123: Chapter 124 One move to wipe out the entire field

Watching Lin Muyang's summon, the Elf Princess Lilia, fly lightly onto the arena and then stand openly and defenselessly in the very center, the most conspicuous spot, tens of thousands of spectators, along with the numerous Summoners in the contestant area, all fell into a state of bewilderment, unable to fathom what was happening.

"What... is this new tactic?"

"Never seen it before!"

It was completely impossible to understand what Lin Muyang, or rather, his summon, was thinking!

One had to know, that was a Priest! A support class that looked soft and weak, one that should be hiding in the back providing healing and buffs!

According to the most normal logical deduction, since Lin Muyang had communicated with the powerful Senior Li Yun, the most reasonable arrangement should have been to have this Elf Priest join up with Senior Li Yun's Minotaur, with the Priest providing powerful healing, shields, and attack bonuses to assist the Minotaur in sweeping the battlefield. If the two joined forces, even facing a siege from the other fourteen summons, they would not be without a chance to fight, and might even have a high chance of victory.

But what about now?

The Priest stood alone in the most dangerous center, as if inviting everyone to attack her. Meanwhile, the Minotaur, who should have been the protector and main attacker, was cowering in the corner, its style completely changed, like a bystander afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.

This script was all wrong!

At this moment, on the wide arena, the sixteen summons of the Summoners had each taken their positions, scattered across different areas of the arena. According to the conventions of previous melees, everyone usually chose to stay near the edges, or near cover, or at a moderate distance from other "potential allies," which allowed them to observe the overall situation while making it easy to advance or retreat.

Only Lilia, the Elf Maiden holding a gorgeous scepter with an elegant posture, but whose class was a Priest, stood alone and steady at the very center of the arena—a bare, unobstructed spot that was equidistant from all enemies.

There was indeed a hint of imperceptible nervousness in her emerald eyes, but that nervousness didn't seem to stem from fear of the powerful enemies around her; it was more like... the shyness and discomfort of showing off in front of so many people for the first time?

"So, so many people... a bit nervous..." Lilia muttered to herself, gripping the 【Holy Judgment Aria】 scepter in her hand, feeling the surging light element power within it, and quietly cheered herself on: "No, no, I must help Brother Lin Muyang win the championship! Can't be nervous!"

Looking at the other edge of the arena, the Minotaur "Marathon," who was over three meters tall, well-equipped, and should have been awe-inspiring, looked somewhat "shifty" at this moment.

Its massive body was curled up in a corner of the arena as much as possible, holding its heavy poleaxe in front of itself. Its large ox head turned left and right vigilantly, its bell-like eyes occasionally glancing toward Lilia in the center of the arena, then quickly looking away, as if there was something extremely terrifying there. It remembered its master's instructions: "Stay away from the girl in the middle, protect yourself well."

"Shall we... join forces first and clear out that strange Priest in the middle?" On the arena, a Minotaur warrior over two meters tall, covered in thick metal plate armor and holding a giant shield and a battle hammer, suggested in a muffled voice to a Blood Elf Assassin not far away. The ox eyes under his helmet flashed with cunning, as he felt this was a good opening strategy.

The Blood Elf Assassin was thin and slender, like a drawn blade, his pair of blood-red eyes filled with cruelty and indifference. Hearing this, he glanced at the Minotaur with disdain, then looked at the Elf Priest in the center of the arena who looked so "harmless," and let out a cold sneer: "Join forces? With a tin can like you who only knows how to get beaten? It's just a Priest over level 50, is it worth such a big fuss? I can handle it myself."

"Bastard! Are you looking down on me?!" The Minotaur warrior was instantly enraged, puffing two jets of white steam from his nostrils.

Beneath the arena, the masters of these two summons almost simultaneously ordered them via soul link in low voices, telling them not to start infighting at this time. Although the situation was strange, the safest method at the moment was undoubtedly to concentrate fire first, eliminate the Elf Priest standing in the middle who was particularly conspicuous, and reduce variables.

Of course, at this moment, the attention of most summons on the arena was not entirely focused on Lilia. Their more vigilant gazes were directed at the Minotaur "Marathon" cowering in the corner but still possessing an astonishing aura! After all, this was the most threatening enemy on the surface. Once this 115th-level S-rank Minotaur went berserk, it definitely had the strength to sweep the entire field.

