Redefining the META at VRMMO Academy 4
“Of course! Here goes: Shadow Slave!”
There’s her cloning move! Dual-wielding and clones. Truly, magic knights are blessed.
Last time, Yukino had only spawned two clones because of the level restriction. Now, she had three. If I didn’t get rid of these clones and hit her with an ultimate, I had no chance of winning. But just like last time, I still had a plan!
This is gonna be awesome!
As the king of the Bummers, defeating a top class like magic knight was my whole reason for being.
“Haaaaah!”
Yukino threw her left axe at me. It was a Tomahawk-style art!
The axe whizzed through the air, prompting me to guard with my Canesword.
Yukino attacked.
Ren guarded the attack, taking 12 damage.
It resulted in some guard break, but this was paltry.
However, Yukino had already taken this into consideration. The tomahawk throw was only a feint; as she threw it, she also began to sprint forward, charging at me just after I finished guarding.
Once she was within striking distance, she came at me with a high kick!
I can guard this if I keep up my guard stance, but...
“Haaah!”
Instead, I boldly went for my one and only, body-striking normal attack: the simple shoulder charge!
Yukino attacked.
Dealt 45 damage to Ren!
Ren attacked.
A Yukino clone faded.
Yukino’s attack was a clean hit, while she evaded mine with a clone. But that worked just fine for me!
“Rgh! My clone! Oh, so striking techniques ignore evasion?!”
“That’s right!”
With my complete lack of DEX, normal attacks would have no chance of hitting Yukino with her already-high AGI.
Evading an attack wouldn’t consume a clone, but with my shoulder charge—which ignored evasion—it was a different story. As long as I could approach her, just attacking once would be guaranteed to remove a clone!
“And my damage is lower than before, too!”
“I threw all my points into VIT!”
Catching her axe after it came back to her, Yukino chucked it again. I went with another shoulder charge to match it.
Yukino attacked.
Dealt 67 damage to Ren!
Ren attacked.
A Yukino clone faded.
“That’s a pretty nifty combo! Only you could find a use for strikes, eh? You’re always full of surprises!”
“Thanks!”
Yukino followed through with the axe-swinging animation, using the momentum to transition into a roundhouse kick.
Fearlessly, I went for another shoulder charge! That was all I could do, anyway.
Yukino attacked.
Dealt 62 damage to Ren!
Ren attacked.
A Yukino clone faded.
“You’re a lot stronger than last time, but we’re just gettin’ started! Shadow Slave!”
More clones! They were annoying to deal with, and with her Breath of Ares talent, she could pump them out forever.
“You won’t get through my guard that easily!”
“Maybe not!”
It wouldn’t be easy to break through clone after clone and still find an opportunity to hit her with an ultimate in one-on-one combat.
I could have Akira and the others take down clones while I went for an opening, but she and Mikott were still locked in a duel. Maeda, Yano, and Akabane were stuck in a three-on-three fight with some of Yukino’s other guild members.
It was up to me to do something about this.
Yukino hopped back, putting some distance between us. “Ren, I’m about to show you my favorite ultimate in this whole game. Get ready! Last time, I couldn’t use it because of the level restriction.”
I certainly was excited. If Yukino loved it, then no doubt it would be amazing.
I watched as Yukino raised her axe high, high into the air, poised to throw. Her body began to glow, enveloped in the ultimate move aura.
“Infinite Reversal!”
Her brightly shining axe flew out of her hands.
“What the heck?!”
That’s her favorite ultimate?! The effect is flashy, yeah, but isn’t the throw just the same as the one from before?
I could evade it if I wanted, but I decided to go ahead and block it. Intentionally taking this guard break would allow me to build up AP. I hadn’t brought my Parry Ring today, so I wouldn’t gain AP if I fully guarded an attack. I needed to take a little guard break damage, which was why I hadn’t whipped out the Fanatic’s Staff.
Even just one point of damage was fine; that would be judged as taking a hit, and I would get a bit of AP. AP gain was unrelated to damage quantity, so the ideal situation would be a lot of attacks that only dealt one damage each. Things weren’t going too badly so far.
