Awakening the Great Chapter 21

Ch.21: Diving Expert

Calix does not let his guard down.

[Output Increase]

[Reality Acceleration 1.8x]

[Due to the user's body being in recovery, output allowable range has been adjusted to appropriate levels]

[Beware of permanent physical damage]

Although he had defeated countless soldiers with organizational skills inferior to even a re band of thieves, the opponent before his eyes is a Knight, called the pinnacle of martial prowess.

'The priority is not letting him escape. The Captain will arrive soon. Whether we capture or kill him, we must prevent that bastard from returning. Buying ti cos after that. I have to clash with full power from the start.'

Gregor's warning was also along these lines.

"Calix, be careful and be careful again. It's different from when you were fighting the bandit leader. Now there's nothing restricting the neural accelerator's abilities. The opponent should be considered at least mid-output level. Then he'll surely use 'Wind's Scar'"

"......Wind's Scar?"

"It ans being cut even when the sword doesn't reach. It's a phenonon that occurs when the neural accelerator's output exceeds a certain level and the body's strength supports it."

The warnings continue without pause.

"So don't stand in the center. Direct confrontation is dangerous. The sa goes for the horse. You mustn't regard it as a re beast. Since the horse armor is connected to the Knight's neural accelerator, they'll move as one body. There are restrictions from the helt, so move outside his field of vision but don't get trampled. The key is to hold onto that bastard while buying ti. You have to drag it into a long battle."

"......Yes. I'll keep that in mind."

"Now scatter!"

Kwaaak!

Just then, the Baron uses his spear as a lever to mount his horse in one motion, and Calix circles around to his flank while observing the opening offensive.

Purple light explodes from Gregor's nape, while blue light bursts from the Knight's nape.

"Inoooom!"

Soon, Calix feels with his skin that Gregor's warning was no lie.

Paaaaak!

The warhorse leaps from its position as if its master's will were its own, and the heavy weight gathers at the spear tip, creating irresistible destructive power.

Kwaaaaaaang!

The thrust's trajectory was straight and simple, but the destructive power contained in the spear tip gouged the ground deeply. Stone fragnts scattered in all directions.

If even Gregor had to roll on the ground to avoid it, how could Calix himself have resisted?

Seureureu!

However, as soon as the veteran warrior gets up, he dives into the enemy's attack range and imdiately draws his sword.

Swaaaak-

In the instant the iron's gleam cuts through the air.

Chaeng!

"......Insane."

The slash aid at the horse's body...... Is blocked by iron horseshoes. The four-legged beast lifted its front legs to block it itself.

At this, Calix's gaze reaches the magic stones attached to the horse armor.

Though the sight of blocking with horseshoes was shocking, he focused on the streams of light extending throughout the beast's entire body.

The Knight's neural accelerator and the horse armor's magic stones emit light at exactly the sa mont.

Therefore, the Baron and the horse he rides should not be considered separately.

"Why are you surprised? Did you think it was a simple mount? This is like my hands and feet."

"......"

"Even if the bushes grow thick, they cannot hide lofty dignity. Barbarous ones, accept death obediently!"

Right.

That is not two but one, which ans it's like a monster with four legs and two arms.

'Then what should I do? Think, Calix. Think.'

Kwaang!

The Baron continues to display a Knight's majesty. Though Gregor circles around targeting the left flank, the horse's four legs follow the movent, and the insufficient angle is filled by the human waist's rotation.

This adds rotational force to the spear blade, leading to an even more powerful strike, and despite deflecting it with a round shield, an ominous sound echoes.

'Distinguishing the neural accelerator's level is aningless. I should consider it essentially the sa grade or about half a grade ahead.'

Indeed, that's right.

The Knight doesn't simply stop at swinging. Every movent is intentional and lethal. And with precisely woven techniques, the flow of attacks itself appears nearly perfect.

Because of this, Gregor cannot easily penetrate into the enemy's attack range.

'I've read the basic pattern, so I'll enter the attack range. Yes, I need to go inside.'

