Genius Chapter 164: Soul Pursuit Twins

Chapter 164: Soul Pursuit Twins

Translated by Karai of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

When the commander said to kill the physical swordsman, the other two members of the Advertising team immediately locked onto the physical swordsman standing at the highest point. The recent shift of the glazed tiles had sent ScarletFruit and physical swordsman Air to the high ground. While melee combatants were less effective on high ground, it didn’t mean they couldn’t attack.

As the Advertising team was contemplating how to kill the physical swordsman, they suddenly saw physical swordsman Air pulling out a bow and arrow.

Apple commented, “The opponents are learning fast!”

ZenSlasher rarely spoke, “It’s indeed safer at the high ground.”

ScarletFruit said, “And he shoots quite accurately.”

Watermelon was speechless.

“ClearWind, take the damage, don’t dodge,” Yu Zhen reminded, “They’re trying to force your movement.”

“Understood, I won’t fall for it.” ClearWind had to endure the damage, maintaining control habits to avoid dodging the physical swordsman’s attacks. While he could still be healed by ScarletFruit from regular attacks, it would be a loss if avoiding skills led him to be controlled by the mage.

Yu Zhen glanced at the positions and reported to Su Mo, “Durian Milk Tea is rooted, and the rising and falling speed of the glazed tiles to her left rear isn’t fast.”

“ClearWind, circle around the column to the left,” Su Mo positioned his summon and said with a thoughtful expression, “Let’s see if we can save the beauty.”

It was memorable how Watermelon had used a crossbow to target the marksman in the first round. This time, the physical swordsman who reached the high ground was also mimicking that strategy, beginning to harass ClearWind’s positioning. It was clear that he aimed to use the high ground to create killing opportunities for the mage. The players in the livestream immediately became tense upon seeing this; although the physical swordsman Air was a melee combatant, his ranged shooting ability was outstanding, hitting the moving ClearWind every time.

[This is quite passive!] 

[The high ground really is a good place. If the summoner and mage were up there too, it would be disastrous.] 

[If the ranged control went up, it would immediately become a nightmare, right?]

“This wave is the physical swordsman providing high-ground support attacks,” SkilfulEmptyHand said, “The Xiaoyao team’s positioning is very good, with the cleric finding a safe spot to heal. They’re using her as the core, with the physical swordsman providing high-ground support to the mage for crowd control. They’re trying to seize an opportunity!”

CloudTraveller frowned and said, “No, the cleric can indeed provide supportive healing from up there, but with the physical swordsman up top, it means the Xiaoyao team has one less strong DPS down below. If they can’t kill ClearWind, the situation will reverse…”

As soon as CloudTraveller finished speaking, the other two members of the advertising team immediately sprang into action.

They immediately focused on cleric Durian Milk Tea. ClearWindIsHere continued to absorb empty basic attack damage, but as he jumped onto the glazed bricks while turning a corner, he immediately used a dash to leap across four or five bricks.

“Wow, a high-altitude dash!” FirstUnderHeaven exclaimed, “ClearWind actually went so aggressively this time. Isn’t he afraid of being knocked off by the rising pillars?”

SkilfulEmptyHand said, “Ahem, but he wasn’t knocked off and has already closed the distance.”

CloudTraveller remarked, “Xiaoyao is falling into a passive state.”

ClearWindIsHere quickly reached Durian Milk Tea’s vicinity, instantly escaping the high-ground physical swordsman’s control range.

Moreover, the summoner’s summoned creatures, which had been far off, suddenly appeared and blocked Durian Milk Tea’s retreat path.

The two waves of control temporarily pushed back the mage, giving ClearWind an opportunity to engage in close combat. Among all professions in Celestial Horizon, the strongest close-combat capabilities were held by the assassin, followed by the physical swordsman. In the complex terrain of the Glazed Palace’s main hall, once a melee fighter closed in, escaping became much more difficult.

The glass pillars below the glass bricks rose and fell, and when they rose, they acted as massive, impenetrable obstacles, completely blocking the retreat.

Durian Milk Tea’s position, under the protection of teammates, was an excellent healing spot, with the surrounding pillars serving as natural cover. However, this was only true if she held the initiative. The timing of the physical swordsman’s advance was perfect, as it coincided precisely with the moment the glass bricks behind her were rising. This timing prevented her from escaping immediately and, given the physical swordsman’s high speed, she missed the optimal escape window.

