Chapter 635 - Great Tiger and Acrobat
—In the first exchange, the black spear won.
Easily tearing through a deadlock that lasted less than an instant, the cross-spear, swung with a ridiculous strength that was beyond human, shattered the crimson blade of my [Demon Horn Spear: Crimson Valor].
And my answer to the merciless blade approaching my throat was—
"—Ngh...!"
—to yank hard on the 'shadow' extending from my right arm.
The shadow threads from [Nine Tail], which I had launched simultaneously with the spear thrust, were connected to the right ankle of the rampaging [Great Tiger]. Throwing him off balance would inevitably alter the blade's trajectory.
However, a tug-of-war against a monster-powered opponent was a losing battle.
With only about 100 STR from my equipment, the most I could do was make him wobble slightly. His first thrust missed spectacularly, sending my white hair flying, but the second thrust came instantly.
I knew he was a skilled fighter, regardless of his character build—which is why I had a second move.
"[Shadow Leaf]...!"
Every part of the black shadow extending from my body, down to the thinnest thread, is judged as a part of my avatar. While this specification has its demerits, at this moment, it was a massive advantage.
It was, without a doubt, a contact point.
"Whoaah!!?"
The black spear's trajectory bent at a right angle and slammed into the floor mid-sprint. The characteristic body-shaking impact of striking an indestructible object with overwhelming force exploded.
Talk about a perfect first-time killer. The scene created before me by the forced vector manipulation was the wide-open flank of the [Great Tiger], who had been left completely and utterly defenseless.
Now—activating [Ignition] & [Rocket].
"Ygh...!"
I slammed the butt end of the Crimson Valor, which I hadn't let go of even after its blade was shattered, into him.
My STR may be lacking, but my AGI is top-notch. With the dual activation of my super-acceleration skills, the back end of the crimson spear, boosted by massive inertia, buried itself in his side, and a reflexive grunt of pain escaped him.
And then, I clicked my tongue softly as I stepped in, clad in Outer Force.
"—Sextuple!"
I tossed the spear aside and emptied all rounds of [Frezon Revolver] into my now-free 'fist,' then swung my right arm with all my might.
The power of each fist-bullet is a physical judgment calculated from 'STR + AGI.' This means six simultaneous hits are equivalent to a full-power punch with a calculated STR of 600 and AGI of 1380.
When you add my base stats, skills, and techniques on top of that, it transforms into a killer punch that could one-shot not just most players, but even some weaker bosses—...or so it should have, but,
"...Damn, your HP is bugged."
"Gah...—Hah, it's not a bug. I'm tellin' ya, it didn't even hurt...!"
"You say that while dripping with cold sweat."
"Can't you see this confident mug? The bug's in your eyes, you damn fool."
It was an undeniable clean hit. No matter how much this avatar's physical attack power pales in comparison to my usual form, it should have been more than enough damage against another player.
And yet, after being sent flying at high speed and slamming hard into the maze wall, the HP bar above his head was only slightly chipped. It shone a pleasant, safe green, proving that his words were no lie.
He's as tough as always—no, he's even tougher than before.
"Wait, you might have..."
"Hmph, don't think you're the only one who gets stronger."
As if to show off that he was perfectly fine, Tora-kichi was already back on his feet, recovering from the impact's stun, standing tall. On the thumb of his left hand was a tiger's eye ring.
It was the same one he'd worn before, and there didn't seem to be any visual change to it—
"It's no longer the Fourth Tier [Tigrus Three (Third-Magnitude Star of Savage Roaring)], but the Fifth Tier [Tigrus Two (Second-Magnitude Star of Savage Roaring)]—...which means I'm one step away from being the First-Magnitude Star. Don't get cocky, you newbie star."
"I told you, I'm not looking down on you for real..."
The Anima, [Tigrus, Star of Savage Roaring]. The performance I knew was based on past information up to the Fourth Tier, Tigrus Three, but it has an extremely simple and straightforward ability.
That Anima increases its user's defense the fewer party members there are, and conversely, increases the party's attack power the more members there are.
It can be a lone wolf—or rather, a lone tiger—or the leader of a pack. It's an enhancement type with outstanding versatility that can always exert its power without ever becoming useless, no matter the situation.
And normally, Anima gain new abilities on odd-numbered tiers. Which means, the one that has reached the heights of the Fifth Tier—
"...You bastard, what kind of crazy ability did you get?"
"Like hell I'd tell you, idiot. I'll tell you after I beat you."
He must be packing some unknown power worthy of supporting that infuriatingly smug grin. I'd experienced the [Great Tiger]'s solo toughness in the last Four Pillar War... but the ridiculous defensive performance I'd just witnessed couldn't be explained by a simple increase in enhancement multipliers.
