**Chapter 96: The Fall of [John the Baptist] – The Battle Concludes**
Players in soul form nearby observed Su Yu's every move with bated breath.
It was then that the realization hit them:
"I finally get it! I know what Nemesis is planning!"
"Same here! Our respawn points must be within 20 meters of the boss. As long as Nemesis reaches him, we'll be able to resurrect and attack instantly!"
"Exactly! We'll drop in from above and overwhelm the boss with a coordinated ambush!"
"What a brilliant strategy! No wonder he's the game's top player."
"The future belongs to Nemesis! He's earned my loyalty."
Excitement rippled through the group as they praised Su Yu's ingenuity.
---
Su Yu, having released his plan in the chat room, added a few final reminders for the team. Then, he took off at top speed toward the location of [John the Baptist].
After a few swift dodges, he reached the edge of the [Shadow Canopy]'s cover. As he left the shadows, Su Yu activated [Invisibility], sneaking toward the top of the canyon.
Seeing Su Yu's incredible pace for the first time, players in the soul state were awestruck:
"Whoa! How is Nemesis so fast?"
"This is insane! I've never moved that fast in-game!"
"As an assassin, I feel embarrassed watching this."
"I knew it! The 'Flying Man of Village 6' rumor from yesterday was about Nemesis all along!"
"Forget the chatter! Let's keep up."
"Right, following his lead!"
More than 80 players in soul form trailed Su Yu, racing toward the canyon's summit.
But Su Yu quickly realized that reaching his target wouldn't be as simple as anticipated. The high-level bandits had an unusually large aggro range, and even with [Invisibility], he risked detection as he neared them.
Su Yu's epic [Invisibility] only lasted 30 seconds and required a three-minute cooldown, not nearly enough time to approach [John the Baptist] directly. So, he opted to take a detour through the forest behind the bandit camp.
After ten minutes of maneuvering through the trees, Su Yu found a vantage point 65 meters behind [John the Baptist].
As a level 70 boss, [John the Baptist] had a wide alert range, easily exceeding 100 meters. Fortunately, with the battle below in full chaos, the boss remained focused on the ongoing clash, oblivious to Su Yu's approach.
Su Yu was now one critical step away from executing his plan.
---
Positioned behind a tree, Su Yu pressed his back against the trunk, taking a deep breath to steady himself. He sent a message to the chat room: "Snow Leopard, is everyone ready?"
Snow Leopard (in soul form) responded, "We're ready and waiting."
Glancing at the eager group of players around him, Snow Leopard sighed. Unlike Su Yu, these players didn't need to take a long detour—they could walk straight through in their soul state. But a few close-combat enthusiasts, seemingly bored or overly excited, kept spamming emotes like "slap," "spit," and "deadly chicken strike" at the boss, much to Snow Leopard's dismay.
Su Yu replied, "Perfect. Tell everyone to be ready to hit the 'Revive' button on my signal."
"Understood!" Snow Leopard shouted the instructions in the player channel.
After waiting a few more seconds behind the tree, Su Yu deemed the moment right. He stepped out, staff in hand.
At that exact instant, [John the Baptist] sensed something and turned around, but it was already too late.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Three blinding white lights appeared in quick succession as Su Yu cast [Blink], closing the 45-meter distance to the boss. He landed just 20 meters away.
In the same instant, over 80 players revived around him in a blaze of white light.
Su Yu immediately crushed his [Badge of Equality of All Beings].
A golden wave of light emanated from his hand, enveloping everyone within a 40-meter radius.
[John the Baptist] and his four level-50 guards were instantly reduced to level 13!
The players, empowered to level 13 by the wave, found themselves on equal footing with the boss. With newfound vigor, they unleashed every powerful attack at their disposal. Arrows, spells, and blades converged on [John the Baptist], while damage numbers flashed rapidly above his head, his health dropping by 2% per second.
[John the Baptist], now aware of the ambush, tried to retaliate. But weakened and grounded, his options were limited. His powerful fifth-tier skills—[Cross Slash], [Mountain Collapse], [Rage Burst], and [Soul-Eating Hand]—were locked. Forced to rely on basic moves, he struck out at the players in vain.
While each hit was powerful, enough to one-shot even a well-equipped tank, the sheer volume of attacks was overwhelming. The boss's guards fared even worse, unable to withstand the combined onslaught of area attacks and high damage from players like Snow Leopard and Thousand Cups Not Drunk. They fell quickly, their health depleted by the relentless barrage.
The bandits battling below finally noticed the chaos above and turned to assist. But the distance from the canyon floor to the top was too great, and the Queen's Guard blocked their path, intercepting any bandits who attempted to break through.
Under the relentless assault, [John the Baptist] lasted barely a minute. His health plummeted until his life bar emptied, and with a final, defeated cry, he dropped his sword to the ground.
---
"Ding! Congratulations on completing the side quest [Kill the Bandit Leader]. Rewards: 1000 experience points and 10 psionic coins. Please collect them from Player Nemesis."
"Ding! The bandit leader [John the Baptist] has fallen. The remaining bandits, shaken and disoriented, are fleeing the battlefield."
"Ding! Scenario campaign [Battle at Giant Wood Canyon] complete. Calculating mission rating…"
"Mission rating: 'S.'"
"S-Rank Reward: +20% to all experience points and psionic coins earned in the battle, plus a random high-quality green item matching your level and class."
"Thank you for your participation. The [Battle at Giant Wood Canyon] scenario has officially ended."
*End of Chapter*