The gradient formed by the interweaving of light and dark shades was almost everywhere on the seabed.
Yet at this moment, that “beast” made of gradient colors came charging straight forward, carrying a mass of bubbles, and slammed viciously into my abdomen.
“Ugh—!”
Chiyo Haori’s water sword did not stop after hitting its mark. Instead, it used the remaining impact force to keep pushing my entire body backward.
It was clearly just water flow.
But the pain from the high-speed impact was unusually vivid, as if the leading edge of the water current was mixed with countless tiny, sharp needles that pierced into the body while rotating and tearing at a specific rhythm.
My HP had already been reduced by half earlier.
Now, I had reached the stage where I absolutely could not take any more direct hits.
I can only cushion it—using the wings and legs together.
The judgment was made in an instant.
I concentrated power in my legs and light wings. My feet planted hard against the ground and immediately pulled back, while the wings vibrated in the opposite direction of where the water sword had struck my abdomen, forcibly creating thrust to counteract the impact.
Glub glub.
The sound of rolling bubbles exploded beside my ears. The multicolored coral blurred into a brilliant yet dangerous neon streak under the high-speed movement.
“Ugh…”
The green HP bar dropped rapidly.
My teeth clenched unconsciously. Every vibration from my feet scraping against the seabed sand brought a burning pain.
But at least.
At least I had to endure this hit.
This was the first step of my real counterattack battle. If I fell here, I would truly deserve the label of “worthless.”
I accelerated the vibration of my light wings. The energy bar and HP formed a dangerous tug-of-war in my vision.
They raced desperately toward their respective limits, and I no longer had the luxury to worry about consumption.
“Stop—!”
Rustle rustle rustle.
The part below my ankles sank completely into the seabed sand.
The front end of the water sword finally began to weaken. The once-dense water flow was eroded by bubbles, and the pressure gradually lost balance.
“Stop already!”
Rip—
The violent backward momentum finally halted.
At the same time, a clear and crisp tearing sound rang in my ears.
A green… long strip-like thing?
I looked down.
Ah, it was seaweed.
It was these seaweed vines wrapped around my body that had finally brought me to a complete stop at the last moment.
“Th-this is incredible!!! A single simple attack from WATER FENCER actually sent UNKNOWN NAME WARRIOR flying across half of ATLANTIS!!!”
After a brief silence came an extremely high-pitched commentary that nearly filled my eardrums.
“UNKNOWN NAME WARRIOR nearly fell into the deep-sea trench, and his HP is now down to a tiny sliver! What exactly will this legendary player who suddenly jumped from Tier 0 to Tier 6 do next? Niya-chan is very excited to find out~!”
“Isn’t this still no different from Tier 0? He’s still getting completely suppressed.”
“Yeah, looks flashy on the surface but his actual strength clearly hasn’t caught up.”
“…”
I see… This is my last chance.
My current HP was so low that even a light graze would be enough to end the match.
If I were in Night Witch form, I might have used my vision advantage to assassinate from the very beginning.
But—
I had to avoid exposing my identity, and I had already promised Haori that I would fight him fairly and openly.
It was precisely this that kept my fighting spirit from cooling down.
Think, Yae Yoruichi.
Use the light source that can extend to infinite distances to construct a one-hit-kill method against WATER FENCER!
The distance created by the water sword, while pushing me to the brink of death, had also given me my only hope.
No matter how I look at it, this is an utterly grim situation. It’s terrible.
I waved the Rainbow Light Staff, and a dazzling multicolored beam instantly burned away the seaweed wrapped around my body.
There was no time to complain about the very girlish rainbow light effect. Even my “lifesaver” could only be mercilessly destroyed at this moment.
Glub glub.
The familiar sound of bubbles rang out once again.
They surged continuously from the depths of the seabed and from the cracks in the ruined relics.
Normally this would be an ordinary underwater scene.
But at this moment.
My gaze stopped on those slowly rising bubbles.
“Multicolored bubbles… I’m about to lose and I’m still paying attention to something like this… Wait.”
Light.
Bubbles.
Mirror surface.
“…I understand.”
The thoughts connected in an instant.
“The equation to victory… So that’s what it means. This is the intended skill combination for the Dawn Witch.”
The countdown continued to tick down slowly.
At WATER FENCER’s speed, crossing half of ATLANTIS wouldn’t take long at all.
Sure enough.
At the edge of my vision, beside a collapsed hemispherical stone pillar, a blue figure shot forward like a drawn sword.
Long-range suppression, close-combat charge, nearly infinite-extending water sword, plus clearly enhanced movement speed.
No matter how one looked at it, WATER FENCER was a perfect opponent.
He truly deserved to be called a seeded player.
However.
I also had a reason why I absolutely could not lose.
“…Huh?”
Haori stopped his advance first.
His high-speed charge was forcefully interrupted, and he showed clear confusion.
“To endure the infinite propulsion of the water sword purely through willpower… Yoruichi, you really are terrifying.”
You’re the terrifying one.
It had been a long time since I faced an opponent who could push me this far.
“But Yoruichi, this is my final attack. Pure defense won’t beat me. I already told you I won’t hold back.”
“Yeah. My counterattack is ready too.”
This was my one and only chance.
The colorful bubbles.
The “mirror surface” I had personally constructed under the guidance of light was about to be completed.
This was the highest-damage attack I had performed so far.
“Watch closely, Haori.”
I gripped the white short sword tightly with both hands. The moment I spoke, a dazzling burst of light exploded outward.
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