I occasionally glanced over at the Parry Ring’s true owner, Yano, who had it equipped as she guarded enemy attacks. She could equip shields thanks to her talent Master’s Scroll (Shield), so she had better synergy with the Parry Ring than I did right now.
“And... guard!”
With my damascus cane, I guarded against the glowing tomahawks.
Yukino activated Infinite Reversal.
Ren guarded the attack, taking 17 damage.
Nice, nice! Hey, wait a sec...
Yukino activated Infinite Reversal.
Ren guarded the attack, taking 17 damage.
Yukino activated Infinite Reversal.
Ren guarded the attack, taking 17 damage.
Yukino activated Infinite Reversal.
Ren guarded the attack, taking 17 damage.
Yukino activated Infinite Reversal.
Ren guarded the attack, taking 17 damage.
Yukino activated Infinite Reversal.
Ren guarded the attack, taking 17 damage.
Ooh! So, this one doesn’t go back to her hand after one hit!
Stopped by my Canesword, it continued to spin and spin, hitting repeatedly!
Yukino activated Infinite Reversal.
Ren guarded the attack, taking 17 damage.
Yukino activated Infinite Reversal.
Ren guarded the attack, taking 17 damage.
Yukino activated Infinite Reversal.
Ren guarded the attack, taking 17 damage.
Yukino activated Infinite Reversal.
Ren guarded the attack, taking 17 damage.
Yukino activated Infinite Reversal.
Ren guarded the attack, taking 17 damage.
Yukino activated Infinite Reversal.
Ren guarded the attack, taking 17 damage.
Yukino activated Infinite Reversal.
Ren guarded the attack, taking 17 damage.
Yukino activated Infinite Reversal.
Ren guarded the attack, taking 17 damage.
Yukino activated Infinite Reversal.
Ren guarded the attack, taking 17 damage.
Yukino activated Infinite Reversal.
Ren guarded the attack, taking 17 damage.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
It was a great source of AP, but it still wasn’t stopping. My vision was filled from top to bottom with guard-break log messages!
This is terrifying! Does it just keep going until you die?!
My HP was in pretty bad shape; I only had a little over 1,000 left. My max HP was over 2,000, so it was already halfway gone!
“Whoooa?! Hey, buddy, hold on!”
I was being forced backward by the axe. With no other choice, I jumped to the side to evade. When I did, the axe changed directions and again started following me.
“It’s a guided missile?!”
The axe wasn’t that fast; if I wanted to evade, I could. But it just never stopped coming. Even if I dodged, it would correct its path and continue coming at me.
“So? Cool, right?! That thing’ll just keep on chasing you, no matter what! Hence the ‘Infinite’ part!”
“I see! Yeah, uh, it’s a pretty cool ultimate!”
There had to be some way for it to end, whether the effect ran out or whatever else. Unfortunately, it was kinda hard to figure it out right now!
Is defeating Yukino my only option?!
“Heh! I’m not just gonna sit back and watch, either!”
To make things worse, Yukino was coming in to attack. She was aiming for the very spot I would land after I jumped to evade Infinite Reversal.
“Try blocking this!”
She swung her emerald-green axe for the first time. Still, my guard was at the ready.
The axe smashed against my Canesword with a loud clang.
“Wha?!”
But my guard was smacked away with ease by some overwhelming force.
Just being touched by the thing knocks you away?
“This axe is called Boreas! It’s a rare weapon with a knockback effect!”
"That’s very—whoooa!”
My body, blown away by her attack, connected with the Infinite Reversal in midair. Yukino had calculated the angle just so she could knock me into it. Her love of PvP knew no bounds!
Yukino activated Infinite Reversal.
Dealt 117 damage to Ren!
Yukino activated Infinite Reversal.
Dealt 117 damage to Ren!
Yukino activated Infinite Reversal.
Dealt 117 damage to Ren!
Yukino activated Infinite Reversal.
Dealt 117 damage to Ren!
It was a direct hit on my back, with damage to match.
“Gaaah!”
I needed a way to evade, but Yukino was preparing for another attack.
“I’ve got you now, Ren!”
