Xue Wuhen moved with incredible speed, everything happening in the blink of an eye.
He gave Ziyan Liuyun absolutely no chance to cast a spell.
He knew a bit about Ziyan Liuyun — her strength was formidable. If he gave her even a moment to recover, the assassination might fail. That was why he had spent considerable time slowly closing the distance, using Shadow Step only when he was at its maximum range. By the time Ziyan Liuyun's instincts reacted, it was already too late.
The dagger engraved with black magic runes tore through the air easily, landing squarely on Ziyan Liuyun's back.
Having landed the first strike, Xue Wuhen immediately used an assassin's highest damage skill, Shadow Kill, instead of a skill like Backstab. Backstab had an attack animation that wasted precious time, so he opted for Shadow Kill, which required none.
Instantly, Xue Wuhen transformed into a streak of black light, passing straight through Ziyan Liuyun.
Appearing in front of her, Xue Wuhen twisted in mid-air and unleashed the strongest skill attached to his dagger, Stream of Light. The single-target damage exceeded even an assassin's Shadow Kill, and it was faster. The entire sequence was completed in a flash.
"You!"
Xue Wuhen's eyes widened in disbelief. He stared at his dagger, which simply couldn't pierce Ziyan Liuyun's pale golden robe. It was as if the robe was forged from divine iron, impervious to blades and spears.
"You're quite something. If I hadn't used Void Space immediately, I'd probably be a corpse by now," Ziyan Liuyun remarked, glancing at the dagger with its black magic runes. The patterns looked eerily familiar, resembling those found on the Magic Artifacts she knew. The power of a Magic Artifact was terrifying; being struck by one would have unimaginable consequences.
His first strike having failed, Xue Wuhen was surprised, but he immediately turned and fled at high speed. There was no thought of attacking again, because he knew he could no longer harm Ziyan Liuyun. Furthermore, he didn't know how long Void Space would last. During this time, he was a sitting duck, and his only option was to dodge.
"You can't escape!"
Ziyan Liuyun dared not give Xue Wuhen another chance. Void Space had a long cooldown. If she let him escape, only for him to come back later, she wouldn't be able to withstand another assault.
With a flick of her finger, Ziyan Liuyun immediately cast her first-tier skill, Starlight Guide.
An immense gravitational force seized Xue Wuhen, pulling him backward and forcing him toward Ziyan Liuyun.
"What kind of skill is this?" It was the first time Xue Wuhen had encountered such a bizarre ability. It felt as if every part of his body was being tugged by invisible threads, violently dragging him back.
Having no choice, Xue Wuhen used a skill to break free of restrictions, dispelling the Starlight Guide.
"Holy Seal!"
Seeing her first attempt fail, Ziyan Liuyun cast another priest skill, Holy Seal. A mark of holy light appeared above Xue Wuhen's head, preventing him from stealth or invisibility.
"Damn it, she even learned a skill like this!" Xue Wuhen looked at the glowing golden magical mark on his body, his mind racing with anxiety. Invisibility was crucial for him; without it, he was at a severe disadvantage. He wouldn't be able to approach Ziyan Liuyun silently again. "I have to dodge first and wait for the Holy Seal to disappear."
Xue Wuhen hadn't taken more than a few steps when a dark figure charged straight at him.
"Don't even think about leaving!" Sword Shadow, wielding Gale's Breath, launched a charge and slashed at Xue Wuhen.
Xue Wuhen had already used his restriction-breaking skill, so he was forced to use Windwalk, utilizing its brief one-second invincibility to block Sword Shadow's charge. He then pivoted, flipping the dagger in his hand to strike directly at Sword Shadow's abdomen.
Kidney Strike!
If the skill landed, it would stun the target for at least two or three seconds — more than enough time for Xue Wuhen to escape.
Sword Shadow didn't even try to block. He unleashed Whirlwind Slash, bringing Gale's Breath crashing down on Xue Wuhen. It was a purely damage-for-damage exchange.
Xue Wuhen was forced to leap backward violently to avoid Sword Shadow's Whirlwind Slash.
He was merely an assassin. How could his normal weapon damage possibly match that of a Berserker? Moreover, he wore leather armor, while the Berserker wore plate armor. Even with a Magic Artifact in hand, the end result would be mutual injury. But Sword Shadow had Ziyan Liuyun, a healer, right beside him. He had no fear of attrition, so he could attack without hesitation. Xue Wuhen, however, was deep in enemy territory with no healer to restore his health.