I Have a Reason to Hate Streamers

The gaze of Cerberus scanned my right foot, left hand, and right shoulder in that order.
He had read my intentions. The plan to break right was scrapped.
Instead, I pulled back a step, all while keeping the enemy’s weapon in check.

His attacks had become much fiercer since our last encounter in the arena.
It seemed he had completely broken free from his old style, and his tempo was now exponentially faster.
As he had said, simply holding firm wouldn’t have been enough to defeat me.

For a player of his caliber, this was an extraordinary transformation.
It was a complete break from his previous style—no, it could even be said that he had been reborn as a martial artist.
What was interesting was that despite such a huge shift, his execution hadn’t faltered in the slightest.

How was such a feat possible?

‘He probably only took the answers he liked, studying and learning from them.’

Cerberus' spear aimed sharply at my brow.
Don’t get deceived. His forearms were ready to bend at any moment.
The fact that he wasn’t stabbing deeply meant that his intent was simply to test the waters with the first strike.

In moments like this, you have to watch the angle of his arms.
It’s slightly high. There was a good chance one of his shoulders was the target.
I leaned back to avoid the spear, and the decorative feathers near the spearhead caught my eye.

It wasn’t that they were beautifully red…
No, they just made my vision spin.

Cerberus rotated the spear shaft halfway.
As the decorative feathers spread wide, his upper body was obscured, causing me to miss the movements of his joints and muscles.
In this case, it was better to focus on defense rather than making a clumsy dodge.

I thrust the blade into the shaft of the spear.
The force was properly concentrated. A clear sound rang out as the spear was pushed aside.
Cerberus' eyes widened.

“Ha…!”
“Is that all you’ve got?”

What Cerberus had just used was a technique favored by players on the Chinese team.
Cerberus had greedily taken techniques that suited him from players all around the world.
Yet, he hadn’t lost his center, which was impressive in itself.

Technique is just a tool. He had clearly defined his desired direction and borrowed the skills of others.
Normally, he would’ve had to build up new know-how after such a change, but he filled the gap with his vast experience.
It was something only someone who had faced top-tier players around the world could pull off.

As my blade traced the shaft, I nicked his wrist slightly.
There was a bit of blood, but it was shallow.
I couldn’t take control of the fight yet, as things had started off so poorly for me.

I wanted to adjust the distance, but Cerberus wouldn’t let me do that.
For him, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The moment I showed any sign of retreat, he relentlessly pursued me.

[‘Challenge’ effect activated.]
[Designated as the challenger for Weapon Master. Your movement speed increases by 20% when approaching each other, and decreases by 20% when moving away.]

Well, overcoming situations like this is what truly defines skill.
Cerberus’ spear, which had been thrust deeply, scattered like dust.
Before I knew it, two swords were gripped tightly in his hands.

His style shifted again.
This time, he was using a dual-sword tactic, focusing on quick strikes.

One sword was aimed low, the other high.
What an ambitious man. Does he dare to use both swords against me in an arrogant display?
Greed always has consequences.

I shoved my blade between the two swords.
The lower sword turned to defense late, but the transition was too slow.
I put all my strength into both hands, while Cerberus was using just one, and he had no time to spare.

Right now, I could gain the upper hand in terms of strength.
I pushed his defense back, leaving a long gash in his body.@@novelbin@@

There was no reason to be satisfied with just one strike.
Having turned the situation around, I had to maintain the momentum.
I pressed both blades against his and, with a slight twist, slashed his forearm.

Blood poured out wildly. The strike had clearly landed.
Now, his other arm would be weakened.
If I kept pushing, I could even end his life…

• Kyeeeeeek!

Just before I attempted my third strike.
A horrific scream echoed as a wave of ripples appeared on the mirror beside us.
A hideous, dark monster leapt out, reaching for Cerberus with one arm each.

Or, it had intended to.

The monster’s right arm was struck by Cerberus’ sword.
The monster’s left arm was pierced by my sword and slammed into the wall.
The problem was that, unlike me, Cerberus still had one more sword.

