One Chance

There was no such thing as an untouchable martial artist. All fighters were aware they could be hurt.

Even the most seasoned fighter wasn't exempt.

So long as the Martial Dao is infinite, there'd always be a way lady luck would not be on their side.

Maybe the fighter was mismatched. Maybe they tripped while attacking. There were many reasons.

How much one could take was also important.

For example: Even if Terran got a bloody nose from accidentally misreading Adam's attack, he was actually the more durable one amongst the Gods thanks to his physique. His muscles like armour.

Which was why he was able to take many hits without defending. Able to assist him immensely.

Not too long ago, the divine blacksmith had gotten bruise on his cheek from lowering his guard again.

Stretched his back and looked at the decimated makeshift training room, with Adam having fell.

His body powerlessly laid facing the ceiling.

The gamer had managed to deliberately hit Terran this time. It wasn't a stroke of luck like before.

Still, it'd taken everything he had to manage that.

Terran spoke to him with a look of praise:

"You've finally mastered your limits. I'm sure if you use this, even someone like her would get hurt."

The bruised face healed at a speed beyond what was humanly possible. Returning back to its form.

Though the dwarf-like man didn't exactly become better to look at just because one bruise was gone.

He scratched his cheek…

"That's fine and all, but… I have 'limits' now." While before he had an endless amount for of untapped potential, now he was only 'mortal'. He could likely tire himself to death if he fought like this too much.

"What's wrong with that? Even if you have limits, it doesn't mean you're certainly going to lose."

"You don't know that…" At that exact time, Adam still wasn't confident in hitting the Sword Goddess.

Even if his victory only banked on one strike.

It wasn't his heart that was the problem, the gamer was clear that he couldn't logically be able to win.

There was no way she'd let him do so.

The sky and earth would crumble before he managed to land a hit on her. That was a fact.

"Adam, look…" The man on the ground shifted his eyes to a regular iron sword Terran had picked up.

Probably the worst weapon in this armoury.

The God of Fire continued:

"This sword has no special properties and is only so sharp by itself, but if the Sword Goddess held this blade… well… It could probably slice through stronger materials like a hot knife through butter."

"That's because of her Divinity."

"What I'm trying to say… is…" The divine blacksmith stopped him: "…your own inner 'properties' matter."

"I'll try to remember that."

"Make sure you do. There's only one chance for it."

"Will this really work?"

"Have faith. Techniques are about efficiency. It's not simply about moving yourself in a certain way."

Adam didn't understand what the man meant back then, but he had a good idea in front of Red Rabbit.

Behind his deep eyes was the connection to his newly formed Sea of Consciousness… His 'Eden'.

A dimension both illusionary and real.

Even though he was standing in front of the swordswoman, his ego looked through his physical body's eyes from Eden. Almost like a gamer that was watching his avatar through a TV screen.

The controller being his nerves…

The buttons for Light Strike, Heavy Strike, Normal Hit, and Sprint being the easiest ones to access.

Even though he was already in the 'Real Life' Game Genre, Adam applied a second ruleset to himself.

[Zone Overlay: Sub Genre- Character Action]

Like the name suggested, it was a genre of gaming that was highly specific to character and action.

Able to control the character to do greater feats.

Nothing seemed to change outwardly, but Adam felt more liberated and highly suited for combat.

His Skills came together like this was a nexus point.

Rather than attacking immediately, Adam squeezed the Blazing Knife and allowed it transform itself.

The blade of it vanished, allowing him to slam the new grip attachment underneath the pistol's barrel.

This stabilised him so he wouldn't be thrown around by the blowback… and added 'evil fire' properties to his next shot. However, this wasn't enough for him to feel satisfied of his firepower.

While Void was changing to a stance more suitable for long-ranged stabs, he used his 'Reequip' again.

The translucent Riot Shield shrunk down and became a transparent glasses Sniper Scope.

The Battle Baton stuck on to be a suppressor.

And the Light Sabre became a Laser Scope that attached just under the barrel in front of the grip.

Creating a firearm that could injure even a God.

*Bang*

Perhaps because his trigger finger was faster than her slashing a sword, Red Rabbit defended herself.