To break through, I'd first need to figure out his trick. In that case,
"Recall."
"...There it is, the monster gun."
Switching from physical, I'll try hitting him with a magic attack for now.
I summoned the spear first out of pure whim and for the hype, but I haven't forgotten my stance for this time around. From here on, in accordance with my build, I'll be going all out with both magic and mayhem.
"They'll heal me up when I get back to base. I'm not afraid to blow all my MP, so prepare yourself to be thoroughly exposed, Tracky."
"Bring it on, bastard. Do it if you can."
I summoned the [Ruby Rabbit Bullet], and in response, the black spear of the fierce tiger gleamed.
A gun versus a spear. In a simple range battle, it would be a completely one-sided match... but one must not forget that this virtual world is filled with fantasy.
In a battle between superhumans who can cross dozens or hundreds of meters in a single step, a weapon's range is nothing more than one element of tactics. That's why—
—charging a spear user with a gun is also entertaining.
"...—Well,"
I charged forward without hesitation, the crimson gun in my left hand, and swung the Stella I summoned in my right, only to be blocked by the black spear that had accurately defended.
And at point-blank range, we exchanged two roars drenched in elation.
"I didn't think for a single second you'd try to kite me!"
"You get me, don't you, Great Tiger?!"
The black raged, and the white raced.
As shown by the 'Crown' that had appeared the moment we met, the enhancement effect of his unique title 'Great Tiger,' [Cleave Fang], was already active.
So where was that 'invisible great jaw'? The answer was right in front of me.
It's been wrapped around Tora-kichi this entire time as he swings his spear with a vicious smile.
"You stupid brute...!"
"Hah! Don't think a human can beat a tiger, you moron!"
I could barely parry it, only managing to nudge it aside. The second form of the Northern Faction Rank #7 [Great Tiger]'s ace in the hole, the special title enhancement effect [Cleave Fang].
'Toragasane'—a magnificent feat of brute force where he forcibly compresses four 'invisible great jaws,' forcibly amplifying his power, and forcibly attaches them to his limbs, slamming an output of STR 500 into each one.
It was a ridiculously vicious incarnation of raw power that had a track record of beating me in a later private duel, which I hadn't seen in the previous war because it takes time to prepare.
And now, that power was riding on his brilliant spear technique, assailing me all at once. It was just too much.
Ah, it's truly too much—what an utterly perfect opponent.
"... 'Piercing Water Nail.'"
"—!"
"'Halting Hooked Wing'...!"
Parallel casting, slipped into high-speed, close-quarters combat, made possible only by its ultra-short incantation. With just two lines, «Current Haken», known as one of water magic's most effective 'anti-personnel' spells, activated.
Unless one were utterly ignorant, it was a spell of renowned fame. Therefore, there was no way the [Great Tiger], an expert in PvP on par with the [Peerless], wouldn't react—
"—————Dammit."
The gun's muzzle was pointed at him from point-blank range. My finger wasn't on the trigger. A reflexive and meaningless evasive action against my layered bluff... which meant my opponent had exposed an opening for a split second.
[Ignition]—and then a knee.
The kick, infused with the external rotation output 'Kai' that I'd been building up in parallel with my combat actions, once again found his gut, and a force rivaling, if not surpassing, the skill-infused punch erupted.
Another roar, another instance of distance created between us. And then the follow-up: I unleashed the water nail (Haken).
The [Great Tiger], who managed to stop himself from crashing into the wall this time through sheer strength, swung his spear with impressive reaction speed—but the fangs, compressed and attached, had sacrificed their attack range. A single surviving nail slipped past and struck his shoulder.
In that instant, a torrent of water burst forth from the tiny 'needle' that had pierced him. After a contest of MID between caster and target, a shackle that must have scored an overwhelming victory ensnared his avatar.
Instantaneous binding magic, Current Haken—once it hits, not even a 'Ranker' could easily escape the insane magical power of my 1400 MID!
"Dammit, something like this...!"
...However, against a brute with a combined STR that might even reach 1000, it was a different story. Seeing him start to struggle in mere moments, not even a second, it seemed holding him for one second would be a success.
But still, even a single moment was more than enough if the 'target' was stopped.
"And, boom."
With the safety distance I'd created through sheer force, I pulled the trigger without hesitation. The crimson gun barrel shattered into pieces, unleashing a fierce roar and recoil as the bullet was fired.
A distance of roughly ten meters—there's no way I'd miss.
"—!"
Immediately after, the brightly glittering reactive bullet reached its target,
and as I skidded across the floor from the recoil, sparks flying, a magnificent firework exploded before my eyes.