Guan Yu and Zi Yi continued to fight without backing down, however, the fatigue was slowly becoming too much for them to handle. In total, they managed to eliminate thirteen players.
This included the two players Zi Yi defeated before the other group revealed themselves. But the cost was great as both Guan Yu and Zi Yi were barely holding on at this point.
"Hey... C-can you still fight?" Zi Yi's voice was trembling as she spoke. It was difficult for her to even speak at the moment. She had no idea what was going on as she had gone hours straight battling without a single sign of fatigue. This was something completely unfamiliar to her.
Zi Yi felt an abundance of gratitude towards Guan Yu. Even though the two of them had never met one another before today, he still guarded her during many occasions when the fatigue started to severely affect her.
"Of course!" Guan Yu stood straight up and stabbed his guandao into the ground before him. His voice may have sounded reassuring, but one could tell that he had already reached his limit. In fact, if he tried to move he may not even be able to maintain his balance properly.
There was now a total of eight players remaining, including Gripler, and they were all surrounding Guan Yu and Zi Yi. Gripler had an incredibly ugly expression on his face. These two had been more trouble than he originally believed them to be.
Thirteen! Thirteen players were killed by two players alone. This was an embarrassment and even if he did succeed, his guild leader would question his ability to carry out a job efficiently. He had to try and capitalize on Guan Yu and Zi Yi's helplessness and reap more benefits.
"It's over. However, I'm still willing to show some compassion. After all, I am not completely heartless. I will forgive you, under one condition that is." Gripler spoke in a very magnanimous tone of voice.
"Compassion? Forgive us? Why do we need your forgiveness? How about I offer you a deal... Think of it as my way of showing you compassion. Kowtow and beg for our forgiveness and you may still escape in one piece!" Guan Yu did not hesitate to speak out. He was sick of dealing with such a deceitful person.
When Gripler heard the words that left Guan Yu's mouth, he almost lost control and erupted in anger. However, he was able to maintain his calm and in control demeanor. "Suit yourself then! Does he answer for you as well?" Gripler looked over towards Zi Yi. He felt as if she would be more sensible.
Zi Yi stared coldly at Gripler. She would not bother wasting her words on such an insignificant person any longer. Zi Yi tilted her nose up at Gripler to show that she looked down on him. She had an icy cold look in her eyes and it felt as though she were looking at a small speck of dust.
Even though she had trouble making the slightest movement, she wanted Gripler to know that he wasn't even in her sights.
That small gesture made Gripler lose his composure. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was being looked down upon.
"Good... Very good... I haven't been this angry in a long time. It's been a while since someone has dared to look down on me!" Gripler was no longer using that magnanimous tone of voice from earlier. Now, his voice was filled with unbridled rage.
"Don't think that after I kill you this once that everything will be over. Every time you leave the city, we'll be waiting. You'll die over and over again until I'm convinced that you've learned your lesson. I've had enough of trying to talk sense into you two fools!" Gripler raised his hand and gave the order to finish them.
Guan Yu and Zi Yi both had darkened expressions on their faces. However, neither of them could even lift a muscle to defend themselves. It was over. They could only wait for the inevitable now, their deaths!
"Ahhhhhh!" Just when the group was getting ready to begin their assault, they heard a loud scream sound out from nearby. Everyone seemed surprised when they heard that scream, except for Gripler. His face turned extremely pale.
Everyone turned to look in the direction of the scream and saw that a hooded player was lying dead on the ground around 20 meters away. There was apparently another player hiding nearby that had yet to reveal himself.
However, everyone present appeared to be startled by the sudden scream. Everyone except for Gripler who looked as if he'd seen a ghost.
"Impossible...! How...?!" Gripler sounded flustered and panicked. The person who just died was a second-tier class holder in their guild. He personally begged his guild leader for their assistance because of the unique nature of their class. Them dying was definitely not a part of the deal!
The hooded person who was lying on the ground eliminated possessed the second-tier class known as Curse Ghost. Their main specialties were ideal for player versus player combat, however, they were not very useful in fighting against monsters outside of boss fights.
The Curse Ghost class was an upgrade option from the mage class. Their main focus was bombarding the enemy with multiple curses until they were rendered useless. The only problem was that curses usually took quite a bit before the effects are felt by the player infected by them.
It was even more so for low-level curses, which was why it took some time before the full effects began to show for Guan Yu and Zi Yi. This class was more of a support than anything and if used correctly, could be a huge deciding factor in a battle.
One of the scariest things about the Curse Ghost class was that unlike most classes that showed when their skills inflicted a status effect upon its intended target, the Curse Ghost class did not. That meant whenever a player was inflicted with a curse, they would be completely unaware of it until it was too late.
Out of the bushes, just a few steps beside the hooded individual was a young man with a sword in his hand. This sword had bits of electricity jumping around it and emitted a faint thunderous sound. That young man was Izroth.
Izroth had a calm and carefree expression on his face as he stepped out of the bushes and returned his Blade of Lightning to its sheath.
'I did not originally plan on interfering, however... It was becoming a bit boring watching this guy sit back and make things uninteresting.'
Izroth looked down at the body of the player he just killed. Although he was well hidden, he could still not escape Izroth's perception.
Izroth then turned his attention over to Guan Yu, Zi Yi, Gripler, and the remaining players.
