*Clang, clang, clang!*
The sounds of impact were constant as Du Lin frantically threw out skills.
The damage was minuscule, but as long as she could land a hit, it counted.
Su Yue had run out of explosive bombs.
Having lost her long-range attack method, she switched to providing buffs for the other two to rack up assists.
Lucoco didn’t rush to counterattack.
Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and she put on an expression of “increasing exhaustion” while she carefully observed the Assassins who were performing these seemingly useless actions.
The Assassins indeed had high statistics, but their intelligence was generally low, driven mostly by their innate killing instincts.
However, the mastermind capable of directing this group of Assassins to act in such a way must have some brains.
That person was definitely hiding among these dark shadows.
Seeing Lucoco show signs of “fatigue” and being unable to find an opening to counter, the Assassins’ attacks grew increasingly fierce.
However, even after a few minutes, Lucoco still couldn’t identify which figure was the Assassin leader.
‘I’ll have to use another method.’
Lucoco turned her head slightly and spoke to Su Yue, who was buffing Du Lin.
“Sister Su Yue, pull them in groups. Don’t pull them individually.”
“Understood!”
Su Yue replied.
“Mass Taunt!”
She activated the Mass Taunt directly within the Magic Barrier.
The rhythm of most of the Assassins broke as their hollow eye sockets locked onto Su Yue simultaneously before they lunged forward.
However, the word *miss* flashed above the heads of nearly 30% of the monsters.
This was very useful information.
Mass aggro skills had a hit rate that gradually decreased against targets whose level exceeded the caster’s by a certain amount.
Therefore, judging by Su Yue’s level, she wouldn’t be able to taunt anything once it exceeded Level 57.
Su Yue didn’t stop, immediately following up with a second wave of taunts.
Many more Assassins were pulled by the aggro.
Lucoco’s gaze narrowed, quickly locking onto a single figure that remained completely unaffected.
Her speech was incredibly fast.
“Transfer, Unyielding!”
She didn’t even bother with names.
Before her voice could even fade, she raised her hand.
“Flame Burst!”
“Hah!”
The moment Lucoco shouted “Transfer,” Su Yue understandingly activated Damage Transfer and Unyielding.
Her Mass Taunt never stopped.
*Boom!*
the Flame Burst exploded at the locked position, sending the dark figure tumbling to the ground.
*Crack!*
At the same moment, the Magic Barrier shattered.
Another high-level Assassin had been lurking in the opposite direction!
To be able to shatter the barrier in one hit, this was definitely a Boss-level enemy.
A dark dagger glinting with a cold light stabbed directly toward the back of Lucoco’s head.
Despite being protected by Su Yue’s skills, Du Lin and Su Yue turned pale with fright.
No one knew if this guy had a strange skill that could ignore Su Yue’s damage redirection.
*Clang!*
A thick field shield appeared, blocking the attack directly.
Lucoco had activated Magic Field, concentrating all her defensive power into a small area.
Her tentacles lashed out as she threw various prepared low-level spells at the person, forcing the attacker to retreat repeatedly.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
The fatal blow was blocked, but the Magic Barrier was gone.
The Assassins who had been taunted had already reached them, surrounding Su Yue and stabbing her frantically.
Su Yue’s health bar was instantly emptied, but Unyielding allowed her to survive with one HP for seven seconds.
Su Yue, who usually wailed whenever she got hit, was unusually quiet now, looking like she was ready to face death.
It was obvious she had turned her pain settings to the minimum.
Du Lin and Lucoco were not spared either, being stabbed several times by the Assassins who hadn’t been taunted, but all the damage was transferred to Su Yue.
The two didn’t stay idle.
Du Lin turned and unleashed a Fusion Magic directly at Su Yue.
Lucoco, on the other hand, fired several Flame Bursts point-blank.
She didn’t care about other spells; she just wanted high damage and a wide area of effect!
*Boom, boom, boom!!*
Flames soared into the sky, swallowing the three of them along with the surrounding dark figures.
