Duel Season (5): 1 vs 4

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The duel season's fifth round was a 1-vs-4 match. While the number of participants had dropped dramatically since the start of the tournament, this fight was still overwhelmingly disadvantageous for me. The main cast charging at me weren't random nobodies—they were the real deal. Facing all of them alone meant—

"Master, sword auras incoming from your left and right ankles."

"Master, a sword-aura storm approaching from the front."

"Master, bullets incoming from the diagonal."

"Master, from above—"

"Master…"

I had to move frantically, dodging Lee Seo-yeon and Asuka's attacks or blocking them with Aegis. The sharp metallic ring of bullets clashing against steel echoed endlessly as Arthur deflected the minigun barrage with his sword and the Fortress of Heavenly Grace skill. Noah held back a lightning storm with a barrier of holy flames. I needed to think fast—my brain throbbed from the strain—about how to break through their ironclad defense.

'What should I do?'

While maintaining suppressive fire, I ran simulations in my head. A black void formed in my mind, and the current situation unfolded within it: me in full armor, unleashing thirty-five ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠weapons—two miniguns, Thunderbolt, and the rest. Arthur and Noah blocking every bullet in front of me. Lee Seo-yeon and Asuka firing sword auras and bullets from behind. The distance between us steadily shrinking.

From that scene, multiple simulations branched out.

Simulation 1: Maintain fire while repeating evasion and defense.
Result: Before ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Arthur's mana and Noah's holy power ran out, the distance closed. Lee Seo-yeon's talent, Master of Sword and Gun, dismantled every firearm in an instant, leaving me powerless. That brief opening led to defeat.
Answer: Impossible. Once Lee Seo-yeon closes in, I can't use firearms.

Simulation 2: Activate Speed Limit Release.
Result: Even with rubber bullets, the cheat's power granted overwhelming firepower. However, all four would suffer fatal injuries.
Answer: This is a ranking match, not a slaughter. Impossible.

Simulation 3: Deploy drones and golems.
Result: The drones exploded, briefly obscuring vision. The four seized the opening and closed in, leading back to Simulation 1's outcome. The golems were destroyed before they could transform into human form, again leading to the same result.
Answer: Vision obstruction makes this impossible.

Simulation 4: Use Air Walk.
Result: Reducing the number of Thunderbolts to create a telekinetic platform weakened my firepower. Arthur switched from defense to offense, closing the gap instantly. A brief melee ensued, but Lee Seo-yeon joined and dismantled my weapons, resulting in defeat.
Answer: Reducing firepower allows immediate closure of distance. Impossible.

…Impossible. Impossible. Impossible. Every simulation returned the same verdict. The reason was none other than Lee Seo-yeon. Her talent had evolved from Sword Genius to Master of Sword and Gun, granting her the ability to instantly disassemble firearms. A mere flick of her fingers—or even just scattering her mana—was enough to break down any weapon regardless of grade.

'…That ability is seriously broken.'

For someone who fought primarily with firearms like me, nothing was more terrifying than Lee Seo-yeon's talent. Of course, Arthur, Asuka, and Noah also possessed extraordinary power befitting main characters. Still, they were easier to handle than Lee Seo-yeon, who hard-countered my entire arsenal. My equipment quality and stats had risen significantly compared to before. But right now, Lee Seo-yeon stood beside those three. A perfect hard counter that neutralized my weapons was present.

'…I need a method. Fast.'

The distance had almost closed. A few more steps and my firearms would be dismantled by her talent.

'…Using Astra would solve this, but…'

Since no one knew about that weapon, I couldn't use it here. It would only be effective against the named Corrupted when he attacked and let his guard down. So I pushed my brain even harder, searching for a way out using only the equipment and abilities I had—excluding Astra.

Then Terra spoke.

"Master, is there any need to cling to firearms?"

Cling to firearms? Well, because they're my main weapon— The moment I thought that, I realized how wrong I was.

'…Terra's right. No need to stubbornly stick to firearms in this fight.'

No, not just this fight. Even in other battles. To me, who possessed the Cheat, firearms were an excellent weapon—far better than most people realized. But if the matchup was so unfavorable that it became a liability…

'No matter how good a weapon is, it's useless if it doesn't work.'

A refreshing clarity washed over my head and chest, as if I'd gained enlightenment.

'Terra, nice assist.'

I praised her for showing me the solution. At the same time, I executed a brand-new simulation—one that hadn't returned "impossible."

Thud. Thud. Clatter.

First, I threw all my firearms onto the ground.

"……?"

"What…?"

Arthur and Noah, who had been blocking the barrage, and Lee Seo-yeon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and Asuka, who had been relentlessly firing sword auras, all stared at me in stunned confusion. They couldn't comprehend why I'd suddenly dropped my weapons.

Seeing their expressions, I smirked.

"If your opponent drops their weapon, are you just going to stand there and watch?"

Only then did they realize their mistake and hurriedly swung their weapons at me. But—

Clang!

My hands were faster. Aegis shields materialized in both palms.

