As the Level 108 Tier 3 Shield Warrior's hitpoints dropped to zero, his massive frame crashed to the ground and dissolved into motes of starlight that faded into nothing. For a moment, the entire world seemed to freeze, an indescribable silence blanketing the battlefield—one that was equally deafening.
"He's dead?"
"That's impossible!"
Everyone stared at the graceful figure standing beside the Shield Warrior, their jaws hanging open, the shock in their eyes beyond words. The members of Sentinel Sanctuary were particularly stunned, their faces plastered with disbelief.
None of them knew better than they did just how astronomical a Tier 3 Shield Warrior's defense and hitpoints were.
Truth be told, even if you let a Tier 3 Berserker wail on one with everything they had—even using magic skills—it would take more than a dozen hits to bring one down. But now? Forget a dozen attacks; even the healers in their Sanctuary hadn't had time to throw a single heal. The Shield Warrior had been instant-killed in the blink of an eye. It was almost a joke.
"That was a Tier 3 demonized Shield Warrior!" Purple Lightning Rakshasa stared at Huo Wu as she calmly walked back to Shi Feng's side, her tongue tied in knots. "Is she even human?"
She had fought Tier 3 demonized powerhouses before and knew all too well how terrifying they were. Setting aside their defense and hitpoints, the sheer reaction speed of a Tier 3 demonized expert was on an entirely different level from a normal Tier 3 player.
Yet Huo Wu had caught the Tier 3 demonized Shield Warrior so off-guard that he couldn't even react—before she'd outright one-shot him…
That reaction speed and burst was something she had never heard of.
"She's actually that strong?" Jun Ya stared fixedly at Huo Wu in the distance, her gaze blazing with a cocktail of shock and excitement.
Powerful.
Violent.
This kind of suffurating strength was exactly what she had always pursued. She never imagined she'd actually get to witness it in person. And what was even more incredible was that this kind of monster had apparently been at Shi Feng's side all along…
Never mind Jun Ya and the others finding it hard to believe—even Qing Shuang and the rest standing behind Shi Feng were slack-jawed, never expecting Zero Wing's people to be this formidable.
Even Zhu Tian Luan Shi, who had remained silent until now, had a flicker of surprise in his gaze as he looked at Huo Wu.
"I never expected Zero Wing to have been hiding a powerhouse of this caliber. No wonder you had the nerve to come out here and block us." Zhu Tian Luan Shi glanced at Huo Wu before turning his attention to Shi Feng. "But if you think you lot can actually stop Sentinel Sanctuary in our tracks—you're sorely mistaken!"
The moment Zhu Tian Luan Shi finished speaking, over a dozen Tier 3 experts behind him transformed into demons. A terrifying aura engulfed the entire battlefield, sending a chill down Qing Shuang and the others' spines.
There were only a dozen or so of them, yet the pressure they radiated dwarfed that of the several hundred Tier 2 experts in Sentinel Sanctuary.
"So Zhu Tian Luan Shi is getting serious," Purple Lightning Rakshasia muttered, her expression darkening as she regarded the demonized Tier 3 powerhouses of Sentinel Sanctuary.
The Shield Warrior who had acted earlier had combat proficiency at the bare Entry-level—the lowest among this group. If all dozen-plus of them attacked together, even a monster like Huo Wu probably wouldn't stand a chance. After all, team battles and solo fights were entirely different beasts. Coordination between members could cover individual weaknesses while simultaneously exploiting the enemy's.
Besides, the Assassin class was at its strongest during Stealth. Once discovered, their combat power was cut in half—and Zhu Tian Luan Shi's group had already taken notice of Huo Wu's existence, making future ambushes far more difficult.
The demonized Tier 3 experts fanned out and closed in on Shi Feng's group from multiple directions, leaving Huo Wu no room for one-on-one engagements. Each of them unleashed their full arsenal.
Tier 3 Magic: Shadow Pierce!
Tier 3 Skill: Bladestorm!
Tier 3 Skill: Shadow Assault!
Tier 3 Magic: Inferno Dragon Bind!
…
In an instant, over a dozen magic skills hurtled toward Shi Feng's group from every conceivable angle. Faced with this onslaught, Qing Shuang and the others felt a wave of despair wash over them.
Every single one of those skills packed power approaching Tier 4, and the seamless coordination between them formed an all-encompassing barrage that no handful of players could possibly weather.
Yet facing this terrifying combined assault, Huo Wu—who stood at Shi Feng's side—did not do what everyone expected. She didn't activate Gust Step or any of those brief invincibility skills to shield herself. Instead, she stood calmly beside Shi Feng, showing no intention of making a move whatsoever, as if the storm of combined attacks simply didn't exist.
As the wave of magic skills bore down on them, drawing ever closer to Shi Feng and Huo Wu, Shi Feng suddenly moved.