Noise’s attack sent Rei flying once again, but he was beginning to adjust to the man's movements. He caught the incoming fist with the shaft of the Death Scythe, using the momentum of the blow to propel himself backward. He landed on the stage, resetting his stance in the process.
But Noise had anticipated the move. Before Rei could even process his landing, Noise had already kicked off the stage, closing the distance with a blur of speed to follow up.
Rei countered with a strike from the Death Scythe.
For some reason, Noise was still focusing on unarmed strikes instead of using his magic sword. To solve the mystery behind this behavior, Rei swung the Death Scythe at the approaching man. Fortunately, there was still a significant gap between them, giving Rei just enough time to execute a skill.
“Power Slash!”
The skill increased the striking force of the blow rather than its sharpness. Rei judged that any long-range attack, including magic, would likely be evaded given Noise’s speed. A melee attack delivered at close-range felt like a more reliable option.
(Normally, I’d try to find a way to use my magic power—the one area where I probably have Noise beat—but this will have to do!)
With that thought, Rei swung the Death Scythe with the full strength of his right arm. Noise didn't try to parry with his magic sword; instead, he contorted his body to evade.
It was a strange choice. Given his posture, catching the Death Scythe's blade with the magic sword would have been the most efficient move, allowing for a seamless transition into a counterattack. Yet, Noise chose to dodge.
The sight turned Rei’s suspicion into conviction. Noise was intentionally avoiding contact between the magic sword and the Death Scythe.
(I don’t know why, but if I can exploit that, I will!)
Rei pulled the Death Scythe back as Noise entered his guard. As he moved the weapon, he thrust his free left fist forward to meet Noise’s incoming punch.
“Wha!?”
Clashing head-on was clearly the last thing Noise expected. Their fists collided with almost no distance between them. The dull thud of meat hitting meat echoed through the arena, while the sharp crack of bone on bone was heard only by the two combatants.
After the exchange, the one sent reeling by the impact was Noise, not Rei.
In terms of pure physical ability, the advantage went to Rei. Noise twisted in mid-air and landed on the stage, his expression flickering with a hint of pain.
“Flying Slash!”
Rei didn't miss the opportunity. This was the first time he had dealt what felt like real damage, and he immediately followed up with a flying slash.
Noise simply swung his magic sword down at the incoming strike. There was no visible change as he raised the weapon, but as it descended, the blade became shrouded in wind just before it connected with the Flying Slash. The wind-clad magic sword sliced through the projectile with ease. The severed halves of the slash flew off the stage and struck the earth, carving deep gashes into the soil, but Rei was already busy weaving a spell.
With the distance between them, he had enough time for a longer incantation.
(If single strikes won't work, I’ll use a wide-area attack magic to take away his room to dodge!)
Rei shifted from point attacks to area attacks, choosing a devastating spell.
“O Flame, show through your form the destruction that is your nature; you are that which burns all, erases all, and annihilates all. Bring about great destruction, and with it, become the sacrifice for a new rebirth.”
As he chanted, a fire bullet formed near the blade of the Death Scythe. To a casual observer, it looked like a simple flame ball, but it contained a staggering amount of magic power—nearly equal to the maximum output of a dozen average mages combined.
“Scorching Hellfire!”
The magic activated, and the fire bullet shot forth. Following the path of the Death Scythe’s swing, it flew straight at Noise.
Noise didn't try to dodge. Instead, he gripped his magic sword and concentrated his magic power. An instant later, the highly compressed flame ball exploded. A firestorm engulfed half the stage, centered on Noise's position.
“I didn’t expect that to finish him, but with that kind of range...”
Rei’s voice trailed off. Ahead of him, a rift appeared in the hellish landscape of flames.
Noise emerged, his magic sword now clad in fire. Aside from a few singe marks, he was practically unscathed. He was enveloped in a faint, shimmering light that clung to his entire body.
(What is that?)
Rei’s instincts screamed the answer. That light was the secret to Noise’s strength and his impossible speed.
“I see,” Noise said, looking undisturbed. “If your attacks are being dodged, you simply make evasion impossible. It’s a simple strategy, but it only works because you have the magic power to back it up.”
