Chapter 176 Chapter 176-The Fray
Howard didn't place all his hopes on Sword Seven.
After all, in the grand scheme of things, Sword Seven's power was not particularly formidable among the assembled awakened.
If Sword Seven could buy him just two or three seconds, Howard would be more than satisfied.
Sword Seven, aware of his own limitations and knowing he had only one chance, unleashed his most powerful skill.
Hum —
A whistling sound of wind filled the air as silver-white sword shadows began to form behind Sword Seven, neatly aligned.
In just a moment, hundreds of sword shadows had gathered, emanating a blade aura so sharp it seemed to slice through the very fabric of space.
All the awakened nearby rapidly retreated, instinctively widening the distance from him.
"Sword Art — Chaotic Dance!"
As Sword Seven's shout echoed, the hundreds of sword shadows let out a whistling sound and, with a swiftness like lightning, charged towards the Starry River Map.
The blade aura tore through the air, instantly piercing through several awakened who blocked the path, rending their bodies apart.
Yet, this was not the end!
More and more sword shadows unfurled, their terrifying pressure startling the awakened who were vying for the Starry River Map.
Despite not being of the highest level, these awakened had experienced real battles, unlike students in an academy.
Sensing danger, they immediately chose to retreat.
"Fuck! Has this guy gone mad? The Starry River Map hasn't even been claimed yet, and he's using such powerful skills? Even if he gets it, how can he possibly defend it?"
"Let him have his moment of glory. We'll show him what's what later!"
The multitude of awakened cursed and quickly distanced themselves from the sword shadows.
As a result, the area around the Starry River Map was suddenly devoid of any awakened.
Seeing this unfold, Howard was stunned. He couldn't believe that the group of awakened had actually chosen to retreat.
Not just Howard, even Sword Seven couldn't believe he had forced so many awakened to withdraw in an instant.
But was Sword Seven's move really that powerful?
Not necessarily.
If five or six awakened had taken action, they could have easily severed all the sword shadows.
After all, Sword Seven's level was a bit low.
He might be a strong contender among the younger generation, but many of the veterans here for the Starry River Map were of a different caliber.
However, since the Starry River Map was still unclaimed, the other awakened were reluctant to expend too much energy prematurely.
Additionally, in the eyes of these awakened, even if they were temporarily forced to retreat, no one would be able to seize the Starry River Map.
Not fully understanding the psychology of the other awakened, Howard wasn't about to miss this golden opportunity.
He immediately moved forward, taking advantage of the moment when Sword Seven's onslaught had pushed back the crowd.
Using his Blink skill, he leaped to the front of the Starry River Map.
The next moment, Howard reached out and grabbed the Starry River Map.
However, almost as soon as he touched it, a searing sensation invaded his mind, pulling him out of his invisibility state.
In an instant, countless awakened saw Howard!
"What the fuck!"
"Someone's trying to fish in troubled waters! Attack, unleash full firepower!"
As cries of alarm rang out, Howard, disregarding the burning sensation in his hand, used the Blink skill again.
With Howard's speed, he couldn't outpace the skills unleashed by the group of awakened.
Only his Blink skill could enable him to leap out of their attack range.
Whoosh—
True to expectation, even before the barrage of skills could land, Howard's figure had already flickered to a distance several dozen yards away, under the angry and bewildered gazes of the multitude of awakened.
"Damn it! What's going on? Why is his leap skill cooling down so fast?"
"That's not right; it might not be a leap skill!"
"Holy shit, what are you all waiting for? Go after him now!"
Exclamations of shock and curses filled the air as the group of awakened charged forward.
However, aside from a very few, most of them couldn't match Howard's speed based solely on their physical abilities.
Only about a dozen figures rapidly closed the distance with Howard, which made his expression grow more serious.
It was inevitable; those who could keep up with Howard were undoubtedly strong.
Glancing around quickly, Howard noted that many of the stronger figures were still in a meditative state, recovering their strength.
