Based on their smooth coordination, these five Thieves clearly worked together often. They blocked off all paths of retreat. With the Unveiling Light preventing Nie Yan from escaping through stealth, he could only face them head-on.
Individually, these five Thieves were a step below Nie Yan, Sun, and King of the World. However, with the synergy they'd built up over the years, perhaps only a handful of players in all of Conviction could rival them when they worked together.
Lock!
Ardent targeted Nie Yan with a crowd control skill.
Shadow Waltz!
Ardent's heart trembled. Nie Yan could even evade Lock. What kind of reaction speed was this!?
Lock was practically an instant cast skill. Dodging was impossible unless you could predict it in advance and evade it with a skill like Shadow Waltz. If you were hit, you would be incapacitated for a brief moment, allowing the enemy to freely attack you.
"Everyone, be careful! He's fast!" Ardent didn't expect Nie Yan to still be able to dodge in this kind of situation. He brandished his dagger and pounced toward him.
Nie Yan employed Illusion Steps. His figure appeared to turn illusory as he sidestepped Ardent's attack. Suddenly, he stood behind Ardent and struck out with Backstab.
Nie Yan's movements were smooth and fluid without the slightest bit of sloppiness.
Ardent was caught off guard. Just as it looked like he was going to be struck, Dark closed in from the side. He stabbed toward Nie Yan's forehead like a venomous viper.
If Nie Yan followed through with his attack, he would be stunned by Concussive Blow.
The three other Thieves also closed in at this time.
Lock!
Shadow targeted Nie Yan with Lock. It was incredibly difficult to deal with two or more players with crowd control skills like Lock. One misstep and you were done for.
At this moment, Nie Yan reset the cooldown of Shadow Waltz with Quick Reset.
Shadow Waltz!
In a similar fashion, Nie Yan avoided Lock again.
Three Thieves arrived in front of Nie Yan and all stabbed toward him.
Gale Ambush!
With a burst of explosive speed, Nie Yan evaded the attacks and pounced toward Dark.
The exchange between Nie Yan and the five Thieves happened in the blink of an eye. A single instant meant the difference between life and death. Thieves had too many crowd control skills. If Nie Yan were to be incapacitated for even a second, he'd be dead. The only reason he hadn't fled with an Unknown Transfer Scroll so far, was that he wanted to probe the strength of these five Thieves, so the elites of Asskickers United would better know what they were up against. At the same time, he also wanted to test his own skill. The more he fought, the more apprehensive he became. The strength of these five from the Bloodfiends was astonishing. Perhaps Nie Yan was the only person who could last against them for this long. If it were any other player from Asskickers United, only Bladelight, Smoke Stub, Sun, and a few others could escape with their lives. The rest would surely die.
No wonder Undying Scoundrel, Summer Bug, and the others had died at the hands of these five. All of them were top elites without a doubt. But even they would be in danger if they faced these five at once, unless they escaped with an Unknown Transfer Scroll beforehand. However, knowing the pride of his elites, they would never do something cowardly like fleeing before fighting.
These five Thieves constantly preying on the elites of Asskickers United was truly a headache.
After this engagement, Nie Yan planned to have the players in the guild raise their vigilance and prohibit them from moving out alone in order to prevent ambushes.
It didn't matter how many skills Nie Yan had. He had no way of defeating these five top class Thieves. Just staying alive was already extremely strenuous.
Swift Retreat!
Nie Yan quickly pulled back.
Seeing Nie Yan wanting to escape, Dark sped up and chased after him.
Just as Dark closed in with his dagger, Nie Yan spun around with a sidestep.
Counter!
Nie Yan's movements were extremely quick. After evading the attack, he planted his elbow into Dark's back.
It was a Freedom Skill!
With a heavy thud, Dark nearly vomited out blood from the impact of the strike, but he forcefully swallowed it back up. He entered a crippled state and staggered unstably. This was the effect of Counter!
Nie Yan had executed Counter quite well. Seeing the enemy incapacitated, he slashed down toward Dark's head with Zennarde's Sword.
Among the five Thieves, Dark and Ardent were the most skilled, with Shadow not falling far behind. If Nie Yan could kill either Dark or Ardent, he would still stand a chance of winning.
The flames on Zennarde's Sword burned brightly. Nie Yan had enhanced the attack with Apocalyptic Extinction. Dark would definitely be cut down with this strike!
Seeing the situation take a turn for the worse, Dark's companions rushed forward one after another.
Parry!
Nie Yan had no choice but to cancel his attack mid-way. He quickly raised Zennarde's Sword to block Ardent's attack. At this moment, another dagger stabbed toward the back of his head.
Disappear!
Nie Yan evaded the attack coming from behind him. He then leapt back, disengaging himself from the battle, and started fleeing away.
The five Thieves quickly chased after him. After being rescued by his companions, Dark recovered from his crippled state and followed in pursuit as well.
