Chapter 302

Episode 302 . Praying (5)

The moment Pierrot Mask disappeared into the shadows, Pram kicked against the ground, propelling himself away from his opponent .

Thousands of wires suddenly appeared where Pram once was, and soared upwards where Pram lept . They narrowly missed by a close margin, but the wires did not stop there; they gathered together mid-air and formed a spear, which rocketed itself towards Pram .

[-Lower your head, Pram!]

[Punishment of Tempest]

Romantica invoked the same spell she used to shoot down Brigant . A massive spear of storm appeared before her before it clashed with Pierrot Mask’s dark spear .

*Rumble*

Pram maneuvered gracefully through the air and swung his rapier towards the spear, which suddenly split with a shrill screech . Hundreds of silvery trajectories tore apart the air, each of the wires carrying deadly force behind them .

*Clash*

The attack had already been weakened by Romantica’s sniping, so it was unable to withstand Pram’s attack . The Blankšum rapier easily tore through the wires, splitting them in two . The shrapnel scattered through the sky before returning to darkness .

[-Front, 200 meters . ]

Shortly after Romantica’s voice came to his ears, Pram activated his Cloud Walkers without delay . And at the location Romantica mentioned, he found himself face-to-face with Pierrot Mask .

The world had come to a standstill . As the world paused, Pram’s sword shot forward, his speed a testament to the extreme level of refinement his strikes carried .

*Boom*

The timing was perfect . Avoiding it was impossible .

But Pram’s expression hardened . The moment his sword penetrated Pierrot Mask’s face, his body scattered like it was an illusion and melted back into the shadows . Pram clicked his tongue in annoyance .

That was what had happened every time Pram nearly landed an attack . Time and time again his blade pierced smoke .

‘How the hell is he… ?’

He was practically invincible . No matter how many times he swung, or how badly Pierrot Mask was caught off guard, Pram’s attacks were destined to miss . Pram thought it was as though there was some supernatural force protecting him .

‘Wait, supernatural? Does he have a Blessing of Light?’

Though there was not anything concrete to suggest it, the situation before him was so inexplicable Pram had no other ideas . If Pierrot Mask always had a Blessing of Light, why was he only using it now? Pram was befuddled, but trying to think through the new development wouldn’t give him any answers .

‘Whether that’s what it is or not, this technique is nearly impossible to deal with . ’

Pierrot Mask had created spaces of pitch-black darkness around the battlefield, he seemed to be able to pop in and out of them as he pleased . He would suddenly jut out at an unnatural angle and launch his attack unannounced .

Pierrot Mask was basically invincible and could attack from anywhere he wanted . When he made use of his King-Class aura, Pram’s opponent had an unprecedented level of strength . Without Romantica’s backup and keen observation, he would have been unilaterally violated and lost miserably .

[-Right, 147 meters!]

But with the continent’s top sniper supporting him, Pram stood a chance at survival . Under her direction, Pram was able to avoid his sudden attacks and even attempt counter-attacks, useless as they may be .

Of course, that did not give him the upper hand . Even when he managed to close the gap, if his blade were capable of hitting, the wounds would have been glancing at best .

But Pram was not an impatient fighter .

‘Just one time… I only have to hit him once . ’

He was confident that if he succeeded in landing just one attack, he would knock down Pierrot Mask with that blow . With Romantica’s support, they were able to maintain a tense standoff, so if he fought calmly, that chance would surely arise .

[-Let’s try attacking simultaneously . Left rear, 39 meters!]

Upon grasping the position of Pierrot Mask, Pram again approached him . As he moved, Romantica fired her shot towards Pierrot Mask’s head, such that Pram’s sword and her blast would threaten him at the same time .

*Clash*

Pram’s sword stopped mid-thrust .

‘Wire… !’

In the dark, a thin wire that was indistinguishable to the naked eye had twisted around his sword, strangling it . Setting such a trap was implausible, unless Pierrot Mask had read the exact trajectory and timing of his attack as he made it .

“If this is the limit of your power, I’m disappointed . ”

Pierrot Mask’s painful remark hurt, but not as much as the aura-coated dagger he threw would . Rather than use it to capitalize on the immobilized pram, he used it to casually deflect Romantica’s seasoned sniping . The dagger and blast collided midair, and the resulting collision launched the knife right back towards Pierrot Mask’s hand, where he naturally caught it .

