Arena Finals (4)

[Infinity Arena Final – Match 2]

[Battlefield: Fairy Tree Great Forest]

[vs AT Kelberos(Dark Knight)]

It feels like I’m finally facing the opponent I had to face.

The ace of the prestigious European AT. The protagonist of a brilliant career.

The dark knight, considered the best even by global standards, stood in my way.

After the promised first ambush.

Crossing the deep blue forest – a knight riding a black horse charged.

It seems he thought to trample me with horse hooves quite gallantly.

I don’t have a taste for being crushed under that huge horse.

I rolled to avoid, towards the side holding the shield.

Just bringing the dagger close was enough to make the beast’s blood soak the field.

As the warhorse’s summon was canceled, Cerberus set foot on the ground again.

‘A sword instead of an axe. He’s compromised once.’

One of Cerberus’s two favorite weapons, the sword was chosen.

In terms of destructive power, the axe is undoubtedly superior.

Yet, the fact that he brought out the sword means he’s given up on the idea of overwhelming with pure physical power.

Our weapons touched for the first time.

As he was coming at full force, the momentum was different from the previous round.

I thought I hadn’t let him obtain any useful data.

Cerberus’s defense was much more solid and firm than I expected.

Yet, each strike still had weight to it.

It’s true that knight-class classes inherently have high strength.

But this is clearly a different realm from stats.

Without perfect striking points and sword paths, this much power wouldn’t come out.

The success judgment for parrying is longer the higher my defense, and shorter the stronger the attack I’m receiving.

With this level of power, I’ll have to overcome tricky timing.

Magic power with a dark purple hue spread as if dominating the surroundings.

The green vegetation of the great forest lost its vigor and withered, gradually turning black.

The flowers that bloomed again had bizarre appearances.

[‘Fierce Malice’ effect received.]

[This effect is stacked each time you are hit by the Dark Knight’s attacks.]

[You take enhanced damage proportional to the number of stacks.]

The dark knight is a class released as the exact opposite concept of the holy knight.

No ability to support allies. No self-healing ability.

Instead, it has a style of applying debuffs to enemies and finishing with aggressive skills.

That dark purple aura and ugly flowers were part of those debuffs.

Just approaching puts you in the range of the curse, and malice stacks accumulate.

It seems he usually favors defense buffs, but now it’s probably slowing.

If I fight for too long, my mobility will lose its strength.

Normally, this would drain magic power tremendously.

But this battlefield happens to be the Fairy Tree Great Forest. Magic power can be replenished as much as needed.

‘It’s a bit stifling.’

I can’t see any gap to dig into at all.

Perhaps conscious of the previous round, his lower defense has become quite solid, and his rear defense is watertight.

Even when I try aggressive exchanges leading with skills, he doesn’t easily comply.

I did manage to stab his sword-wielding wrist several times, but…

[‘Fierce Malice’ effect received.]

[Proportional to the number of stacks…]

[‘Nacht’s Curse’ effect received.]

[Movement speed decreases by 3%, and the decrease amount is proportional to the number of stacks.]

As debuffs stack up, it’s become an exchange that can’t necessarily be called advantageous.

I thought I had blocked it, but as the magic explosion detonated a beat later, damage came through.

This is something Reaper used to do well.

It’s not comparable to the original, but a tricky technique has been added.

It’s a skill he’s never used even in pro matches until now.

‘Is it that not only I had hidden weapons?’

Cerberus plunges his sword into the ground.

An ominous wave spread out from the blade, and the sky was again my only escape.

A shadow surged from the opposite side, aiming for Cerberus in a semicircle.

I thought it was a place with poor viewing angle.

Judging by the clear sound, it seems he succeeded in parrying.

I used the silver thread I had set up as a foothold to move to a fairy tree branch.

After briefly using the sky as a hiding place – I rushed towards the ground.

Even Cerberus shouldn’t be able to guard against this with his shield.

[‘Black Moon’s Whisper’ effect received.]

[Beneficial to all attack power, movement speed, and counterattack judgment…]

[Some skills are enhanced…]

I broke his left shoulder blade while consuming an important buff.

The longsword checks, followed by the shield raised like a castle wall.

I naturally grab the top of the shield and jump up with all my might.

In the inverted world, I saw Cerberus’s head.

A kind-hearted assassin shows their welcome with poison and hidden weapons at times like this.

Next to the pitch-black helmet. I throw a dagger towards the chain mail covering the neck.

The striking point was greatly compromised as I curled my body, but one out of three hit.

This much is a satisfying exchange.

I hid my body on the fairy tree again and set up silver thread.