As an experienced PvP player, Durian Milk Tea did not panic when the physical swordsman closed in. Instead, she absorbed the damage, turned around, and used her movement speed skill to escape from the dangerous encirclement. But it wasn’t over yet. As she exited ClearWindIsHere’s attack range, a gust of wind hit her, and the next moment, the staff struck from behind, forcing her back several steps.

She had just summoned her creature when she was knocked back a few more steps.

Summoner Momo stood directly in front of her, on the same brick, with a staff that was both nimble and swift. The attacks seemed to be perfectly timed to disrupt her summoning cast.

Although the physical attacks were not extremely high and the damage was moderate, each hit precisely interrupted her casting.

It was as if the opponent knew the exact timing of her summoning cast. Even though the staff’s attack speed was not fast, the attacker managed to perfectly time each hit. Even if a hit missed, the summoned creatures that had been previously summoned were ready to assist.

Durian Milk Tea was indeed resilient, but her resilience was primarily against her summoned creatures. She herself was a fragile healer.

The healing flower she had just placed initially provided some healing, but as the summoner continued to push her back, she was forced out of the healing flower’s range. While the damage was minimal initially, it accumulated and began to threaten her health bar.

The most critical issue was that she couldn’t summon any creatures.

Being controlled by a summoner’s basic attacks was incredibly frustrating.

Durian Milk Tea had no choice but to call for help, “HaiTang, help me out!”

“Hold on, I’m being pinned down here,” HaiTang said with a frown. She hadn’t anticipated that ScarletFruit, who was in the high ground, would come down to assist in the control. ScarletFruit jumped down and, along with ClearWindIsHere, blocked her path. While one person could be dodged, a cleric, being a support healer, had limited hard control but could effectively use soft control in conjunction with teammates.

[So strong, is Momo really going to kill the cleric?] 

[The physical swordsman from above provided them with an opportunity.]

[ScarletFruit must have timed the jump perfectly; the Dreamflower was placed right next to HaiTang, controlling her precisely.]

“HaiTang didn’t expect the cleric to abandon the safe high ground to come down and control,” FirstUnderHeaven observed. The physical swordsman from above, seeing the cleric being surrounded, had no choice but to come down to assist. “We see that the swordsman also came down. It’s surprising that this battle has turned into a close-quarters struggle.”

“Half of the cleric’s health is gone, and she’s been controlled by the summoner to the point where she can’t use any skills,” SkilfulEmptyHand noted.

“There was no choice; healing skills needed to be channeled, and clerics required summoned creatures to be effective,” Midnight Bell added. “She couldn’t escape even if she used a dispel, because Momo was constantly watching her retreat route. Did you see? White Tiger was waiting behind.”

This feeling was all too familiar. Back in Valor Peak’s hunting grounds, his array had also been interrupted countless times by Momo’s melee attacks.

Their opponents were inherently sensitive to time. Given enough time, they could estimate your basic channeling time, almost like a human calculator. It was unclear who had trained them in such interrupting melee techniques, especially on this kind of map. Sometimes, even if you timed things perfectly, the glass pillars could block your escape. Without the help of others, it was very difficult for Durian Milk Tea to escape—or rather, it was practically impossible.

As the distance between the teams closed, White Tiger and Celestial Deer in the shadows moved. Clearly, the summoner intended to use a powerful ultimate to quickly kill the cleric.

The physical swordsman, Air, immediately used a skill, rushing to the cleric’s side and intercepting the powerful attack from the summoner’s summoned creatures.

“Air used the partner skill to block the attack for the cleric!” SkilfulEmptyHand said urgently. “This skill helps a teammate with low health absorb 80% of the incoming damage. Air took the summoner’s ultimate skill head-on, so the cleric didn’t die, and they managed to save her!”

However, at that moment, ScarletFruit, having learned from ClearWindIsHere’s high-altitude advance, landed and immediately used control summons to restrain the standing physical swordsman and cleric. Durian Milk Tea had no choice but to use a dispel to rescue the two, but as soon as she dispelled, the summoner used another control, instantly restraining them again in place.

Because of the partner skill that absorbed damage, they were both standing on the same tile.

The group control was extremely precise. Durian Milk Tea’s dispels and immune controls had just been exhausted by the summoner, leaving her helplessly restrained in place. However, she wasn’t worried at all. Her teammates were nearby, and even if she was controlled, it would be challenging for the summoner to kill her while her teammates were around. As long as her teammates bought her about 10 seconds, she would fully recover.

