kscans

Chapter 212 - Poem of Red

“—Re… lease…!!”

“Ugh, wha—!?”

As the long spear connected, I thrust my palm into his chest and unleashed a blast of wind. He let out a cry of surprise as he was violently knocked back, and the spearhead that had dug into the very edge of my flank was pulled free.

Instantly, a torrent of crimson damage effects, a substitute for blood, gushed out… but in truth, it was a stroke of luck, a narrow escape.

If I hadn't sensed something in that split second,

or if [An-ri Galta]'s defense had been off,

or if the power of [Whirlwind] hadn’t still been active on the hand that instinctively deflected the spear tip… if even one of those things had been missing, I would have been impaled straight through the stomach.

The spear thrust I managed to deflect had pierced my side, but in game terms, it was still just a grazing hit. However, in the case of my build, which sported a base VIT stat of zero—a frankly ridiculous number by normal standards…

a little poke in the side was enough to take out about forty percent of my total HP. Combined with the self-inflicted damage from before, my health quickly dropped below half and into the yellow caution zone—

“There…!!”

As if to deny me any time to reflect, the interval was less than half a second. Maru II, having switched from a long spear to a javelin, hurled the blade at me. I neutralized it with the wind remaining in my left hand, but he had already closed the distance, launching into an even more ferocious rush to press his advantage.

His ten-times perception meant he was inevitably silent, which, combined with his relentless assault, was really ratcheting up the pressure…!!

Anyway—time to choose.

I had picked this fight knowing full well there would be risks involved. That meant I had already anticipated a scenario like this, where I’d fall behind in the tactical exchange and be backed into a corner.

Therefore, I have a plan to turn this around.

One option is to accept a single, massive risk and go for a grand reversal.

The other is to fight through numerous risks and eke out a win by the skin of my teeth.

The difference between the two plans is whether or not I play my trump card here—

“—Tch…!!”

A dagger grazed my cheek. A longsword lightly gashed my shoulder. A mace sent my parrying [Parabellum Bullet] flying. Each blow chipped away at my focus, which was already under heavy strain.

My eyes met the blue light that stared straight at me—and that was it. I made my decision.

I won't rely on the [Crimson Rabbit Hairpin (Joker)].

Instead—to this senior of mine, who has demonstrated a superior tactical game within a similar fighting style, I will now present the full, unadulterated might of ‘Haru’ the player.

“Release!!”

I detonated the wind I had left in both feet, sending up a massive spray of water and forcefully creating distance between myself and Maru II, who had been stuck to me like glue.

I was undoubtedly on the defensive, but he was the one running out of time.

The clock on [Roan Chronos] was ticking down second by second. The moment its effect ended, he would be hit with a massive penalty and be effectively out of the fight. That meant as long as I retreated, he had no choice but to attack.

And that’s why creating distance wasn’t a desperate attempt to buy time.

“Hah…!”

It was a calculated move to buy time, with a certain expectation in mind. And sure enough, Maru II, reluctant to waste time closing the gap, brought out the whip swords in both his hands again. I saw it, my wish granted, and let out a small, quiet laugh.

The storm of blades he unleashed was, as ever, a hard-to-evade siege of bizarre and complex trajectories—but because its movements were so complex.

Because they were so complex and irregular, it created a meticulous regularity in the user's movements.

Twist the right wrist slightly outward while bringing the left hand down—the right sword sweeps at the feet, followed a beat later by the left sword descending.

Open both arms wide, then cross them forcefully, left arm over right—it looks like a pincer attack from both sides, but the left sword decelerates midway to throw off the rhythm.

Pull the left arm back, raise the right arm straight up—a sharp reverse diagonal slash from the returning left sword, followed by the right sword leaping up from the feet with a writhing motion.

I saw all the patterns and quirks before.

And in this world—once I see something, I don’t forget.

It was the first time I'd seen a fantasy weapon like a whip sword, so of course I was surprised… but its unique strength is consolidated in how difficult it is to read.

Conversely, if you have the eyes to see through its complex movements—this thing is nothing more than a deadly game of jump rope!!

“Hey, wait—No way!?”

“Hahaa! This is what it means to be [the Acrobat]!!”

His surprise, which from my perspective lasted a second, was probably a full ten seconds of shock from his point of view. The thought almost made me laugh… but this wasn't the time for it.

I could read his moves now, but I still wasn’t comfortable. My heavily depleted health could be wiped out by the slightest graze from his next attack.

—So, are you ready, my disobedient rabbit dagger?

Come to think of it, ever since your debut, I've called you my grand reveal, only to break you over and over again as a trigger key for [Exploding Rabbit]. It's always your little sibling, the [Parabellum Bullet], that gets the spotlight.

You did land that massive blow on my master, but that wasn't a result of your true power.

Your pent-up frustration must be about to explode, right?

Well then… let’s show them what you can really do—[Rabbit Dagger: Parabellum].

“—‘Red is here.’”

I gripped the hilt of the red dagger at my waist, weaving through the net of blades that violently tore through the air, and began to softly chant a poem of offering.

“‘Look to the earth, the eye is there.’”

“Tch…—!!”

[The Dictionary] opposite me noticed immediately. His sword flashes intensified, but they failed to catch me by a hair's breadth.

“‘Look to the sky, the eye is there.’”

Once he determined it was useless, his decision was instantaneous. I dodged a volley of thrown javelins and saw him switch his weapon back to twin daggers before kicking off the waterway.

“‘Defeat, downfall, despair, decay, yet stirring within is a flame of devotion’!”

Activating [Fatal Leak]—I used the skill's power to forcefully evade the versatile assault of [The Dictionary] as he tried to stop my chant.

“‘Worship and revere, fear and kneel, the gaze of the red circle never fades’!!”

As I concluded the celebratory verse, the rabbit dagger, spilling pulsating red light from the gap in its sheath, bestowed upon me—a single, bizarre power.

Its name…

“Awaken—[Rabbit Rapid, Crimson Brilliant Bullet].”