Desperately stabbing at each other, the two warriors continued their relentless assault, grimacing in pain while refusing to halt their arms.
Though the graphic depictions of their carnage were glossed over, the red splatters of blood hinted at their brutal injuries.
Almost every professional gamer had their pain sensitivity set to high.
This was to minimize the time spent checking their interface.
Just how severe was the injury they just received? Was there severe bleeding?
In the heat of battle, instinctual sensations were far quicker than what the screen could convey.
Typically, they started at 20% and gradually raised it to find their optimal sensitivity.
But for every advantage, there’s a downside.
With a pain sensitivity over 20%, they could feel significant pain depending on where they were stabbed.
Because of this, inflicting pain on an opponent became an intentional tactic in matches between professionals.
Assassins at this caliber… it was a given they had mastered such skills.
“How ruthless,” said Luce, her appreciation slipping out with a hint of surprise.
It was quite the observation.
The match had ended with Gawol’s victory, but at a glance, it also seemed like they suffered considerably.
Just from Luce’s trembling right hand, she could guess the state of affairs.
Their reactions were far more intense than expected. Perhaps they were already sensitive to pain from the start.
If that were the case, it would indeed have been excruciating.
Even amidst such agony, Gawol wore a relieved smile.
There were likely only two types of people like that in the world.
One was incredibly ruthless, desperate enough for victory.
And the other was simply insane.
Luce’s thoughts leaned toward the former.
《 How coincidental! It seems both players are meeting again on the same battlefield. 》
《 There have been some changes to Haruka’s build. Meanwhile, Gawol entered without any changes from her last match. 》
《 It’s confidence, isn’t it? She won the last round, after all. That was a mental display worthy of the chaos in the field. It won’t be easy to break that confidence. 》
With the terrain being the same, the early arrangements unfolded similarly.
A search to find each other first.
The only difference was that Haruka seemed to have brought a different card into play.
Sharp threads were set up in the path previously traversed by the Kunoichi.
A common auxiliary weapon used by classes in the assassination field: Silver Magic.
《 Seems like she found something. 》
《 Gawol is approaching first. 》
《 I’m concerned about the position of the Silver Magic. She doesn’t seem to know yet. 》
《 The battlefield luck isn’t on my side. There’s no light nearby, so the Silver Magic isn’t visible. 》
By the time the fifth Silver Magic was set, Gawol, climbing the pillar, leaped and attempted to strike first.
As always, her ambush was without superfluous moves.
However, spotting the Silver Magic too late became a misstep.
In a rush to evade, her attack’s trajectory twisted badly.
The dagger aimed at the vital points barely grazed Haruka’s thigh.
Though the Kunoichi’s mesh stockings ripped and blood splattered, that was all.
It was hardly a satisfactory exchange.
In contrast, the Kunoichi bought herself time to form a hand sign.
[‘Ninjutsu: Will-o’-the-wisp’ carves the sigil of ‘Ryang’.]
Violet flames engulfed the assassin, who swiftly escaped the blaze, only to find a beast’s fangs waiting where she thought she could take cover.
The Kunoichi plunged her kunai into Haruka’s abdomen as if she’d been waiting.
The delicate skin tore, sending a jolting sensation through her wrist—
─but she couldn’t feel it.
Haruka’s eyes widened in horror as her body, once touched by the blade, dispersed like smoke.
A clone? At this timing? But where was the real one?
The unresolved mystery soon found its answer.
From within the unextinguished flames, a gloved hand lunged.
Grabbing Haruka’s ankle, she stabbed the dagger in.
Quickly forging a new hand sign, she swapped positions with a log, but the injury she’d sustained didn’t vanish.
At some point, a bright smile had adorned Luce’s face.
An innocent gasp escaped her lips.
“Did you see that? That was a risky move! How did she come up with that in such a short time? I would have been fooled too just now!”
《 What do you think about that recent skirmish? 》
《 Gawol has regained the flow of the match. The swap technique has a long cooldown. If she gets caught again, it’ll be dangerous. 》
《 If she’s not careful, the previous nightmare might replay itself. 》
《 Yes. Haruka seems wary too. She’s meticulously installing more Silver Magic. 》
The clash between the two, with their blades aimed at each other, was far from over.
Gawol evaded flames while stepping on the sigil embedded in the wall.
The dragon-shaped fire relentlessly pursued her, but it was so fast she couldn’t even see it coming. Catching up was futile.
The petite assassin nimbly climbed the embedded sigil, hopped on a pillar, and kicked off the ceiling.
Dagger and kunai collided at a dangerously close angle.
They twisted their wrists, temporarily aiming at each other’s forearms, but Gawol’s left shoulder exposed a gap.
It was a split-second moment.
Yet, it was more than enough time for Haruka.
