Vol.2 Chapter 74
“Holy! What the heck did we witness, folks?! Is this going to be a 4v1?! Against the Paragons no less?!” the caster exclaimed, his voice a mix of disbelief and excitement as he processed the scene unfolding before him.
I could sense the palpable shock and disbelief from everyone in the arena, including my teammates in our room. Clarence was cursing every now and then due to the fight's unpredictability. His voice was laced with a mixture of anxiety and frustration. Chu, on the other hand, remained silent, his gaze fixed on the screen with an unreadable expression.
Even I couldn’t believe what was happening. What a comeback. I thought for sure that Paragons would definitely win after they successfully regrouped. Who would have known Lua had that kind of trump card? I mean, what kind of broken weapon skill is that?!
Although I haven’t played for so long, I know there was nothing like that kind of weapon skill back then. It’s probably new, and Lua has been the only one who got hold of it. Otherwise, it would be talked about in the community.
However, the caster’s claim that it is a 4v1 is an overstatement. Blitz and Seer are already at death’s door because they have been in a previous hard-won fight and have no mana left. Still, this is beyond what I expected. If Lua had used that unique weapon skill of hers on me, I don’t know if I could have won against her in our duel.
After wiping out her opponents, Lua slowly walked toward Aria, who was the sole survivor of the onslaught due to her dodging prowess. Aria, on the other hand, seemed to stay still, her eyes closed, her body radiating an aura of calm focus. Lua seemed to sense that Aria was trying something but didn’t interrupt, probably wanting to see what Aria was up to.
"I-is Ria giving up?!" Liz, who was right beside me, exclaimed in shock, her voice laced with concern for her friend.
I can’t fault her for thinking that. At first glance, Aria seemed to be not moving, accepting her fate after witnessing Lua’s dominating show of power. However, I know Aria’s personality. Even back then, she was not one to give up so easily, even if the odds were stacked against her.
“No… It’s not over yet,” I murmured softly.
Liz, upon hearing my honest thoughts, glanced at me in surprise for a second, her eyes widening in disbelief. She had been ready to accept defeat, Aria's surrender. But my words had sparked a flicker of hope within her. She then turned her attention back towards the screen with renewed anticipation, her gaze fixed on the two figures, the tension palpable in the air.
As if proving my words, Aria opened her eyes, her gaze hardening with newfound determination. She readied her stance. It was a defensive one, from what I could tell, a subtle shift in her posture signaling a change in her approach. And as she did, a different aura emanated from her, a spark of something potent igniting in her eyes…
She entered the zone.
Lua probably sensed the anomaly, too. A flicker of wariness crossed her features, and she flawlessly switched to her stance.
"Oh~ it seems you still have some tricks left in your sleeve," Lua said, her voice laced with a hint of amusement.
The two stood locked in a silent standoff for who knows how long, their gazes locked, neither making a move. Aria's eyes were intensely focused on her opponent. In contrast, Lua's eyes held a carefree, joyful glint, her expression radiating a playful confidence.
Lua
HP: 48%
Ariadne
HP: 57%
Sensing that Aria wouldn't make the first move, Lua decided to take the initiative. With a playful smirk, she launched into a swift attack.
"If you're not coming~ then I will," she said, her voice laced with a mischievous lilt.
Aria seemed completely unfazed at the Lua’s speed, her focus unwavering. It was as if she had entered a different world where external distractions were mere whispers in the wind. She didn't even seem to register Lua's playful banter.
The fight began with Lua's signature movement, a swift palm strike after a quick step. Her palm launched toward Aria’s chest, a strike aimed with deadly accuracy. It was a calculated risk, a gamble on her speed and precision, a testament to her unwavering confidence.
But Aria saw the move, her eyes tracking Lua’s every movement with unwavering precision. She reacted with a blur of motion, a graceful sidestep. Lua's palm met nothing but empty air. It was a perfect dodge from Aria, made only possible by reading Lua’s subtle movements and body language.
That made me shiver at how perfectly she dodged that attack… It’s almost as if she read Lua’s mind. Don’t tell me… has she also studied Lua’s movements from all her matches in the tournament, the same as I did?
Noticing that Aria easily dodged her first attack, Lua continued to launch a series of strikes, each aimed at Aria with devastating speed and precision. But Aria was too quick and agile. She slipped, dodged, and weaved, her movements a symphony of grace and agility, each strike a near miss. It was as if she were dancing around Lua's attacks, her every move a calculated counter to Lua's aggression.
“Wow! Has Ria’s speed increased? She can now dodge Lua’s attacks even while not hasted!” Liz asked in curiosity.
“…No, it’s not that Aria became faster. It’s because Lua is getting slower due to her build,” I corrected her.
There is one major flaw to Lua’s pure strength build. She has little vitality, meaning she would run out of stamina faster, causing her to be in a fatigued state much more quickly compared to the average player. Coupled with the 4v1 earlier and her constant agile movements that defy the norm, it’s not a surprise she would experience fatigue in the middle of her duel against Aria.
Perhaps that was precisely what Aria was betting on. If so, then her gamble had won.
Liz, being a veteran of the game, quickly understood what I meant without me explaining further.
“Right! The fatigue system!” Liz guessed correctly as we turned our attention back to the match.
Lua, sensing her attacks had no effect due to Aria reading her movements, paused her attacks. She took a moment to catch her breath, her body still radiating a quiet intensity as her eyes locked on Aria.