Bang! Bang-bang! Boom!

I blocked every attack with the shields.

Thanks to Sharpshooter's Keen Senses (A+) and the newly activated Close-Quarters Combat Master (A), I could read their attack trajectories perfectly. Blocking was effortless.

"Who was it that said even a shield hurts when it hits you?"

It was "BestAttackIsAShield," another Arena Academy veteran. Shields weren't just armor—they were incredibly powerful weapons. Recalling those words, I deployed thirty-three more Aegis shields into the air via Inventory, lifting them with telekinesis and converting them into offensive weapons.

Of course, having Close-Quarters Combat Master (A) didn't mean I was suddenly a shield expert. But that didn't matter. What I was about to do required no technique—just simple, brutal shield bashing.

'But when you have thirty-five of them, it becomes a different story.'

The two shields in my hands and the thirty-three floating in the air all swung toward the four of them.

Bang! Crash! Boom!

Those who had been attacking me moments ago were now forced onto the defensive. Even close-combat specialists couldn't keep attacking when thirty-five shields came crashing down in unison.

But did they know? Even while being used offensively, the Aegis shields were still registered as "defense." And Aegis didn't only absorb damage—it could reflect it and petrify as well.

Flash— Boom!

"…Guh?!"

Arthur's eyes widened as fifty percent of his own damage reflected back, sending him flying.

Crackle!

"…Eek! W-what is this?!"

Asuka's body suddenly stiffened from petrification, and she screamed in panic.

Realizing the shields had additional effects, Lee Seo-yeon and Noah stopped attacking and tried to dodge. But—

Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!

Evading shields flying from every direction without a single gap was impossible. Eventually—

Bang!

"…Damn it!"

Noah, who had been petrified while trying to attack, grimaced.

"An effect like this… if I use holy flames…"

He muttered and tried to summon holy flames. But before he could—

Crash!

Noah was sent flying like he'd been hit by a truck from my shield charge. He tumbled across the arena and fell out of bounds.

'One eliminated.'

I immediately looked for the next target. Arthur, flung back by the damage reflection, was charging again. Lee Seo-yeon was evading desperately now that all shields targeted her after Noah's elimination. Asuka was still shouting, petrification not yet lifted.

…Right. The next target was decided.

The moment I confirmed it, I kicked off the ground.

"Ah! It's moving—huh, huh?!"

Asuka cheered as the petrification wore off, only for me to slam a shield into her at full speed.

Crash!

"Kyaaaaah!"

She flew like a ball from my merciless shield charge and tumbled out of the arena just like Noah.

'Two eliminated.'

Only Arthur and Lee Seo-yeon remained. The moment I thought that, I charged straight at Arthur, who was rushing toward me, while recalling the thirty-three shields near me.

Arthur's Excalibur erupted with brilliant golden light. Sword aura blazed like flames along the blade. Raising his sword high, Arthur swung with a battle cry.

"Haaah—!"

A golden wave of flame surged from the sword, threatening to cleave me in two. I thrust thirty-three shields forward.

Crack, crack, crack…!

The shields disintegrated one by one against the golden wave, as if creating craters in a forward base. But whether because the damage wasn't on the level of a large explosion or because Arthur had held back for the tournament, the flame wave only destroyed twelve shields before vanishing.

"Impressive."

I praised Arthur while pulling twelve fresh Aegis shields from my Inventory. Seeing this, Arthur let out a hollow laugh and lowered his sword—only to release an even fiercer aura and swing with all his might.

Crash!

The shield that met his sword cracked. I discarded it and drew new ones, swinging both at Arthur.

Bang! Bang!

A deafening roar echoed. Amid the noise, I glanced at Lee Seo-yeon charging in and sent a barrage of shock grenades her way. But as expected—

They disintegrated the moment they touched the mana rising from her body. Firearms, after all.

I launched twenty shields at her and swung the remaining thirteen plus the two in my hands at Arthur.

Crash! Bang! Crash! Bang!

"…Kuh, ugh!"

Arthur groaned under the barrage. No matter how fast she swung her sword, she only had two hands. Fifteen shields came at her. On top of the physical beating, the effects activated.

Flash! Boom! Flash! Boom!

Damage reflection triggered, and—

Crack! Crackle!

Petrification followed. Eventually—

Thud.

"…I lost."

Arthur sat down heavily on the ground. Yet despite her words and actions, her expression looked strangely refreshed. After telling her "good work," I turned toward the sharp presence I felt behind me.

Whoosh—!

The moment I turned, Lee Seo-yeon's sword strike came at me. I lightly blocked the obvious thrust with my shield and swung every Aegis at her.

Crash-crash-crash-crash!

A fierce metallic symphony rang out. But it didn't last long. Lee Seo-yeon followed the same process as Arthur.

"…I lost."

Confirming her HP was depleted, she sheathed her sword with a blank—yet inwardly frustrated—expression. Watching her, I deactivated my armor and took a deep breath of fresh air mixed with the wind.

"Everyone did well."

& Second match: Free-for-All.