The Extra's Odyssey

--(A few minutes ago)--

"Can't find me?"

Swish-

Mother Mash swings her halberd, but I was already standing on another sword.

Swish- Swish-

She repeatedly attacks, only to hit empty air.

Opening the crack produces noise. Mother Mash can locate me with it.

But that works only if I open one crack at one time.

Crack- Crack-

Swish-

Cracks appear at random places to confuse Mother Mash.

With only a single weapon, she can't attack many places at once.

'Good. She is losing her composure. Only a little more.'

"Are you thinking of going on the defensive until the smokescreen lifts?"

"So, what? Aren't you also using these petty tricks? Do you think you stand a chance after the smokescreen is lifted?"

Mother Mash roared back at my provocation.

I smiled, knowing that she was beginning to get nervous.

"Okay, then I'll do as you say."

I stand near the mana barrier with the grimoire on my left and a shortsword in my right arm.

The shortsword was the rare-grade weapon I bought today. It should be able to pierce through her [Steel Body].

'I only have one chance.'

If I missed Mother, Mash will become aware that I have a rare-grade weapon on me. She then won't let me come closer.

The smokescreen finally lifted.

-Bam!

I kicked the ground and started chanting, <Water Shield>

In 5 seconds, the chant was completed and I clashed with Mother Mash.

A magic circle appeared beneath me.

Swosh-

"[Power]"

"<Water Shield>"

Blop-!

The water sphere absorbed a large amount of power behind her attack.

"Wha-?!"

Mother Mash was surprised.

She must have thought I was going to use anything but a defense spell. After all, who runs straight into the enemy, only to use a shield?

But despite that, she was scanning the surrounding. Looking out if there are more surprises.

At the moment, where her attention was divided…

Swish-

I swung the shortsword at her neck.

The sword dug into her neck and I was about to behead her when-

"[Stupefy]"

-My body suddenly froze for a split second.

Pow-!

In that split second, Mother Mash's punch dug into my stomach!

"Cough..ccough"

The power behind the attack made me kneel. I started coughing blood.

"Huff…Huff..The reason you didn't attack in the smokescreen was to set up a feint? So, that when I'm looking out for traps, you will do an attack from where my guard is the lowest, the front."

Mother Mash was putting pressure on the wound, on her neck, with her left arm.

"Cough..Coughh.."

My head was ringing, and the coughing wasn't stopping.

"You are talented. Sadly, that talent isn't in fighting but in strategizing."

Speaking such words, she held the halberd overhead and-

"[Power]"

-bought it down.

Crack-

Thud-!

Bang-!

A heavy blow struck Mother Mash from behind, making the halberd miss my head by a hair's breadth.

Before Mother Mash could react, 10 cracks opened behind her.

This time, there was only one type of weapon coming out of each crack. A hammer.

"If I*cough*can't cut you, then I'll just have*cough*to hammer you to death."

The 10 hammers flew out and shot at her.

She swings her halberd and destroys 5 at once, but the remaining hammer struck her.

Thud-! Thud-!

"It…doesn't hurt?"

Mother Mash blinks.

The blunt damage from the hammer was only enough to slightly push her body. It wasn't enough to injure her.

"I almost thought it was something dange-"

"[Pierce]"

The shortsword elongated and pierced her abdomen.

"You!!"

'I missed'

Mother Mash moved at the last second, and the elongated shortsword failed to pierce her heart.

She grabbed the blade and pulled it out.

I was still on the ground coughing and unable to stand. I was holding the shortsword with my left arm. So, although I was still able to move my left arm, it didn't have enough strength to resist her pull.

"Arghh!"

She pulled the blade out and turned to me.

Holding the blade in front of her face, she was crushing the blade with her bare hand. There was a large grin on her face even as blood dripped from her hand.

"Good! That's good! You put up a good fight more than I th-"

Swish-

Puchi-!

Abruptly, the blade of the shortsword shot out from the handle.

It punctured her brain through her eye.

Thud-

Mother Mash's lifeless body fell to the ground.

"Cough..next time do the monologue after you win."

