kscans

Chapter 635 - Great Tiger and Acrobat

—In the first exchange, black won.

The clash, which lasted for less than an instant, was easily torn apart. The cross-spear, swung with an inhuman, ridiculous amount of strength, shattered the crimson blade of the [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 thread from my [Ninefold Shadow-Woven Gauntlet], which I had thrown at the same time as my spear thrust, was connected to the raging Great Tiger's right ankle. This threw him off balance, inevitably changing the trajectory of the approaching blade.

However, a tug-of-war against a monster of brute force is a losing battle.

With only about 100 STR, relying solely on my equipment, I could only manage to make him stumble slightly. The first spear missed wildly, scattering my white hair, but the second spear followed instantly.

I'm well aware of his technical skill, which belies his character—hence, my second move.

"[Shadow Leaf]!"

Every black shadow extending from my body, down to the finest thread, is judged to be a part of my avatar. This specification has its demerits, but at this moment, it's a huge advantage.

It has, without a doubt, a contact judgment.

"Whoa?!"

The black spear, its trajectory bent at a right angle, slammed into the floor mid-sprint. The characteristic body-shaking impact of hitting an indestructible object with overwhelming force exploded.

Talk about a surprise attack. The scene that unfolded before me was the Great Tiger, left completely and utterly vulnerable.

Now—[Ignition] & [Rocket] activate.

"Ugh…!"

What I slammed into him was the pommel of the Crimson Valor, which I hadn't let go of even after its blade was shattered.

My Strength (STR) may be lacking, but my Agility (AGI) is top-notch. With the double ignition of my super-acceleration skills, the crimson pommel, boosted by a massive inertial force, buried itself in his gut, and a reflexive grunt of pain escaped his lips.

And I clicked my tongue softly, stepping in with Outer Force.

"—'Sextuple'!"

Letting go of the spear, I emptied all rounds of the [Frezon Revolver] into my now-free 'fist' and swung my right arm with all my might.

The power of the fist bullets is calculated as 'STR+AGI' for a physical judgment. Six shots at once is equivalent to a full-power punch with a simple calculation of 600 STR & 1380 AGI.

Add my own stats, skills, and techniques to that, and it becomes a killer punch that could one-shot not just any player, but even a weak boss—…or so it should have been.

"…Damn it, your HP is bugged."

"Guh… —Hah, it ain't bugged. I'm tellin' ya, it ain't workin'…!"

"You say that while dripping with cold sweat."

"Can't ya see this confident face? It's your eyes that are bugged, ya moron."

It was a clean hit, no doubt about it. Even though this avatar's physical attack power is inferior to my main one's, it should have been more than enough damage against a person.

But after being sent flying and slammed hard against the maze wall, the HP bar above his head was only slightly chipped. The cheerful green glow indicating he was safely in the green proved his words weren't a bluff.

As tough as ever—no, even tougher than before.

"Wait, does this mean you…"

"Hmph, don't think you're the only one who can grow."

As if to show me he was perfectly fine, Tiger Lucky quickly recovered from the impact's stun and stood defiantly. On his left hand… was a tiger's eye ring on his thumb.

He had been wearing it before, and there seemed to be no visible change—

"It's not the Fourth Tier, [Tigris Three, Third Star of the Wild Roar] anymore. It's the Fifth Tier, [Tigris Two, Second Star of the Wild Roar]—…so I'm one step away from being the first star. Don't you go lookin' down on me, ya newbie star."

"I told you, I'm not seriously looking down on you…"

The Anima, [Tigris, Star of the Wild Roar]. The information I had was from its past version, the Fourth Tier, or Third Star, but it's a piece of jewelry with an extremely simple and straightforward ability.

That Anima increases his own defense the fewer party members he has, and conversely, increases his allies' attack power the more he has.

He can be a lone wolf—or 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.

And normally, an Anima's enhancement grants a new ability at every odd-numbered tier. Which means that thing, having reached the heights of the Fifth Tier—

"…You bastard, what kind of crazy ability did you get?"

"Like I'd tell you, idiot. I'll tell ya if you beat me."

He must have a new, unknown power worthy of supporting that infuriatingly smug grin. I had experienced the Great Tiger's solo toughness in the previous Four Pillar War, but… the ridiculous defensive performance I had just witnessed couldn't be explained by a simple increase in enhancement multipliers.

To break through, I first need to figure out his trick. In that case,

"'Recall.'"

