Looking down from above, Qin Ruo was distinctly aware that the mixed Twelve Zodiacs group beneath him had every single class of player. It appeared no different from typical parties in appearance, blended within the crowd that was leaving the city—even Demon Faction players would probably not be able to tell the difference.

However, a recent voice call from Squealing Hog gave Qin Ruo a tidbit that left him unusually alert and excited: there were ten Tier 5 champions in that Party (enemy faction players are red-tagged, it’s difficult to make the distinction whether they are equipped with Gold-tier items or Dark-Gold tier items).

Furthermore, Tiger Cub, whom he was trying every lure out with every trick he could was following behind that group.

There was a great chance that Qin Ruo would half-doubt it if it were Demon Faction player supplying that information. Squealing Hog, however, mentioned both Scarlet Bauhinia and Majestic Hero by name.

And with Scarlet and Black God having verified that professional spy’s identity, Qin Ruo would not tarry.

“Why tell me all this?” he asked carefully.

“What else would people like us want? Business, of course. With Moonrise City fallen and every Angel Faction clan disbanded, there’s probably no one to buy my information, and my little guild really don’t know how to live for now… A deal such as yours would certainly be in the bag.”

Squealing Hog’s answer was the truth. Every Angel Faction clan had now collapsed, just as the situation in the Mythical Battlefield had become immeasurably complicated. Now, they probably would not be buying information at high prices from the spy in the enemy faction even when they need it.

Valuable information was now… unnecessary.

“But you’ve already told me the information. How are you earning anything there?” Qin Ruo asked.

Squealing Hog simply laughed it off. “Haha… relax, this one’s for free! I certainly have to show my ability and sincerity on our first cooperation. In the future, Winter Demon, you could contact me anytime when you need help with such things, and the price would be absolutely fair—satisfaction guaranteed. How about that?”

“Fine. We’ll see if your information is accurate.” Qin Ruo replied and turned off the voice channel.

Adjusting his angle delicately with his Aqua Wings, he began to however in the skies above the Twelve Zodiacs group, his ultra-long-range water Elemental Perception covering a hundred-meter circle around the group.

***

When they moved a hundred meters outside the city, the Twelve Zodiacs group of around sixty people became vigilant.

Four Bowmasters were moving forward, taking each step carefully as they kept an eye of every direction around the group, fully focused and alert as they scanned overhead, not daring to be careless at all.

The others were fully alert and fully equipped as well, keeping guard against Qin Ruo’s attack that could come at any moment.

Meanwhile, the ten Tier 5 Champions in the group gathered within the crowd. But even as they scouted every direction through Elemental Perception…

“Why isn’t he showing up?”

“Was our cover blown?” An Aeromancer asked worriedly, feeling the air that clearly showed nothing unusual before glancing at his group’s formation. “Isn’t our formation a little too ridiculous as well? Would Qin Ruo even dare approach with our own Elementalists already casting defense magic?”

“…Hard to say.”

As some of them discussed away, Tiger Cub’s cold voice suddenly interrupted them.

“All the better if he’s scared—we don’t have to lure him. As long as our Faction can see everything, his previous feats would be forgotten: he would be seen as a bully who flees against anyone more powerful. When that time comes, everything he did against our League would vanish as well.”

“Hah! Alright! It’ll be better if he came. We’ll just do him in, and we won’t lose anything—it’s him losing face whatever happens. Killing two birds with one stone, super!”

“Still.”

Tiger Cub’s tone suddenly turned changed.

“If I was Qin Ruo, I wouldn’t just leave before I achieve my objective. That’s why all of you best focus—no one could help if you if anything happens.”

“Hah!” Someone laughed. “Relax, I have a scroll in hand. He wouldn’t escape us if he dared try anything! Him aside, even the likes of Scarlet Bauhinia or Majestic Hero would only find death here.”

“That’s right! There’s ten Tier 5 here. What is one Qin Ruo compared to us?”

Tiger Cub, however, showed an expression of disdain even as he held the group’s rear.

Bumpkins, all of them! Did they think they would be invincible at Tier 5, and stand as equals with Scarlet Bauhinia and Majestic Hero? Laughable… If they really had seen Majestic Hero’s ability and truly felt the horrors of his magic, they would not be so arrogant.

***

Back then, when he was ready to assassinate Majestic Hero, he had kept his eyes on the battle in the skies after slipping into Moonrise City. It was then that he witnessed the man who could instantly slay White Eyes and force Death Jesus into deadly desperation.

Tier 5 Veteran Champions were simply on a different level compared to novice Tier Five Champions.

If that one player and his pet really fought against the Tier 5 in this group in front of him, the battle would probably not last long.

Hmph.

Tiger Cub did not voice his mind’s disdain and mockery; he would not want to affect their optimism now.

They would feel the gap when they went offline and went to the official forums.

As for Qin Ruo, a bastard who blindsided two Veteran Champions with some petty moves…

He was not at that level yet.

At that very thought, someone asked about the petty moves Tiger Cub was thinking about in the channel.

