[IKL Summer Round 1 – Match 62]
[Battlefield: Tomb of the Brave]
[Rules: 5-Man Annihilation Match]
[Sigma eSports vs Eunha Gaming]
As expected, Galaxy Gaming brought out a combination of two Wizards.
While the main group advanced on the wide road, I moved swiftly through the side path.
[Teammate ‘Sigma Outro’ has requested activation of ‘Operator.’ Y/N]
[Acknowledged.]
[‘Sigma Outro’ can now communicate over a vastly increased range while in combat.]
[Shared vision and signaling system activated.]
The luck of the draw for the battlefield wasn’t great.
This battlefield, ‘Tomb of the Brave,’ is a location with very few passages to move through.
In the in-game lore, it’s the place where a brave band that fought against the empire was annihilated. They put up a good fight with a small number of troops but eventually fell when their side path was discovered.
Thus, this field only has one side path.
In other words, it’s a place where an Assassin’s route is far too predictable.
It’s only natural to expect someone waiting, blocking the way.
The expected outcome would logically place Nabire’s Tuhui here…
If they truly show up like this, it would be quite disappointing.
If they’re still indulging in such arrogant thinking, they’ll have to give up a whole set.
Whether unfortunate or fortunate, my prediction was entirely off the mark.
“Enemies spotted. There are two over here. Ice and… Fire. Both Wizards are here?”
– Are there no other enemies?
“None that I can see. Not sure about the Assassin, but they must know I’ll come this way.”
– You don’t have to take unnecessary risks.
“No, it’s fine. It definitely seems like there are no other enemies. If I can tie these two up, it wouldn’t be a bad move.”
At the end of the side path, I found Azure and Crimson waiting.
Both of the enemy’s main dealers are here.
Does this mean that on the opposite side of the battlefield, they intend to simply drag out the time?
Let me be a little greedy.
Now that I’ve confirmed there are no other enemies, engaging in battle shouldn’t be a problem.
It’s too far to turn back anyway.
The worst-case scenario would be if I ineffectively retreat, allowing these two to return to the main team first.
As I advanced a few steps:
[Passive: Crisis Detection]
[Movement speed increases by 5% for 10 seconds if observed by an enemy.]
[Target: Observing Eye (Eunha Azure)]
As if timing it, a detection magic was cast upon me. It had a range much wider than usual, clearly indicating a considerable investment.
It means that just like I was prepared for them, they too had strategized against me.
Behind, a massive wall of ice was forming, and directly ahead, a Fire magic was casting threatening heat.
“One hit, looks like we’re going to have to fight.”
– Are you alright?
“No problem. Thanks for asking, but I’ll be fine. You focus on your job too.”
– Understood. We’ll also engage the enemy.
Our roles have flipped compared to usual.
While I usually have the responsibility to deliver results within the given time, this time around, I’ll be buying time while Luche’s main team has to break through the enemy.
Although our group’s strength usually lies in raw damage output, finishing this battle decisively might be difficult.
The fortunate thing, however, is that Luche selected Lance Knight, and her decision to choose a high-tier class to break through the enemy lines turned out to be a wise choice.
It’s now on each of us to perform well.
“I don’t just have to drag time passively.”
I’ve drawn the enemy’s main damage dealers toward my side in an all-or-nothing gamble.
This is an intriguing judgment, but it’s weak.
Let me overturn the assumption from the start that they think they can win against me with just the two of them.
*
A stone wall collapses, unable to withstand the explosion.
Before the falling rocks hit the ground, a sharp ice spike hurled toward Gawol.
There seems to be no favorable position to avoid it.
While using a dagger to deflect it and accepting a minor wound, she gradually closed the distance to the enemy.
《The sibling Wizards from Galaxy Gaming are pushing Gawol!》
《Their prepared strategy is well-suited to the terrain. With such a narrow space, even Gawol will find it difficult to break through easily.》
《Why isn’t she using stealth?》
《Because it’s meaningless in this situation. Azure knows Gawol’s exact position anyway.》
Amid the dust and smoke, the two Wizards also find it hard to maintain clear vision.
Crimson, the Fire Sorceress, restricts movement, while Azure’s Ice Sorceress delivers precise attacks.
It’s calculated that there won’t be many viable escape options.
That said, an Assassin cannot afford to take Fire Sorceress’ attacks.
In this game, when it comes to firepower, the Fire Sorceress is a class that is unmatched.