The violent explosion kicked up snow, dirt, and rocks, which surged outward in a fierce shockwave.
*Clang! Clang!*
Before visibility could return through the smoke and chaotic snow dust, the battle began again.
These two Assassins were very strong.
A large-scale defensive spell like the Magic Barrier could only block one or two hits, making it a waste of mana.
Lucoco chose to use her more familiar Magic Field to deal with the duo’s fierce onslaught, but it was still exceptionally taxing.
—
While defending against the Assassins’ attacks, Lucoco’s eyes fell on the information window to the side:
**[The protection mission “Players Assemble” has begun. Please hold on for a moment. Descent countdown: 50 seconds.]**
**[The Goddess of Life has issued a divine oracle, gathering all the novice Players training in the River Basin to come and help you. Please remember to distribute the rewards.]**
Su Yue was slumped at Lucoco’s feet, her eyes vacant as she entered a weakened state, even though Lucoco had healed her to full health.
“Coco… run…”
She muttered unconsciously.
Du Lin stood back-to-back with Lucoco, her face filled with anxiety and dripping with sweat.
She threw skills randomly to harass the two Assassins.
“Lucoco, let Sebas take you away!”
“There’s no need, Sister Du Lin.”
After blocking another attack, Lucoco looked at the three figures “fighting fiercely” in mid-air.
Sebas looked completely relaxed.
Feeling her gaze, he waved at her, and the Contract Mark on his palm glowed.
Lucoco nodded slightly and looked toward the dense forest.
In the distance of the white-washed horizon, a massive black tide was rolling in, surging with demonic energy.
The amplification value began to climb rapidly.
“How are there so many Assassins?!”
Du Lin’s eyes also caught the surging “black tide,” and she screamed.
Lucoco would never be able to handle an Assassin force of that scale!
“Lucoco!”
She turned her head… only to see Lucoco looking completely unbothered.
“It’s fine, Sister Du Lin.”
“Look at what time it is!”
Du Lin’s voice suddenly rose.
“…It’ll be fine in a moment.”
Lucoco didn’t say anything else, maintaining her calm demeanor.
For a moment, Du Lin wondered if all the previous Saintess Candidates had died off like this.
Was it always like this?
Why wasn’t she leaving?
Where was that familiar that had suddenly appeared!
And what about Lucia?
Where did she go?
Why hadn’t she shown up yet?
Great fear, a sense of her own powerlessness, and Lucoco’s currently incomprehensible stubbornness washed over Du Lin’s strained nerves.
*Vwoom!*
A nameless rage suddenly surged in her chest, and Du Lin’s mind was instantly flooded by a wave of heat.
She suddenly opened her throat, pointed at the distant black tide, and roared with a voice that was almost a scream:
“Lu! Ko! Ko! Tell that damn familiar of yours, who only knows how to fight and doesn’t know how to do his job, to take you and get the hell out of here!! Do you hear me?! Do you think playing with your life like this is cool?! Why haven’t you left yet?! What on earth are you thinking?!”
—
Du Lin’s sudden rage gave Lucoco a huge fright.
After parrying the Assassins’ charge once more, she propped up a Magic Barrier.
Turning around, she saw Du Lin’s eyes were red as she bit her lower lip to hold back tears.
Her face was flushed from excitement and a lack of oxygen, looking aggrieved, terrified, and angry.
At this moment, the amplification value had reached 2440%.
*Clink, clank…*
Relying on the powerful amplification, although the two leaders’ attacks could still break the barrier, it would be instantly repaired before they could follow up.
Du Lin looked at the newly solidified barrier and then at Lucoco, who still hadn’t moved.
Her emotions seemed to turn hollow after the outburst.
“And then what?”
Lucoco scratched her head sheepishly, suppressing the cunning glint in her eyes.
Then, she suddenly spread her arms and smiled brightly, as if announcing the arrival of a dramatic moment.
