kscans

Chapter 344 - A Fateful Showdown

The semifinal matches began in the former Assassin Guild's underground arena.

They were still feeling a bit unsettled by Nanagi's talk of world domination, but thanks to Esha, who had come for the sweets, the atmosphere had returned to normal.

In the end, they couldn't find out why Nanagi was there, but they understood his reason for siding with Amanda. Hayato had contacted Diite via voice chat just in case. After a moment of thought, she had simply said, "Got it, thank you."

Ultimately, even knowing the enemy's reasoning, they had come to terms with the fact that they just had to win the next event. They couldn't afford to lose from the start, but now they had an even bigger reason not to.

And winning would require a lot of preparation. Preventing their opponents from winning this tournament could be considered one of those preparations.

The remaining contestants were Cecil and Agres, along with Ox, the leader of the clan "Rampage," and Nanagi, the leader of the Ten Holy Demonic Swords.

Ox probably didn't know the full situation, but he was likely to side with whoever seemed stronger, or perhaps against the older, major clans. In other words, Amanda's side. And since Nanagi was obviously on Amanda's side, they couldn't let either of them get the tournament prize.

They hadn't been able to encourage Cecil or Agres in person, but Hayato had explained the situation briefly via voice chat and told them one of them had to win. Whether they got along or not was a mystery, but they had both declared they would be the one to win, nearly coming to blows over voice chat.

And so, the battle they couldn't afford to lose began.

The first semifinal match was Cecil versus Ox. Cecil used five swords and katanas, while Ox used a steel mace and shield.

Hayato didn't know much about PvP matchups, but Cecil's main weapons were the Excalibur Replica and the Arondight Replica. Both could deal damage that ignored defense, but their base damage was lower than the originals. He thought that if she could land enough hits it wouldn't be a problem, but Ox had a shield. Even if her attacks ignored defense, they wouldn't do any damage if they didn't connect. Ox's handling of his mace was also quite skilled, so Hayato thought she would have a tough fight.

And when the bell for the match to start rang, the battle on the stage began.

Cecil, not one to wait and see what her opponent would do, smiled as she charged at Ox. Her unpredictable dual-wielding style was enough to keep Ox pinned in place, but he remained calm, parrying her attacks with his shield and mace without a hint of panic.

The surrounding spectators let out cries of admiration, but Hayato and the others, who were used to seeing Cecil fight, were not so surprised. In fact, they were more surprised by Ox's overly calm fighting style.

"Amazing, none of Cecil's consecutive attacks are hitting him."

Jolth nodded at Hayato's words.

"Ox is very good with his shield. I went on a few joint clan hunts with him, and he was a very reliable tank."

"A tank wants the Assassin series armor?"

"Rampage has a lot of players, so maybe he won't use it himself. Or maybe he decided that equipment has a better probability of success."

The Assassin series had a rare ability to defeat an opponent in one hit. The probability was unknown, and it wasn't clear which opponents it was effective against, but it was highly likely that he judged it to be efficient.

"If you attack with a lot of hits, the probability of the instant-death effect should go up quite a bit, right?"

Ren said this while munching on a cream puff.

Hayato nodded.

"I see. Even if the probability is one percent, if you hit them a thousand times, the chances will skyrocket."

"It seems like it would be pretty amazing if you used something like Arrow Rain, which can attack a lot with a bow!"

"Ah, so there's a way to do that."

Arrow Rain was a bow weapon skill. While the damage per shot was low, it could fire a large number of arrows. However, it wasn't used much because it consumed a lot of arrows.

If the number of hits was high, the activation rate of the instant-death effect would also increase. That was certainly a threat. It didn't matter against monsters, but the next event was PvP, and since it would be a battle for territory, the fighting would take place on a large field. Getting hit with an Arrow Rain that had a chance of instant death would be dangerous.

They couldn't lose. He was about to cheer for Cecil, but he noticed Esha staring intently at her without eating anything. From the VIP box, they looked down on the stage, and she was leaning slightly over the railing to watch the match.

"You're watching so intently, is something wrong?"

"No, just that Cecil's opponent is holding back quite a bit."

"Huh? Holding back?"

Could he really afford to hold back against Cecil? Hayato looked at Ox again, but to his eyes, it didn't seem like he was holding back. He was certainly parrying her attacks with ease, but he thought it was an exaggeration to say he was holding back.

"Is he holding back?"

"Cecil's movements are sloppy, so she's full of openings. But he hasn't done anything even when he has a clear chance to counterattack, has he?"

Hayato couldn't tell, so he asked Ash and Jolth for their opinions, and they both nodded.

