Chapter 129

“Hey, guys. Something’s coming up.”

The first to notice the strange sign was Park Chaerin, who was coming up from the very back.

And when they realized it was Kato Mikane with a menacing momentum, the Super Sylph players tensed up.

“It’s Kato!”

The moment Hwang Jua cried out as if she were looking at a monster, the fans grew tense as well.

-We’re screwed. Kato’s after us.

-Damn it, wasn’t she out of it for a second?

-I guess she recovered;;

-Ah, this is making me nervous.

-We can do this. It’s just Kato by herself, anyway.

-Kato’s a monster who can get a team wipe;;

-Shut up! Stop saying jinxed stuff and cheer them on!

While the Super Sylph fans were worrying, a mid-range shot flew in.

Kato had switched her weapon and launched a Rifle attack.

Startled, Park Chaerin hastily dodged, but because of that, Hwang Jua was hit instead with a cry of “Ack!”

-Holy shit!

-Oh no;;

One player retired in an instant.

Shin Aram calmly ordered a counterattack.

“Let’s counterattack. We’re in zero gravity, so her mobility is down too.”

While Shin Aram aimed her Shield toward Kato and prepared to counterattack, Park Chaerin ordered one person to go up.

“We’ll buy time, so one person open the door. Who’s going up?”

At this, Seo Dami gave Jung Yunseul a look that said, I think it’s best if you go, and Jung Yunseul nodded, heading for the top floor.

After that, the battle resumed.

With Shin Aram on defense, Park Chaerin and Seo Dami positioned themselves behind her and began firing down.

In the zero-gravity vertical shaft of the Nicaea Research Lab, it was common for a player’s mobility to decrease.

That was why Shin Aram thought she could stop Kato with her allies’ attacks.

That is, until she witnessed the opponent’s insane mobility with her own eyes.

“No way.”

Kato Mikane dodged Park Chaerin’s lightning-fast shot, then dodged Seo Dami’s attack in succession.

Using the Tailwind Skill, she generated her own propulsion, performing the feat of adjusting her direction as if she were a bird in flight, even in zero gravity.

Feeling a sense of crisis, Shin Aram summoned a Bomb from behind her Shield and began the Setup process.

Since she had summoned it from behind her Shield, Kato wouldn’t be able to see it.

Her plan was to grab the enemy and Self-Destruct.

“I’ll block her.”

“Aram. Wouldn’t it be better to just stall for time…”

The moment Park Chaerin said that it seemed better to stall for time, Shin Aram kicked off the wall and shot toward Kato.

The more one hesitated with a plan like this, the lower the success rate.

Trusting her own judgment, Shin Aram rushed at Kato, deploying her Shield.

Watching Shin Aram rush at her with a Shield cast on her shield, Kato saw through her opponent’s plan.

‘Self-Destruct, is it?’

The problem was that it wasn’t easy to deal with.

Her Rifle’s Attack Power alone couldn’t completely take down her opponent, and if she fired a shockwave round, her own body would surely be pushed back by the impact.

Right now, she also had to consider the player who had run to the data room, so if the distance grew, it wouldn’t be easy to win.

‘Should I use Blink?’

If the opponent was planning a Self-Destruct Bomb attack anyway, there was no need to play along.

The best option was to get past her with Blink and force a Breakthrough, but the problem was the Mana consumption.

Right now, Kato was mapping out in her head how she could take down all her opponents.

A picture of her getting a Team Wipe with a limited amount of Mana.

‘It’s going to be tight…’

She had been continuously activating the Tailwind Skill while heading to the top floor, and just as she was thinking that it would be a bit tight to take care of three more players while also using Blink…

Sasaki Sena, who had caught up to her at some point, shouted to Kato.

“I’ll block her, so you go on up!”

Understanding her intention, Kato moved to the side of the passage, and Sasaki Sena rushed straight toward Shin Aram.

‘Damn it!’

Shin Aram’s expression hardened when she saw Sasaki Sena, but it was already too late.

The two were engulfed in the aftermath of the explosion, and the passage vibrated from the overlapping explosions and flames.

In that dizzying moment.