"…There it is, that monster gun."

Switching from physical, let's try hitting him with some magic attacks.

I summoned a spear at the beginning for the mood, the fun, and the hype, but I haven't forgotten my stance for this time. From now on, I'll stick to my build and fight with everything I've got, magic and all.

"They can heal me when I get back to base. I don't mind blowing all my MP. I'm gonna smoke you out, so get ready, Tora-Lucky."

"Bring it on, bastard. Do it if you can."

What I summoned was the [Ruby Rabbit Bullet]; what it faced was the glaring black spear of the fierce tiger.

Gun versus spear. In a simple range battle, it would be a mismatch… but don't forget, this virtual world is filled with fantasy.

In a battle between superhumans who can cross dozens, hundreds of meters in a single step, a weapon's range is just one element of strategy. That's why—

Charging a spear user with a gun is also entertaining.

"…—Well,"

With the red gun in my left hand, I charged forward without hesitation, summoning and swinging my star sword, Stella, in my right, only to be blocked by the precisely defended black spear.

And at point-blank range, we exchanged two roars drenched in joy.

"I didn't think for a second you'd fight from a distance!"

"You know me well, Great Tiger!"

Black rages, and white dashes.

As the 'Crown' that manifested the moment we met shows, his special title, 'Great Tiger,' and its enhancement effect, [Cleave Fang], are already active.

So where is that 'invisible great jaw'? The answer is right in front of me.

Tora-kichi, who's swinging his spear with a vicious grin, has been wearing it all along.

"Damn your monstrous strength…!"

"Hah! Don't think a human can beat a tiger, ya fool!"

It's hard to even parry; I can barely deflect it. The Northern Faction's Seventh Seat, the Great Tiger's 'trump card' and the second form of his special title enhancement effect, [Cleave Fang].

'Toragasane'—a magnificent feat of strength where he forcibly compresses the four 'invisible great jaws,' forcibly raises his power, and forcibly attaches them to his limbs, slamming an output of 500 STR into each of them.

I didn't see it last time because it takes time to prepare, but this monstrous incarnation of brute force has a track record of beating me in our later private duels.

And it's coming at me all at once with brilliant spear techniques. It's overwhelming.

Ah, it's truly overwhelming—he's more than a worthy opponent.

"…'Piercing Water Nail.'"

"—!"

"'Halting Hooked Wing'!"

Parallel chanting, possible only because of the ultra-short incantations, weaving into the high-speed close-quarters combat. Just two lines, and one of water magic's most famous 'anti-personnel specialist spells,' Current Haken, activates.

It's a well-known spell that even the most ignorant player would know. So there's no way the Great Tiger, a skilled anti-personnel fighter like the Peerless, wouldn't react—

"————Damn it."

The gun barrel aimed awkwardly from point-blank range. My finger wasn't on the trigger. A layered bluff. A reflexive and meaningless evasive action… and at the enemy who exposed a one-beat opening,

[Ignition]—and then a knee.

The kick, infused with the 'Kai' rotational output I had been building up in parallel with my combat actions, once again found his stomach, and a force greater than even my skill-infused punch erupted.

Another roar, and another separation. And as a follow-up, I unleashed the water nail, Haken.

The Great Tiger, who used his immense strength to stop himself before crashing into the wall this time, swung his spear with impressive reaction speed—but the fangs, compressed and attached, had sacrificed their attack range. One surviving nail slipped past them and hit his shoulder.

Instantly, from the small 'needle' that had pierced him, a torrent of water gushed out. A contest of MID between caster and target… and a chain of binding that had likely won a landslide victory entangled his avatar.

Instantaneous binding magic, Current Haken—once it hits, even a 'ranker' can't easily escape the absurd magic power of 1400 MID!

"Damn it, this thing…!"

…However, against a monster of brute force that might reach a total of 1000 STR, it's a different story. Seeing him start to move within a split second, I figured it would be impressive if it held for even one second.

But still, if the 'target' stops for even an instant, it's more than enough.

"And, boom."

Creating a safety distance by force, I pulled the trigger without hesitation. The red gun barrel shattered into pieces, unleashing a fierce roar and recoil as the bullet was fired.

Distance, roughly ten meters—no way I'd miss, right?

"—"

Immediately after, the brightly glowing reactive round reached its target, and,

As I slid across the floor from the recoil, sparks flying, a grand firework exploded where I was looking.