Kazuki scrutinized his opponent with unwavering focus. veor Ophia, as she preferred to be calledwas a petite young woman, at least from the perspective of a titan-class hoplite. In reality, she stood twenty centiters taller than Rose or Mirscella, resembling more of a high human than an ordinary one.
However, looks could be deceiving. Priam had inford Kazuki that ve concealed her true face. Only her golden eyes were authentic and even that wasn't certain.
Yet, despite Kazuki's heightened perception and state-of-the-art cha sensors, he couldn't penetrate the illusion. It was dangerous because it ant she could also disguise an attack. His defense would be useless if he tried to block a chest strike while she aid for his head.
Even worse, ve might be nothing more than an illusion. The hoplite entertained every possibility, never one to underestimate an opponent. Let's see what Hyshana thinks about this.
The warrior stretched before closing in on his adversary. Officially, it was just a friendly spar, but Priam had told Kazuki the truth. ve was in cahoots with a Tier 4 individual with unknown objectives. The treatnt they had inflicted on Priam proved their hostility. Their rival's intentions were less clear, but she had orchestrated a trap for Priam and Sphinx to serve her interests.
Sphinx... The child had carved a place in the hoplite's heart through antics and cuteness. As his emotions threatened to interfere with his mission, Kazuki regained focus.
"If you're ready, we might as well start," he proposed as he approached ve. She nodded toward him and then winked at Rose.
"We'll finish this conversation later."
"Okay!"
The teenager seed to appreciate ve, as the newcor appeared close to her age and more open than Jasmine or Myuri.
Two minutes later, Kazuki stood at one end of the Forum, facing ve. Created by the System, the public square was an ideal training ground as it was virtually indestructible. All base residents with no urgent missions had gathered to witness the duel. Ophia or ve was the fourth rival to join the base, and everyone wondered about her capabilities.
"I'll count from three," announced Priam. "Three."
Kazuki gripped his spear, ready to strike. He grimaced internally as he felt his wounds flare up. His quadruple Tribulation had nearly bested him, and he wasn't fully healed yet. He pushed aside his pointless reflections; war waited for no hoplite.
"Two."
The hoplite gathered his Wind Concept, determined to catch his opponent off guard. ve winked at him.
"One."
Kazuki summoned Micro II, Mastery, and Domain. The trio of Supremacies triggered, synergizing to surpass the re sum of their abilities. His soul pulsed, his will concentrated into a perfect martial form.
"Zero."
The ground shook as the hoplite shot forward like a bullet. No supersonic bang ensued; the wind accompanied the warrior. A fraction of a second later, the tip of his spear pierced Eve's eye. A spray of blood blossod, transforming into a swarm of butterflies. The cloud rushed toward Kazuki, who grimaced; each wing could cut his skin.
Summoning a gust, he rid himself of the pests before striking again. His rival's body beca transparent. His weapon sank into it before slowing down. The hoplite stepped back just a mont before the humanoid form exploded.
Kazuki landed ten ters back, groaning. His left eyebrow was damaged, blood flowing freely. He summoned Micro II, swiftly closing the wound. A few seconds later, nothing remained of the gash.
Eve appeared before him, and the warrior thrust. His spear penetrated the flesh without resistance, and the illusion vanished. Kazuki furrowed his brow before feeling his weight increase. Damn!
He observed the ground and cursed. A ten-ter-diater rune had just appeared around him. Gravity increased, and the Champion roared. Gathering his strength, he dashed out of the danger zone. The next mont, the rune disappeared.
She can summon illusory runes.
It was bad news; it ant ve could freely use the ambient aether. Kazuki would run out of resources before her.
I have to end this.
He already had to locate his opponent. [Odyssey] would reveal her position, but tarnishing his legend with a spar was a bad move. There has to be simpler solutions. [Taunt].
Kazuki's charismatic aura detected a killing intent on his left. He dashed and thrust. At the Forum's edge, ve appeared, the hoplite spear planted in her throat. His rival flashed a smile, ignoring her wound, before countering with a punch.
Kazuki's heightened senses perceived no danger. He tried to step back, but ve's fist seed inevitable. Reality stretched as the distance between the hoplite and the attack diminished. He couldnt flee. Finally, the blow connected.
The spell affecting Kazuki's perception shattered. When he managed to move away, he discovered with astonishnt a hole in his chest. The punch had erased the flesh it had co into contact with, and his heart was almost exposed.