I have to guard, now!
Once again, I was blown away by the knockback. As I had already been teetering at the edge of the deck, I was thrown off and into the sky!
“Knocking people back with every blow has its advantages and disadvantages, but here, I can put it to good use! Gotta choose the optimal equipment for each battlefield—that’s the PvP way!”
So that was what she had been aiming for. Yukino seemed very satisfied.
“Aaah! Again?!”
Am I seriously gonna fall off and die a second time?! No, I still have a chance!
“Windmill!”
My flaming uppercut art launched me into the air, despite my lack of footing. A feat only possible within a video game, but I was still glad to have it!
Leaping up high, I just barely managed to cling to the chain of the Assault Anchor that linked our ships together.
“Chirp! Ren, I help! I help!”
Draco flew over and desperately tried to lift me up. Thanks to him—even if it was just a little—I was able to climb onto the chain.
“Whew. That was a close one!”
This fighter had just barely managed to avoid getting thrown out of the ring!
“Thanks, Draco!” I said, standing up.
The Assault Anchor was pretty unsteady, but I could hardly complain; it had kept me from falling to my death just now.
Due to the short distance between our ships, the chain hung low in the middle. Any higher, and I might not have been able to grasp it.
It seemed like Infinite Reversal wasn’t chasing me anymore, though I wasn’t sure whether I had been blown out of range or its effect duration had run out. There was no way it could go on attacking forever without some kind of restriction.
Yukino leaned over the side of her deck. “Heh! You’re pretty stubborn, Ren.”
Is she gonna after me?! Well, I’ve got a plan, so it doesn’t matter what she does.
“Final Strike! Enervating Circle!”
I let off a solitary Final Strike. The circle that followed wasn’t for the sake of reducing my MP to 1, so I made it rather small. Now I could go at her any time!
To Yukino, I must have seemed like I was preparing to retaliate. “A counterattack, eh? It’s too late for that!” She walked over to the base of the Assault Anchor, stopping at the launch platform. “Haaah! Ultimate move: Shooting Star Rush!”
Facing the platform, she unleashed an intense, luminous kick! It seemed to be one of those attacks meant to overwhelm the opponent with the amount of hits, as it looked to be divided into a hail of high-speed kicks.
There were undoubtedly plenty of guys out there who would’ve loved to get kicked by her, though. Half of her guild, Mystic Arts, were made up of her groupies. Clearly, she had plenty of fans with her.
Yukino’s ultimate wasn't just flashy; it was also plenty powerful, bringing the anchor’s HP down to zero in no time.
“I get it!”
She was here to destroy my footing. The launch platform burst open, causing the chain to lose its support and fall. I was thrown off by the impact.
“Now, you're really out of the ring!” Yukino shouted, guarding the edge of the deck.
If I used Windmill to get back up there and grab the edge, she’d just smack me back down with the knockback on that axe. At this point, I had two choices: die by ring-out, or get wrecked by her attacks.
At least, that was what she would expect.
“I say this makes us even for what you did at the tournament. The point I’ll get from crushin’ you is special!”
“Nuh-uh! We’re already in the negative!”
We can’t afford to lose any more! You’re not getting my points, woman!
It was time to shift to the offensive.
“Ultimate move!”
I unsheathed my Canesword and lobbed it high into the sky. Then, I used the air itself as a foothold to jump just as high!
Look at this nonsense! I can do anything I want! That’s how it works in video games!
I intended to put my full arsenal to use in order to kill some giants!
At the apex of my arc, I boarded the hilt of my damascus sword.
Docking complete!
“Go! Descending Azure Dragon!”
Descending Azure Dragon sent me twice as high as Windmill. I was easily high enough to sail over Yukino’s head and then some. Covered in the dragon’s aura, I rapidly descended.
“A new ultimate?! Well, it won’t work!”
Yukino braced herself. She was being protected by her Shadow Slave clones.
However, I flew way over her head.
“Huh? Dude, your aim sucks!” Yukino smirked, thinking that I had failed to control my ultimate.
I shot back a grin from overhead. “Not quite!”
“What?”
That’s right! I haven’t missed at all. I’m going right where I want to!
