Team Alpha's preparation:
- Knight's Code
- Dual Casting: Plague Mist and Counter Strike.
Team Delta's preparation:
- All Haste
- Iron Fortress
- Void Space
"Ughh."
"Ughh."
Plague Mist only hit two of the five opponents thanks to Void Space. Rangga and Damar's Haste status got neutralised by the Slow and they had their initial agility. Moreover, they now received DoT, which caused them to lose HP gradually.
Prima was ready to cast Dispel on them, but the two attackers from Team Alpha were ready.
"Dimas, Jaka. The White Mage first."
Nohan gave instruction and the duo DPS moved together to attack Prima. Seeing this she changed her spell.
"Reflect Barrier."
"Swift Steps."
Jaka fastened his movement and was about to deal with Prima.
"Not so easy."
Tirza already intercepted him. A clash of two Assassins followed. They attacked each other using their distinct weapons; daggers. Normal eyes would have difficulties following their movement as they were attacking at high speed. Attack, dodge and block.
"Haha…"
Tirza gave a laugh when she was hit by Jaka's dagger. She got reduced damage from that attack and Nohan received a portion of damage when Jaka hit Tirza's arm. The Reflect Barrier was in effect and it reflected the damage. Jaka, who was supposed to take damage, was linked to Nohan by Knight's Code and didn't receive any damage.
"Continue pressing," Nohan gave commands to the attackers.
Dimas was getting closer to Prima but Reni was already defending her. She readied her shield to block any incoming attacks from the opponent.
Dimas started to pummell his opponent's shield with normal attacks. His attack as a Warrior was already high and Reni's Iron Fortress neutralised critical hits so it was the best choice he could make.
Jaka was still pressing on Tirza. He was on the offensive but it was a stalemate. His attacks weren't effective due to the barrier and Tirza's ability in defending. However, their fight moved to a certain location. Without anyone realising, except for Dimas and Jaka, Tirza was getting closer to Dimas who had a bout with Reni.
'Nice, keep pressing.'
"Clank.. clank..."
Dimas was still attacking Reni with his weapon. The sound of Dimas battle axe hitting the shield could be heard.
At the same time.
"Glacier Field."
Rangga, who was moving forward with Damar to get to a casting range, finished casting Glacier Field. The area within its range became snowy. The skill hit Nohan, Vita and Luna and their movement speed was reduced.
"Not good. Be careful," Nohan shouted.
Luna cast a skill to anticipate the following situation.
The situation was advantageous for Team Delta and Damar used his spear to do a combo.
Ding...
Ding...
Stab…
Stab…
Ding...
Consecutive thrusts aimed at the head, body and legs were executed, but most of them still landed on Nohan's shield. Successful hits dealt quite a lot of damage and Nohan lost a considerable amount of HP because of the accumulated damage from direct, indirect and DoT damage.
"Mass Auto Regen."
Nohan and his allies' bodies were glimmering with green light. The skill made their HP gradually restored for some time. Technically speaking, Regen was the opposite of DoT. It gradually restored allies' HP while the latter gradually reduced HP.
"Move back."
Vita yelled and hearing that, Nohan used one of his skills.
"Shield Slam."
It was a Knight's skill that dealt a little damage and pushed back the opponent.
'Okay, that will do.'
Instead of moving back, Nohan created a gap by pushing Damar back. He knew that Vita wanted to cast another spell, but he might get caught in it if he was near the opponent. His decision was clearly seen by Vita, who then cast a skill without a hesitation.
"Electric Charge."
"Aarrgghhh..."
Damar was electrocuted and he was unable to move freely while taking DoT. Nohan moved closer to him again and wanted to use the situation to further reduce the opponent's HP.
Rangga saw this and cast a single target spell to Nohan, who was still affected by Glacier Field.
"Freezing Point."
It was an effective skill against an opponent who was affected by an Ice spell. Under this situation, the opponent's defence was reduced by 30% and any attack had an increased chance to be a critical hit. It was indeed a tank killer.
Back to Team Delta's line of defense.
'Now..'
When Tirza was in his range, Dimas changed his target to her.
"Tiger Soul: Phase One."
