kscans

Chapter 199 - Symbol

He wasn't careless, he hadn't underestimated his opponent, nor was he arrogant—but in the end, that confidence must have been misplaced.

The proof was right in front of him: his current state, beaten down so pathetically, unable to unleash his full strength or skill. After an onslaught that could only be described as a thorough thrashing, a brutal blow that pierced through his back had wiped out about thirty percent of his HP.

If his opponent had gone for a pinpoint strike to a vital spot, or a wide, telegraphed finishing blow, he might have been able to react in time. But no—this guy was a clever one.

The way he precisely identified the slightest opening for exactly what it was—slight—and landed a decisive blow showed, without a doubt, that he possessed exceptional combat sense.

This should be fun. The words he himself had uttered just moments ago came back to him, and he couldn't stop the bitter feeling rising in his throat.

What a joke, running my mouth off like that only to end up in this state. There's a limit to how much of a fool I can make of myself.

Who was I to look down on him and say this would be "fun"? For him, having to deal with such a pathetic opponent must be anything but enjoyable.

The displaced water flowed back in, swallowing his body as it was pinned to the ground.

And through the water, even without turning, he knew—the presence of a follow-up attack was closing in.

From beneath his deep-set hood, the man had said something about this being the first major highlight of his debut… That's right. He was absolutely right.

It'd be a damn waste to let such an interesting guy's debut stage be tarnished by such a pathetic scene.

No matter how badly he was beaten, he would never let go of his weapon. He tightened his grip on the spear still in his fingers and stoked the overflowing heat deep in his gut.

And then,

Blasting away the water that had so thoroughly cooled his head—the silent roar of a resurgent predator erupted toward the starry sky that painted the maze.

◇◆◇◆◇

"Ngh—!"

Leaving the impaled [Demon Horn Spear: Crimson Valor] just as it was, the merciless follow-up swing from the [Giant's Hand Axe] was parried.

A tremendous impact from the side—There was only one person here capable of that.

"—[Cleave Fang]."

"Tch!"

At the quiet voice that struck my ears, I clicked my tongue and leaped back with all my might—and in that instant, I felt the presence of an immense pressure rush past, grazing right in front of my face.

It was the kind of overwhelming pressure that I was sure could easily reap what was left of my HP, which had already been halved from repeated use of [Ignition] since leaving the base.

"Sorry for lookin' so pathetic there, Acrobat."

"Hah, so you've shown your true colors, [Great Tiger]…!!"

There he stood, dripping with water. He roughly pushed back the hair covering his blazing eyes—and appearing above his head was a crown of black and gold, decorated with ornaments resembling fangs.

It was a symbol for a Title Holder—the embodiment of power granted only to those acknowledged as one of the 'pinnacles' of this world.

A common effect indicating the activation of a unique title, modeled after the distinctive characteristics of each ranker… It was the same type of thing as my cracked crown.

He glanced at the [Giant's Hand Axe] I'd left behind, a playful smile escaping his lips. As he raised his empty right hand, the black dragonstone battleaxe, weighing several hundred kilograms, floated into the air.

"Here, you can have it back."

As the words left his mouth, he gave his right hand a casual flick.

The next moment, that absurdly massive weapon came flying toward me with the force of something thrown by a giant—[Blink Switch].

I made a show of not moving an inch, making it vanish right before it hit me. The [Great Tiger] seemed to find this amusing, the corner of his mouth twitching into a grin.

"You've got great sense, sharp skills, and to top it off, balls of steel… I really like ya. You're a formidable foe, no doubt about it."

"Thanks, I guess… Though I would've preferred if you'd made your exit before it came to this."

Being praised is nice and all, but… to be honest, I can't drag this out much longer—

"—Hey Haru, what's your status?"

…and there's the call from my superior.

"Ah… My opponent just decided to get serious."

"Huh? Hey, kid… then you let yourself get beat up way too much by him before he got serious, didn't you?"

"Well, it's not that he beat me up, more like I did it to myself…"

"Hey! We're at the good part. Is this really the time to be chattin' with some old geezer?"

"What kinda nonsense are you spouting… Wait, you're not tellin' me you've been spamming self-harm skills on a solo mission that's supposed to be a long haul, are you?"

"Uh, sorry, just a sec…"

"Don't kill the mood, Acrobat. I haven't been this serious in a long time. Pay attention to me."

"I can't tell if you're confident or just reckless, you know? Stop makin' me so damn nervous—"

—Enough! Can you all stop chattering at me from every direction?!

"Alright, I get it!!—I'll end this quick, so just watch me!!"

The declaration was aimed at both the man in front of me and the one in my head. The [Great Tiger], having been challenged anew, narrowed his eyes.

"Hey, hold on—!?"

With four strikes from my [Panga Fool]—a reckless act of repeated self-harm—Goldow must have seen it happen by checking my status through his Commander's authority.

Ignoring his panicked voice, I activated the enhancement effect of my unique title, [Acrobat]: [Crown Crown].

The crown effect materialized above my head, its reflection shimmering on the water's surface. It looked as bad on me as ever—…wait, if my face is hidden, maybe it's not so bad…?

Whatever.

"Not bad. Yours is pretty cool, too."

"By my standards, they're both in the realm of bad taste."

As we faced off, our respective symbols held high—the decorative fangs and the crown split in two—I belatedly noticed the many presences that now surrounded us.

Behind the [Great Tiger] were his reinforcements, who must have joined up with him. And behind me…

"—Hey, Lotta. You come to watch?"

"I was drawn in by a certain someone's fervor. I came running as fast as I could."

I glanced back for just a second, tossing a casual remark at the face I recognized. The carefree words came back from behind me.

Standing at the head of a linked unit of nearly thirty people, my newfound friend said,

"I came to watch, Haru. As a fan, I'm here to see you shine even brighter."

He delivered the line with his usual theatrical flair.

It was overly dramatic and irritating, but it certainly fired up my fighting spirit.

Finding it oddly embarrassing to reply, I simply gave a silent thumbs-up to the side. Then, as if to say, sorry to keep you waiting, I turned my gaze straight back to the [Great Tiger] in front of me.

"Well, probably ain't no one tasteless enough to interrupt now, but… just in case, I'll use this—[Engage]."

As a grin spread across his face, a keyword escaped his lips. A golden ring emanated from him as the epicenter.

The sonar-like ring expanded rapidly, turning crimson the moment it touched my avatar—and formed an arena with a diameter of about twenty meters.

It was a perfect circle that completely blocked the pathway.

"So this is… that famous unique skill of yours."

A faint crimson veil separated the inside from the out. The starry sky above remained its natural deep blue; there didn't seem to be a ceiling.

However, the original ten-meter height restriction should still be in effect—all in all, this field could work to my advantage or disadvantage.

"The stage is on my dime—so, shall we dance, Haru?"

The [Great Tiger] lowered his stance, a fearless smile on his face. His expression was dyed with an intensity that seemed to say he couldn't bear to wait a moment longer.

"…Haha."

And in the end, when it comes to opponents who pursue that kind of 'fun'…

"Come—[Samidorizuki]."

I just can't bring myself to dislike them.

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What are all the people around them doing, you ask? A living legend is facing off one-on-one, and his opponent is a brand-new face making his debut. For anyone who loves a good festival, there's no question they'd stick around to watch, right?