Chapter 48 - Oh Good, They’re Fighting

<p>"It's pretty close, man," I complain under my breath. "23 years isn't THAT old, is it?"<br/><br/> Nevertheless, I was ready to get this match over with, and the second he drew his katana, I dash forward, pulling UnHoly Raze out of my Inventory.<br/><br/> "Oh good, they're fighting now," the announcer sighs, and the crowd begins cheering with new energy.<br/><br/> "Hahaha! You're another swordsman, as well? I applaud you!" Ezio proclaims, but I ignore him as I swing my blade upwards.<br/><br/> Clang!<br/><br/> With incredible speed, Ezio deflects my attack so perfectly that my arm flies out to the side. I click my tongue, quickly redirecting my blade at an acute angle to attack again at his side. <br/><br/> Tang!<br/><br/> 'Again? What the hell?' I think as he easily deflects my sword again. <br/><br/> "Egh, what is that disgusting blade you're using though? It looks like a defiled version of the beautiful Alyphia's very own Holy Weapon."<br/><br/> "You noticed?" I said with a small smirk. "It's a little trophy, I guess."<br/><br/> The man frowns, bringing his blade down in a few quick and rapid strikes. I dodge back, my Agility outclassing his, and fly forward. I'm fighting mostly on Instinct, using my Sixth Sense to make up for the gap in fighting experience between a trained swordsman.<br/><br/> Maybe that's why my body automatically replicates the attack from my dream, that I had decided not to use due to the nightmare I went through last night. <br/><br/>[Skill Fury Slash was activated.]<br/><br/> Dense Mana flows over the blade aggressively, doing the name Fury Slash justice, as I swing three wide, horizontal arcs at my opponent.<br/><br/> "Passing Stormfront!"<br/><br/> Clangclangsss—<br/><br/> Ezio automatically directs the edge of my blade away twice, parrying the final strike. As UnHoly Raze slams into the ground, he raises his blade high, a disappointed look on his face.<br/><br/> "Your fighting style is so crude and quite deceitful. I had such high expectations for you, comrade. But, I'm sorry it's come to this."<br/><br/> He brings his katana down forcefully.<br/><br/>[Cooldown complete!]<br/>[Activating Klum's Reincarnation…]<br/>[DEX increased 200%.]<br/>[* Note: The user doesn't know how to use their Skills, clearly. What a dumbass. *]<br/><br/> My perception grew so intense not even time could escape me. My coordination increased so rapidly, it nearly overloaded my brain. I could feel the brushes of air touching my skin, and every minute fiber of my armor holding together to protect me. I could feel every tensed and relaxed muscle in my body, and the exact distribution of weight in my weapon. Every speck of dirt under the soles of my shoes could be felt, and yet, I was in total control of it all.<br/><br/> In tight, controlled movements, I twist my arm upwards and my body downwards, folding over to build up enough force in the short second before the edge of Ezio's weapon connects with me. Using my entire body as I drop to my knees, I swing up with the combined force of my Dexterity, Strength and Agility. My Instinct tied it all together to drive a powerful blow up into the side of his blade.<br/><br/> CLANG!<br/><br/> As the effects of Klum's Reincarnation and Fury Slash wear off, I look over to see that his blade is… completely fine. <br/><br/> I may not know much about swords, but I was fairly certain the sides of katanas were its weak point. <br/><br/> But then I saw it. The sharp edge has a small chip in it. 'He turned it at the last second?'<br/><br/> I jumped up and created space between the two of us, and looked at the messages again. I had been so in tune with my body that I had completely shut them out, but the weird note stuck out to me. 'That's new,' I wonder. Usually, notes only came in Analyze, and this was most definitely reminiscent of the tutorial.<br/><br/> "Analyze… Shit, I can Analyze Skills…!"<br/><br/>[Skill Analyze+ was activated.]