SSS Awakening: Rebirth of the Strongest Vampire God-Chapter 235: Aurex, the Sacred Marksman

[Ding! Blood Extraction Successful]

[Ding! You have acquired the skill: Divine Aegis]

[Ding! You have gained +1 Strength]

[Ding! You have gained +1 Magic Resistance]

Divine Aegis: A passive divine barrier that reduces all incoming damage by 15%. Every time the user takes a hit that would deal over 20% of their maximum health, Divine Aegis has a 30% chance to absorb the hit entirely, nullifying the damage and releasing a pulse of radiant energy that staggers nearby enemies.

Damon cleared the notifications as he rushed to his next target. This would be the third big shot he would be taking down. A few more of these, and the second wave would become a lot easier to handle.

However, just as he reached the next target, a silver arrow whistled through the air and grazed his cheek, slicing open a thin line of blood before embedding itself in the stone beside him with a metallic thrum.

Damon halted mid-step, his gaze snapping toward the direction the arrow had come from. His crimson eyes narrowed as he locked onto the figure perched atop a ruined chapel steeple, a hooded archer, cloak billowing in the wind, another arrow already nocked and glowing with runes.

"An arrow with runes? Interesting." Damon muttered, wiping the blood from his cheek with a thumb before licking it. His lips curled. "Wait a second. Is he dear Magicaa’s friend?"

The moment Damon said it aloud, another arrow flew, this one faster, sharper, and far more focused than the last. He tilted his head just enough for it to miss, the runed projectile screaming past his ear and exploding midair with a burst of silver flame.

That wasn’t just divine magic. It was something else. It also had a hint of divine magic, though.

"Ah," Damon said softly, eyes gleaming. "Silver fire. Runes of judgment. It has to be him. The Sacred Marksman?" He did not have to guess who this could be. After all, this was one of the players who had stood at the top in his last lifetime.

More importantly, he knew which super guild the guy belonged to, the one from his own country, the Northern Sentries. So it was after all his own country that was attacking him?

Now things were getting interesting.

Northern Sentries typically ranked 7th in the super ten guilds, and they were known for their ten outstanding players more than anything. This particular guild managed to stay in the top ten and even got the ’super’ tag mainly because of these ten players.

And right now one of them was standing right in front of Damon.

He let out a breath, unable to believe that he was actually facing the sacred markesman, a huge legend in his last life. This was going to be a difficult fight but he needed to somehow get past him. Somehow overcome this roadblock. He had to. There was no other way.

Any random player from the super ten guild could be called a superior elite player of the game, let alone one of those powerful players who stood at the top. If Damon wanted to stand at the top, then he needed to prove that he belonged there, right beside these people.

The Sacred Marksman, Aurex, didn’t waste words. His arrows spoke for him and they were relentless. A third projectile shimmered into existence on the string, etched with glowing runes.

Damon’s [Primordial Senses] flared instinctively. This one was different. It could even be called extremely dangerous.

The sacred marksman in his last life was known to use unique arrows that had many diverse effects, including sealing and locking someone’s movement, disabling their mana for some time and heck even temporarily paralyzing them with a ticking poison damage.

Damon’s crimson eyes caught the faint purple glimmer of the arrow. This was definitely the paralyzing and the poisoning kind.

Damon’s body vanished in a blur of shadow. The arrow tore through where he had been a second ago, splitting stone, detonating with a resonant chime of pure, silvery judgment. The light rippled outward, revealing hidden sigils in the terrain around him. A pre-laid snare field.

Damon had to admit that it was only a fluke he did not step into that trap. Maybe he instinctively took the decision but it was definitely not a conscious one.

With a pulse of his mana, Damon unleashed [Shadowmeld], sinking into the flickering darkness of the ruined cityscape. But even cloaked, he could feel Aurex’s gaze, keen, sharp, anchored by something beyond sight.

"I need to end this quickly," Damon muttered, a smile playing at the edge of his lips despite the danger.

The wind hissed as another arrow missed him by a hair, slamming into a crumbled statue and lighting it up in a burst of sacred silver flame. Damon ducked low, cloaked in [Shadowmeld], his form weaving through the ruins like a phantom. His smile widened. His blood surged, not from fear, but excitement.

He could directly shadow step right behind Aurex and get real up close and personal with him but if he did that, he would be underestimating the opponent and that would be a foolish move.

Only a fool would think someone like Aurex wouldn’t have taken proper countermeasures for a move like that. The area around him was probably covered with all sorts of snares, potentially many with mana-locking ones because they were the most fatal ones.

The solution was to either engage him in long-range or force him to move somewhere, somewhere not of his choice.

Damon’s grin turned razor-sharp as possibilities flickered through his mind like cards shuffled in a gambler’s hand. He couldn’t win this encounter with brute force alone.

Aurex wasn’t just a damage-dealer, he was a battlefield controller, a sniper-general who shaped the fight before it even began. If Damon wanted to turn the tide, he needed to collapse that control.

So be it.

He called his shadow clone back to him as a back up and at the same time a flaming bright crimson lance appeared in his hand. It was time to see how the strategist does against a pure power shot.

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