Chapter 117 - Guardian's Frost Blade, Endless Sky-Dash - Part One
Here I go.
First, a little test. I’ll observe how the [Sword Protector] deals with the dozen or so Parabellum Bullets launched with a swing of my arm—as if I have time for such a half-hearted move!
“No holding back, celestial being!!”
I swung my hand from left to right, then back to the left again in rapid succession.
Along the path my empty left hand traced, a line of Parabellum Bullets materialized, their tips aimed at the enemy. The moment my fingertips grazed their pommels, the crimson daggers shot forward with the force of an all-out throw.
[Flip Stroke]—the evolution of [Piercing Dart], a skill that had gone unused for a long time because I hate the recovery lag of assault skills.
As if to protest being neglected by its user, the skill had transformed into something completely different. Its effect—the elimination of the throwing motion.
By activating [Flip Stroke] with either my left or right hand, that hand transforms into an automatic launcher that ‘throws’ anything it touches.
When combined with this cheat weapon that can summon its duplicates, the [Parabellum Bullets], for as long as I have MP, it becomes a terrifying skill capable of delivering the super-rapid fire you see now—but,
“Look at that calm face of yours…!”
Not a single one of them reached the [Sword Protector].
He showed a flicker of surprise at my acrobatic opening move, but only for a split second. With a smile still playing on his lips, the katana swung with just his right hand batted them all away.
Are you kidding me… that’s a volley of at least ten shots per second…!
And these aren’t just pebbles. It’s a swarm of daggers, each over twenty centimeters long, launched with a base STR of 300.
Though light, the Parabellum Bullets move fast enough to shatter boulders, each one packing enough power to easily pierce an armored warrior, and yet…!
—Ten seconds. The effect of [Flip Stroke] wore off, and the barrage ceased.
After glancing at the hundred-odd Parabellum Bullets scattered around, the [Sword Protector]’s gaze turned to me as I stood there, completely dumbfounded.
Is that all?
“Hk… Yeah, fine by me. I’ll make you eat those words.”
As I raised the [Parabellum Rabbit Dagger] I had been holding at my side, I watched his teasing gaze sharpen in response—
“Right now—[Detonating Bullet].”
I slammed my gauntlet-clad left fist into the blade of the dagger I held in a reverse grip.
With a sharp CRACK—the crimson dagger shattered from the middle of its blade, breaking as easily as glass.
Even the esteemed [Sword Protector] seemed genuinely surprised by this. As his eyes widened in astonishment, I grinned back at him. You’re a second too early to be surprised.
In that instant—the massive number of Parabellum Bullets scattered around him all exploded with a high-pitched shattering sound. Countless crimson fragments rained down on the unsuspecting [Sword Protector] like a shrapnel grenade.
“—Gah…?!”
A voice of clear astonishment reached my ears. I suppressed the urge to get carried away by the fact that I’d landed a blow and pressed my advantage.
The attack was extremely flashy, but the power of each individual fragment from [Detonating Bullet]… the self-destruct attack of the Parabellum Bullets, was minuscule.
It might work on someone unarmored like a certain someone from a few days ago, but there was no way it could pierce the high-end armor worn by a top player—let alone a ranker.
Just as I expected, his HP bar had only dropped by about ten percent from a hundred tiny hits. It was just enough to startle him. In that case, I couldn’t afford to waste that moment of surprise!
I slammed the half-broken [Parabellum Rabbit Dagger] into its sheath and summoned new weapons into my now-empty hands: the [Panga Fool]—and a new face, the [Revolving Aegis].
I pulled the trigger on the black short sword to activate [Ignition]. Combining its effects with [Rabbit Run] and [Fataless Jumper], I leaped into the flinching [Sword Protector]’s range in a single bound—
“Hk… Don’t underestimate me, rookie!”
Contrary to his surprisingly deep voice, his eyes, smiling with amusement, pierced through me. His right hand was already holding his katana, which was enveloped in a blue light effect—
“—Like hell I’d underestimate a top ranker!!”
[Prescient Eye], activate!!
Color drained from my vision, replaced by countless glowing red lines… Wait, are you serious, a super combo skill right off the bat—?!
Seeing more than five, ten, twenty death lines materialize in the air, I fought back the reflexive urge to retreat and planted my feet.
—Don’t run, push forward!!!
“[Gusty Limb]!!”
I activated a new skill that gives my four limbs a parry judgment just like a weapon, and simultaneously activated [Reflecting Blow], the enhanced version of my counter skill.
I seared the red lines in my vision into my memory and immediately closed the mana-guzzling [Prescient Eye]. As color returned to my vision, I glared at the [Sword Protector], and his blue eyes shot back a storm of killing intent that was no joke.
“[Endless Sky-Severing—”
Bring it on, you blond samurai.
“—Sword]!!”
I’ll knock down every last strike!!
The first slash, an upward reverse-diagonal cut from the right. I met it by slamming my right-hand aegis into it—and the flashy explosion of a parry effect and the clang of metal became the trigger for the ensuing flurry of blows.
Left, right, downward strike, low sweep, reverse diagonal, high, middle, diagonal, upward slash—
Just as the red lines were carved into my memory, I deflected every single one of the incoming sword flashes.
I primarily used the aegis in my right hand, and when that wasn’t fast enough, I used my left hand and both legs, which had been turned into unyielding steel by the two skills—but that was a bit much, the chip damage is insane!!
“…Then, how about this!!”
I quickly removed my three shieldless limbs from my defensive options, ducked so low I was almost scraping the ground to dodge the next blow—and slammed my shield-bearing right fist and my empty left fist together.
That brief opening was literally an instant. The next attack closed in on my exposed back—and I threw up my empty left hand.
“Hk…!”
In the corner of my vision, I caught a flicker of genuine shock. My left hand, which had just sent a katana flying with a loud clang despite being bare, was now holding a translucent shield of shimmering silver-blue light.
With this, I was now dual-wielding shields. I doubled my defensive options to meet the remaining sword flashes—
“Hah, take that!!”
“You’ve got to be kidding me…!!”
As I let out a triumphant shout along with the breath I’d been holding, I received a word of praise from the [Sword Protector], whose cheeks were twitching in disbelief.
In the span of a few seconds, he had unleashed twenty-two strikes. Having had his extraordinary combo completely shut down, the blue phosphorescence surrounding his katana dissipated—and a big move like that has to have some recovery lag, right!
Bound by the system, his avatar froze in place. I stepped in closer, and in place of the shields that had served their purpose, I summoned a crimson spear into both hands.
That flimsy shrapnel doesn’t count—take a proper first attack!!
The butt of the roaring [Demon Horn Spear: Crimson Valor] slammed into his defenseless solar plexus—and the brilliant red of the hit effect that erupted shot into the air, a signal fire for my rebellion against the top.