Chapter 1616: First Kill
Trapping a B-rank player isn't that easy, especially when they might be holding A-rank items. Breaking a space barrier is simple, but Yi Jun and the other had no intention of backing off, so when the barrier appeared, they took out their items, ready to face the enemy head-on.
Probably to test Xu Huo's limits, they didn't use defensive items to separate the distance between them, instead planning to take him down with their speed.
Xu Huo first targeted the other B-rank player, who had his face covered with a white cloth. When the two faced off directly, the opponent tore the cloth from his face, and the item that had been serving as protective gear automatically flew out, like unwrapping the linen bandages from a mummy. That stuff was long and winding, crisscrossing to block Xu Huo's vision and constantly wrapping around him.
Ordinary attack items would have a hard time dealing with this situation. If he couldn't destroy most of the cloth instantly, the player might get entangled while trying to act.
But for Xu Huo, this was nothing. He activated the "Flower Bloom" barrier and the trap item "Snowflake Scatter" simultaneously, then raised his hand and waved. "All Things Want to Cut Everything" threaded through the space in all directions. He didn't need to control the tangents to cut; the cloth would collide with them on its own.
The tangents cutting the cloth made little sound, but a strong wind suddenly kicked up within the barrier-sealed space. The repeatedly shredded cloth swirled, occupying nearly twenty meters around Xu Huo. The white fragments completely filled every corner except for the area isolated by the "Flower Bloom" barrier, also completely hiding the B-rank player from view.
This was a good way to confuse the line of sight, because with a B-rank player's speed, he could quickly change positions around Xu Huo. Even with defensive items, a player holding an A-rank item could instantly kill any C-rank player.
But the opponent's goal wasn't to kill Xu Huo, so he focused his attacks on Xu Huo's limbs, especially his right hand.
As the B-rank player appeared behind Xu Huo on the right, Xu Huo turned his head. High speed could certainly blur vision, but he didn't need to look to know the opponent's position, because even in such chaotic space, a person's volume was still conspicuous. So when the B-rank player charged at his back, he pulled up a Space Blade in the air.
After advancing to B-rank, a player's sensitivity and perception greatly increased. Although he couldn't see the Space Ray, when the Space Ray condensed to a certain concentration and altered the airflow, that player still sensed something wrong ahead. He didn't close the distance too much, pointing his short sword at Xu Huo. A dazzling starlight point directly pierced through the "Flower Bloom" defensive barrier, aiming for his shoulder.
"Inviolable Domain" smoothly blocked this attack. Looking at Xu Huo, whose expression hadn't even changed, the B-rank player's expression shifted slightly. Just as he was about to hide back into the flying cloth fragments, he suddenly felt someone attacking from behind. He immediately used an item to create distance, but unexpectedly, the opponent followed like a shadow, catching up in an instant.
Startled by Xu Huo's speed, the B-rank player dodged the sweeping black blade twice, then blocked another strike with his short sword. With his other hand, he pinched the air, and over a dozen hair-thin metal needles appeared out of nowhere, crisscrossing to pierce the space in front of him.
But they missed the target—Xu Huo, who should have been standing in front of him, had suddenly vanished.
Realizing this wasn't an ordinary C-rank player, the masked player dared not underestimate him anymore. Defensive and offensive items were used in rapid succession.
Neither side showed any intention of backing down. After half a minute of fighting with high-level items, Xu Huo moved the two of them into the clock tower and, taking advantage of the moment when the opponent's defensive barrier broke, used the trait "Please Sit."
The "Please Sit" trait could forcibly make a player sit in a chair for three minutes. During those three minutes, if the player tried to destroy the chair or stand up, they would be forcibly locked in the seat for half a minute—the locking effect depended on how sturdy the chair was.
Previously, using the "Please Sit" trait hadn't yielded very good results, so Xu Huo had replaced the chair with a B-rank item bought from the game, combining both effectiveness and hardness. So when that B-rank player sat down but couldn't get up, his face darkened. Carrying the chair on his back, he threw a ring onto the ground.
The ring expanded into a circle upon landing, exactly enclosing the B-rank player and the chair. But that was it; nothing else happened.
Time-space items are inherently incompatible with each other, so when the B-rank player saw his A-rank long-distance teleportation item fail, he consecutively used three defensive items, expanding the defensive barrier from five meters to fifty meters.
However, the black blade was a very handy item. Against an opponent who couldn't easily move, breaking through several layers of defensive barriers was no trouble.
But B-rank players have a wide variety of attack items. As Xu Huo broke through the first barrier, countless metal needles rained down inside the clock tower like a downpour, greatly slowing his speed and, to some extent, limiting his free movement in space.
At the same time, the B-rank player was also using his traits in every gap he could find. However, Xu Huo had enough defensive items. With continuous use, it was hard for traits to take effect, unless this masked player's traits could ignore the obstruction of defensive items and Space Ray barriers.
But "Life Flashback" was enough to fill that gap.
The two fought in a dazzling display, but it didn't actually take that long. During this time, a few players broke through the space barrier, but no one came close, except for Yi Jun.
This guy had been waiting on the sidelines for an opportunity. Now that the masked player was restrained and Xu Huo seemed to have the upper hand but couldn't kill him, Yi Jun judged the timing and made his move—but he was trying to steal the kill! He was targeting the masked player!
The masked player used an item to block the sneak attack and coldly glanced in Yi Jun's direction. But no one expected that Yi Jun would suddenly break through the defensive barrier and appear behind him, raising his hand to pierce his throat!
Although the masked player managed to block with a defensive item at the critical moment, he couldn't avoid having his throat pierced. But right at that moment of contact, a thread of black light pierced through the masked player's neck, then expanded vertically, splitting his head in two while also piercing Yi Jun's right arm from the middle all the way to the shoulder!
The masked player died on the spot. Yi Jun, clutching his half-dangling arm, didn't say a word and retreated out of the clock tower.
The masked player had been too confident. If a B-rank player wanted to run, even without a long-distance teleportation item, it wasn't too big a problem. So Yi Jun, now out of the clock tower, continuously broke through barriers and fled without looking back.
But how could Xu Huo let him leave like that? He transferred to a position in front of Yi Jun through the Spiritual Gate, brought out "Magician" for a two-on-one, and at the same time used "Holder's Demise" and "Backstab" to launch a sneak attack.