113: Chapter 113 A Desperate Health Bar, A Textbook-Style "Roll Call" Slaughter!

Billowing thick smoke, like a black Dragon with a severed spine, writhed in agony atop the ruins of the shattered city gate.

The aftershocks of the explosion had yet to fade, and the scent of charred remains filled the air. Qin Ji maintained his post-shot stance, his purple-gold pupils peering through the thick dust as he coldly watched the City Guard frantically pouring out from behind the ruins.

No pauses, no nonsense.

"Kill—!!"

Accompanied by a hoarse roar, hundreds of heavily armored City Guard stepped over the rubble, surging toward Qin Ji like a black tide. They were the elites of Black Wind City, all at Rank fifty or higher, their spears glinting with a bloodthirsty chill.

Qin Ji did not retreat; instead, he advanced.

He didn't even bother to change his positioning. He lowered his jiu he long bow slightly, his fingertips plucking the bowstring so rapidly that they left afterimages in the air.

"Twang, twang, twang, twang—"

The vibration of the bowstring formed a continuous line of sound, as if an invisible heavy machine gun were roaring frantically.

The heavily armored knight at the very front had just raised his shield when he was sent flying by the immense kinetic energy, exploding into a mist of blood along with his shield. Then came the second, the third...

However, there were simply too many City Guard.

A few assassin-type City Guard used the cover of the smoke to appear behind Qin Ji like ghosts, plunging poisoned daggers deep into his back.

-4890!

-5120!

-4999!

Bright red damage numbers floated up, and Qin Ji's health bar visibly wavered.

The eyes of the surrounding players, who had been watching from the sidelines, instantly flared with greed.

"His defense is broken! We can hurt him!"

"He's not invincible! Charge, brothers! If we get his gear, we'll be set for life!"

However, the flames of greed had just been ignited when they were ruthlessly extinguished by the next scene.

Qin Ji didn't even glance at the assassins behind him; he fired a backhand shot that exploded the head of a mage in front of him.

Critical Hit! -452,000!

At the same time, a green number floated up from above Qin Ji's head, its color as vibrant as the lushest grass in spring.

+45,200!

This was the life-steal from just a single basic attack.

Then, the longbow in Qin Ji's hand became an instrument of death. With his current terrifying attack speed of twenty, he could unleash dozens of feathered arrows in a single second.

+35,000!

+35,000!

+70,000 (Critical Life-steal)!

...

Green recovery numbers refreshed frantically above his head like a waterfall, instantly filling the small amount of lost health and even threatening to overflow!

"This... how the hell are we supposed to fight this?!"

A Rogue player who was about to launch a sneak attack froze in place, his dagger clattering to the ground. "He recovers hundreds of thousands of health in a second?! Is that health bar even real?!"

In less than a minute.

The open ground before the city gate was already covered with a thick layer of corpses. Over a hundred elite City Guard of Rank fifty had all become cold corpses without even touching the hem of Qin Ji's clothes.

Blood pooled into streams, snaking along the shattered floor tiles and staining Qin Ji's pitch-black combat boots an even deeper shade.

...

Black Wind City, City Lord's Manor terrace.

City Lord gripped the railing tightly, his knuckles white from the strain. His normally sinister face was now filled with disbelief.

"This is impossible... Not even the kingdom's Guardian Knights could have such recovery capabilities!"

He took a deep breath, forcing down the tremor in his heart, his eyes becoming incredibly venomous. "No matter how strong he is, he's only one person. As long as we control him and prevent him from attacking, his life-steal will be useless!"

"Pass the order!"

City Lord's voice was freezing cold. "Have the Priest and Mage Corps advance; drown him in crowd control skills! Also... go invite Great Master Brulink. Have him lead the Grappler Legion and sneak over while hidden among the Shield Warriors."

"Once they're close, lock him down tight!"

As the City Lord's command was issued, the previously chaotic City Guard quickly shifted their formation.

Hundreds of Heavy Warriors holding massive shields took the lead, forming a steel wall. Behind them were not only mages chanting spells but also dozens of Grappler in light leather armor with sharp eyes.

Qin Ji's movements paused slightly.

He saw the figures flickering in the gaps between the shields and the magical glow beginning to shimmer in the distance.

"Priest silence, Mage freeze, Shield Warrior charge, Grappler chain-control..."

A playful curve touched the corner of Qin Ji's mouth. "City Lord, you're a quick thinker."

Although his purification jade pendant could cleanse crowd control, it couldn't withstand such an overwhelming, seamless succession of effects. Once a Grappler got close, their relentless chain of throws and stuns would be enough to keep him unable to attack while he was focused down and killed.

And so, under the watch of countless eyes, the previously invincible Snow Emperor actually turned around and... ran?

"He's afraid!"