This kind of synergy was honed through many PvP matches between her and Air. She was confident that Air could protect her.

Suddenly, the summoner’s skill shifted and struck the physical swordsman.

The bear’s massive form blocked most of the view, forcefully taunting and pulling a wave of control, followed by single-target charm. The physical swordsman was startled and had to use a dispel to avoid the attack, but he didn’t need to worry too much. The summoner’s ultimate skill had just been absorbed by him, and White Tiger and Celestial Deer were on cooldown. By the time their cooldowns ended, his teammates would likely be able to assist.

With 45% of his health remaining, he was more than capable of holding off the summoner.

But just as he thought that, the summoner closed in, and the staff clashed with his sword.

Air decisively left his position, intending to draw the summoner away. However, just as he jumped off the bricks, a summoned creature appeared around the corner. The venomous snake had been waiting for this moment, and as its master attacked, it continuously stacked poison debuffs on Air.

The physical swordsman was immediately stunned. How could the summoner still have so many skills left? He gritted his teeth and activated his great sword array to reduce damage, estimating that the snake’s poison would at most reduce his health by 35%, which should be manageable for his teammates to heal.

But as he thought this, he suddenly noticed that the poison debuffs were stacking at an alarming rate.

No way!? Why was the poison stacking so quickly?

Just as the physical swordsman was about to kill the nearby venomous snake, he caught a glimpse of the shadows around the summoner, and his pupils contracted sharply.

Yu Zhen, standing at a high vantage point, noticed this and inadvertently smiled, “The Soul Twin… I see now.”

“The cleric was controlled, and Momo didn’t continue attacking the cleric… he locked onto the physical swordsman,” SkilfulEmptyHand said, stunned. “He didn’t take the chance to kill the cleric with only 35% health?”

Kill the physical swordsman!? Given the current situation, the greatest threats were clearly the mage and cleric, but the Advertising team was going after the physical swordsman instead?

The battlefield was changing rapidly. Just as SkilfulEMptyHand finished speaking, a kill notification suddenly popped up!

[[Glazed Palace] player Momo killed player Air!]

When this message appeared, everyone was stunned, completely caught off guard.

[What the hell? How could it happen so quickly!?] 

[Was it less than ten seconds?] 

[How was he killed!?]

FirstUnderHeaven went to replay the footage, saying, “Wait, let’s review what just happened.”

Midnight Bell straightened up, waiting until the footage appeared before their eyes.

“There were two venomous snakes on the field…” Cloud Traveller’s pupils contracted as he noticed the two snake-like summoned creatures beside the corpse of the physical swordsman. “Air was killed by the stacking poison from the two snakes.”

While the summoner had used White Tiger and Celestial Deer to try and kill the cleric with an ultimate skill, the physical swordsman Air had used his soulmate skill to take on most of the damage. Immediately after, the Advertising team’s cleric had rushed in to provide control, keeping the unprotected cleric in place, and Air had withdrawn to lead the summoner away. As a result, the summoner’s two snakes had killed him.

“Two snakes…” FirstUnderHeaven said, “That must be a skill. Is it one of his weapon skills?”

And it was a skill that had clearly been planned for a long time… He had prepared the snakes while engaged with the cleric.

With 45% health remaining, the physical swordsman Air was up against a summoner paired with a cleric. The only DPS on their side was the healer, and given the situation, they could have held out until the cleric’s control and healing were completely restored. After all, ScarletFruit was no real threat, and the summoner’s ultimate skill had already been used.

Air had already been preparing to shift the damage to protect his teammates, so when the summoner turned to attack him, he was naturally willing to engage and even took a few steps back, intending to lead the summoner away. Little did he know, this was just the beginning of the danger. The two venomous snakes, lying in wait, used those few seconds to stack poison beyond what his health could handle, killing him outright.

He had the Great Sword Formation, so one snake’s poison mark was not too frightening. At worst, he expected to be left with low health and rely on the cleric to heal him once he escaped. However, he hadn’t anticipated that the summoner would not only interrupt him but also manage to control two snakes to stack poison on him. The more marks the snakes had, the higher their damage. Despite being under the protection of the Great Sword Formation, he had anticipated his health would be reduced to a critical level but not that the enemy summoner could summon two identical creatures.

After the physical swordsman’s death, it wasn’t over. The summoner continued to focus fire on the cleric. The cleric, Durian Milk Tea, managed to heal herself in time, but faced with the two-man blockade and skill gaps, her cooldowns couldn’t counteract the controls from the two attackers. Cleric ScarletFruit’s support control was very strong, and combined with the summoner, the cleric could only last a short time without any cover from her teammates.