<br/><br/>[Ultra React (Ultra Rare Unique Skill): As long as an attack comes within 5 feet of the user, the user can counter, parry, deflect or cut the attack, whether Physical or Magical.<br/> Cost: 2(+2 each attack) Stamina]<br/>[* Note: max drain 10 Stamina — resets if not attacked for 15 seconds. *]<br/><br/> "That's so broken. What the fuck?!" was all I could think to say. <br/><br/> But the Stamina increased each attack. <br/><br/> My head jerked up, my eyes locking onto the man, who slowly approached me. <br/><br/>[Ezio Murf Stamina: 33/63]<br/><br/> "Well, boom goes the dynamite!"<br/><br/> "Dynamite? You planted explosives?!" Anger contorts his face and I sigh. "It's just an expression."<br/><br/> He seems to half-believe me, but before he has time to properly react, I dash in, attacking him. I've been putting enough pressure on that all but one defensive maneuver had been assisted by the Skill. I had no idea which one he had done himself, so all I can do is attack relentlessly until he runs out of Stamina.<br/><br/> Of course, it would be better to get rid of his blade, too. <br/><br/>[Skill Critical Sight was activated.]<br/>['Blade' was selected.]<br/>[Skill Critical Sight was activated.]<br/>[Second Critical Mark is placed randomly.]<br/><br/> 'Where is the second one?' I think as we exchange a blow, our blades scraping louding — he shifted his blade, as if he knew I was going to hit the Critical Mark, causing me to miss it. <br/><br/> The Critical Mark could appear wherever, and if my line of sight was blocked to the Critical Mark I simply couldn't see it. Which meant the second one was probably on the handle, under his hand.<br/><br/> I attack again from a different angle, and he blocks again, and this time I can spot the tiny makings of an X under his finger.<br/><br/> "Worth a shot, I guess," I mutter, lifting up my blade.<br/><br/> "Triple Lightning Strike."<br/><br/> "I'm getting serious!"<br/><br/> Ezio's sudden comment causes a millisecond of hesitation from me, as his left hand grabs onto the handle as well. A new type of aura emanates from him, one more dangerous, and he easily deflects the three rapid strikes. <br/><br/>[* Note: R.I.P the user. Stamina Cost has reset. *]<br/><br/> "Ah— Sorry, what?" <br/><br/>[Ezio Murf Stamina: 20/63]<br/><br/> So close, yet so far.<br/><br/> "You see, in Skylen, where I'm from, bladesmen like me are forcefully trained to be right-handed. Yet, if you are left-handed, you benefit from training like this, as your left arm —" Upon speaking of it, the bodysuit bulges from the muscles of his arm tensing in preparation. "— controls and adds power to the blade. I apologize for deceiving you, comrade, but I'm only using this because I respect you despite your lack of proper honor."<br/><br/>[Ezio Murf activated Skill Slash.]<br/>[Elemental Infusion: Metal]<br/><br/> Immediately, the silver glow of his Mana crawls up and extends past the blade, growing to two times the length of him as it does. Although it shimmers, I can tell the whole thing is made of a magic metal, not Mana.<br/><br/> "Shit."<br/><br/> He swings forcefully downwards, the long blade reaching far past me and swinging much faster than what should be possible.<br/><br/> "Steel-touched Cleave!"<br/><br/> 'The hell kind of name is that?' I wonder as I lift up UnHoly Raze. <br/><br/> BAMM!<br/><br/> "Urk!-"<br/><br/> My knees buckle under the extreme weight of the blow, but I keep my feet under me as I catch the flat end of my weapon to support it with my other arm.<br/><br/> "When did he… get so strong?"<br/><br/> The metal suddenly dissolves, and grows again on his blade. I barely have time to breathe before it's sweeping sideways towards me.<br/><br/> "Aluminum's Tidal Blessing!"<br/><br/> "These names suck!" I shout, jumping over the horizontal swipe and dashing in. Once again, the blade evaporates, and he points the tip of the katana at me. Silver Mana glows around the tip, before shooting forward at me.<br/><br/> "Iron Maiden's Needle!"