Lin Qingyue manipulated the Anemo field, silently descending until she hovered above the Rocky Slope.
She could even clearly "see" the four assassins, each curled up in the shadow of a massive boulder, holding their breath and focusing intently, patiently waiting for their prey to step onto the stage of death.
"Xiyue, when my 'prelude' begins, use [Shield Charge] to 'greet' the first audience member on the left."
"Leave the rest of the symphony to me."
Lin Qingyue issued her commands swiftly, her phrasing still echoing Venti's style.
"Got it!"
Lin Qingyue raised her hand, her posture as elegant as a conductor about to begin a performance.
She could already envision the magnificent scene that would unfold.
It's a bit unfair to these 'audience members' I've never met, she thought, but this 'performance' requires their participation.
Without further hesitation, the framework for a basic group healing spell—[Healing Rain]—rapidly formed in her mind.
Except this time, the "rain" would be a rather... special color.
"Hmm... to make the performance more spectacular, how about we add some special 'fluorescent powder'?"
She muttered to herself.
The next second, a massive, blindingly intense pink cloud of light suddenly materialized in mid-air!
From within the cloud, countless pink motes of light, shimmering with glitter, rained down, precisely covering the entire Rocky Slope below.
This "light pollution" arrived so suddenly, so... overwhelmingly girly.
Below, the Assassin Quartet, who had been completely focused on maintaining their stealth, were collectively stunned.
"What the hell is this?!"
"Enemy attack! It's a Mage! Area-of-effect spell!"
"No! This is... a healing spell?!"
"Who the fuck casts a group healing spell on an empty field? Are they insane?"
Their first instinct was that they had been discovered, but they quickly realized the pink rain of light dealt no damage. Instead, it applied a weak, continuous healing effect to them.
The assassins exchanged bewildered glances, completely baffled.
However, when they instinctively looked at their teammates, their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
While still in stealth, their teammates' silhouettes—which should have been perfectly camouflaged—were now topped by a palm-sized, glittering heart that shone brightly and continuously bubbled with pink sparkles!
This heart was so vibrant, so conspicuous!
On the dark Rocky Slope, it shone brighter than a ten-thousand-watt searchlight!
Four assassins, four mobile pink heart-shaped light sources, clearly outlined their positions and movements in the darkness.
The entire world seemed to fall silent, as if someone had hit the mute button.
"What... what's on my head?" one assassin asked, his voice trembling.
"It's... a heart..." another replied, his voice dry.
"Why is this heart still here even though I'm in stealth?!"
"The Captain's heart is heart-shaped... why does mine look more like a peach?"
"Who the fuck cares about the shape right now! We're exposed!"
The Assassin Captain let out a roar of despair, his voice cracking.
He felt his entire professional career had just suffered a devastating blow.
What does a top-tier assassin value most?
Mystery. Lethality. Becoming one with the shadows.
And now, with massive pink hearts hovering over their heads, forget blending into the darkness—they were the flashiest things in it!
This was a public execution a thousand times more humiliating than simply being killed!
"Pfft—"
Mid-air, Lin Xiyue finally lost control and burst out laughing. She clamped her hand over her mouth, her shoulders shaking violently as tears of mirth streamed down her face.
Lin Qingyue, on the other hand, wore a satisfied expression, as if to say, The performance was excellent.
[Ding! The Host has dealt a devastating psychological blow to all enemies in a highly creative manner, shattering their will to fight. Elation Value +888!]
"Well then, the interlude is over. Time for the climax~"
Before Lin Qingyue even finished speaking, the Anemo field beneath her feet instantly dissipated!
She and Lin Xiyue plummeted from the sky like two shooting stars!
Remembering her sister's instructions, Lin Xiyue gathered Holy Light on her giant shield while still in mid-air, already locked onto the unlucky assassin with the heart on the left!
"[Shield Charge]!"
BANG!
The assassin was still reeling from the immense shock and humiliation of the heart above his head, his mind completely blank. Before he could react, Lin Xiyue swooped down from the sky and smashed her shield squarely into his face. His entire body instantly exploded into a flash of white light.
Meanwhile, Lin Qingyue moved like a phantom—or rather, like a gust of elusive wind.
