The Return Of The God Level Assassin

Chapter 1232: YUNYUE VS CELESTIALS (XVI)

QIU MING stared through the darkness at where Noctis stood. The blackness should have made it impossible to see, but thanks to the pair of glasses he'd found in his inventory earlier, the other player was as clear as day. He'd discovered them while planning his strategy earlier, and the moment he read their description, allowing him to see in darkness, a plan quickly formed in his mind.

If he didn't want Noctis to dive into the shadows, he just had to remove any source of light that could produce it. But before he could do any of that, he had to get YUN out of the way. Hence, that plan of trapping the other. It was a gamble that he was glad worked. It probably did because YUN was obviously hell-bent on attacking him.

The way the other didn't even think and just came straight for him said a lot. It showed YUN wanted to end this match as quickly as possible. Which meant Team Yunyue must have known he was the only one left on Team Celestials.

And how YUN rushed at him the moment he saw him, without any care at all? That proved he wasn't worried about being eliminated. Maybe he didn't mean to show it, but he did it instinctively, anyway.

All of which added up to one thing in Qiu Ming's mind: YUN wasn't the target.

Noctis was.

So, as long as he defeated Noctis, their team would win.

He narrowed his eyes at the elf. The other was standing still. Probably trying to sense any movements.

Qiu Ming took out three arrows from his inventory—normal ones, since he couldn't use light arrows. That would defeat the whole purpose of extinguishing the light sources. So physical arrows were his only option.

Thankfully, he still had a skill that would work for regular arrows. The cooldown was practically non-existent, so he could spam it if needed.

The skill was called [True Aim]. It was a passive skill that helped with his precision, giving him perfect accuracy when he took the shot—but that didn't mean the arrow would automatically hit. There was no homing effect or anything like that. If the target moved or dodged at the last second, the arrow could still miss.

Qiu Ming didn't hesitate. The moment [True Aim] activated, his fingers were already pulling back the bowstring, the arrow's feathers lightly touching his cheek as he took aim. Through his night-vision glasses, Noctis stood perfectly clear in the darkness - completely still, head slightly tilted as he listened for any sound. But Qiu Ming had gone completely silent, not even breathing as he lined up his shot.

The first arrow hissed through the air.

Noctis moved at the last possible second, his body twisting with that unnatural elven grace, but not fast enough. The arrowhead grazed his shoulder, slicing through fabric and skin. A dark stain immediately bloomed across his sleeve. Qiu Ming saw the elf's lips press into a thin line, his eyes narrowing in the gloom. Good. He nocked another arrow before the first had even clattered to the ground behind its missed target.

The second shot came faster. Noctis dodged again, but this time the arrow caught his thigh, tearing a shallow gash just above his knee. The elf's breath hitched audibly, his hand instinctively going to the wound before he caught himself and forced it back down. Qiu Ming didn't smile, didn't taunt. He simply reached for another arrow, his movements methodical, relentless.

Noctis was fast—frighteningly so—but in complete darkness, even his reflexes weren't perfect. The third arrow skimmed his ribs, drawing another line of crimson. The fourth would have taken him in the stomach if he hadn't thrown himself sideways, the arrowhead instead burying itself in the cavern wall with a sharp crack.

Qiu Ming could see the frustration building in Noctis' movements now. The usual fluidity of his dodges was gone, replaced by jerks and stumbles. His breathing came harder, his perfect posture beginning to slump ever so slightly. Blood dripped from multiple wounds, dark droplets splattering silently against the stone floor.

Still, Qiu Ming didn't stop. His fingers moved automatically, drawing and firing with mechanical precision. The arrows came one after another, a relentless barrage that gave Noctis no time to think, no time to plan. An arrow grazed his cheek. Another clipped his forearm. The wounds were minor, but they were adding up, slowing him down bit by bit.

Noctis suddenly lunged—not toward Qiu Ming, but sideways, his body twisting into a roll. His hands scraped against the rough cavern floor, pushing himself into motion, clearly trying to put distance between them.

Qiu Ming saw the move coming. As Noctis rolled away, he already had another arrow nocked and ready. He loosed it the moment the elf tried to push himself up—the shot struck the ground just inches from Noctis' outstretched hand, kicking up sharp fragments of stone. The impact forced Noctis to jerk back, cutting off his retreat.

For the first time, Qiu Ming saw something like panic flicker across the other's normally composed features. His head whipped around, searching the blackness for his opponent, but Qiu Ming had already moved silently to a new position. He nocked another arrow, lining up another shot.

Noctis breathed heavily, his clothes torn and stained with blood. His usual effortless grace was gone, replaced by the desperate, jerking movements of a cornered animal. He turned in slow circles, listening, waiting—but Qiu Ming made sure he didn't let the other hear any movement from him.

This was it. The final shot.

Qiu Ming drew the bowstring back to his ear, locking onto Noctis' chest with perfect aim. The other had nowhere left to run. His body was littered with wounds, his movements sluggish with blood loss. One more arrow would end this.

He released the string –

The moment he did, the world suddenly exploded with light.

Piercing, blinding radiance flooded the cavern as if the sun itself had been unleashed underground. Qiu Ming's eyes burned with the sudden intensity, his shot going wide as he instinctively threw up an arm to shield his face. The arrow clattered harmlessly somewhere in the distance.

Before he could even blink his eyes open again, a sharp sting burned across his chest.