<br/><br/> "… Actually, not bad," I note as he comes into striking distance. I set my feet and swing sideways, aiming at his head.<br/><br/> Clang!<br/><br/> My eyes narrow. I had tried to outsmart the Skill, redirecting my blade to hit the Critical Mark the second he moved it, but a step backwards from him caused it to miss again. I could see the shift of his Mana, though, proving the Skill had activated. He also moved almost as quick as I did when it activated, meaning it probably relied on either Instinct or Dexterity.<br/><br/> Good. I can use this.<br/><br/>[Skill Sprint+ was activated.]<br/>[Skill Lightning Blade was activated.]<br/>[Skill Critical Sight was activated.]<br/>['Left Side' was selected.]<br/><br/> A small, almost insignificant effect of Critical Eye+ and Critical Sight I had picked up was suddenly being put to use.<br/><br/> I had noticed that since I had gotten the ability to aim at certain areas, the smaller the area was, the smaller in proportion the Critical Mark would be. A perfect example is Ezio's katana. The random marking selected the whole weapon, so it took up the entire handle in proportion to the katana, whereas when I targeted the blade the X was hard to see due to its small size.<br/><br/> I couldn't guarantee that by selecting his entire left side, that it would land on his shoulder, but as long as the Mark was large enough to graze I would take it.<br/><br/> In a rare stroke of luck, the Mark formed right on top of his shoulder, covering most of it. "Yes!"<br/><br/> "What are you so excited about? Tungsten's Everlasting Dance!"<br/><br/> "The names suck again!" I call back as I use my heightened speed to dodge the numerous extended swings that curve towards me. I am nicked several times, but aside from a deep cut in my arm, none are too serious. <br/><br/> Purple lightning crawls across my blade as I parry his next strike, knocking his blade up in the air. The lightning travels down the blade and into his hands, causing a momentary stunlocking of the muscles in his arms, and I bring my blade down upon his shoulder.<br/><br/> CLING!!<br/><br/> "You gotta be kidding," I groan as I process his reaction.<br/> <br/> His body was leaned far back, and he had forced his fingers just open enough to drop the blade near his shoulder. From there, he poured his Mana into his weapon, extending it long enough to protect from the blow.<br/><br/> He may not know why, but his Ultra React is protecting him from getting Critically Hit.<br/><br/> The paralysis was just wearing off, so I continued attacking him. Even though he was still defending, his recovering arms are taking a clear beating, and he's relying heavily on Ultra React. It isn't long at all before—<br/><br/>[Ezio Murf Stamina: 2/63]<br/>[Warning! Mana Rebound will begin soon!]<br/><br/><br/> I frown. "What…"<br/><br/>[Mana: €¿/76]<br/><br/> I cut off the Lightning Blade, dispersing the excess in a fizzling burst. Ezio stares at me, panting. <br/><br/> "You sure are quite a fighter."<br/><br/> I nod. "You, too."<br/><br/> He smiles briefly. "Let's talk about our love for women again soon."<br/><br/> "Yeah, uh, I never said—"<br/><br/> "I concede!" He calls out, shakily sheathing his katana. "This man has bested me!"<br/><br/> "Victor! Liwuukay!!" The annoying announcer cries, and the crowd slowly builds up into cheering, trying to forget the words of my opponent.<br/><br/> He bows deeply to me, and I give him an awkward wave. Neither of us have serious injuries, but the dome still fades to black and the Healers rush in to check us over, just in case. Once they've healed the small cuts and bruises, Ezio makes his way over to me. <br/><br/> "Comrade! We are sworn brothers through combat now, so should you ever need me you simply need call my name!"<br/><br/> "Uh, okay."<br/><br/> He pulls out an ancient looking Manaphone… wait, is that a fucking flip phone?!<br/><br/> "..? I would never flip my Manaphone."