It was hard for her to defend against a bullet.

This wasn't because she was weak or that she hadn't learned enough. It wasn't a good match.

All 'weapons' weren't made for defence. By their very nature, swords were made to attack foes.

Thus, she found defending the bullet tiresome…

With a swift motion of her blade, she was able to deflect the shot using her innate speed and agility.

Then countered with a range defying flying slash!

The energy wave cut through the air, but Adam wasn't done. There was a move he'd respond with.

The ego of himself from Eden sequenced some button combinations with Light Strike to attack.

['Special Move' is initiated.]

['Scorching Sphere' is shot.]

This wasn't exactly a Personal Skill, but a Fusion Skill that made a projectile fly at his opponent.

It was like such a move from a Fighting Game.

A deep combination of the evolved 'Magic Ball (Common)' that had become dense enough to become 'Magic Sphere (Rare)'. An explosion destroyed both magical projectiles in the air.

Adam glanced at his 'Combo Counter' that had risen to 1 momentarily, then fell back down to 0.

He welcomed the stronger flying energy blade she threw while putting her back in it. Since his Mk1 GGUW wouldn't be able to take any more strong shots, Adam unequipped the attachments.

Even while his hands were being burned from the red hot metals of the gun, he shot with vigour.

[You have activated 'Barrage Shot'.]

'One chance… One chance…' These words were being repeated in his mind while focusing himself.

*Tck* *Tck* *Tck* *Tck* *Tck*

The bullets were only able to slow down the bladed energy wave, but was unable to destroy it this time.

Regardless, the Combo Counter was going up.

A total of 30 rounds were emptied fully.

[You have reached the Combo Counter of 10. For the duration of one minute, Magic Tier is E Rank.]

[You have reached the Combo Counter of 20. For the duration of one minute, Magic Tier is D Rank.]

[You have reached the Combo Counter of 30. For the duration of one minute, Magic Tier is D+ Rank.]

Adam quickly used Reequip to wield his Mk1 SDCC.

[You have reached the Combo Counter of 40. For the duration of one minute, Magic Tier is C- Rank.]

[You have reached the Combo Counter of 50. For the duration of one minute, Magic Tier is C Rank.]

[You have reached the Combo Counter of 60. For the duration of one minute, Magic Tier is C+ Rank.]

[You have reached the Combo Counter of 70. For the duration of one minute, Magic Tier is B- Rank.]

Even though the level of his Magic Emission wasn't strong enough to make use of his overwhelming high Magic Tier, he was able to reinforce his body enough to react to the figure flying straight at him.

Adam's pupils constricted as the Sword Goddess used her greater physical strength to easily bypass his defences and unsheathe her sword. His survival instincts were screaming. Death was at the door!

'One chance… One chance…' The words were still repeating in his head as he delved into a trance.

Using his experiences of falling and forcing himself out of mental ailments, he was able to force his mind into a state of hyper-focus that shouldn't have been possible. He risked his mind to do this.

One singular use was the limit. Any more, and his forceful method would scar his brain permanently.

Moreover, he had to make sure the strict conditions aligned before he could cross into hyper-focus.

Conviction, the channeling of thoughts into a single goal, survival instincts, yet indifferent to death.

This paradoxical mindset needed to be brought to the brink. Consuming and burning mental energy.

A gate to a new perspective was broken open…

[You are forcing yourself into the state of 'The Zone' using only the might of your determination.]

[A new Skill is born.]

['BEAST MODE' has been activated.]

[Your technical proficiency has risen by 1000%.]

[Your stats are reaching a new height.]

[Power Tier= S (Common)

Agility Tier= SS (Rare)

Speed Tier= S (Common)

Defence Tier= A (Common)

Magic Tier= A (Common)]

Adam crossed blades with her, causing the mansion around then to be destroyed in the process. The sky trembled and the earth shook from the terrifying force of their high-level match.

The only problem was his weapon durability…

'Fuck…' Seeing the blade was breaking, Adam quickly put away his weapon and dived closer.

His hands diverting the edge of her blade while simultaneously trying to land an attack on her.

But since he still had a high Magic Tier, it was possible to go beyond anything he'd ever done.

