It was too late for the Holy Mage to defend. His several crowd control spells were all on cooldown. Even if they were up, they would be rendered useless by the effects of Strength of the Bull, just like the Sheep Transformation he had panic-cast a moment ago.
Bladelight had run high-difficulty dungeons for so long, so how could he not own a single gap closer? He possessed a myriad of skills, far more than even Nie Yan, not to mention many of them were obtained from clearing dungeons on Specialist. At the current stage of the game, he was tyrannical to the extreme, and his Strength far surpassed that of any other Warrior.
When players engaged in PvP, the outcome couldn't be determined by simply comparing the technical abilities of the players. It depended on which side possessed the deeper foundation. For example, imagine a battle between two players at Level 30, where one player got to that level through the hunting of regular mobs, while the other through running countless dungeons on Specialist. Whether in terms of skills, gear, or stats, the former would be far outclassed by the latter. Even if both players were equal in technical ability, the second they crossed blades, the battle would be completely lopsided.
Nearly all the skills at Bladelight's disposal carried the marks of various major dungeons; his Strength of the Bull for example was obtained from clearing Bovine Prairie on Specialist.
Bladelight struck the Holy Mage, then followed up with Flame Slash, sending the opponent collapsing to the ground. As a Warrior, he could deal serious damage to cloth-armoured opponents like Mages, as long as he could get close to them.
Two of the ten players from Holy Empire fell after barely setting foot into the arena. The eight remaining players couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.
The Berserkers charged forward to surround Bladelight.
Shield Bash!
Bladelight slammed his greatshield into the chest of a Berserker, as the tyrannical power sent his opponent staggering back several steps. He activated Nimbleness of the Cheetah, giving himself an explosive burst of speed, then broke out of the encirclement with Sudden Assault.
Bladelight rushed toward a nearby Elementalist.
The Elementalist frantically buffed himself with Ice Armour, then raised his staff, about to cast Immobilize. But he had hardly voiced the first syllable when Bladelight entered his cast range...
Suppressing Roar!
Bladelight's Suppressing Roar struck all the Elementalists, interrupting their spells mid-cast.
Nearly all of Bladelight's skills were activated at pivotal moments in the battle; combined with his valiant defensive capabilities, he gave people a feeling of being untouchable.
As Bladelight closed in on the Elementalist, he activated Tempest Slash, unleashing a wild stream of sword light which pierced the opponent's chest before sending him flying.
−563!
Instant kill!
Bladelight's Tempest Slash was truly domineering without compare. At present, he was akin to an unshakeable deity!
"Three down," Bladelight coolly announced, like a death sentence from King Yama.
Everyone was stunned by how easily the Elementalist died. Bladelight's actions were simply too fast. From the moment he activated Nimbleness of the Cheetah and broke away from the encirclement of Berserkers to instantly killing the Elementalist with Tempest Slash, not more than three seconds had passed. How could anyone retaliate in such a short amount of time!?
Just as Bladelight killed the Elementalist, he spotted another Elementalist from the corner of his eye casting a spell. It was Immobilize!
Before the Elementalist chanted the last incantation syllable, Bladelight activated the Rank 6 Shield.
A brilliant barrier enveloped Bladelight, protecting his body from any and all outside attacks. Just as he was about to turn to face the Berserker who was rushing at him, his body turned stiff. He was struck by Immobilize! For the next five to six seconds, he wouldn't be able to budge even an inch!
"He's been immobilized! Quickly take him out!" shouted the Elementalist. It wasn't easy for him to get off this crowd control spell. They couldn't let this opportunity go to waste!
The Berserkers didn't miss a beat. Charge! They rushed up to Bladelight.
Flame Slash!
Berserk Slash!
A concentrated barrage of attacks landed on Bladelight.「Thud! Thud! Thud!」Muffled sounds rang out as the immobilized Bladelight was continuously pushed back by the powerful strikes, while a shower of spells bombarded his body.
"Shit! We can't break his defenses!" Ruined Maple cursed gloomily.
Tendon Break was useless against heavily armoured targets like Fighters, so the Berserkers could only rely on regular attacks.
Bladelight's defenses were akin to an impregnable fortress. When layered on top of his formidable physical defense and magic resistance, the Rank 6 Shield was able to absorb a great amount of damage. For a moment, the players from Holy Empire had no choice but to watch on helplessly as their attacks barely did anything to him. They could only slowly chip away at his health.
Even though Bladelight's health quickly fell below 80% under the concentrated onslaught of attacks, this wasn't nearly enough to satisfy the players from Holy Empire. They were with seven after all, each of them throwing everything they had at the immobilized Bladelight. Yet they barely shaved off 20% of his health, how was this possible!?
At this moment, Sleepy Fox, who was watching the battle from the spectator stands, couldn't help but stand up with an excited expression. He knew better than anyone just what a Fighter with high defense signified. It meant an unending flood of good equipment. In a short period of a time, the equipment of almost all of the guild's elites would be raised by a tier.
"That shield is a set bonus from the Everlasting Silver Set?" Sleepy Fox asked. The effects of this shield were simply too amazing. It seemed he had still underestimated the properties of this equipment set.
