[Infinity Arena Semi Final – Match 2]
[Battlefield: Calm Coniferous Forest]
[vs Team CP Crow (Necromancer)]
As my vision cleared, the chilly air seeped into my clothes.
Under the gloomy sky lies a dense coniferous forest.
It’s not completely filled with trees like the Fairy Tree Great Forest, but you can spot patches of white snow here and there.
Blizzards may sweep through from those snowy areas, but… it’s not a frequent gimmick.
There’s no need to worry about it right now.
I have no idea what kind of strategy Crow, who ended up losing the last match, will bring this time.
I quickly scanned the battlefield in search of magical energy but found nothing yet.
Especially, the Necromancer’s magical energy was difficult to detect.
I could only manage to spot some undead hiding here and there. At this point, it’s safe to say that the magical detection has been given up.
If that’s the case, something else would serve as a pair of eyes… Just then, an unnatural shadow loomed on the ground.
It’s not as massive as a true dragon, but it’s not small either.
With its appearance revealed, it turned out to be a group of griffons, all rotting and decayed.
Crow must be sharing vision with those things.
Watching from the sky. In the forest, of all places?
Swallowing the rising doubts, my body kept moving in search of the opponent.
‘Finally found it, the footprints!’
Tracking the opponent’s footprints is a basic skill in a field covered with snow or dirt.
Naturally, Crow would be aware of this too, so there were many other footprints around.
Most of them would probably be decoys created by the summoned undead.
Out of these countless footprints, there should be only one trace belonging to the Mage.
He made quite an effort to disguise himself. But he should have been more meticulous.
The depth of the footprints corresponds to the weight.
Ghouls are light due to their decayed flesh, while on the other hand, Dullahans and Death Knights wear heavy armor.
Considering the gait and weight observed in the previous match, deducing the answer is possible.
As I gradually followed Crow’s trail…
A sharp scream pierced through the air.
– Kyaaaah!
My body reacted faster than my mind.
In a reflex, I threw a throwing dagger, hitting something.
A grotesquely shaped mass dropped to the ground.
[Detected by the Familiar ‘Watching Eye.’]
[The undead are watching you.]
[All undead under the Necromancer’s control…]
“Hah.”
‘Watching Eye’, huh?
While its detection ability is exceptional, it consumes a lot of points for a familiar.
The enemy chose to forgo the most convenient and efficient magical detection.
Instead, they opted for aerial surveillance with a familiar. The advantage here is that they do not reveal the position of the caster.
Putting so much effort into the ‘Watching Eye’ suggests various implications.
Crow likely has very few means of self-defense in this match.
So the moment I find the Necromancer’s actual body, the victory will be mine.
However, it’s highly likely that he has brought a very bothersome strategy.
How far have I followed the footprints?
Before long, Crow’s undead closed in on me.
The first to arrive was indeed the griffon flying overhead.
From afar, it sounded like a hoofbeat approaching.
The number of hooves seems to have increased since earlier, growing louder. It’s a build focused on high-tier undead.
The distant Death Knight can wait for later.
For now, let’s deal with the griffon first.
The forest’s beast cast a shadow as it descended.
With the beak of a bird of prey and the legs of a lion; even if it’s decayed, its grandeur remains.
Just as I was about to prepare for an aerial assault, curses slipped from my lips.
“What the hell…!”
The descending griffon flew back up toward the sky.
Its sturdy beak and sharp talons didn’t rush toward me.
Instead, my field of vision was filled with─ around a dozen ghouls.
The ghoul’s body, free-falling from the sky, swelled up.
Lifeless eyes and mouths burst forth with red flashes, and the ominous premonition became reality.
Debris from the exploded corpses flew mercilessly towards me.
I was pushed back by the overwhelming pressure.
I barely stopped when my flying body collided with a tree.
My guard was already shattered, and I couldn’t create a shadow to hide in right now.
I deflected a few visible fragments, but it was unavoidable that my health bar took a hit.
“Ugh!”
[You are receiving the ‘Corpse Poison’ effect.]
[Every second, you lose 1.75% of your current health…]
[You are subjected to the ‘High-viscosity Toxic Blood’ effect.]
[All movement speed is reduced by 16%, and defense…]
As if to add insult to injury, the sound of hooves was already nearby.
