Two void slashes, each spanning over thirty meters, tore into existence from thin air. They moved with silent, impossible speed, instantly engulfing dozens of Centaur Clan Professionals. The next moment, a storm of terrifying damage numbers appeared above their heads, a sight that stunned every single observer.
- 4315!
- 4315!
- 4315! ...
This was the damage from the first slash. But before anyone could even process the numbers, the second slash, a mere instant later, struck with even more terrifying power.
- 10498!
- 10498!
- 10498!!!
The sheer magnitude of the damage was incomprehensible. A single attack hitting every target for over ten thousand damage? The Centaur Clan warriors were utterly bewildered, their eyes wide with confusion. In the span of a single breath, each of them had taken a total of 14,813 points of damage. Their health bars plummeted by a large segment; some of them, particularly the squishier mages, had lost a third of their health. A quick flash of green light appeared, a +2000 healing number, but compared to the instant damage of over ten thousand, it seemed insignificant.
Even Vera, the female Centaur who had been so calm and aloof from a distance, instantly changed her expression, instinctively taking a step forward. But she quickly let out a sigh of relief. The damage was immense, but she had brought Tier 2 and Tier 3 Professionals, whose health was already very high. With the health amplification buff she had just applied, even their squishier members had over thirty thousand health. Over ten thousand damage in an instant was surprising, but not a significant problem.
She subconsciously looked up at her own health bar. As the primary caster of the Soul Link, her health was also tied to the damage. A large segment of her one hundred thousand health had also vanished. A cold sneer appeared on her face. Such area-of-effect skills must have a long cooldown, she reasoned. By the time the opponents' skills were ready again, their health would have recovered. A hint of a disdainful smile played on her lips, but before it could fully bloom, it suddenly froze.
Because... more slashes... appeared!
"Hiss... is this an Epic Assassin? A Tier 0, and they already possess an area-of-effect skill?" a professional murmured, their voice filled with a mixture of shock and disbelief.
"And the damage... it's a bit too exaggerated, isn't it?!" another professional choked out, staring at the numbers. "This is even with rank suppression! If there were no damage reduction, these two slashes would have dealt at least double the damage!"
The Professionals around Yuna were all gasping in cold air, their minds reeling. They understood the mechanics of this world better than anyone. Rank Suppression was a special, absolute mechanism between Professionals. It consisted of two parts: Absolute Damage Reduction and Absolute Damage Amplification. For every rank difference, the effects were a flat twenty percent. This meant that a Tier 0 attacking a Tier 2 professional would have their damage reduced by forty percent, and a Tier 3 would reduce it by sixty percent.
This group of Centaur Clan Professionals were all Tier 2 or higher, with many even being Tier 3. This meant the damage from the two assassins was being reduced by at least forty percent, and some by as much as sixty percent! To deal over ten thousand damage under such circumstances was absolutely terrifying to think about.
But despite the sheer power, a sense of regret appeared on their faces. "What a pity," a veteran warrior sighed. "Their rank is still too low. Even with the support's buffs, they can't instantly kill them."
"Prepare for a desperate fight," Yuna said, her voice deep with resolve. "No matter what, we must safely escort these children out."
Just as the Professionals were about to renew their charge, someone suddenly exclaimed, "Wait a minute... there's a follow-up attack!"
Everyone looked up, and their eyes widened in a collective, horrified realization. "This area-of-effect skill... is also multi-stage damage?!" their eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets.
A third void slash appeared, tearing into the Centaur formation.
- 4746!
- 4746!
- 4746! ...
- 11547!
- 11547!
- 11547! ...
Even more terrifying than the first wave, these crimson numbers appeared above the heads of the Centaur Clan Professionals. The warriors who had felt invincible just moments ago were now stunned, and a palpable wave of panic washed over them. A small portion now had less than a third of their health remaining!
"How... how can this be?!" one of them shrieked in disbelief.
But the matter was clearly not over. Before they could even recover, the fourth void slash appeared!
- 5178!
- 5178!
- 5178! ...
- 12598!
- 12598!
- 12598! ...
Another series of incredibly high damage numbers erupted. A few of the Centaur warriors cried out in disbelief as their health bars were instantly emptied. They fell headfirst, their bodies vanishing in a flash of light. At least a dozen of the Centaur Clan died in that single, devastating wave.
The remaining warriors were now in a state of utter panic. Many were left with only a sliver of health. Vera, in the distance, was visibly shaken. She looked in disbelief at her own health, which had plummeted by nearly a third. A strong, foreboding sense of unease welled up in her heart.
But before she could react, the fifth wave of void slashes appeared.
- 5609!
- 5609!
- 5609! ...
- 13647!
- 13647!
- 13647! ...
The even higher fourth wave of damage burst out, and dozens more Centaur Clan warriors vanished in a flash of light. Only about ten remained, and they were finally overcome with terror, turning to flee.
Vera finally recovered. She waved her staff, and a wave of green light enveloped her, a massive +20000 recovery. But as she began to feel a sliver of relief, the fifth and final wave of slashes arrived!
- 6041!
- 6041!
- 6041! ...
- 14697!
- 14697!
- 14697! ...
After the fifth wave of damage, two faint shadows appeared behind the remaining Centaur Clan warriors. They were no longer mere phantoms, but two distinct figures, a tall man and a slightly shorter woman, with their backs to the human professionals. They stood with their backs to everyone else, their gaze fixed on Vera.
Vera, the silver-haired Centaur beauty, stared blankly at the two masked individuals. The fifth wave had passed, and a few Tier 3 Professionals were still alive with a sliver of health, but she was still alive as well, with her hundred thousand health now sitting at just over half. She gritted her teeth and looked at the two, knowing they were the ones who had attacked.
Just as she was about to demand their names, the man among them looked up. Vera instinctively met his gaze. She saw a cold, faint indifference in his eyes. It was an expression she had seen on the face of a predator, looking at its final, dying prey.
What did that mean? A powerful, chilling premonition arose in her heart.
The next instant, above her and the heads of the few surviving Centaur Clan warriors, two more eye-popping, blood-red damage numbers burst out...