Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: The Top Floor, Second Bout with the Ancient Hero
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[Level 50 Ice Ogre King]
[HP 2,114,017 / 15,000,000 (14%)]
Grrrrrr-!!
A chill began to gather around the Ice Ogre King's body once more, signaling the start of its second special cold blast pattern.
I'd survived the first eight blasts by resetting my cooldowns with Astaroth. I had anticipated a second cold blast pattern. Of course, if I had come through the normal route, the level penalty would be minimal, and I could have used the torch mechanic to reduce the number of blasts. But at my current low level, I didn't have time for mechanics. I had to deal damage relentlessly.
*Fwoosh!* I resisted the first burst of cold with a backward evasion. White hexagonal crystals filled my vision, each one sharp and clear. The pretty snowflakes whisked past me. I immediately closed the distance with an approach skill and unleashed a flurry of sword strikes on the Ice Ogre King.
One, two, silver and starlight arcing left and right. A third, diagonally downward.
The second cold blast. The interval was 2.7 seconds? Maybe 2.8? In any case, if I used Flash Strike to reset my cooldowns, my backward evasion would be ready just in time.
*Swish.* My body cut through the snowflakes as I used Counterattack to move behind the Ogre King.
The third cold blast. My sword, unleashed in a Flash Strike as if to split every single swirling snowflake perfectly in half, sliced through both the Ogre King and the crystals.
The invincibility frames are short, but for me, it's as easy as breathing. It's a physical acceleration skill that uses the explosive energy erupting from my feet as they push off the ground. It was my favorite skill in the past, too. The feeling of becoming a beam of light and cutting through the air was exhilarating.
The fourth and fifth cold blasts. I resisted them with backward evasion and Counterattack, in that order.
Immediately after, the gift from the dwarf 'Ain' on my arm, the 'Bracelet of Hammer and Anvil,' began to glow. With this, I could use backward evasion, Counterattack, and Flash Strike again.
Right now, only old Ain is with me, but one day, my other companions will be too.
The sixth and seventh cold blasts. I didn't forget to weave in sword strikes between the backward evasions and Counterattacks.
*CRASH!*
The Ogre King stomped its foot, leaped into the air, and clasped its hands together.
The final, eighth blast. The jump-and-smash-down pattern.
If I had failed to resist even one of the cold blasts, I would have been frozen solid and shattered to pieces by that downward smash.
My eyes flashed as I lowered my stance, assuming the starting form for my final Flash Strike.
The damage I'd crammed in between resisting the cold was enough. There was still time before its final berserk pattern.
*FLASH!*
My Flash Strike cut through the Ogre King's body as it plummeted toward the ground.
Kuaaaaaah—!
*Thud.*
Without a backward glance at the Ice Ogre King's corpse sprawled on the floor, I headed to the next level.
[Ice Crystal Tower - 10th Floor]
*Woooooong.*
The familiar scanning process, and then a halo of light gathered in the center of the tower's hall.
The being that appeared within that light was...
[Level ??]
[Ancient Hero ■■]
[HP ???/???]
I grinned.
"Long time no see."
A being containing explosive power within a small frame, a golden silhouette—the 'Hero Rain'.
She was still shrouded in a halo of light, so I couldn't see her expression clearly, but I wondered if she was smiling back at me.
"I'm going to try and save this world again."
The Astria Continent has reappeared in the form of a game. But a clear threat exists.
For now, that threat is only a vague presence, and though they said it's a world for all users to save together...
...I'm still the one who can do it best, right?
"I'm going to carve my name, and the names of my companions, into the Astria Continent once more."
To do that, I need more power.
A power strong enough to set me apart from everyone else.
Is this a provision to make me stronger? Or is it a barrier to block my path?
*Step, step.*
I walked toward her, raising Astaroth.
"So, give me back my power."
To reclaim what I'm owed from my past.
At the very edge of the 'Named' Hero's detection range, I turned away without a second thought.
*Tat!*
And used backward evasion.