The situation wasn't good. Nie Yan had given it his all, but he still couldn't break past the teamwork of these five Thieves. If he could kill one or two of them, it'd become much easier. However, their synergy was too good, and they always managed to rescue each other from a pinch in the nick of time. Nie Yan had no hope of picking one of them off.
Nie Yan had used up almost all his skills. However, these five still had plenty to spare. At this rate, he was going to be overwhelmed.
"So be it, seems like I won't be able to take them down this time," Nie Yan muttered. Even so, he had gained quite a bit from this exchange. At the very least, he got a feel of the enemy's strength.
Nie Yan pulled out an Unknown Transfer Scroll from his bag. Since he couldn't win, he would escape. He could always get his revenge another day.
"Don't let him escape! We're going to have his head today, no matter what! Nirvana Flame's undefeated legend will fall at our hands!" Dark gritted his teeth. He sped up and pounced toward Nie Yan. If the five of them could kill him, their worth would skyrocket at least fivefold!
This was their opportunity. They definitely couldn't let it slip by!
"Die!" Seal stabbed toward Nie Yan's forehead with a Concussive Blow. At the same time, Ardent and Dark arrived behind Nie Yan and sealed off any path of retreat. The nearby Shadow pulled out an Advanced Web Scroll and chanted out an incantation. A giant web dropped down toward him.
Nie Yan had nowhere to retreat. Just as Seal's dagger was about to stick his forehead...
Phantom Assassination!
Nie Yan's figure suddenly became illusory, evading Seal's attack. He took advantage of this moment to crush the Unknown Transfer Scroll.
At this moment, three daggers struck Nie Yan's forehead, chest, and the back of his head.
"Yes!" Dark and the others cried out in elation after seeing their attacks land.
At this moment, Nie Yan's figure blurred and disappeared from sight.
"Shit, he teleported away with an Unknown Transfer Scroll!"
Nie Yan's movements were too quick. If he were a step slower, then even the Unknown Transfer Scroll wouldn't have been able to save his life.
"Dammit, he got away."
Ardent and Dark glanced at each other. There was shock and fear lingering in their eyes.
"In the beginning, Nirvana Flame had plenty of time to escape with an Unknown Transfer Scroll, but he didn't. He probably stayed around so long to probe our strength. Even under the combined assault of the five of us, he still managed to hold his own. Mad Rogue Nirvana Flame. He's truly worthy of his reputation," Dark said with a hint of admiration. Even he had no choice but to recognize Nie Yan's skills.
"What are we going to do next? How are we going to explain ourselves to the client?" Ardent asked.
"Forget it, we'll try to find another opportunity. According to our agreement, only killing the elite members of Asskickers United is fine too. When we meet with them next time to negotiate a contract extension, if they want us to kill Nirvana Flame, they'll have to at least double the price," Dark said. After the exchange with Nirvana Flame today, he could determine one thing. Nirvana Flame's head was worth a whole lot more than they were offered.
"Let's head back," Shadow said. They had just carried out an ambush on Nirvana Flame. This area was no longer safe. They had to quickly leave.
The five Thieves disappeared into the trees.
About a thousand meters away, Nie Yan emerged in a patch of forest. Three damage values floated up above his head. He was stunned for a few seconds before regaining control of his body.
Nie Yan ducked into a corner and patched himself up with Combat Bandages. Thankfully, he was still alive. He escaped by the skin of his teeth. He had luckily used the Unknown Transfer Scroll in time. This minor detail was a reflection of his skill. If he was late by even a little bit, he would be dead. Sadly, his Faulkner Warhorse had died. Its loyalty would probably drop by a bit.
These five Thieves from Bloodfiends were truly difficult to deal with.
Nie Yan sent a video of his battle with Dark and the other four to Guo Huai. After watching the video, Guo Huai asked,「You were ambushed?」
「Yeah, by the Bloodfiends. Those five were really strong, I almost didn't make it out alive. Tell the people below to be careful and not to go out alone.」
「Even you barely escaped with your life?」Guo Huai knitted his brows. Nie Yan had almost died. If the other players encountered people from Bloodfiends, one could easily imagine the outcome.
「Start gathering intel on the Bloodfiends. If you find out their location, immediately report it back to me,」Nie Yan said. Since the Bloodfiends dared to be so brazen, he wouldn't hold back either. He posted up a bounty on them on the mission boards of the Union of Assassins. Killing any one of their members and causing them to drop one level would net 100 gold. As for Ardent, Dark, and the other three, the reward for their heads was 1,000 gold each.
This was called fighting fire with fire!
「Alright, I'll get to work right away!」Guo Huai nodded. He understood the severity of the situation. These several players from the Bloodfiends were too strong. With them constantly carrying out ambushes, Asskickers United would suffer heavy damage. This matter had to be settled once and for all!
While chatting with Guo Huai, Nie Yan received a notification.
Visit Ignatius. He is eagerly looking for you.