The battle officially began.
If this were a traditional duel-style game, a giant “FIGHT” would probably pop up between me and Chiyo Haori right now to remind both sides that the match had started.
But BHAO had no such flashy feature.
Such ceremonious anticipation was nothing more than unnecessary imagination.
The countdown for this duel was one thousand seconds.
In regular free duels there was no countdown setting.
Instead the duel arena would gradually shrink over time.
Simply running away would not solve the problem.
Rather than dragging things out it was better to use one’s most confident moves while the arena was still spacious.
However just as I prepared to search for WATER FENCER’s figure and launch an active assault an untimely low murmur from the spectators outside the arena reached my ears.
“First match and it’s already UNKNOWN NAME WARRIOR. The viewing experience is way too poor.”
“Is that the UNKNOWN NAME WARRIOR? The legendary Tier 0.”
“Yeah that’s him. I heard he’s still Tier 0 even today and his only starting skill is a completely useless one.”
“And his opponent is WATER FENCER. Isn’t this a total one-sided stomp with no suspense?”
“Let’s go watch the other matches in Group A. There’s nothing worth seeing in this one.”
……
Figures… it’s still like this huh.
I should have gotten used to not being expected by now.
If it were the usual me I would probably force a smile and casually say something like “No one’s watching anyway which saves me the trouble.”
But things were different now.
Now was the time I had to prove myself.
NIGHT DAWN.
I clearly called out the name of my fourth skill.
The voice coming from my throat sounded distinctly different from usual.
It was not my original tone but the slightly hoarse yet deep and steady male voice simulated by the cloak.
That was the Galaxy Guard.
As for the origin of this name I was not entirely clear.
I only knew from Yune’s explanation that it was the voice line used by the summoned guard when she took down a lord-level BOSS back then.
Although I had confirmed via scouting skill that the guard’s ID showed as Galaxy Guard in BHAO as long as the IDs were different the two could not be considered the same entity.
The moment the skill activated my body underwent changes first.
It was a feeling hard to describe in words.
If I had to it was probably closer to void.
Starting from the soles of my feet my sense of existence was gradually stripped away as if my body was being redefined by some concept.
Immediately after my vision was completely covered.
Light enveloped my field of view yet surprisingly there was no stinging sensation.
It was like being covered by a layer of soft gauze.
Everything was neutralized by a faint white colors faded and edges blurred.
So that’s how it is… transforming from the opposite of night into a form of light? I just don’t know what I look like right now.
Just as that thought crossed my mind Niya-chan’s slightly flustered but still energetic commentary voice came through the broadcast into the arena.
“Eh? UNKNOWN NAME WARRIOR’s body has changed! And Niya-chan isn’t sure if she saw it wrong but just now—UNKNOWN NAME WARRIOR’s Tier information was displayed!”
“It’s… it’s Tier 6! Everyone pay attention! The legendary Tier 0 isn’t really Tier 0—it’s Tier 6! Tier 6!”
The commentary came in clearly.
Using such a light and cute tone to deliver information that could overturn perceptions created a subtle sense of dissonance.
However the reactions outside the arena no longer mattered.
Under the boost from NIGHT DAWN my vision was fully liberated from Atlantis’s original gloom.
The light was redefined and I finally pinpointed Chiyo Haori’s position.
What a hopelessly attractive appearance… Whether in reality or in BHAO Chiyo Haori is the type that even girls cannot help but feel jealous of.
WATER FENCER’s virtual avatar was highly distinctive.
Blue long hair blue eyes—almost identical to reality except the hair extended to waist length giving the overall aura a more androgynous feel even making one mistake it for a female character.
It was the image of the water god from fairy tales who would hand over both the golden axe and silver axe to the farmer.
“What…?”
“This can’t be… rising from Tier 0 to Tier 6 in such a short time?”
……
The gazes had completely focused on me now.
I lightly scoffed in my heart but my chest warmed slightly from this unprecedented sense of attention.
The ignored existence had stepped onto the center of the stage for the first time.
That feeling turned into propulsion beneath my feet.
“I’m coming Haori—LIGHT WING.”
This was the light-attribute skill corresponding to Blend into Shadows.
Wings made of light unfolded on both sides of my body.
They were not physical wings but more like a flight structure formed from pure concept.
So fast… The speed is at least twice as fast as when using Blend into Shadows but the energy consumption is ridiculously high.
A mere glance upward revealed the energy bar above my head.
The black viscous energy that had filled it before had been completely replaced by white light-attribute energy and it was dropping at a visible rate.
The principle is the same as in Night Witch state.
The only difference was the fuel.
If the Night Witch relied on darkness then the current me was an existence fueled by light.
Light Witch—no.
Dawn Witch.
But Atlantis was an underwater world.
The only light sources here were cold ones used for illumination unable to provide me with continuous energy replenishment.
Moreover—
“Everyone look! UNKNOWN NAME WARRIOR is flying! He’s wearing a star-spangled cloak and even Niya-chan cannot make out his face! Wings formed of light are propelling him at high speed—what exactly is he planning to do?”
Too conspicuous.
Completely opposite to the Night Witch’s style of deliberately hiding herself the Dawn Witch’s posture seemed destined to become the focus of everyone.
Light possessed an overwhelming sense of presence.
“While everyone is guessing UNKNOWN NAME WARRIOR’s next move Niya-chan will give a little science lesson! ATLANTIS is an underwater city. Through a special ore it overlays the air and gravity structure from the surface onto the seabed allowing players to move and fly normally underwater while fish and marine life remain unaffected!”
It was a completely documentary-style explanation.
At the same time the sound of bubbles rushing backward reached my ears.
It was a reminder.
I had to close the distance immediately.
However just as I accelerated toward Chiyo Haori an even thicker water stream came rushing straight at me first.
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