The breakthrough came when the physical swordsman died, ripping the gap wide open. The summoner never gave Durian Milk Tea a chance to revive her teammates and, together with ScarletFruit, continued to exploit the skill gaps and ultimately kill the defenseless cleric.

[[Glazed Palace] player HaiTang killed player ClearWindIsHere] 

[[Glazed Palace] player Momo killed player Durian Milk Tea]

In quick succession, HaiTang killed ClearWind, and momo killed Durian Milk Tea. The outcome was decided.

[Oh my god… that was so exciting.]

[Two venomous snakes, that’s just unfair.] 

[It must have been a quest skill, leaving two ultimate skills.]

The match soon concluded, and with the downfall of the big brother and big sister, even HaiTang’s skills couldn’t turn the tide. What the audience didn’t expect was that the seemingly orderly Xiaoyao team collapsed in an instant. The three Sect members, facing off against the miscellaneous Advertising team, had their defenses breached first.

[I finally understand. Their performance seemed so bad, but it was all part of the tactic.] 

[By the end, all I can say is impressive.] 

[I was wondering what their tactic was. They kept dodging in the first half, and suddenly, in just a few seconds, everyone was gone.]

[After being stuck for so long, the collapse happened in an instant.] 

[So they were pretending in the first half and actually fought seriously in the second half?] 

[Tactics, tactics. I was doubting if I was seeing things earlier. Turns out it was indeed a tactic.]

[The scheme was too deep. Who would have thought they would kill the cleric and then switch to killing the physical swordsman?] 

[Setting people up to kill them, that was really sneaky.]

SkilfulEmoty looked a bit dazed and said, “It ended so quickly, after such a long stalemate.”

“The Advertising team seized the opportunity to divide the battlefield, first using the cleric as bait to lure the physical swordsman down and then using skills on him,” Midnight Bell explained. “It was quite sneaky. They pretended to target the cleric, while Momo alone wore down skills. ClearWind and ScarletFruit went to delay HaiTang, leaving only Air able to rescue the cleric.”

But the more powerful the team, the stronger the individual player abilities.

Air’s position was relatively far from Durian Milk Tea, and with the Dao Companion skill allowing for movement, he initially believed that Durian Milk Tea could escape Momo’s pursuit on her own. Therefore, he didn’t abandon the high ground advantage and tried to assist HaiTang in a counterattack. It was only when the cleric’s health dropped to half that he used his Dao Companion skill to blink and take the damage.

However, this Dao Companion skill was precisely the trap the advertising team had planned.

As soon as he moved in, he was bound to endure the ultimate skill’s damage, falling right into Momo’s trap.

“But why didn’t Momo use the two venomous snakes to kill the cleric from the start?” SkilfulEmptyHand asked.

CloudTraveller said, “It wasn’t possible to kill outright. As you saw, as soon as the ultimate skill was used, the physical swordsman came rushing in to protect. The reason the golden duo is so effective is that they can protect each other. If Momo’s venomous snakes had targeted the cleric, Air would have immediately activated the sword formation and then gone after one of the snakes, which would have prevented a guaranteed kill.”

Midnight Bell chuckled lightly, “Two venomous snakes can’t possibly have complete damage absorption; if they did, the skill would be too powerful. So I guess one of the snakes must have low health or some other limitation. The immense damage was definitely calculated by the summoner.”

He continued, “Didn’t you notice? While the venomous snakes were stacking poison, their position was always near Momo. He was controlling three lines at once: his own actions and the two snakes. If it were me, I wouldn’t have killed the cleric but would have focused on the physical swordsman, which would have been highly successful.”

The appearance of the second venomous snake was too concealed, hidden in a corner unnoticed by teammates, let alone by BrokenOracle with a god’s-eye view.

“This failure stemmed from the Ren XiaoYao Guild’s over-reliance on their teammates. The individual skills were strong, so Air didn’t provide immediate support,” CloudTraveller paused for a moment. “And they didn’t account for how long Momo and the cleric would be entangled, or the number of skills hidden.”

The summoner, dressed in red, stood tall with barely a scratch on his staff.

Despite being a mage, he exuded a formidable presence, as if from the very beginning, everything had been under his control.

CloudTraveller looked at the standing summoner with a deep gaze, “… Truly inscrutable.”