Dimas' arms changed to those of a tiger. His strength increased drastically. He threw his weapon to Prima, who was still being protected by Reni, to distract her from giving support. He dashed away from Reni and jumped to close the gap and used his claws to attack Tirza.
Tirza who was still being occupied by Jaka didn't expect to be ganged up. She was slow to respond to Dimas' attacks and suffered damage on her back and arm. When she turned around and was getting ready to confront Dimas, Jaka already moved his dagger to stab her on her back.
'Vital Strike would be enough to end her, but Iron Fortress is still active. It would be useless.'
"Shadow Strike."
Shadow Strike was a deceiving attack. The user of this skill would be seen as attacking four times, or five if proficient enough, at once in different directions. Only one attack was real but it was difficult to determine which was the real attack. It also caused more damage than normal attacks.
Seeing this, Tirza turned back again and was saved by Void Space. The skill didn't hit. When she was ready to counter attack, Dimas had already anticipated that and used his full strength to use a claw combo.
"Yeahhh.. Finish her!"
"Hey.. that's cheating. Two guys ganging up on a girl? What a shame!"
"What are you complaining about? That's a strategy."
The spectators were in a heated argument during the match. Some were happy that Team Alpha successfully neutralised one of the opponent's DPS and some others couldn't accept that and looked for an excuse. As for Janu, he observed the match to learn from it. He knew that raiders were not meant to fight each other. They had responsibilities to protect humanity from monsters, or any other threats that came together with dungeons. Any strategies that gave advantages in taking down strong monsters were worth to note, even though it used underhanded means. Anything is fair in love and war they say.
When Reni came to their position, Tirza was already unable to continue. The two attackers then started attacking her.
"I'll leave her to you."
After giving several attacks to Reni, Jaka left her to Dimas and used Swift Steps to get closer to Prima.
A tank and a healer versus two DPS was unbalanced, but it didn't necessarily mean it was a certain victory to the attackers. If the tank and healer could manage their skill timing, they still had a chance to survive and it depended on their attacking allies whether or not they could defeat the opponents before they were defeated.
Iron Fortress was very effective in reducing the damage they received and the White Mage could heal and buff. For this reason, Reni sacrificed her defense so she could get closer to Prima to protect her. If the White Mage was disabled then her team would have little chance of winning. During this process, she was just like a sand bag for Jaka.
Stab..
Slash..
Stab…
Reni received many attacks before she finally arrived at Prima's position. She lost more than two thirds of her HP. If this continued she would definitely follow Tirza's fate.
'Just in time. I made it.'
"Healing Rain"
Prima cast her spell when Reni got closer to her. Healing Rain was a healing spell which covered an area and allies within that area received continuous healing. Another chance to survive for Team Delta.
Jaka and Dimas, who were together again, attacked the opponent's tank who stood in their way continuously.
"Uughh..."
It was a critical hit from Dimas. Iron Fortress had finally worn off.
"Nice."
'It was really annoying.'
"Vital Strike."
Damar, who was on the other side, got an increase in his stats by 15% when Reni was critically hit. He got another 15% stats increase when Vital Strike hit. Reni was on the verge of collapsing, but it was thanks to the healing spell that she could barely stand her ground.
With a 30% bonus in his stats, Damar, who had been free from the electric charge, started to prove his prowess.
"Solar Thrust."
The tip of the spear became scorching red and it went through Nohan's defense. The hit was critical and Nohan's shield was broken from the impact. Previously, he was debuffed with a defense reduction, so it was very possible that his shield couldn't take on the skill. As a result, the skill was a critical hit and reduced his HP by more than 70%.
'Not dead? How high is his HP!?'
Damar was flabbergasted when his opponent, whom he expected to die, was still standing. Solar Thrust was one of his most powerful moves, but it couldn't finish his opponent despite having a boost.
"Yeaahhh….!!"
Nohan's HP fell below 10% and it was normally a critical moment because one more hit could render him unable to continue the battle. However, Nohan had Dying Bull as a passive skill. When his HP fell below 10%, he got a 50% boost in attack, defense and speed, and the incoming healing effectiveness was also increased by 20%.
"Luna, heal!"
