Chapter 27: Blades That Cut to the Bone
"Leaf, get ready to heal me. This guy is probably a madman who kills without blinking."
After sensing Su Xiao's aura, the Queen suddenly regretted her decision. Perhaps the three of them shouldn't have provoked this man.
But Su Xiao was alone in his faction, and the benefits of killing him were too great. As an Lv.6 contractor entering an Lv.3 world, the Queen had acted somewhat recklessly.
Su Xiao stomped hard against the ground, launching himself forward like a cannonball toward the Queen.
The Queen raised her massive shield, blocking in front of her.
Su Xiao gripped his blade with both hands. Instead of choosing a slash, he dragged the pommel with his left hand and thrust the sword straight at the shield.
*Crack.*
The tip of Dragon-Slaying Flash pierced into the shield before getting stuck. Although Dragon-Slaying Flash was a top-tier white weapon, it was still white-grade equipment.
The shield in the Queen's hands was a green-grade shield with a rating of 26. If Su Xiao's attack power weren't so high, he wouldn't have been able to breach it at all.
Staring at the blade tip embedded in her shield, the Queen's heart bled. The cost to repair this green shield would be so expensive she'd question her life choices.
If mages were the "mage lords" of Reincarnation Paradise, then tanks were the giant pandas.
In early derivative worlds, few contractors invested in the stamina attribute.
Standing in front and taking beatings wasn't something just anyone could endure.
Not to mention how painful it was to get hit, but the sheer frustration of not being able to fight back—only raising a giant shield—had already discouraged most contractors. How suffocating was that?
Thus, tanks had to be specially trained. For example, stable adventure groups would cultivate a small number of contractors with tank talents.
Fortunately, tanks weren't needed in large numbers. For a ten-person adventure group, one main tank and one off-tank were usually enough.
After all, in the life-and-death struggles of derivative worlds, killing enemies was the primary goal.
After Dragon-Slaying Flash pierced the shield, Su Xiao kicked hard against the shield's front.
*Bam.*
A dull thud rang out as the Queen stumbled back several steps.
This slash was Su Xiao's test of the enemy's defense. The enemy's defense exceeded his expectations—he needed to outsmart them.
The sniper on the high ground had been inactive for a while. It seemed Shi-tsao had already found them.
With no fire support for so long, the Queen also sensed something wrong.
"Black-and-White? Black-and-White?"
The Queen tried to contact Black-and-White, but all she heard through her earpiece was heavy, ragged breathing.
"Queen, I can't support you for now. An enemy has spotted me."
"Who?"
"A plot character, Suzushi Shi-tsao."
The Queen's expression darkened. Without Black-and-White's sniper support, they had no way to deal with Su Xiao.
"Give me five minutes."
Black-and-White sounded confident, and the Queen seemed to trust him completely.
"I'll try my best to buy five minutes."
The Queen pulled out a potion and bit down on it. Although Leaf could heal her at any time, Su Xiao's ability to break her shield with one slash made her extremely wary.
While the Queen was talking to Black-and-White, Su Xiao had already charged forward again.
The Queen immediately counterattacked, swinging her shield forward as its surface emitted a golden glow.
"Holy Shield Charge!"
The Queen shouted sharply, lowering her head and charging at Su Xiao with her shield.
This strike was heavy and forceful, the shield whistling through the air as it slammed toward Su Xiao.
Su Xiao keenly sensed that this attack was extraordinary—it was likely a skill.
The golden-glowing shield instantly closed in on Su Xiao. Unflustered, he met it head-on.
Just as the shield was about to strike him, he agilely leaped up, planting one foot on the shield. Using its momentum, he executed a graceful backflip.
Landing steadily, the Queen's skill ended.
From behind her shield, the Queen stared at Su Xiao in disbelief, her expression as if her entire worldview had shattered.
"How is it possible to dodge a skill?"
The Queen's "Holy Shield Charge" skill description stated it was a guaranteed-hit skill.
