As the Ice Ring spell was about to hit, Nie Yan’s two clones simultaneously cast Divine Descent. A beam of white light shone down, granting him three seconds of spell immunity, completely negating the effects of Ice Ring.
Sonic Impact!
Nie Yan locked onto the archmage Refieth once again.
Bladestorm!
Bladestorm!
The two clones, moving in perfect unison, suddenly lunged toward Refieth, their daggers flashing like lightning.
Cataclysmic Calamity!
As he approached the archmage, Nie Yan used Cataclysmic Calamity, significantly reducing Refieth’s attributes.
The archmage Refieth waved his staff and cast Blink, instantly teleporting five yards away.
Taking advantage of this moment, Nie Yan used Sacred Hire to summon the paladin Raifus. Resurrecting Raifus cost Nie Yan over seventy thousand gold coins, causing him a brief pang of regret.
Now, Nie Yan had three units at his disposal.
Paladin Raifus cast Mighty Bash on himself and charged toward Archmage Refieth.
Just as Archmage Refieth began to wave his staff to cast a spell on Raifus, Raifus swung his greatsword and applied a Silence effect, nullifying Refieth’s magic.
As the battle progressed, Nie Yan gradually found his rhythm and began to turn the tide. Together with the Shadow Assassin and Paladin Raifus, he relentlessly pursued Archmage Refieth. They attacked in turns, preventing Refieth from casting spells continuously.
The balance of victory began tilting toward Nie Yan.
Realizing this, Archmage Refieth became furious. With a deep, explosive voice, he waved his staff and unleashed an Ice Storm, causing hail to fall around him.
Ignoring the damage ability, Nie Yan, still benefiting from the speed boost of Bladestorm, rushed toward Refieth at incredible speed, his dagger flashing like lightning toward the archmage’s throat.
The Ice Storm struck Nie Yan, dealing over twenty thousand damage. Immediately, Paladin Raifus swung his greatsword, casting a healing spell on Nie Yan, instantly restoring his health.
After being forced back, Archmage Refieth used Blink to evade again.
As soon as he reappeared, Nie Yan predicted his landing spot, where the Shadow Assassin was already waiting. With a powerful kick, the Shadow Assassin struck Refieth’s back.
Quickly casting Ice Armor, Refieth absorbed the blow with a stumble. Fortunately, the Ice Armor protected him from being crippled.
Nie Yan’s assault was indeed fierce, earning him a newfound respect from the archmage.
This might be the first time Refieth truly acknowledged a player.
The Shadow Assassin rushed in again, but Refieth cast Wind Speed on himself, quickly moving fifty to sixty yards away.
Without hesitation, Nie Yan, Paladin Raifus, and the Shadow Assassin accelerated after him.
Refieth waved his staff, his aura suddenly surging, unleashing a powerful wave of force.
Nie Yan sensed danger rising in his heart and immediately retreated with Raifus and the Shadow Assassin.
Refieth’s aura rapidly escalated, his robes billowing without wind, as spiraling ice spikes swirled around him.
This wasn’t a forbidden spell, but possibly some secret technique.
“Die!” Refieth growled lowly. Hundreds of ice spikes shot into the sky, then rained down from above toward Nie Yan.
Nie Yan quickly ordered the Shadow Assassin and Paladin Raifus to scatter, while he himself fled outward.
Thud! Thud! Thud! The ground was riddled with ice spikes. Nie Yan leaped out of the way. Boom! Boom! Boom! The ice spikes exploded upon impact.
Refieth could manipulate these ice spikes at will, directing them to attack wherever he wished.
Using this ability, Refieth pursued Nie Yan, the Shadow Assassin, and Paladin Raifus relentlessly. The endless barrage of ice spikes was like a storm. Paladin Raifus, unable to evade in time, was struck by three ice spikes, each dealing over twenty thousand damage, and was covered in thick frost.
His movement speed drastically reduced, Raifus could barely walk and quickly cast several spells, melting the frost away.
Another wave of ice spikes rained from the sky.
Suddenly accelerating, Nie Yan swiftly dashed over and kicked Raifus, sending him flying.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The spot where Raifus had stood was instantly covered in thick frost.
Like a god controlling everything, Archmage Refieth’s mastery of ice magic far surpassed other archmages. His continuous control spells forced Nie Yan, the Shadow Assassin, and Paladin Raifus into a desperate struggle.