Park Chaerin calmly aimed her Muzzle at the flames.

It was to prepare for Kato, who could pop out at any moment.

And a moment later, the flames flared with a pop! and there was movement.

At this, Park Chaerin instinctively thought it was a Fake.

She was showing respect, thinking that a player of Kato Mikane’s caliber would surely do something like that.

‘Next! I’ll shoot what comes out next!’

Indeed, the first flicker in the flames was a Fake caused by Kato’s dummy Objective.

And soon, a second flicker rippled through the flames.

Park Chaerin pulled the Trigger without delay.

If she waited to confirm if it was the real one before shooting, she would be too late.

Park Chaerin had no choice but to trust her gut.

But it was an unbelievable consecutive Fake.

Having drawn out Park Chaerin’s shots twice with a dummy Objective, Kato burst through the flames and soared upward at a terrifying speed.

-She used a Fake twice?

-What a monster.

-Do it, Dami! Please!!!

Her figure, running up the wall, was like that of a ninja, and being able to move like this in zero gravity was thanks to a gravity Skill.

Kato Mikane, running on the wall with gravity laid upon it.

The moment the distance closed, Park Chaerin was certain she would be broken through.

It was close to a premonition.

“I’ll grab her! You know what I mean!”

“Yes!”

Park Chaerin and Seo Dami quickly exchanged words.

They had decided to tie up Kato’s feet with the sacrifice of one person.

If they could just take down Kato by any means necessary, they could win this game.

The two players, having exchanged glances, shot out toward Kato at the same time.

Seo Dami was loading her Rifle, while Park Chaerin was holding a load of Bombs.

“This is as far as you go!”

As Park Chaerin shouted and threw her body forward, Seo Dami deployed a TP Barrier behind her.

It was to prevent Kato from passing them and ignoring them.

But contrary to their expectations, Kato didn’t rush into Park Chaerin’s arms.

The moment the Spectators were startled, something incredible happened.

Activating her Object Teleportation Skill, Kato snatched the Bombs from Park Chaerin’s hands and threw them.

And the spot where those Bombs flew was right next to Seo Dami.

As Seo Dami’s Health Gauge was greatly depleted by the unexpected chain explosion, Park Chaerin let out a grunt and threw a punch.

A sharp sound came from the punch.

Unlike UA, Gaia was a game with a fair amount of Close-Quarters Combat.

As Park Chaerin had worn the national team mark there, her punches and kicks were bound to be on another level.

However, it wasn’t enough to take down Kato Mikane, whose Physical was enhanced by the Power of the Ley Line.

Kato dodged the incoming punch by slightly turning her head and landed a Counter, striking Park Chaerin’s Abdomen and chin in succession, causing an “Ugh!” to escape Park Chaerin’s lips.

It seemed like Park Chaerin would be sent flying.

But she showed her fighting spirit and succeeded in grabbing one of Kato’s arms.

And Seo Dami did not miss that opening.

Using the opening Park Chaerin had painstakingly created, Seo Dami unleashed a volley of shots.

Kato responded by deploying her Shield, then twisted her wrist to pull her arm free and kicked Park Chaerin.

The direction of that kick was also precisely in Seo Dami’s line of fire.

Kato, who had overcome the crisis by using Park Chaerin as a Shield, immediately returned fire.

Seo Dami and Park Chaerin’s remaining Stamina was depleted by the sharp shots.

The fans who had been cheering for Kamui shot up from their seats.

-She’s back! Kato!!

-That’s our Kato!

-Why were you like that when you can play this well!

-I’m just glad you’ve come to your senses now….

-I absolutely refuse to lose the championship to Korea!

-The championship belongs to Japan! Get out of the way!

The ones most pleased by Kato’s revival were, of course, the Japanese fans.

But her condition wasn’t as great as they thought.

Through this battle, both her Stamina and Mana gauges had dropped significantly.

The remaining amount was about one-third.

Kato thought it might be a difficult fight.

‘This is going to be close.’

Now there was one opponent left.

To catch Jung Yunseul, Kato Mikane continued to leap toward the upper floor.

‘What a monstrous person.’

