The Extra's Rise-Chapter 337: Tactical Simulation (2)
Fighting Ren wasn't my first choice, but fear had nothing to do with it. I swung my sword downward, flames dancing along the blade's edge, fueled by enhanced aura of fire. Ren shifted into a stance reminiscent of karate, his body coiled with precision, then unleashed a flawless straight punch. His fist, cloaked in a gravity enhanced aura, met my sword with a thunderous clash, forcing the blade—and me—back a step.
"You've truly achieved Fist Intent," I said, keeping my voice steady.
Ren tilted his head, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "What, did you think I couldn't reach that level?"
"Not at all," I shot back, mirroring his smile. "Just means I'll have to push harder."
I turned my focus inward, connecting to Luna's Will rather than relying on raw physicality. As I activated Lucent Harmony, golden sigils flared across my skin, each one a conduit for my awakened elemental affinities, including the dark pulse of my Black Star.
'Erebus,' I called silently, summoning my Lich. I handed him control of the Deepdark's shadowy depths, freeing my White Star to channel the radiant power of Purelight.
Ren's eyes gleamed with excitement. We circled each other, trading blows with nothing but honed skill—our movements sharp and unadorned, no grand techniques, just the raw essence of combat.
The fight escalated quickly. Ren's fists moved like battering rams, each strike a test of my reflexes. My sword flashed in response, a streak of fire and light carving through the air. But Ren's God's Eyes gave him an edge, reading my every motion. He feinted left, then drove a fist straight at my chest. I raised my sword to parry, but the sheer power behind his punch overwhelmed my guard. His knuckles slammed into my chest, pain bursting through my ribs.
But that was exactly what I'd wanted. As the impact rocked me backward, I seized the moment, letting Erebus's power surge. Bone Armour hardened my skin into an unyielding shield at the perfect instant, absorbing the blow entirely. Ren's triumphant expression faltered, his fist skidding off harmlessly.
Using the momentum, I twisted and snapped a kick toward his side. His God's Eyes caught the move—he raised an arm to block—but my timing threw him off. The kick slipped past his imperfect defense, landing solidly and forcing him to stagger back, his balance disrupted.
I didn't let up. My sword sang as I pressed forward, each swing precise and relentless. Ren recovered fast, his fists up and ready, but a flicker of doubt shadowed his gaze. He hadn't seen the trap coming—and now, I had the upper hand.
Ren's stagger gave me the opening I needed, but I knew better than to underestimate him. Those God's Eyes of his were already tracking me, his mind piecing together my next move. I couldn't let him reset. My sword flared brighter, flames licking the air as I lunged forward, but this time, I wasn't playing small.
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I tapped into God Flash, my Grade 6 art movement. Purelight surged through me, my body dissolving into a streak of radiance. The world blurred as I reappeared behind Ren, sword slashing down with enough force to split the virtual ground beneath us. The impact roared through the arena, a shockwave of light and heat exploding outward, shattering the tiled floor into a spiderweb of cracks. Ren twisted at the last second, his arm raised, but the blow still caught his shoulder, carving a deep gash that sprayed virtual blood across the fractured tiles.
He grunted, pain flashing across his face, but he didn't buckle. Instead, he retaliated with the first movement of his Grade 6 art Void Fist: Collapsing Step. His foot slammed into the ground, and the space around him warped, a ripple of distorted gravity racing toward me. The air itself seemed to collapse inward, dragging me off balance with a force that could crush steel. My Bone Armour creaked under the pressure, shards of virtual stone pelting me as the arena groaned.
I gritted my teeth, planting my sword into the ground to anchor myself. "Nice try," I muttered, then raised my hand. Time for a real spell. Golden sigils glowed along my arm as I channeled a six-circle incantation—Radiant Cascade. Purelight coalesced into a barrage of searing beams, each one thick as my arm and screaming with heat. I unleashed it point-blank, the light tearing through the air toward Ren.
His eyes widened, but he didn't flinch.
Six-circle spell: Graviton Vortex.
His hands thrust forward, and a swirling maelstrom of gravity erupted, a black spiral that sucked in light and debris alike. My Radiant Cascade slammed into it, beams bending and fracturing as the vortex devoured them. The collision shook the VR world, the sky flickering with static as energy clashed. For a moment, it held—then the vortex buckled, and a stray beam punched through, grazing Ren's side. He hissed, clutching the wound, virtual smoke rising from the scorched fabric.
I didn't let up. Tempest Dance Technique kicked in, my Grade 5 art building momentum as I spun toward him, sword a blazing whirlwind. Each strike came faster, heavier—fire and light weaving a relentless assault. Ren blocked with his fists, gravity enhancing every parry, but I could feel him straining. The ground beneath us splintered further, chunks of stone hovering in the chaotic air.
Then he shifted tactics.
Second movement of Grade 6 art Void Fist: Event Horizon.
A dome of distorted space snapped into existence around him, the air thickening with oppressive weight. My sword slowed mid-swing, like I was cutting through tar, and the light around me dimmed, bent inward by the gravitational pull. Inside that field, Ren's aura surged, his fists glowing with void-black energy.
He charged, his punches a blur of destruction. I dodged the first, God Flash flickering me aside, but the second caught my chest. Bone Armour absorbed most of it, but the impact still sent me skidding back, my boots carving trenches in the ruined floor. Pain throbbed through me—virtual or not, it felt real enough.
"Erebus!" I snapped mentally. My Lich responded, Deepdark pooling at my feet. I thrust both hands forward, casting a six-circle spell—Abyssal Chains. Shadows erupted from the ground, thick tendrils of darkness tipped with jagged barbs. They lashed toward Ren, piercing his Event Horizon and wrapping around his arms and legs. The chains tightened, anchoring him in place, their weight dragging against his gravity field.
Ren snarled, struggling. "Not bad, Nightingale!" His aura flared, and with a roar, he broke free, the chains shattering into wisps of shadow. But I'd already moved. God Flash carried me above him, sword raised high. I poured everything into the strike—fire, light, and sheer will—aiming to end it.
He countered with his final card.
Third movement of Grade 6 art Void Fist: Void Collapse
The air imploded around him, a crushing sphere of gravity that devoured light and sound. My strike met it head-on, the collision a deafening boom that fractured the virtual world itself. The ground buckled, a crater forming beneath us, and the sky glitched, streaks of code flashing through the haze.
I felt the pull, my body straining against the force, but I'd anticipated this. Tempest Dance surged one last time, momentum breaking me free of the collapse. I twisted midair, landing behind Ren as his spell faded. Before he could turn, my sword pressed against his throat, the edge drawing a thin line of blood.
I exhaled before beheading him, eliminating him from the event.