This was his chance!

['Special Move' is initiated.]

The Mana in his body was moulded without having to do much outer movements thanks to his Eden.

This time, the Heavy Strike was in the sequence.

['Frigid Ensnarement' is activated.]

Darkness rose from the ground and paralysed her entire body like ice. His ego in Eden kept pressing.

Before the enhancement of BEAST MODE and Combo Counter wore off, he needed to use 'that'.

A long sequence of button presses was immediately done within the span of a second.

Light Strike and Heavy Strike were added in. They were pressed simultaneously while using 'Sprint'.

['Ultimate Move' is initiated.]

Using his 'Magic Sphere (Rare)' as a basis, Adam raised his hands to the sky and used all his Mana.

The broken sky was blackened by his power.

And in that dark sky were stars created by his Ultimate Move. He threw his arms down.

['Star Fall' is executed.]

The woman ensnared in a pillar of ice merely snorted. She shook her blade more seriously.

The world quickly collapsed…

All the 'stars' in sky slashed. Each and every orb that was homing in on her position turned to dust.

The heavens were minced…

The arena couldn't hold the might of her full power.

If this was done in the World of Gaia, perhaps the entire nation would've been destroyed by her.

Her swordsmanship shouldn't exist…

It was too strong. Too unfair. The futility one felt when she 'got serious' was deeper than seas.

Nothing could be compared to her.

[You have exceeded one minute.]

As if destined by fate, he wasn't able to stop his Magic Tier from dropping down to the E Rank.

He was no longer on her level anymore.

"You're done." Void cracked her neck while looking down on Adam, who was kneeling unconsciously.

His survival instincts were telling him to give up.

That defying her meant death.

This wasn't a fair fight to begin with. They weren't even on the same plane of existence as each other.

How could he possibly win?

Gaia closed her eyes, feeling melancholy in seeing her avatar being in Void's mercy once again.

She hadn't expected her to be THIS strong.

No, she didn't expect her sister to be so against giving him her Divinity. Not even letting him win.

Did he not prove himself enough to her?

"Stop this, you've won." Gaia spoke, but the Sword Goddess merely waved her finger in response.

"No no no, he said he'd rather die than lose. Let me give him that. I'm such a merciful person, right?"

She laughed while carelessly taunting him. Even if she let down her guard a little, what could he do?

Her sixth sense had been sharpened to the point that she could practically sense his future actions.

And she felt he had nothing left to offer her.

At least, that's how it should have been…

For some odd reason, Adam was still repeating the words 'One chance…' like a mantra in his head.

His BEAST MODE had yet to be turned off.

The words of Terran resounded in his head:

["There's only one chance for it."]

'ONE CHANCE!' The gamer saw the opportunity.

Void wasn't aware of what was going on. She was far too arrogant to care about a worthless insect.

Her sword descended to his neck, and…

*Chop*

Gaia had closed her eyes, not wanting to see her avatar beheaded in such a barbaric and brutal way.

However, Red Rabbit's voice has alerted her.

*Clang!*

"W-what!?!?!" When Gaia looked to see what was happening, she saw why the woman exclaimed so.

She could see that at some point, a screen had popped up in front of Adam while he was kneeling.

[Zone Overlay: Sub Genre- Stealth Game]

But this wasn't the most important point.

Gaia used her omniscience to glean further into the mechanisms that had allowed him to block her.

How his cracked Mk1 SDCC did shatter on impact.

Her eyes saw through his thoughts and the past.

Seeing that the moment Void had let her guard down, Adam had already switched his sub genre.

The logic he used to act upon this was simple…

There were gamers who were able to follow behind their targets in Stealth Games without being seen.

Unless they made a sound, the programming of such enemies wouldn't allow them see the player.

Thus, this feature was incorporated into the zone

The miracle gamer's Target Zone cancelled out her tremendous sixth sense. Altering the laws of reality.

A bit to that time with Pandemos.

He'd already seen that his Taboo System had more features than Skills alone, and this wasn't all of it.

There was one more thing Stealth Games were known for. Practically a staple of such a genre.

['Takedown' commencing…]

"You better pray to yourself, Sword Goddess." His Skill was affecting her despite their gap in power.

