The Return Of The God Level Assassin (WN)-Chapter 1222: YUNYUE VS CELESTIALS (VI)

[GABRIEL has been eliminated!]

When Li Xu Min saw the system notification, he nearly missed dodging YUN's next strike. He barely managed to leap back, putting distance between them as his mind raced. Zhong Hui was eliminated? That didn't make sense. Of all of them, Zhong Hui had the most combat experience by far. And he's not just talking about game experience, but real life as well. The only explanation Li Xu Min could think of was that his opponent had outplayed him completely.

YUN came at him fast. Li Xu Min barely got his sword up in time to block the attack. The reason behind Zhong Hui's defeat didn't matter right now - he couldn't afford to think about it. If he didn't want to be eliminated next, then he needed to focus completely on this fight.

Li Xu Min saw YUN's muscles tense a heartbeat before he struck. The katana came not in a slash, but a sudden thrust crackling with violet energy. Li Xu Min twisted sideways, feeling the static raise hairs on his neck as the blade grazed past. His counter came instantly, rapier tracing a golden arc, forcing YUN to block.

The impact sent sparks flying—gold against purple. YUN didn't relent. He pivoted, his katana whipping up in a crackling uppercut. Li Xu Min barely deflected it, his arms shuddering from the force, but he pushed back, his rapier becoming a blur of light-infused jabs.

YUN weaved through them, each dodge leaving behind a faint electric afterimage. Then, in a flash, he retaliated, a single, devastating slash that split the air with purple light. Li Xu Min crossed his rapier, activating [Luminous Ward], a golden barrier flaring just in time. The lightning shattered against it, but the shockwave still sent him skidding back.

He didn't stop. Digging his heels in, Li Xu Min used [Dawnbreaker Strike], his rapier blazing like a miniature sun as he lunged. YUN barely sidestepped, the light searing his sleeve, but he countered mid-turn—his katana lashing out with, sending jagged bolts along the ground.

Li Xu Min leapt, the electricity crackling beneath him. Midair, he twisted and struck, his rapier driving downward like a falling star. YUN rolled, the impact scorching the stone where he'd stood. novelbuddy.cσ๓

They broke apart, breathing hard. YUN's sword hummed with gathering energy, purple arcs crawling up the blade. Li Xu Min's rapier pulsed in response, its glow intensifying. The cave trembled as their next clash loomed, neither willing to yield.

***

Duan Yu saw the notification of Zhong Hui's elimination and almost cursed. Zhong Hui being the first one to be eliminated? That wasn't something he'd expected when this final match began. Thinking about who the other must have faced - by process of elimination, it could only be Noctis. And if that was the case, then Duan Yu understood exactly how it happened. There was no question about it: Zhong Hui had been outsmarted.

The only good thing about this was that Zhong Hui wasn't the target. If he had been, their team would've lost the match right then and there when he got eliminated.

That meant it had to be either Song Liuli, Qiu Ming, or Li Xu Min. Once he reached Liuli, he could figure out if she was the target - easy enough, since he knew all her tells. Now he just needed to get to her.

He was nearly there anyway. After carving a new path through the area where he'd fought the gnome, he'd immediately headed toward Liuli. While he couldn't fly freely at full height, as long as he avoided the stalactites overhead, his wings still let him skim low across the ground. The distance between him and the gnome had widened considerably - though that didn't stop the persistent guy from still taking shots at him. Like right now, for instance.

Duan Yu dodged right, barely avoiding another bullet. He glanced at the virtual screen floating in front of him, the marker showing Liuli's location blinking steadily. Almost there. Just one more turn and he would reach her.

He pushed himself to move faster.

Just as he started to make the turn, another bullet whizzed past his shoulder. Reacting instantly, he pulled his wings tight against his back and used the motion to propel himself forward with a burst of speed. But then a new threat came from above: a storm of bullets rained down, forcing him to weave erratically.

None of that mattered now. Because right ahead, he could finally see Liuli. And there was Morganite, hovering in the air, bombarding her with glowing magical orbs. The pixie's indifferent expression was visible even from this distance as she prepared another attack.

Duan Yu didn't hesitate.

He activated [Switch].

Just like the name suggested, it was a skill that let him switch places with anything he could see—whether a player, a rock, even a monster. If his eyes could spot it, he could trade positions with it.

The catch? The cooldown was painfully long.

That's why he hadn't used it earlier, when he was about to be teleported. He'd saved it, waiting for the right opportunity.

Now, as Morganite hovered mid-air, bombarding Liuli with another volley of orbs, he knew this was the time to use it.

In a blink of an eye, their positions swapped—Duan Yu now hovered where Morganite had been floating moments before, while the pixie found herself standing where Duan Yu had just been.

Without wasting a second, Duan Yu hurled one of his bombs toward his previous location—the spot where Morganite now stood disoriented. He could see the exact moment her eyes widened in shock as she noticed the hail of bullets still streaking toward that position. Her focus locked onto dodging the incoming fire, making her completely miss the bomb arcing toward her through the chaos.

A quick glance at Liuli was all it took. She understood immediately what he wanted to happen.

She first used [Amplify]. It lashed out in a shimmering wave, wrapping around the bomb mid-air and supercharging its explosive force ten times over. Even as that energy took hold, she used a second skill immediately, [Silence Null]. This one would prevent Morganite from using any skills for three seconds. Duan Yu was glad that the skill wasn't in cooldown.

Bullets ripped through Morganite first—then the reinforced bomb hit her. The explosion lit up the cavern, swallowing her in fire and shrapnel.