Chapter 865: December 20th: Like a Brilliance Flashing Through the Clouds
His name sounds like a joke, but his stance with those twin katanas—whose performance appears completely serious—is imposing. He may be an eccentric, but seeing as he's out on the battlefield during the Kingdom Turmoil event, it doesn't seem like he's just putting on a bluff.
In that case, I shall meet his attack with appropriate combat power.
Having specifically placed them separately into my left and right Inventoria, I firmly gripped what appeared in both hands at the exact same moment and... thrust them forward.
"Are those... guns?"
"Tradition & Revolution, another technology tree not reliant on the Divine Age... pure, handmade guns borne from that! If you're going to act like a samurai, you can at least cut down a bullet or two, right?"
Strictly speaking, Imron gave me some sort of lofty lecture about how they're technically swords, or swords imbued with shooting capabilities, but visually, they are completely "swords held like guns."
However, because the materials are what they are, Tradition, with its crystal blade reflecting light so dazzlingly it could be mistaken for gold, and Revolution, with its pale blue, translucent crystal blade, seems to never cease to attract the eyes of the audience, and above all, my opponent Setsugekka.
That item, made from materials they had never seen... no, speaking as Blacksmiths, materials they had never even handled, using a manufacturing method they had never seen... no, again, a method that was impossible for them to replicate themselves, was something that many Blacksmiths challenged the replication of and gave up in frustration over, she said.
Once the lid was opened, because the existence of the hidden job "Ancient Craftsman" and Divine Age technology were intertwined, making it impossible for players at that time to replicate it even if they stood on their heads, she said that precisely because she had become an Ancient Craftsman and was now able to utilize Divine Age technology... she "dared" to challenge herself again to create guns that did not rely on Divine Age tech.
Although I didn't really understand who she was picking a fight with or gloating over by saying, "I was able to complete it without even standing on my head, serves you right!"... at the very least, it is something created by surpassing some kind of "wall" as a blacksmith, and that is what this Tradition & Revolution is.
Bringing revolution to tradition, or perhaps causing a revolution by means of tradition. Tradition with its golden-crystal blade, and Revolution with its crystal blade... how should I put it, the design is so blatantly conscious of the Brilliant Scorpion Gauntlets, and the fact that the abilities of the left and right differ slightly shows she was way too hyper-focused on it.
"To think that what you obtained in exchange for losing them was a compatible replica... I mean, a homage item."
"......?"
"No, it's nothing."
Well, this is one of those 'it is what it is' situations. I'd go so far as to call the Brilliant Scorpion Gauntlets my absolute favorite, but their flaw was being far too specialized for one-shot, do-or-die monster battles. If I'm taking on multiple opponents, this one is surprisingly easier to use.
"I'll have Saina give the starting signal, any objections?"
"None!"
Then Saina, please handle the starting gun.
Saina is behind me, up on the deck of Brunbas. Therefore, I cannot visually confirm when Saina will fire the starting gun. It's not like I can't do it, but in that case, I'd have to start fighting the enemy in front of me with my eyes looking away. In other words, I can only perceive what's happening behind me through hearing, but...
"Uwooooh Saina-chaaaaaaaaan"
"Starting Gun: This also serves as annihilation."
"Hogyabaa!?"
I somehow managed to understand that someone probably just got 1-killed by the starting gun. The shotgun I gave Saina is capable of firing HE rounds. It's not like shotguns can only fire buckshot.........
"Prepare yourself!!"
Whether it is live ammunition or a blank, a starting gun is a starting gun, and with muscles drawn so taut and flexed that they seemed to make a michi! or gichi! sound generating propulsion along with an explosive release, Setsugekka, having clad his twin blades in skill effects, swung down a full-bodied strike from the high overhead stance.
But it's slow. If you're calling it a samurai's, with a katana, a first strike, much less a certain-kill attack.........
"Unless you swing faster than the wind, you ain't hitting me!!"
I return twin blades with twin blades! By activating Eye of Eternity, everything in my vision slowed down. I primarily use it to track fast-moving opponents or to grasp my own excessively fast movements, but tracing this skill back to its roots, a parrying skill is the "root" of its skill tree.
In other words, seeing through and repelling an enemy's attack in slow motion is this skill's true, original purpose—!
"Slow!"
"What... Guah!?"
If his appearance isn't a bluff, his STR is probably higher than mine. But if the parry in this game perfectly fulfills its duty, it can repel even the fangs and claws of giant beasts. Much less the attacks of a mere human-race player.
Alternatively, just as a human can learn a parry capable of repelling even a giant beast's claws, there might be a power that surpasses even that, but within the scope of my knowledge, there are only about two people who seem capable of doing that. It seems Setsugekka wasn't the third.
With Tradition and Revolution, I slashed open the wide-open torso of Setsugekka, who had stiffened in a banzai-like pose from having his twin slashing attacks repelled simultaneously, using an outward-to-inward swing as if reversing the parrying motion.
"Guh..."
"......Hm?"
That was a strange response. I cut him, yes, but for slashing exposed flesh, there was far too much resistance. To begin with, I can barely even say I have enough PvP experience to count on one hand, so if someone told me, 'When you raise a PvP build, human skin feels like hard rubber,' that would be the end of it, but......... no, that's not it.
"Some kind of accessory, huh."
"If one exposes their bare flesh, it is only natural to make appropriate preparations."