This observation led him to a decision.
He couldn't just keep running; he had to fight back!
After all, most of those pursuing him were below level 60.
Solely in terms of physical prowess, they might not be a match for Howard.
With his mind made up, Howard assessed his pursuers.
Seven archers, five assassins, and two magus.
However, these two magus hadn't caught up to Howard through sheer agility.
One had conjured flaming wings, while the other was propelled by a whirlwind at his feet.
"Just as I expected, warriors and shield bearers, with their class's inherently slow movement speed, can't keep up with the pace of my Blink skill, even with their abilities. I can definitely get close and drive back these fragile ones!"
Howard's eyes turned icy as he activated his Blink skill, instantly appearing before one of the archers.
Archers possess the ability to move and shoot, but Howard had been too fast earlier, staying out of their attack range.
Now, choosing to engage them in combat, Howard needed to find a way to injure them first.
At the very least, he had to render them incapable of fighting.
"What?!"
"You dare to come back?!"
Seeing Howard returning to the fray, the archer couldn't hide his glee.
However, before he could even raise his bow, Howard had already flashed in front of him, delivering a powerful punch to his abdomen.
The impact of the punch caused the archer's pupils to constrict dramatically, his body stiffening like a dead shrimp.
Even so, Howard showed no mercy.
Taking advantage of the archer's immobilized state, he immediately executed the Death Six-Step Throw.
In an instant, the archer was tossed around like a ragdoll by Howard, each time his head slamming hard against the ground, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.
By the time the six-step throw was completed, the archer lay unconscious on the ground, his health bar perilously low.
This scene sent a shiver down the spines of the nearby awakened.
Those who were pursuing Howard even slowed down their pace!
"Damn it, that skill is so OP, its cooldown time must be really long!"
"Don't be afraid, everyone, let's take him down together and seize the Starry River Map!"
However, in the face of a Supreme Treasure like the Starry River Map, no one could suppress their desire.
Even knowing Howard had the ability to kill them, they still charged forward.
The remaining six archers drew their bows, aiming squarely at Howard.
Meanwhile, as Howard ceased fleeing, the group of awakened that had been pursuing him rapidly closed the distance.
Howard was not one to shrink back. While his MP shield remained unbroken, he used another Blink skill, instantly appearing before another archer.
With Howard's current physical prowess, once he got close to these fragile classes, he could incapacitate them without even using any skills.
In just two seconds, before the archer could even manage three attacks, he was knocked unconscious by Howard's punches.
At that moment, the assassins who had entered an invisibility state made their move.
They swiftly appeared behind Howard, their daggers descending. Despite the MP shield, Howard was stunned on the spot.
It was the assassin's signature skill, Backstab!
The next instant, the figures of four assassins materialized, their sharp daggers gleaming with a sinister green light, evidently coated with poison.
However, to the assassins' surprise, Howard, clearly under attack, actually revealed a smile!
Little did they know, this was precisely the trap Howard had set!
Once assassins enter an invisibility state, simultaneously striking them becomes as difficult as scaling the heavens.
Thus, Howard deliberately exposed a flaw, enticing them to reveal themselves, especially since they were clustered together.
As soon as he could break free from the control of their Backstab skill, Howard planned to unleash an AOE ability to capture them all in one fell swoop.
Before that, Howard's task was to withstand their initial onslaught.
Just as he was mentally prepared and even ready to consume potions to replenish his HP, a surprising scene unfolded.
The four assassins, poised to attack, suddenly trembled violently.
In the next moment, a sword shadow pierced through their abdomens, blood trailing down the blade with a "drip, drip" sound.
This unexpected attack not only disrupted the assassins' offensive rhythm but also left Howard baffled.
However, Howard, a veteran of countless battles, immediately seized this unexpected opportunity!
Howard seized the opportunity in an instant.
As the four assassins' offensive momentum was disrupted, he swiftly executed his skill – Gravity Field!
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