Nie Yan also didn't expect the Rank 6 Shield to be so formidable. Its persistent effects were impressive as well. "Yes, it's the set bonus of the Everlasting Silver Set."
"Sell me an Everlasting Silver Set. I'll pay the 700 gold," Sleepy Fox said in an earnest tone. At the current stage of the game, the value of the Everlasting Silver Set definitely exceeded 700 gold! If Radiant Sacred Flame or Victorious Return knew they could use 700 gold to obtain such a set, they would definitely pounce on the opportunity without the slightest hesitation. Of course, Nie Yan would never sell to them.
Bladelight was already ample proof of the Everlasting Silver Set's worth.
"I don't have another complete set at the moment, " Nie Yan replied. Even if Sleepy Fox was more patient, he still couldn't gather a second set so soon. He understood that selling the Everlasting Silver Set to Holy Empire was worth it. If Holy Empire was at a disadvantageous position when they crossed swords with Radiant Sacred Flame and ended up defeated, then Asskickers United would bear the brunt of the combined power of Radiant Sacred Flame and Victorious Return. By selling the Everlasting Silver Set to Holy Empire, he would be increasing their strength.
"It doesn't matter if it takes a little while. As long as you can get me the set by the time Battle Fervour reaches Level 30, it'll be fine," Sleepy Fox said. Although 700 gold was a considerable sum, enough to severely hurt his wallet, when compared to the formidable defensive capabilities of the Everlasting Silver Set, it was still worth every coin. At worst, when Battle Fervour got to Level 30, they would have to hunt a few more Lords to earn back their expenses.
"Well, if you really want it. Give me a down payment of 300 gold first." Nie Yan was unrelenting. If he could get 300 gold from Sleepy Fox, he would have even more money for the upcoming virtual property auction.
"You're even going to bicker with me about this…?" Sleepy Fox asked in a dejected tone. Nie Yan was really too much of a miser!
"Even sworn brothers must cleanly settle their accounts. Do you want it or not? If you don't hand over a down payment, then when the time comes, I don't know if I'll have an Everlasting Silver Set to sell to you. Aside from Bladelight, my guild has other Fighters that would want such a set," Nie Yan said in an indifferent tone. He didn't think Sleepy Fox was truly a Mr. Moneybags, even willing to hand over 700 gold. If he had known earlier, he would've raised the price a little higher. However, he couldn't completely empty Sleepy Fox's pockets. After all, they were still allies.
"Fine, let's sign an agreement… you know, to avoid you robbing me of 300 gold," Sleepy Fox relented. He gave Nie Yan an agreement to sign.
"If I can't deliver an Everlasting Silver Set after five days, I'll have to pay an additional penalty fee of 200 gold. You really are too sinister!" Nie Yan said after looking at the agreement. In other words, if he didn't give the Everlasting Silver Set to Sleepy Fox, he would basically have to hand over 500 gold!
"We'll both be in the same boat." Sleepy Fox let out a sinister laugh.
Nie Yan pondered for a moment. As long as he had the money, endlessly farming the Mechanical Golems with Basic Magic Bombs to gather an Everlasting Silver Set was very doable. After all, the drop rate of the set pieces was relatively high, not to mention they had already gathered a bunch of spare pieces. He signed the agreement without further hesitation. If there was money to be earned, he would be a fool not to take advantage of the opportunity.
At this moment, a new development occurred on the arena stage.
Bladelight regained control of his body by the time his health dropped down by about 40%.
Bladelight originally believed that after being struck by Immobilize, his health would fall by at least 60% when he regained control. Like this, he would still have a chance to make a comeback. He didn't expect that after he regained control of his body, his health only fell by 37%. He was now even more confident in beating the remaining seven to win this battle.
Blind!
An Arcane Mage cast Blind on Bladelight, causing his vision to go dark.
However, with so much health remaining, what was there for Bladelight to fear!?
Although Bladelight was blinded, he could still sense the Berserkers beside him from their attacks. With a Whirlwind Slash, a string of damage values displaying over two hundred floated up above their heads.
It was the lifesteal property!
Bladelight instantly regained 5% of his health!
The surrounding Berserkers were dumbfounded. They had put in painstaking effort to shave away a bit of Bladelight's health, only to have him regain a huge chunk of it with only one attack! Was he trying to drive them into bashing their heads into a wall and committing suicide!?
Suppressing Roar!
Knockback!
The Berserkers went ballistic. They frantically attacked Bladelight, slowly pushing him back. The powerful impact of their attacks nearly knocked him off balance.
Bladelight let out a ferocious roar. With a wide-arcing slash, he sent a Berserker flying outwards, then activated another Whirlwind Slash.
Punishing Blow!
Bladelight's sword slash sent yet another Berserker flying.
Despite being blinded, Bladelight's attacks were exceptionally accurate. After all, these Berserkers were all moving within melee distance of him, he could easily determine their positions.
「Bang! Bang!」Two Flame Bursts struck Bladelight and fiercely exploded on his body. The devastating power of the Flame Bursts pushed him back several steps.
However, although the two Flame Bursts had a huge visual impact, they only dealt a little over 30 damage each to Bladelight! It was barely a scratch!
Bladelight recovered his vision. Of the five Berserkers, four were on low health!