Starting With SSS-rank: I Get A New Skill Every Livestream

Chapter 259: Done and dusted

"Haah... haah..."

Kyle panted heavily, his hands braced against his knees as his back remained hunched.

His vision blurred, and the world swayed around him as he struggled to stay on his feet.

"You’ve gotten far too comfortable relying on that parry technique of mine," Hashu said, casually tossing the wooden sword aside.

The last time Kyle had trained here, Hashu had remained purely on the defensive, allowing him to attack as much as he wanted while searching for even the smallest gap in the man’s flawless guard.

Today was different.

For the first time, Hashu had attacked.

Well, "attack" was a generous description. It had been nothing more than a casual backhanded smack. It hurt Kyle’s pride far more than his body, but the fact remained.

Hashu had decided to fight back today.

"What happened?" Kyle asked, wiping the sweat from his face.

Hashu folded his arms across his chest.

"Just because you’ve become good at one thing doesn’t mean you should forget everything else."

He let out a disapproving huff before continuing.

"You became so obsessed with parrying or blocking my attacks that you left yourself completely exposed, expecting me to make the first move. What kind of foolish thinking is that?"

Kyle frowned.

"Did I really do that?"

Hashu didn’t bother answering. The look on his face alone screamed, Do I look like I’m joking?

After a brief silence, he unfolded his arms.

"Let me tell you something interesting about parrying."

He stepped closer.

"It’s an excellent technique when you’re at a disadvantage, when you’re struggling to seize the initiative. It frustrates your opponent, forces them to overcommit, and eventually tempts them into making a mistake."

He stopped directly in front of Kyle.

"However..."

His eyes narrowed.

"When your opponent is on your level, or even weaker, keep your ability to block and divert attacks hidden for as long as possible."

Without warning, Hashu’s fist shot toward Kyle’s face.

Kyle instinctively raised an arm to intercept it.

The moment their arms met, Hashu smoothly redirected the block with almost no effort. His clenched fist unfolded into an open hand that slipped through Kyle’s defense and wrapped around his throat.

A grin spread across Hashu’s face.

"Choose your approach as carefully as you choose your enemy, Kyle. Sometimes, the battle is won long before either side has to fight seriously."

.....

Hashu’s words resurfaced in Kyle’s mind.

Now he understood.

That was why, despite being surrounded and attacked from every direction, he wasn’t panicking or using his skill to blast everyone away.

His goal wasn’t to overpower them.

It was to frustrate them.

Myuri: [This is unfair and yet I can’t stop watching. Go, Kyle. Crush their skulls and claim your victory!]

Tharos: [Kyle...so cool...]

WarHorse: [Bahaha! That’s my brother!]

The amusement wasn’t felt by the students.

"Ha!" Ren roared, driving a punch straight toward Kyle’s stomach.

Kyle calmly slapped Ren’s wrist aside just inches from his body.

The sudden change in momentum pulled Ren forward, forcing him to bend at the waist.

It was a perfect opening for a counterattack.

But Kyle ignored it.

Another strike was already descending toward the back of his head.

Swish!

He ducked beneath the twin-tailed girl’s powerful kick. In the same motion, he caught her by the ankle, spun, and flung her straight toward the boy charging at him.

"Ah!"

The two collided and stumbled across the ground; and one of them didn’t got back up.

"Don’t take us for a joke!" Ethan roared.

He exploded forward, unleashing a relentless combination.

An elbow toward Kyle’s face.

A punch at his stomach.

A kick aimed for his knee.

Three attacks in barely half a second.

Yet every single one was calmly deflected.

Each parry robbed Ethan of his balance and rhythm until his own momentum carried him off-center.

He staggered back with a growl.

Then he exchanged a glance with Ren.

The two nodded.

Without another word, they charged together.

Myuri: [Look at these fu#£&#! Stop ganging up on him, #£@#@!]

Tharos: [Rude. Shall perish.]

Ignoring their comments, Kyke focused on the incoming onslaught. His eyes sharpened.

God’s Eye activated instantly, every movement unfolding before him with perfect clarity.

Ren went low. Ethan went high. Not by accident but coordinated practice. The kind of combo you drilled a hundred times until your body stopped asking permission.

Ren’s shoulder dropped, driving forward for a tackle aimed at Kyle’s hips.