What was a takedown?

Since games that focused on not being seen by multiple enemies couldn't focus on loud fights every encounter, a 'Takedown' move would sometimes be added to disable an enemy quickly.

The requirement for this was being outside of the vision of whoever was attacked. It was essential.

And the Sword Goddess gave him this opportunity.

['Takedown' confirmed.]

This time, Red Rabbit saw something in her vision the moment it affected her. Messages popped up.

She read them instantly:

[You have been affected by the Skill: 'Takedown'.]

[For the duration of 10 seconds, your magical energy is sealed and stars will be lowered.]

[Seconds remaining…]

[00:10]

His time for retaliation had finally come!

Adam enjoyed his magical energy and was about to unleash a barrage of attack to decimate her figure.

Only to stop midway…

He didn't know what she had done, but an intense killing intent washed over him like a heavy ocean.

Even with his death insensitivity, he wasn't able to ignore the thick scent arising from her presence.

"I had told you before: My blade never misses." The attack he'd thought was blocked earlier didn't stop at his firearm. He didn't know if this her 'Destiny Zone' in effect, but the direction of it had altered.

*Crchk!*

The edge of his gunblade snapped in half, and the last thing he saw were the stats of his opponent.

[Power Tier= SSS > SS (???)

Agility Tier= SS > S (???)

Speed Tier= SS > S (???)

Defence Tier= S > A (???)]

*Ptchk!*

After that, he was thrown into darkness. The world he'd once known had now been deprived from him.

[Your eyes have been permanently damaged.]

[The status ailment of 'Blindness' is now permanently added to status. It cannot be healed.]

Even though he didn't sense pain, the lack of vision has thrown his heart into a great spiral of despair.

His 'Target Zone' was broken…

Without his eyes to see, it was like he was playing a game with a broken monitor. Most his Skills sealed.

The weakness of adding most his Skills to his eyes had shown itself. He had become too imbalanced.

The moment his vision was taken from him, he was left in a more helpless state than Void was in.

Unable to establish his greatest zone anymore…

Even though he couldn't feel any pain, the illusion of having his eyes cut out made him scream involuntarily. Blood seeped from his wounds and his health bar started to drop at a quick pace.

[00:09]

The timer was still going, so he needed to act fast.

However, the first one to strike was Void. When he compared the stats, he had realised one thing.

[Power Tier= S (Common)

Agility Tier= SS (Rare)

Speed Tier= S (Common)

Defence Tier= A (Common)

Magic Tier= E (Common)]

Even with Takedown affecting her, she was still the strongest Goddess to have ever transcended.

That thought lead him into a greater sense of futility when he realised she was being him up.

Like a mere brawler…

She had her sword and strength that was incomparable to his endurance, but she did this.

There was no need to ask why.

It was her making a mockery of him. She likely wouldn't even kill him in the proceeding seconds.

[00:08]

His health bar went from green to orange.

[You have been inflicted with the 'Bleeding' ailment. Your maximum health will start to drop.]

He started to wonder if this 'game' was rigged again. Was there any point to winning anymore?

Maybe if he died to her hands, his Imaginary Spirit would be able to see Lumina and Solaris again.

Adam could tell the damage being done to him was purposely inflicted at a rate in-sync with the timer.

But what was the point of knowing this.

With his 'Zone' gone, so was his ability to access the many abilities that he was able to use earlier.

Plus, what was the point of gaming with a broken screen? It'd be better to just allow his life to end.

Apathy started to make him feel lethargic.

Sapping away any will to live any longer. There futility he felt from having lost again broke him.

[00:07]

He had put so much effort into remaking himself.

Done everything to find a purpose in life and growing beyond what anyone could've expected.

Despite that, there was no way to beat fate.

The strikes were landing all over his body. Making blood rain from the area where his eyes once were.

He could taste the iron of his own crimson fluids…

Despite having given up, he found that his heart couldn't accept dying here. He had so much to do.

So many to talk and find out more about.

He'd never seen the ends of the world. Never had a lover. Married. Had kids. All of it was still on his list.

Well… At the very least, he was able to get rid of his virginity before the last moments of his life.

