#98 Gai vs Akashi

[Energy: 800/1515]

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[+1 XP for killing your enemy] x139

Class: Blade Master (Lv. 7; +13 Str, +13 Agi, +6 Const) 372/640 XP

[+50 DXP for destroying entire village in one sweep]

Special Class: Fire Incarnate (+30 Cha, +25 Int, +10 Const, +5 Str, +5 Agi) 67/100 DP

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Oh! I was able to do it without any major problem. To be honest I was a bit skeptical if it's gonna work due to my overly not so good control. I couldn't exactly use my usual flames since the blame could be pinpointed to me although no one would be able to prove it, they would still be more suspicious of me.

I thought with a slightly surprised and satisfied expression while looking at the result of my attack.

Although from up here it looked like nothing happened, I can see people just lying on the ground without moving a bit. Let's take a closer look.

I thought and started sliding down the steep hill.

When I was almost down, I bounced off the hill and jumped right on the roof of one of the houses.

I looked around before I crouched down and touched the surface of the roof. The second I touched the roof, I could feel my fingertips going colder until a slightly numb so I allowed my passive [Child of Fire] to do its job and my fingers instantly regained their temperature.

I jumped down from the roof and approached the center of the impact where everything spread to the surroundings while looking around at the corpses on my way there.

When I touched the corpses closest to the center, it almost felt like there wasn't any temperature inside their body. As for other bodies some distance away, they were just cold as if they have been killed a long ago.

The air around the village was completely normal as if nothing happened but the ground and all things had their temperature drained from them.

This is a really interesting power...?

I thought with a small smile while walking around the village but I suddenly stopped when I saw a human size hole in the ground some distance away from me.

"Don't you think it's about the time you come out, mole?" I asked with an amused tone and narrowed eyes.

*Crack* Suddenly a few meters behind me, the ground cracked open and someone came out of the underground.

"How come you were able to detect me?" He asked me with a calm tone while scratching the back of his head that was covered in armor, only his lower part of the face was visible, even his eyes were covered. His entire arms and hands were also covered in armor and its hands looked similar to mole's hands but much larger which indicated that he isn't good only for drilling underground but also for having high raw power.

Although he asked me with a calm tone, after he looked around, he was gritting his teeth while maintaining his calm image.

"Hole in the ground right in the middle of the street...what do you expect? But I am more surprised that you decided to show up." I said with an indifferent tone with both hands in my pockets.

"The attack of that scale must have drained you quite a lot, might as well use this chance to avenge everyone here. Plus I wouldn't be able to call myself a man if I would keep hiding from an enemy when others died in hands of that enemy. Why the hell are you even targeting this village?!" He asked me while gritting his teeth.

"I am not targeting this village especially, I am targeting you." I replied while shrugging my shoulders.

"?! You just killed everyone because you wanted to kill me?!! You are insane! Who the hell are you? Are you from those Oarburgh?!" He instantly started shouting at me with an angry tone.

"That's about it...And yes, I am from Oarburgh and I came here to settle the score. I am claws of the reaper of Oarburgh. My blade and I will pray for your peaceful afterlife." I drew my sword and pointed the tip at him while performing my dramatic speech with an amused smile, making it apparent that I was fooling around.

"!!! We will see who will settle the score with whom!" He shouted and kicked off the ground, approaching me at an unbelievable speed. When he was near enough, he threw a punch at me with his large fist covered in armor.

My blade won't be able to penetrate just any random location on his armor. I have to discover the weak point of this armor.

I thought with narrowed eyes and decided to just evade his punch by jumping to the side but when I wanted to jump away, I found myself unable to move.

"Oh?" I glanced at my legs with a slightly surprised expression just to see part of the ground binding my legs from moving.

Tsk, he really wants head-on confrontation, huh?

I thought while quickly blocking his punch with my sword, the impact of the punch destroyed the ground that was binding me and I was thrown a few meters to the back. I quickly regained my balance in the air before landing gracefully on the ground once again.

"Tch, you were able to block that attack with that slender figure of yours?" He muttered with an annoyed tone.

So he can manipulate the earth thanks to that armor. Even though it isn't Teigu, it is still quite powerful.

I thought with a calm expression and only now I realized that despite exchanging a very few blows with him in the past, I know almost nothing about his combat power.

"?!" He suddenly stomped the ground with his right leg.

"Are these little bugs yours? Are you perhaps trying to penetrate my armor with those insects?" He asked me with an amused tone.