Calix has no hesitation or fear.

He simply needed, even in this situation, to read the enemy's attack thod, simultaneously find points to learn, and have the small courage to imdiately apply them.

'Well-woven techniques make up for differences in ability. The Dance of the Wasteland should be no different.'

Pahaak!

Once he takes the first step, the next naturally connects to a thrusting motion.

The first chapter of the Dance of the Wasteland, Sand Serpent's Fang.

A fast and precise thrust, at the end of which he lightly twists his wrist to add rotational force.

Kaang!

"Tsk, this bastard!"

Though it was blocked by the Baron's spear shaft, it bought Gregor ti to catch his breath.

"You make things troubleso!"

However, receiving the enemy's counterattack requires considerable strain.

According to what he learned, he should continue the attack with the strongly descending 'Eagle's Fall', but instead he's busy retreating from the fierce power carried in the spear tip.

'Tsk, I need to retreat according to what I learned too.'

'Pouch Rat's Leap' and 'Wolf's Footsteps' - even the forms of retreat are difficult to perform correctly.

[Request Confird]

[Output increase to 1.9x]

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Even when Gregor again drew the enemy's attention and forcibly raised the neural accelerator's output, nothing changed.

To draw the enemy's attention, one must be threatening.

If he cannot accomplish that, he's nothing but a burden to his allies.

Whiik! Kwaang!

"The rat bastard dodges well. I'll kill you soon."

"......"

It's possible to stop ti and read the enemy's movents in advance to narrowly avoid them, but like this, he won't be of much help.

'Repeating aningless attacks is foolish. Then is it enough to just buy ti until the Captain arrives?'

Calix shakes his head.

He might be able to get through this fight, but if he wants to beco stronger, he shouldn't do that.

'There must be desperation.'

The courage to take risks to beco stronger. Yet without being emotional, he must move with rational judgnt.

And when those two choices rge in his heart, Calix's swordsmanship talent blooms once again.

Shuwaaaaak!

"Huh?!"

It's not a trendously excellent attack.

Since it was an attack that penetrated a gap, his posture was utterly sloppy, and the next movent reacting to the Baron's counterattack also deviated from the learned sequence.

Pulleok!

The third movent of the Dance of the Wasteland.

'Pouch Rat's Leap' - crossing legs to the side and escaping.

'Gregor said it would be advisable to link this with the thrusting Sand Serpent's Fang.'

But he erases the option of continuing with a thrust from his mind.

Calix learned directly from the enemy before his eyes.

Despite having a neural accelerator one level lower, through profound spear techniques and equipnt he could handle like limbs, he gained the upper hand over Gregor.

Then-

'I'm no different. I also have hands and feet, and the swordsmanship called Dance of the Wasteland. There's no need to obsess over small branches like the order of attack and retreat, or deploying swordsmanship. Even if it's a bit clumsy, it's fine. What's important is occupying space. By attacking and retreating at the right ti, to......Steal the opponent's space.'

This is what talent is.

What would take an ordinary rcenary dozens of crossings between life and death to realize, sothing that makes one reach conclusions through a single experience and contemplation and translate them into action.

And the person who first felt that change was none other than the fake Knight before his eyes.

***

The Baron realizes that at so point, he's been looking back more often.

"These damn bastards!!"

It happened again now.

Just as he was about to thrust his spear at the old man, soone jumps in from behind. Unlike before, his target is not the Baron.

The Baron's beloved horse, Kartang, lifts its rear hooves to kick in defense. At that mont, the wicked rat bastard lowers his upper body and takes a posture as if to penetrate even deeper.

Startled by this, Kartang quickly steps aside, and the spear blade aid at the old man uselessly sweeps through empty air.

"This damn rat-"

Kaang!

What's even more annoying is that this cunning bastard gives no ti to rest.

Calix, who instantly circled to the right side, doesn't take his eyes off the horse even while crossing paths with Gregor.

Anyway, the two are one body.