“They are coming~”
The moment she finished speaking, a fiery red light suddenly shone in the sky.
Fire Rain Falling dragged long trails as it fell from the heavens, smashing violently toward the Teleportation Shield Barrier.
In the dense forest, Lucia, who was preparing to shatter the barrier herself, was stunned and silently withdrew her magic.
Behind her, several figures wearing the black clothes of high-level Assassins were hung on sharp ice thorns, completely lifeless.
‘Your Crownship… I… did it… she… will be fine…’
A short, weak prayer filled with determined will traveled through the network of faith and into Lucoco’s mind.
It was the voice of that priestess.
‘Holy crap! What the hell was that noise?’
Lucoco looked around in surprise at the sudden whisper.
‘Isn’t this Lucia’s doing?’
She had no idea who was speaking in her head.
*Crack, crack!*
A huge rift tore across the sky, and spider-web-like cracks rapidly spread downward.
With a crisp *pop*, the translucent barrier finally shattered like glass, reflecting dots of light as it scattered into countless pieces.
—
Du Lin stared blankly at the sky.
Her messy thoughts had been smashed to pieces by that meteor.
Just as she was about to ask something…
*Hum!*
The space of the entire open area trembled slightly!
This was the sign of a large-scale teleportation.
The two Assassins besieging Lucoco were startled and quickly moved away toward the “black tide.”
“Who is it?”
Du Lin’s eyes widened, and she instinctively shielded Lucoco.
Then, remembering what Lucoco had just said, she snapped her head around to stare at Lucoco.
Lucoco slowly folded her hands together.
“Of course, it’s…”
A look of piety appeared on her small face.
In her ear was the system prompt:
**[Prompt: Rank up successful. Current Rank: Boss.]**
**[New Saint Authority Unlocked: Based on the number and quality of enemies, increase the attributes of allies within the domain and yourself, up to a maximum of 300%. After activation, it lasts for ten minutes. The effect changes in real-time, taking the highest value achieved during that period.]**
**[When facing three or more monsters of Lord Rank or higher who are stronger than yourself alone, you can trigger Divine Descent to summon an avatar of the Goddess. If your own strength is lower than Lord Rank, there is a high probability of death. Divine Descent CD: 5 years]**
“The honorable Players…”
Holy Light surged around Lucoco, and she became incredibly divine in an instant.
*Hum, hum—*
“Player Army! Responding to the Saint’s call! We have arrived!”
A gentle and solemn low chant echoed out.
*Shoom! Shoom! Shoom!*
Hundreds of points of light poured down from the void.
The moment they landed, they condensed into the figures of Players with glowing eyes and flashy equipment, most of them at Level 18 or below!
They howled and quickly protected Lucoco in the center.
“Holy crap! This is the main battlefield for the event quest?!”
Someone shouted as they saw the rolling black tide.
“Reinforcements from heaven! The objective is to protect the cutie inside that glowing bubble!”
Another raised their weapon, looking at Lucoco with burning eyes.
“Brothers! Those guys are here! Buff up, quick!!”
“Let’s kill those bastards!”
“For the shorty! Charge!!”
Someone screamed and rushed out directly.
—
Gently dragging the unconscious priestess who was slumped on the ground into the barrier, Lucoco smiled brilliantly.
Her eyes curved like crescent moons, and her tone was no longer her usual childish voice, but a gentle yet youthful authority.
“Everyone, take my blessing and judge this evil~”
Domain, expand!
Her mana was instantly reduced by 70%.
Radiance surged over the Players within range, and prompts for amplification buffs began to flash frantically on everyone’s information pages.
Meanwhile, the ally amplification within the domain activated, soaring directly to its 300% peak.
“Roar!!”
“Owooo!!”
“What a powerful buff! I feel like I could rip a boss apart with my bare hands!!”
“For the Little Saintess!”
Someone instinctively shouted.
“Can we call her Saint now?”
Another asked in surprise.