The homework I had put off was coming back to haunt me.
Direction doesn’t matter much.
They were approaching from nearly every direction.
Should I jump into the sky?
No. One griffon is still circling around me.
Humans lack wings, so defending in the air is difficult.
If I were to get attacked from above and fall, there would be no turning back.
Rather than getting beaten up badly, it’s better to respond from the ground.
The Death Knight that soon appeared seemed far more formidable than last time.
The black aura enveloping it was unusually thick.
I had never seen such a high concentration throughout this match. I couldn’t even guess how much investment went into this.
Crow brought an extreme summoning-enhanced build.
That’s why he maintained the ‘Watching Eye’ while carrying ghouls with the griffon, a crazy tactic.
If I had known from the start, I could have adequately countered it.
If I had brought a stealth-focused build, victory would have been mine without difficulty.
But how could I have predicted such a mad strategy?
Here in this arena. No, it’s a one-time strategy that may never be used again.
However, I had to expect a defining blow aimed at me at least once.
‘He probably intended to use this in the finals. Does it mean it’s somewhat recognized? Not that I’m particularly happy about it, though.’
I could see five Death Knights.
No Dullahan, and no skeleton soldiers or liches can be found.
In Infinity Black, there are no invincible strategies.
To gain something, you must give something up as a rule.
Logically, it makes sense that these are all the forces that are here.
For now, let’s abandon the search for Crow’s actual body.
Considering the slow debuffs and the pursuit of the enhanced Death Knights, that would be an overly risky decision.
More than anything, I didn’t even know their exact location. I could only guess they were somewhere nearby.
Then, there’s another victory condition.
If I survive until all these undead are used up, I win.
No matter how injured I get, I won’t lose to a Necromancer who has neither summons nor magic.
[I’m receiving the effect of ‘Whisper of the Black Moon’.]
[All attack power and…]
I deflected the incoming spears and invaded under the spears to target the enemy.
I attempted to shatter its shin bones—but quickly gave up. If I moved in further, I wouldn’t be able to avoid a side counter.
Instead, using the coniferous trees as shields, I protected my back.
The movements of the Death Knights were far too precise to consider them regular ones.
There’s no way it could be basic AI; Crow must be issuing commands himself.
That guy is betting a lot on this.
It’s not a bad judgment.
Rather than casually throwing bone spears, he intends to win with large-scale bombardments and the brutality of numbers.
So far, that seems to have worked quite well, but it’s all ending here.
In the end, if he can’t kill me with those Death Knights, it’s all for naught.
Setting up silver magic amid the trees, I dodged the incoming spears.
After successfully fending off one assault, the Death Knights pulled back to create distance.
What filled that space was the ghouls falling from the sky.
Their numbers seemed to have increased even more than before.
“Ugh, damn… Trash falling from the sky.”
*
The halberd’s blade came crashing down heavily.
I deflected the spear from the side, but the pain in my wrist wasn’t disappearing easily.
This was evidence that I was weakened considerably.
I likely took too much ghoul poison, and the severe injuries had torn my clothes in various places.
The accumulated wounds thickly held me down.
Fortunately, the frequency of ghoul bombardments had notably decreased.
While several griffons still flew around carrying ghouls, they now seemed to be short on numbers.
It was obvious. This must be their last attempt, trying to seize an opportunity.
“Phew…”
I understand they want to be cautious.
But, haven’t they underestimated me too much?
A being with weaknesses that obvious has its limits.
It’s not just about the existence of weaknesses. No one is strong in every aspect.
The problem is that if you are overly conscious of your weaknesses, it leads to overreacting.
Conversely, the places where overreactions occur unconsciously are the areas with weaknesses.
After nearly ten bombardments and the Death Knights’ wheel attacks.
If they thought I was just quietly fighting, that will be their downfall.
Shifting shadows as the Death Knights make their assault.
As I widened the distance, I stepped onto the installed silver magic.
“I found it.”
The undead’s eyes flickered red.
The Death Knight’s terrifying speed and the ghouls plunging from the sky.
I used my only smoke bomb to hide for a moment.
Soon, the ‘Assassin’ class upgrade darted toward the Necromancer’s actual body.
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