The Amethyst Orc threw all its might into an Amethyst Spiralswipe, sending out a spectacular arc of brilliant light. It slashed right across the Skelewing Dragon’s wings of bone!

Bang!

Struggling to spread its wings and take off again, the Skelewing Dragon was once again struck back down into the icy labyrinth. The earth shook as it crashed to the ground.

Then, the White Tiger Shaman shone a purifying light upon the dragon!

Black smoke roiled, and the Skelewing Dragon howled in excruciating pain, fighting just to move against the paralyzing grip of the cold. Qin Ruo and the others continued to rain their spells down on it.

Each strike hit with a resounding thunderclap. It was as though the Tier 5 Boss was nothing but a fish on a chopping board!

This was only possible because of the dozen Frostramparts arrayed around it. They exuded a chill so deep you could feel it in your marrow. Under the effects of the chill, the Skelewing Dragon’s defenses were all but non-existent. Its Physical and Magical Resistances had been greatly reduced. It was disgraceful for the Skelewing Dragon to see itself in such dire peril.

Within the confines of the Twelve Frostramparts Formation, the Amethyst Orc was able to deal maximum damage again and again. The White Tiger Shaman’s light magic struck the Skelewing Dragon for thousands of damage each time.

Among the players in Qin Ruo’s party, even the weakest attack dealt over 200 damage.

In a matter of moments, the Skelewing Dragon’s HP plummeted dramatically!

The worst thing was, even after the Stunned Effect had worn off, the Chill Effect remained, stiffening its movements and slowing down its spellcasting. It was frustrating, and it made the Skelewing Dragon furious beyond measure.

It flapped its wings several times in another attempt to take off but was immediately beaten down by the Amethyst Orc’s inhuman savagery. Despite all its efforts, it was unable to escape the Twelve Frostramparts Formation.

It could see that the freezing chill was coming from the Frostramparts all around it, but its spellcasting and movements had been slowed down too much. There was no way it could reach the ice walls to smash them while Qin Ruo was still carefully maintaining control over the situation.

Under these circumstances of suffering a continuous assault from both the Amethyst Orc and White Tiger Shaman, even a tiny thing like Poochie posed a monumental threat to it. Poochie canceled every spell the Skelewing Dragon tried to cast and shredded its Barrier.

The Skelewing Dragon roared and howled, but it could not so much as raise its head without being brutally smacked down by the Amethyst Orc, the White Tiger Shaman, and Poochie. Under the unceasing barrage from the two Boss monsters and ten players, its HP was in total free-fall.

It turned to look for the help it had summoned.

They were not doing any better.

Steel Dude and Subjugator, each one clad in a full set of Dark Gold Equipment, could have effortlessly taken on one Necromancer each—but they were being assisted by several elite warriors.

Not once did they allow the Necromancers to make any sort of meaningful retaliation against them, nor was there any hope at all that they would be able to come to the Skelewing Dragon’s aid.

The Skelewing Dragon was nothing but a caged beast now, trapped within the Twelve Frostramparts Formation!

***

The outcome of the battle with the Skelewing Dragon also had an effect on another smaller battle some distance away.

On one side, bearing a name that invoked ferocity and power. as well as the title of “H&G Bandit King” for having slain a Tier 5 Supreme Champion, it was Tiger Cub.

Facing him was a player with the most Honor Points in the Angel Faction, undefeated in Bandit vs. Bandit duels, the one called Fateless, also known as the “Bandit Assassin.”

Both were currently hidden by Stealth.

However, each one could detect the presence as well as the location of the other. From the moment Fateless noticed him, Tiger Cub had not moved from his spot, and neither had Fateless.

The moment he noticed the other Bandit, Fateless drew a poisoned throwing knife with his left hand, while the dagger in his right hand pulsed with dark energy.

Against the Bandit King, Fateless did not dare hold anything back.

In his mind, he went over all kinds of attack strategies but dismissed them one after another.

Although he was roughly aware of Tiger Cub’s position, there was still his Stealth to consider. Fateless could not determine his opponent’s exact location yet, or be sure about his ability to immediately land a hit on him. Tiger Cub’s Cloak skill and close-combat abilities were held in high regard even amongst Champions and Field Commanders.

If he screwed up the first strike, it could quickly lead to his own defeat.

