s golden shield had reduced the damage from InfernoRider001’s strongest combination, Sky-Rage Leap and Blaze Gold Mystic Slaughter, to a mere 2,500 HP.

That was absurd!

InfernoRider001 could barely believe what he was seeing. Even his ordinary attacks would probably deal only seven or eight hundred damage now, which might not be enough to overcome SoulfireBlade’s health recovery. If things continued like this, he could exhaust himself attacking without making any meaningful progress.

’Damn it!’

’Where had SoulfireBlade gotten that shield?’ InfernoRider001 had never seen anything like it before. His Mythic weapon, the source of his overwhelming attack power and the foundation of his reputation, had just been rendered far less effective by a single piece of equipment.

’Could it be a Divine Artifact?’

He had no time to dwell on the question. If he wanted to win, he needed to change his approach immediately.

"Windwhirl Clone Art!"

Without another moment’s hesitation, InfernoRider001 activated the skill of his black Mythic cloak, the Windwhirl Cloak.

A clone possessing 50% of his attributes appeared in front of him, placing itself directly between him and SoulfireBlade. At the same time, both InfernoRider001 and his clone began spinning upward, rising into the air as though caught in a powerful whirlwind.

The skill allowed him to float ten meters above the ground.

For an archer or mage, ten meters wasn’t much of an obstacle. They could simply continue attacking from a distance. But for a melee class without a suitable ranged or area attack, it was a completely different story. Once InfernoRider001 reached that height, most opponents would be powerless to touch him.

That was precisely why InfernoFiend001 had remained so confident despite the initial setback. InfernoRider001 still had other skills and equipment at his disposal, and the Windwhirl Cloak was one of his most valuable trump cards.

SoulfireBlade understood the problem just as well.

Under normal circumstances, there wouldn’t have been much he could do. Once InfernoRider001 reached a safe height, all SoulfireBlade could do was watch helplessly from the ground. But this time, he had already prepared for the possibility, and he wasn’t about to let his opponent escape so easily.

The moment InfernoRider001 activated his skill, SoulfireBlade urged his warhorse forward.

It was a Level 50 Zephyr Steed that he’d specially acquired for this fight, and he immediately put its speed and strength to use. Guiding the horse toward the clone blocking his path, he unleashed his charge skill.

"Roaring Charge!"

The Zephyr Steed surged forward, carrying SoulfireBlade into the attack with tremendous force.

BOOM!

A damage figure appeared above the clone’s head.

-4,500!

The unfortunate clone had only risen about two meters when SoulfireBlade caught up with it. The blue hoe slammed into its body, and the devastating blow dealt enough damage to destroy it instantly.

However, that brief exchange had served its purpose.

While the clone blocked SoulfireBlade’s path, InfernoRider001 had continued rising. By the time the clone disappeared, he was already three meters above the ground, safely beyond SoulfireBlade’s immediate reach.

Under ordinary circumstances, the outcome would have been obvious. SoulfireBlade couldn’t reach him, and InfernoRider001 could simply remain airborne until the opportunity to attack presented itself. His opponent would have no choice but to wait helplessly below.

"Heh."

Yet SoulfireBlade showed no sign of panic. Looking up at the floating InfernoRider001, he smiled faintly and issued a command through the guild system.

"Sync, get ready. I’m giving the attack order."

Before InfernoRider001 could react to those words, SoulfireBlade raised his blue hoe and launched his next attack.

"Ice Dragon’s Breath!"

The hoe swept through the air, releasing a brilliant surge of blue light. Powerful water-element energy erupted from the weapon, swirling and gathering until it formed the shape of a massive ice dragon. With a thunderous roar, the dragon surged toward InfernoRider001, who was now floating five meters above the ground.

It looked like an enormous blue wave crashing against its target, carrying an overwhelming force that seemed capable of swallowing everything in its path.

This was the ultimate skill of the Ice-Fire Twin Dragon Hoe.

When the ice and fire halves of the Mythic Artifact were wielded together, they could unleash the devastating Ice-Fire Dragon Breath. But even when separated, each half retained a powerful ultimate skill of its own. The ice hoe alone could unleash Ice Dragon’s Breath, a formidable attack that concentrated its power into an enormous dragon of ice and water-element energy.

And now, that very attack was hurtling straight toward InfernoRider001.

BOOM!

