I didn’t think about anything else.
First and foremost, it was urgent to get as far away as possible.
I left the gunslinger behind and threw myself into motion.

Can I escape safely?

It seemed difficult.
It was hopeless to get out unscathed, so I aimed to just get out alive.

The ceiling of the Shadow Hall was quite high.
As a home ground for assassins, there were plenty of places to hide.
The vertical height was ideal for using elevation to one’s advantage.

I couldn’t tell where Phantom had positioned himself or when he used Silent Executioner.
But if he set a trap with the intention of targeting me, it would not be something to take lightly.
Despite increasing the distance as much as possible, I couldn’t fully escape the reach of his executioner.

As the red light surged, my health bar quickly began to drain.

“Ahhh…!”
“I was hoping to finish you off in one blow. Was that too much to ask?”
“You should have hoped for it.”

Phantom’s form shimmered with black smoke nearby.
The buff was the Black Moon. The intermittent flashes of light would be from the druid and priest’s support.
Had my reaction been just a little slower, that attack would have severed my breath.

No, wait.
Is it too early to say that I’m still alive?
Phantom’s attacks won’t end with just one strike.

As if predicting the spot where I might dodge, dark chains began to fall.
Clever. The random array seemed like a pattern, and no matter where I moved, one of them always found a way to disrupt my path.

The moment I stopped for just one step, black spikes shot up right in front of me.
Had I moved a bit more, they would have pierced my jaw.

Trapped with no way out.
The exit was being blocked, and Phantom was closing in from behind.
Stay calm. Just because my health was running low didn’t mean I could afford to lose my composure.

If I keep running, I’ll be cornered. I have to push back now.

There was still a silver lining.
If the previous situation had been one Phantom favored, now it was the opposite.

Close-quarter combat.
And if it was an assassin mirror match, it was clearly my territory.
With newfound confidence, I stepped further into Phantom’s range.

It would be better to be closer than to be awkwardly far away.
I heard the sound of a sniper rifle from a distance.
A bullet passed by me, the sound of the shot echoing sharply.

There was no need to worry too much.
The gunslinger didn’t actually intend to hit me.

In the tangled fight between assassins, predicting movement was difficult.
Phantom was almost at full strength, while my health was on the brink.
Rather than risk my team’s safety, the best move was to apply pressure.

Phantom used a dagger, opting for a kukri instead of dual blades.
In raw strength, I was at a disadvantage.
We exchanged glances as our blades met.

“Are you confident? Going one-on-one with me?”
“Do you really think you can’t wear me down? You’ve got hardly any health left.”
“Well, you’d be surprised. A lot of people end up dead without even landing a hit on me.”

I deflected the dagger coming towards me.
I blocked a roundhouse kick aimed at my side with a punch.
As the kick lost power, I raised my arm and aimed for his neck.

I managed to leave a light wound.
The reason I couldn’t strike deeply was because my left arm was caught.
My whole body was lifted off the ground and slammed down.

The wound reopened, and blood poured out, but there was no way I was going to just take it.
As I was falling, I left a large gash on Phantom’s chest.

He laughed, looking as if he couldn’t believe it.

The exchange was fine, but I had lost some distance from Phantom.
In this position, I was within the gunslinger’s firing range.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like an immediate issue.

[‘Clear Drop’ effect is active.]
[Health regenerates over time during the effect.]
[Caster: Sigma Hekate]

A protective circle drawn in the air blocked the sniper’s bullet.
The main force of Sigma, aided by Hekate’s buff, quickly closed in on the enemy.
While the shields held off the incoming gunfire, our rangers started their own covering fire.
Arrows shot high, splitting like rain, but the priest’s shield acted as an umbrella.

And the moment the two frontlines clashed, the lights in the Shadow Hall were completely turned off.

An unexpected variable on the battlefield.

The only remaining light came from the skills of the players.
At the moment when every player’s vision was limited by dark adaptation, I knew that now was my chance to move.

[‘Whisper of the Black Moon’ effect is active.]
[All attack power, movement speed, and counterattack abilities are enhanced.]
[Some skills are strengthened…]

I recalled the last known position of the enemy.
The gunslinger’s flame, the priest’s holy spell, and the druid’s tattoos glowed even in the darkness.
Now that I had confirmed the enemy’s location, I had no hesitation.

The target I wanted most to eliminate was the priest.
If the priest’s shield disappeared, there would be nothing to block our rangers’ arrows.
This would make the enemy rush, and we would gain an advantage in the long run.

But my position wasn’t ideal.
A single mistake could turn me into a pincushion for the gunslinger’s bullets.
A few shots from behind could melt my health bar in seconds.

So, I reluctantly aimed for the gunslinger.
My dagger stabbed into his chest.

I was aiming for the neck... missed by just a little. Did he sense something at the last moment?

Shouting would be dangerous.
Instead of following up with another strike, I pressed my hand to my mouth.
His scream turned into a muffled "Ugh, uhh-!"

But blocking his call for help didn’t stop everything.
The gunslinger fired a few rounds into the air, drawing the attention of the other players.

It was still fine.
The darkness was my cover, and I had enough distance.
At this point, I could land a few more stabs.

[‘Vital Strike: Internal Organs’ effect activated.]
[‘Enhanced Hemotoxin’ effect applied.]

I roughly dragged the dagger through the wound.
The blade tore through flesh and into the organs.
I couldn’t kill him right away, but it would be enough to make him retreat.

At this distance, the fighter was like an animal in a zoo.
The druid’s transformation build was no threat to me.
If it weren’t for Phantom, I’d only need to worry about the priest.

The priest is extremely skilled in recovery and defense.
But there was one flaw: the priest’s skills ultimately rely on “casting” in the system.

The last shot from the gunslinger had a slight stagger effect.
It severed the thick tendons in his arm and stole his gun.
I fired all my shots at the priest.

Due to the rushed aim, most of the bullets missed.
But a few found their mark, and the system properly applied the stagger.
With that, the priest’s casting was canceled. By the time the next skill would be ready, it would be time for me to retreat.

Things were going well.
Let’s finish off the gunslinger.

Just as I thought that, the lights on the battlefield flickered back on.
A sudden wave of danger crept up my spine.
A shadow loomed over me.

[Active: Silent Executioner]
[Descending from a high place, it inflicts powerful damage in the surrounding area.]
[All enemies within the attack range are silenced. The attack range and silence duration are proportional to the distance fallen, and a back-attack bonus is applied.]
[Caster: V Nightmare Phantom]

Had Phantom planned to consume me from the start?
This could be dangerous.

Phantom had clearly been waiting for this moment.
As the dark shroud of nightfall enveloped the battlefield again, his movements were swift.

I couldn’t afford to hesitate now. Phantom’s goal was simple: he aimed to eliminate me swiftly.
With his near-perfect control of the arena, he could seize every opportunity. This was no longer about survival but about outplaying each other in the shadows.

I still had time to make my move. Phantom wouldn’t let up, and I couldn’t let him take control.

As I tried to adjust my position, a wave of dark energy swept across the arena.
I could sense Phantom’s presence, closing in. The deadly silence before the storm. The fight had become a matter of seconds.

The battlefield shifted again, and the last echo of gunfire rang through the darkened arena.
Every second, every moment now depended on outwitting Phantom. There was no room for mistakes.

The shadow of Phantom’s next move loomed over me like a storm, but I had only one chance left to escape.