Semifinal Little Girl Vs Hero
This chapter is from Hero's POV
"Semifinal, player Reinamiure versus player Neo Raifu, will now begin!!"
"Let's make this a good fight!"
"Ou, let's."
We took our positions after bowing to each other.
She's really small... She's my age for real, right?
I'd believe you if you told me she's still 12, at least if I hadn't watched her matches thus far.
<<Don't let up now. This kid is Level 34 despite her exterior... I still don't understand how Olivie-san lost to her, however.>>
This girl must have gone through hell as well.
You can kinda tell from her [Foolhardy] Title and all.
...Her party's leader must be pretty hardcore too. They don't even have the Grace of Revival.
"Ready, fight!!"
Not a moment later, Reinamiure scatted caltrops all over the ring.
She made them bigger and dived into their shadows just like previous match.
No rehashing now, girl.
"[Shine Ball]!"
"Uwawa!?"
I shot an offensive light magic spell on the ground, erasing the caltrops' shadow with an intense light.
Menu already told me about the trick behind this ability. Made it simple to force her out of the shadows.
I sent out Mana Blade Farslash at the jumping Reinamiure.
"Uhyaa!? H-he's as strong as Alma-san!"
Reinamiure screamed as she repelled my Farslash with her dagger.
Eh, but I'm sure Alma's Attributes were pretty far below me. What'd she mean 'as strong'?
Guess she's overvaluing her friend... No wait, wait wait.
How did she easily repel my attack when her Attributes should have been much inferior to mine...?
Menu, is this girl cheating somehow? Like with doping or something.
<<N-no, she hasn't consumed that sorta medicine or wearing any stat-boosting equipment... Her Attributes temporarily increased. I don't know how.>>
W-wha? How does that even work?
<<I'm telling you I really have no clue! The way she enlarges those projected Ninja Gear like those caltrops and shurikens shouldn't have been possible too!>>
...Not even you, Menu know the principle behind it?
<<Y-yes... I'm sorry.>>
...Does that mean, Alma's sudden power up and split Mana Blade Farlash in the previous match was also due to this technique, separate from Skills?
I don't get it. Guess I'll just ask Alma later.
"Let's see how you like this!?"
Reinamiure yelled as she threw a ball-like object on the ground.
The ball only bounced once or twice before it rolled... What's the plan here?
"...Huh? Why didn't it burst open and spread smoke all over...?"
The little girl titled her head in confusion while watching the ball. What is this about?
Is it supposed to be a Smoke Ball? It's like she's playing the joke character in a gag manga about ninja, but that's gonna cost you your life in a battlefield, you know.
...Well, Ninja is supposed to be stealthy and hidden. Her fighting out in the open like this already broke the mold.
"Well whatever, toryaa!"
The little girl threw some shurikens and kunais my way, like trying to gloss over her failure.
Each one flew like a Frisbee as it grew larger. Those will prove troublesome.
To average Combat Jobs that is.
I'm still a Hero at the end of the day.
Menu, Equipment, Shield!
<<Aye sir!>>
I set up my shield and activated a barrier that repels throwing weapons, [Mana Shield Barrier Wall].
She shot a barrage of them of which I repelled...?
...Huh? Where'd Reinamiure gone off to?
<<She went inside the shadows when you were busy blocking! She's trying to find an opening while moving around at high speed!>>
Well, here goes another Shine Ball!
Bang! Smoke rose after that bursting sound.
The ring got swallowed in smoke before long.
...From the Smoke Ball earlier!? What a bad timing for it to work!
<<No, looks like she was aiming for this! She only made it look like it misfired! This girl is surprisingly cunning!>>
Shining a light in this smoke filled ring won't work on those shadows.
Not good, she turned the tables on us in one go.
My view is obstructed. Yet, unleashing a move powerful enough to blow all this smoke will leave me open wide.
What if I use Eavesdrop ability, no it'll be bad if she uses a technique that produces loud sounds in turn.
...Let's keep an eye on the smoke flows.
I felt a chill down my spine while I was weighing my options.
Oh crap, she's coming! From where? Below? Behind? Sides? Perhaps, frontally...!?
No, it's above me!!
I looked up and saw Reinamiure aiming for my crown of head with her dagger.
When did she even jump above? But, I saw through you--
<<Wrong! That's a copy made with Ninjutsu Skill! The real one is right ahead!>>
I felt something stabbing me.
Reinamiure had thrust her dagger in my chest while I turned my sight above.
That was an illusion produced by a Skill, the so-called Clone Body huh...!
Just how many layers of feints did she put forward just to land this one strike...!?
She easily pierced through my Shine Tiger's chest Protector too. Even though most attacks can't even scratch this thing.
"...Gotcha."
"Gu, uuuuu....!!"
I felt an acute pain in my stabbed chest.