And so, Fateless chose to wait, allowing Tiger Cub to decide on the first move.

Meanwhile, from Tiger Cub’s perspective, someone like Fateless was just as terrifying.

A Bandit who had the gall to break Stealth next to six elite Demon Faction players—not even Tiger Cub himself would have been so bold.

Then, when he saw Fateless in action, Tiger Cub immediately figured out who he was.

Poisoned throwing knives, a Double Dash to close the distance, followed by a Sap, a Fatal Blow, and a Swift Strike; his movements were clean and precise! Such a skillful demonstration of the Bandit’s art of assassination—in terms of combat prowess, he was at least equal to Tiger Cub.

If someone like that was not the top Bandit in the Angel Faction—the mysterious player called Fateless, also known as the Bandit Assassin, who was able to defeat any ambush, elude any detection, and sow sudden death across the Mythical Battlefield—who else could it be?

Realizing that someone like him had actually been recruited into the Bauhinia Clan’s party, Tiger Cub felt a surge of hopeless despair.

Three warriors and two Elementalists—each one good enough to be a Field Commander—one Summoner, Violet Orchid, and now this Bandit, a dire nemesis even he could not be sure of winning against in a fight.

What was there even to say? Encountering a party like this, even a Tier 5 Supreme Champion might find doom at his hands.

Tiger Cub was beginning to regret his decision to stalk the Bauhinia party. For the sake of one Radiant Priestess, he had put himself in tremendous danger, and now he was up in the creek without a paddle.

The seconds passed as he continued to think things over.

Fateless did not know how long they had been standing there either!

Suddenly, there was the melodious chime of a System Notification:

Tier 5 Boss ‘Skelewing Dragon’ has been slain!

19,821 XP received!

They had defeated it? Fateless felt his heart pounding, he and could not help but be distracted for an instant—that was when Tiger Cub struck.

Whoosh, whoosh whoosh!

Amid the flurry of incoming attacks, Fateless threw himself to the side, hurling his own throwing knife with a flick of his hand.

Poof!

The throwing knife lodged itself into the ground 15 m away, missing its target.

A faint voice could be heard, swiftly retreating, “What a pity…”

Fateless sighed but did not give chase. He never thought that Tiger Cub would escape during the momentary distraction of the Skelewing Dragon’s demise, avoiding their duel entirely.

Since his throwing knife found nothing, he did not dare go after him in reckless pursuit now that the skill had gone into cooldown.

Anyway, with the Skelewing Dragon down, the way to the fifth level was now clear!

Venturing to the fifth level of the Graveyard of the Gods was obviously more important than going after a Bandit like Tiger Cub, who was already fully aware of his presence. Tiger Cub was already 30 m away now, and there was no longer any hope of catching up to him.

He never imagined that his first meeting with Tiger Cub would end like that. Fateless sighed again. He collected the loot on the ground in silence and turned back to rejoin the others.

***

Meanwhile, caught within the Twelve Frostramparts Formation, under the combined assault of the Amethyst Orc and White Tiger Shaman, along with the non-stop bombardment of spells from the ten ranged attackers, not even a Tier 5 Boss like the Skelewing Dragon could survive the loss of thousands of HP every second.

After a minute or so, the Amethyst Orc landed the brutal final blow on the Skelewing Dragon, delivering it to true death at last. As the White Tiger Shaman cast its purifying light on the area, the dragon’s bones crumbled away like dust in the wind, never to stir again.

The moment the Boss monster was slain, it also meant the end of Steel Dude and Subjugator’s duels.

With their summoner gone, the Necromancers lost their anchor in this dimension. A rip in reality tore open next to them and sucked them away mid-battle.

Soon after, before the gazes of dozens, Qin Ruo hurried over unabashedly to collect the loot, which the Skelewing Dragon left behind.

There was no need to be bashful about it after all! With a heart full of song, he scooped all the goodies into his bag.

A Tier 5 Boss!

Rumors suggested that there was a definite chance of getting some Legendary Equipment, not to mention Dark Gold accessories. Only a fool would hesitate in the face of such an opportunity.

As a matter of fact, for the sake of this battle, he had spent 2,000 Redemption Points.

Upon sorting through the spoils of battle, Qin Ruo found something that made his eyes light up. The other nine people in the party—with the exception of Violet Orchid—watched with wide eyes and heaving breaths!