"You... Do you know what you've just done?" Gripler had an extremely gloomy look on his face. He knew that even if he was successful in eliminating those two, he would still have to answer for the death of Doctor Dark, the player who just died.
When Doctor Dark died, Guan Yu and Zi Yi felt as if an incredible burden had been lifted off of their shoulders. The fatigue disappeared at a rapid pace and they felt as though they had been given a second wind.
This was due to one of the downsides of the Curse Ghost class. When the caster of the curse died then all of their curses would vanish along with them. So when Doctor Dark died, the curses naturally removed itself from Guan Yu and Zi Yi.
However, neither of them were in a good state, having taken a pretty decent amount of damage while they were incapacitated.
"A friend of yours?" Guan Yu was once again full of energy, despite the heavy amount of damage he had received. Guan Yu saw that Gripler seemed to be infuriated by the death of that hooded player and so he assumed that whoever that mysterious player who appeared was, had to be on their side.
Zi Yi shook her head, "I was about to ask you the same question. They may have unsettled business with one another. Either way, it seems that we owe him."
Zi Yi then glanced over at the hooded figure lying on the ground by Izroth's feet. "That player on the ground over there was most likely the cause of our fatigue. It disappeared as soon as they died." Zi Yi pieced things together quickly. After all, it did not take a genius to connect the two.
Guan Yu was surprised. He thought it was because of a miraculous second wind that had overcome them, not because of the death of a player that was hiding away.
"Even with so many players, they still had to stoop to such low methods. How sickening...!" Guan Yu was usually a very understanding and forgiving individual, but these players had gone too far past his bottom line.
Izroth ignored Gripler and set his gaze upon Guan Yu and Zi Yi. "Should I assist you?"
Gripler was furious at being ignored by a total stranger. It seemed to him as if everyone was out to make his life more difficult today.
"No need!" Guan Yu and Zi Yi shouted in unison. The two of them were determined to finish this fight alone. After all, how could they shamelessly ask for help from a stranger when he had already helped them more than enough?
Izroth smiled ever so slightly. He inwardly nodded his head in approval. If they asked for help, he would have given it to them, however, his good opinion of them would have drastically decreased. He also would have felt that it was not worth helping them to begin with. But, their answer left him intrigued.
Guan Yu and Zi Yi unleashed a fierce and relentless assault against the remaining players. Gripler did not have time to deal with Izroth and had to assist his underlings in their fight. However, they could not handle the combined attacks of Guan Yu and Zi Yi.
A few moments later, the only player from the opposing side left standing was the tank, Gripler. He had a maddened facial expression and a look of hatred had taken root deep within his eyes.
"You all have no idea who you've just offended! My Headhunter Syndicate will not let you off! You will have nowhere to hide in all of RML!" Gripler roared at the top of his lungs. "And you!" Gripler looked over towards Izroth. "You have committed the largest offense! Don't dream of e-"
Ksssshhhhht!
Gripler looked down at his chest and saw that a bladed object was sticking out of it. His eyes widened from shock and soon after, he collapsed onto the ground. He had died from that final strike.
Guan Yu pulled his guandao out of Gripler chest and spun it a few times before placing it upon his back. "Hmph, Headhunter Syndicate? Never heard of them!" He did not fear this Headhunter Syndicate. Even if it was a top guild like Cross Haven or Blue Oasis, he wouldn't care. He refused to sit back and be bullied by anyone!
Zi Yi had her eyes closed and her arms folded as she let out a long sigh of relief. Honestly, that fight had exhausted her. Unlike Guan Yu, she was not a plate wearing character and so her defensive skills were incredibly lacking. If she made one false move she could have easily died while under the effects of that fatigue.
Guan Yu and Zi Yi both glanced at each other before looking over towards that mysterious player who aided them earlier. Although he only eliminated a single player, it was enough to change the entire flow of events. If not for him then they may very well have been killed by Gripler and his group.
Guan Yu was the first to approach Izroth and he immediately cupped his fist and gave a slight bow. "You have saved both of us from a disgraceful ending. You have our thanks." He was very sincere in his thanks and did not mind showing a proper level of respect to someone who helped him.
Zi Yi also gave a slight nod. It was her way of saying thank you. Though it was something she was not used to doing. To most people, it may come off as unappreciative or arrogant. However, Izroth could tell from her body language that neither of those was the case.
Izroth slightly nodded in response, "I only happened to be passing by and gave a small helping hand."
"May I know the name of our benefactor?" Guan Yu stood up straight and got a closer look at Izroth. He could not tell what class Izroth was no matter how hard he tried. He was also unable to make any rough estimates when it came to his strength.
However, Guan Yu had a gut feeling. He could tell that the mysterious man before him was not an individual to be taken lightly, even with such a carefree expression.
"Izroth." Izroth kept his response short and simple.
"I see, Izroth. A noble name indeed!" Guan Yu nodded his head. "I am Guan Yu." He then pointed towards Zi Yi, "And she is known as... As..." Guan Yu paused.
"Hm?" When Izroth noticed that Guan Yu paused, he figured something must have been wrong.
Zi Yi, on the other hand, had a cold look on her face.
"What was your name again...?" Guan Yu rubbed the back of his head as he gave a small awkward laugh.
Izroth stared blankly at Guan Yu. There was only one thought that went through Izroth's head at that moment.
'I have a feeling him and Halls would get along just fine...'