“Priscilla promised me a good show, but this presentation is pathetic!”

A voice tinged with madness rang out . Pram hurriedly gathered his aura, cut himself free of the wire, and backed away .

*Booom*

More wires rushed forward from the darkness, aiming to constrict Pram’s arms and legs .

“Even the two of you working together is just plain boring! Forget a fun fight, you don’t even constitute a good warm-up for Desir Arman . ”

Pierrot Mask’s voice rang from the sky above .

As Pram turned towards the source, his face paled . An innumerable number of wires encapsulated the sky above him, strung out in a spider’s web .

Looking down on his opponents, Pierrot Mask spoke decisively, his usual erratic nature eerily absent .

“Let’s end this . ”

Pram’s intuition screamed at him to run, to flee . If he stayed, they were going to die .

When Pierrot Mask beckoned, the wires covering the sky were fired at the ground in an instant . Attacks poured in from all directions, making it impossible to dodge . Survival was dependent on deflecting or offsetting the incoming wires .

Romantica quickly began manipulating the air currents, sweeping the wires away from both her and Pram, sending them safely towards the ground .

[-Shit!]

Pram swung to cut what he could, but with their combined might, they barely managed to neutralize thirty percent of the wires . With the remaining attacks still flooding towards them, Pram quickly activated his Cloud Walkers to defend Romantica .

“Urgh!”

Numerous silvery traces were drawn and unfolded in the air . Thousands of attacks and defenses crossed in a few moments, and whenever there was a clash, Pram felt several handfuls of his aura being exhausted .

Pierrot Mask looked down from the sky and smiled at their struggle .

*Booom*

Soon after all of the wires reached the surface, a dust cloud rose accompanied by the violent collision of stone . All of the buildings in the surrounding area had been diced into small pieces and slammed into the ground, scattering into powder .

“Pram!”

“It’s all right . I managed to avoid a fatal wound . ”

As the dust cloud lifted, Pram was seen clutching his shoulder . Blood dripped down from the fresh wound . Pram’s face distorted, but it was not just because of the pain .

‘I still haven’t caught up with him… !’

After their encounter in Pittsburgh, Pram was certain he had caught up to the assassin, but his hope was only an illusion . In terms of offense and defense, he was wildly outclassed . The difference between their skills and experience was too wide for Pram to overcome in a short period of time .

“Pram, let’s back off for now . The war is already progressing in our favor . You don’t have to deal with him anymore . ”

“It’s the same no matter how much you try . Your sword can’t reach me . Don’t bother me anymore . Just back off . ”

Both Pierrot Mask and Romantica spoke at the same time . Ironically enough, they were communicating the same message: “Admit defeat, Pram Schneider . ” .

“… I can’t give up here . ”

Defeat was not something Pram could easily accept . If he surrendered now, Pram was certain he would never reach his full potential .

“Pram… !”

“I can reach him . ”

Pram’s tone was firm . In it, Romantica could feel an unwavering determination that said more than any words could .

Resigning herself, Romantica sighed deeply .

“… All right . ”

*Kyiing*

To believe in one’s colleagues under any circumstances; this was the Starling Party’s character . If Pram thought he could win, then Romantica was determined to see his goal come to fruition .

“I’ll make sure your sword can reach him . ”

* * *

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‘Boring . ’

Pierrot Mask slovenly weaved his hand, clearly disinterested in the fight before him . Though his wires show towards them, the two people he was fighting had already left his mind .

‘Desir Arman, got even stronger, didn’t he?’

Pierrot Mask had felt the overwhelming power that Desir had invoked as he appeared on the battlefield . It was clear that he had found a way to gain unimaginable strength .

‘I’m sure he can get me excited enough . ’

He briefly imagined fighting him . Elegant wire would dance with brutish strength, their conniving minds constantly trying to one-up each other . Just when Pierrot Mask was about to falter, he would swing back and nearly kill Desir, only to have his attack deflected . The glorious vision elicited a shudder from his body, as a tingling sensation traced his spine .

