Smoke Screen (Third Update)

Ahan's 79 points of strength made him the undisputed leader. Ludwig, a Boss Tier Agility Specialty, couldn't withstand Ahan's head-on clash, which was to be expected.

After repelling Ludwig with a single sword strike, Ahan stepped forward and swung his greatsword with both hands, delivering a horizontal slash.

Ludwig is more agile than Ahan, and he can launch more than two attacks at the same time Ahan launches a single sword strike, which is his advantage.

However, Ahan's two-handed greatsword was powerful and had a long attack range. Ludwig dared not use his body to directly block Ahan's strikes, as this could result in serious injury. Helpless, Ludwig could only retreat again, creating space to dodge Ahan's attacks.

Against the steady and methodical attack patterns of strength-based warriors, agile assassins tend to prefer an acrobatic style of combat. Once they create space, whether it's leaping, flanking, or kiting, these are all good options, but the premise is to create space.

The problem is that, with the bonus from the Marching Stratagems, Ahan's movement speed increased by an additional 40%, negating Ludwig's speed advantage. The latter simply couldn't create any distance! He could only passively dodge Ahan's attacks and retreat repeatedly.

As the saying goes, prolonged defense inevitably leads to defeat, and the evasive ability brought by high agility cannot be utilized every time. Especially for a battle-hardened warrior like Ahan, who has rich experience in fighting assassins, the seemingly simple and unremarkable slashes of the greatsword have a powerful and upright Suppression force, constantly compressing Ludwig's evasive space and forcing his opponent to confront him head-on.

The Pure Note of metal clashing against metal rang out continuously.

Although Ludwig managed to poke Ahan a few times, it didn't hurt the thick-skinned Ahan at all. On the contrary, Ludwig himself suffered the recoil damage from the shockwaves, and his Life Value dropped even faster Ahan's.

Ahan fulfilled his promise, leaving Ludwig with no energy left to attack Bai Xiaowen and the other person.

Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi unleashed their full power, and the Enchantress Leona's Life Value had plummeted to rock bottom. As for the other boss, Mylo, although he had recovered from the 30-second "Strength Drain" state, his Divine Might was below 2 points, so he was powerless to change the course of the battle.

"How infuriating..."

Ludwig muttered something, his snake-like body swayed, and he moved sideways to Mylo's side, then hurled a dark, round ball with a flick of his wrist.

Spirit Realm Rules Message:

"Shadow Priest Amotava Ludwig's combat skill: Smoke Screen Activation, throws a Smoke Bomb, granting invisibility to all friendly units in the area."

Thick black smoke rose, obscuring Bai Xiaowen and the others' vision. When the black smoke dissipated, Mylo and Ludwig were nowhere to be seen in the hall.

"They've escaped," Ahan straightened up, sheathing his greatsword in a backhand motion. "In this hall, apart from this Snakewoman, I can't sense any other enemies."

"It seems they've given up on Leona," Bai Xiaowen said. After Ludwig appeared, he activated his Insight and saw Ludwig's Smoke Screen ability. However, Bai Xiaowen had already used his large-area control skill, Intimidation. Ludwig was an agility-based boss, and Bai Xiaowen didn't really have any good ways to stop him.

It's a pity that Mylo was rescued. If Mylo had been left behind, Bai Xiaowen could have killed Mylo even at the cost of one or two summoned creatures.

If Advanced Boss with intelligence is determined to escape, it is very difficult for an Awakened to stop them, especially since Ludwig and Mylo still possess most of their strength.

However, with only Leona left, there's not much to say; Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi easily surrounded and killed her.

Leona was abandoned by her teammates, but she harbored no resentment. Instead, she spoke with a sense of heroic sacrifice, uttering her final words. "My death is only the beginning of destruction. Mortals who refuse to evolve will be engulfed by the Black Tide!"

"Late-stage chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)..."

Bai Xiaowen muttered something to himself, then fired the final shot, striking Leona between the eyebrows and killing her instantly.

After Leona died, a Large Golden Treasure Chest appeared, which Bai Xiaowen kept.

"Your strength is quite good. I originally thought it would be a tough battle," Ahan praised.

Bai Xiaowen shook his head, somewhat dissatisfied, and said, "It's a pity two of them escaped. If we could have caught them... even just one, the subsequent battles would have been much easier. Now the enemy still has three powerful figures (Boss Tier), which is a bit troublesome."

Ahan was quite optimistic. "Actually, the remaining three strong opponents aren't a big deal. I can hold off two of them for now... You all work together to attack one of them, kill them as soon as possible, and then come to my aid. We should still have a chance of winning."

Bai Xiaowen smiled and shook his head. He actually had a deeper worry in his heart, but there was no need to voice it and undermine morale. Finally, he simply said, "Let's keep going."

In the Shadow Labyrinth, within a passageway, two Snakefolk flee one after the other.

Ludwig, walking in front, held Mylo's hand with one hand.

Mylo broke free from Ludwig's grasp. "Enough! Ludwig, you coward! Why did you abandon Leona? Why didn't you stay and fight!"

Ludwig said coldly, "Stop your foolish shouting. I don't want to draw the enemy over here again. Mylo, the reason we lost this battle was entirely due to your incompetence. Getting held up by a few henchmen is a disgrace to the Apostles."

After a pause, Ludwig continued, "Leona's performance wasn't much better; she was completely outmaneuvered. We have to admit, the three of us are no match for Ahan and his group. If we don't understand the situation and continue fighting, we might all die there! The Lord's plan will be severely affected!"

Upon hearing Ludwig mention "the Lord," Mylo immediately deflated like a punctured balloon.

"But... why not save Leona...?"

"If I had the ability, I would certainly save her. However, she is already surrounded and has no chance of escape," Ludwig sighed. "For the success of the Lord's plan, we can all give up our lives. Leona is just sacrificing herself before us."

"What should we do now? Ahan are advancing very quickly. At this rate, they'll be able to enter the End Hall soon!" Mylo said.

"We're out of options, but the Lord has left a backup plan, though it will take some time to prepare! As long as the Lord's plan works smoothly, those three, no matter how powerful, will have no choice but to surrender... Let's reunite with Boss Gerold first."