It was just that this seemingly mighty Minotaur brother had its mind completely off the "small fry" around it at this moment. Its simple brain had only one thought: Master said the Elf Maiden in the middle is dangerous, stay away! So, it stared tightly at the center of the arena, muscles tense, ready to deal with any unknown, terrifying attack that might come from there at any time.

And in reality, Senior Li Yun's instruction for "Marathon" to avoid her was truly just out of caution "just in case." Deep down, he didn't think Lilia could be that strong.

At this moment, looking at Lilia's "I am a target, come hit me" positioning, this experienced Summoner also frowned, his inner confusion deepening: "This kid... does he really intend to let this Priest cast some big move that requires long chanting, has a huge range, but doesn't distinguish between friend and foe? But this is too risky..."

This bizarre scene on the arena was clearly presented to all the audience through four huge magic screens.

Su Qingyue, Liang Qiqi, and others who supported Lin Muyang were also dumbfounded, completely unable to make heads or tails of it.

"Sister Qingyue... what kind of tactic is this... from handsome Lin Muyang?" Liang Qiqi tugged at Su Qingyue's sleeve, looking confused, "Letting Lilia stand in the middle as a living target?"

Su Qingyue also furrowed her beautiful brows and shook her head slowly: "I don't understand... This is completely against common sense. The biggest taboo in a melee is to become the target of everyone, especially since she is a Priest who lacks self-preservation ability..."

And those who were already dissatisfied with Lin Muyang, or simply thought he was arrogant, now showed gloating expressions.

"Haha, I think this kid is crazy! His Elf Priest is dead meat!"

"Showing off gets you struck by lightning! Just wait and see, once the match starts, she'll be the first to be focused fire and killed instantly!"

"Senior Li Yun's Minotaur also doesn't know what it's playing at, but that's fine, one less strong competitor."

"Is this Elf stupid? Who plays like this?"

Just as the eyes of the crowd were on her, with everyone whispering and thinking that in the next second Lilia would be submerged by the swarming attacks—

"Match—Start!"

At the edge of the arena, the referee announced loudly, and at the same time, a crisp bell rang throughout the arena.

Hum!

Almost at the same instant the bell rang, the atmosphere on the arena changed suddenly! Killing intent filled the air!

A total of eight or nine summons, driven by their masters' commands or their own combat instincts, moved almost simultaneously! Their target was surprisingly consistent—the lonely Elf Priest in the center of the arena!

The nearest Minotaur warrior roared, light from defensive skills lit up on his body, and he took heavy steps, rushing toward Lilia like a war chariot, his battle hammer smashing down with a whistling sound! On the flank, the Blood Elf Assassin's figure disappeared like a ghost, and the next instant, he appeared in the shadows behind Lilia, his poisoned dagger stabbing silently at her back!

In the distance, a Flame Demon summoned by an Elementalist raised its arm, and a scorching fireball began to condense; an Elf Archer's bowstring vibrated, and an arrow entwined with wind elements left the string! There was also a Shadow Demon Wolf, a Rock Golem...

Various melee lunges, ranged magic, and arrow sneak attacks, from different directions, like a net of heaven and earth, instantly completely enveloped Lilia standing in the center of the arena! The speed was breathtaking!

However, also after the "Start" command was given, not all summons chose to attack Lilia. About four or five summons, either believing their strength was insufficient and just wanting to survive, or feeling the situation was strange and not wanting to make enemies rashly, or simply disliking the other guys rushing up... They did not attack Lilia, but instead launched attacks at those "competitors" rushing toward Lilia, trying to block or contain them.

For a moment, the arena was a mess! Charging, intercepting, magic clashing, arrows crossing... The scene was extremely chaotic!

In the contestant seats, the Summoners participating in this second melee almost all simultaneously released the buff skills they had prepared long ago on their summons on the field! Speed up, attack up, defense up, crit up... Various magical glows lit up in their hands and then crossed space to be applied to their respective summons, instantly raising the intensity of the battle on the arena!

However, right in the center of this lightning-fast, murderous chaos—

Lilia moved.

