player POV-Chapter 67: Chaos

I looked at the white mammoth’s corpse for a few seconds before slowly averting my gaze. I took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, as if trying to process what had just happened.

"We did it... we really did it. I never thought it would work, and even now it feels unreal. True, the plan didn’t go exactly as I imagined, but it succeeded in the end... and that alone is enough."

I turned toward the rest of the team and found them looking at me with strange expressions, a mix of astonishment and admiration. The first to break the silence was Aaron, who said while staring at me:

"Man, you were truly amazing! How did you suddenly become so smart? What you did was incredible!"

I scratched the back of my head with some embarrassment,

"I didn’t do anything worth mentioning... it’s all thanks to our teamwork."

But Aaron replied quickly,

"Don’t be so modest! You came up with the plan, and you guided everyone step by step. That means you did the majority of the work, right?"

Drake nodded in agreement with Aaron’s words, while the others expressed their approval silently. Then, Silvar spoke suddenly in his calm voice:

"You did well."

He said it and paused for a moment, so I simply nodded at him, but he continued, saying:

"We need to leave this place immediately. Surely the other teams noticed the fight, and in our current state, we cannot face anyone. So, help the injured recover as quickly as possible so we can withdraw."

Everyone nodded in agreement. We were about to head to help Kar, Lia, and Simon when we suddenly heard the sound of movement coming from the trees.

We all stopped.

Zion emerged first from the trees, followed by Gina, then Zoe, and the rest of his team. Most likely, none of them were injured. Zion looked at us for a moment, then his eyes fell on the white mammoth’s corpse. A fleeting expression of astonishment appeared on his face, then he drew his sword from its sheath and signaled the rest of his team to prepare for battle.

"Damn... how can our bad luck be this terrible? Facing Zion himself while we’re in this state?"

But I didn’t finish my thoughts.

From the opposite side, Lina, Darren, and the rest of their team emerged from behind the trees. They looked at us in turn, then drew their weapons and prepared for battle.

And so, we found ourselves trapped from two directions.

Zion spoke in a calm voice:

"Everyone, get ready, and stay close to each other."

His team members nodded in agreement, and in the next moment—

Zion launched forward at an incredible speed, disappearing from his spot in the blink of an eye. Everyone braced for an attack, expecting him to strike us directly, but he didn’t.

Instead, he appeared behind Lia and Simon. It took only a single moment.

The two fell to the ground without being able to resist, and then their bodies vanished...

Zion turned swiftly, directing his sword toward Kar.

But at the same moment, Silvar moved immediately and blocked the attack with his knives. The two weapons clashed with force, and each of them took a step back.

Zion looked at Silvar with obvious surprise, as if he hadn’t expected him to hold his ground. It didn’t last long, for he shook his head slightly, and in the next moment charged at him without hesitation.

Silvar moved at the same time.

They collided violently, exchanging a flurry of rapid strikes within seconds. Our eyes could not fully follow their movements; all we saw were successive flashes of steel, and sparks flying with every clash. Everyone stood staring at the scene in complete astonishment.

— Skshh!

— Boom!

— Explosion!

A violent sound reverberated, and the place shook from the force, causing both of them to fall at the same moment, pushed apart by the impact.

Silvar rolled on the ground before coming to a stop with difficulty. His hand was clearly bleeding, having been injured during the clash. He gritted his teeth, then clicked his tongue with slight annoyance:

"Task."

But Zion didn’t give him a chance. He launched toward him again at a terrifying speed.

Everyone stared at the scene in shock, before Alisa’s voice was heard shouting excitedly:

"What are you doing? Why are you staring like that? We need to help Silvar immediately! He’s no match for Zion, and on top of that, he’s injured—!"

Alisa didn’t finish her sentence.

A sharp sword cut through the air, heading straight for her face. Her eyes widened in shock, but she managed to dodge the strike at the last moment, stumbling backward.

Alisa quickly lifted her gaze toward the attacker, only to find Lina standing there. Her expression was cold, devoid of any emotion.

Alisa clicked her tongue with clear annoyance, then drew her bow and fired a volley of blue-purple-tinged arrows at Lina. Lina moved lightly, dodging the arrows one by one, and blocked some with her sword with precision.

Then—

Lina dashed toward Alisa at lightning speed, reaching her in an instant. But Alisa, despite the surprise, responded immediately, shooting two arrows at the same time.

Lina lowered her body slightly, letting the arrows pass by her face, almost grazing her cheeks. In a smooth motion, she spun around and attacked Alisa directly.

Her sword grazed Alisa’s cheek, causing blood to stream down the side of her face. Alisa stepped back a few paces, trying to regain her balance, but Lina gave her no chance.

She raised her sword and began gathering dark threads around its blade. Black strands formed around the sword, pulsing with a frightening power, before she released them in a single burst toward Alisa.

At that moment, Alisa had no room to dodge or evade.

— Explosion!

At that moment, purple threads shot forward at incredible speed, colliding directly with the attack Lina had launched. A sharp clash rang out, and a wave of energy scattered through the air, forcing both attacks to dissipate simultaneously.