It’s good to set them up in advance to use as footholds later.

‘It’s not a weapon originally made to be used like this, but…’

My advantage in this match is that I can utilize the air.

The opponent is a slow-footed dark knight. There’s no reason to bring silver thread except for use as footholds.

Since he won’t struggle by getting caught in the silver thread, it’s right to hang it up high from the start and use it myself.

While distracting with thrown hidden weapons, a shadow rises behind Cerberus.

The black thorn pierces Cerberus’s shoulder.

A doppelganger flying in from the opposite side is crushed by a purple grasp.

In that gap, I inflict a wound on his side and leap.

I pivot using the laid silver thread.

As soon as I crossed to the other side, a pitch-black slash flew to where I just was.

The sight of the precious silver thread being cut and hanging limply.

It’s a shame, but it’s a shame, and I targeted Cerberus’s head again.

“How annoying.”

“Isn’t that how assassins usually are?”

I said that, but my frustration wasn’t resolved either.

Cerberus’s guard isn’t invincible.

I’m the one who pierced even the spear knight’s shield. No one in this world can achieve perfect defense against me.

But the problem was that my bleeding was also considerable each time I overcame that solid barrier.

[‘Fierce Malice’ effect…]

The damn debuffs stack endlessly.

The opponent’s attacks are getting stronger, but the knight leading with an iron wall showed no signs of crumbling.

Even a simple calculation leads to the conclusion that the current health lead isn’t enough.

The slash, which received an enhancement effect, split into several branches.

It’s not difficult to block. I can definitely succeed in parrying if I block simultaneously with two daggers.

But if I spend time blocking this slash, Cerberus gets an opportunity.

Because I didn’t want to do that.

When I moved to the rear using shadows, a pitch-black rain falls as if it had been waiting.

I’m being read. No, more precisely, I’m being guided.

Assuming we both make the best plays, I had no choice but to come here.

‘This won’t do.’

At a glance, the engagement seems to be in my favor.

I had the initiative in this acrobatic engagement.

However, the things I could use as footholds were gradually disappearing.

The branches of the fairy trees are being cut and falling.

The silver threads that keep getting cut aren’t infinite either.

Even I can’t maneuver in the air without footholds.

Slowly… my feet are being tied.

‘I need to make a decisive move. Before it’s too late.’

As the last silver thread was consumed, magic power drained in chunks.

Just as I was hiding using fairy tree leaves as cover, a massive chain descended from the sky.

To kill the opponent, I too must take risks.

I thrust my body into the skill range along with my doppelganger, and the summoned chain barely passed by my side.

While Cerberus’s shield was receiving the chain, I took his back in one go using shadows.

I did it. I broke through the guard–

“As expected, your decision is quick.”

The moment I thought I had broken through the guard.

What I saw was a lump of magic power writhing on Cerberus’s armor.

Had he been hiding it with his shield until now?

I know what it is.

A skill originally used to dominate an area.

Rather than using it to hit someone, it’s an area skill meant to make them retreat from a specific region.

Having that near his body can only mean one thing.

Self-destruction. That brute is detonating a bomb in front of me, trusting his defense.

Cerberus threw away even his own sword and grabbed my arm.

“You crazy bastard…!”

Even at a glance, the remaining countdown wasn’t very long.

And this much could be hastened with just a little magic power injection.

There’s no time. I have to use even this small gap.

I made the best attack I could within my capabilities.

I tore the infraspinatus muscle and plunged a dagger into the nape where the armor is weak.

Just as I was about to push the blade to cut the throat – a massive explosion pushed my body away.

The guard gauge was completely depleted without resisting at all.

My body flew out of control and only stopped after hitting a tree trunk.

When my briefly blacked-out vision recovered, the surroundings looked blurry.

The match hadn’t ended.

It seems I somehow survived, but my body’s condition was no different from a living corpse.

Remaining health is about 3%. I can’t move a muscle due to all sorts of external injuries and fractures.

Before that, it hurts too much.

It’s too embarrassing to scream, so I gritted my teeth and endured.

Soon, Cerberus, having composed himself, strode up to me.

In his hand was a broken sword.

The dagger stuck in his neck was my gift, and it seemed to have barely caught on his neck bone.

Cerberus spoke as if disgusted.

“To think you’d be driven this far in that short moment. You’re quite a monster too.”

Soon my heart hurt, and then it didn’t hurt anymore.

[You have been killed by AT Kelberos.]

[Due to the reason ‘Infinity Arena’, you will not receive a death penalty.]

[You will revive in the ‘Arena Player Waiting Room’.]