"How about this!?"
His opening move was the same: a massive fireball served as a decoy. The spray of smaller flames that followed was the same, too.
However, hidden among them were several ricochet bullets, fired to look as though he had simply missed his mark.
Jando watched, waiting for the bouncing rounds to take Ryuga by surprise while he was occupied with the incoming flames. But Ryuga simply cut the fire down, just as he had before.
As Ryuga took a stance to intercept the next wave, Jando saw the bullets about to bounce at the swordsman's feet and felt certain of his victory. But Ryuga wasn't that naive.
"What!?"
Gripping the katana in his right hand, he seized the scabbard still tucked into his belt with his left.
Drawing the sheath, he used a pseudo dual-wielding style to bat away the fire bullets closing in on him. Then, with casual grace, he returned the blade to its scabbard.
"Is... is that guy a monster? You're telling me he can see my attacks and the trajectory of my bullets...!?"
At the very least, Jando had used the initial blast to blind Ryuga, making it impossible to predict the path of the following rounds.
To think he’d read every move and reacted instantly in less than a second after cutting the first flame... As Jando gulped, overwhelmed by Ryuga’s monstrous skill—having dealt not just with the hidden bullets but the ricochet attacks as well—a deep sword wound was carved into the edge of the roof where he hid.
"Hiee!?"
He shrieked and fell back on his haunches as the rooftop splintered with a thunderous roar.
He scrambled up, trembling as he saw Ryuga’s posture. The swordsman was holding his hilt in a post-draw stance, having already drawn and re-sheathed the blade he’d just stowed.
The wound on the building had been made by a wind sickle unleashed with the sheer drawing momentum... As Jando’s dread swelled, he realized Ryuga knew exactly where he was. The fear became a runaway train.
(W-what do I do? Should I move? Maybe I should hide and figure out how to retreat...?!)
Since time immemorial, an exposed lurking position meant a fatal crisis for a sniper.
He’d originally thought it wouldn't matter if he was found as long as he killed Ryuga, but terror was forcing a cold reality upon him: that was impossible.
Truth be told, he was by no means a professional at sniping.
He simply liked the "hunting" aspect—sniping allowed him to one-sidedly torture his prey to death without any risk to himself. He hadn't mastered any real tactics or techniques.
Even the previous hidden bullets and ricochet attacks were just tricks he’d practiced a bit after getting some hunting tips.
Indeed... the skills Jando had acquired were strictly for hunting, not intended for this kind of combat.
A real sniper would have had guards or traps to deal with an approaching enemy.
But Jando had no allies, no knowledge of traps, and no preparations whatsoever.
He was in a "get close and die" situation, and against someone who rendered his sniping useless, being found was worse than fatal—it was pure despair.
Under normal circumstances, retreating would be the right call. But Jando was an arrogant man who had let power go to his head. Furthermore, since his opponent was a mere child, his pride wouldn't let him admit defeat.
(I-if I tuck tail and run now, that brat will always look down on me! I can't do something so pathetic! I still have a trump card! I'll use that to finish him!!)
His pride—the refusal to end this while being looked down upon—won out over his fear of Ryuga.
Encouraging himself with the thought of his trump card, Jando looked up just as a black shadow streaked across the roof.
"So, you're the sniper. I came to get a look at your filthy face."
"Ah...!"
Time had continued to move while Jando agonized over his choices.
It was only natural that Ryuga would close the distance once the suppressive fire stopped. He stared down at the stunned Jando with pure disgust.
"I thought you were planning something when the shots stopped, but it turns out you were just panicking because your attacks were useless. For a man who relies on sniping, you're a remarkable coward."
"Y-you call me a coward...!?"
"No, that's wrong. You're a talentless hack and a pathetic fool pretending to be a hunter, oblivious to your own fatal mistakes. 'Coward' was too generous."
"Why you...!!"
Jando’s rage exploded at the relentless insults.
But Ryuga remained unmoved. He gazed at the man-turned-Magic Armor Beast and spoke without a hint of emotion.
"Actually, I forgot. There was something I wanted to say to you the moment we met face-to-face."
Crackle, snap! Lightning, manifested from his surging magic power, sparked violently around him.
With eyes fixed on the target he was about to slaughter, Ryuga let his boiling spirit erupt into words.
"Brace yourself. I'm in a very bad mood right now!"