Facing the lethal attacks converging from all directions, the faint trace of tension on her face suddenly vanished, replaced by an expression that was both sacred and serene.

She did not even look at the attacks about to strike her, merely gently raising the shimmering staff, the "Sigh of Holy Judgment", in her hand.

At the tip of the staff, that pure light-attribute gem suddenly erupted with a soft radiance that was more dazzling than the sun, yet not blinding in the slightest!

"Holy Light shall punish all evil and impurity."

She whispered softly, as if reciting a prayer, yet her voice clearly reached every corner of the suddenly quiet arena.

Hum—!

Centered on the point where she stood, a pure, vast, holy white light, filled with the essence of purification and judgment, instantly spread out like ripples in water!

Countless glowing white lines traced, at an indescribable speed, a complex and profound, enormous holy magic circle on the alloy floor beneath her feet, covering more than half the arena and spanning over sixty meters in diameter!

"Holy Light Punishment"!

Emperor Level, Priest attack skill!

The effect of this skill was simple yet overbearing: within a sixty-meter radius of the caster, all targets judged as "hostile," regardless of their location, whether stealthed, or how high their defense was, would be precisely "punished" at the instant the skill took effect by a pillar of Holy Light descending from the sky!

The attack could not be blocked or dodged by conventional means, because the speed at which the Holy Light descended was the speed of light!

This was not the "Holy Magic Circle" (platinum rank) she had used earlier against the Dark Phoenix, which leaned more towards sustained damage and purification.

"Holy Light Punishment" was a pure, extremely high-burst, instantaneous damage skill!

Its power, under equivalent conditions, was more than ten times that of the "Holy Magic Circle"!

For Class Transferees around level one hundred, Emperor Level skills were already the pinnacle of the skill system that they could access and master!

The moment that enormous holy magic circle covering most of the arena took shape—

Time seemed to have been pressed with a slow-motion button.

The roaring, charging Minotaur, the Blood Elf assassin emerging from the shadows, the whistling fireballs and arrows, the pouncing magic wolf, the approaching puppet...

All attacks rushing toward Lilia, all summons within the magic circle that harbored hostility toward her, and even those few "spoilers" who were busy obstructing others while also within the magic circle...

Their movements, illuminated by the boundless holy light, appeared so sluggish, so powerless.

Immediately after. Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish...

A total of fourteen pure white pillars of light, as thick as buckets, condensed to the extreme, and seemingly made of liquid light, generated out of thin air from the void above the arena without warning, then crashed down at a speed that transcended thought!

Each pillar of light precisely locked onto a target.

There was no deafening explosion.

No gruesome scene of flesh and blood flying.

There was only the purest, most extreme "purification" and "annihilation."

The instant the light pillars struck, the sturdy plate armor of the burly Minotaur vaporized like paper, and his massive body dissolved within the Holy Light; the Blood Elf assassin's ferocious expression froze, and along with the poison dagger in its hand, it turned into specks of light; fireballs and arrows were annihilated into basic elemental particles mid-air; the Shadow Magic Wolf let out a short whine before dissipating completely; the rock puppet crumbled inch by inch, turning into dust...

Whether melee, ranged, possessing amazing physical defense, or outstanding magic resistance, in front of this Emperor Level "Holy Light Punishment," and under the spell effects enhanced by Lilia's "Light Spokesperson" talent (sub-god level) and terrifically amplified by Lin Muyang's numerous God-Tier Aura, the result was no different.

Obliterated. Instantly, vaporized.

From the ringing of the match start bell to the fourteen punishment pillars falling and dissipating, the entire process lasted... less than two seconds.

Two seconds, and the victor was decided.

When that blinding Holy Light covering most of the arena slowly retracted and dissipated, revealing the scene on the arena—

The martial arts arena, which had originally been deafeningly noisy and filled with roars and the roar of skills, fell into a state of near-vacuum, deathly silence.

On the arena, it was completely empty.

Only in the center, that Elf Maiden dressed in a pure white priest robe, holding the Holy Light staff, her long golden hair moving without wind, still stood there quietly, her posture elegant, her expression serene, as if the world-destroying strike from just moments ago had nothing to do with her.

