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*Disclaimer: Please don’t post this chapter in novelupdates since I don’t want to mislead other translators.
Chapter 75: 1st Nightmare Battle – 3
—–
“Tch…!”
“This can be called a big miss-de chu ne.”
The moment I recognized that the stage for my battle with Zaria is a desert with strong sunlight, I ended up clicking my tongue instinctively.
The reason goes without saying. It is because this environment is extremely harsh for me.
Strong sunlight may soften the mist of the curse in the perspective of low Monstrosity Degree players, but for me, it is so dazzling I can’t see it directly, and because my vision goes in all directions, I am already suffering at this moment.
The strength of the sun and the air was burning my skin, and what I am wearing must be completely weak to fire element, I can easily imagine my HP will be dealt damage the moment the fight begins.
Wind is blowing more than normal too. If I don’t flap my wings properly, it is quite possible I won’t be able to move as I want.
Also, all these negative factors would affect me more than it does to Zaria.
In other words, it is just as Zarichu says: this map is a big miss.
“So this is how you actually look, Taru.”
“Yes, that’s right… It is as you say.”
I change my tone in the latter half and confirm her appearance.
There’s almost no change in her equipment.
But different from the 1st round, she has a long linen cloak at her back and the ends reach all the way to the ground.
There’s almost no doubt that’s a countermeasure against me, but does she think she can escape from my Demonic Eye if she hides her body with that?
If that’s the case, she really is looking down on me.
“By the way, what’s the standard for you to change your tone?”
“Depending on the feeling, situation, and the person. Basically, I match it with the TPO <Time, place, occasion>.”
The countdown begins.
I ready my flail and Zaria readies her sword.
The distance is around 5 meters.
““……””
3…2…1…0!
<<Second Round of the Main Tournament: Taru vs Zaria. Begin.>>
“Yaah!”
The moment the countdown hit 0 and the battle began, Zaria pointed the tip of her sword to me and rushed in.
It seems like she really does plan on finishing me before I can finish charging my Demonic Eye.
“Hmph!”
“Woah…!”
But I already saw that coming.
That’s why I jumped back while spinning, and attacked with my flail.
Zaria deflected the blunt part with her sword, but I managed to cut off her momentum.
“I will take distance with this… Oh.”
“I won’t let you run away!”
Zaria threw several needles from her left hand with my back facing her, so I flew diagonally to the front to evade it.
This is also something I expected.
She must have tinkered with the needles in some way, but there’s no issues as long as it doesn’t hit. As long as she can’t close the distance, it doesn’t change the fact that I am the one in the advantage.
“I would be disappointed if this is all you have.”
I then fly back one more time to get even more distance.
Only 3 seconds more to finish the charge of the Poison Demonic Eye 1: Taruwiveno.
I think this and was about to kick the pretty hot ground.
“There’s no way this is all!”
“Taru!”
“Ugh!”
Zaria ran towards me while throwing something shaped like a disk.
It spun in the air and a large amount of needles…were spread as if aiming for my knees.
I can’t just kick the ground in order to avoid it. I chose to bend my knees to fly at full power, aware that it will kill my momentum.
“Got you!”
Zaria closed the distance in that time; a distance where a thrust from her sword would be able to reach.
But there’s no issue.
I have already finished charging.
“[Poison Demonic Eye – 1: Taruwi—]”
I tried to activate the Poison Demonic Eye – 1.
“Here!”
Just when the activation was about half done, Zaria turned, spread the cloak at her back widely, and unfolded it like a wall in between us.
“Veno—kuh!”
The moment my eyes shone dark green, I understood the intention of what she did.
This dark green cloak is not a cloak.
It really is just linen.
She didn’t even fasten it up with her armor. It hasn’t been assimilated with the curse or made into equipment.
It is truly just a piece of linen.
And it is currently beautifully spread, blocking my vision and hiding Zaria, and the moment it stopped being part of what she is wearing, it became the worst kind of wall.
It is exactly because it is just a piece of linen.
“Taruu!”
That’s right. My Poison Demonic Eye – 1 makes poison break out inside of the target.
It doesn’t matter just how strong of an armor you are wearing when that poison activates. If you can’t see the enemy…if you can’t even see the equipment of the opponent, I can’t poison them.
“Got you!”
And then, it is exactly because it is just a piece of linen that it isn’t that difficult to pierce it with a sharp weapon.
My Poison Demonic Eye – 1 ended without hitting anyone, and just when the dark green light stopped, the blade of Zaria’s sword slowly stabbed through.
Her aim was my heart.
“Guh!”
The flail I put up on reflex clashed with the blade of Zaria, making sparks fly. The trajectory of Zaria’s blade was slightly deviated and touched the bandage clothes, chipping away at its momentum, and slicing my shoulder when I was moving as if falling backwards.