[00:06]

It was at this point he'd started to figure out the pattern she was striking him and avoiding the full impact. However, even though he could predict what would be hit… that didn't mean anything.

His blindness still stopped him from being able to do anything. The only reason he was avoiding…

…was because SOMEONE made his survival instincts too strong. What was he to do with this?

Who made his instincts like this anyway?

Moreover, why was… Void's attack pattern so easy to predict. Was she going each on little old him?

This was probably her tactics as well.

She was probably baiting him to fight back. Maybe trying to break his will further by counterattacking.

However… if not… then… then…

'Could I turn the tables?' Adam realised that the timer had slowed down in his mind at some point.

However, this didn't mean he could fight back.

Void was still invisible to him. He couldn't see her.

'Wait…' His mind sharpened again. The tiny spark started to grow into a lantern that guided his way.

Every time her strikes hit his body, he somehow sense the direction and 'outlines' of his body.

Adam was unaware how much he had truly grown at that moment. How much 'The Zone' mattered.

Entering that state of hyper-focus might not have been much without Mana, but with it was different.

Harmonising the muscles with magic reinforcement was hard enough. Adding martial arts was harder.

It was the reason those of the Martial World sought many battle so they'd one day enter 'The Zone'.

Once they tasted that state, they'd be able to know the most efficient way their body personally moved with their Mana. This allowed fighters insight into their existing techniques in order to 'digest' them.

Moreover, the gamer had entered this state twice!

Something Adam didn't know was possible even without the 'Deep Eyes Digest All Things' Skill.

The moment she hit his face squarely, Adam took the initiative to grab her wrist and 'look' to her.

Even without his Target Zone, there were still the two Battle Zones possible to established like this.

The 'Movement Zone' and 'Median Zone'!

[00:05]

The moment the gamer established his zone, his style changed to suit the nature of his actions.

[Style Shift- Chintamani Dragon Kung Fu]

His two hands wrapped her wrist as if he was holding onto a wish-granting orb. He used circular motions to throw her off her pace, then used his feet to trip her. He realised one thing from all this.

'You are worse than Simon'. Adam was annoyed he was relying on the teaching of that crazy drunkard.

But he couldn't help having this thought.

[00:04]

When Void finally managed to slip out of his sticky hands, he formed a Magic Sphere into his hand.

Even without being able to see, he could still manage to put in a sequence of inputs to retaliate.

['Special Move' is activated.]

['Scorch Flash' is executed.]

The glowing orb that looked like a Chintamani Stone burst into flames, the light burned her eyes.

Making both of them blind.

However, Adam had already predicted where she would step back. His body approached her figure.

[Style Shift- Street Boxing]

*Crunch*

A foot pinned her own heel into the ground, and he started to pummel her without a second thought.

His finger knuckles jabbed at the left side of her chin, then followed by a backhand to the right side.

Her eyeballs shook from feeling her brain hit all different sides of her skull. It had thrown her off.

[00:03]

If Simon was like a robot, Adam was like a chimera that was able to use every single form of Kung Fu.

Even those he'd made up by himself.

[Style Shift- Thousand Faced Chimera Kung Fu]

He couldn't see just how much damage was being done, but he didn't stop swinging and hoping.

Something he hadn't done in a long while.

Having the hope to believe his attacks would actually be hurting her. To believe he could winD

A numbness was already overcoming his body.

His mind was at its limits as well.

He was on the verge of collapsing, but he didn't dare stop. There were still things needed to do.

[00:02]

He finally activated 'Multi Strike'. His body had stopped attacking, but his Mana was drained out.

[Style Shift- Bodyguard Bajiquan Kung Fu]

His body had ran out of stamina and was about to be drained of magical energy, but he still moved.

Even while moving at a pace much slower than before, he still managed to add his weight into it.

Throwing his back and shoulder into his foe…

[00:01]

*BANG!!!*

The sound of a concussive force sending an object flying could be felt, but he didn't know the results.

Whether she was actually injured or not…

The moment the blitz of attacked finished, Adam was unable to stand up after squeezing it all out.

He fell unconscious in a Bajiquan stance…