Shatei Kyokufuri Yumi-Ojisan

Data.193 – Old Bowman, Rematch with the Knights

Though teams were dropping and there were fewer and fewer remaining, the tournament continued smoothly.

But perhaps it only feltsmooth to those players who remained.

Because for the audience, things were getting more exciting than ever as they neared the finals.

And the closer it got, the more nervous we became. And the waiting times only got shorter.

And yet things continued.

Smoothly…

‘And now, the 3rd battle of the quarterfinals! Straight Knights VS Ghost Guild! The chosen field is… Castle Town!

A classic fantasy town appeared on the monitor.

It was actually similar to the first town, except that one didnt have any grand castle, and the buildings were quite plain.

Like it would only be the second or third biggest town in the kingdom.

On the other hand, this was more like a royal capital.

There was a wide main street and dim alley ways.

And since the buildings were close together, you would be able to jump from roof to roof.

As for me, it would probably be best to camp on top of the castle, where I would have the best view on the map. But I suppose the enemy would try and stop me before I could do it…

Well, I was looking forward to finding out what would happen.

I had checked the archives and done my research on the enemy party.

I just had to do what I could and then go with the flow…!

‘Both parties to the battlefield!

And so the Ghost Guild warped to the castle town.

◆　◆　◆

After warping, the first thing that entered my eyes was…the castle that loomed in the distance.

My current location was the center of the main street that stretched out towards the castle.

In other words, the place that stuck out the most…!

Not only that, but when I looked around, I could not find any of my teammates.

This time, we had been scattered all over the map…!

“In any case, this is a bad place to stop and think.”

With this pattern, it would be dangerous to suddenly warp towards the castle.

Because it was likely that an enemy was already there.

For now, I should try and get on top of a roof.

But it would be a waste to use Warp Arrow so soon, so I would use those wooden crates, that practically begged me to step on them.

“The crates look a lot bigger up close… Ooomph…! Ha…!”

In games, the character can climb tall buildings with a press of the button or tilt of the stick, but its not as easy in VR games…!

After I managed to climb on top of the boxes, I hopped up onto the roof.

Thankfully, the distance between the roof and the box was not too harsh…!

Now, from the looks of it, this field was not as big as the Jumbo Athletic Park.

That meant that it would be easier to encounter enemies, but I still couldnt hear any sounds of fighting.

Either no one had found anyone yet, or they were waiting for a chance to take them down silently…

“I see you, archer! Your time has finally come!”

“…!? Buckler!”

It was definitely Buckler who was standing with his hands on his hips on the main street!

While his equipment was different compared to last time, his outlandish style, which involved thick armor that covered his massive body anddual-wielding a small and large shield respectively, had not changed.

He was the main shield of the Straight Knights. Heavy Armor Buckler…!

“Im sure that weve both been through a lot since then, but there is no need for words. We will understand everything if we just fight!”

“Yes, thats true…!”

What should I do? How should I fight…!

Last time, I had defeated Buckler by hitting him with Sky Tear after he had taken off all of his armor. But there was no way that he would take it off this time.

And would my arrows do any damage when he was this protected…!?

“Its worth testing out…!”

There was still a good distance between us.

And so I would shoot a normal arrow as a test.

I doubted that it would be effective, but it may give me an idea for what strategy to take…!

Kiririri.. Shu! Parii!

What? There was a high-pitched ring as if something had shattered.

And then a blue light effect appeared around Buckler…

“Youre not well-prepared, archer…! Ultra Bounder!”

I heard the voice coming from right next to me.

And before I had time to react, I was punched…and when flying into the air!

“Ga…!? Wh-what just…!”

Regardless, this was bad!

I was…flying towards the castle walls!

“Wh-whirlwind!”

Whirlwind had an effect that reduced your weight…!

Now I could soften the impact of a crash, but I couldnt avoid the crash altogether!

I wanted to use Windcloud Flash or Floating Cloud Herd, but it was difficult to adjust your direction and position while you were flying!

In the end, my back just slammed into the wall.

I was reminded of a battle manga as the wall caved in…and then I fell towards the ground.

“Floating Cloud Herd!”

I created a platform in the air and managed to avoid receiving fall damage.

My HP gauge was…half empty now.

I would have been in danger without Whirlwind…

And so I healed my HP with an item and then looked for Bucklers position.

…As I thought. He had warped!

In a flash, he had warped up to the roof where I had been standing!

And the requirement for the warp was likely…guarding against an enemys attack at the right time.

That sound and the blue light effect was to show that he had succeeded.

“This is a terrible enemy to go up against…”

Bucklers weakness was that he couldnt move quickly due to his heavy armor.

It was because he didnt come close, that I was able to deal with him calmly during the turf war.

However, he was now able to use his attacks as a trigger and bridge the gap in an instant.

Now I would no longer be able to test different attacks and find a way to defeat him…!

However, I was also sure that his warp wouldnt succeed every time.

These kinds of actions require perfect timing. And no matter how much you practice, you are bound to fail eventually.

The problem was, with Bucklers defenses, failing to block and taking damage might not mean that much.

Through sacrificing mobility for high defenses, he had erased the demerits of failing.

He had a clear advantage…!

“Whats wrong, archer! Arent you going to shoot me?”

Even though he was far away, I could hear Bucklers voice clearly.

I had thought this during the turf way as well, but he had a very loud voice…

It was a good thing that he didnt have Death Flag.

“What do you think about my Parry Warp? I equipped it specifically to deal with your long range. The timing gets more severe the farther the distance to warp, but that doesnt matter to me! I practiced for a long time so that I can deal with attacks from any distance! This is what true playing skill looks like!”

Apparently, there was no point in hoping or relying on his failing.

So, that did limit my options.

“I wont request a one on one dual in advance, just like your opponent during the second round. I will catch the person I want to fight on my own and wont let them escape! Create the situation that you want by yourself! That is a pro!”

Create the situation you want…huh.

Those were good words. I would learn from them!

And so I ignored Buckler and activated Floating Cloud Herd once again.

And then I climbed up the clouds that were arranged like a spiral staircase so that I could reach the top of the castle!

“Are you ready, archer? Now, try and hit me!”

“Yes! I will do just that!”

And so I pulled the bowstring and…shot one of Bucklers friends that was fighting in the distance!

“Wh-what!?”

Bucklers eyes widened.

It was simple. It wasnt that the enemy in front of me was just immune to my attacks. But attacking him meant he could warp and then hit me…

So it was better to ignore him and pick off the others first!

That was how a pro fought!