Chapter 48: Feeling Pain, Inflicting Pain |
"If I survive this, most of the money I make will have to be poured into suppression drugs, just like Mr. Opper," the man sighed, touching his neck.
"Well, at least you are still breathing. From now on, I will help you take care of Alice at the Bell Tavern." Another companion rushed over, his eyes locked onto Downs. Even while keeping a vigilant watch, he managed to joke with his friend.
It was as if this was not a life-and-death struggle at all.
This casual attitude caused Downs''s anger to start burning.
He was just about to launch another attack.
However, a commotion suddenly erupted from the other side.
It was the pair of Halflings. They had not continued to entangle themselves with the Watchman, instead leaving him entirely to Arlo.
The oppressive presence emanating from Downs was too overwhelming. Fearing that Downs would harm Opper, Arlo ordered the Halflings to come and help as soon as the Watchman threw one of them off.
"One against four?" Downs stretched his limbs, feeling nothing but pure excitement.
As long as their attacks did not surpass the absolute limits of the Black Iron Rank and possess rule-breaking effects, it was practically impossible for these people to harm him.
With the mighty power bestowed upon him by Lord Nemus, he was bound to win.
Naturally, Downs also glanced over at Purr''s situation.
The order they had received was to crush Opper''s forces to the greatest extent possible and display their own strength.
This was all to pave the way for Nemus''s next move.
Purr had already activated his Whale-ification. His entire body was covered in flower-like black patterns, and his frame had expanded massively, swelling from his original height of over five feet to nearly ten feet.
The Colossus trait brought with it an immense sense of oppression.
Consequently, his Tough Hide provided an incredibly potent defensive effect.
All of this made the Dual Swordsman feel as though there was no opening to strike.
Fortunately, Opper was standing by, manipulating the transparent Feather Sky Serpents to run interference and control the battlefield.
Even though both were utilizing Whale-ification, Purr and the Watchman had completely different combat styles.
The Watchman''s battles were mostly geared toward fighting Dangerous Creatures. Aside from his decent Sword Art, the rest of his fighting style was rather crude and unrefined.
Purr was different. Because of his personal preferences, even though he was a Colossus at the moment, there was a meticulous finesse hidden within his brute strength.
His combat style had a very clear inclination—feeling pain, and then inflicting pain.
Moreover, because of Purr''s pure Faith in Nemus, Nemus favored him exceptionally well.
Over the past half month, he had interacted with Nemus the most, receiving multiple pointers and guidance from him.
It was exactly this guidance that had drastically improved Purr''s combat skills.
"Identify your own advantages, guard your weaknesses, and then use your strengths to exploit the enemy''s shortcomings." Nemus''s teachings still echoed in his ears.
These combat philosophies would never feel real unless someone personally guided you through actual, practical situations.
Purr inherently possessed an Innate Talent for combat techniques. With Nemus''s teachings, combined with the sheer advantage of his Attribute Values...
Even though this was truly his first time fighting head-on against other people, his combat performance was not bad at all.
Furthermore, he was continuously absorbing experience, growing at a rapid pace.
His massive hands, large as palm-leaf fans, swung out directly. The resulting gusts of wind caused the Dual Swordsman''s rapiers to tremble slightly.
The Feather Sky Serpents darted out from midair, biting into Purr''s arm before coiling around it and pulling hard, restricting the momentum of his strike.
These creatures summoned by Opper were not only nearly invisible, but they also possessed the ability to traverse through the air.
They could find a Medium in the very air that they could touch, using it to anchor their bodies in place.
At the same time, their strength Attribute Values were not weak. Even though Purr''s values had reached twelve points after his Whale-ification, several of these serpents could still coordinate with one another to restrict his offensive movements.
Seeing this, Purr did not continue to rely on brute force. He had already tested them earlier; the bodies of these Feather Sky Serpents were incredibly resilient.
Even if he yanked on them with all his might, it was extremely difficult to tear their bodies.
On top of that, they became incredibly slippery when they needed to be. Combined with their transparent forms, grabbing their heads to find a fatal flaw was exceptionally difficult.
Taking advantage of this moment, the Dual Swordsman flourished his rapiers into a dazzling display of steel.
The Blade Edges constantly shifted and danced, searching for any possible opening on Purr''s body.
However, Purr''s nearly ten-foot stature meant his eyes and other vital spots were positioned high off the ground. If the Dual Swordsman wanted to target Purr''s eyes, he would end up exposing massive openings in his own defenses.
As for the rest of his body, Purr was defending flawlessly.
From Nemus, he had learned how to use stillness to overcome motion.
The vast majority of his body was protected by his Tough Hide.
Under these circumstances, it was unwise to make large, sweeping movements. The wider his movements, the more he would expose those vulnerabilities that were normally well-guarded.
Therefore, the first thing he needed to do was remain steady. By carefully feeling the pain inflicted by the enemy, he would learn their movements, thereby protecting himself to the greatest extent possible.
His defense provided an extremely high margin for error. This was especially true after undergoing Whale-ification, which also granted a certain degree of self-healing, expanding that margin even further.
The greater the margin for error, the less he needed to rush. Fighting steadily and solidly, trading his own endurance for the opponent''s inevitable mistakes—that was his current battle strategy.
"How is this possible?!" The Dual Swordsman had completely failed to achieve any results. Seeing Purr closing in once again, he had no choice but to retreat and dodge the incoming attack.
''Is the gap between Arlo and me really that massive?'' The Dual Swordsman''s heart fell into disarray.
Arlo was just an ordinary villager from this small backwater called Finback Village. Nothing about the man was particularly outstanding.
It was Opper who had single-handedly unearthed his potential. And it was three years ago that the Dual Swordsman and Arlo fought for the very first time.
He originally had no intention of joining Opper''s Caravan. He used to be a lone wolf who preyed on other criminals.
It was just that he had unfortunately bumped into Opper, who surrounded him with his men and invited him to join.
At that time, confident in his Sword Art, he proposed a one-on-one duel to decide whether he would join.
He was a genius in the Sword Art and had fully expected to win his freedom with his twin blades. Yet, he was defeated by Arlo, who was still rather green at the time.
He accepted his loss and joined Opper''s Caravan, though the bigger reason was so he could continue sparring with Arlo.
Since then, he had never won a single match.
He finally realized that Arlo was an absolute combat genius. If Arlo could go to a larger city and learn under a good Teacher, his future would be limitless.
Yet this was exactly what he could not figure out—Arlo remained stubbornly loyal to Opper, staying by his side no matter what.
The image of Arlo suppressing the Watchman with his saber techniques earlier had not yet faded from his mind.
But now, facing another Probationary Village Guardian who also suffered from Whale Transformation Sickness, he was the one being suppressed.
True, Purr''s physical mutations surpassed those of the Watchman, but the Dual Swordsman also had the assistance of Opper''s summoned Feather Sky Serpents.
The disparity between the two situations caused the Dual Swordsman to freeze in a daze.
"Losing focus in the middle of a battle is a surefire way to lose your life...!"
Purr seized this opportunity in an instant. His steady defense had placed him in an invincible position; all that followed was careful observation and absolute decisiveness when striking at a fleeting opening.
Nemus had not taught him any Showy and Substance-less techniques; the only thing he had taught him was a single punch.
With pinpoint accuracy, one hand swatted away the Feather Sky Serpents clinging to his body, while his other hand raised, clenched into a fist, and struck.
Ahhh!