159: Chapter 159 Just Because I Gave You One More Look

The Shadow Monarch's body was undergoing a startling transformation.

The pitch-black chains that had burst from the ground and imprisoned millions of players now seemed to have become its blood vessels.

Countless streams of pure dark energy and life essence were being continuously drained through the chains, flowing into that thousand-meter-tall demon god's body.

Its size was shrinking slightly at a pace visible to the naked eye, but the pressure it emitted was skyrocketing exponentially.

"Roar—!"

A roar completely different from before echoed through the skies.

The sound was no longer pure rage, but carried a sense of satisfaction after a full meal, as well as... the playfulness of a game about to begin.

The transformation was complete.

"Judgment... begins."

The Shadow Monarch's giant crimson eyes were finally no longer hollow.

Its gaze moved slowly, scanning the millions of motionless "sculptures" across the plains.

Finally, its gaze locked onto an Orc Warrior holding a giant axe, frozen in a charging stance.

[Shadow's Judgment has been designated]

[Target: Raging Battleaxe]

A cold system notification rang in everyone's mind.

In the next second, the pitch-black chains wrapped around that Orc Warrior instantly dissipated.

He regained his freedom.

But before he could react to the shock of regaining movement, a blood-red DEBUFF icon appeared above his head.

[Shadow Mark: Loses 8% of maximum HP per second as True Damage. Cannot be dispelled. Lasts until death.]

The warrior only had time to let out a terrified syllable before his health bar began to plummet frantically at a rate visible to the naked eye!

"Heal me!!" he roared at the top of his lungs.

However, his surrounding teammates were all frozen in place, becoming lifelike sculptures that could only watch him with terrified eyes.

The Shadow Monarch didn't even give him a second glance, merely waving out a casual blast of shadow energy.

Pfft.

This warrior, whose name no one even remembered, had his health bar emptied instantly, vanishing into a white light.

The first one.

Everyone understood.

The second phase's mechanic was a roll call!

The designated player would be released from crowd control but would be slapped with a fatal DEBUFF, becoming the boss's target for a duel.

This was an execution!

However, the true elite players thought a step further.

Salos, Arrow of the Moon, and Oro—though their bodies were imprisoned—their minds were racing.

The designated person could move!

They could choose to attack the boss, or... help others!

"Dispel! Whoever gets designated, use a dispel skill or item immediately!"

The commands from the three guild leaders rang out almost simultaneously in their respective guild channels.

An opportunity!

This was the chance to break the deadlock and fight for second place!

Whoever's person got designated first would be able to seize the initiative!

As if hearing their prayers, the Shadow Monarch's gaze moved again, this time locking onto a small, dagger-wielding Owl Assassin.

[Shadow's Judgment has been designated]

[Target: Feifei Isn't Scared]

The moment the chains dissipated, this assassin displayed extremely high combat literacy, activating their strongest survival skill without a moment's hesitation.

"Grey Mist Cloak!"

A cloud of black mist enveloped him, dodging all damage for 1.5 seconds.

It was somewhat useful, but not by much.

The [Shadow Mark] above his head was completely unreasonable, ignoring the immunity effect.

His health bar was still hemorrhaging!

Once the 1.5 seconds of invincibility ended, the boss gave a casual wave.

He turned into the second flash of white light.

The entire Wind and Snow Plain fell into a deeper silence.

Even the elites of the Three Great Guilds had a hint of despair in their eyes.

How are we supposed to play this?

This is simply unplayable!

Chen You was still dealing damage, his jade brilliance twin swords never tiring.

The boss's health had already dropped to 16%.

He glanced at the two dissipating white lights and rubbed his chin.

There were group dispel items in the mall; the price didn't matter.

But...

This thing applied to other players, which counted as a positive buff.

Would the system judge this as "PVP interaction" and then scrap his precious newbie protection period?

Chen You didn't dare to gamble.

Help? For what? They weren't related or friends.

He wasn't familiar with these people; if he ended up getting himself involved, it would be a massive loss.

If he messed up and lost his newbie protection period, Director Li would probably charge into the Source Realm with a blade.

Chen You continued to be his damage-dealing machine with a clear conscience.

Anyway, the boss seemed to completely ignore him, this BUG, and was single-mindedly focused on its "roll call" business.

Since he wasn't controlled, he naturally wasn't on the roll call list.

Fine by him.

He scanned the field at his leisure, his gaze eventually landing on Arrow of the Moon.

He couldn't help but wonder: I wonder how long these big shots can last if they get designated?

Just then, the Shadow Monarch's mountain-like head slowly turned.

Its crimson gaze crossed over thousands of troops and landed precisely within the Moon Gods Radiance camp.

It landed on the graceful and stunningly beautiful Elven Queen, who was currently bound by chains like a work of art.

[Shadow's Judgment has been designated]

[Target: Arrow of the Moon]

Here it comes!

Arrow of the Moon felt a chill in her heart when she saw Chen You's gaze, but she didn't think much of it.

The most important thing now was to seize the opportunity!

Buzz!

The chains shattered.

The moment she regained her freedom, this leader of the Elf God Clan didn't hesitate for a second.

She didn't even glance at her health bar, immediately taking out a silver scroll shimmering with moonlight and tearing it open on the spot!

Gentle moonlight centered on her, forming a massive halo that spread outward.

Wherever the halo passed, the black chains on dozens of Moon Gods Radiance's core knights and archers snapped inch by inch.

"Guild Leader!"

"Damage! Everyone burst! Snatch the damage!" Arrow of the Moon's voice was cold and urgent.

She didn't stop, firing an arrow behind her.

"Moon God's Protection—Activate!"

A white light descended with the arrow, and the dozen or so support units within the white light were also dispelled.

"Healers, prioritize maintaining the health of the damage-dealing squads."

This was the decisiveness of the Elf God Clan's number one player!

For the glory of the guild, she chose to sacrifice herself without hesitation to create damage-dealing space for the team!

In the camps of Titan Temple and Shadow of Roman, the expressions of Salos and Oro were ugly to the extreme.

Damn it!

Why did it have to be Arrow of the Moon!

Moon Gods Radiance's damage contribution began to skyrocket at a visible rate, quickly closing the gap with Titan Temple.

However, the DEBUFF on Arrow of the Moon was far more terrifying than imagined.

As a top-tier Level 91 player, her HP was as high as several hundred thousand.

Losing health by percentage, the numbers were simply shocking.

It was tens of thousands of damage every second!

The liberated healers in the back row were frantically casting heals on her, but they were also continuously losing health and simply couldn't keep up.

Arrow of the Moon felt her life force draining rapidly, and a sense of powerlessness welled up in her heart.

Her skills and items were all on cooldown.

Her damage was now also unable to break into the top ten of the leaderboard.

She had secured the maximum benefit for the guild, but she herself was going to die here like those two passersby before.

As the strongest of the Elf God Clan in the Source Realm, she carried the immense civilization destiny of the entire race.

If she fell, the impact on the Elf God Clan in the real world would be catastrophic.

She was unwilling.

Truly unwilling.

Her proud eyes scanned the entire battlefield, past her clansmen who were frantically dealing damage, past the predatory Salos and Oro, and finally...

Her gaze froze on that lone figure.

That man who, from beginning to end, had acted as if nothing were happening, standing in the center of the storm, leisurely popping potions and controlling two flying swords.

Chen You.