On the city wall, an adjutant shouted excitedly, "The City Lord is wise! He's afraid of control! Chase him! Don't let him get away!"

Seeing this, the City Guard, who had been somewhat fearful, felt their morale soar.

"Kill the Snow Emperor! Claim the bounty!"

The Shield Warriors roared as they charged with their shields raised, and the Grappler hidden among them were like leopards poised to strike, waiting only to close the distance before launching a fatal blow.

Fifty meters.

Thirty meters.

Twenty meters.

The distance was closing rapidly.

Watching the Shield Warriors gradually move out of the range of the city wall's fire support in their pursuit, the "fleeing" Qin Ji suddenly stopped.

He turned around, and there was no longer even a hint of panic in his purple-gold eyes; there was only the cold mockery of a hunter watching his prey fall into a trap.

"City Lord, you've been tricked."

Qin Ji whispered softly, suddenly drawing his jiu he long bow wide.

This time, it wasn't a standard shot.

"Multi-Shot: Five-Star Continuous Strike!"

Twang—!

Five feathered arrows left the string simultaneously, tracing five eerie arcs through the air. They didn't target the Shield Warriors in front; instead, as if they had eyes of their own, they slipped through the tiny gaps in the shields and precisely struck the Grappler hidden behind!

Puff, puff, puff, puff, puff!

Five blood blossoms bloomed almost simultaneously.

"What?!"

Grappler Brulink, hidden behind a shield, had his pupils contract sharply. He watched as his companion's forehead was pierced, and the terrifying lightning power attached to the arrow instantly exploded, paralyzing the two people nearby as well.

This was Qin Ji's tactic—"Targeting."

Just as snipers in modern warfare prioritize taking out enemy commanders and heavy weapons operators, the highest Realm for an Archer on the battlefield of ragnarok was to precisely pick off the most threatening targets from within a vast army.

In Qin Ji's eyes, these squishy, short-ranged Grappler were nothing more than moving targets.

"Since you've come out, don't plan on going back."

Qin Ji stood his ground, his feet as motionless as if they had taken root.

Frost Command: Decelerate!

Death Reincarnation: Contagion!

A rain of arrows poured down like a violent storm.

Each arrow was like an invitation from the God of Death, delivered precisely to the throat of every Grappler.

Critical Hit! -821,000!

Lightning Jump! -410,000!

Those Grappler who had been preparing for close-quarters combos fell in swaths like harvested wheat before they could even touch the hem of Qin Ji's clothes.

"This... is he freaking cheating?!"

In the crowd, Frenzied Blade couldn't help but gasp, his giant axe nearly dropping onto his foot. "Blind firing through shields? And getting precise headshots? This archery... this archery is a hundred times more ridiculous than a national team's Olympic champion!"

Beside him, Shoot Through the Firmament turned pale. As a top-tier Archer, he knew better than anyone the sheer skill required for this "Targeting" maneuver.

"It's not blind firing..." Shoot Through the Firmament's voice trembled as he pointed at the battlefield. "He predicted the breathing rhythms and movement gaps of the Shield Warriors... This isn't an operation a human can perform! This is a miracle!"

In just ten short seconds.

Fifty Grappler were completely wiped out.

Without the threat of the Grappler, the remaining Shield Warriors were nothing more than a group of mobile blood banks to Qin Ji.

The frost deceleration made it impossible for them to move, and the terrifying piercing damage made their vaunted defense as flimsy as paper.

Puff, puff, puff—

The dull sounds of bodies hitting the ground rose and fell. The once-aggressive charging force now consisted only of severed limbs and white light that had yet to dissipate.

The battlefield fell back into a deathly silence once more.

Qin Ji slowly lowered his longbow, his gaze piercing through the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, stabbing directly toward the City Lord's Manor.

"Activate the City Protection Array!! Fast!!!"

City Lord's shrill roar broke the silence, his voice carrying an irrepressible fear.

Buzz—

A faint golden light barrier rose from all sides of Black Wind City, like a massive translucent dome, enveloping the entire city.

This was Black Wind City's trump card and the City Lord's final fig leaf.

Looking at the city cowering behind the light barrier, Qin Ji did not continue his attack. He knew the durability of this City Protection Array was in the hundreds of millions; a direct assault would only waste time.

The corners of his mouth curled up in a mocking sneer. He casually pulled a feathered arrow from his quiver and twirled it between his fingertips.

The setting sun was like blood, staining the ruins a dark red.

Qin Ji stepped one foot onto the massive corpse of a Shield Warrior and casually flicked away the last drop of warm blood from his arrowhead. His purple-gold pupils shone brightly in the twilight, just like a primeval Vicious Beast that had just finished a feast. Across the seemingly indestructible light barrier, he coldly watched the city's defenders shivering behind it.