A man who suddenly abandoned his defence and focused solely on attack.
I couldn't exploit the obvious openings he left because doing so would create an opening for as well. And it was clear that he would seize that opening to deliver a fatal blow.
There was no reason to take such an unfavourable risk.
So, I focused solely on defence.
"You… you know what kind of ability I have, don't you?"
It seed my opponent had caught on.
Well, I had been moving too blatantly.
Even soone with a ticulous personality wouldn't go out of their way to expose an opening for just a single mont like I did.
They wouldn't ignore their opponent's openings and focus solely on defence either.
But that doesn't an defensive movents are bad.
While taking down the opponent is important, so is protecting oneself.
Unless you can see the future, neglecting defence could lead to disaster.
Yes, "unless you can see the future."
Conversely, if you can see the future, you can focus entirely on offence without worry.
"You're the first to figure it out so quickly."
I didn't figure it out quickly.
I knew from the very beginning.
After all, his ability was ntioned in the story as being downright cheat-like.
The ability to glimpse 10 seconds to 1 minute into the near future, [Ten-Mile Eyes].
Though it couldn't see a thousand miles, the ability to see ten seconds into the future gave him wings. It allowed him to avoid all fatal blows and gain the upper hand in battle, and it was also useful for finding the optimal escape route in ergencies.
An ability with no weaknesses.
That's why even the protagonist couldn't face him in the early stages.
It wasn't until the mid-ga, when the protagonist had grown sufficiently, that he was able to defeat him, even at the cost of mutual destruction.
"Hmm, do you have a similar ability to mine?"
It seed he had made a strange assumption.
There was no need to correct him, so I kept my mouth shut.
"Then I guess I'll have to go all out too."
In the anti, he seed to have reached so conclusion, muttering to himself.
The man pulled out a gun from his waist. A small black pistol.
It was clearly modified, but it didn't look particularly powerful. I could easily block bullets with [Pyrokinesis].
That was a careless thought.
Bang!
A loud gunshot rang out, and a bullet flew toward .
Without panicking, I summoned magical energy to create a wall of flas. It was strong enough to block not just a pistol but even a sniper rifle.
Yet, the bullet passed through the wall.
It didn't shatter upon impact with the wall. It simply passed through as if there was nothing there.
The wall of flas continued to burn fiercely.
"What the hell…!"
Realizing it wasn't an ordinary gun, I imdiately stepped back.
Fortunately, it didn't seem to have homing capabilities, as even my low agility was enough to evade it. But that was a trap.
Whoosh!
The sound of cutting wind followed as a sword aid at my neck.
Instinctively, I spread flas like a shield to block it, but I was pushed back.
"...Ugh!"
Perhaps because I used magic instinctively without calculation.
The distribution of magical energy was off. I wasted five tis more energy than necessary for that output.
On top of that, due to [Solar Severed ridians], even using magic consecutively was no small feat.
Blood pooled at the corner of my mouth instead of saliva. My already frail body had taken a hit, and one of my internal organs was damaged.
Inhale... Exhale...
I cald my body through breathing.
My body was already lacking oxygen. The flas I had spread everywhere and the intense movents had left dizzy.
Bang!
Bang!
But my opponent showed no rcy.
He fired relentlessly. Creating barriers or shields wouldn't stop it.
Hadn't I just seen it?
Whatever that divine artifact was, it could penetrate tangible flas. I had no choice but to desperately dodge.
Moving backwards with quick footwork, I simultaneously calculated my magic. This was no ordinary feat.
It was recorded in textbooks as "Moving Casting," a highly advanced technique.
"Oh ho, it's been a while since I've seen a mage move like that."
Impressed by my movents, he even complinted mid-fight.
I had no reason or ntal capacity to respond, focusing solely on my magic. Moving Casting was no easy task.
My eyes had to scan the battlefield and my opponent, while my feet kept moving. All while predicting paths to dodge and calculating magic in my head.
I was doing all of that simultaneously.
An ordinary mage might have faltered at any one of those tasks.
But thanks to my extensive combat experience, I managed relatively well.
My body rembered how to move in such chaotic battles.
Then, I added one more trick.
If executed well, it could turn the tide of this situation.
Whoosh!
I ignited flas in my right hand and thrust it forward.
Though my wrist was as thin as a dry branch, it was surrounded by flas.
