1514 Favorable Terrain

Starting with a Rising Dragon Soars the Sky instead of a Dragon Breaks the Ranks was quite a surprise to the viewers. Those familiar with Tang Rou knew that she loved to initiate with Dragon Breaks the Ranks, and it would have been a very suitable move for her present situation, too.

But in the end, her spear turned into a roaring dragon as it flew towards Tyranny.

She had mixed up her usual starting move, but it was nothing too surprising for Tyranny. Tang Rou had loaded into the map awhile ago, yet there were still no signs of her. From the moment they stepped into this region, the entirety of their surroundings were within their sights.

The magic dragon tore into Tyranny's formation, but not a single one of them was hit by it.

When using Rising Dragon Soars the Sky, the Battle Mage needed to maintain a certain distance away.

But would that be enough? Due to the long ending lag of the skill, with this skill missing, the counterattack wasn't something that could be resolved through that bit of distance.

Zhang Xinjie was watching for Tang Rou's next moves. At this point, the dragon was already dissipating. The Rising Dragon Soars the Sky was unable to show its might before being forcefully cancelled.

A cancel would result in ending lag as well. However, compared to using the skill to completion, the ending lag would be reduced by half.　

"Careful!"

Tyranny's two Gunners had begun firing at Soft Mist. Zhang Xinjie didn't forget to warn his teammates. For Happy, relying on that Rising Dragon Soars the Sky would have been a bit overconfident. He doubted that Happy had placed their hopes onto that skill landing. The real assault would come during these next moments.　

What will they do?

Zhang Xinjie quickly thought up several possibilities, and Soft Mist's next moves were indeed within his expectations.

Shattering the Lands!

Soft Mist jumped into the air, swinging her spear heroically. Although the Rising Dragon had missed, it had disrupted Tyranny's formation. In the end, that high-level skill was just a ruse. Her next move would disrupt their formation even further.

Soft Mist fell, and a burst of battle qi erupted.

The Shattering the Lands had been within Zhang Xinjie's expectations, but Tyranny had no suitable way to deal with this powerful skill. Their only choices were to temporarily retreat or to face it head on!

Reinforced Iron Bones!

The two Fighters on Tyranny trembled. The Shattering the Lands sent out a burst of battle qi, sending branches and leaves flying into the air. When it struck the two Fighters, it made a loud bang. Their health plummeted. The power of a Level 75 skill wasn't something that a low-level Defense buff like Reinforced Iron Bones could negate.

However, with the Super Armor, while the battle qi still inflicted damage onto them, it couldn't push them in the slightest. Before the skill had come out, Desert Dust and Dark Thunder had already been charging towards her. The skill was unable to knock them over, and Soft Mist was now stuck in its ending lag. There was no way for her to dodge their pincer attack.

Two streaks of blood flew into the air. The whirlpool of battle qi created by Shattering the Lands instantly dispersed.　　

Had Soft Mist been struck down? When the audience took a closer look, they were dumbfounded. There were, inside the Shattering the Lands' area of effect, not three players, but four…

What happened?

The audience felt dazed at the scene in front of them. The more experienced audience members immediately looked towards the big screen. Sure enough, a replay was being shown.

When Desert Dust and Dark Thunder attacked, Soft Mist was still stuck in her ending lag, unable to move. But at the final juncture, Lord Grim suddenly appeared in front of her. His two hands flickered up and down, resulting in two streaks of blood!　

Blood from Desert Dust and Dark Thunder...

"Dual Blade Crescent Flow!!" The audience members who knew what was what immediately shouted the skill name out.

Dual Blade Crescent Flow was an Assassin skill that required dual blades. Against opponents who used attacks to parry, this was a perfect counter. For the user, it was a perfect complement to using attacks to parry. Team 301's captain, Yang Cong, was proficient in this style. Lord Grim's Myriad Manifestations Umbrella had transformed into two blades, striking down Desert Dust and Dark Thunder simultaneously...

By the time the audience finished reflecting over and appreciating the play, the situation on the battlefield had already changed.

Han Wenqing and Lin Jingyan weren't intimidated by the Dual Blade Crescent Flow, but Lord Grim's sudden interference had surprised them. And Ye Xiu had appeared at the perfect moment; the two weren't able to make any adjustments in time. However, they quickly regained their composure and attacked again. Ye Xiu reacted faster, though. The Myriad Manifestations Umbrella transformed again, and a streak of black swept towards them.

Shadow Cloak!

Han Wenqing and Lin Jingyan immediately saw and recognized the skill. Grabs were still effective against Super Armor.

Their only choice was to dodge.

The two had their characters avoid the Shadow Cloak, and these two experienced players wasted no movement. They dodged just outside of the Shadow Cloak's range, their movements incomparably precise. Their timing had been perfect as well. Before the Shadow Cloak disappeared, the two were already stepping forward to counterattack.　　

"Slow down!"

A warning came from Zhang Xinjie, but it was too late...　

Shua. The Shadow Cloak suddenly tightened, wrapping the two characters into a bundle. Han Wenqing and Lin Jingyan were stunned. Had they misjudged it? No! The two were clear on this point.

Lord Grim took a step back. Although the two were bound by Shadow Cloak, with their Super Armor, he wouldn't be able to send them away, so he simply retreated. With this retreat, Soft Mist could be seen. Han Wenqing and Lin Jingyan suddenly understood.