Having taken care of the monster, there was nothing to stop me now.
A sword coming at my neck. I stretched my legs, raising my wrist to block it.
Barely managing to defend, now I could finally use my free left arm.

I grabbed the monster’s scalp, pulling its head back.
I yanked out the sword stuck in its body while pressing close to the monster.
With a scream, I stabbed my sword into its throat.
I thrust forward violently, piercing Cerberus’ chest.

I had aimed for the heart.
But, quick-witted as always, he managed to slip out, leaving me slightly disappointed.

Still, nothing would change much.
Just as I prepared for my next attack, a green light flared up from Cerberus.
In the blink of an eye, a monster hunter wielding a shotgun stood before me.

Just like how I had arrived here through teleportation, Cerberus could experience the same.

“This, this crazy…! What is this?!”

《 No… What on earth did I just see? 》
《 This is the first time I’ve seen the ‘Nameless Monster’ from Aspectrium die so helplessly. 》
《 The two players really used it as a tool after getting in the way. Ga-wol used the monster as a perfect shield. 》
《 Still, I don’t think Cerberus will be too upset about this. Had it not been for the monster, it could have been a clean kill. 》
《 That’s right. The monster hunter from Nemesis is surely paying the price for this, right? 》

On the broadcast screen, the shotgun shells fired violently.
For close-combat classes, this was a nightmare of firepower, but the gunfire felt different somehow.
Screams. Or rather, the sound seemed more like struggling. In reality, it wasn’t much different.

In the early stages of the match, the scenario drawn by Rika and Cerberus was completely reversed.
The only difference was that, this time, there was no distance advantage.
No matter how much the shotgun fired, not even a scratch touched Ga-wol’s body.

I didn’t even enter the line of fire.
Whenever I managed to increase the distance, I shoved my sword against the barrel, and before he could react, a sword strike came at him.
Despite focusing solely on defense and avoiding any risky moves, it still went this way.

Every time my blade moved, blood was guaranteed to spill.

《 By the way, Ga-wol’s movements are truly extraordinary in this match. 》
《 It’s a clear difference from the quarterfinals or semifinals. It’s not just the appearance; his momentum, his aura… everything is different. 》
《 Does that mean he’s weaker than before? No, quite the opposite. 》
《 If it weren’t for a fluke, Cerberus would’ve been the one being cut by that sword. 》
《 And at that moment! Ga-wol strikes Nemesis’ heart! 》

There was no such thing as two miracles.
The short skirmish ended quickly. The silver-haired swordsman finally pierced the monster hunter.

The sword that pierced his heart turned exactly 90 degrees.
The wound widened significantly as the sword pulled out, and naturally, it sliced his right arm.
Without allowing even the slightest resistance, his left arm was severed as well.

The monster hunter had zero chance of escaping this situation.
Even so, resisting until the very end, until the last moment—that’s what makes a true pro.

Though his arms were ruined, he still had his legs.
If there was one advantage he had over Ga-wol in this situation, it was his height.
With his long legs, he kicked at Ga-wol’s chin.

Of course, it didn’t change anything.
As if I had expected it, Ga-wol’s foot knocked the Nemesis’ legs out from under him.
Ga-wol then dropped on top of the man’s body.

Without mercy, his sword severed the monster hunter’s neck.

[‘Sigma Ga-wol’ has eliminated ‘AT Nemesis.’]

《 Ga-wol wins the first set of the match! 》
《 The fact that he didn’t let his guard down until the very end was truly impressive, right? By completely suppressing the opponent, he could still secure a kill even if teleportation happens again. 》
《 That’s also Ga-wol’s signature style. When playing as an assassin, didn’t we see him show great skill in martial arts as well? 》
《 Yes. In fact, many fans actually love that side of him… 》

Ga-wol wiped the blood from his face.
It was just one kill, but it was quite the shock for AT’s fans.

He hadn’t even left a scratch on that small woman.
Despite the shotgun that attacked from range, and Cerberus himself, not even a scratch was made on him, and he was victorious.
How could they possibly catch this swordsman on this battlefield?