Lina paused for a fraction of a second and coldly lifted her gaze toward the one who had countered her attack. She saw Gina standing there, her arm extended, with remnants of the purple energy still fading around her.

Gina said in a calm tone,

"I apologize for that... but I won’t allow you to take her down. Honestly, I’m not sure I can defeat you on my own."

Then she turned her gaze toward Alisa, who was catching her breath and trying to regain her focus, and added:

"How about we cooperate? We won’t be able to defeat her if we fight her one by one, right?"

Alisa nodded in agreement without hesitation.

As for Lina... her expression didn’t change at all. No annoyance or fear appeared on her face, even after realizing they would fight her together.

In the next moment, she dashed toward them at lightning speed.

Alisa initiated the attack, firing her arrows to force Lina to step back several paces. Lina dodged the arrows with astonishing ease, moving lightly as if reading the path of each arrow before it was fired.

But suddenly, five arrows were launched at once.

Lina dodged two of them at the last moment, then blocked the remaining three with her sword, and the sound of metal colliding with energy echoed through the area.

At the same time, Gina had finished preparing her spell once again. She raised her hand, sending the purple threads lightning-fast toward Lina.

Lina raised her sword and blocked the attack directly, but the spell’s force forced her to step back a few paces, leaving a clear mark on the ground beneath her feet.

Alisa seized the opportunity and unleashed a volley of blue-purple-tinged arrows toward Lina from angles that were difficult to evade.

This time, Lina had no room to dodge.

So she pushed more Anya into her sword, covering the blade completely in black. In a violent motion, she deflected Gina’s attack first, leaving a deep wound in her arm, though she paid it no attention.

Then, at the very last moment, she twisted her body to evade the arrow that was headed straight for her head.

She slowly raised her head and looked at Alisa and Gina with steady eyes, devoid of any hesitation.

And in the very next second—

she charged toward them.

Damn... I was being attacked by three people at the same time. They didn’t even give me a single second to catch my breath.

’Damn it, why are they focusing on me specifically? Aren’t there dozens of fighters here besides me? Or do they have a personal grudge? Or are they just trying to provoke me? If that’s their goal... then they’ve really succeeded.’

One of them lunged at me—a man whose features resembled a human cockroach. I barely blocked his sword, then seized the moment and drove a powerful punch into his chest, forcing him to stagger several steps backward.

But at that very moment, one of them exploited the opening I’d left behind and rushed at me, attacking my back.

I felt a sharp pain as his weapon grazed me. It wasn’t a serious injury, but it hurt enough. I spun around quickly and delivered a powerful kick that sent him flying backward, forcing him to retreat.

At that moment, the third opponent was about to attack me from behind once again.

Do you think I’m stupid enough to fall for the same trick twice?

I swiftly moved Altaria’s threads around his legs; they wrapped tightly around them and knocked him to the ground after he completely lost his balance. I didn’t waste the opportunity.

— Sssh!

I brought down a decisive strike on him, knocking him unconscious instantly, and before his body even touched the ground, he vanished from the spot.

The cockroach charged at me from the front. I barely evaded his attack, but the edge of his blade passed extremely close, leaving a new scratch on my arm. I ignored the pain—I didn’t have the luxury to think about it now.

The opponent I had kicked earlier returned and attacked me at the same moment the cockroach lunged at me, leaving me facing two simultaneous attacks. We exchanged a series of rapid blows—they attacked relentlessly, while I focused solely on defending and evading.

Damn... I need to find a way to end this quickly, before my condition gets any worse.

I blocked one of their swords, but the clash created a small opening in my defense. The cockroach didn’t miss the chance and immediately pounced on me.

At that moment—

I smiled.

"You fell into the trap."

Altaria’s threads shot out and wrapped around his sword, then I pulled hard, directing the blade toward his companion. In a single instant, the other opponent was struck directly.

The cockroach froze in place for a few brief seconds, stunned by the shock.

And that was all I needed.

I surged forward, seizing that moment, and delivered a finishing blow straight to his face...

— Fsskhh!

I landed a direct, decisive strike, knocking him unconscious on the spot. I didn’t look back at him, instead turning my gaze toward the final opponent, who was already injured and trying to retreat in disarray.

I extended my hand, and Altaria’s threads shot forward, wrapping tightly around his neck. His body began to tremble as he tried to scream, but the sound was choked in his throat from the intense pressure. He clutched at the threads, trying to break free, but his resistance gradually weakened... until his body went completely still.

He lost consciousness.

And before he could fall to the ground, he too vanished, as if his existence had been erased from the place.

If you hadn’t injured me... I wouldn’t have had to make you suffer like this.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing lungs, then lifted my head.

And suddenly—

a strange voice echoed throughout the entire area:

[Five more minutes have passed without eliminating any team.

Accordingly, a Rank C monster will be added.

All teams, prepare.

The monster has already been added.]

At that moment, everyone stopped fighting. Silence fell over the place...