Watching her teammates’ Portraits turn gray one by one, Jung Yunseul’s heart pounded.

She felt like she would throw up from the tension, wondering when Kato might attack from behind.

‘Will I be able to open the door in time?’

To open the data storage door, she had to focus on the Release kit, but no matter how many times she ran the Simulation in her head, it seemed the opponent would arrive faster.

Ultimately, she reached the conclusion that she had to fight.

Jung Yunseul turned her gaze down the passage.

You have to win when you can.

It was a principle Han Youngin always emphasized.

Because if you didn’t seize the opportunity when it was given, you could ruin the entire game.

And soon, she could see Kato flying toward her.

Her expression was terrifying.

‘How dare you trick me?’

With blazing eyes, Kato Mikane seemed to be saying just that.

And reading that gaze, Jung Yunseul racked her brain.

Even if she came up with her Stamina and Mana almost completely depleted, Kato was a fearsome opponent.

To press her advantage in Mana, Jung Yunseul used her Clone Skill.

A Skill that could even replicate a portion of her Attack Power depending on how much Mana she invested.

The moment Jung Yunseul split into two and projected Firepower, Kato kicked off the wall and stuck to the opposite wall.

Jung Yunseul displayed her Concentration at this moment, immediately shifting her Muzzle to follow, but Kato’s dash was one step faster.

It felt like she was moving without giving her time to process it with her head.

Kato Mikane was closing the distance.

Thinking she would be instantly shattered if Kato got close, Jung Yunseul used the Tailwind Skill and took a Backstep.

But the distance steadily decreased.

It was impossible to slow her down with the Clone.

Like a thunderbolt, Kato drew a pistol from her hip and dispersed the Clone with a Headshot.

It was a difficult play, using a Rifle in one hand and a pistol in the other.

At this, Jung Yunseul switched her weapon from a Rifle to a pistol, firing suppressive shots with the pistol in her left hand while drawing a Lightsaber with her right.

The opponent’s Mana was also hitting rock bottom.

Thinking that Kato Mikane would engage in Close-Quarters Combat, she prepared to settle the match.

‘If Kato’s Mana is at rock bottom, she’ll have to come in close anyway.’

To settle the match with a firefight, she would need enough Mana to use a Shield, but since Kato Mikane’s Mana was low, she would definitely opt for a Lightsaber Close-Quarters Combat.

Jung Yunseul could predict this without difficulty.

If it were an ordinary UA player, their Swordsmanship skills wouldn’t be up to par, so the option of Close-Quarters Combat wouldn’t even exist, but Kato Mikane had already shown in Set 2 that her Swordsmanship was also top-notch.

And soon, just as she had predicted.

Kato Mikane charged in with a face full of rage.

She had thrown away the Rifle she had been using until now and was in the same armed state as Jung Yunseul, a sword in one hand and a pistol in the other.

Looking at Kato’s venomous face, Jung Yunseul shouted loudly, partly to ease her own tension.

“You look pretty pissed off!”

“You tricked me!”

“When did I!”

A do-or-die battle.

Jung Yunseul loaded her pistol with the Lightning of Purification and aimed for a Slow on her opponent first.

Since the Lightning of Purification imbued the attack itself with lightning, there was no way for the opponent to avoid the effect other than to dodge it completely.

Kato Mikane frowned at Jung Yunseul’s choice.

It was the most effective attack that could be used against her, who was out of Mana.

It would have been great to dodge the attack with Blink or evade with Acceleration, but her Mana was already at rock bottom.

Inevitably, Kato had no choice but to swing her Lightsaber and parry the opponent’s attack, but an attack imbued with lightning was enough to transmit the Slow effect even when parried.

Kato’s speed noticeably dropped.

However, the overall speed of Jung Yunseul and Kato was still similar.

Jung Yunseul had used Acceleration, but Kato Mikane had compensated for her lack of speed with a Ley Line Boost.

And so, the Close-Quarters Swordsmanship duel came to be.

Jung Yunseul broke out in a cold sweat.

Her Stamina was being chipped away even though her opponent wasn’t using Acceleration.

The cause was the pistol shots Kato was landing in between.