Ethan’s arm cocked back, a straight punch loaded for the split second Kyle’s guard would drop to deal with Ren.

Textbook tactics but clean when executed well. Exactly the kind of thing that worked on someone without God’s Eye.

Kyle pivoted on his heel.

Ren’s shoulder slid past where his hip used to be, and Kyle’s palm caught the back of his neck, guiding him forward instead of stopping him.

Momentum did the rest. Ren stumbled two extra steps he never meant to take.

Ethan’s punch arrived a heartbeat later, right where Kyle’s face should have been.

Except Kyle was already gone, ducked low, weight shifted onto his back leg.

The fist cut air.

Kyle’s palm found Ethan’s forearm and shoved it wide, redirecting instead of blocking. No wasted force.

Ethan’s whole body twisted with it, off balance for exactly the amount of time Kyle needed.

Before Ethan could turn, Kyle speared his knee into his stomach, causing him to gag and stumble back.

Ren recovered, snarling, and threw a hook aimed at Kyle’s ribs. Ethan, still stumbling, kicked out low toward his ankle at the same instant, some silent signal passing between them, timed to the half second.

Two attacks. One window.

Kyle read both paths glowing faint in his vision before either fist or foot fully committed.

He stepped back, just outside the hook’s reach, and lifted his knee to eat the low kick instead of his ankle. Didn’t hurt much.

Ren’s fist swept through empty space.

"Tch!" Ren bit down a curse and reset his stance.

Ethan didn’t waste time on frustration. He adjusted immediately, feinting a jab before dropping into a sweep, trying to take Kyle’s legs out from under him while he was still recovering his footing.

Kyle simply hopped the sweep, weightless for a second, and used the momentum to snap a light kick into Ethan’s shoulder mid-fall.

But that weight behind the kick definitely hurt him as the boy lay on the ground clutching his shoulder.

Kyle turned towards Ren, hesitation clear in the young one’s eyes.

Exhaling a sigh, Kyle stepped forward.

Just then, Mary charged at him, successfully locking his waist with both her arms.

The second girl jumped on his shoulder and locking her arms around his head.

And then, they cried in unison, "Charge!"

Ren didn’t need to be told twice.

He sprinted forward and lifted his left leg.

Kyle saw it coming.

If it hits, by someone as heavy as Ren, it would surely hurt.

He changed the tactics and allowed the first student to get real hurt .

*DHAK*

"Guh!" Mary cried.

It happened so suddenly that no one actually registered what happened.

Kyle had actually twirled like a ballet with both girls holding him. And with that trajectory aimed low, Ren’s kick landed squarely on the back of Mary’s head.

She loosened her arms and stumbled back.

Kyle held Annie’s arm before throwing her over his shoulder,

*Dhak*

"Auuu!" She winced in pain as she bounced once and then remained lying on the mat.

The last one standing was Ren.

Breathless, and spent.

While Kyle stood there without a speck of exhaustion on his face.

"Are you going to continue?" Kyle asked, folding his arms.

The boy bared his teeth.

"Till my last breath."

A pair of gauntlets materialized around his fists, forged from pure Genesis.

With a roar, Ren charged.

Kyle narrowed his eyes.

His right arm drew back while his left extended forward. A heartbeat later, a bow of shimmering Genesis manifested in his hands as though it had appeared from thin air.

Without hesitation, Ren continued his charge.

Even if he took the arrow head-on, he intended to land at least one hit.

Kyle let out a scoff.

"Foolish."

Instead of aiming at Ren, he lowered the bow and released.

The arrow slammed into the ground.

A blinding flash erupted.

Ren instinctively shut his eyes, but what truly startled him was the sudden heaviness spreading through his body.

His Genesis...

It had been suppressed.

His charge slowed to an uncontrollable slide before coming to a stop.

Confusion filled his face.

But confusion did nothing to stop the fist hurtling toward him.

Dhak!

The punch buried itself in his stomach, driving every last bit of air from his lungs.

Ren’s eyes widened as his body folded over the blow.

Before he could collapse, Kyle caught him by the back and gently lowered him onto the ground.

Silence fell over the battlefield.

Five students lay scattered around Kyle, each one completely incapable of continuing the fight.

°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. Drop a comment.