"Oh my~ I didn't expect you to be this skilled," Lua said, her voice a blend of respect and amusement.
Aria, for her part, stared at her silently with focused and unblinking eyes.
Lua, noticing she might as well be speaking to a mute, began to attack once more. Still, her movements were slowing down due to fatigue, and Aria was reading her movements, making it hard for Lua to land a single hit.
“Then, if this keeps up, is Aria going to win?!” Liz asked expectantly, her eyes wide with anticipation.
“…Not quite,” I said ambiguously.
As if on cue, Lua’s palm strike grazed Aria’s cheek. It was only a slight scrape, but due to Lua’s strength stat, it still did some damage.
SWOOSH*
“Ria!” Liz exclaimed in worry at the close call.
Aria
HP: 51%
“Don’t forget how skilled Lua is. Even though Aria has the advantage now due to her preparations before the fight, Lua is getting more and more accustomed to Aria’s movements the longer the fight drags on. She is also making predictions of her own to counter Aria’s dodges. Therefore, it won’t be long before she lands a direct hit on Aria,” I enunciated, making Liz gulp in worry.
It seems that one of two factors would decide the outcome of the battle: whether Lua could get accustomed to Aria's movements and land a direct hit or whether the fatigue state would finally overwhelm her.
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Lua’s PoV
"Impressive. ~ You’re really good! But how long can you keep this up?" I teased as another of my palm strikes grazed her shoulder, making her stumble back to evade my follow-up strike.
WOOOSH*
Ariadne
HP: 21%
I smiled cheerfully. Even though I’m slowing down, I’m getting more and more accustomed to her movements, which make me land glancing hits at her, chipping away at her HP.
And I almost had her in that last exchange, too. I predicted she would sidestep to her right; I didn’t expect her to step back in the process, too. How lucky.
I don't know how long we've been exchanging blows, with me mostly on the offensive, but I don't want this moment to end. The thrill of the fight, the adrenaline coursing through my veins, the sheer intensity of the battle, it's intoxicating.
She's a smart one, too, throwing some counterattacks here and there whenever I try to catch my breath to recover some stamina. She knows that if she lets me do as I please without her contesting me, I'll be able to regain my speed, which would be disastrous for her. She's keeping me on my toes, forcing me to fight with a movement debuff on me, a constant reminder that I can't afford to let my guard down.
On the bright side, it seems that she's also running out of mana. She's been using her weapon skill nonstop since the start of the match, so it was bound to happen. Even Gil predicted that she could only shift her weapons so much before her mana reserves ran dry. This means we are fighting on even terms, barring my reduced movement speed, of course.
Still, all good things must come to an end. Due to our constant exchange, I can already predict her movements. I expect that this will be over in my next move.
I dashed towards her as fast as I could in my current fatigued state. Then, I made a quick palm strike, a calculated gamble. A subtle shift in her stance, a flicker of hesitation, a split-second opening. I knew it was my chance.
My body launched forward. My palm aimed directly at her chest. It was a strike born of years of training, a gamble on my speed and precision.
She saw my move, her eyes tracking my every subtle movement with unwavering precision. She reacted with a quick sidestep towards her right side.
Too bad for her; I had anticipated her dodge and predicted her next move.
In an instant, I adjusted my attack. My palm struck out once more, a follow-up attack aimed at her exposed front.
Sorry, but it's too late for you to dodge now. I completely predicted your dodge pattern this time.
A glint of surprise flickered in her eyes, the first expression I had seen from her since the beginning of her unusual hyper-focused state in our 1v1 duel. She knew she could not dodge this time, so she made a last-ditch effort to counterattack with her dagger. It was risky, but that was all she could do given the situation.
It won’t hit, though; my fists are faster. And as expected, my palm strike hit her square in the chest.
I won.
“…Huh?” I murmured in shock.
Instead of my palm sending her flying away, my hand that was supposed to hit vanished into blue motes of light, failing to connect as it passed harmlessly through her.
Only then did I realize her weapon had transformed into a stiletto, its stabbing range extended. Her attack landed on the side of my head a split second faster than my palm strike hit her chest.
If I had a teammate, it would've been a draw, but since we are both the last one standing, the system regarded it as game over after her attack landed first to prevent a tie, resulting in the system voiding my attack.
Lua
HP: 0%
Oh my… it looks like my stamina fell below the threshold, resulting in my movement being exponentially slow at the last second due to the stacking fatigue debuff effects. This wouldn't have happened if I had put a couple more points into Vitality. It seems like focusing all my points on strength and neglecting vitality has come back to bite me in this fight.
She beat me fair and square, though, so I have no complaints. She outplayed me on our last exchange. She hid the fact that she could change to another weapon a single time, prompting me to let my guard down.
“…I lost. I didn’t expect you to be this good,” I praised my opponent, failing to hide the contentment in my tone.
Her expression and eyes have returned to their original state as I praised her. I can see that she is in shock at the result of our fight, too, so much so that she seems speechless. How cute.
This is perplexing. I lost, yet I find myself strangely exhilarated. Perhaps there is something amiss with my mental state? Well, I have never been considered entirely normal, so I suppose this is to be expected.
Still, if there is one thing I regret, it is that I didn’t get to fight her again in the grand finals.
I lamented as I completely disappeared into blue motes of light.
