kscans

Chapter 198 - Acrobat

“—Hah, now that’s what I call a solid hit!!”

We crossed, and we clashed. The crimson blade and the cross-shaped spearhead met, scattering brilliant sparks from the impact effects. The shockwave that shot through both our avatars was strong enough to send the water at our feet blasting away.

“Looks like I’ll have no problem enjoying myself—here I come!!”

As I expertly pulled back my right arm, which he had tried to deflect, Tiger… no, Tora-kichi’s gleaming eyes took aim right at the center of my face.

The horizontal blade of his cross-spear pierced the air just inches from my wide-open eyes as I tilted my head.

“—!!”

It wasn't there.

In 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 to a perfect right angle, tore through the space where my head had been moments before, like a great scythe.

No, that wasn't the end of it. The [Great Tiger]’s assault had only just begun.

The two-handed grip moved with a mesmerizing fluidity, making the weapon, over two meters long, move as if it were alive.

Carrying the momentum of his swing, he spun, and the butt end of the spear came flying up, grazing my cheek. As I took a step back, he pressed his advantage, unleashing a blindingly fast, three-stage thrust. Its pinpoint trajectory made it incredibly difficult to see.

But I saw every single one of them and knocked them all aside. This time, he used the force of my parries to spin the entire spear vertically. I took another step back from the kill zone, where a black tempest was raging, and once again beat back a renewed series of thrusts.

“Oi, you can actually see this!?”

“Yeah, I can see it just fine!!”

Having flawlessly dealt with his entire rush, Tora-kichi’s eyes widened in disbelief. Even as I continued to parry his relentless spear strikes, only one gray figure came to mind.

It might be rude to compare, but in the world of combat, it can’t be helped.

He had no way of knowing who I’d been facing for the past half-month. I felt a little bad for him, but my benchmark for player-versus-player combat was now the Sword Saint herself.

She was faster.

She was heavier.

She was sharper.

So if I, having reached a point where I could actually keep up with my 'master,' was facing an opponent—even a ranker—whose blade was inferior to that single flash of hers, there was no reason I couldn't see it coming!!

“Ngh… Whoa!?”

The cross-shaped blade, which had once again turned into a scythe for the finale of a five-stage thrust, was caught by the [Revolving Shield of Transmigration] I had summoned to my left. Furthermore, I twisted my wrist, grabbing the base of the blade. Like hell I'm letting you get away!

I tossed the [Parabellum Bullet] in my right hand straight up, summoning the black blade of the [Panga Fool] in its place.

“[Ignition]!!”

A burst of red lightning, a drain on my HP. In return, I gained the power to transcend reason.

The skill [Ignition] allows one to skip the process of acceleration in exchange for hit points—and that isn't limited to just one's legs.

My AGI, outputting at one hundred percent from a dead stop, ignited explosively. The left hand gripping the shield, casting aside any wind-up, delivered a punch at maximum velocity.

The resulting fist strike sent the long spear flying just as it was about to break free. It was a testament to his skill that he didn't lose his weapon, but the twisted expression on his face said it all.

My chance is right here, right now!!

Continuous engine ignition. I triggered [Ignition] again in quick succession and leaped upwards—whoops, too far! Switch jump!!

I reversed my trajectory from up to down, positioning myself directly above him. The Great Tiger, still reeling from the impact, tried to forcibly pull his spear back into a ready stance, but…

“[Parabellum—”

Sorry, but I’m not giving you an inch to recover.

“—Bullet]!!”

Replacing the small black blade, the [Parabellum Bullet] I now held glowed with crimson light. A line of daggers materialized before my falling form, like a ramp.

Flip Stroke was already active. All I had to do was graze them as I fell.

My opponent’s eyes bulged as he tried to intercept… ah, no, that was actually impressive.

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—only for the main event, me, to bear down on him.

“[Whirlwind]!!”

The wind roared around my body as I drew back my shielded left arm.

“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 the convenient staple for light warriors, came with both a massive merit and a massive demerit compared to its simple yet effective predecessor.

The demerit was straightforward: the cooldown time had become many times longer. Compared to the roughly twenty-second cooldown of its previous form, [Breath Moment] had a reuse timer of over two minutes. This meant I could no longer use it repeatedly without thinking.

However, the massive—no, the super-massive merit more than made up for it.

Like its predecessor, Tremble Slide, this skill used high-speed movement to deliver the user’s avatar to any desired location within a five-meter radius.

So, for example—it could 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], whose full-power counterattack had just missed, couldn’t react.

Straight for his wide-open back.

“Release.”

I thrust out my still-clenched left hand. The instant it made contact, I unleashed the storm stored within my fist.

“Gah—!?”

He was sent flying, crying out in pain, but with incredible grit, he kicked up a spray of water and braked his momentum. But by the time he turned around, I was already gone.

“Your guard’s wide open.”

“—Dammit!!”

Seeing the panic flicker in his downward-cast eyes, I said,

“Release.”

From the right palm I’d placed against his stomach, a second gale erupted.

A renewed cry of anguish, and his avatar was launched into the air. Hit by two consecutive 'misfire' effects, which came with a huge impact, he was clearly caught in a forced stun.

And I wasn't stopping. [Ignition].

Leap, and switch jump. Using the [White-Flawed Straight Sword] summoned to my left hand as a foothold, I raced through the air, summoning a crimson spear to my right.

[Blink Switch], Combo Accelerate, and the effects of my special title, [Acrobat], all stacked. The cooldown for switching weapons was practically non-existent now.

I had no shortage of footholds. [Blink Switch]—my target was his utterly defenseless back!!

He wasn't weak enough to be taken down in one hit, and the stun from the 'misfire' wouldn't last long enough for me to swing a large weapon.

I had to rush in at top speed and land a blow that would let me continue the fight.

A thrust from the spear's butt end, delivered with a status of STR 300 and AGI 350, stabbed right into the center of the [Great Tiger]'s back. As my body fell ahead of the [Demon Horn Spear: Crimson Valor], which had caught on its target and experienced a hit-stop…

I let go of the spear and summoned the [Panga Fool] to my left hand.

And I shouted.

“—[Ignition]!!!”

My right hand, gripping the spear that now danced in the air with my enemy, my right arm, reignited.

As if to grind in the fragment of the demon horn I’d plunged into him, my arm, crackling with red lightning, kicked reason to the curb—

“Gah—haaah…!?”

With enough force to blow away the deep water and expose the walkway floor.

The butt end of the spear stood tall, as if pinning the slammed [Great Tiger] to the ground. On the other side, the large crimson banner fluttering at the base of the upright [Demon Horn Spear: Crimson Valor]’s blade waved cheerfully, as if to show off its victory.