NoveLight ™
It goes without saying, but there is no one who can kill five opponents alone at the championship level.
If that were possible, they would have won multiple championships by now.
Even in the league, they wouldn’t have been left alone like that.
But assassins—do they ever fight in a fair and honorable way?
There is no reason to fight them all directly.
The important thing is not to kill the enemy, but to hold them back and buy time.
If the goal can be achieved, there’s no need to even clash weapons!
Just as several spells flew through the air, Ga-wol’s assault began again.
This time, the target was Gunslinger.
The white-light assassin was closing in rapidly.
The dagger aimed for the neck narrowly missed.
Ga-wol retreated without hesitation and disappeared into the blind spot of sight.
For a brief moment, as attention was drawn elsewhere, an arrow struck the shoulder of the priest.
“Ga-wol’s disruption continues. Rika is happily shooting!”
“It seems the Nightmare players are thinking something like this.”
“No! Stop it already! This is getting ridiculous! Can’t you just fight already?”
“Haha. The rope-walking is truly an art, isn’t it? He only targets just before the tipping point, then vanishes, right?”
Of all the builds for assassins, the one that receives the most stat bonuses is the White Moon martial arts build.
Even more so now, as it is supported by both the shaman and the paladin.
The agility that has exceeded the incredible level of mobility is beyond amazing.
Due to the vertical nature of the battlefield, the sealing of shadow skills was not a major issue.
If things became difficult, one could always fall outside the field.
Tall structures or ceilings had always been like friends to assassins.
Whether it’s a grappling hook or something else, there were numerous ways to utilize space.
Right now, it was almost as if there were hiding places everywhere!
However, it wasn’t wise to chase carelessly due to the presence of the hidden assassin.
Well, even if one were a martial artist or druid, could they chase after that?
As a result, the focus of the priest and Gunslinger was wasted in a mad scramble.
“Try thinking from the Nightmare side. The situation will feel extremely frustrating.”
“What should we do? Should we chase after him?”
“Ga-wol’s assassin?”
“Then should we ignore him?”
“… Ga-wol’s assassin?”
Everyone here is among the world’s top professional gamers.
Analyzing the enemy’s strength is basic, a must.
They knew Ga-wol’s martial arts assassin could never be underestimated.
Even if you searched the whole world, only Ga-wol can truly utilize the White Moon buff effectively.
It was only natural. Taking mobility and stats without the main utility?
Most would even struggle to handle an assassin’s mobility.
In the IKL, Ga-wol used such a martial arts assassin to take down the Inquisitor.
Even the hellhound’s swordmaster could not withstand it and lost.
Against opponents who have poor matchups, there’s no need to mention it.
A single lapse in concentration would immediately lead to death.
“Nightmare side has no real means to deal with the hidden assassin.”
“Since Luche couldn’t invest in the martial artist’s energy skill, right?”
“Seems like they want Phantom to come out. It looks hard to stop unless it’s another assassin.”
“But they can’t afford to waste the opportunity they’ve carefully built.”
“Ah, Phantom is starting to move.”
This won’t do.
In the dark, another assassin began to move.
Hekate.
Seoye-won’s professional career wasn’t that short.
The time when she was considered a newbie had long passed. She was now gradually being treated like a veteran.
Having stayed in the IKL’s first team for quite some time, she also had a fanbase.
However, she had never shown good results in international matches.
Originally, shamans are not a class with strong survivability as support.
Compared to priests, they are a much more offensively inclined class.
Shields specialize in blocking ranged attacks, and most buffs enhance movement speed or attack power.
Naturally, when it came to dealing with assassins, one either had to rely on team support or take care of it themselves.
In the IKL, she was fine.
Hekate had started as an assassin and knew well when support classes died.
Her solid play came when her own abilities were up to the task.
The problem was international matches.
She couldn’t survive against top-tier players.
With a tragic survival rate, she became the cause of many losses.
Every international match, she received the full wrath of the fans.
She didn’t even want to imagine the times she suffered from depression.
The worst part was that she couldn’t even refute the criticisms.
She watched the video of her own death.
A futile and weak death. For someone who had ruined the game, it was a surprisingly pitiful sight.