All of this played in my vision in slow motion and…
“Ouch… Haah haah… Too bad.”
“Kuh! Couldn’t finish you there…”
The slow motion returned to normal after I jumped backwards and took distance.
“Better not think that method will work over and over.”
“Makes sense!”
I try buying time by talking here, but Zaria really isn’t riding along.
She drew her sword from the linen while running and swiftly wrapped it around her body as she came at me.
It is true that if you block my vision with something that’s not yourself, you can block my Demonic Eye. You’ve got the right answer. But you not ending me here is big.”
“Means that you can get in once a hole has been made, right? I am fully aware of that!”
I receive the attack of Zaria with my flail, try my best to fend them off, avoid them, and buy time.
It is because I have judged that it is more troublesome to take unsatisfactory distance and allow her to use projectiles.
“It will take around…5 seconds for the next Demonic Eye, I guess?”
“I just have to defeat you before that!”
The movements itself I can see well because of the difference in vision.
Her step, the way she swings her arm, and I know fully well when and where she is going to attack.
But, even with that, I don’t know if to say it is as expected of myself, but my movements are slowly dulling, and with my movements dulled, damage is accumulating bit by bit, leaving no room for a counterattack.
This won’t be a good look.
“Hmph!”
“I won’t let you run aw—”
“Taruwi…”
“Hngh!”
I jump to the back as I swing my flail with brute force. On top of that, I throw the Flesh Flower Fern.
I begin chanting the incantation for the Poison Demonic Eye – 1 while at it.
Zaria had no choice but to spread her piece of linen to block my vision.
“Just kidding.”
I used a Potion Kettle at that time to recover my HP.
That’s right. If she is going to use the same move, I just have to deceive her.
It is the same as with my first battle against Egiaz 1.
But different from Egiaz 1, there’s no places around us where we can hide.
And the piece of linen with no support will only be able to hide her for 3 seconds at most.
“Figures!”
“Guh?!”
However, this was something Zaria knew too.
That’s why Zaria didn’t waste a second and smashed something on the ground behind the piece of linen, spreading white smoke in the whole area.
Looks like it is the same thing Egiaz 1 was using.
In that case, I can just leave detecting the enemy to Zarichu, and hide myself using the smoke.
The moment I thought this and jumped to the side…
“Taruu!”
“…”
A thin needle punched through the white smoke and pierced my throat.
The status ailment shown is Silence (5).
The effect is that I can’t say a single word in the time I am afflicted by this.
In other words, I can’t fulfill the incantation key for Sorcery!
“With this, you won’t be able to use Sorcery, right?!”
“She is coming straight at you-de chu!”
I failed.
I forgot that the opponent can use status ailments.
It also contributed greatly that the long range attacks until now haven’t hit, and I wasn’t wary of it.
And then, just like with Egiaz 1, Zaria is aware of my location in some way and is rushing towards me straight on.
Could it be that this white smoke makes it so it is harder to see when your Monstrosity Degree is higher?
No, who cares about that right now?
Right now what’s important is Zaria.
“Hmph!”
“…”
The first attack.
I take it on with my flail, blocking it, but my flail gets pushed away.
“Hah!”
“…”
Second attack.
I moved my wings and withdrew a bit to the back, and my body was cut lightly.
That’s why I grab the Potion Kettle in my hand and move my body as if hanging by it.
“Not letting you!”
“—!”
Third attack.
The sword of Zaria approached me.
And so, I purposely…let her cut my arm together with the Potion Kettle, and had her scatter the contents of the Potion Kettle around.
“This move…”
Zaria tried to unleash her fourth attack.
But unease showed in her eyes and, above her, there’s Poison (5) displayed.
But she probably doesn’t even know how that happened, and it must have looked as if I activated Poison Demonic Eye – 1.
And I have no intention of letting this chance escape.
“Hngh?!”
I retrace the same trajectory as the time when I withdrew with my wings.
When I did, my body got close to Zaria’s to the point of touching.
The hand that was holding nothing wrapped to the back of Zaria, and after getting all the way, I swiftly turned my wrist.
“Wa…?!”
Poison Demonic Eye – 1 was activated with the motion key.
Moreover, Zaria is within the effective range of my Curse Bandages that are increasing the Curse Density.
The Poison shown is 130.
She must have brought items that specialize solely on Poison Resistance, the effect was lowered quite a bit, but it is still fatal poison.
“…I am not so soft as to let you escape twice.”
“This far…?”
But if she has prepared this much, she might even pull off recovering from fatal poison.
That’s why I swiftly moved to the back of Zaria, took out the Tooth Knife at my waist, and dealt the finishing blow without even allowing her the time to fall.
<<Winner, Taru-sama! Congratulations on advancing to the 3rd round!>>
“That was pretty close.”
That’s how I managed to win a very close victory without being given even the time to taste the unknown.
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