Chapter 1075: Perishing Threat
Without warning, Hazard could feel his defenses weaken as the world around him became increasingly difficult to perceive.
Just as Hazard was rendered virtually useless, Feral Blade swung his battle axe downward mercilessly at Izroth, who had just attacked Hazard.
"Idiot, haven't you ever heard of don't focus the tank?!" Feral Blade shouted with a grin.
This was his plan all along. Whether Hazard hit or missed his Umimpeded Rush, Izroth's fate had already been sealed. If Hazard succeeded, then Izroth would be locked in place by the stun effect of Unimpeded Rush. Feral Blade would then use that chance to deal a critical blow. However, if Hazard missed and Izroth used that opening to attack Hazard, then he would leave himself open to Feral Blade's attack.
No matter how great a stealth skill, it was common knowledge that most could not be used in the middle of combat without certain restrictions. But, at this point, even if Izroth used a stealth skill, Feral Blade was confident that Izroth would not be able to escape his assault because of one of his class skills, Blood Feud.
Blood Feud was a skill unique to Feral Blade's Rageborn Berserker class. It allowed a player to mark one target and place them under the effects of Feud.
Feud made it so that as long as both players were alive and within a certain distance of each other, Feral Blade would know their location indefinitely until one of them died. Feral Blade also dealt more damage while receiving less damage from a target marked by Blood Feud, making his class ideal for one-on-one fights.
BANG! Crrrrck!
"?!" Feral Blade's battle axe was mere centimeters away from striking Izroth; however, right before it could hit, he lost track of Izroth's presence as his battle axe slammed into the ground.
"Impossible...! I definitely used Blood Feud, so how-" Feral Blade thought to himself as his mind raced.
Phhhtk!
Feral Blade felt a sharp, cold feeling coming from the sides of his neck, arms, and torso as Izroth's presence reappeared somewhere behind him.
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Without even realizing it, Feral Blade had been struck five times as he stood there dumbfounded. The damage from the first attack alone was already enough to kill him. Yet, he couldn't even perceive the other four strikes. How could this have happened? He was a member of Broken Exile, the strongest guild in RML! Even if he was not a core player, he was no pushover. How could he fall from an assassin sent by Cross Haven?! If his elder brother found out, there was no way he would be let off the hook!
Feral Blade fell to the ground as he started to dissipate into countless particles.
"You bastard! Once my elder brother and Broken Exile hear about this, you're dead! Dead! You won't have a place to hide in RML! You hear me?! I'll kill you!!!!!" Feral Blade yelled at the top of his lungs as the last of his body dissipated.
I Am Diligent looked on in horror and said, "Y-you! D-do you have any idea who you just laid your hands on?!"
Hazard's expression was gloomy as he struggled to his feet and consumed a health potion. His senses were still a mess, and it was clear that he had no intention of doing something useless like attacking Izroth a second time. Besides, now that Feral Blade had fallen, what was the point? His chances of ever advancing to Broken Exile were nonexistent.
"What a headache. Why did I have to get pulled into this stupid mission?" Hazard grumbled. "They're over there!" A voice sounded from the distance.
The reinforcements from Shattered had finally arrived; however, it was too late.
In just a few breaths of time, Izroth was surrounded by more than fifty players from Shattered. He maintained a calm and carefree expression as Hazard and I Am Diligent explained the situation to those who had just arrived at the scene.
"Idiots! You couldn't even do your job properly! Don't you realize what's going to happen to us once the main guild figures out what took place here?!" One of the newly arrived players said angrily.
The man who scolded Hazard and I Am Diligent had a thin frame and appeared to be in his late twenties. He had straight black hair and green eyes. He donned a set of mage robes and a magic staff on his back.
This man went by the name Orion. He was the player responsible for overseeing things in Fragul's Valley and ensuring that everything ran smoothly. He was also the one who recommended Hazard, I Am Diligent, and Nighting to Feral Blade. This meant that he was in the same boat as those three for failing their task. No, his situation was even worse since it all happened under his watch.
Orion glared at Izroth as though he wanted to do nothing more than rip him apart. But, that look soon turned into one of resigned defeat. He did not dare make a move against him. That's because, after everything settled down, Hazard and I Am Diligent realized just who
they were fighting.
The player who was currently in first place on the event leaderboards. The owner of the Mystical Realm Palace. The one said to have been responsible for the downfall of two top guilds, Sage Falls and the Headhunter Syndicate-Izroth.
"What a headache. Should we be grateful that he isn't outright attacking us after causing so many problems?" Orion scowled.
"Given who attacked us, surely the main guild won't blame us for this, right?" I Am Diligent said with a look of worry.
The players from Shattered were not weak by any means; however, they could not compare to the elites of the top guilds. Even if someone sent by the main guild like Feral Blade was defeated so easily, what chance did they have? Wasn't attacking him with their current forces the same as meaninglessly throwing their lives away?
"If you believe that, then you're naive. Someone has to take the blame. Do you really think one of the Six Stars is going to allow it to be their own brother?" Hazard commented. "Hazard's right. Even if Feral Blade receives some blame, ultimately, it'll be us who take the brunt force of everything. The funds we're given for the amount of work we do is already barely manageable. If we receive a pay cut, how are we supposed to make a living?" Orion said as he released a long sigh.
The contract they signed with Shattered was just barely enough to cover the bare minimum of the most basic living expenses. But it was also the only way that they could devote their full time to RML and improve their strength in-game to advance.
After a few minutes of discussion, Orion and the members of Shattered seemed to have
reached a decision.
Orion approached Izroth with caution. Even though he had not attacked them while they were talking, there was no guarantee that he would not change his mind at any given moment.
"We have no intention of fighting you. If it's an apology you want, I'll give it to you. All I ask is that we end things here amicably." Orion said respectfully.