The Baron is the horse, and the horse is the Baron, so delivering a ssage to just one side is sufficient.

'Are you going to attack? This side is space I dominate. I won't just stand by and watch. If you really want to follow your master's orders...... You should also be prepared to die.'

Purureu, pureureureu-!

"Oh my! This fellow!"

When the warhorse, feeling threatened for the first ti, moves against its master's will, Calix jumps into the enemy's attack range as if he had been waiting.

While Gregor charges straight ahead, he advances diagonally to the right flank.

Ta-ang!

The spear blade blocked by the shield quickly returns toward him, but he deflects it with 'Sand Dune's Whirlpool' - a large sword sweep. Soon, he turns his upper body to escape and draws the broken spear blade from his waist.

Puuuk!

Hihihihing-!

A proper direct hit.

As the spear blade penetrates the armor gap, the skin near the joint, the horse ignores the Baron's instructions and keeps backing up.

"This bastard, this fellow-!"

"Gregor! Calix!"

Just then, parting the bushes, two familiar faces appear. Captain Royce and Hadiya. With this, the battlefield's balance completely collapses.

It was right then that the Baron decided to flee.

Ireot!

"Kheuh, that I should run away......!"

Gregor and Calix almost simultaneously jump in to block the path, but this too was well anticipated.

'I can't shake them all off. Then......'

Kwaeng!

The Baron swings his iron spear at the stronger opponent to push him away, then spurs toward the other side of the forest to escape.

He should have fled long ago - he misjudged.

"No! We must catch him!"

"......Calix! You-"

Taak!

Just as the magic stone embedded in the horse armor draws up the remaining magic power to its limit to add speed, Calix grabs the handle of the spear blade he had earlier driven into the horse's joint area and leaps up.

Wajik!

Pureureureu-!

The spear blade is now permanently unusable, but thanks to it, he grabs onto the Baron's armor and settles behind the saddle.

"Th, this......"

Whiik, whiiing!

Kwaaaaaak!

The eerie sound of cutting air is the Baron's struggle to shake off the unwelco guest, and the tightening sound cos from Calix's forearm wrapped around his nape.

However, Calix soon realizes that choking is futile. The armor's designer had prepared for this in advance.

The two n engage in a death struggle on the back of an uncontrolled horse.

Whuk, kwaaaak!

Tang-! Taang!

The advantage in strength belongs to the Baron, while the positional advantage belongs to Calix. The Baron throws away his spear cast from solid iron and imdiately draws a dagger from his waist to swing it.

Calix reads the neural network's signals and cleverly only twists the path.

Puuuk!

Purureu, hihihing!

As the dagger penetrating the saddle digs into the horse's spine, the beast's four legs gain even more speed, completely escaping control.

Chaereuk, peok!

Deureureureu!

Kwaaaak!

Continuously, with neither side having advantage, they run straight ahead for so ti.

While the two n's arms cross, presenting a spectacle inferior even to a street brawl, the warhorse Kartang, trained in the royal stables, faithfully continued forward even as the forest disappeared and the river approached right before them.

Cheombeong! Cheombeong!

Chwaak, chwaaaaak!

The water rises to knee level, deepens enough to wet their napes, and finally, until they lose their body's center due to the current's force.

"Wh, when did we get to such a deep place......"

"......"

"N, no! Turn back! I said turn back!"

Chwaaaaak! Pungdeong!

Considering the weight of the horse armor, the survival probability was virtually nil, but that was precisely loyalty toward the master.

And a short while later,

Chwaaa-

Heoeok, heoeok, huuu......

The river surface parts and a male with pure white skin erges.

Though the leather armor beca heavy from absorbing water, and the opponent desperately held onto him trying to make him a companion in death, his long experience as a diver decided the outco.

Tadadadak!

[Calix-!]

Soon from far away, Hadiya's voice echoes.

Teolssok!

Calix lies down by the riverside and opens his clenched right fist.

As befitting soone from a mining background, inside the long glass bottle, a liquid emitting brilliant light was sloshing about.