“By the way, what’s that trick the Winter Demon had used against our people, the one you guys had been talking about? I’ve been quite puzzled for some time…”

“It’s a skill that elementalizes the body.”

Tiger Cub took over the conversation. “Field Commander Mu from our own League was the first to witness it: he was using an earth-element observation skill that comes with his item when he found Qin Ruo hidden in the forests. His body was completely transparent, hidden somewhere dark and hard to found.”

“A water element body? I see.”

Those in the channel exclaimed in understanding, before someone soon asked, “Wait a minute. That form is near invisible, but he ambushed us from the skies every single time… Isn’t that a little weird?”

“Could be something like an Aerobeast that could morph into any shape…”

If Qin Ruo was there, he would certainly be left in awe by Tiger Cub’s theory. His explanation about the Beginner and Intermediate-tier abilities of Aquamorph was mostly spot-on!

Even so, it was not an explanation easily accepted by the Tier 5 Champions of the Twelve Zodiacs. Aerobeasts were a difficult Special Boss for the Demon Faction, its heightened evasion by transforming and immunity against physical attacks being what troubled the players the most.

In fact, its transformation ability alone makes it a formidable creature!

Meanwhile, as the group chatted away while staying alert, they were now a kilometer away from Sin City, entering a part of the Mythical Battlefield with complicated landscape from the plains nearby the town.

And yet…

Qin Ruo still did not appear.

At present, it was not only the Twelve Zodiacs who were suspecting that Qin Ruo had returned to town after exhausting his supplies, or had retreated wisely after having seen through who they were… even the Demon Faction players who were following them around for the entertainment felt that the Winter Demon was likely to have ran off.

Only Tiger Cub had an unsettling sensation inside.

As he disguised himself to move stealthily in the crowd and hung around dozens of meters away, he would occasionally glance above the group. The Mythical Battlefield was ever looming, and there was that lingering sensation that something was not right despite Qin Ruo being nowhere to be seen.

When the group began to move into the complicated landscape, that sensation became even stronger as well.

“Focus! We’re entering the swamp, beware that Qin Ruo might lay a trap…”

“My goodness. You’re the one mistaken, Brother Tiger Cub—we’re already this far.”

“Right…”

Amidst the good-natured laughing, Tiger Cub froze.

He finally realized then that the group up front had already moved into the swamp. With a split second of distraction and the prompt, dire feeling of being targeted, the hair on his back stood up instantly!

“Crap!”

Tiger Cub’s heart thumped, but before he could react, a Water Element ribbon appeared at once out of thin air in the eyes of several Demon Faction players following behind Tiger Cub…

A sudden metamorphosis!

And frost!

The jaw of the Bowmaster who had been following behind almost dropped off in surprise.

‘An assassin?!’

An assassin had actually appeared in front of him without warning. Damn it, how unreasonable!

But in the very next instant, the Bowmaster quickly received feedback information from the ‘assassin’ to notice the blood-colored figure that had suddenly appeared twenty meters above him!

“Shit!”

“It’s the Winter Demon!!!”

***

The crowd near Tiger Cup was crying out in surprise and dispersing as if a flock of startled birds.

Despite not having the most basic of defense magic, the fame of the Winter Demon rose to great heights amongst the Demon Faction since the siege on Moonrise City. His feats, from killing Savior and Death Jesus to chasing the Twelve Zodiacs all the way to Sin City had painted him a serial-killing maniac!

Now, as Qin Ruo dove down from the skies, the distinctly dazzling form of his Angelic Wings entering the vision of all Demon Faction players within a thousand meters!

A single golden flash—and Tiger Cub, who was stealthily Chilled, felt the taste of death.

Shadow Execution!

***

With a flap of his wings, Qin Ruo streaked past Tiger Cub’s corpse amidst the uproar and sound of footsteps ahead, swiftly grabbing the Legendary-tier dagger that lay unusually visibly beside that corpse.

Chirp-chirp!

Singing sonorously in triumph, Poochie returned to Qin Ruo’s shoulder in a flash.

With Tiger Cub gotten rid of and his spoils in hand, his ambush was finished in the blink of an eye.

With that accomplished handily, Qin Ruo did not tarry—his wings spread hastily, he rode the whistling wings in retreat and quickly casted Frostbarrier.

In that very moment!

A familiar Windstorm Annihilation, carrying the thick killing intent of ten Twelve Zodiacs Tier Five Champions surged toward him…

Ambush!

Not three seconds after he spread his Angelic Wings, they were forcefully blasted back into his body.

Landing agilely, Qin Ruo did not panic from being shot down and sprinted off without looking back.

“Darkfrost Shield!”

“Perception!”

As he darted away, Qin Ruo casted Darkfrost Shield, rearranged his Elemental Array while extending his Elemental Perception. Before the Twelve Zodiacs forces caught up, he wildly drew all water elements in the surrounding air!

Nevertheless, in the single instant everything was done, Qin Ruo suddenly had an illusion—it was as if he was a Tier 3 Aquamancer in the Kane Jungle once again.

There was the familiar sense of danger, and the enemy relentlessly pursuing him…

Like a pack of wolves.