“I’m empowered! Charge!”
The Players screamed and shouted, charging into the tide of incoming Assassins under the cover of the powerful buffs, colliding violently with the enemy.
Even Du Lin rushed out, leaving only Su Yue still in a weakened state, unable to move.
Supporting the barrier and the domain, Lucoco slowly retracted her smile, her face pale.
“Hiss… the consumption is huge…”
She glanced at her mana value; it had approached the red line and was slowly decreasing.
The consumption of the mass amplification domain was staggering, and her recovery speed could no longer keep up.
‘At this rate, I can only last seven or eight minutes…’
Better drink some potions…
*Gulp, gulp…*
—
*Whoosh—*
A dark figure flashed to Lucoco’s side.
It was Sebas, looking a bit unsatisfied.
He tossed the two dying Assassins he was carrying onto the ground and resumed his usual demeanor, speaking with a grin.
“Lucoco, come… land the finishing blow.”
“Thank you, Uncle Sebas…”
Lucoco replied with a gentle smile.
Her tentacles condensed a Laser and fired it directly into the foreheads of the two Assassins, finishing them off.
**[Kill: Assassin Boss, Level 59 (Third Awakening).]**
**[Kill: Assassin Boss, Level 59 (Third Awakening).]**
They were actually two Level 59 bosses with three awakenings?
Lucoco’s eyes nearly popped out!
To send four bosses and at least 200 elites, the Demon Race was truly willing to pay a high price!
Moreover, there were very few demons capable of thinking, so losing this many at once…
Tsk tsk… the person behind the scenes was definitely going to be sanctioned by the other high-ranking demons.
**[Level 22 UP↑]**
**[Prompt: The current strength gap with the target is too large. 80% of the experience will be locked and distributed gradually later.]**
‘Stupid official system!’
Lucoco cursed in her heart.
By now, the battle had entered its peak, or rather, it was a “one-sided” situation under the fearless fighting of the Players.
“Heal me!”
“I’ll back you up!”
“Ahhh!”
“Ouch!”
Lucoco glanced at the Map Radar, which had regained its function, and looked up at Sebas.
“Go and kill those guys above Level 40. These Players are too weak…”
“Help me!”
“Oh my god!”
Sebas looked at the Players who had charged in aggressively only to be beaten like children by the Assassins.
“Hmm… you’re right, they truly are too weak!”
Smacking his lips, Sebas vanished into the crowd of monsters.
Lucoco watched the Players who were dragging broken limbs and fighting for their lives against the Assassins, posing a question to her soul.
‘Are the officials that bored? Do they just like making fun of the Players? Sending a group of newbies to deal with these elites?’
In truth, there was no need for a Player gathering at all.
Sebas alone could have solved this crisis.
Otherwise, Lucia would have come over long ago.
“Holy cow! Where did this beast come from?!”
“So cool!”
Lucoco: ‘But… well, an angry Du Lin is quite cute.’
“Follow the big boss and land the finishing blows!”
“Screw you! Don’t let the monsters break the line!”
“Crap! There’s one over here… ah!”
Another Player died.
Lucoco: ‘Su Yue is quite reliable too.’
“Be careful! There are a lot of high-level elites!”
“The big boss went over there.”
Lucoco: ‘In that case, mine and Lucia’s eyes were indeed quite good.’
“Lady Saint! The buff is about to run out!!”
“Cutie, give me a heal~”
“Oh~ Mass Amplification…”
Lucoco said weakly.
*Gulp, gulp…*
Drinking blue potions…
“Ooooh! I’m filled with power again!”
“Where the hell are you running?! Wait for me to heal you up!”
Lucoco: ‘For the record, I definitely don’t like “torturing” my teammates! Probably.’
Wriggling over to sit next to the priestess out of boredom, Lucoco carefully examined the beautiful girl.
‘She’s a Half-Elf. I haven’t seen her before. Why does she have the scent of this Great Demon King on her?’