Rebooting the Arena

Chapter 43: Surviving the Hunt

Surviving the Hunt

The battle with Fangroot, the Wild Hunt's World Boss, had tested Phoenix Reborn like nothing before. The massive, primal creature was relentless, but Phoenix Reborn was holding their own—until a rival team joined the fray. In the Wild Hunt Faction Event, teams had to face not just the dangerous environment and NPCs, but each other. And now, with the World Boss still rampaging, another team had entered the fight, turning it into a chaotic clash of PvE and PvP.

As Fangroot thrashed and roared in the clearing, sending tremors through the ground, Phoenix Reborn spotted the rival team moving in from the east. Unlike the Warforged Legion team they'd faced earlier, this group was fast, coordinated, and deadly.

"They're moving to take us out while we're fighting the boss," Nina said, her voice low and urgent. She had been scouting the edge of the clearing, but the rival team had already set their sights on Phoenix Reborn.

"Looks like they want to let Fangroot do most of the work, then finish us off," Kai muttered, eyes narrowing. "We're not going to let them."

The rival team was from the Shadow Syndicate, just like Kai and Nina, meaning they'd be relying heavily on stealth, assassination tactics, and disruption—a dangerous combination, especially in the chaos of the World Boss fight.

Tariq, still holding Fangroot's aggro, grunted as the massive beast swiped at him again, vines whipping out to entangle his legs. "We can't hold both the boss and another team for long. What's the plan?"

Kai quickly assessed the situation. The World Boss was too dangerous to ignore, but if they focused solely on Fangroot, the enemy team would pick them off. They had to balance the fight—deal with the rival team without letting Fangroot wipe them out.

"We'll need to split our focus," Kai said. "Tariq, you keep the boss busy. Alex, stick with him and make sure he doesn't go down. The rest of us will handle the rival team. Don't overextend—let's force them to fight on our terms."

"Understood," Alex said, casting Astral Ward on Tariq to keep him protected from both Fangroot and potential ambushes from the other team.

The rival team made their move, their assassin vanishing into the shadows as their tank rushed forward to engage Phoenix Reborn. The Shadow Syndicate's DPS cast poison-laced shurikens, trying to chip away at Phoenix Reborn's health while staying mobile.

"Lena, keep them from flanking!" Kai ordered, already positioning themselves to intercept the enemy's stealth attacks.

Lena nodded, her fingers glowing with arcane energy as she unleashed a Chain Lightning that arced between the enemy DPS and their healer, forcing them to break formation. The lightning stunned the DPS for a moment, giving Nina time to engage.

"They're splitting!" Nina called out as she moved with deadly precision, landing a Venom Strike on the enemy assassin who had appeared behind Lena. The poison took hold, weakening the assassin and forcing them to retreat.

But the rival team was relentless. The enemy tank—a towering figure in heavy, spiked armor—charged forward, locking eyes on Lena and swinging a massive, spiked mace.

"He's coming for me!" Lena called out, backing up to gain distance.

"Hold on!" Tariq grunted, managing to stun Fangroot for a few crucial seconds with a perfectly timed Shield Bash. He rushed over, intercepting the enemy tank with his own Flamebreaker Charge, slamming into the enemy and knocking them back just in time.

"Got you," Tariq said through gritted teeth as the enemy tank turned their attention to him.

Meanwhile, Fangroot was recovering. The massive World Boss roared again, its thorn-covered limbs thrashing as it summoned vines and treants from the earth. The massive roots shot up around the battlefield, making movement difficult and threatening to trap anyone who got too close.

"They're using the environment to their advantage," Kai muttered as they spotted the rival Shadow Syndicate assassin moving through the vines. The assassin reappeared behind Alex, blades glowing with poison as they struck at the healer's back.

"Assassin on me!" Alex shouted, already casting Cleansing Wave to remove the poison effect, but he couldn't escape the flurry of attacks.

"Not for long!" Kai called out, using Nightfall Strike to instantly teleport behind the assassin, landing a powerful critical hit and forcing the enemy to retreat once more. But the fight was far from over.