“Raaaagh! Gimme those five poooints!”
I swooped right down in the middle of the match between Mikott and Akira-Kokoru.
Pshooooow!
“Whoa! Eeeeep!”
Ren activated Descending Azure Dragon.
Dealt 5,735 damage to Mikott Corpul!
Ren has defeated Mikott Corpul.
You have defeated an enemy NPC.
Hell’s Crafters has gained 5 Battle Points.
Battle Point total for Hell’s Crafters is currently 0.
Your rank is 26 / 48.
Woohoo! Just as planned!
“Thanks for the points!”
“You were going for Mikott?! Dang it, Ren!”
“It’s way more efficient, y’know!”
There had been no need to take Yukino down; all that would’ve granted me was a single point at most. If I were to put it in baseball terms, it made more sense for me to let her take the walk and instead go for the five points all at once.
I wasn’t a born PvPer, after all. I was a born giant-killer! While I did like PvP, I had to keep my priorities straight—and right now, our goal was to win this thing!
I’d let the enemy have five intentional walks in a row for the sake of my team’s victory!
“Haha! I can never be too careful around you, Ren!”
“Bawk. In terms of ethics, he’s like the darkest of grays.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment!”
“Yeah, bawk! It’s like, ‘Good job, you idiot!’” Akira-Kokoru said, dancing to help recover my lost HP. She was really good at imitating Kokoru’s voice.
“Argh, they got me! I’m so mad!” Now revived, Mikott stomped in frustration.
Oh, yeah. The respawn point is your own airship, so she’s back already.
“That won’t be happening a second time! How about we sock you a good one, too?” Mikott growled.
“Yeah. Then we’ll be even!”
Now that she knew what I was after, Yukino and her guild wouldn’t let me do that again so easily.
I had been hoping to quit while we were ahead and search for new prey, though.
“Better idea! How about I wipe you all out at once?!” Yukino got ready to unleash Infinite Reversal, but this time with her emerald-green axe, Boreas.
A guided missile with knockback that strong?! What’s gonna happen here? If we’re not careful, we might all get knocked off!
“Not on my watch!”
Nozomi attacked.
Dealt 92 damage to Yukino!
Nozomi attacked.
Dealt 86 damage to Yukino!
A voice accompanied by a slash came from behind Yukino, followed by damage logs. Akabane, having approached stealthily with Vanishing Flip, had attacked Yukino.
Nice shot!
Her normal attack hit twice, probably due to the Peregrine Stone on her two-handed sword. She had the power of a thirsty follower on her side!
You have defeated an enemy player.
Hell’s Crafters has gained 1 Battle Point.
Battle Point total for Hell’s Crafters is currently 1.
Your rank is 23 / 48.
Looks like Akabane took down someone on her own.
She had then ridden that momentum and set about attacking Yukino.
That’s Akira’s rival for you! Our Scarlet knows how to get the job done!
“Ngh! You’re just gonna get in my way?”
“Everyone, staying here any longer would be pointless. Let’s fall back and find our next foe!”
Akabane was right. Now that our strategy to ignore Yukino and kill Mikott was out in the open, we could end up getting beaten down by Yukino and end up with a net loss. Better we give up and secure our profits. Then, we could go find another guild who didn't know our strategy. That was clearly the easiest way to farm points.
“I’ll act as bait! The Assault Anchor has been removed, so just return to the airship!”
Dang, she’s even gonna act as bait for us.
We’d give up a single point in the process, but the rest of us would safely be able to fall back.
“Got it. Thank you!”
Just to help her out, I threw out an Enervating Circle on my way out.
That ought to slow down the enemy.
“Okay, everyone. Let’s go!”
“Hold up!”
"Stop right there! I am your opponent now, Snow!"
“Urk!” Hearing that raised my blood pressure.
Girl, I get that you’re fired up and all, but you seriously can’t say stuff like that!
“Heh! All right, then, Scarlet! It’s been a while since we last fought!”
Yep! Of course Yukino had to go and expose her! Poor Akabane’s been trying to hide the fact that she’s Scarlet, too! It’s all clear to me now—this girl really is an airhead!