A different opponent would have succumbed to pain, but Kazuki was a trained warrior. He knew he couldn't afford to get caught up in his opponent's ga. Without giving fear a foothold, he doubled his attack to disrupt his opponent's rhythm.
His spear described a deadly arc, enhanced by Micro II and Mastery. The blade was surrounded by a coppery halo as it slashed towards his rival. In normal circumstances, the hoplite instructor wouldn't have used such a devastating attack in a spar, but ve was an enemy, and he wanted to check her abilities.
If she was too weak to withstand it... No one will mourn her.
The formidable blade only bit air; ve had disappeared. The Champion grimaced as a stream of blood gushed from the hole in his chest. The hemorrhage was too severe for Micro II to handle quickly.
The young woman reappeared a few ters away and had to dodge a wind blade. She vanished again as Kazuki summoned a tornado centered on him. He wasn't going to play cat and mouse. The Forum was soon swept by violent winds, augnted by a Concept. The cyclone sang of death, revealing that the hoplite had reached the Symphony.
Focused, Kazuki scanned the battleground for ve. Nothing. The young woman seed to have vanished.
"This kind of technique won't work against ," a voice said, seemingly from nowhere.
Kazuki blinked, then furrowed his brow. There, less than a ter away from him, stood ve. Winds capable of cutting oaks passed through her without harming her.
The warrior didn't let himself be intimidated. With a thrust, he sought blood. Activating Micro II and Mastery, he pierced the young woman's chest. She shook her head, amused.
She's not there. ve wasn't a warrior. If she ignored his blows, it was because he wasn't hitting her. I have to find her...
Kazuki closed his eyes before deactivating his Concept, Domain, and Mastery. It was madness, but his Tribulations had taught him that sotis one had to abandon all retreat options to win.
The hoplite warrior, spear in hand, focused entirely on Micro II. A clarity enveloped him. With senses heightened and instincts alert, Kazuki opened himself to the world.
The wind on his skin, the warmth of the suns, and the clamor of the spectators were recorded and then ignored. Suddenly, he noticed a problem. The temperature sensed by his brain was slightly different from that asured by Micro. Kazuki traced the error before understanding.
His senses were altered.
His instinct trembled, and the hoplite executed a side step to dodge an attack. His muscles contracted and then relaxed. His body moved fifty-three centiters instead of the sixty planned, and the attack tore through his right Achilles' heel.
Yet, Kazuki smiled. ve was in front of him, but the attack had co from behind. He had been injured, but he had understood his opponent's ga.
The warrior turned with his valid leg, and his arm moved like a snake. A few centiters from his target, his brain ordered his muscles to stop the attack. Micro II bypassed the order and continued the strike. His hand closed in the void.
Really?
His instinct told him to tighten, and the hoplite obeyed. He squeezed, eyes closed, while the wind whispered the approach of a devastating attack. Ignoring the information, Kazuki continued to close his hand even as an arm pierced his heart.
Despite his catastrophic injury, Kazuki remained standing thanks to Micro, his hand compressing emptiness. A few seconds later, his brain fainted due to lack of blood. A weight lifted off Kazuki's shoulders. He could now command his body without being hindered.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
His senses unfolded, and Micro analyzed their information. Kazuki smiled, lifting so of the veil covering reality. His tornado had already ceased, and he held in his hand a woman's body. Eyes bulging from strangulation, hands clenched on the warrior's fingers, she seed lifeless.
Of course, it was false. An illusion within an illusion.
Like my wounds. In the second stage, Micro could take control of his natural regeneration. Yet, Kazuki detected cells where his heart had disappeared. Faced with the paradox, his consciousness struggled for a mont before recognizing the truth.
His heart, and then his Achilles' heel, reappeared. After his eyebrow, ve had never seriously injured him.
Satisfied, the warrior then searched for his opponent. His eyes and Concept were useless against ve, so he focused on his instinct. Nothing.
"I don't know where you are. Should we call it a draw?" Kazuki proposed, releasing the fake body that fell like a puppet.
Spectators exchanged surprised glances as Rose covered her mouth in horror.
"I cheated; it's your victory," a voice replied. Everyone turned to one of the hoplites, whose silhouette trembled before transforming into ve. The rival had never entered the arena. The corpse at Kazuki's feet vanished like the illusion it was.
The hoplite grunted.
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