As Him hid behind Bemira, who’d rushed to her defense, trying to heal herself with a [Healing Spell], a sudden change occurred.
A black shadow silently appeared at the rear, its bloodthirsty fangs tearing through the fragile defenses of the squishy classes behind Him in an instant.
“A Dark Bat Elite?”
“Damn it, how’d it get here?!”
Hearing the commotion, many turned and widened their eyes in shock, while the few who knew the situation were utterly baffled.
“What happened? Didn’t those guilds block it?”
“They said they had it under control!”
Instinctively, they directed their anger at the guilds tasked with handling the Dark Bat Elites.
“Damn it!”
Bemira hurriedly turned to assist, her heavy knight’s shield feeling like a burden in that moment.
No matter how urgent she felt, she couldn’t stop the Dark Bat Elite from boldly slashing its sharp claws at the wounded Him—let alone the players who’d only just reacted and started to move in.
With the sound of a shattering guardian magnet, a magic circle appeared beneath Him, teleporting her back to the Radiant Monastery.
The next moment, a system notification for a quest change appeared on the interfaces of all players who’d taken [Resolve of the Guardian].
At the same time, a different sound rang in my ears.
System: Successfully defeated Cleric Him.
Though the players had done an excellent job protecting her, they, like Bemira, had let their guard down against my Dark Bat Elites.
The reason the Dark Bat Elite bypassed the other guilds’ encirclement was its hidden skill, similar to my [Eternal Night Dash]. Though it could only be used once, it was enough to deliver a fatal blow at that critical moment.
“Now it’s your turn, big sister.”
After taking out their support cleric, I didn’t slack. I immediately locked onto my original target—the other cleric—waiting for the control effects on me to wear off.
“While Miss Lilina is very cute, being this forward makes things difficult for me,” Biri said, quickly regaining her composure and pulling back without hesitation.
The elite squads from the major guilds finally reacted, forming a defensive line with melee classes to fill the gap left by Biri’s retreat.
“Do all you big sisters love taking verbal jabs at me?”
I gritted my teeth. The nightmare, sensing its master’s irritation, launched a thunderous assault.
While it swept away some surrounding players, causing a flare of red damage numbers, the brunt of the attack landed squarely on a shield emblazoned with a gray lion.
“If we’ve offended Miss Lilina, we’re truly sorry, but we’re only speaking the truth,” Daisy said, staggering back several steps to steady herself. The eighth of her HP lost proved my attack wasn’t in vain.
Why do these guys always say such unnecessary things…
Wait, am I doing the same?
Never mind then.
I shook my head, ignoring their provocative words. The nightmare’s arms swung, effortlessly scattering surrounding players before launching another attack. Its hands clenched like heavy hammers, smashing toward the opponent.
Taking out one knight would be a huge advantage.
But my plan clearly fell through.
Bemira, arriving just in time, raised her shield alongside Daisy, bolstered by assisting Warriors and Paladins, rendering my attack ineffective.
Defeating the support cleric had pros and cons. The downside was that the two knights no longer had to split their focus to protect separate teammates, and the guilds guarding Him redirected their full force.
Having lost one of their protection targets, they unleashed their freed-up firepower with even fiercer intensity.
The magic and arrows lighting up half the night sky showed how fast my HP was dropping, despite my recovery abilities.
But I wasn’t at a disadvantage. The Dark Bats and two Elites could hold their own against the guilds’ elite squads. Plus, I’d already taken out the knight captain and support cleric—their backbone and healing source. I held the upper hand.
So there was no need to hold back.
Bemira and Daisy drew their knight lances, aiming to pin me down with a charge.
But I wasn’t about to let them. Another Dark Bat Elite struck with a dash-like skill, joining the first to block the two knights.
“Hold her off—don’t let her near the target!”
“Warriors, Paladins, hold the front! No penalty for dying, so fill any gaps. Backline, cover breaches!”
Seeing the knights stalled, the guilds’ leaders issued orders, showing a willingness to pay any price.
They knew how critical it was to protect the last remaining cleric.
But their efforts were hampered by the relentless Dark Bats, reviving after death, tearing countless small gaps in their organized defenses like termites.
Boom.
The nightmare’s terrifying arm turned into a black beam, instantly shattering the weakest part of the defense. Warriors and Paladins couldn’t withstand it, turning to white light upon contact.
Their sacrifice wasn’t in vain, though.
-461
A dazzling white pillar struck the nightmare, its holy power burning a hole through its dark form.
