No player appeared to obstruct their path.
When Alister and the three-person team reached the 21st floor, it seemed empty, with footsteps and breathing echoing through the floor.
The sentinels lay in ambush, already prepared for battle.
"You go deal with the one trying to ambush us from behind," the sportswear-clad youth said to Alister. "We'll take care of these guys."
"I would feel guilty if I slacked off," Alister sighed and agreed, then took a step forward, heading alone to the other side of the 21st floor.
It's good to conserve some stamina, preparing for the encounter with the slender ghostly figure, he thought.
Conflict was imminent.
...
...
As the three-person team took action, Alister also engaged in battle.
Hum—
The sentinel took a deep breath, gripping the hilt of his blade as his martial ability was activated.
In the next second, a breath of air was exhaled, and an unpredictable sword technique dispersed, oppressing the air and making hearts heavy!
"Unsheathing Slash."
As the words fell, the long blade was unsheathed, and a forceful slash, embodying the power of a fierce tiger, cut through the field of view. Its power was enough to kill an ordinary person, and it surged toward Alister!
Roar! Faint tiger shadows seemed to roar!
At the same time, Alister's mind raced, and dozens of response strategies formed in his mind, shadows seemingly shifting.
Moving through the shadows, Alister circled around the sentinel, searching for a fatal opening...
Using the shadows near the sentinel's feet to lock his movements...
Manipulating shadow spikes to launch a surprise attack from his blind spot...
In this short yet long period of time, Alister considered various factors, such as psychic energy consumption, the need to remain inconspicuous, and the possibility of the opponent having hidden cards...
Discarding one efficient plan after another, Alister finally raised his left hand from the coat pocket, and the shadows within his sleeve began to coil and merge, gradually solidifying into a sharp form.
"Shadow Blade." He decided to respond in the simplest way.
Whenever Alister played the game, he would never choose to escape or use external cheats to complete it.
When selecting the game difficulty, Alister often chose the Hell difficulty to challenge himself.
—Let's see who will come out on top?
The moment Alister conceived such thoughts, his faint smile vanished, replaced by a captivating gaze—
"Unsheathing Slash."
—Alister immediately learned the opponent's fighting technique. The sharply honed shadow blade followed a semicircular trajectory, also dividing the limited field of view!
The air tore, eardrums wailed!
Shadows and the fierce tiger clashed in mid-air, and a tremendous counterforce instantly spread to Alister's left arm!
His figure was thrown backward.
Driven by the inertia of his retreat, Alister adjusted his balance with his right hand against the ground, the black coat swaying as he performed a smooth backflip to a safe distance.
With the activation of A-level Shadow Domination, he could subtly adjust joints' shadows for actions resembling an exoskeleton.
Alister regulated his breathing and locked his gaze on the sentinel, positioning the shadow blade horizontally in front of him.
Their eyes met, and the sentinel furrowed his brow, seemingly frustrated by not being able to defeat his opponent.
A silent moment passed.
Then, an unexpected clash ensued. Both parties closed the distance between them!
The sentinel tightly gripped his sword with both hands, taking a step forward and swinging the blade diagonally, using a half-moon slash to strike Alister with all his might!
After the first exchange, Alister understood the sentinel's strength and exerted force with his body.
A person shouldn't make the same mistake twice.
The blade descended!
Alister, like a ghost, moved his body to the side, evading the slash in this second encounter.
Then, at the moment the sentinel was locked in an attack's rigidity—
"Your attacks are somewhat rigid."
Alister seized the opportunity, his gaze indifferent. He raised the shadow blade, lifting it diagonally towards the sentinel's neck.
"...Hiss..." The sentinel's pupils contracted, quickly initiating a martial technique, erupting his martial qi!
In an entirely illogical manner, like a fixed move in a fighting game, the sentinel's blade mysteriously changed direction!
The melee realm of a martial player!
The situation flipped once again, and the sentinel pressed Alister relentlessly. In the process of exchanging blows, the pressure on the sentinel's side gradually increased, and he began to sweat slightly.
The guy in front of him... visibly improving...
They couldn't continue like this.
The sentinel mustered his strength for one last strike!
The blood-red martial qi enveloped the sentinel's muscular body, and the blade gathered strength once again. This time, he would unleash his ultimate move!
"Ha...ha...ha..." The sentinel laughed victoriously.
At this moment, even the most dull-witted person could understand that this place was a hunting ground where players were waiting to be caught.
...
...
Twenty minutes earlier, on a street in the Linggu Valley District, a frail man turned his head, looking back at the soon-to-be-demolished high-rise with a false smile.