“Oh! Err, wait a moment! Shh!”
It’s too late! Gah, and at a time like this, too!
“WHAT?! Nozomi, you’re Scarlet?!” Akira-Kokoru shouted.
Naturally, she didn’t make the effort to imitate Kokoru’s voice this time. It was very clearly Akira’s voice.
Now two secrets are out! Darn it!
Yukino whipped her head toward Akira-Kokoru. “Hey, that was Akira’s voice. Akira, is that you? Did you change form?! Wait a sec, that’s Skyfall you’re holding! It really is Akira! That Kokoru’s a fake!”
“What?! That’s not Kokoru? Then where’s the real one?!”
“He must be on their ship. That’s the only place he could hide!”
Aaargh, they know everything now! We gotta get away ASAP!
“Nozomi, is it true?!”
“N-Now’s not the time to talk about that! Hurry up and return to the ship!”
“But—”
“Yukino! Let’s invade their ship and beat Kokoru up!”
“Yeah! This time, we’re gonna get him!” Yukino was clearly ready for another Boreas Infinite Reversal.
Oh no! We’re gonna fall off, then they’ll board the JS Peachy Thunder and kill Kokoru before we can come back. Our rank is gonna drop like crazy!
Suddenly, there were numerous voices from another direction.
“Joint Magic!”
We turned toward the sound.
“It’s Homura!”
Homura’s airship moved in close. Wizards lined the bow, activating their Joint Magic. They had also been victims of the Assault Anchor, so they had probably come to remove it from their ship.
“Heheheheh. Yukino, you’ll be a stepping stone to our success! I’ll use your points to climb to victory!”
“Are you kiddin’ me?! Tch! They’re using Joint Magic! Everyone, retreat into the cabin!”
Yes! Her timing couldn’t have been better!
“Takashiro, take your guild and escape now!”
“Gotcha! Everyone, back to the ship!”
We all ran at full speed and slipped back onto the JS Peachy Thunder.
“I’m pulling away now!”
Maeda gripped the wheel.
“Grand Thunder!”
Kaboooom!
The Joint Magic ripped through the air, followed by the sound of thunder. We’d seen it before, but the combined magic of many people was truly awe-inspiring.
A thick bolt of lightning descended from the sky, dealing massive damage to Yukino’s airship. Even the people hiding inside probably couldn’t avoid that damage.
While its range was shorter than an airship cannon’s, the spell surely surpassed any cannon in damage. Wizards were well suited for airship battles like this because they could deal heavy damage without weaponry. By obliterating an airship all at once, they could get ring-out kills on entire guilds.
They might pose an actual threat.
I saw Yukino and her guild regroup on the deck of their smoky, smoldering ship. That blow had destroyed the anchor that connected their ships, and they seemed ready to unleash another.
If Yukino invaded their ship for close combat, she could probably grab a whole bunch of points, but Homura’s guild knew this and therefore kept their distance. Yukino tried to chase after them, shifting her attention to their guild. That left us free to move as we pleased.
“What do we do now?” Meda asked me.
“Good question.”
Akira turned to Akabane. “Nozomi, about that stuff from before...”
“This really isn’t the time. We’re still in the heat of battle! We should leave it for after the event. Isn’t that right, Takashiro?”
She had hastily pushed it on me.
Aah, she wants me to back her up again. Seems like she doesn’t know how to handle it by herself.
Akabane may have seemed formal and even-tempered on the outside, but she was actually an awkward and sensitive soul.
Honestly, Kataoka being her follower was the perfect combination. He was clearly devoted, and a quick thinker to boot. If he didn’t have such a lame fixation on Hime-chans, he could’ve been a more threatening rival.
“So, Akabane. You have an Assault Anchor, right? Mind if we borrow it and toss it on now? We’ve still got one open slot.”
“Sure. I don’t mind.”
Thus, we instantly had a brand-new weapon!
Launch platforms appeared on the JS Peachy Thunder’s deck.
Hmm, okay. So putting one in gives you two launch platforms. One slot, two anchors. Noted. Now, where should we go on the hunt?