"To say he's holding back might be a bit different, but Ox has no intention of attacking. He's completely on the defensive."

"I think so too. Well, I only noticed it when you pointed it out, but it's true that he hasn't done anything even when he's had chances to counterattack."

There was no time limit in this match. It would continue until one of them fell. In fact, if it dragged on, the durability of their weapons and armor would decrease and they would break. Cecil, who had many weapons, would have the advantage, and if it came to a fistfight, Cecil, who had martial arts skills, would also have the advantage. Even if he didn't know about her martial arts skills, he wouldn't want his high-performance shield and mace to be destroyed. It was an unsettling feeling not knowing what his intentions were.

"Is he aiming for a one-shot reversal?"

"It doesn't look like it. He's just dragging out the match. Perhaps..."

"Do you know what's going on, Esha?"

"It's just speculation, but maybe he's leveling up his skills?"

"Skill leveling?"

"He might be trying to raise his Shield Arts skill to 200. PvP is more efficient for skill leveling than fighting monsters."

"More efficient...? Why do you know that, Esha?"

That was the first time he'd heard that. Diite might know, but she had been busy lately and hadn't been to the base, so he hadn't heard anything about it. Regardless, how did Esha know that PvP was efficient for skill leveling?

"That's because I used to fight the Maid Chief in the basement of the Maid Guild. It's thanks to her that my sniping and magic skills reached 200."

"...Come to think of it, I heard there's something like an arena in the basement of the Maid Guild. There was also a place like a courtroom."

Esha was a problem child at the Maid Guild. There must have been battles with the Maid Chief whenever something came up. From the beginning, only Esha's skill cap had been released. As for where she had raised those skills, it wasn't from fighting monsters, but from PvP with the Maid Chief.

"Maybe that Nanagi person is also participating in the tournament for that reason? The skill cap was just released recently, and skill progression is based on difficulty, so you can't raise skills against weak opponents."

So the Maid Chief is strong enough to raise skills to 200, he thought, a rather trivial thought. And he also thought that Nanagi should just fight Amanda to level up his skills, but there was something even sadder.

"A guy who's plotting world domination is skill leveling... I'd rather there be another reason. I'd rather he be aiming for what Ren-chan was talking about."

It was Hayato's wish that enemies act like enemies. He was grateful that there was a reason for the world domination, but it was sad to think that what they were doing was just playing a virtual reality game.

"Even if it's a game, the other side is serious. We don't know when the next event will start, so I don't think it's wrong to raise their skills even a little."

"When you put it that way, I guess so."

"Why don't you guys start doing mock battles starting today? If you ask the Maid Chief, I think she'll lend you the underground arena."

Ash nodded at Esha's words.

"That's definitely necessary. It does go up just by fighting monsters, but it feels inefficient when fighting strong enemies. If it goes up in mock battles, that's better."

Combat itself involved the player's own motor skills, but skills had a large impact on things that affected stats like damage dealt and received, HP, and MP. Even with low stats and skills, it was possible to win against an opponent, but you couldn't fight if there was such a difference that a single hit could turn the tables on dozens of hits worth of damage. Considering that, there was nothing good about having low skills.

What they were doing was a game, but Hayato rethought his position, realizing it was necessary to win. And they had many strong members on their side. Starting with Lunaria and the Demon Lord's Army, Ash and the other Genesis Dragons, and the samurai Benitsuru and her group. They were NPCs with enough strength to undoubtedly reach 200 in their skills.

"It's over."

As Hayato was thinking, Esha said that. He hurriedly looked at the stage and saw that Ox had been defeated, but Cecil had a complicated look on her face.

"It looked like he deliberately took the last hit. Cecil probably thought he was holding back."

"Does that mean he finished leveling his skills... I'm conflicted that an opponent who's likely to become an enemy has gotten stronger, but we got some good information, so I guess it's okay."

"It's thanks to me, so I'll have a chocolate parfait. In the real world."

"The real world, huh..."

As Hayato hesitated, the next semifinal began. The next match was Agres versus Nanagi. Agres was in his usual black leather pants and jacket, and Nanagi was wearing his Hannya mask, just like in the first round.

Agres immediately took a fighting stance. Nanagi held his sword with both hands in a low stance.

"I lost last time, but it won't be the same this time."

When Agres said that, Nanagi tilted his head. But he immediately realized something. "Ah."

"The Dragon Soul guy. To think we'd fight again in a tournament... I see, I thought I'd seen the other guy somewhere before, but he was from the same clan."

"So I wasn't even on your radar? The moment I saw you, I swore I'd defeat you."