The ice dragon struck with a deafening crash, engulfing InfernoRider001 in a torrent of blue light. Its immense body surged through him, battering him repeatedly as the attack’s energy tore through the air.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Red damage numbers erupted above InfernoRider001’s head in rapid succession. The sheer force of the attack left him with no opportunity to retaliate, and before the ice dragon finally passed through him, his health had plummeted.

Combined with the Golden Bow Skeleton Ghost’s relentless arrows, the attack dealt more than 5,000 damage.

InfernoRider001’s HP instantly hit zero.

His floating body stiffened before transforming into a corpse and plummeting toward the ground.

At that exact moment, SoulfireBlade’s victory was confirmed, and SoulSync, who had been standing beside Marcus, immediately roared through the guild system.

"Attack!"

The thousand-plus Soulfire members who had been waiting for this very moment surged forward at his command. Their high-defense, high-HP knights led the charge, riding toward Inferno’s formation with weapons raised.

Marcus was among them, and he already had a target in mind.

’The Furious Three.’

This was a Lawless Zone, where killing and being killed were part of the rules. Marcus had been itching to get into a fight from the beginning, and now that the battle had finally erupted, he had no intention of letting those three off easily.

Meanwhile, InfernoRider001’s corpse struck the ground with a heavy thud.

Two system notification sounds rang out almost simultaneously as two pieces of equipment dropped beside his body: the black Mythic Windwhirl Cloak and the Level 50 Golden two-handed long blade he had used earlier.

SoulfireBlade immediately moved to collect both items before they could be taken by someone else.

As the Soulfire members rushed forward, he quickly directed some of them to gather within the two-meter radius of golden light surrounding his Adamant Shield Wall. With the protective effect still active, they charged alongside him into the ranks of the stunned and unprepared Inferno members.

Inferno Guild was in complete disarray.

Not a single one of them had expected their guild master, a man renowned for killing powerful opponents with one blow, to not only fail to kill SoulfireBlade but actually lose the duel himself in a matter of seconds.

The entire fight had been over in five or six seconds.

Clean, decisive, and utterly humiliating.

The contrast between their expectations and reality was so overwhelming that many Inferno members simply stood there, unable to react. They had entered this confrontation expecting to crush Soulfire Guild. They were supposed to be the ones charging forward while their opponents scrambled to defend themselves.

Instead, Soulfire had seized the initiative and was now attacking them head-on.

Should they attack or defend?

For a brief moment, many Inferno members genuinely didn’t know what to do. Their guild master’s sudden death had shattered the confidence they’d carried into the battle, leaving them struggling to make sense of the situation.

Then the system announcement rang out across the battlefield.

Ding!

[Attention, players. In the Life-and-Death Duel between SoulfireBlade and InfernoRider001, Soulfire Guild Master SoulfireBlade has achieved a crushing victory!]

The announcement only made the situation worse for Inferno. The system had officially confirmed their guild master’s defeat, leaving no room for denial or excuses.

"Don’t panic! Knights, raise your shields! Mages and archers, attack!"

Fortunately, InfernoFiend001 reacted quickly. He immediately began issuing orders, forcing the stunned members to focus on the approaching enemy rather than dwell on their leader’s death.

However, the damage to their morale had already been done. InfernoRider001’s defeat had come far too quickly, and seeing SoulfireBlade charging toward them beneath the golden radiance of his shield only made matters worse.

The man who should have been lying dead on the ground was now leading the attack, his blue hoe in hand and his massive shield protecting him from incoming blows.

For the first time since the confrontation began, Inferno’s members felt genuine fear.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A dazzling barrage of ranged attacks swept across the battlefield as Soulfire’s forces advanced. Fireballs, arrows, and other offensive skills flew toward Inferno’s formation, forcing its members to brace themselves for the incoming assault.

By the time the two sides were within thirty meters of each other, Soulfire had already launched its first wave of attacks.

At the front of the formation, Soulfire’s mounted knights lowered their weapons and prepared to unleash Roaring Charge. Their horses gathered speed, building momentum for a coordinated assault intended to smash through Inferno’s defensive line.

Inferno’s shield-bearing knights quickly raised their defenses in response, but they were at a disadvantage. Soulfire’s mounted charge carried tremendous momentum, and their opponents had little time to establish a solid defensive formation.

Then Marcus made his move.

"Summon Red Locust Bees!"

He reached into his inventory, retrieved the Red Locust Bee Hive, and activated it with a command. A moment later, a loud buzzing filled the air as fifty-six Level 46 Red Locust Bees burst from the hive and swarmed toward Inferno’s formation.

"Heh..."

