Chapter 198 - Acrobat
"—Hah, now that's some nice weight to it!"
A clash, then a collision. The crossed crimson blade and the tip of the cruciform spear scattered a brilliant flash of effects, and an impact strong enough to send the water at our feet bursting into the air shot through both our avatars.
"Looks like I'll be able to enjoy this without any problems—so here I come!"
Just as I pulled back my right arm, which he had skillfully tried to deflect, Tiger Lucky's—or Tora-kichi's—glinting eyes took aim right at the center of my face.
The horizontal blade of the cross-shaped spear pierced the space right next to my wide-open eyes as I tilted my head.
"!"
—No, it didn't.
In a fraction of a fraction of a second, before I could even register the blade that had frozen in place, my instincts told me to drop to my knees. The spearhead, having changed its trajectory by a perfect ninety degrees, tore through the space where my head had been moments before, like a great scythe.
No, tore isn't the right word. The [Great Tiger]'s assault had only just begun.
The two grips of the spear moved with a mesmerizing fluidity, the weapon, over two meters long, moving as if it were alive.
The pommel, spinning with the momentum of his swing, shot up and grazed my cheek. As I took a step back, he pressed his advantage, and what he unleashed from his hands was a three-stage thrust, a series of points so fast they were impossible to follow with the naked eye.
But if I could see all of them and knock them all away, he would use the momentum of being deflected to spin the entire spear vertically. I took another step back from the kill zone where a black whirlwind raged—and parried yet another series of thrusts.
"Hey, you can actually see this!?"
"Yeah, I can see it!"
As I flawlessly handled his entire rush, Tora-kichi's eyes widened in what seemed to be genuine surprise. Even as we exchanged words, I continued to fend off his relentless spear strikes, one and only one image surfaced in my mind: a figure clad in gray.
It might be rude to compare, but in the world of combat, it can't be helped.
He has no way of knowing who I've been facing for the past half-month, so I feel a bit bad for him, but—my standard for player-versus-player combat is now none other than the Sword Saint herself.
She's faster.
She's heavier.
She's sharper.
And if I, in my current state, have reached the point where I can latch onto my 'master'—then there is no reason I cannot see through a blade that is inferior to her flash, no matter who the ranker is!
"Tch... Nngh!?"
The cross-shaped blade, which had once again become a scythe at the end of a five-stage thrust, was caught by the [Twaibolt Mirari] I summoned to my left. Then, with a twist of my wrist, I grabbed the base of the blade—like hell I'm lettin' you get away!
I tossed the [Parabellum Bullet] in my right hand straight up, and in its place, summoned the black blade of the [Panga Fool].
"[Ignition]!"
Crimson lightning crackled as my HP chipped away. And in my hand, I held the power to transcend reason.
The skill [Ignition] uses hit points as a price to omit the process of acceleration—and that's not just limited to my legs.
My AGI, outputting from zero to a hundred, ignited explosively. My left hand, gripping the shield, threw a punch at maximum speed, forgoing any windup whatsoever.
The punch I unleashed sent the long spear flying just as he was about to break free from my grasp—the fact that he didn't let go of his weapon was a testament to his skill, but his distorted face said it all.
My chance is right here!
A continuous engine ignition. I triggered [Ignition] again and leaped into the air—whoops, too far, switch jump!
As I traced an arc that bounced from up to down, taking the position above him, the Great Tiger, still reeling from the impact, tried to forcefully pull back his spear and ready his stance, but—
"[Parabellum—"
Sorry, but I'm not giving you an opening to recover.
"—Bullet]!"
The [Parabellum Bullet] I snatched in place of the small black sword pulsed with crimson light, and a line of daggers materialized before my falling form like a ramp.
Flip Stroke is already active—now all I have to do is graze it as I fall.
His eyes widened as he prepared to intercept me... ah, no, that's really impressive of him.
Though it was a desperate move, his footwork was undeniably top-tier. A few blades grazed his body, but the [Great Tiger] weathered the storm of crimson bullets with minimal damage—and then, the real threat, myself, bore down on him.
"[Whirlwind]!"
The wind coiled around my body as I drew back my shielded left hand.
"Don't you get cocky—"
And then,
"—with me!"
I activated the evolved form of Tremble Slide—[Breath Moment].
This unique skill, an evolution of that light-warrior favorite, possessed both a massive merit and a massive demerit compared to its simple, effective predecessor.
The demerit was simple: the cooldown had become many times longer. Compared to the roughly twenty seconds of its previous form, the recast time for [Breath Moment] exceeds two minutes. This means I can't just spam it without thinking.
However, the merit was more than enough to offset that—no, it was a colossal merit.
This skill, just like its predecessor Tremble Slide, uses high-speed movement to deliver the user's avatar to any point within a five-meter radius.
So, for example—it can automatically slip past a thrusting blade and place me right behind my opponent... right?
"What—"
Carried by an unseen force, my falling trajectory bent in mid-air. The [Great Tiger], his all-out counterattack missing its mark, couldn't react.
To his wide-open back.
"Release."
I thrust out my still-drawn-back left hand—and upon impact, unleashed the storm dwelling within my fist.
"Gah...!"
He was sent flying, crying out in pain, but with incredible grit, he slid to a halt, kicking up a spray of water—and by the time he turned around, I was already gone.
"Your guard is wide open."
"—Da...mn it!"
As I noted the panic creeping into his downward-cast eyes,
"Release."
A second tempest shot forth from my right palm, pressed against his stomach.
Another cry of anguish, and his avatar was thrown into the air—struck twice by the 'Misfire' effect, which came with a huge impact, he was clearly caught in a forced stun.
And I don't stop—[Ignition].
Leap, then a switch jump. I summoned the [White-Flawed Straight Sword] to my left hand as a foothold to dash through the air, and to my right, I called forth the crimson spear.
[Blink Switch], [Combo Accelerate], and the effects of my special title, [Acrobat], all stacked, rendering the weapon-switch cooldown practically nonexistent.
I'm not short on footholds. [Blink Switch]—my target is his completely defenseless back!
He's not so weak that a single blow will finish him, and the stun from 'Misfire' won't last long enough for me to swing a large weapon.
I must rush in at top speed and deliver a blow that will let me continue the fight.
The pommel, thrust out with stats of STR: 300 and AGI: 350, stabbed squarely into the center of the [Great Tiger]'s back—as my body fell ahead of the [Demon Horn Spear: Crimson Valor], which had suffered a hit-stop from finding its mark...
I released the spear and summoned the [Panga Fool] to my left hand.
And then, I shouted.
"—[Ignition]!"
My right hand, gripping the spear that now hung in the air with my enemy, re-ignited.
As if to twist the demonic horn fragment I had driven into him, my arm, crackling with crimson lightning, kicked reason to the curb—
"Gah—haaah...!?"
With enough force to blow away the deep water and expose the floor of the passage.
The pommel stood tall, pinning the slammed-down [Great Tiger] as if crucifying him—at the other end, the large crimson banner fluttering from the blade of the upright [Demon Horn Spear: Crimson Valor] waved cheerfully, as if to proclaim its victory.
Behold, world. This is the [Acrobat (Pervert)].