Chapter 42 - Plan A

<p>As the water twists faster and faster around his fists, which approach my face as Roderrick falls to the ground, my blank mind only has one thought.<br/><br/> 'How slow.'<br/><br/> I sidestep the attack, moving past his arms and positioning myself under his body. Fury Slash was still active; it wouldn't stack with a Critical Hit, but I could potentially still do some real damage before I did hit it.<br/><br/> Exhaling forcefully, I swing the blade up, turning my blade sharply to carve a diamond shape into his chest.<br/><br/> Rather, I would have, if he wasn't wearing what looked equivalent to ten tons of steel covering his entire body.<br/><br/> I look at the dented and scraped metal, sucking on my teeth. "Tsk."<br/><br/> I'm forced to distance myself as his fists land, sending out a large blast of liquified Mana that splash and fizzle in every direction. A large boom resonates through the arena, sending me flying a few more feet back. A deep dent in the ground sits where he threw his fists, smoking from the explosion. <br/><br/> "Lucky grandpa."<br/><br/> "Hey genius, you're barely younger than me. Maybe you pull your head out of your ass for a second, you'll be able to read better, yeah?"<br/><br/> "Shut the fuck up!"<br/><br/> He charges at me, reminding me of a rhino — no, a baby hippo with no teeth — as he roars, swinging wildly in large arcs. I dodge and weave under and around his heavy blows, each one a reminder of his extreme Strength. I bend around another blow, but my body is twisting in a way that causes me to cry out in pain from my injured ribs. With a grin, Roderrick closes the distance, aiming to slam his fist into my gut again.<br/><br/> PANG!<br/><br/> I narrowly block the blow, beginning to run around him. He's keeping up for now, but as he throws more punches, I continue to work towards his blind spots, trying to find where he can't see me.<br/><br/> This is Plan A.<br/><br/> Glancing up at the billboard, I watch to see what our current Mana levels are, and my Health.<br/><br/>[Liwuukay] [Roderrick]<br/>[Health: 32/57] [Health: 76/77]<br/>[Mana: 64/76] [Mana: 49/66]<br/><br/> I am almost surprised to see how close it is. 'He's sure got a low Magic Stat,' I remind myself, suddenly thankful I decided to invest points into my own Magic.<br/><br/> If I can get him to use more Spells or Skills, I can definitely stall him out to win. Thank you, research.<br/><br/> The issue laid mostly in whether or not I would take another devastating blow. I was already trying to fight off large amounts of pain as it was. "Protecting us my ass."<br/><br/> "Why are you muttering, you fucking worm?!"<br/><br/> "Shut up."<br/><br/> Both of us attack each other head on, but his fist only grazes my shoulder, denting the light plating there. My sword cuts easily through his chin, dark matter oozing around his blood before he jerks his head back.<br/><br/>[Dark effect success.]<br/><br/> "Ah… my vision… I can't see!" Roderrick suddenly cries, throwing his head about and backing away. It was so comical to see such a large man flailing about that if not for the message, I would have thought it was a trick.<br/><br/> I don't have long to catch my breath, as Roderrick blindly claps his hands together. As he pulls them back into fists, trails of water twirl round his arms continuously, spiraling as he drives his hands into the ground. "Crashing Waves!" He calls, and huge waves of liquid Mana spill from him at the center. I had no choice but to jump up and towards him, swinging my sword into the ground to propel me forward the extra distance I couldn't close. The Mana on my blade clashes into his on the dark, tightly-packed dirt, denying the water access to me.<br/><br/> Roderrick regains his vision just enough to see my blade swing down upon his arm in one quick swipe. Clank!<br/><br/> "What…" he seems confused at such a useless attack, but what comes next contorts his face with extreme pain under his helmet.<br/><br/>[Critical Mark was hit. Dmg was adjusted to 500%.]<br/><br/> "Fuck!" he screams gutturally as his arm is cut halfway into. He grips it with his free hand, his glowing blue eyes glaring through the grates of the helmet at me. I glance at the board to see if it's over, but to my dismay it seems it is far from it.<br/><br/>[Roderrick]<br/>[Health: 44/77]<br/>[Mana: 21/66]<br/><br/> While his Mana was running low, the pain in my side was becoming increasingly hard to bear. There goes Plan A. "If I don't end this soon…"<br/><br/> I would just have to improvise.<br/><br/> "Will you… stop talking to yourself… so I can kill you?" The muscled man growls through gritted teeth.<br/><br/> "My bad, my bad. It's all because of this stupid tutorial, you see."<br/><br/> "Stop spouting random bullshit!"<br/><br/> "Just 'cause you don't understand my big words doesn't mean it's bullshit. You're just uneducated."