Chapter 537: The Calm before the Storm [2]
Among them was a middle-stage Four-Star Evolver positioned five pillars away from Moon’s. He was among those who ranked in the top twenty of the last round.
He was no weakling, with a Ranger class. A hybrid archer class that combined long-range offense with support utilities. As a ranger, he didn’t need to worry about leaving his pillar undefended during an attack.
The ranger’s eyes locked onto Moon from across the grid.
’He has to be faking it.’
No matter how many attribute points a mage invested into their mana stat, no normal Evolver could activate three high-level runes consecutively without significant backlash.
The mana cost was too steep.
Yet, Moon just stood there calmly.
’That’s the strongest tell. The lack of strain is the proof of how dangerous he actually is. If I let him recover his mana, the later portions of this stage will be a nightmare. If I hit him now, I might be the one who knocks him out of the tournament entirely, or at least shows other competitors that he is weaker than they think.’
The ranger raised his bow.
His mana flowed into the weapon, the arrow he nocked beginning to glow with energy. This wasn’t an ordinary shot.
He was charging a Skill Shot, a Ranger specialty with raw piercing force. Once released, the arrow would follow its target through evasive manoeuvres.
If Moon was running low, he wouldn’t be able to spare the mana for an effective counter. The arrow would hit his pillar, or him, or both.
’This is the play. Take the gamble. If I’m wrong about his mana state, the worst case is one wasted arrow. If I’m right, I become the man who ended Moon Outlaw’s run.’
The stakes were high, but so were the rewards for ending the tournament’s frontrunner.
The ranger had been planning this shot since the moment Moon used his second rune.
The third rune had only confirmed it.
He drew the bowstring back to full tension. The arrow’s tracking effect locked onto Moon. He held the shot for another second, then he released.
~Whoosh~
The arrow rushed through the air at incredible speed, its mana-imbued tip cutting a streak of pale blue light across the gap between their pillars.
The tracking enchantment activated immediately, the projectile making minute adjustments to its trajectory as it followed Moon’s position.
Moon sensed the bloodlust directed towards him, his head snapped toward the incoming attack. He could see it moving through the air, the arrow changing paths subtly, drawing a near-invisible curved line of pale blue light across the open space between their pillars.
’Is he controlling it? It doesn’t seem like he’s actively channelling. His posture is too relaxed for a constant guidance skill.’
Moon studied the arrow’s behaviour as it closed the distance at rapid speed.
Moon shifted his body half a step to the left.
The arrow adjusted in mid-flight, tracking the change in his position.
’It’s locked onto my body. So it’s some sort of tracking skill.’
A small smile formed on his face.
A seeking projectile was useful against opponents who reacted defensively. Most fighters would try to evade the tracking by moving erratically, which only fed the enchantment more information about where to redirect.
The Skill Shot relied on its target panicking or their lack of knowledge about the skill.
It locked onto its target’s mana signature and adjusted continuously to follow them. The system was designed to defeat dodging, but it’s greatest power was also its greatest flaw.
Wherever the target went, the arrow followed.
Moon could have let his defensive runes handle it. They were already preparing to intercept. But using the runes meant burning some of their stored mana, depleting the very reserves he had carefully invested into the array. There was a better option available, and the cost of executing it was nothing.
Moon began moving his body.
He stepped sideways across his pillar. The arrow changed course, following his new position. He stepped again, drifting toward the edge of his pillar, then leaned slightly back. The arrow corrected again, its trajectory bending to maintain its lock.
Each motion he made was telling the arrow where to go. He led it along a curved path through the open air between the pillars.
He led it directly toward another competitor.
Just a few pillars over from the ranger, a young swordsman stood in a defensive stance, his blade raised, his attention fully focused on a different neighbour he had been exchanging blows with.
The arrow whistled into his blind spot.
The swordsman’s instincts screamed a fraction of a second before impact. He spun on pure reflex, his blade flashing upward in a desperate vertical slash.
The edge of his sword met the arrowhead with a sharp crack. Unfortunately, the slash wasn’t strong enough to handle the arrow fully; the sword could only redirect it subtly.
The arrow flew sideways and slammed into the side of his pillar with a heavy thud, embedding deep, taking a considerable chunk of its health.
The swordsman’s face grew pale.
He had almost been eliminated from a shot he never saw coming.
His head snapped around immediately, searching for the source. His eyes landed on the ranger, the only archer near him, and consequently the only one staring at him.
The ranger’s eyes widened.
The swordsman raised his sword. A bright arc of energy formed along the blade’s edge, a Sweeping Edge skill at full charge. He thrust the weapon forward, and the arc launched across the arena toward the ranger’s pillar in a streak of brilliant light.
The Sweeping Edge struck his hastily nocked arrows, scattering them on the floor. The remaining force carved a deep gash across the surface of his pillar before dissipating.
The ranger stumbled. His pillar’s durability dropped visibly on the overhead display. His own attack had created an enemy he hadn’t anticipated.
He turned his head toward Moon.
His expression was that of horror.
’He... he redirected my shot.’
The ranger’s mind raced as he tried to process what had just happened. As the owner of the skill, he naturally understood its flaw.
The tracking lock could be exploited if the target deliberately positioned themselves to put something else in the line of fire.
It was a known weakness. But the exploit wasn’t so easy to identify, at least not as easy as Moon made it look.
’In under two seconds. He saw my attack, identified it as a tracking arrow, found the flaw. Then chose a target, calculated the path needed to redirect the arrow. And he executed the entire sequence before the arrow reached hm.’
His grip on his bow tightened. The swordsman’s eyes were now squarely on him, and he had to deal with that immediately or he was in deep trouble.
’Who thinks that fast...!?’
The swordsman launched another Sweeping Edge.
The ranger raised his bow, responding with a defensive volley of his own, his attention forcibly pulled back to the immediate threat. He couldn’t afford to keep thinking about Moon right now. He had to survive the swordsman’s attack first.
But the fear had already taken root.
Across the arena, Moon stood calmly on his pillar.
♢♢♢♢
Somewhere in the city, hidden from sight of powerful figures. Baaron and Ian were watching the tournament’s feed through the screen.
The portal remained locked for now, they were waiting for the signal before rushing in. Their subordinates were also with them, ranging from Surpassers to powerful Evolvers.
They were a force of nature, a force that would certainly wreak havoc once unleashed.
’This kid...he is something else.’ Ian and Baaron both thought internally.
They wanted nothing but to shred him apart, reveal all his secrets and take whatever had made him so strong, so quickly.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t, they had other Ascenders to deal with. But it didn’t matter, they were each sending a veteran Surpasser to deal with the boy.
Two veteran Surpassers against one Evolver. The odds...were close to none.
No matter how strong the boy was, he was bound to fall as prey to such power.
Ian turned towards his own set of subordinates. Whilst he and Baaron were both part of the same organization. They both had their own loyal teams, working solely under their command.
"Prepare yourselves," Ian said to the whole group, before his eyes found one clad in pure black attire, his eyes cold as winter, "And you, do not underestimate the boy. Understand?"
The figure nodded his head once before closing his eyes.
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