[‘Ghost Step’ carves the sigil of ‘Oni’.]
The technique was clumsily forged in response. The weapons swiftly descended.
Haruka, aiming to shred the enemy’s shoulder, abruptly froze.
[‘Fox Claw’ carves the sigil of ‘Human’.]
The weapon made contact.
However, it merely created a shallow wound.
If it had been any deeper, it would have been Haruka’s wrist that got severed.
Blood flowed down, soaking the Silver Magic.
She had no recollection of placing it here. So whose doing could it be? That was quite obvious.
Surely strands of her own thread hung tangled in Gawol’s dagger.
She must have stolen the thread during their exchanges.
Assassins could wield the Silver Magic as well.
However, exactly how much was taken, she had no way to gauge.
A fierce kick then struck her solar plexus.
《 She’s fast! Haruka is losing her stance. Gawol is closing in! 》
《 But she has to be careful. Only the last sigil ‘Hon’ remains. It’s an easy sigil to fill with a wide-ranging curse, and if the four sigils are completely filled, the match could turn in an instant. 》
In no time at all.
While Haruka was forming her hand sign, three deep cuts formed on her side.
A warning echoed: she was afflicted with a lethal blood poison.
At this rate, she could end up in the same predicament as before.
She couldn’t afford to lose the sigils she had gathered in vain.
She needed to seize the opportunity to turn the tables.
From the beginning, the Silver Magic was meant as a means of protection while gathering sigils.
So now, there was no need to hold back.
Pulling in the thread without reservation, Haruka blocked Gawol’s path.
Faced with the sharp tapestry of threads, Gawol had to take a step back.
In that brief moment, the decisive move was initiated.
[‘Curse of Weakening’ carves the sigil of ‘Hon’.]
All four sigils had been gathered.
Unlike before, there were no means to counter immediately.
Here it came.
The instant the assassin lowered her body, entering a defensive stance, the Kunoichi’s new form shimmered faintly.
Kaaaaang! The two blades clashed with a sharp sound.
[‘Salmu’ is empowered by the power of Gwi-in Ryang-hon.]
From the desired spot.
With impeccable timing, three slashes were unleashed.
One barely managed to be blocked, but already Gawol’s wrist ached strangely.
Due to not being able to fully defend herself, her health had dropped by about 10%.
The burns she had endured earlier and the wear from the fight meant she was not in the best condition.
Even just two more blows could turn the match around.
This time, it was Gawol’s turn to utilize the Silver Magic she had collected.
Positioning herself in front of a pillar to avoid retreat, she set up clusters of Silver Magic to block the path ahead.
The only remaining area was right in front.
《 She’s going for a decisive move, Haruka! 》
《 She must block it! Salmu’s defenses are quite tricky, but even partial defense could help her weather a crisis. 》
Haruka calculated her chances.
The dagger’s position concealed her neck and heart.
There was an iron will to never expose her vital spots.
With her demonstrated skills thus far, she certainly could respond in time.
Then perhaps she should just turn a little.
The decision was made. The second Salmu arrived in an instant in front of Gawol.
The crescent-shaped blade aimed to cripple the assassin’s left arm.
Her intent was to render it completely useless, but again, the nightmare-like reaction speed hindered her.
While it caused significant bleeding, her movement still seemed feasible.
“Is that considered a reaction? I thought it wasn’t designed as a skill for evasion…”
As a baffled voice echoed from outside the battlefield, Haruka’s mind was colder than ever.
Surely, her left side now had to focus on defense.
The usual judgment would indicate to continue an attack.
By immediately deploying the third Salmu, she could push her opponent to the brink.
But what next?
The foe was still perfectly capable of movement.
While she had used everything she had, the assassin likely still possessed plenty of usable cards.
Once an advantage was gained, it had to be clinched immediately.
A single trick could change everything.
There was still one avenue left. The sky remained.
Thus, the moment the third Salmu descended from above.
Both the commentary and Luce’s eyes widened in shock.
《 Whoa, whoa! 》
《 When did she prepare something like that? 》
Once the astonishment wore off, the scene revealed itself—Kunoichi ensnared in Silver Magic.
Her struggles to break free aired for all to see.
Though slightly dulled from having been retrieved once, the remaining threads viciously tore at the Kunoichi’s clothes.
As Gawol grinned while pulling her dagger back, Haruka’s body was dragged upward.
“Ah, it was when you showed your Silver Magic! The amount you retrieved during the fight was small. Then, the Silver Magic retrieved beforehand…!”
A dazed expression.
With every writhing movement of her bound body, the threads sank deeper.
This was the end of the line. All that was left was the winner’s execution ceremony.
Gawol smiled brightly as she looked upward—at her.
“Rabbit?”
“Hiiik!”
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