She wondered if she was truly such a skillless player, and self-doubt followed.
Still, she didn’t give up on being a pro gamer.
Good things had come her way.
Her results, excluding international games, were always good, and she had won multiple championships in the IKL.
There are plenty of professional gamers who never get to lift a trophy in their entire careers.
Hekate’s personal career was not of low caliber.
One day, she found a good friend.
Ga-wol. At first, it was a bit awkward, but surprisingly, he had weak points, and they became close quickly.
He was driven by a strong desire to win.
His effort inspired Hekate, and she was soon moved by his determination.
She wanted to win. She always wanted to win, but this time, more than ever!
She wanted to win so badly!
“As long as I do well. As long as I don’t die. I will never accept the same kind of defeat again. No matter who the opponent is, I can do it.”
She activated her buffs and detection.
She never leaves her detection skill’s cooldown empty.
She had learned enough. The enemy assassin was always targeting her.
Even if she couldn’t confirm the shadows, she would die.
If she didn’t remember the positions of the throws, she would die.
Checking the ceiling, checking the rear, checking the blind spots. If her vigilance slipped, she would die.
She could never afford to be careless.
Now, as Ga-wol blatantly moved,
She and Rika were Phantom’s most likely targets.
She was sure that he was coming to kill her, and she recalled her memories.
Then something good came to mind.
It was a memory from the day she managed to strike back at Ga-wol, a day that had been so incredibly satisfying.
Hekate’s staff turned towards Luche.
The sound of a bell rang as the staff spun in a circle.
With the casting beginning, the magic began to deplete.
[Active: Heavenly Barrier]
[Creates a protective shield at a designated location, preventing physical damage...]
[Caster: Sigma Hekate]
The Heavenly Barrier was one of the shaman’s main protective spells.
Its defense ability was excellent, but the problem was the large delay before and after casting.
The effect was as spectacular as its power.
No matter how great an assassin the enemy might be, in the end, they are still human.
Time was running out, and assassins were a class that had to make something happen.
When such a tempting opportunity arises, they would never let it slip by.
Sure enough, a blood-red light swirled in the sky.
The Silent Executioner. The same skill that had taken Hekate’s life in the previous match was being used again.
The shock that had been predicted soon arrived.
Phantom was the first to frown.
The skill hit perfectly. Hekate never looked back, and the aftermath of the execution reached Rika as well.
But then… something felt wrong in his hand.
The Heavenly Barrier.
Hekate had used the shield to protect her back.
The barrier couldn’t withstand the force and shattered.
But the skill’s power had been halved, and with that weakened power, it couldn’t kill the shaman.
With the sweet sound of a bell, Hekate’s staff struck Phantom’s side.
“I did it! I did it—!!”
In this match, Camellia was tasked with protecting Hekate and Rika.
To be precise, her role was to prevent Phantom from going back once he showed himself.
The warrior, who had waited for her moment, carried out her duty more faithfully than anyone.
She had followed them, not leaving, until one of them died.
She was the warrior with the maximum speed buff.
On the other hand, Phantom was now being pressured by Hekate.
There had been attempts to shake her off in the middle, but they were unsuccessful.
Camellia’s greatest opponent in assassination matches had always been Ga-wol.
The world’s most combat-capable assassin at present.
No matter how great Phantom was, he couldn’t do it.
[‘Sigma Camellia’ has eliminated ‘V Nightmare Phantom.’]
In the end, Camellia succeeded in cutting off Nightmare’s final variable.
At this point, the outcome was decided.
Nightmare’s main forces failed to capture Luche and Ga-wol.
The opening for the fire arrow was freely available, and the priest’s magic ran out first.
Relentless arrows claimed lives one by one, and the game ended.
With this momentum, the 4th set followed.
After a bloody battle, Sigma claimed victory.
“Sigma eSports has caught North America’s Nightmare and confirmed their spot in the quarterfinals!”
“What a meaningful moment. For years, IKL has never passed the Round of 16.”
“And yet, they’ve defeated one of the top favorites for the championship, Veiled Nightmare, and proudly entered the quarterfinals!”
“Reaper, Traveler, come out! The next opponent is Acid Gaming!”