Hidden within the chaotic mass of Soulfire players, Marcus watched the bees spread across the battlefield.

With so many people charging forward at once, Inferno’s members had no way of knowing who had summoned them. Marcus wasn’t even riding his Royal Pegasus. Instead, he had borrowed an ordinary black horse from SoulSync, making himself look like just another knight in Soulfire’s ranks.

Honestly, he would have preferred to go all out.

He was itching to charge into the enemy formation atop his Royal Pegasus and unleash The Ascendant’s Domain in combination with Corpse Demon Shatters Heaven. With his current strength, the combination would almost certainly allow him to kill an entire group of enemies in a single attack.

That would be immensely satisfying.

Unfortunately, there was a small problem.

If he unleashed his full power in front of so many players, his identity would be exposed. Everyone would realize that Stonehaven, the number one knight on the Level Leaderboard, was hiding among Soulfire’s ranks. That was something Marcus absolutely couldn’t allow.

For now, he would have to keep a low profile, conceal his true strength, and settle for killing his enemies without drawing too much attention to himself.

BOOM!

A thunderous collision shook the battlefield.

Rumble!

Amid the violent impacts and deafening roar of battle, Soulfire and Inferno finally clashed head-on. Soulfire’s leading knights unleashed their Roaring Charge, their mounts crashing into Inferno’s shield-bearing defenders with overwhelming force. At the same time, mages and archers behind the charging knights poured ranged attacks into the enemy formation, further disrupting its defensive line.

The result was devastating.

Inferno’s shield-bearing knights struggled to withstand the combined assault. Their defenses buckled under the mounted charge, and the ranged attacks raining down behind it left them little opportunity to recover or reorganize.

Soulfire’s initial charge was a resounding success.

Although Soulfire had fewer players and was the attacking side, putting them at an obvious numerical disadvantage, their overwhelming morale helped make up for the difference. Their members had just witnessed their guild master defeat InfernoRider001 in a matter of seconds, and that victory had filled them with confidence.

They weren’t charging forward out of desperation anymore. They believed they could win.

Leading the assault was SoulfireBlade himself, still protected by the golden radiance of the Adamant Shield Wall. Surrounded by a group of Soulfire elites, he tore through the gap in Inferno’s formation, his massive shield shielding him from incoming attacks while his blue hoe struck down anyone foolish enough to stand in his way.

Like a flood bursting through a broken dam, Soulfire’s forces poured into the opening and crashed directly into the enemy’s mages and archers.

Marcus followed close behind SoulfireBlade, riding his ordinary black horse straight into the heart of Inferno’s formation.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

His weapon flashed repeatedly. One strike, one kill. Another strike, another corpse.

To Marcus, the battlefield was little more than a field of ripe watermelons waiting to be sliced apart. He moved through the packed ranks of players, killing enemies with such overwhelming ease that most of them didn’t even have time to understand what had happened before their characters fell.

The battlefield was so chaotic that almost nobody noticed him. Everyone was busy fighting, shouting orders, launching skills, or desperately trying to survive the sudden collapse of their formation.

Even if someone happened to catch sight of him, they would have struggled to identify him. Marcus wore an ordinary mask and rode an ordinary mount, with none of the distinctive equipment or appearance that might have revealed his true identity.

And this was a Lawless Zone, where players were far too busy fighting for their lives to pay close attention to the identity of every enemy they encountered.

As far as Marcus was concerned, he could keep killing without worrying about exposing himself.

Amid the chaos, however, he had another objective in mind.

His gaze locked onto Light Knight Ash001.

Marcus was intensely curious about the scroll Ash001 had used earlier, the mysterious item that had teleported two thousand guild members directly into the area. Such an ability was far too valuable to ignore. If he could figure out what the scroll was and how it worked, it might prove useful in the future.

Unfortunately, while Marcus focused on Ash001, he failed to notice that someone else had been watching him.

Lydia.

The vixen had been following him through the chaos, and she’d witnessed nearly everything he had done.

She watched as Marcus cut down warriors, knights, mages, and archers, one after another. No matter what class his opponents belonged to or how they tried to defend themselves, the outcome was always the same.

One strike. One kill. Every single time.

Lydia was utterly stunned.

She stared at the knight’s broad, imposing back, struggling to reconcile what she was seeing with the strength she had previously attributed to him. She had already known that Stone possessed extraordinary defensive capabilities, as one would expect from a powerful knight. But his attack power was on an entirely different level.

It was monstrous.