As a holder of A-level abilities with exceptional five senses, his perception far exceeded that of all normal players, even reaching the level of an A-rank player.
He had already sensed the commotion caused by the players attempting to encircle him and evacuated ahead of time.
"Hehehe..." He spread his hands, unable to help but laugh. "The world... is in my hands... you fools..."
Not only that... I have a special gift for all of you...
None of you will win in this game...
The frail man revealed a sinister gaze, then turned nonchalantly, perceiving the slender ghostly figure approaching him through his senses.
The street was cleaved open by the black shadow scythe, neon lights gradually dimming as shadows spread.
"The players inside that building can't escape, as expected. Enjoy the slaughter."
He inserted both hands into his pockets, fearlessly facing the slender ghostly figure, giving casual instructions.
The slender ghostly figure didn't move, merely staring at the frail man like he was trash, emitting a chilling growl.
Then, as if validating the frail man's words, the building suddenly trembled, particularly noticeable on the 21st floor.
Hair-raising whispers filled the air, as if the Grim Reaper was coming for their lives.
Sounds of concrete and steel being shattered echoed.
...
...
Back in time to twenty minutes earlier.
In a street in the Linggu Valley District, the frail man turned his head, looking back at the soon-to-be-demolished high-rise with a false smile.
As a holder of A-level abilities with exceptional five senses, his perception far exceeded that of all normal players, even reaching the level of an A-rank player.
He had already sensed the commotion caused by the players attempting to encircle him and evacuated ahead of time.
"Hehehe..." He spread his hands, unable to help but laugh. "The world... is in my hands... you fools..."
Not only that... I have a special gift for all of you...
None of you will win in this game...
The frail man revealed a sinister gaze, then turned nonchalantly, perceiving the slender ghostly figure approaching him through his senses.
The street was cleaved open by the black shadow scythe, neon lights gradually dimming as shadows spread.
"The players inside that building can't escape, as expected. Enjoy the slaughter."
He inserted both hands into his pockets, fearlessly facing the slender ghostly figure, giving casual instructions.
The slender ghostly figure didn't move, merely staring at the frail man like he was trash, emitting a chilling growl.
Then, as if validating the frail man's words, the building suddenly trembled, particularly noticeable on the 21st floor.
Hair-raising whispers filled the air, as if the Grim Reaper was coming for their lives.
Sounds of concrete and steel being shattered echoed.
...
...
"..." The sportswear-clad youth looked up gravely.
The ceiling was broken by the slender ghostly figure's scythe, and the containment item of this sequence game, the slender ghostly figure, loomed above them, bellowing.
"Hehehe..." The sentinel laughed in triumph.
Now, as expected, this was a hunting ground where players were waiting to be caught.
...
...
Time rewinds to twenty minutes ago.
In a certain street in the Linggu District, the frail man looked back at the soon-to-be-demolished skyscraper at the edge of his vision, wearing a fake smile.
As a holder of A-rank abilities and possessing extraordinary senses, his perception far surpassed that of ordinary players, reaching the level of an A-rank player.
He had already sensed the movements of those players who planned to corner him and evacuated beforehand.
"Hehehe..." He spread his hands and couldn't help but laugh. "The world... is in my hands... you fools..."
Not only that... I have a big surprise for you all...
None of you will win this game...
The frail man's eyes showed a sickly expression, then he casually turned around. In his perception, the slender ghostly figure was dragging itself toward him.
The street cracked as the black shadow scythe slashed through, neon lights dimming, and shadows spreading.
"The players are all inside that building, and as expected, they don't have the energy to escape. Go ahead and slaughter them to your heart's content."
He casually inserted his hands into his pockets and fearlessly stared at the slender ghostly figure, directing it without a care.
The slender ghostly figure didn't move; it simply stared at the frail man as if looking at trash, emitting an eerie low growl.
Then, the frail man tilted his ear as if pretending to listen.
"Oh? You're not happy with my style... and want to slowly kill me?"
He seemed to sense the emotions of the slender ghostly figure and spoke each word deliberately.
"Hehehe... You truly are conscious..." He laughed.
In the end, the frail man scrutinized the slender ghostly figure for a second, then swiftly pulled out a handgun, pointing it at his own head.
His eyes seemed to glow with a demonic red light, his mouth curled up in a sinister smile as he declared:
"Goodbye."
Including you, and those foolish players...
Goodbye to all...
Bang, the gunshot echoed.
Enjoy this sequence game to the fullest, hahaha...
"Player eliminated."
...