Fangroot, angered by the battle, reared up on its hind legs and slammed both massive limbs into the ground, sending out a shockwave that knocked everyone back. The impact was so strong that it shattered the surrounding trees and caused large chunks of earth to rise into the air.

"We're getting hit by the boss and the other team!" Alex called out, casting Astral Nova to heal the entire team and give them a brief moment of respite. "We need to deal with one of them fast!"

"Agreed," Kai said, quickly formulating a plan. "Nina, we need to take out their healer. Without them, their team won't last."

Nina gave a curt nod, vanishing into Cloak of Shadows and flanking around the chaos of the fight. Meanwhile, Kai engaged the enemy DPS, using Shadowstep Barrage to blink between targets and apply weaken debuffs, slowing their attacks and lowering their damage.

While Kai and Nina moved to take down the rival team's support, Tariq and Alex continued to fight the battle on two fronts—keeping Fangroot distracted while fending off the rival tank's relentless attacks.

"I can't hold this much longer!" Tariq called out, feeling the weight of Fangroot's massive claws combined with the enemy tank's brutal swings.

"Hang in there," Alex responded, casting Astral Ward to absorb some of the damage. "Just a little longer."

Tariq gritted his teeth, knowing they were on the edge of collapse. Fangroot's health was dropping, but so was his. The situation was dire.

Nina finally reached her target—the rival team's healer. She emerged from the shadows behind them, her Venom Strike landing true, the poison immediately taking effect. The enemy healer tried to escape, but Nina was relentless, striking with deadly precision until the healer collapsed.

"Healer's down!" Nina called out, her voice sharp.

"Great!" Kai said, seeing the tide shift. "Now, Lena, let's finish them off."

Lena, still casting from a distance, unleashed her most powerful ability—Tempest Fury. A massive storm cloud formed above the battlefield, raining lightning bolts down on both Fangroot and the enemy team. The bolts hit with devastating force, stunning both the enemy DPS and their tank.

With the enemy team in disarray, Phoenix Reborn pressed the advantage. Tariq, despite his battered state, delivered a final, crushing blow to the rival tank with his Flamewall, trapping them in a ring of fire. Kai and Nina finished off the remaining DPS, and soon the rival team was wiped out.

But the fight wasn't over. Fangroot, though weakened, was still alive, its massive body swaying as it let out one final, desperate roar. The vines around its limbs writhed, and the ground began to crack as it prepared a devastating final attack.

"Let's end this!" Kai called out, rallying the team for one last push.

Tariq, though exhausted, charged forward with a final Flamebreaker Charge, crashing into Fangroot's front legs and knocking the beast off balance. Lena followed up with a Chain Lightning, the electricity surging through the vines and into Fangroot's core.

Finally, Kai and Nina flanked together, striking Fangroot's exposed back with a flurry of attacks—Nightfall Strike and Venom Strike hitting simultaneously. The combined power was too much for Fangroot to withstand.

With a final, earth-shattering roar, Fangroot collapsed, its massive body crashing to the ground, sending dust and debris flying into the air.

Victory.

Phoenix Reborn stood in the aftermath, breathing heavily but victorious. They had not only defeated the World Boss but had also survived a brutal attack from a rival team.

"That was... too close," Alex said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "I didn't think we'd make it through both the boss and them."

Tariq let out a heavy breath, leaning on his shield. "We were one hit away from getting wiped out... but we made it."

Lena smiled, despite the exhaustion in her voice. "That was insane. We balanced PvE and PvP perfectly. We earned that win."

Kai looked at their team, pride swelling in their chest. "We're getting stronger every day. That was a fight no one else could've survived, but we did. This event isn't over, but we're proving we belong at the top."

Nina, as always, spoke quietly but confidently. "We're not just surviving. We're winning."

Phoenix Reborn had barely survived the encounter, but their resilience and coordination had brought them through. They had learned the delicate balance between PvE and PvP, mastering both in the heat of battle. But the Wild Hunt Faction Event was far from over, and even greater challenges awaited in the depths of the Verdant Expanse.