Chapter 34: The European Emperor’s Last Stand

Xingxing now understood why she had been unable to evade the ‘White Tiger Gale Rip’ before.

What appeared to be a single energy tiger claw unleashed by White Tiger was, in fact, three distinct energy attacks.

The two flanking energy currents were not meant for direct assault but served to lock down the target.

These two transparent energy projectiles moved with astonishing speed, effectively pinning Xingxing from both sides in the blink of an eye.

With her sides sealed off, Xingxing’s only recourse to dodge the central white energy tiger claw was to leap high or immediately drop to the ground.

However, her ingrained habit of dodging sideways caused her to miss the critical window for evading the lethal energy tiger claw, leaving her no choice but to take the full brunt of the attack.

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Fortunately, even an energy tiger claw with a 70% chance of instant death failed to claim Xingxing’s life.

This truly cemented Xingxing as an “European Emperor” (TL Note: A Chinese slang term referring to someone with extremely good luck in games, often to the point of disbelief), undoubtedly.

It seemed that as long as the death chance wasn’t 100%, any attack hitting her would likely result in a ‘miss’!

While 50,000 damage was substantial, it was not enough to fell Xingxing, who boasted 159,000 HP; even two more such claws wouldn’t kill her.

Xingxing’s positioning was exceptionally skillful, making it highly unlikely that White Tiger could land another major skill on her by repeating the same tactic.

Before White Tiger could inflict enough damage to kill her, Xingxing would likely overwhelm it with a torrent of fierce fire-attribute magic orbs, just as she had done moments ago!

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Nevertheless, Xingxing remained vigilant.

White Tiger was about to unleash a skill called ‘White Tiger Death God’s Whip’.

Judging by its name and considering the previous skills, it was almost certainly a skill with an extremely high chance of instant death.

The only uncertainty was whether the chance was 99% or a full 100%—the former offered a slim chance to gamble, but the latter absolutely could not be allowed to hit.

****

With another twist of its powerful body, White Tiger lunged towards Xingxing.

Its maw gaped open like a bloody basin, as if intending to swallow Xingxing whole.

Yet, at this critical juncture, Xingxing remained remarkably calm, her mind racing.

Instead of dodging backward or in any cardinal direction, she suddenly surged forward, directly charging into White Tiger’s gaping mouth.

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This action, which appeared to be a suicidal move, astonishingly allowed Xingxing to survive.

White Tiger had seemingly lunged at Xingxing, only to abruptly twist its body mid-pounce, its hindquarters swinging towards where Xingxing had initially stood.

Its tail executed a sweeping, all-encompassing 360-degree attack, leaving no blind spots.

Meanwhile, Xingxing, having charged to White Tiger’s waist, found herself at the center of the beast’s rotation, thus naturally avoiding the tail’s sweep; in essence, White Tiger had “missed its ultimate.”

****

In hindsight, it was quite simple.

Xingxing had heard since childhood that tigers, when attacking humans, typically employed three moves.

The first involved tearing bites with sharp fangs, the second, lunging scratches with keen claws, and the third, powerful swings with their iron-like tails.

Xingxing had already witnessed White Tiger execute the first two moves, so this third move was undoubtedly a tail whip.

The lunge towards her had merely been a feint; with the skill named ‘White Tiger Death God’s Whip,’ the ‘whip’ naturally referred to its tail.

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Nevertheless, the decision to charge forward was born from a flash of inspiration combined with Xingxing’s feminine intuition.

It required immense courage, and only with half-instinct could she have acted so decisively.

In truth, the second move, ‘White Tiger Gale Rip,’ had already served as a warning to players: do not rely on conventional dodging methods to evade White Tiger’s skills.

One must employ unconventional tactics to succeed, for this was, after all, a game; it was impossible for a completely unsolvable skill to be designed, as there must always be a strategy to overcome it.

****

“Haha, you’ve used up your three signature moves,” Xingxing exclaimed.

“Now it’s my turn, isn’t it? White Tiger, just accept your fate of being captured by me; there’s no need to struggle!”

Having evaded the guaranteed-death attack, Xingxing was now exceptionally exhilarated.

Although she wasn’t a game designer, she had a strong intuition that White Tiger had exhausted its ultimate moves, and as long as she remained cautious, its subsequent attacks would pose no real threat.

****

“Damn you, despicable mortal!”

“I am a noble White Tiger!”

“How could I possibly be subdued so easily by a mere individual like you!”

Seeing its ultimate skill fail to kill Xingxing, White Tiger was overcome with profound sorrow and rage.

It roared, “Roar! I refuse to accept this! I, even in death, shall drag you down with me!”

****

Suddenly, Xingxing felt a pang of pity for the White Tiger before her.

Programmed to hold itself in high regard, it could not tolerate being defeated by a tiny human it disdained.

Were it not for these mischievous programs, it would merely be an ordinary, emotionless monster, incapable of feeling anger, sorrow, or a sense of utter despair.

Yet, even as she pitied it, who would pity her?

She was merely another pathetic pawn manipulated by the ‘Destiny Game’; who truly cared for her feelings?

****

“Farewell, White Tiger,” she murmured.

“I hope that someday you can break free from this place, cease being a mere program, and truly possess your own emotions!”

Seeing White Tiger’s HP dwindle to almost nothing, and with her own buffs nearing expiration, she realized.

If she didn’t finish off White Tiger soon, she might be instantly killed by it instead!

Thus, Xingxing unleashed her final burst of damage, knowing that once White Tiger fell, the game would end!

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“Ahhhhhh! Hey, you over there, move aside, let me through!”

A clear voice rang out behind Xingxing, and it was the last sound she ever heard.

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[Ding-dong~ Player Xingxing, codename: ‘Heretic’, confirmed dead. Game paused.]

Consequently, Nina’s declaration of death suddenly echoed in the minds of all surviving players.

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[Main Quest: None. Side Quest: None. Special Quest: Successfully capture White Tiger – Uncompleted. Confidential Mission: Do not let others know that you and (someone) know each other – Not failed. To protect (someone)’s secret, it will not be publicly disclosed for now.]

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[Game Over conditions not met. Game continues. All players, please stay safe~]