Jung Yunseul had also mixed pistol shots into her Swordsmanship, but those attacks were all blocked by the opponent’s double-bladed sword, whereas Kato’s attacks were landing squarely on Jung Yunseul’s body.

It was fortunate she had more Mana; if she hadn’t been able to use her Shield, this fight would have ended in Kato’s victory long ago.

‘She’s a truly amazing player.’

Jung Yunseul couldn’t help but admire her opponent’s skill.

Kato Mikane was pushing her to the end, even though her Mana was almost gone and she couldn’t use Acceleration.

If her Oppa’s life hadn’t been on the line.

If this hadn’t been a match she had to win by any means necessary.

Jung Yunseul might have already been broken.

‘But not today! I’m going to save my Oppa!’

The obsession that she must win.

Just as Jung Yunseul was showing her fighting spirit with strong resolve, Kato unleashed a lightning-fast thrust.

It was an attack aimed at a vital point, thrusting toward her neck in the blink of an eye.

In that moment, a spark flew in Jung Yunseul’s mind, and a faint memory surfaced.

A memory as vivid as if it had just happened a moment ago.

<This is a technique you’ll almost never use in a real match, but…>

It was a Swordsmanship technique Han Youngin had taught her in passing one day in the past.

The reason he taught it in passing was because it was a situation that would rarely occur in a real match.

<It’s a technique you can use when an opponent attacks with a Lightsaber, either with an overhead strike or a frontal thrust.>

In a UA match, it was rare to see a situation where players clashed sword-to-sword.

If such situations were common, wouldn’t UA have become a Swordsmanship game instead of a shooting game?

Therefore, investing a lot of time assuming such a situation would be inefficient training, and Han Youngin had only let the players know that such a thing existed in passing.

<Usually, Lightsabers don’t have a Cross-Guard.>

“What’s a Cross-Guard?”

<I’m talking about the cross-shaped part that sticks out above the hilt.>

“Ah, this? I didn’t know it was called a Cross-Guard.”

Jung Yunseul nodded and tapped the Cross-Guard part with her finger.

Many UA Users used Lightsabers as a secondary weapon, but they typically used a straight sword with a hilt that extended directly into the blade, a form without a Cross-Guard.

There were probably various reasons for this, but it could be because the form of a Lightsaber that people generally think of is a straight line, or it could be because the Cross-Guard itself wasn’t very helpful.

<Lightsabers rarely have a Cross-Guard, but originally, a sword is a weapon that usually has one. It’s to prevent your fingers from getting hurt by an opponent’s attack during battle.>

“This protects my fingers?”

<It’s also called a tsubazeriai…>

When pushing against an opponent with blades locked to attack their hand, the Cross-Guard served to stop the opponent’s blade from getting any closer.

However, in UA, the Attack Power of a Lightsaber was so strong that it could slice through metal, so the Cross-Guard was practically meaningless.

The Cross-Guard itself was a useless structure.

“Then isn’t this just for decoration? Why did you recommend this, Oppa…”

<I’ll explain the reason now.>

Han Youngin had recommended a Cross-Guard type Lightsaber to both Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul and explained why.

<When we have Mana, how do we block an opponent’s attack?>

“By using Acceleration or deploying a Shield.”

<Right. But the principle of a Shield is basically erecting a wall made of Mana, right?>

“Yes.”

<Then what if we invest Mana to create a covering on the Cross-Guard as well? Wouldn’t it gain enough Defense Power to block a Lightsaber attack?>

“Aha?”

Creating Defense Power to withstand an opponent’s attack by coating the Cross-Guard with Mana.

As per Han Youngin’s instructions, Jung Yunseul formed a Barrier on the Cross-Guard along with a thin film.

“What’s next?”

Next, Han Youngin asked Seo Dami to perform a motion of striking Jung Yunseul’s head.

Since it was practice, it was a slow, deliberate motion, not a fast one.

<At this point, move your body to the side and catch the opponent’s attack on your Cross-Guard. The tip of my sword should be facing outward. That’s right.>

“Yes.”

