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

Chapter 269: You annoy me

[Stats:

Strength: 58

Speed: 65

Endurance: 57

Intelligence: 51]

Kyle had appraised the creature the instant it appeared, the blaring alarm in his mind warning him of the danger it posed. That was why he knew the truth.

Not only was the creature stronger than him, it was also significantly faster.

And yet...

Swing

Its claw stopped just short of his shoulder as Kyle pivoted, tilting his head aside to evade the follow-up strike by the narrowest margin.

The creature clasped both hands together and brought them crashing toward his head.

Kyle slid backward, intending to counter.

No.

He had seen it.

His arm shot up just in time to block the kick that had been aimed squarely at his chest.

The impact forced him several steps back, the air exploding from his lungs.

But his eyes never left the creature.

It refused to relent.

A razor-sharp slash shot toward the base of his neck.

Swish

Kyle swept his right hand diagonally backward, guiding the strike past him until it sliced through empty air.

Without missing a beat, the creature twisted its arm, redirecting the attack into a horizontal sweep.

Kyle ducked beneath it.

Another attack followed instantly.

Its knee rocketed toward his chin.

Kyle raised both hands and caught the strike just a breath away from his face, the impact jolting through his arms.

They remained locked in place for a brief moment before the creature suddenly growled and grabbed Kyle by the head.

Kyle didn’t panic.

His arms swept outward, and two spears materialized in his hands mid-motion, weapons that hadn’t existed even a heartbeat earlier.

SQUELCH

The twin spearheads plunged into the creature from both sides.

It let out a pained groan and released him.

Kyle didn’t press the attack. Instead, he staggered backward, grateful that the exchange had left him with nothing more than a shallow scratch.

The two stood facing each other once again.

The spear heads vanished into nothingness as Kyle recalled them.

Barely a minute had passed.

Yet more than fifty attacks had already been exchanged.

No.

That wasn’t entirely true.

Only one of them had been attacking.

Kyle had spent the entire battle defending.

His heightened reflexes were the only reason he was still standing. With God’s Eye slowing every movement to a level he could perceive, he was barely able to judge each strike and react in time.

This wasn’t a battle.

It was a desperate struggle to survive.

"You are strong," Kyle admitted, his breathing growing unnaturally heavy.

Not because of the suffocating Absence.

But because of the overwhelming difference in speed and combat experience.

The devil narrowed its eyes.

"So your eyes aren’t just for decoration," it said. "I see."

It had already figured out why its attacks kept failing.

Its claw twitched, poised for another strike.

Kyle raised a hand.

"Wait a second. Answer something first."

The Knull resident clicked its tongue.

"Have you still not realized that I can’t tell you why I want you dead?"

Kyle shook his head.

"Not that. Why aren’t you using Spark against me?"

The creature rubbed its brow in irritation.

"Didn’t I already tell you? I sacrificed my magic to create this cage."

"Even Spark?" Kyle asked, his eyebrows rising. "That’s unfortunate."

Or perhaps fortunate for the being.

If the creature still had Spark, Kyle would have ended this the moment the battle began by deactivating Genesis and letting Golden Limb take over.

Without realizing it, the demon had stripped Kyle of his greatest advantage.

Now, he had no choice but to rely solely on his own skills.

The creature raised both hands, a savage growl rumbling from its throat.

"This time, I’m taking your eyes."

Kyle nodded.

"Let’s see you tr..."

His voice died in his throat.

The creature had practically teleported in front of him, one razor-sharp claw already inches away from his left eye.

Kyle’s hand moved before his mind could even process the attack.

With a simple swat, he knocked the claw off its intended course.

Shlink

The strike skimmed past the side of his head, carving a shallow line and drawing blood.

Kyle ignored the stinging pain.

He ducked beneath the next attack.

The creature had become completely relentless.

Almost every second strike was aimed directly at his eyes.

A palm thrust toward his throat was deflected, only for a claw to thrust toward his left eye socket the very next instant.

Kyle ducked.

Rolled.

Parried.

Evaded.

He did everything he could to stay alive.

Outside the barrier, Veronica could barely follow the exchange.

The two figures had become blurs, their movements too fast for her eyes to track.

Yet one thing was painfully obvious.

They were both moving even faster than before.

"How is Kyle... moving like that?"

She had seen him fight before.

She knew he possessed enough strength to defeat Ghouls, placing him at least on par with Layena. Combined with his armament and his ability to block Absence-infused attacks, he might have even surpassed an ordinary First Grade.

But what she was witnessing now...

It was beyond anything she could comprehend.

The enemy Kyle was matching.

The speed of the attacks he was avoiding.

None of it belonged to the realm of a First Grade.

Not even close.

He was even faster than her.

"How in the world..."

Veronica could only stare in stunned admiration until the exchange finally came to a halt.

Then her eyes widened.

Kyle’s condition came into full view.

Blood trickled from the side of his head, his nose, and his temple. Countless cuts covered his body, injuries she hadn’t even noticed while the battle had raged at such impossible speed.

Her heart clenched.

Kyle was clearly reaching his limit after forcing himself to keep pace with the demon’s relentless assault.

"Hmm. Not so defensive now," the Special Grade mocked, not a hint of exhaustion visible on its face.

Kyle narrowed his eyes, silently assessing his condition.

His wounds weren’t healing as they should beneath the moonlight.

The Absence coating the creature’s attacks was likely suppressing his regeneration.

Nor could he sever his connection with Genesis and allow Golden Limb to restore him.

The instant he did, the creature standing before him would tear his head from his shoulders.

"Looks like I don’t have another choice."

A green lantern suddenly appeared above Kyle’s head.

It glowed with an ethereal radiance, its emerald light cascading over his body.

One by one, the cuts across his skin began to close, as though erased by an invisible hand.

The inhuman creature narrowed its eyes.

"As I thought... you’re far too dangerous to be left alive."

Absence surged around its body once more.

This time, it was denser.

A final push.

So oppressive that Kyle briefly wondered if the creature intended to break its vow and resort to sorcery after all.

He fixed his gaze on the demon, every muscle coiled and ready to respond to whatever came next.

Then Veronica’s voice rang out from beyond the barrier.

"Just a few more minutes, Kyle! Help is on the way!"

Kyle’s shoulders eased ever so slightly at those words.

But then...

[Ding! Viewer <SnakeQueen> has assigned a quest.]

[Quest: Defeat the vermin without any reinforcement.]

[Reward: ???]

The demon exploded forward.

Its claw shot toward Kyle’s chest with terrifying speed.

Veronica’s eyes flew open, her lips parting in shock at the sudden burst of movement.

Kyle wasn’t even in a position to defend himself.

The creature smiled.

Its claw reached Kyle’s chest unopposed, filling it with the certainty that this strike would finally end the battle.

However...

CLANG

The instant its claw struck Kyle’s body, it bent backward as though it had collided with an indestructible wall.

The devil’s eyes widened.

Not just because its attack had failed.

But because an overwhelming instinct screamed inside its mind.

Every survival instinct it possessed merged into a single command.

Run.