<br/><br/> Shouting at the top of his lungs, the beefcake uses his water manipulation to stem the bleeding in his arm and contain it, dropping it limply to his side. "I'm about to rip your head off, you damned Ogre." <br/><br/> "Aw, we have pet names now? You can be 'Stupid Blue' then, 'kay?"<br/><br/> Instead of replying, the big man charges me. "Despite the strength of everything I've fought so far, they're pretty focused on just their strengths, huh?" I wonder to myself as I prepare to meet Roderrick head on. "Although, I guess I can't talk much. My Vitality and Dexterity are my main weak points."<br/><br/> "Close that mouth forever," Roderrick says in a low voice as he stands over me. He had hid his arm just enough for me to be unable to see the buildup of water growing on his forearm. 'Shit.'<br/><br/> As he thrusts his fist forward, time seems to slow in my mind. 'That looks like it really will kill me,' I wonder, my grip strengthening slowly on my handle. 'Think! I have to be able to do something.'<br/><br/> My mind races at what seems like a million thoughts a millisecond, but one thing really sticks. 'Lightning.'<br/><br/> I had affinities for Light and Dark magic, but those seemed uncontrollable to me as I was now, and just happened occasionally. I hadn't had any experience with manipulating any type of Lightning magic, and I was worried about trying for one reason.<br/><br/>[ - The user cannot learn magic.]<br/><br/> If I can use just one loophole from the cons of my Class… If I can't learn, but can apply…<br/><br/> I focus, remembering the sensation of how it felt when I first woke up here, the electrifying tingling. The heat radiating off the dead tree, the sparks of electricity… 'Let it spread.'<br/><br/> As Roderrick's fist closes towards my face, the feeling grows through my body, extending onto my blade. 'Increase the current,' a voice that almost doesn't feel like my own sounds in my head.<br/><br/> Bzzzt!<br/><br/>[???: Progression increased.]<br/>[Due to Disciple's Mastery, Progression automatically gains 50%.]<br/>[Total Progression: 120%]<br/>[Excess Progression will lower Evolution Requirements.]<br/>[Skill Lightning Blade was learned.]<br/>[Skill Lightning Blade was activated.]<br/><br/> Zzz-CLANG!<br/><br/> I open my eyes to a purple flickering of lightning dancing rapidly across my sword. It moved intensely, never stopping, with a hunger to feed on whatever it could come in contact with. "It's different from the concentrated Light Holy Rend had," I wonder, as Roderrick stares in disbelief after his fist was parried. "Two rare Elements? What the hell are you?"<br/><br/> "I think they were calling me an 'unknown,' so let's go with that, I guess."<br/><br/> "Well, Liwuukay. Prepare to have this finished in one final blow!"<br/><br/> "Not you too, man." I sigh, exasperated. "Fine, whatever. Show me your worst, Stupid Blue."<br/><br/> Roderrick lowers into an odd stance, pulling his left hand far behind him. "Haaaah…"<br/><br/> "He better not start kamehameha-ing me," I mutter, concentrating more focus into the Mana running rampant over my blade, refining it. <br/><br/> Solidifying it.<br/><br/> Contrary to my hopes, the water from his Mana begins compressing in front of his fist, wavering as the pressure slowly becomes more and more unstable. "It was a joke. A JOKE."<br/><br/> "Shut up!" He barks, launching forward. Trails of water linger by his heels, proving he used even more Mana to boost his speed. I attempt the same, but…<br/><br/>[The user's Mana Progression is reduced due to their Class.]<br/><br/> I'm still faster than Roderrick, even with his boost, but because my own magic control was so poor, I would have to do this my own way. <br/><br/>[Skill Sprint+ was activated.]<br/>[Elemental Infusion success.]<br/><br/> I shoot like a bullet towards my opponent, covered head to toe in arcs of purple lightning. I had no idea what the hell Elemental Infusion was, but I could feel the improved effects. Even Roderrick was startled, flinching slightly, but he faithfully carried out his attack.<br/><br/> "Plaineti Pinpoint Whirlpool!"<br/><br/> "Falling Thunder!" <br/><br/> I pull my blade around, building up force, before cutting it straight down upon his hand, lightning streaming from it in a controlled blast. His fist flies forward, a point-blank flash of water funneling outwards into a spinning cone, its point originating from the middle of his knuckles.<br/><br/>[Skill Critical Sight was activated.]<br/>['Knuckle' was selected.]<br/><br/> As our Elements collided, time seemed to freeze for a second, although it felt more like a trick of the eyes.<br/><br/> I felt a familiar presence within me. "Hey there."<br/><br/> She is less pleasant, and her thoughts are quiet. 'You may have found a loophole for now, but be careful of the repercussions that come of it,' she says simply, before vanishing.<br/><br/> I don't have time to process as Roderrick's and my weapons' clash, sending a loud clang and a burst of smoke throughout the stadium.<br/><br/>[Critical Mark has been hit. Dmg was adjusted to 500%.]<br/><br/> CRACK!</p>