Saud shrugged. "No, not me, but you." He then gave his reasoning, "I’m a crossbow user, and Ray is a gun user. You have your katana and your fast movements."
Satoshi answered back, "I know that, so what?"
"What I want to say is, you’re not a long-range weapon user like both of us, and you also have that speed of yours, which might come in handy while dodging incoming attacks."
Ray understood where this was going, so he made it simple for Satoshi. "He’s right. If you use your speed to find the enemy’s hidden spot, and we give you cover from behind, then we can still maintain the lead."
Satoshi knew this; his concern was if he could be safe while he was in the open and the enemy was in the dark. "And if, before locating them, I die like before, then what?"
Ray smirked. "Then we’ll avenge you, my friend." They laughed, as Satoshi couldn’t come up with any plan and agreed to be the bait.
Satoshi took a deep breath, his katana feeling oddly light. "Alright," he mumbled, "wish me luck."
With a quick nod from Ray and Saud, he burst forward with a fast motion, activated his skill: Fast Movement, weaving through the shattered walls and overturned cars.
His job was to find the enemy. Their job was to keep him safe.
Satoshi moved with practiced ease. His incredible speed let him glide silently through the destroyed building and its rubble.
He knew they were out there, watching, just waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Suddenly, a faint movement caught his eye – he felt a movement in the air near a collapsed clock tower.
"There it is." A grim smile touched his lips.
He’d found one. Just as he was about to dash in towards it, the ground beneath him rippled, sending a jolt of alarm through his body.
"Shit! That guy again."
The Trapping Skill User activated his skill the moment he saw the gap between Satoshi and Ray, who instinctively leaped forward, barely dodging a rapidly forming cage of hardened earth that erupted from the spot he’d just left.
"Found them!" Satoshi thought, a split second before he realized something was odd and looked back to see Ray was trapped behind him.
Ray on the other hand unleashed a barrage of magic gun blasts, aiming straight for the dome trapping him, shattering the gaps between him and Satoshi.
The sheer force of his attacks ripped through the rubble, damaging the dome which wasn’t completed as it needs time to fully intact and trap the enemy.
At the same time, a massive figure, the Body Strengthening user, charged from the ruins with surprising speed despite his size. He was joined by the Spear User who came from the front and confronted Satoshi.
’This was it – the bait was working,’ Ray thought as he saw two incoming attacks coming from his both sides; however, their target wasn’t him but Satoshi.
The Spear User was far quicker, thrusting and parrying with deadly precision, forcing Satoshi onto the defensive.
Ray, seeing Satoshi under direct attack, adjusted his aim. He knew this was a calculated risk by the Red team.
He focused his fire on the two attacking Satoshi, which caught them off guard by the sheer power of Ray’s attack.
The Spear User managed to deflect one blast with his spear. But the second hit him squarely in the chest, sending him flying backward, with a gaping hole in his chest.
The attack also missed Satoshi, who cursed, "That would have killed me."
[Red Team: 13 Kills] [Blue Team: 16 Kills]
"One down!" Ray yelled, but his victory was short-lived.
The Trapping Skill User struck again. A massive, shimmering dome of pure energy materialized around Ray, this time more completed than before.
Ray was now fully trapped. This was the Red team’s plan all along: sacrifice one or two of their own to trap their biggest threat.
Meanwhile, Saud had been providing cover from behind, his crossbow bolts travelling through the air, occasionally forcing the Shadow Manipulation user to move.
However, seeing Ray trapped, the Shadow user saw his chance and counterattacked.
Darkness pooled and swirled around Saud, forming spectral tendrils that snaked towards him. Saud fired rapidly, but the shadowy forms were elusive, phasing in and out of existence.
One tendril lashed out, wrapping around Saud’s leg, pulling him off balance. He tried to free himself, but another tendril struck his head. The last thing he saw was the chilling grin of the Shadow Manipulation user before darkness swallowed him whole.
[Red Team: 14 Kills] [Blue Team: 16 Kills]
Satoshi, still locked in a brutal close-quarters battle, heard Saud’s cries, but he didn’t have time to focus on others when he was still fighting against the Body Hardening ability user.
While the intense battle raged for control of the ruined city, a new threat emerged. The Fire User, seeing an opportunity, decided to free Jack.
He knew the Blue team’s weak point – Jack. Taking a long route through the shattered cityscape, he made his way back to the Blue team’s respawn area.
Paige, alert and alone, stood guard over Jack’s body which again had ice spears plunged in his legs.
However, suddenly her instincts were screaming danger. A barrage of flame erupted from around a corner, forcing her to leap back.
She thought she somehow was saved from taking any damage, but she wasn’t the target from the very beginning.
[Red Team: 15 Kills] [Blue Team: 16 Kills]
She realized and looked back, but it was too late. Jack was killed by the Fire User. Now, as Jack respawned back, Paige was ready to attack him; however, she was met by another volley of fire towards her, forcing her to retreat more.
"HAHA-finally." Jack laughed.
He was now freed. With his SCAR-L in his hands, Jack gave a grimace look to Paige then pointed his gun at her.
"Bitch! You have enjoyed torching me, right? Now it’s time for revenge." He pulls the trigger, emptying an entire magazine into her body.