*Fwoosh!*
A powerful volley of sword energy erupted from the Hero's holy sword, brushing past my body.
In that fleeting moment, my body crossed the distance in a flash, arriving right in front of the Hero.
Then, twisting my body, I powerfully swung Astaroth.
*CLANG!*
I felt as if my eyes met the Hero's.
The Hero who was never completed.
You are standing still, while I move forward.
*
*Clang-clang-clang-clang!*
She was more threatening than when I last faced her. Her movements were extraordinary. The Hero's sword probed for weaknesses, thrusting and slashing at all the vital points on my body. I even had the illusion that her attacks were curving like a snake.
*Fwoosh, clang!*
The Hero was bestowing upon me a display of brilliant swordplay she hadn't shown in our previous encounter.
However, my body here, influenced by the 'stat' system, was also faster than before. Unlike in the past, when I could only look for openings from behind my 'Block' skill, this time I was barely able to keep up with her movements.
*Clang!*
The path of her sword is becoming visible. As expected, her patterns are set.
Now, I can trade blows with her.
*Clang!* Golden dust scattered instead of sparks. I parried strongly, then aimed a silver slash at the Hero's side. *Clang!* The Hero blocked my sword by holding hers diagonally.
This was different from before, when she would take hits aimed at her openings. The Hero now was definitively guarding against my attacks.
The golden protective aura surrounding the Hero's body. This, too, must be something I have to strip away with a certain number of hits, just like last time. Although I could see her sword strikes, landing a hit was actually trickier than before.
Should I try a different approach?
*CLANG!*
This time, I parried the Hero's sword forcefully. It was to create an opening. But the Hero used the recoil to lift her body slightly. *Vwong,* a golden energy gathered on her sword. A sword energy shockwave attack. Unblockable.
Here, I use Counterattack.
*Swish.*
*KRAAAANG!*
The ice floor, struck by the Hero's holy sword imbued with energy, buckled as a powerful shockwave spread outwards.
It's a strong attack. There's bound to be an opening. Aiming for her back, I swung Astaroth.
*Scraaaape, spin.*
"!?"
It wasn't the sensation of hitting her protective aura, but the sound of sword scraping against sword. The Hero's sword moved in a semicircle, smoothly deflecting mine downward. Immediately after, she thrust at my body.
I reflexively cast 'Block'.
*Clang!*
Whoa, that was scary. If I'd reacted even 0.1 seconds later, I would've ended up like a 'Kopopo Skewer'.
A little frightened, I hid behind my block and glared at the Hero for a moment. The Hero, who had remained frozen in her thrusting stance for about two seconds, began to swing her sword again. *Clang-clang-clang!* The familiar sword path—she'd returned to her first pattern.
I couldn't hide my disappointment.
I could have landed a few hits!
After activating the sword energy shockwave pattern, the Hero used a type of counterattack. If I stopped attacking, I wouldn't have to see the thrusting pattern that comes out as a counter.
But activating the counter pattern creates a two-second opening. It's a counter you're meant to trigger.
Against the Hero right now, that's the only opening I have to land a hit.
A paradoxical situation where I have to get countered to find an opportunity to attack.
But even without knowing, I had barely managed to react.
All I have to do is intentionally trigger the counter, block the resulting thrust, and then unload on her motionless protective aura for two seconds.
I see the path. I can beat her.
*Thwack-thwack-thwack!*
Two seconds is longer than you'd think. I landed several sword strikes on the Hero's protective aura after she froze post-counter.
That's nine hits, ten hits. *Tat!* At the same time, I used backward evasion to create distance.
The reason I used backward evasion was to deal with the special pattern that activates on the tenth hit. During the special pattern's activation, she probably won't throw any fast sword energy attacks. Well, there might be a special pattern that sprays sword energy, but...
Last time I met the Hero, the 'Reflective Sword Energy' pattern activated the moment I landed the tenth hit on her aura, tearing my body to shreds.