My opponent laughed heartily at the sight.
He didn't even seem to consider dodging. He was willing to take my attack head-on to counter.
How much damage could this thin arm possibly do?
His right hand, holding the pistol, slowly rose.
Regardless of his actions, I clenched my fist.
A frail fist, mismatched with my tall fra. Even an elentary schooler wouldn't flinch at such a punch.
That's why this attack would work.
Smirk...
The corner of my mouth curled up. Only then did my opponent realize sothing was wrong.
He frantically tried to dodge, but my fist had already reached his abdon.
Boom!
A deafening explosion echoed.
The source of the sound was the tip of my fist. The mont my fist made contact, the man was sent flying.
He crashed into a building and rolled on the ground before finally stopping.
His skin was torn, and he was covered in blood, but he stood up as if unhard. However, the way he clutched his stomach and staggered proved he had taken a critical hit.
Finally, a critical hit. But instead of rejoicing, I grimaced, clutching my right hand.
The blow that sent him flying.
It wasn't sothing my current physical abilities should have allowed. But I had taken the recoil and struck anyway.
This was the result. My right wrist was severely swollen, and my finger joints were shattered.
I could fix it, but at least until this fight was over, I wouldn't be able to use my right arm.
"Haha, so you're not just a mage but a proper warrior. That was my mistake."
The man spoke as he walked toward .
There was no sign of limping in his movents. As if he hadn't taken a critical hit.
Tch!
I swallowed a curse and glared at him.
I had definitely felt the impact. The sensation of shattering bones and rupturing organs.
I thought I could at least restrict his movents.
Noticing my gaze, the man pulled sothing out from his pocket. A crumpled necklace.
Only then did I understand the situation.
"[Necklace of Protection]. A one-ti-use S-rank item, but its performance is undeniable."
That necklace had absorbed the damage.
Unfair. I sacrificed my right arm to land a critical hit, and he nullified it with an item. How dirty.
But what could I do? That's reality.
"Do you know how many items I've collected over decades as a rcenary?"
"...So what? Are you bragging now?"
"Haha, don't be so prickly. I was hoping you'd let off easy."
The man dangled sothing in his hand.
The sword and pistol he had been using. The green talisman that ignored my magic. And that damned necklace.
If I wasn't mistaken, those were all artifacts.
High-grade artifacts, worth a fortune.
"These are all my treasures. They're a bit lower grade compared to my greatest treasure, but they're still S-rank or above."
S-rank is the highest grade obtainable through normal ans.
There are grades above that, but they're so rare that even the black market struggles to supply them.
Think of it as the only line that can be bought with money.
By the way, sothing about his words caught my attention.
If he said "S-rank or above," it ant he had sothing even higher.
My eyes turned to his pistol.
"Oh, you noticed? Good eye. The bullets in this are 'Epic-grade.'"
Epic. It refers to the history a weapon carries.
Depending on the depth and significance of that history, a weapon can be celebrated as a saga or even a legend.
And he was using such a weapon.
I was so angry at the overwhelming item advantage that I felt a sense of self-loathing.
I should have prepared at least a B-rank or A-rank weapon.
Who knew I'd be fighting in place of the protagonist?
"Unfair? Don't be too upset. I only have 100 of these bullets, so I use them sparingly."
He had used a whopping ten bullets.
On a nobody like .
That alone was sothing to be proud of.
"But I'll finish you with this sword."
Using bullets would be a waste.
Swoosh!
The sword let out a chilling cry. Despite having cut through flas earlier, the blade showed no signs of scorching.
It was a remarkable sharpness.
As I felt the man approaching, I thought to myself.
Ah, replacing the protagonist is quite the tough job.
When I first decided to take responsibility, I wasn't too worried. I was used to chaotic battles and struggles.
The only thing that bothered was the possibility of death.
But now I can confidently say it.
I made the worst choice.
Replacing the protagonist? How could that ever be a good idea?
"Now I can't afford to hold back."
As I muttered blankly, a chilling sensation targeted my neck. A sinister killing intent.
The man within range swung his sword wide.
As I watched his posture, I recalled sothing.
In the original story, this man appeared in earnest during the mid-ga. And only after becoming a demon.
A demon who transcended human abilities.
He triggered the protagonist's trauma and cornered him.
I don't know why he hasn't beco a demon yet, but that fact was a green light for .