"It was a long time ago, so I just forgot. Besides, I have a score to settle with Cecil next. I don't plan on losing until I pay her back."

"I've heard about you, and you probably have your own circumstances, but none of that matters right now. This is just a fight to see who's stronger."

"Very well. For now, this is a rematch from the Clan War, and nothing else. As the previous winner, I'll lend you my chest. Come."

"Keep talking."

As Agres said that, he immediately rushed forward. A super close-quarters battle began. Agres had the upper hand in terms of number of hits, but Nanagi continued to block his attacks with his sword.

"What was Agres talking about just now?"

As Jolth said that, Ash spoke up.

"I don't know how much you've heard, but you know there was a Clan War before, right?"

"I heard about that. I thought it was part of the game's scenario, but I was surprised to hear it really happened."

"In that battle, our clan, 'Dragon Soul,' fought Nanagi's clan, 'The Samurai.' And we lost."

"Oh! 'The Samurai,' that's the Ten Holy Demonic Swords, right? I heard they're a specialized clan where everyone has a samurai-style skill set."

"That's right. We thought we could win, but right after the battle started, they forced us into one-on-one fights, and after our rear guard was defeated, we just kept losing."

"I think our starting positions at the beginning of the battle were bad!"

Ren said this with a frustrated look.

Ash's clan, "Dragon Soul," had always started battles in the same formation, and "The Samurai" had seen through it. They had closed the distance right at the start of the battle and forced them into individual fights. It was a tactical victory for Nanagi's side. The samurai were the type who demonstrated their strength in close combat and one-on-one fights. The members who were weak in close combat were defeated first.

"But we won, you know."

As Esha said that while drinking melon juice, Ash's brow furrowed slightly.

"Everyone could watch the matches from the top eight. I think Blackjack won thanks to us."

"That's certainly true in some ways. Ivan is surprisingly good at watching those kinds of things, so even though he's rough around the edges, he made a proper strategy."

"...When we fought Lunaria's group, was it part of the plan for you to cast Destroy on those two, Esha?"

"That's right. Ivan asked me to do it. He said Lunaria-sama was the most dangerous. Surely you didn't think I did that for no reason, Ash-sama?"

Ash was shaking his head vigorously.

"Well, that's fine. So, even though Ivan is on Amanda's side, I don't think he's that strong. Ivan is strong on his own, but his real scariness is in researching his opponents and hitting them where it hurts."

"So an Ivan who's just an avatar with his consciousness taken over isn't that scary... What about the other members of Blackjack?"

"I don't know how the AI being used will respond, but I don't think they're that scary."

Hayato listened to Esha and Ash's conversation, thinking, 'I see.' Hypnos had said something similar, calling them just monsters with rare equipment. Considering that, it would be much easier than facing the real Ivan. He had told everyone the situation, but he hadn't said they were weaker than they actually were. He didn't know how much weaker they would be, and he thought it was best not to be complacent. Besides, their equipment was indeed extremely rare, and that was something they shouldn't underestimate. According to Diite, it would eventually be possible to make weapons and armor with the same performance, but for now, they only had replica types with lower performance.

Hayato believed that as a production player, creating the strongest possible weapons, armor, and items would lead to victory. For that, he needed to get his skills to 200 quickly. It was a waste of time to just watch the matches, so he tried to make items in the VIP box.

"Ah!"

Ren, who was watching the match, cried out. When Hayato looked at the stage, Agres was lying flat on his back. According to Ren, he had been hit by a counter. His Blade Catch skill had activated once, but the second time he couldn't use it because of the cool down time.

"I win this time too, but it seems you're not using your usual weapon. I'll postpone our match until the next event."

Nanagi said that and sheathed his sword. It seemed the final would continue as is, and Nanagi remained standing on the stage. Staff members were moving Agres.

"So the final is Cecil versus Nanagi. Can Cecil win?"

When Hayato said that, Esha said, "She'll be fine." "Cecil can be inconsistent with her motivation, but she gets more motivated the stronger her opponent is. That samurai was strong, so I think Cecil will get serious."

Hayato had seen Cecil fight several times. When they went to the cafeteria with Maris's group and fought Ronios's group, she had fought with considerable enjoyment. And she was used to fighting, or rather, she fought with a firm grasp of the rules of this virtual reality. She seemed like the type to fight on instinct, but Hayato thought she was a genius type who just knew without thinking.

That Cecil went up on stage and faced Nanagi.

"It's been a long time. The frustration of losing to you and Ivan in the Clan War is still so vivid I can remember it clearly. I'll pay you back for that here."