Even Knight-class characters would often choose evasion over defense if possible.
An Assassin’s body simply can’t withstand such attacks.
[‘Sage’s Frost’ effect applied.]
[All action speed reduced by 12% for the duration.]
In other words, this is purely a testament to how well this pair of sister Wizards work together.
The fact that they can constantly cast magic without pause proves that.
Their communication is so fluent that even skipping it entirely doesn’t affect their coordination.
Clearly, just by observing the positioning of the magic circle, they can read each other’s intentions perfectly.
The synergy between these two players has long been famous.
[‘Inferno’ effect applied.]
[You will take damage equal to 0.15% of maximum health per stack every second, stacking up to 8 times.]
[Current stacks: 3]
《It seems Gawol is making some kind of decision.》
《She has indeed performed incredibly well so far. But the scary part about Wizards is that they can deal damage even through residual effects.》
《Moreover, since this game focuses on details, the collision of ice and fire magic creates fog, which then freezes, causing cumulative damage too.》
《This kind of situation must feel unpleasant to Gawol.》
In Invul, parrying isn’t foolproof.
While it significantly reduces damage, if the attacks hit you based on area, it cannot fully block them.
There’s no attack that is effective against all forms of avoidance—dodging, guarding, or parrying.
On the contrary, no single defense method is effective against all attack types.
There are skills like the Swordsman’s “Resolute Cut,” which can slice through magic itself, but even that has its limits.
There’s a reason why Knight-class characters are consistently used in the pro scene by even highly skilled players with top-tier physical abilities.
An Assassin can’t endure attacks from two Wizards indefinitely.
At the end of Gawol’s cape, a shadow of a dark moon flickered.
[‘Whisper of the Black Moon’ effect applied.]
[Increased all damage output, movement speed, and counterattack judgment.]
[Some skills are enhanced…]
The activation of the Lunar Buff by an Assassin signifies that the daggers are coming out.
The moment the red magic circle exploded, through the path scorched by the flames, the Assassin’s figure emerged.
Gawol had been hidden until now.
And this silver-haired Assassin isn’t just skilled physically; she’s also a cunning predator in psychological warfare.
Azure’s experience led her to suspect that a decoy might be involved.
– I’ve watched all of Gawol’s gameplay. She’s an Assassin who skillfully employs decoys.
– After disappearing from sight, she might employ a decoy at any time.
– We’ve seen that before. She overlaps with her decoy mid-movement in Arenas.
Fortunately, an Ice Sorceress has the optimal conditions to check for illusions.
Throwing small projectiles doesn’t consume much casting time.
The flying ice shards predictably pierced through Gawol’s form.
An intangible mirage.
It was, indeed, a decoy.
On her movement path, it’s difficult for the decoy to vanish from sight.
Now that the possibility of overlapping decoys has been ruled out first, it’s time to find the main body.
Icicles were floating ominously in the air, ready to shoot at any moment.
“Sis, above!”
The location where the main body was hiding was on the wall of the ravine.
She seems to have concealed herself in the collapsed area caused by the magical aftermath.
Being small in stature, she was easily overlooked.
Indeed, this is an adaptable opponent.
Although she was closer than expected, which caught us off guard, the spell was already prepared.
The icicle was shot, and a thick ice wall deflected Gawol’s throwing knife.
The Assassin class has quite a few initiation skills, but most of them have a delay after the dash.
Only a limited number of skills are useful enough to be used in professional scenes.
Especially Gawol prefers to invest in stats or passives rather than using gimmicky skills.
The skill she mostly relies on is Shadow Shift, with Dagger Throw used as the trigger.
In other words, as long as the Daggers are effectively blocked, her initiation can be effectively stalled.
Until now, it seemed as if that strategy had been pretty successful.
Until Gawol’s figure merged into the shadow just as she leaped over the ice wall.
《Gawol launches a surprise attack from behind! A single Wall of Flame might not be enough!》
《With the Black Moon Buff active, the attack power is tremendous. Breaks through guard, critical damage incoming!》
《Azure provides cover. Crimson barely manages to escape.》
《Under great distress, she still fiercely protects her life! No disruption to her casting speed, but it must have been terrifying.》
A streak of crimson blood dripped from the right eye of the Fire Sorceress.
It was merely a moment, yet…
Her vision became impaired, and more than half of her health was depleted.
How?
Azure frowned in confusion.