It ant he hadn't completely abandoned his humanity and was still weaker than a demon. I would exploit that.
His emotional side.
"Now, go in peace. It was quite fun."
"Can you say that in front of your daughter?"
"What...?"
"No, it's been so long since you abandoned your na that your daughter probably doesn't even cross your mind."
I was targeting his emotional weak point.
A rather despicable move.
But when it cos to survival, anything goes.
Haha, I didn't expect him to react to his na.
Maybe he hadn't completely abandoned his humanity. The way his face reddened was amusing.
"Yuren Spielberg. That's your na, right?"
"...Where did you hear that na?"
"Why, do you think I heard it from Airi Spielberg?"
Airi was the only one who knew the Mage Hunter's real na.
His only family, his daughter.
I couldn't rember the details.
But I did rember that his reason for wanting to beco a demon was for his daughter. If I had read the novel, I might have known more.
What a sha.
"Ah, there's no way Airi would betray . That child would never do such a thing!"
Yuren Spielberg, who had abandoned his na and lived as a rcenary for the rest of his life, scread in despair.
His mind was consud by the delusion that his daughter, the only one who knew his na, might have betrayed him, plunging him into extre despair.
"...No. That can't be."
Yuren fell into thought for a mont.
Thinking about it, there was no need to despair like this.
He could just confirm it himself.
He steeled his resolve.
Then, he emitted a fierce killing intent toward and raised his sword.
"How you found out my na… I'll find out, even if I have to tear your brain apart."
Oh, so he had that kind of ability too.
I only knew about [Ten-Mile Eyes], but it seems he had more.
I let out a hollow laugh as I watched him.
'Maybe I provoked him too much.'
I had stirred his emotions.
That bought enough ti to recover.
But his montum was reaching sky-high levels.
If I ssed up now, I'd really die.
Now was not the ti to hold back.
To survive, I'd have to jump into a pit of fire.
Not taphorically, but literally.
Bang!
Yuren, who had stomped the ground, pulled out a fountain pen from his pocket.
A fountain pen with a pure white feather. He broke it between two fingers, and his speed noticeably increased.
It was an item imbued with a powerful [Haste] spell.
I watched him approach with wide eyes, and just before his sword reached —
Whoosh!
I erected a massive wall of flas to block his path.
A bright red wall of fire.
The barrier created by [Pyrokinesis] was thick and scorching. But even as Yuren faced the wall, he didn't slow down.
He simply sheathed his sword and drew it in an instant.
Woosh!
A powerful sword slash cut through the wall of flas.
Yuren charged like an enraged bull.
He effortlessly shattered the wall of flas.
That's why he didn't notice the faint purple hue deep within the red wall.
They say bulls can't calm down when they see red.
Though that's been proven false, Yuren's actions were exactly like a bull's. He saw the red barrier and charged in excitent.
Unaware that it was a trap.
Whoooooosh!
A massive wave of flas approached like a wall.
The flas aid for Yuren's side.
This ti, he planned to cut through it with his sword.
"What is this..."
If only the colour of the flas hadn't been that eerie purple-red.
His pupils dilated as [Ten-Mile Eyes] illuminated the path.
Nothingness.
There was no path.
No way to evade it.
The purple flas grazed Yuren in an instant.
The flas brushed his side diagonally. It was hot, but there was no significant pain.
For a burn, it felt oddly cool.
More of a chilling sensation than heat.
Only then did Yuren realize sothing was wrong. How could flas feel cold?
He hurriedly pulled out a blue potion from his pocket.
But the pain had already begun.
"Ugh... Aaaaaaah!"
Sothing black spread widely across the affected area.
He quickly realized it was a curse, but lifting it wasn't easy.
One or two curses might have been manageable.
But paralysis, poison, fire poison, and more.
Dozens of curses began to bind Yuren's body.
I laughed heartily as I watched.
Of course, I was also suffering from the curse, and my vision was blurry.
But seeing him in such agony was quite satisfying.
Who told you to charge in recklessly?
"...Hahaha! Do you really think you can save your daughter like this?"
A faint smile accompanied my words.
Finally, I had landed a proper blow, and I couldn't help but smile with joy.
But with the flas burning behind , my smile must have looked grotesque.
Yuren's eyes were bloodshot as he glared at with a crazed gaze.
Who told you to attack so recklessly?
***
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