Having launched a throwing knife, Phantom Assassin effortlessly cleared the barricade using Flying Thunder God, continuing the relentless pursuit of Lian with barely a pause. The distance between them continued to shrink.
It was unclear what methods he employed; despite Lian being completely out of sight, he pursued her relentlessly, like a hunter locked onto its prey, without a hint of hesitation or doubt.
Lian, for her part, seemed equally aware of his position, moving ceaselessly and without the slightest slackening towards the very edge of the map.
Thus, a chase where neither participant could see the other unfolded on Large Arena Number Five, the only arena boasting such intricate terrain.
“Tch.”
Lian seemed to realize that the rudimentary barricade would not deter Phantom Assassin.
She frowned slightly, clicked her tongue, and agilely leaped among the tree branches.
Such movements might be exceedingly difficult in reality, but within Companion God Realm, with sufficient Strength and Agility attributes combined with Lian’s quick and nimble neural reflexes, they were entirely possible.
Lian was formidable; at the very least, among all the archer players Yan knew, it would not be an exaggeration to call her the strongest archer player in the new server.
No, perhaps even when compared to veteran archer players from older servers who had played for an extended period, Lian could still be considered one of the elite.
Masterful archery, absolute precision, sufficient mobility for self-preservation, calmness, and keen judgment—she possessed every excellent quality an archer should.
Yet, despite all this, Lian genuinely felt the immense pressure emanating from Phantom Assassin.
If Lian was an elite among archer players, then her current opponent, Phantom Assassin, was a powerhouse among assassin players.
Assassins, by their very nature, were the bane of all squishy damage-dealers.
Lian took a flying leap from the tree, having already traversed a vast forested area on the map.
The sparse trees ahead no longer offered the branches needed for her agile leaps.
She descended gracefully from the air, rolling upon landing to absorb the impact, then immediately lengthened her stride, swiftly approaching the map’s edge.
It seemed to be Lian’s custom, this habit of always running to the map’s edge before a battle.
As for why, perhaps only she herself knew the reason.
****
Having left the forest, Lian’s mobility advantage instantly vanished, allowing Phantom Assassin to gradually close in.
Fortunately, Lian had already reached the map’s edge; her tall figure stood at the boundary of the arena, gazing down at the seemingly bottomless cliff below.
Arena Number Five, a complex-terrain arena situated on a mountaintop plain, had, for this very reason, become a favored challenge for archer players.
Yet, because of the sheer number of archers who frequented it, this place had also become a hunting ground for their natural predators—assassins.
Now, the new server’s strongest archer and assassin players finally confronted each other for the first time on this very arena.
“Yo.”
Phantom Assassin’s figure emerged from the dense forest, a black mask obscuring most of his face.
Yet, from the seemingly cold but slightly upturned corners of his eyes, Lian could discern a hint of a smile.
“[Divine Eye Archer] Lian, I’ve finally caught up to you.”
Lian’s face remained impassive, and she showed no haste in returning his greeting.
Instead, she stood at the arena’s edge and slowly stretched, seemingly loosening her limbs, which had grown slightly weary from the preceding chase.
With a light leap, she swiftly scaled a tall tree beside the cliff.
After ascending to a certain height, she crouched on a branch, her calm gaze fixed on Phantom Assassin, who was still casually strolling towards her.
Lian’s previous movements hadn’t stirred any caution in him; he continued his unhurried walk towards her, seemingly unconcerned by her preparations.
Well, Lian had, after all, retreated to the very edge of the map with nowhere left to go, and her assassin opponent was already closing in.
By all appearances, this was a checkmate.
“Quite confident, aren’t we?”
Lian’s lips curved slightly, though her tone held no trace of amusement, as she gazed down at him.
“[Phantom Assassin] Ye?”
Her eyes widened slightly as she slowly drew her longbow, seemingly displeased by Ye’s disrespectful, almost contemptuous, demeanor.
“Confident? No, no, no… how could I be?”
Phantom Assassin’s eyes narrowed slightly, a smile appearing beneath his mask.
For some reason, Ye’s frivolous manner ignited a spark of anger within Lian.
“My opponent is none other than the renowned [Divine Eye Archer], who slays every enemy with a single arrow.
How could I possibly be careless?”
“However…”
Ye’s eyes slowly opened, revealing an uncontrollable chill and malevolence seeping from their depths.
“If we maintain this distance, will you still be able to kill me with a single arrow?”
At Ye’s words, Lian’s heart jolted, and she nearly slipped from the branch.
She quickly composed herself, stabilizing her stance, and feigned a look of confusion.
“Why wouldn’t I be able to?”
“Hahaha! So I guessed correctly!?”
Alas, Lian’s momentary unnatural reaction had not escaped Ye’s keen eyes, and he bent over, roaring with laughter.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
Lian frowned slightly, her longbow drawn once more, aimed at Ye a short distance below, as if the arrow in her hand would loose at any moment.
Yet, her hand paused, unable to continue the motion; she watched Ye below with extreme tension, solely because of the words he spoke next.
“Let me guess… does your companion skill increase damage based on attack range?
Like, the farther the arrow flies, the higher the damage, something like that…”
Ye stroked his chin, adopting a thoughtful expression.
“Oh, right! That explains your insane damage! So that’s it…”
He suddenly burst into laughter, his eyes gleaming with an ‘aha!’ moment of clarity.
“No wonder you always move to the edge of the arena before every fight—it’s to create the maximum distance for the highest damage, isn’t it?
That’s how you manage to one-shot everyone every time.”
“…”
Lian’s expression vanished, and the arrow in her hand flew from the string, appearing before Ye’s eyes in the blink of an eye.
Yet, in the very next moment, just as the arrow was about to strike Ye’s face, his figure suddenly vanished from his spot, the arrow merely striking an afterimage.
“Oh my, that was quite dangerous.”
Ye’s figure reappeared five yards to the right of his original position, and he exclaimed, seemingly ‘terrified,’ with exaggerated gestures.
“Couldn’t Miss Lian have given me a little warning before launching a sneak attack?”
‘If I gave you a warning, would it still be a sneak attack?’
‘Moreover, is it really appropriate for an assassin like you to talk about sneak attacks with an archer?’
Lian frowned, dark lines appearing on her forehead as she nearly blurted out a retort.
She stared at Ye a short distance below, her mind racing, devising a counter-strategy.
“Miss Lian… just answer me first… did I guess correctly or not?
Your silence is making me quite awkward.”
Ye frowned slightly, feigning a hint of displeasure.
Hearing him, Lian’s eyes lit up.
She then slowly rose from the tree branch, gripping her longbow with her right hand, while her fair left hand gently smoothed out the wrinkles on the tight black leggings beneath her shorts.
Straightening her posture, she looked down from the high treetop at Ye, who stood a short distance below, and offered a faint smile.
“Then, as an apology for my previous sneak attack, I shall tell you my companion skill.”
“Though, you’ve pretty much guessed the gist of it already, haven’t you?”
She gave a wry smile, and Ye, not doubting the truth of her words in the slightest, showed an intrigued expression.
“Oh?”
Lian shrugged helplessly, then slowly recounted her companion skill.
“[Divine Eye Archer]: The greater the distance, the higher the damage.
For every 10 yards of distance from the opponent, damage increases by 20%, and so on, with no upper limit.”
“Just as I thought.”
Ye nodded, appearing quite pleased with his conjecture.
“However…”
Lian looked at his triumphant face and revealed a mischievous smile.
“Do you truly believe you’ve won?”
“What?”