The Return Of The God Level Assassin

Chapter 1229: YUNYUE VS CELESTIALS (XIII)

LUO YAN's body folded backward like a snapped ruler, spine arching impossibly as the searing beam passed mere inches above his chest. He couldn't help feeling relieved that this was a game. His real body would never bend this way without snapping something. Thankfully, avatars didn't care about physics—they could pull off any move as long as the player had the imagination to think of it.

The heat scorched his clothes but missed him. The second it cleared, he lunged for his discarded cloak, yanking it free from the arrow pinning it. The fabric swirled around him just as he kicked off the ground, sprinting straight toward the source of every attack.

Even with the cloak making him invisible and the explosion's smoke still thick in the air, Azrael's arrows kept finding him. Luo Yan zigzagged, changed directions abruptly, even doubled back—but every shot landed exactly where he'd been a second before. It didn't make sense. The arrows shouldn't have been able to track him, yet they did, over and over, like Azrael could see where he was exactly.

Luo Yan narrowed his eyes. Could it be that Azrael had done something to the arrow that hit the cloak earlier? That could be the only reason why the other could seemingly still see him despite the fact that he should be invisible right now. Well, if that was the case, he might as well get rid of the cloak.

But not yet.

He had to wait just a little longer—until—

His eyes flicked to the Skills Tab. A fierce grin split his face when he saw it: [Shadow Walk]'s cooldown had finally ended.

***

Qiu Ming continued firing arrows toward the flashing yellow light—the telltale sign marking Noctis's location. That earlier arrow had been special. He used a skill that tracked whatever or whoever the arrow would hit. He knew about Noctis's Invisibility Cloak from last year's Rookie Carnival. Even if he'd only hit the cloak and not Noctis himself, it still counted as a win. And the results showed that he had been right to use it.

Too bad none of the arrows had actually hit Noctis yet. The guy was quicker than expected—dodging and weaving like some kind of hyperactive shadow. Probably an Assassin thing, Qiu Ming figured.

Anyway, he needed to land a hit and end this fast before Noctis could notice that he had done something to his cloak. With only two players left on each team, there was a good chance Noctis was a target. Taking him out now would either put team Celestials as the champion once again or put them one step closer to victory. Either way, it would be good for their team.

As he was thinking that, Qiu Ming saw the marker suddenly stop—a perfect, motionless target begging to be shot. His frown deepened. There's no way Noctis would pause unless it was deliberate. This had to be intentional. It had to be a trap.

But what if Noctis wanted him to think it was a trap? Just to make him hesitate? Damn it. This was exactly why he hated fighting clever opponents. It turned into some stupid mind game. Like playing chess. And oh, how he hated that blasted game.

Even so, Qiu Ming still raised his bow. But he did not shoot. No. He waited. Because he knew something would happen sooner or later.

And that's when he felt it. A sudden movement from behind.

He turned around fast and saw Noctis jumping out from the shadows, both daggers coming straight at him. The other looked surprised that Qiu Ming had suddenly turned around, but it was too late to stop his attack. His whole body was already moving forward, blades aimed to kill.

At the same time, Qiu Ming realized he couldn't dodge. He was still turning, his bow only halfway up. There was no time to get out of the way.

So he made the only move he could.

He pulled back the bowstring and let the arrow fly right at Noctis's chest.

The light arrow shot forward just as the daggers came down.

***

Luo Yan almost cursed when he saw the light arrow about to hit him. No, what he really wanted to curse was Azrael's blasted instincts. He hadn't thought the other would suddenly turn around like that. This was his fault—he should've waited a bit longer. But complaining wouldn't do him any good right now. Especially not in this situation.

His mind raced, desperately scrambling for any way to avoid getting hit. He cycled through options, but each idea crumbled under the reality of the arrow's speed and angle.

In the end, only one move stood out. Only one that had even a slim chance of working.

He forced his body sideways in a desperate twist that would have made his muscles strained to their limits if this was reality. The light arrow meant for his heart instead tore through his shoulder. The HP drop was immediate.

But he used that same motion to hurl a dagger straight at Azrael's chest. Just as Luo Yan expected, Azrael dodged—his movements sharper and more exaggerated than Luo Yan's own had been. The other clearly knew the danger it posed. Even a minor hit from those daggers could tip the balance of this fight, and Azrael was obviously not taking any chances.

Luo Yan seized the moment to slip back into the shadows. Once hidden, he quickly pulled out a potion and drank it. The bleeding stopped almost instantly, but as he checked his status, he couldn't help but frown. His HP hadn't fully recovered. It was stuck just below two-thirds of his maximum.

What the hell?

The arrow that hit him must not have been a normal one. Azrael probably used some kind of debuff skill—something that blocked full healing.

A cold realization settled in his chest. That single hit had taken out over thirty percent of his HP. He couldn't afford to be hit like that again.

That's when a message appeared on their team channel.

YUN: [Yan Yan, I'm heading to your location now.]