This time, it's not Reflective Sword Energy. What's the special pattern?
*Vwoooooong!*
Just then, a halo of light began to gather around the Hero's body.
The precursor to an AoE attack? Backward evasion was still on cooldown. It was too late to close in with an approach skill and use Counterattack. The light was already bursting forth.
I hurriedly lowered my stance and used Flash Strike as a resistance skill.
*KWAAAAA!*
My body, cutting through the golden light with Flash Strike, managed to get right up close to the Hero.
The moment I raised Astaroth to strike her, the Hero held her holy sword horizontally.
*Vwooooong!*
A cold sweat ran down my back at the resonating sound.
*FWOOSH-FWOOSH-FWOOSH-FWOOSH!*
Golden energy erupted explosively from the Hero's body.
And on her raised holy sword, golden sword energy was concentrated to its absolute limit.
That's the starting stance for a 'Sword Dance' imbued with sword energy.
I can't counter it. I'll be sliced to pieces, sword and all.
*Fwoosh!*
In that instant, I activated the bracelet's cooldown reset function.
*SWIIIIISH!*
At the same time, the Hero's holy sword, accelerated to its maximum speed, rushed toward me.
I can't dodge it. I can't block it.
Thinking I could read the Hero's sword was my miscalculation. The Hero's Sword Dance, powered by a full surge of mana, had no set path. She simply swung her holy sword with the sole intent to kill me.
Faced with the absolute power of the Hero's Sword Dance, the only weapon in my hand was the game system's 'invincibility frames'.
How long will this Sword Dance last? If I use all my invincibility skills, can I resist the whole thing? Astaroth's cooldown reset is still available. I have to be prepared to use even that if it comes down to it. I can't afford to save it for a later pattern. The energy-infused Sword Dance is just that threatening.
*Swish, fwoosh!*
While I was moving through the gap in space using Counterattack, the Hero's golden sword grazed past my body several times.
Sword strikes of incredible speed. On top of that, the sword energy was concentrated to the extreme. It's a pattern I absolutely cannot deal with. If I hadn't used an invincibility skill, my body would've been sliced into three or four pieces by now.
The invincibility frames from Counterattack ended. Without leaving the slightest gap, I immediately used backward evasion.
*Tat.*
The Hero pursued my body as it moved eight meters back, relentlessly landing strikes.
*Swiiish, fwoosh-fwoosh-fwoosh!*
During the brief invincibility of backward evasion, I saw the holy sword slice through the space where my body had been. The uncounterable Sword Dance pattern still wasn't over.
Just how many strikes is she throwing?
The moment my body landed after the eight-meter leap from backward evasion, I lowered my stance.
My last remaining invincibility skill: Flash Strike.
I have to keep wrapping myself in invincibility. The moment the frames disappear for even 0.1 seconds, I die.
*Fwoosh!*
The instant the invincibility from backward evasion ended, I used Flash Strike.
A chill.
Immediately after I passed by the Hero's body, a chilling sensation ran down my spine from behind.
The Sword Dance still wasn't over.
No time to turn. No time to recover from the Flash Strike stance.
The invincibility frames for Flash Strike are extremely short. The Hero's Sword Dance is insanely fast.
The tiny window of recovery lag that exists the moment Flash Strike's invincibility ends. That sliver of time, a fraction of a second that had never been a problem before, was now my undoing.
No.
Quick, I have to use Astaroth's cooldown reset.
But the Hero's sword, which had kept up even with my speed as a flash of light, pierced my body the instant my invincibility frames vanished.
*Shunk.*
"Keuk."
I heard the sound of flesh being pierced, my body trembled once, and my mouth fell wide open.
Ah, I've felt this sensation before.
Through my blurry vision, I could see the golden sword protruding from my chest.
A truly exceptional being, as expected.
Was it too much to hope I could beat her in one go?
Alright, just you wait.
*Thump.*
As the sword before my eyes vanished, my body, having lost its support, collapsed forward.
There wasn't a single ant on the floor.