<br/><br/> Realizing I had spoken aloud, I clap a hand over my mouth for a moment before dropping it. "Right. Just a joke," I laugh, and he slowly laughs too. He unfolds it, and we exchange Lines, and he promises to text me soon. He tries to end things with a "brotherly hug," which I try to decline, but he ignores it as he pulls me in.<br/><br/> "Wait, wait!!"<br/><br/> My shoulder bumps into his as he pulls me in.<br/><br/>[Critical Mark has been hit. Dmg was adjusted to 500%.]<br/><br/> BOOMPH!<br/><br/> "Awaghhh!!!"<br/><br/>* * *<br/><br/> As the dome fades to black, two half-dragonoids at the back of the seating area stand up. <br/><br/> "Man, I wished he had fought that fake goldie guy. He's funny when he fights bad people," the boy comments. "That was kinda boring how it ended."<br/><br/> The woman smacks the back of his head, causing him to cradle the spot. She puffs out a quick breath to push a strand of bright red hair away from her face, revealing a small black horn peeking from the forehead of her soft oval face. Her golden eyes narrow to glare at the nearly identical boy, who has similarly colored short frizzy hair sticking in every direction and another small black horn on the other side of his forehead.<br/><br/> "He doesn't pick his fights, idiot. It's a tournament. It's not like he's the main character of some random story in another world named something dumb like Dirt."<br/><br/> "Still, Sis," the boy complains. "He's funny when he does it, and he does it right."<br/><br/> She sighs, turning to leave. "Whatever, dumbass. Let's go already."<br/><br/> The boy hops up to follow his sister, and his excessively baggy pants shift a bit as he repositions the tail wrapped around his leg, before he bounds after his sister. He lightly snatches up a bobby pin with a green gem, about to pocket it when his sister slaps his hand, causing him to drop it next to the girl it belonged to.<br/><br/> "Oh, whoops," she says, picking it up and putting it back in her hair.<br/><br/> Behind her, the tall half-dragon woman points at the cowering boy like she's scolding a pet or a child. "No," she enunciates sternly, and he clutches his hand with his lip stuck out. "But-"<br/><br/> "N o."<br/><br/> He drops his head and nods, and they walk towards the exit silently.<br/><br/>* * *<br/><br/> On the opposite side, right in the middle of the seating area, a girl who couldn't be taller than 4'7" sat resting her chin on her bronze-colored knuckles. On her back sits a beautiful tower shield, with simple engravings set into it. It's much taller than the girl, and sticks out a few feet above her head. In fact, no one sits behind her, as the shield blocks the row behind her from viewing the arena. One man had even tried to step up to the young looking girl, saying "little lady, it's not nice to block people trying to wa—"<br/><br/> He had been harshly cut off by the little girl snapping, "Fuck off. Don't speak to me like I'm a child."<br/><br/> The man, who thought the girl was about 12, is startled. "You shouldn't use words like tha—"<br/><br/> "I swear to Galir, I will beat you with this tower shield."<br/><br/> The scene was why the seats to the left and right of the girl were cleared for a short distance as well.<br/><br/> In truth, the girl would usually be more patient, but she was pissed because of the results of the last match in this stadium, which had been hers.<br/><br/> She couldn't even get one hit in. <br/><br/> She lets out a low sigh as the match concludes, eyeing the white-haired boy who had quickly become a hot topic. 'Maybe I should bet on him?'<br/><br/> She stands up, stretching out her back, and seeming completely unbothered by the shield that's almost two feet taller than her.<br/><br/> Now that she's not hunched over, the man from before notes how womanly her build is. 'Maybe she's a Dwarf,' he wonders, but he's too scared to go up and ask her.<br/><br/> The woman takes no note of the man, trying to decide how much she wants to bet on Liwuukay to win as she lugs the large shield out of the stadium.</p>