Su Xiao didn't answer. He simply closed in on the Queen step by step.
This contractor relied too heavily on skills. Didn't she know that skills were only meant to assist in combat?
In battle, one had to adapt on the fly, using rich combat experience to defeat the enemy.
Reincarnation Paradise wasn't a game. Its so-called guaranteed-hit skills could change depending on the situation.
The evasive maneuver Su Xiao had just performed relied solely on his understanding of combat.
"So what if it's a skill?"
Su Xiao stomped one foot, then launched a kick at the Queen's shield.
Even with the strength-boosting aura on her body, the Queen was still knocked back several steps by Su Xiao's kick, her stance unstable.
Seizing the opportunity, Su Xiao's figure flickered. His agility of 13 points allowed him to circle directly behind the Queen.
Switching from a one-handed grip to a two-handed grip, Su Xiao slashed with full force at the Queen's back.
*Rip!*
Dragon-Slashing Flash tore through the Queen's armor, the long blade sinking into flesh. The special energy of Azure Steel Shadow invaded her body.
The health bar above the Queen's head instantly dropped by 27%. This slash was ruthlessly efficient.
The blade's sharpness + Su Xiao's strength attribute + Azure Steel Shadow's true damage.
The agony of Azure Steel Shadow burning her mana made the Queen scream, stumbling forward a few steps.
Such a golden opportunity—Su Xiao wouldn't miss it. He aimed another slash at the back of her neck.
Azure Steel Shadow burned another 10 points of the Queen's mana, dealing 10 points of true damage.
The searing pain from the previous Azure Steel Shadow attack hadn't faded before a new wave of agony arrived.
The two bouts of pain combined together, the Queen's face turned deathly pale. The overwhelming pain actually gave her a strange, twisted pleasure.
This slash cost the Queen 31% of her health.
If things continued like this, she would be dead within four slashes.
Before the Queen could adapt to the pain wracking her body, Su Xiao's third slash arrived.
Dragon-Slashing Flash cut through the air, emitting a terrifying howl.
Hearing that sound, the Queen bit down with all her might, crushing the potion in her mouth and swallowing it along with the broken glass.
*Pfft.*
Blood gushed out. This slash was even more vicious, costing the Queen a full 34% of her health.
After taking three consecutive slashes, the Queen felt like she was falling apart. It wasn't that her injuries were that severe—it was the excruciating pain spreading through her body, nearly driving her to collapse.
The terror of Azure Steel Shadow became apparent. Once Su Xiao landed the first slash, if the target couldn't withstand the pain of Azure Steel Shadow burning their mana, they had almost no chance to fight back.
In the Queen's despairing gaze, Su Xiao's fourth slash arrived.
Her high armor was like paper in front of Su Xiao—this was the effect of Azure Steel Shadow's true damage.
Three consecutive slashes failing to kill the enemy surprised Su Xiao a little. This shield warrior was exceptionally tough.
After all, even the Gecko hadn't survived three of his slashes before.
*Pfft.*
A slender arm flew into the air, still clutching a large shield. Su Xiao had severed the arm holding the shield.
Since this slash wasn't aimed at her torso, it only cost the Queen 16% of her health.
If the Queen hadn't taken that potion earlier, she would already be a corpse.
Even so, she only had 19% of her health left.
Just as Su Xiao was about to deliver the fifth slash, a green orb suddenly flew from a distance and merged into the Queen's body.
The Queen's health rapidly recovered, climbing from 19% back to 34%, and it was still rising.
"Finally showing yourself, your third teammate."
Su Xiao slashed at the Queen, but thanks to the green orb, she had recovered from the pain.
The Queen executed a desperate roll, barely dodging Su Xiao's slash.
"You... monster!"
The Queen bent over, gasping heavily, supporting herself with one hand as blood dripped onto the road.
Earlier, she had said she needed to hold out for five minutes. But only thirty seconds had passed, and she had nearly died under Su Xiao's blade.
If not for Leaf's generous healing output, she would already be a corpse.