"Ah~ so everyone has arrived."
Phantylia slowly stood up and stepped forward, facing the gathered players.
"Numbers alone… won't be enough to threaten me."
"I'm quite curious—what exactly are you planning?"
"Heh… you'll see."
Herta walked over, crouched beside Klee, and whispered something into her ear.
"Klee understands!"
She pulled out the Hero's Sword.
"Big sister Phantylia, I'm attacking now!"
That single "big sister" made Phantylia's expression flicker.
Among all these hostile players—
This little girl still showed her kindness.
For a split second—
Phantylia almost didn't want to attack her.
"…Tch."
She shook her head, suppressing the thought.
"Come then, little Klee."
"Waaahhh!!"
Klee charged forward—
Buffs stacking instantly—
Then leapt high into the air—
And brought her sword down with a full-force slash!
Sacrificial Strike — activated!
A reckless, all-out attack.
Massive damage.
Area-of-effect.
No defense.
"Heh."
Phantylia smirked.
To her—
This was easy to counter.
Her hand reached out—
Ready to stop Klee mid-strike—
"Bind!"
At that exact moment—
Herta acted.
And so did Aventurine.
"All… or nothing."
A gambler's skill.
50% chance → 3x damage
50% chance → self-damage
Risky?
Yes.
But this was Klee.
BUFF SUCCESS.
BOOM—
Klee's strike landed.
Phantylia staggered—
HP plummeting.
Behind her—
All four Demon Generals were hit as well—
Knocked to the ground.
"Holy—what the hell?!"
Yanqing was stunned.
He knew Klee was strong—
But this?!
"Again!"
Klee didn't hesitate.
Another leap.
Another strike.
Buff triggers again.
Shockwave rippled outward—
The Demon Generals' HP dropped into critical range.
"WAIT WAIT WAIT!"
Yanqing rushed forward and grabbed her.
"I haven't saved General Feixiao yet!"
He had a plan—
A hidden item—
To free Feixiao from control.
Originally—
It was meant as a surprise counterattack.
But now?
Klee alone might win this.
Still—
He didn't want Feixiao to miss the rewards.
"Klee is amazing!"
"Invincible!!"
The players erupted in cheers.
Demon King?
Pathetic.
"…Hehe."
A laugh echoed.
Cold.
Sharp.
"…Who?"
"Phantylia… you can still laugh?"
"Of course."
She stood up calmly.
"Your plan was clever."
"Using Klee's luck."
"No choice."
Aventurine shrugged.
"She's just built different."
"Something's wrong."
Ruan Mei narrowed her eyes.
"This feels… off."
"Relax."
"Just one more hit and she's done."
[Notice: Player Aventurine has been eliminated.]
"…What?!"
[Notice: Player Baizhu has been eliminated.]
[Notice: Player Xianyun has been eliminated.]
[Notice: Player Qingyi has been eliminated.]
Panic.
Confusion.
"They were just here!"
"What's happening?!"
"Protect the healers!"
Herta shouted.
"They're targeting support units!"
"Hehe~ finally noticed?"
A voice echoed.
From within the crowd—
Silver Wolf stepped out.
Smiling.
"It was her!"
"She killed Aventurine!"
But—
Wasn't she just lying on the ground earlier?
Snap.
Reality shattered.
The battlefield distorted—
Like glass breaking—
The fallen enemies—
Gone.
Phantylia—
Back on her throne.
The Demon Generals—
Completely unharmed.
"…Illusion."
"…Damn it."
Everything—
Was fake.
Klee never hit them.
The damage—
Never happened.
Their trump card—
Fully exposed.
And worse—
Aventurine was dead.
"How shameless!"
"You cheated!"
"Heh."
Ningguang laughed softly.
"You used tactics first."
"Why can't we?"
If not for the illusion array—
They would have lost.
"Enough."
Phantylia stood.
"This ends now."
No more tricks.
No more testing.
Real battle.
"…Sigh."
Feixiao lifted her greatsword.
Looks like—
The players were doomed.
Even she—
Had to admit it now.
Victory—
Belonged to the Demon side.
The players froze.
Uncertainty spread.
Only Yanqing—
Remained calm.
Behind his back—
He clenched a small orb.
And glanced at Feixiao.
You understand… right?
Once Phantylia moves—
He'll activate it.
Break her control.
And let Feixiao—
Turn the tide.
Because even now—
The outcome…
Still wasn't decided.
To Read 60+ ahead advanced Chapters, head over to P@treon
patreon.com/DarkVerse146