A Battle Mage was a Mage class, and Shadow Cloak was a low-level skill, so she could learn it too. Lord Grim used the skill first, and then when Soft Mist could move again, she immediately followed suit with a Shadow Cloak of her own. The two Shadow Cloaks overlapped with each other, so how could they have distinguished between them? Han Wenqing and Lin Jingyan had overlooked this possibility, and only took into account Lord Grim's Shadow Cloak. Just when they thought they had avoided it, Soft Mist's Shadow Cloak took its place.

The two hadn't seen Soft Mist act, but Zhang Xinjie had noticed it. However, the warning had come too late.

It was just a brief exchange. Lord Grim and Soft Mist immediately retreated. Zhang Jiale and Qin Muyun could reach them, but they couldn't keep the two of them there. What's more, Happy's other team members weren't just sitting there watching. Su Mucheng's Dancing Rain stood to the side, providing support for Lord Grim and Soft Mist.

Chase!

Of course Tyranny had to give chase. Desert Dust and Dark Thunder quickly escaped the Shadow Cloak. Lord Grim and Soft Mist weren't able to make a clean getaway with just that one skill. In the end, Soft Mist's ambush had given the rest of Happy time to take their positions. But she herself, as well as Ye Xiu's Lord Grim who had come to rescue her, were still within Tyranny's attack range.

Tyranny pursued the two of them fiercely. The three others on Happy quickly occupied the high grounds. The houses in the residential area were scattered all over the forest in picturesque disorder.

Zhang Xinjie swept over their positions. The three characters on Happy had moved into the rooms on the trees and were standing by the windows. From the window openings, Dancing Rain was attacking, Little Cold Hands was healing, and Concealed Light was controlling his summons in an attempt to provide cover for Ye Xiu and Tang Rou.

No!　　

Not providing cover, but assisting them with their offense!

Zhang Xinjie saw their formation and immediately understood. Lord Grim and Soft Mist suddenly stopped. They turned back and rushed towards Desert Dust and Dark Thunder.

In the end, Tyranny had been baited by Happy. However, this couldn't be considered a trap. Happy occupied a slightly more favorable position, allowing them to establish a more stable offensive formation. Ye Xiu and Tang Rou had timed their counterattack perfectly. With the stickiness of their close-ranged characters, it would probably be riskier for Tyranny to run away than take the fight.　

It looks like we'll be deciding the match here!

Ye Xiu truly wasn't simple. Happy had been at a disadvantage for the entire period of their pursuit, but by the end of it, he had managed to create a slightly favorable position out of it.

But would that slight advantage be enough?

Happy was at a numbers disadvantage, and because of Tyranny's pursuit, they weren't able to stop to take a breather and heal themselves up. How could it be so easy for Happy to catch up to Tyranny's lead?

Zhang Xinjie saw through Happy's biggest weak spot and mercilessly set up arrangements to target it.

Attack!

Just attack.

Tyranny's expertise was in attacking, and the most suitable target at the moment was Lord Grim!

The four focused their fire onto Lord Grim.

"So mean!" Ye Xiu typed into the chat. Lord Grim turned around and ran.

Zhang Xinjie wasn't surprised. Ye Xiu had no reason to stand his ground here. He could see through Happy's strategy. Ye Xiu's and Tang Rou's main responsibility was to keep Tyranny busy. The main damage dealers were the long-ranged classes on the treetops. This wasn't a direct fight, but a war of attrition.

Unfortunately, Happy only had two players at the front, Ye Xiu and Tang Rou. If Tang Rou were Fang Rui instead, this situation would be even more favorable for Happy. Fang Rui's dirty playstyle was exactly what was needed here. With Tang Rou's playstyle, when she tried to restrict her opponents, she would usually restrict herself as well.

All of these points need to be utilized well!

Zhang Xinjie thought about what methods would be the most reliable and adjusted his plans accordingly. Tyranny suddenly turned their focus towards Soft Mist.

"You guys really think you can do as you please, huh!" Ye Xiu typed into chat as Lord Grim returned back.

"Push towards 1 o'clock!" Zhang Xinjie ordered.

Su Mucheng and the other two on Happy were in an extremely good position, avoiding practically all dead spots. However, even if they individually had no dead spots, they would have a few as a coordinated whole. The 1 o'clock direction was one such hole that Zhang Xinjie had noticed.

The entirety of Tyranny forced their way over. However, Tang Rou's next moves thwarted Zhang Xinjie's intentions. She jumped twice, leaping onto what could be considered the second floor in this area.

"Pincer." Zhang Xinjie was unmoved. How could he overlook the different heights in this terrain. This change was within his expectations. The second floor? There was limited space there. Her options instantly became limited, making it easier to trap her. Tang Rou's decision exposed her lack of experience. Ye Xiu evidently realized that the situation wasn't good. Lord Grim hastily went over to rescue her, but with the simplicity of the second floor space, Tyranny was able to quickly complete their encirclement.

"Be careful of the long-ranged classes," Zhang Xinjie reminded. Dancing Rain's gunfire could reach her.

The two old generals that had rushed onto the second floor didn't need his reminder. They could clearly see the circumstances, knowing where Happy's main attack points were.

Boom boom boom! Under the cover of Dancing Rain's artillery fire, Tang Rou wanted to escape. Soft Mist, Dragon Breaks the Ranks!

Dodge!

This skill had to be avoided. Soft Mist rushed out, striking nothing but a tree.　　

Zhang Xinjie frowned. Dragon Breaks the Ranks couldn't be blocked. She could break through from any direction, but the direction she chose seemed too stupid.

But the moment the Dragon Breaks the Ranks struck the tree, an enormous crash could be heard. The second floor on top of the tree suddenly collapsed.