The blade flew back from her head and got attached to the handle of the shortsword.

While coughing blood, I stood up.

-Mr. Pepe has defeated Mother Mash!-

Wooooo-

Cheers erupted and the mana barrier was released.

*

"H-How?"

Tristan knew he should be happy that he won tons of money. But he was more stunned than anything.

A mage won against an aura-user that too when the aura-user had the higher level?

What was more astounding was how natural the fight felt. The person who was trying to recruit him had played Mother Mash on his palm the whole time.

Tristan wouldn't be shocked if he was told that Mr. Pepe had [Precognition] as his stigma.

Not only did Mr. Pepe use a combination of trickery and frontal attacks to confuse Mother Mash, but also prepared countermeasures in case he failed.

"Don't be surprised just yet. You still haven't seen leader at his full power."

"He wasn't fighting seriously?!"

"He was but...."

Miller shook his head.

"You know what? Just see how leader will fight in the next match."

Miller himself didn't understand why Nathan didn't fight in close quarters and used magic.

'It's like...'

"He is trying to conserve his energy."

"But isn't his next match 1 hour later?"

Miller nodded at Tristan's words, but he still felt that Nathan was trying to conserve his stamina. It didn't make sense that, throughout the match, Nathan didn't try to get a single punch in.

"Is he trying to pose as a mage? But why?" Miller whispered to himself.

Nathan's physical capabilities were no less than aura-users. He could've hurt Mother Mash if he tried to use punches or kicks.

"Did you say something?"

Miler was about to answer when the commentator made another announcement.

-ARE YOU GUYS ENJOYING THE TOURNAMENT?-

YEAAAAAA-

-DO YOU WANT TO SEE MORE?-

YEAAAAA-

-THEN YOU ARE LUCKY. DUE TO MAJORITY DEMAND WILL WE BEGIN THE NEXT ROUNDS IMMEDIATELY!-

"What are they doing?! Leader's match will be the first, but he is yet to recover completely!"

WOOOOOO-

-BUT THIS ISN'T ALL THERE IS A BIGGER SURPRISE ONE THAT ALL OF YOU WILL LOVE!-

-THE FIRST MATCH WILL BE BETWEEN VILE REAPER AND MR. PEPE!-

WOOOOOOO-

The crowds erupted in a frenzy. The top contestants to win the tournament were going to fight!

"Did he predict this?"

The color drained from Miller's face, and he finally understood why Nathan was trying to conserve his stamina.

-THE BATTLE BETWEEN VILE REAPER AND MR. PEPE WILL BEGIN!-

Vile reaper teleported inside the arena and the mana barrier was activated.

*

-THE FIRST MATCH WILL BE BETWEEN VILE REAPER AND MR. PEPE!-

WOOOOOOO-

Iris actually didn't give me the time to rest and immediately began the real match.

"I don't if I should be happy or sad."

Happy because she acted as I predicted or sad because I was injured badly.

-THE BATTLE BETWEEN VILE REAPER AND MR. PEPE WILL BEGIN!-

I only have 2 elixirs left after using 1 on Miller. I need to save at least 1 elixir in case of an emergency during the upcoming attack.

I also need to keep the other one to heal myself after my match with Vile reaper.

There is no way I was going to walk out of this uninjure-

Vupp-

Bam-!

Vile reaper teleported beside me and kicked at my ribs. I felt a few ribs break.

But this was only starting.

Vupp-

Bam-!

Next, he teleported in front of me and punched me in the guts.

Vupp-

"How was that for a greeting?"

He teleported away from me and grinned.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you immediately. You disturbed me two times. Death will be a merc-"

'[Domination Decree]'

"-Argghh"

I held my stomach and watched Vile reaper struggling against the pressure.

"C-can't you do s-somet-t-"

Vupp-

Bam-!

"-something else Mr. One Trick Poney?"

He kicked me in the back and my body flew halfway across the arena.

"h-how?"

I could feel that his attack just now broke more of my ribs. But even then I didn't stop using my skill.

So, how was he standing unaffected by the skill?