And in the corner at the very edge of the arena, the Centaur warrior "Marathon," standing over three meters tall, still maintained a defensive stance with his axe held horizontally, but at this moment, his massive body was trembling uncontrollably, and his bell-like horse eyes were filled with unparalleled fear and lingering dread.

The expensive rune plate armor on his body had large patches of charred marks on the surface, as if it had been scorched by high heat—that was the result of being lightly grazed by the edge of the "Holy Light Punishment"! Just the aftermath!

Fourteen summons, including two powerhouses over level one hundred, were completely wiped from the arena by a level 56 Elf Priest with a single skill in just two seconds.

Silence. A suffocating silence pressed down on the hearts of tens of thousands of people like a physical weight.

Then—Boom!!!

A wave of sound, more intense, more chaotic, and more filled with ultimate shock than any before, erupted like a volcano that had been building up for millions of years, shooting straight into the clouds!

"My god!! What did I just see?!"

"One-shot... one-shot? All one-shot?!"

"One skill! Just one skill!!"

"That's a Priest?! You're telling me that's a Priest?!"

"Emperor Level skill! It's definitely an Emperor Level skill! But she's only level 56!!"

"Hallucination! It must be a hallucination!!"

"That Centaur... that Centaur is still alive! But he seems to be injured? Just from being grazed by the aftermath?!"

The entire venue was in an uproar! Countless spectators jumped up from their seats in excitement, waving their arms, letting out meaningless screams and shouts!

Many people's faces flushed red, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets, completely unable to believe everything they had just seen!

In the contestant area, there was an uproar! All Summoners, regardless of level or faction, stood up at this moment, staring in disbelief at the petite figure in the center of the arena, then suddenly turned their heads to look at the black-haired youth in the contestant seats who remained calm, as if he had just watched a boring performance—Lin Muyang!

Senior Li Yun stood rooted to the spot like a wooden chicken, the drink cup in his hand having slipped to the ground, yet he was completely unaware.

He opened his mouth, watching the Elf Priest on the arena who had almost "accidentally injured" his ace summon to death, then looked at the nonchalant Lin Muyang beside him; his mind was a blank slate, with only one thought echoing wildly: "What he said was true... it really would accidentally injure... this is far more than an accidental injury..."

The smile on Long Aotian's face had long since vanished, replaced by a livid expression.

He clenched his fists tightly, his fingernails digging deep into his palms, watching the holy figure on the arena, his eyes filled with shock, jealousy, and a trace of... fear that he himself was unwilling to admit.

In the spectator area, in the section where Su Qingyue's team was located, Liang Qiqi was flushed with excitement, grabbing her companion's arm and shaking it desperately, incoherent: "Did you see that? Did you see that?! I told you! Handsome Lin Muyang is invincible! His summons are also invincible!!"

Su Qingyue also covered her slightly parted mouth with her hand due to shock, her beautiful eyes shimmering with brilliance, her heart churning: "Emperor Level skill... such power... how on earth did he do it?"

And those who had previously been gloating and mocking Lin Muyang and Lilia were now all like ducks with their necks squeezed, their faces blank, unable to utter a single word, their faces burning as if they had been slapped hard by an invisible hand.

On the arena, Lilia let out a soft breath, patted her dust-free priest robe, and put away the "Sigh of Holy Judgment" staff.

The residual light of the holy magic circle that had covered most of the arena beneath her feet slowly rose and dissipated like stardust, setting her off like a holy messenger descended to the mortal world, beautiful to the point of suffocation.

At this moment, this scene—the holy Elf Priest standing in the center of the empty arena, surrounded by the slowly dissipating afterglow of the Holy Light, with the mighty Centaur shivering and in a sorry state in the corner—was deeply imprinted in the hearts of the tens of thousands of people at the scene, as well as the countless people watching the live broadcast through magic screens!

Regardless of what their attitude toward Lin Muyang had been before, whether it was worship, doubt, mockery, or disdain, at this moment, everyone stood up, silent as a grave!

The immense shock washed over everyone's perception like a tsunami.

A level 56 Elf Priest, with a single skill, had cleared the field in two seconds.

This could no longer be described with words like "genius" or "monster."

This was simply a miracle!