"Life Force."
"Hey… What were you doing!?"
Nohan was shocked when Luna cast that spell. Life Force was a spell that fully healed an ally's HP at the expense of 90% of the caster's current HP and used up all of the remaining mana. He had a 20% increase in the incoming heal and a regular healing spell would suffice to cover up his lost HP until Jaka and Dimas finished their job. Luna was too hasty.
"Haaahhh!"
Nohan charged at Damar who did him good.
Seeing the opponent come back with full HP and increased stats, Damar changed his target. Nohan was never his target in the first place. He was just getting in his way. Damar now had two options: dealing with Luna or Vita. The latter was the best choice as Luna was already considered useless in combat.
Damar dashed to reach Vita. As he was getting closer to her, he was ready to attack using his spear. Vita, as a Black Mage, didn't have a good reaction against melee combat and casting a powerful spell required more time. Damar, with his stats now, wouldn't have a hard time dealing with a mage.
At that moment, Nohan used his skill and his target was Damar, who almost reached Vita.
"Lightning Judgement"
"Chivalry: Fair Duel"
They almost activated their skills at the same time, but Damar was slightly faster. His spear had flown towards Vita before Nohan's skill took effect. The spear transformed into a lightning and struck her with all its might. The damage was of course amplified by 30%, following Damar's current stats. That attack one-shot her. Vita collapsed and was unable to continue.
"See that..! That's a real skill!"
"Huhh.. A skill that needs a sacrifice.."
"Come on Team Delta… finish them…"
The spectators were in uproar once again and they cheered on their favourite team.
Having successfully defeated Vita, Damar fell under the influence of Nohan's skill. He couldn't see any other persons, but Nohan and he had to fight him. Chivalry: Fair Duel was a special taunting skill. It made the target unable to see and attack others other than the caster. It was also true to the caster. He could only battle the target and no one else. Besides, other people were also unable to interfere. Under this skill, the caster and the target only had their original stats, without buffs and debuffs, and all skills in their possession were ready to use. It could be either advantageous or disadvantageous. If the target had buffs and the caster had debuffs, then it was advantageous to the caster, and vice versa.
Damar had a 30% stats increase and it was now gone because of Nohan's skill. Nohan, on the other hand, also lost his 50% boost in attack, defense and agility. Under this perfect condition, a DPS would normally come out as the winner.
'I just need to hold on until they finish.'
"Noble Protection"
'Buffs don't work, but barriers do.'
Nohan prepared by activating a skill. Four transparent shields were floating around him to protect him from the four directions.
'What a nuisance. I would retreat to aid Reni but I can't even move away from him. I need to attack him carefully and when his HP drops just above 10% then it will be easier.'
Damar took his spear and started to attack Nohan.
"Sharp Downpour"
It was an AoE skill and was effective against a group of opponents. When this skill was used on a single target it wasn't as effective. The skill wasn't as powerful as Solar Thrust or Lightning Judgement, either. Damar didn't want to accidentally make Nohan's HP fall below 10%. He needed to reduce his HP by no more than 90% and dealt a deathblow to finish him. He then followed with normal attacks to carry out his plan.
With the help of Noble Protection, Nohan could still take on the attacks. He didn't have any shield anymore, but the damage he took was lesser.
Back to the other side
Reni was bombarded with attacks from both Jaka and Dimas. She could endure it thanks to the continuous healing from Healing Rain.
"Rock Body"
Prima cast a spell on Reni to give her an increase in defense.
"Jaka."
Dimas gave a signal and Jaka knew what he had to do. Prima the White Mage needed to be taken care of.
"Swift Steps."
"Lion's Roar"
Reni pulled the aggro of the two opponents to herself. Jaka, who had activated his skill, couldn't come near Prima any longer.
Clank..
Clank..
Clank..
"Hahahaha… Come on baby…"
Reni's situation couldn't be said to be good but she could still taunt her opponents.
"Tiger Soul: Phase Two"
Dimas' upper body changed to that of a tiger. He had a fierce look on his eyes and he was like a predator ready to hunt its prey.
"Ggrrrrr… Roowwrrr..."