"Even insects have feelings you shouldn't treat your brethren like that." I replied with a cold smile before jumping towards him.

[Hail of Blades]

[Energy: 750/1515]

A 3 broadsword appeared behind my back slightly above me while I was nearing him, I controlled them to attack him from different sides.

?! He seemed surprised by my move but he quickly erected a few pillars from earth blocking my swords while he dodged my overhead slash by jumping back, however when he was still in the air...

"There are many types of insects, not only with little pincers. If they can't pierce your armor, they will simply destroy your body while being covered in armor." I said with an amused smile which slightly shocked him as he slightly opened his mouth.

When he has landed on the ground, he noticed a few of those insects near his legs.

?! He instantly gritted his teeth when he noticed their stomach glowing in red color and slowly expanding.

*bang* *bang* *bang* A series of a few smaller explosions resounded in the dead village.

After the smoke cleared up, I noticed his figure lying on the ground with charred parts visible on his armor. I narrowed my eyes and slowly approached him.

When I was close enough, I crouched down to touch his hand but the second I touched it, his body crumbled down and revealed the hole in the ground and I instantly glanced behind me.

*Crack* The ground right behind me cracked open and he jumped out of it while throwing a punch towards my neck with an excited smile across his face. He was confident that I would have no time to dodge or react to this attack but when he noticed me glancing at him with an indifferent look, his smile disappeared and instantly retracted his arm and putting it in front of him.

I, on the other hand, put both of my hands on the ground and used them to help me strengthen the kick I sent towards his chin. He blocked my kick with his hands but he was still blown a few meters away.

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'This guy...I can't see his entire face but it is apparent that he is taking this too lightly. Is he underestimating me? If that is so, I have to take advantage of it, he is much stronger than I thought. To think that he can still move around so quickly after that big move.' Gai thought with a complicated expression when he landed on the ground.

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I noticed that he was thinking about something so I decided to use the chance.

[Hail of Blades]

[Energy: 700/1515]

I once again ordered my swords to attack him from different sides. This time, I selected from his right side and from above and behind him.

"?" He seemed to finally wake up from his thoughts when he saw the blades nearing him with their tips pointing at him.

"I have already seen this move once, you won't surprise me anymore with this!" He shouted with an angered tone and once again erected earth pillars that protected his back and right side but he decided to catch the sword coming at him from above with his hand.

He was able to catch it without any problem but the moment he was looking above to catch it, I already moved out.

[Phantom Strike]

[Energy: 680/1515]

I appeared right in front of him in a crouching position and performed completely the same kick to the chin I previously intended but was blocked by him.

"Wha-?! Gah!" He was shocked by my sudden increase in speed and was caught off guard so he didn't have any time to block my kick. When my kick connected with his chin, he was thrown to the air but he only groaned a bit in pain.

I instantly kicked off the ground and followed him before he could have a chance to recover. When he looked above him, he saw me performing axe kick while I was also spinning to strengthen the power of my kick.

"Tch!" He clicked his tongue and quickly put his hands in front of his head.

*BANG!* When my kick connected, he was blown back to the ground at an incredible speed, creating a little crater in the ground.

When the dust cleared up, I saw him lying on the ground with his face first without moving a bit.

The same move as before? No...

I thought with a small smile as I approached his body when I safely landed on the ground.

When I got near enough, instead of touching him, I prepared to stomp his head.

*Crack*

The ground behind me once again opened and Gai in his armor appeared behind me so I thrust my sword behind me while looking at him with cold eyes.

"I have already seen this move once, you won't surprise me anymore with this." I recited his own words.

My sword went through him without giving him a chance to make a move but it went through him too easily.

"Haha! What about this?!" His body suddenly started to crack and Gai who was lying in front of me suddenly caught my leg while thrusting his other hand towards my abdomen.

I turned my head back to him just to show him a cold and composed smile.

[Overwhelm]

[Energy: 650/1515]

I caught his wrist with my strengthened grip by skill before he could reach my abdomen with his claws.

"Wha-?!" He exclaimed but he was interrupted by the flashing light of my blade tearing through the air.

*Splash*

"Agh!" He released a low scream before he shut his mouth while gritting his teeth in pain. The hand I was holding was now disconnected from his body.

"Armpit is it?" I asked with a small smile while watching him trying to stop bleeding as best as he could with his earth control.

"?" He looked up at me from the ground with a questioning look

"The weak point of your armor that is." I explained with a calm tone.