<Yes. And then, after lifting it, you can rotate the sword with your wrist and hit the opponent’s head.>

“So I’m getting a Headshot with a sword?”

<That’s about right.>

“But if the opponent uses their strength, won’t I be unable to lift the sword?”

<If your strength is similar, that would be the case. That’s why you need to be stronger than your opponent to use this technique. Or you could temporarily increase your Muscular Strength with the Strength Skill.>

“Uh… But that would cost Mana. Isn’t it more advantageous to just gain a Physical advantage with Acceleration?”

<That’s right. That’s why it’s not a very practical technique for real combat.>

It’s rare to see two players duel with Swordsmanship, but even then, to successfully use this technique, the opponent must make a linear attack like a thrust or an overhead strike, and you need superior Muscular Strength to lift their sword.

Jung Yunseul could finally understand why Han Youngin had told her to just be vaguely aware of the technique.

It was a technique she might never get to use, no matter how hard she practiced.

Where on earth did he learn something like this?

Curious about its origins, Jung Yunseul asked.

Han Youngin then explained that after learning the sword from Kim Seunga a long time ago, he had become interested in Swordsmanship himself and taught himself the technique.

<Still, it’s a technique with quite a bit of tradition, you know? It’s a cutting Counter that’s long existed in Western Swordsmanship. But since it’s not very practical… you don’t need to force yourself to memorize it. It’ll be enough to just know that something like this exists.>

“Yes.”

After that, the cutting Counter seemed to be forgotten from the players’ minds.

Both Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul.

Although they would repetitively practice even the most trivial things Han Youngin taught them so as not to forget, this technique was so rarely used.

It was a fact that even Pro Gamers couldn’t help but naturally forget techniques they didn’t use.

But now!

At this very moment, as Kato launched a thrust.

The practice from back then came to her mind in vivid detail.

Jung Yunseul layered her Mana over her Cross Guard and simultaneously activated her Strength Skill.

Then, as she lifted her sword, sparks flew from the Cross Guard, blocking Kato Mikane’s attack.

In that instant, Kato was horrified.

‘Chikusho!’

Han Youngin and Jung Yunseul may not have known, but Kato was already familiar with this technique.

A similar technique already existed in the Japanese kendo style that Kato had adopted as her Swordsmanship motto.

Startled, Kato put more force into her sword to prevent giving her opponent an opening, but her physical strength was insufficient.

She was a Super Sylph who had trained her Stamina with utmost diligence, but with the Strength Skill unilaterally cast on one side, a difference in power was inevitable.

A lack of Mana.

The Mana she had depleted while scoring three kills earlier was now holding Kato Mikane back.

‘Haa… So the ghost finally…’

Before she could even finish her thought, Jung Yunseul’s overhead strike hit Kato.

Kato Mikane couldn’t hide the look of futility on her face.

Jung Yunseul, on the other hand, just stared with wide, rabbit-like eyes at Kato, who was turning into light and disappearing.

It seemed even she was only half-convinced that her attack would actually succeed.

After about three seconds of silence passed.

Even before the Spectators, Jung Yunseul clenched both her fists and let out a roar of victory.

It was a joy of victory that surged up from the depths of her heart.

“I won-!!!”

All the Spectators in the World Stadium rose to their feet, erupting in a Cheer at the scene of this incredible upset.

It was the same for Han Youngin, who had been watching the match nervously from his hospital room.

“Oh my, Youngin!”

Seeing his son, who hadn’t even fully recovered, try to stand up with a cry of “Kyahoot!” only to fall over, his father was startled and helped him up.

“You can’t push yourself yet!!!”

“Ah, I’m sorry, Father. I was just so happy. I’m just so happy…”

Having defeated Kato Mikane, Jung Yunseul finally arrived at her destination and opened the data room.

Victory in battle.

As the Battlefield was released, amidst the Cheers pouring down from above her head, Jung Yunseul made a V-sign with her fingers for the camera.

“Super Sylph~! A great victory!”

-A great victory!

-A great victory!

-A great victory!!!

Kamui, who had been predicted to be the strongest contender for the championship in this tournament.

This was the moment that Super Sylph finally achieved victory against such a powerful foe.