The pained nightmare howled, swinging its massive arms to scatter encroaching players, venting its fury.
“You can’t escape, big sister.”
Locking my gaze on Biri, surrounded by countless players, I smiled faintly and activated [Eternal Night Dash] as its cooldown ended.
“Daisy, I’ll hold her here. Get to Biri!” Bemira thrust her lance deep into a Dark Bat Elite’s abdomen, raising her shield to block another Elite’s attack, shouting to her companion.
“Got it.”
Daisy didn’t hesitate, rushing toward Biri.
Sensing the rapidly approaching dark aura, Biri halted her next holy spell, retreating quickly. “Adventurers, please stop her!”
System: Accepted timed quest—[Halt the Steps of Lament of Eternal Night].
The players who received the quest surged forward like they’d been injected with adrenaline, fearlessly charging through the Dark Bats’ assault. Even squishy classes bypassed the frontline to block Biri.
But in the face of absolute power, they were mere cannon fodder.
The whip turned into dozens of blades, piercing their sturdy armor with ease, drawing vibrant blood.
Under the buffs from [Eternal Night Dash]’s kills, I moved like a blood shadow through the crowd. Combined with the nightmare’s even fiercer attacks, I carved a bloody path.
The distance between us was less than ten yards.
“I told you, big sister, you can’t escape.”
“Can I surrender now?” Biri smiled, suddenly raising her hand. A faint golden ring rippled out from her, spreading rapidly.
Holy Rejection.
An enhanced [Repulsion Aura] with a powerful knockback effect—Biri’s lifesaving skill. If it pushed me back, Daisy, arriving soon, could pin me down.
Biri’s plan was solid, but I gave her no chance.
With my past-life experience with control skills, I narrowly dodged the spreading aura with the final segment of [Eternal Night Dash].
“All you Radiant Monastery big sisters are so cunning, but too bad—the game’s over.”
Looking at the figure now within arm’s reach, seeing the panic on her face, I smiled faintly, baring my wicked little fangs.
Boom.
The black shadow struck like thunder, shattering Biri’s hastily cast [Holy Shield], dropping her HP by a full third.
“Cough, that’s not very cute.”
Biri, heavily injured and pale, instinctively tried to retreat, but another attack came.
A moonlit gleam shattered her already dim shield, cutting her HP to half.
The Dark Bats held back encroaching players, and the few who slipped through were quickly turned to white light by the nightmare. But as I prepared to finish Biri, I felt a strong gust behind me.
“Biri!”
It was Daisy, now close. In urgency, she hurled her weapon—a hammer glowing with golden filigree, its terrifying power unmistakable.
Hearing her companion, Biri reacted instantly, casting a powerful spell she’d been holding back.
Blade of Judgment.
Dozens of light blades erupted in a brilliant glow, forming a sharp sword net pressing toward me.
Tch, another high-tier skill forced at low level?
I instinctively wanted to dodge, but in that brief moment, something clicked.
Wait—she’s stalling so her teammate’s skill can hit me. Offensive magic isn’t much use here, so that hammer must have a strong control effect.
Glancing at my remaining HP, I made up my mind.
Let’s gamble.
With that, I abandoned dodging or defending, fearlessly meeting the attacks. The nightmare struck like thunder.
At the same time, Biri and Daisy’s attacks hit almost simultaneously, though with a slight delay. The radiant blades pierced the nightmare’s form first.
Then came the golden hammer, carrying a near-five-second stun.
But too bad—it was all within my calculations.
My HP had already dropped below 2000 with the blades’ hit. Even after the hammer’s stun, nothing could stop [Lament of Eternal Night]’s next phase—
Eternal Night Calamity.
Countless blood-red bats surged from the spreading black mist, drawn to blood, swarming toward the defenseless Biri. Her thin HP couldn’t withstand the sheer volume of attacks.
The familiar magic circle appeared, and a sound on my interface confirmed it.
System: Successfully defeated Cleric Biri.
This also meant the failure of the guilds’ elite squads’ quests.
From [Lament of Eternal Night] nearing the cleric, to the cleric and knight’s powerful spells and attacks, to the cleric’s crushing defeat—it all happened too fast for most to react.
Of course, that didn’t include me.
“Alright, now it’s time to play with the two knight big sisters.”
Lifting my airy skirt and turning, I looked at the stunned knights, smiling faintly and showing my cute fangs.
“Lilina won’t hold back anymore.”