The pain won't relent as if someone keeps rubbing wasabi and chili pepper on the wound.
I see, her dagger has Supplementary Lightning Damage...!
She only needs to use Extended Mana Blade to further stab my insides and end this fight.
...This strike would have clinched this match if it weren't me she's fighting.
I put away the dagger lodged in me into my Item Screen.
Reinamiure has now lost her weapon.
"!? M-my dagger...!?"
"Seii!!"
"Kaha!! ...C, cough, cough...!!"
I kicked her abdomen while jumping backward.
A clean hit, she was too startled to block. Looks hurt but not as much as getting a dagger in the chest.
I can heal a wound like this with healing magic though.
"Cough... H-his wound closed...!"
"Almost got me there. Just a little bit more push."
I brandished Shine Tiger Fang Sword in my hand as I asked Reinamiure.
"You got no weapon left. Still wanna go?"
"...Haha. That dagger isn't my only arsenal!"
Reinamiure threw Shurikens my way, still holding her belly in pain.
That won't work. Go on and throw another Smoke Ball, I'm just gonna stow it in my Item Screen.
Reinamiure managed to stab through my Shine Tiger protector thanks to her weapon.
Without it, there's no way she can damage me...!?
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
...!!
Her presence, no, Attributes jumped up leaps and bounds.
They were only around 300-400 before they shot up even higher than mine.
W-what just happened...!? She's not a Yasaijin or anything, isn't she. How'd she do that!?
"Haaaaaaa!!"
She charged in at speed rivaling Ground Shrink.
Holding a kunai in her hand instead of a dagger.
The kunai broke apart the moment my sword clashed with it, but she immediately projected a new one.
Heavy...!! The weight behind her strikes almost rival mine and Aina-san's. My hands shook every time our blades clashed.
This technique seems to be these girls' trump card.
Dunno the principle behind this stat boost, but it's unbelievably strong!
"Wheeze, haa, haaa...!!"
But it doesn't look like she can keep it up for long now.
Her Stamina is fast decreasing. Must be the price to pay for such a huge stat boost.
It's similar to Qi Clad, with a far higher stamina consumption.
"Dyeryaaaaaaa!!!"
She boosted her Attributes even further and charged in at her highest speed yet.
Or so she made her clone do while she herself dived into its shadow and shot out shurikens.
Petty tricks till the very end huh. I get it though, never giving up and always trying to find a way out no matter how desperate the situation is.
I shall pay respect to your determination.
I swing my sword at the clone with all my might!
As it was nothing more than an illusion created by her Skill, my sword naturally slipped past it.
"Gah... E, eh...?"
Reinamiure who threw a shuriken behind me got cut up in two.
Her dumbfounded expression said it all as she died and got revived outside the ring.
Master Skill [Dimensional Blade].
It's a cheat Skill that lets me generate a slash in any space within my vision.
You can still defend against this slash as long as you can predict where it emerges but no ordinary human is capable of such a feat.
"Player Reinamiure's death, confirmed! Winner, player Neo Raifu! Player Neo Raifu obtains the right to advance to the final!"
The audience erupted into cheers with that announcement.
I could hear praises for Reinamiure as well as me. Of course.
T-that was close...!!
What's the deal with that girl!? Not only did she use bonkers Skills to create all those feints, she even boosted her Attributes beyond mine!
...Can't believe I won. That match was wayyy too close for comfort, I can't say the end result will be the same if we ever fight again.
...Menu, what was that technique anyway?
<<I don't know, it's unidentifiable...>>
Uh, that's just weird. Don't just give up. Look it up more thoroughly.
<<I'm telling you, I really have no idea. There exist several Skills that bolster Attributes by consuming Stamina but her feat was not done through a Skill.>>
Not through a Skill...? Then what was it about? That's not an answer.
...Guess I just gotta ask her directly.
Had no idea there are things Menu doesn't know about. And you usually act so smug about knowing everything too.
<<...Direct Control can't be disclosed...>>
Hm? Did you say something?
<<No, it's nothing. Forget that, you should hurry back to the waiting room. You're up against Almatina-san next, remember?>>
...Oh right. What do I do.
She's obviously stronger than Reinamiure.
Well whatever will be. Rather than fretting over victory or defeat, I should focus on giving it my all, yep.
<<Isn't that the mindset of a loser...?>>
Author's Q&A
>Ah, Menu-chan seems to have an idea about Stamina Control--
Yes, Hero's Menu has already figured out what's going on after analyzing Reina and Alma's usage.
It's just playing dumb due to the risk of Direct Control being known to public.
Hero's Menu was inwardly thinking, 'What are these morons doing using that stuff out in the open.'
>Aizawa-kun has no excuse for the parents--
Had her parents seen that soft touch, they'd break apart the barrier to intrude.
Kajikawa almost raided in too but he refrained after witnessing the nutcracker.
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