He glanced over his shoulder at the roaring flames behind him with a look of annoyance before stepping forward.
Rei felt a flicker of doubt. Noise had tanked the magic directly and seemed fine. Why the look of annoyance? He realized then that the light covering Noise's body likely had a time limit or some other restriction.
(Does that mean his speed also has a limit? A normal mage would use magic power to... wait. Magic power? Clad in light? Could it be...)
“Are you cladding yourself in magic power?”
The words slipped out before Rei could stop them. Noise’s mouth curved into a smile—though it was less a smile and more the expression of a predator that had finally found a worthy kill.
“Ho, you figured it out, did you?”
Noise’s casual admission confirmed Rei’s theory. This wasn't some effect from a magic item; it was pure technique. Vihera used gauntlets and greaves to materialize her magic power, but Noise was doing it through skill alone. Ordinarily, Rei wouldn't have been able to sense magic power well enough to notice, but the light made it impossible to miss.
Noise seemed confident that knowing the secret wouldn't help Rei. Understanding a technique was one thing; being able to counter or replicate it was another entirely.
However, Noise had made one miscalculation: Rei himself. While Rei’s magical finesse was nothing compared to a master like Zephyle, he possessed knowledge from the manga and novels he had read back in Japan. And now that he had seen exactly what Noise was doing, adapting it into his own style was well within his reach.
“Like this, then!?”
Rei visualized the massive reservoir of magic power within him radiating outward and sticking to his body.
“What are you doing?”
Noise’s voice came from right beside him again. Rei brought the Death Scythe around just in time to block another punch.
He had been so focused on the magic power that he shouldn't have been able to react in time. Yet, he had caught the blow. He couldn't parry the force, and he was sent flying along with the Death Scythe.
“What?”
Noise let out a small gasp of surprise—perhaps the first time he had sounded genuinely shocked in years.
Rei was undoubtedly clad in the same high-density magic power that Noise used. Compared to Noise’s refined technique, Rei’s version was incredibly crude. Where Noise used 10 units of magic power, Rei was using 5,000 or more to force the effect through sheer volume. It was horribly inefficient, and its effectiveness was barely a tenth of Noise’s, but it was working. He had activated the skill that only Noise had mastered: Overlord's Armor.
“Ha... hahaha... Ahahahaha! Ahahahahahahahahaha!”
Noise burst into manic laughter as he watched Rei recover in mid-air and land on the stage.
(How long has it been since I’ve had this much fun?)
The laughter continued, eventually morphing into something unhinged and frantic. It wasn't the sound of a normal man enjoying himself; it was something far more dangerous. Then, the sound stopped abruptly. Noise’s eyes were locked on Rei, his vision cleared of everything else.
“...Here I come.”
Noise vanished again. To the audience, he was a blur, but Rei’s crude Overlord's Armor allowed him to track the movement. He was still slower than Noise, but he was far more capable of reacting than before. Most importantly, the Overlord's Armor was a skill, not a spell. Since Rei's magic was limited to the fire attribute, he wouldn't have been able to use it if it were magic. But as a warrior's skill using magic power, it was accessible to him.
Rei felt as if time were stretching, allowing him to move while the world around him slowed. He gripped the Death Scythe in his left hand and reached into his Dragon Robe with his right. He poured magic power into the Eye of Nebula.
Previously, the speed gap would have made this impossible. Now, he finally had the opening to use the item. He saw Noise approaching and used the Eye of Nebula to generate arrowheads, launching them with a flick of his wrist.
The arrowheads sliced through the air like a machine gun barrage. But the rain of sharp points was easily deflected by the Overlord's Armor protecting Noise.
(Tch!)
Rei realized a hail of weak attacks wouldn't work; he needed a single, overwhelming blow. He reached for the Death Scythe with his left hand, but at that moment, Noise vanished from his sight once again—even with the Overlord's Armor active.
“I’ll praise you for donning the Overlord's Armor,” Noise’s voice came from right behind him. “But your proficiency is far too low.”
A wave of pure dread washed over Rei. Driven by instinct, he gathered all the magic power from his Overlord's Armor into his feet to leap away, but before he could move, his consciousness suddenly cut to black.