Cecil tilted her head. To begin with, Nanagi was wearing a Hannya mask. She didn't know who he was. But then she saw the sword at Nanagi's waist and her eyes widened.

"Oh! You're one of the guys I fought in the semifinals a long time ago! Give me that sword!"

"You're as ridiculous as ever. I can't give you the sword, but I can give you defeat."

"What, you're so cheap."

Even if he's the enemy, that's not cheap, Hayato thought to himself with a mental retort.

"Well, whatever, I was a little unsatisfied with the last fight. I'm gonna take it out on you, so make sure you entertain me, okay?"

"I can't promise that..."

Just as Nanagi said that, the bell for the start of the match rang.

Immediately after, a high-pitched 'kin' sound rang out. An invisible attack unleashed from a sheathed sword. Hayato hadn't expected it to come at the very beginning, and he couldn't help but shout, "Cecil!"

"Whoa, so this is the invisible Iai! That's awesome!"

"To take that on the first try..."

Cecil had, at some point, crossed the sword in her hands in front of her. Just as Simon had done on the pier, she had blocked an attack that should have been invisible.

"It's not my first time seeing it, I saw it in your first match. It's pretty interesting, but the effect is halved the second time around."

"Just because you've seen it doesn't mean you can block it."

"I don't know much about it, but it's a short-range, straight-line attack, right? If I just put my sword between your scabbard and me, I'm safe."

"To see through that much. You monster...!"

"Hey, hey, I'm a maiden too. That hurts, you know?"

Cecil said that without looking hurt at all. And she smiled a vicious smile that was unimaginable for a maiden.

Immediately after, Cecil closed the distance to Nanagi and swung her swords as if to sandwich him from both sides.

Nanagi moved his sword at high speed and deflected both almost simultaneous attacks with a single sword. Cecil's arms were forced into an open pose, leaving her defenseless.

"Whoa!?"

Nanagi leaped in front of the surprised Cecil. And a single flash... was supposed to happen, but Cecil had stopped Nanagi's attack with a Blade Catch.

Cecil had dropped all her weapons to the ground and activated the martial arts skill Blade Catch.

"You have martial arts skills too. What a pain..."

"It'd be a waste if it ended too quickly, right?"

Cecil kicked Nanagi to create distance and picked up the sword she had dropped. It wasn't one Hayato had made, but one Cecil had from the beginning.

"A sword for a sword after all!"

"I don't mind, but don't make excuses if you lose."

"You can make excuses if you lose."

Cecil held her sword with both hands and charged at Nanagi. The speed of her sword was so fast that Hayato's eyes could barely follow it. However, Nanagi seemed to be able to see it clearly, and he blocked all her attacks with his sword. Because of the high speed of the swords, the sound of them clashing was continuous. And the crowd was getting excited. They were betting, so they were getting heated, but they were probably just excited about the fight. Hayato was one of them. In reality, his palms would be sweating.

"That Nanagi is pretty strong. It's a little surprising that he can do that much without relying on skills."

Ash said that next to Hayato.

"Indeed. And neither of them has landed a clean hit. Well, Nanagi and Simon were originally taught swordsmanship by Benny-chan, so whether they can do it in reality or not, they can probably move properly."

Benitsuru was a master of the Azuma-ryu sword style in reality. He didn't know how she ended up wanting to live in a virtual reality, but Simon and Nanagi were taught swordsmanship by her. That had become the relationship of a princess and her retainers in the virtual reality. Simon had beaten Nanagi on the pier, but that was a narrow victory, or rather, a desperate battle using Hayato's skills. As for whether Simon could have won in a pure sword fight, Hayato didn't know.

Against that Nanagi, Cecil was pushing. Nanagi was on the defensive. That state continued for several minutes, but then Nanagi failed to block a sword attack. His body staggered, creating a fatal opening. Cecil was not one to miss it. She quickly moved behind the badly off-balance Nanagi and attacked his back.

But Nanagi, from that position, unleashed a stabbing back kick with his left foot. Since he had a sword equipped, it wouldn't do any damage, but it would be a kick that could break Cecil's stance. That's what should have happened, but the perfectly timed kick hit nothing but air. Cecil had dodged it by a hair's breadth.

"What!?"

"Sorry, Simon's hit me with that one before!"

Cecil, who often had mock battles with Simon, knew that kick was coming. And she slashed at Nanagi, who had lost his balance even more after his kick missed. And she didn't stop at one hit, but continued to slash at him. "To be thwarted by him again...!"

Nanagi said that with his Hannya mask still on, and then he fell face down on the stage.