He madly clawed towards Reni and his attacks were heavier. It was due to his increased strength. He pushed Reni back, and Jaka was already waiting.
"Dark Mist"
When Reni had a difficult time defending, Rangga, who was on the front line, came back and gave a surprise to the two opponents.
Dark Mist was an illusion type spell. The targets wouldn't be able to differentiate friends and foes.
Dimas, with all his might, charged towards Jaka, who was waiting for a chance to strike Reni.
"What..!? What are you doing!? It's me, man."
Dimas couldn't use his skill but he was in transformation mode and his strength was high. Normal attacks from him were basically lethal.
'He's under illusion.'
Jaka realised that and he couldn't counter attack. It was a dilemma and he chose to defend. Four against one was never a favourable situation. He was looking at his team's rear and the situation wasn't good either.
'I don't want to use this here, but let's end it here.'
"Phantom Rampage"
It was a skill that increased the caster's strength and agility by 50% and removed debuffs at the expense of losing HP gradually. The skill would be cancelled once the caster's HP fell below 10%.
Jaka accelerated his movement and performed a front kick to push Dimas back. He then faced Reni who was near him. Reni was ready with her shield to receive his attacks.
"Huh!?"
Jaka was nowhere to be seen. He was there but now he was gone. As if she knew something was off, Reni looked back and Jaka was already there.
"Vital Strike"
Jaka's dagger hit her right on her heart. If this had been a real battle, she would have been dead for sure with a hole on her back.
Jaka didn't waste time to celebrate his first kill. He accelerated again towards Prima and launched a barrage of attacks when she was in his attack range.
Slash…
Slash…
Stab…
He spinned to the right and did a sweeping attack by extending his arm and it hit her belly.
One more opponent couldn't continue. It was a double kill. At that moment his HP dropped below 10% and his skill was cancelled.
"So, this is the end, huh.."
He was on the verge of collapsing and normal attacks from either Dimas or Rangga would send him out the battle.
"Dispel"
Luna, who was sitting idly due to her skill's effect, came to their aid.
"Aren't you supposed to be useless!?"
Rangga was shocked when he saw Luna. She didn't have any mana left and her HP was only 10% at the most, but she was there casting Dispel.
Without him knowing, Luna used Meditation. When she was in that state, she couldn't do anything. Fortunately, the opponents thought that she was as good as dead and paid no heed towards her. Meditation didn't require any mana to activate, and during this state the caster's HP and mana was gradually restored.
Dimas was freed from the illusion but before he started to attack, Rangga already fired three mana shots to Jaka. Previously, he intended to let Dimas finish Jaka and went back to assist Damar, but the situation had changed. His best choice was to instantly neutralise Jaka. He didn't want to repeat the same mistake.
Jaka was out.
Luna just used Dispel because it was the best choice. When Dimas came back to his senses then it would be two DPS versus a mage. However, Rangga made that quick decision. The situation was only slightly better for him, though. A mage fighting against a melee DPS supported by a healer was the worst. Running away towards his ally wasn't feasible, either. He would be finished before he could reach there.
'There's no chance of winning. Then,...'
"Kamikaze"
Boom…..
A huge explosion happened when Rangga activated his suicide skill from his arsenal. Three cadets were out. There were no real casualties during this match. The gear they wore protected them from actual harm and stopped them from doing anything when their HP indicator reached zero.
The spectators didn't anticipate this turn of events. They didn't believe what they just saw. For Team Alpha's supporters, it was really a shock. They were certain that their team would win the match. For Team Delta supporters, this was also surprising. They almost lost hope when there were only two left from their team. But now, that suicide turned the table. It left them in awe and they paid their respect to Rangga.
Now, it was only Nohan and Damar on the stage. They were still fighting one on one.
"Who do you think will win, Mr. President?"
A man on the VIP seat asked Bimo.
"What's there to ask if the result is clear? Just enjoy it," Bimo gave an implicit answer.
"Indeed. He..he..he.."
"Mr. Ellyas."
"Yes, Mr. President?"
"Add this to the rewards for the last man standing."
Bimo handed a small box to Ellyas. It was quite heavy despite its size and it looked luxurious. No one knew what was inside.
"At your command, Sir."