I see......... well, I don't understand it enough to really say 'I see,' but there must be some mechanism raising his VIT. Or rather, I'd really like to know what those 'appropriate preparations' are......... I'm half-naked, but I haven't made any appropriate preparations.
"Now then... I'm prepared for ten consecutive matches, so I can't spend too much time on each one. If you hold back, you'll leave behind regrets and die instantly, got it?"
"Whether in victory or defeat, it shall not be long, is it......... Then!「Stout-Martial Roused-Courage」Nnh!!"
Generally, there is no need to call out skills. If there is a reason... it's to inspire oneself.
I don't know what effect that Goubu Funtan or whatever it is has, but at the very least, the sight of him erupting with a red aura from his entire body is so imposing you could almost mistake him for a Nioh statue.
He only actively called out Golf Wonton?, but it seems he's stacking other skills on top of it. He seems to have taken my words completely at face value and intends to force a short, decisive battle.
Or rather, although I can't help but wonder what this guy would do if I decided to run away........., since I was the one who picked the fight and he accepted, if I used such a cowardly tactic, I'd be the one lacking the resolve of a warrior.
"Bring it on!"
"Ooooohhhh!!"
Setsugekka charged in with a roar like tearing silk, but it didn't seem like he was acting out of desperation. The slashing wave that flew at me ahead of his main body was a diversion, but in my current almost unequipped, half-naked state, I couldn't afford to take it. Not just because of the damage, but the knockback from a direct hit would be far too fatal.
Therefore, my only practical option was to evade. But if I chose that one action, a fully buffed Setsugekka would catch me in his range... I see, assuming I wouldn't run away, as a "checkmate" move, it makes perfect logical sense.
If there's just one miscalculation on Setsugekka's part...
"Disappear───"
"Sorry, but evasions also get an acceleration modifier, you see."
Multiple Circular Motion.
Dodgeball is, in principle, a ball game played with your feet on the ground, and although there was a game like Space Dodgeball once, that was chaotic in its own way with wormhole time-delay shots, meteor clone balls, and in the first place, they weren't even balls but meteors homing in on your head, so it's not useful as a reference.
Multiple Circular Motion is a skill that semi-automatically evades along a circular trajectory, ending at the "place you want to go." And the initial motion of this evasion action involves stepping; in short, this skill is a "step that curves in a circle over a tremendous distance."
Add to that the skill I acquired during the re-forging process: Ultimate Cloud Flash Lv.6.
What happens when you combine it with a skill that makes only the very first step ultra-high speed? From Setsugekka's perspective... it probably looks as though I disappeared from his sight in an instant, only to reappear.
After all, this is a skill I finally learned after passing Level 100. It's probably not a true Cloud Flash... but literally speaking, regarding the initial velocity of that first step, it surpasses even Overflow. [*2]
"This is the last point where you can rely on insurance...!"
Setsugekka had his full-power offensive casually evaded, but this isn't rock-paper-scissors. Regardless of what the outcome of the opening move is, it does not decide victory or defeat, nor does it serve as a reason to stop attacking, so his massive frame attempted to swing the whiffed blades once more to strike the enemy that had reappeared before his eyes. But alas, Setsugekka...
Mine is faster than yours.
Author's Afterword
・Ultimate Cloud Flash
Literal Translation: In short, lightning.
Skills that accelerate initial velocity aren't limited to this one, but this skill requires meeting a certain threshold to learn. To summarize, being Level 130+—as fast as lightning—fulfills the learning condition.
Q: Doesn't that basically mean only players with 【Maximum Speed】 or those capable of reaching it can learn it?
A: Yes, and?
As long as it is the first step, whether you step, jump, or moonwalk from there, it applies explosive speed, so if you are careless, you will just crash headfirst into the ground at high speed, but a certain bad guy combined it with a skill that "moves you semi-automatically to a specific point via a step and stops you perfectly."
・Stout-Martial Roused-Courage
A skill that temporarily drastically enhances various status parameters by placing a heavy burden on the cardiopulmonary system and Mana Organs. The heartbeat does not sound like a drum. [*3]
The enhancement values are a head above the rest compared to other skills, but the duration is short, and furthermore, when the effect ends, the user is severely weakened and their stamina gauge instantly drops to zero regardless of how much was left... in short, you can't move for about ten seconds.
・Talisman of the Full-Body Heroic Figure
An accessory where, for each one equipped, the total combined VIT of all equipped armor is added to a single unequipped body part slot. For example, if your head is unequipped and the total VIT of the armor on your other body parts is 500, 500 VIT is added to your unequipped head.
At first glance, it seems broken, but since armor in ShanFro is generally all about the added effects, players think, 'If I'm going to leave a slot empty just for this, I might as well equip some armor with a useful effect...' so there aren't many users.
The guy who needs it the most doesn't even know it exists.
Translator's Notes
- [1] Shido Fukakugo: A samurai term referring to a lack of readiness or failure to uphold the moral code (Bushido) of a warrior. Often used as justification for execution or forced seppuku.
- [2] Cloud Flash: A Japanese martial arts concept referring to a movement so fast it resembles a flash of lightning through the clouds.
- [3] Heartbeat does not sound like a drum: The author is making a joke/reference to Luffy's Gear 5 heartbeat ("Drums of Liberation") from One Piece.
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