The battle intensified, frost condensing into mist, gradually clearing the battlefield. More and more players gathered to watch. A player engaging in a prolonged battle with one of the Empire’s most renowned NPC archmages, neither gaining a clear advantage, was an unprecedented event in the Empire’s history.
Although Nie Yan had only held the advantage for a few seconds throughout the entire fight, it was still impressive. Previously, several players who boasted of their strength had rashly confronted Archmage Refieth and were instantly annihilated without resistance.
The flying ice spikes danced like musical notes. Archmage Refieth calmly walked forward, relentlessly pursuing Nie Yan, the Shadow Assassin, and Paladin Raifus.
Observing Refieth from a distance, Nie Yan considered his options and, together with the Shadow Assassin, activated the Gnome Transformation skill. Their bodies rapidly shrank to about one-third their original size.
Archmage Raifus was momentarily stunned. Nie Yan and the Shadow Assassin’s smaller forms made them much harder to hit. The Gnome Transformation skill was particularly effective against ranged classes.
Nie Yan and the Shadow Assassin moved nimbly. With their smaller frames, they could more easily evade spells and handle the ice spike attacks with ease.
Both sides used every trick in the book, exhausting all available tactics.
Vanish!
Nie Yan dodged Refieth’s relentless ice spikes and, like a panther, leaped forward, dagger aimed at Refieth’s head.
Refieth cast Steadfast, unleashing a barrage of ice balls like a machine gun, all missing, grazing Nie Yan’s body.
Refieth rarely fought against a gnome, severely misjudging Nie Yan’s size. Even with spells aimed at Nie Yan, his agile mid-air maneuvers allowed him to evade.
Die!
Nie Yan’s dagger struck down with a powerful blow.
Suddenly sensing danger, Refieth felt a chill down his spine—flanked again!
As he attempted to Blink, the Shadow Assassin’s Sonic Impact froze him in place.
Sonic Impact and Lock were undoubtedly excellent counters to Blink, provided the player’s skill was exceptional enough to use them precisely at the moment the enemy attempted to Blink.
Nie Yan’s assault reached its peak.
Protected by Ice Shield, Refieth was struck by Nie Yan’s blow.
Damage numbers exceeding three thousand floated above his head. Fortunately, the Ice Shield prevented him from being controlled, and he immediately retaliated with his staff.
The three figures clashed fiercely, while Paladin Raifus continuously applied Silence and similar debuffs on Refieth from a distance.
The battle became hand-to-hand combat. Soon, Refieth’s health dropped to half.
Almost there! Nie Yan remained calm, determined not to make any mistakes—he had to defeat Refieth!
Elbow Strike!
Nie Yan struck Refieth’s abdomen with an elbow, flipped over, and delivered a powerful kick to Refieth’s throat, followed by a downward kick.
Combo 1, Combo 2, Combo 3…
Nie Yan’s movements were fluid and continuous. If not for Refieth’s Ice Shield, Refieth would have been defeated already.
Furiously attacked, Refieth became enraged. While staggering backward, he sought an opportunity to retaliate. At this moment, Paladin Raifus used his final Silence ability, leaving him unable to use Silence again for a while.
Suddenly, Refieth unleashed his fury, waving his staff with a cold shout. From the ground erupted dense ice spikes.
Luckily, Nie Yan was still airborne; otherwise, he would have been impaled. However, the Shadow Assassin faced trouble as an ice spike pierced his right calf, freezing it solid and trapping him to the ground.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Several ice balls struck the Shadow Assassin, sending him flying and vanishing into thin air.
Paladin Raifus, being farther away, was unharmed.
As Archmage Refieth completed this ability, Nie Yan flipped and delivered a fierce kick to Refieth’s face, triggering a knockback effect. Refieth flew backward, crashing heavily to the ground.
Refieth’s Ice Armor shattered. As Nie Yan swung his dagger downward, Refieth, in a critical moment, waved his staff and unleashed an Ice Explosion. A massive ice ball shot toward Nie Yan.
The distance was too close, and the ice ball was too large for Nie Yan to evade. He quickly cast Obsidian Shield. Boom! Nie Yan felt a powerful impact slam into his chest, sending him flying fifty to sixty yards. Dazed and spinning, he crashed heavily to the ground, rolling away.
Before he could rise, Nie Yan heard several booming sounds and a system notification.
System: Paladin Raifus has died.
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