With a flash of brilliant light, the ornate pink staff materialized in her hand.
But she didn't wield it for casting spells. Instead, she gripped the staff's midsection with both hands, transforming it into a magnificent, murderously sharp spear!
Harnessing the terrifying momentum of her descent, the massive pink crystal at the staff's tip sliced through the night sky with a piercing whistle, striking the second assassin's back with pinpoint accuracy!
Pfft!
With a dull thud, the assassin felt an immense force slam into his back. Agonizing pain instantly overwhelmed his consciousness as his body crumpled to the ground and dissolved into white light.
The third assassin heard the commotion and spun around in horror, only to see a point of pink, cold light rapidly expanding before his eyes. He instinctively tried to raise his dagger to block, but Lin Qingyue's movements were as swift as a gale!
"Sweep!"
The staff whistled through the air, sweeping out at a precise angle. The pink crystal, acting like a spearhead, smashed into the assassin's temple.
He didn't even have time to scream before his vision went black and he met the same fate as his comrades.
The last assassin, the Captain, reacted the quickest. Terrified by the death of his second comrade, he began a hasty retreat while the eerie glow on his dagger flared violently, preparing for a desperate counterattack.
However, Lin Qingyue was even faster!
With a light tap of her feet, she advanced instead of retreating. In a single, fluid sliding step—as graceful and unpredictable as an antelope hanging by its horns—she instantly closed the distance. She pulled her staff back with the momentum, then thrust it forward fiercely!
"Thrust!"
The staff's butt end struck the Assassin Captain's wrist with pinpoint accuracy!
Crack!
Accompanied by the sickening crunch of bone, the Assassin Captain screamed as his dagger flew from his grasp.
Clutching his shattered wrist, he stared in horror at the strangely dressed girl before him, wielding a pink "spear" with a cheerful smile. His mind reeled with a mixture of absurdity and terror.
Lin Qingyue didn't pause for a moment. With a nimble twirl, she spun the staff, its momentum carrying it like a whip to lash viciously against the side of the Assassin Captain's neck.
"Ugh..."
The Assassin Captain's eyes rolled back. His final conscious thought was of that dazzling, deadly pink before he, too, dissolved into white light and vanished.
From the moment the pink rain of light fell to the end of the battle, the entire process took less than ten seconds.
Four top-tier assassins, who could strike fear into the hearts of any team in the darkness, were eliminated from the competition just like that—inexplicably and utterly humiliated.
Lin Qingyue landed gracefully, retracting her staff with a casual, stylish flourish.
Lin Xiyue ran over, shield still in hand. She stared at her sister's current "cool" appearance, then recalled the shower of pink hearts that had filled the sky moments earlier. The two conflicting images warred wildly in her mind, creating a truly spectacular expression on her face.
"Sis," she finally managed, holding back for a long moment before blurting out a heartfelt compliment, "this ability combination of yours isn't just dirty—it's downright wicked! You don't just kill them; you crush their spirits too!"
Lin Qingyue deactivated the Venti Trial Card, reverting to her original appearance with long pink hair. The embarrassing bard costume also transformed back into her sacred Priest robes.
She let out a long sigh of relief, feeling the world return to normal. The constant urge to burst into poetry and song vanished without a trace.
"Just basic operations," she said nonchalantly, casually opening the points panel.
"Not bad. Gained over 2,000 points. Total score is 26,630, and our rank has risen to fourth."
Eliminating that team directly boosted them up one rank.
"However," Lin Qingyue's tone shifted, her expression turning serious, "this 'Pink Surprise' has also served as a wake-up call for me."
"A wake-up call?" Lin Xiyue asked, confused.
"If we have a stealth-focused teammate in the future, wouldn't using this healing spell completely screw them over?" Lin Qingyue analyzed calmly. "It seems my future teammates should ideally be classes that can fight openly and head-on."
Lin Xiyue pictured the scene: an Assassin teammate has just crept up behind an enemy, ready to deliver a devastating backstab, only to be "poison-healed" by her sister, causing a glittering pink heart to erupt from their body...
Yeah, that would definitely be a screw-up.