*Boom*

Silver aura exploded and scattered all over the place . The wire that he thought would rip Pram apart had been cut off . Though he was surprised by his survival and subsequent counterattack, it was not enough to vie for his attention . He cast a begrudging glance at Pram, only to be taken aback . The silver aura that encompassed his blade emitted a dazzling light, strikingly different from its previous intense glow .

That was not the only thing of concern .

[Mistral Blast]

[Sonic Breath]

Fifth-Circle spells poured towards him incessantly . Romantica unraveled shot after shot, making excellent use of her specialization to restrict his movement . Such an attack was so thoroughly coordinated that even Pierrot Mask could not afford to respond in moderation .

‘Yes! Yes! Are you struggling with all your might?’

Pierrot Mask unleashed a wicked grin . For a brief moment, they presented him with a genuine conundrum, but that was not the only cause for his joy . Their reckless approach in their determination to pressure him would only result in their quick demise .

‘First from above, then a shot from behind, followed from a strike to the side . ’

Pierrot Mask dodged the first two attacks, and then faded into the shadows, causing Pram’s third strike to harmlessly fall through the air .

His opponent had left himself wide open . Pierrot Mask instantly appeared behind Pram, and launched a dagger towards the base of his neck .

*Crash*

Romantica quickly turned to displace the attack, but without enough time to prepare, she could not alter its trajectory entirely .

*Splash*

Blood gushed from Pram’s trapezius, narrowly missing the side of his neck . He stumbled and the sudden imbalance, but he quickly recovered and made distance .

*Wheeze*

*Wheeze*

After fighting for so long, Pram had finally run out of stamina . Though he was upright, he seemed destined to fall over any moment now . He could barely continue to wield his sword .

Pierrot Mask shrugged .

“Hey kid . Are you ready to die yet?”

“One… more… ”

Pram kept mumbling .

‘Has the kid lost his mind?’

Pierrot Mask shook his head at the sight and waved his hand, his signature attack once again rushing towards Pram . Countless silver trajectories and wires intertwined in the air, causing an explosion .

The superiority of Pierrot Mask was clear .

‘Well, let’s put a little more effort into this and end it . ’

With an air of decisiveness, Pierrot Mask fired a fire from Pram’s blind spot .

[Sonic Voice]

Just before it could sever Pram’s leg, the wire twisted from its original trajectory and shot towards Pierrot Mask’s head . Romantica had manipulated the air to take fine control of a single wire .

“Damn it! I said I was done! Why won’t you both just die?!”

This whole situation was driving him crazy . It was annoying before, but Romantica’s support always impeded his attacks with impeccable timing . Her constant intervention had turned a one-sided battle into a long, drawn-out slaughter .

‘I’ll give them one thing, they know how to work together’

He quickly stepped back to avoid the rogue wire, the sudden step interrupting his rhythm .

Pram used the momentary gap to strike with his rapier, but Pierrot Mask had already expected the attack . It was the same tactic used time and time again, just with a new twist of weaponizing his own wires against him . He simply invoked his ability and safely dodged several meters away .

‘Normally I would commend their efforts, but they’re just doing the same thing over, and over, and over again . Seriously, why won’t they just… Huh?’

Something was different . A warm feeling blossomed from Pierrot Mask’s face, so he moved his hand towards his cheek . A red line had been drawn across it . Pram’s rapier, which he had not allowed to touch him, had somehow made contact .

Pierrot Mask’s gaze turned to Pram, a flicker of cool anger in his eyes .

“No way . ”

The moment their eyes met, Pram attacked again . Swords from both sides clashed once again .

This time, Pierrot Mask poured wires towards the gap where Romantica would likely fire, hoping to prevent her annoying distractions before they had a chance to intervene .

For a brief moment, Pierrot Mask had once again entered into a one-on-one matchup with Pram . Only then could he make out what Pram had been mumbling all this time .

“… Barely couldn’t reach, but I just need one hit . A little more time, and I’ll hit him . Just a little more… ”

Pram had not lost his mind; he had entered a deep trance where he focused on his own swordcraft and nothing else, oblivious to everything but his own weapon and his opponent’s .

Pram had broken his mental block and taken his first step into King-Class .

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