"Damn!"
Quickstep couldn't help but curse. Only now did she realize how frustrating it was to fight against Bleary Mirage. She barely had a moment to get her bearings, and the annoying opponent was already behind her back.
She shot around, ready to block or dodge but Liam already made use of this second to unleash a [Holy Wave] and [Double Slash] almost simultaneously, drawing first blood.
[-2112!]
[-3432!]
[-857!]
A small explosion came from above Quickstep's head. Liam managed to trigger two Holy Marks, recovering his lost stance.
Quickstep glared at Liam but seeing his focused face she was reminded to readjust her mindset.
"My turn!"
Quickstep kept a neutral expression as she finally had enough storm. With a thought she activated [Aspect of the storm], breaking the limit on attack and movement speed. Liam instantly adjusted his posture, clearly going on the defensive.
And he was smart to do so as Quickstep instantly began to attack as if her life depended on it. Her swords moved like a storm, subtly approaching the mark of two attacks per second.
Yet Liam wasn't flustered. The veteran moved calmly, blocking and dodging. This situation was nothing new to him. It wasn't the first time he had to deal with such speed, and it wouldn't be the last.
Quickstep was the one attacking but contrary to expectation it was her who felt stifled. It was as if Liam could read all her attacks in advance.
I can't let it go on like this! I need to change something!
With this thought in mind Quickstep suddenly stiffened for only a moment. Her movement changed subtly before she continued her attack with a different rhythm.
[-2413!]
Liam looked at Quickstep in surprise. The subtle change in rhythm caught him off guard for a moment, leading to him failing to block. Indeed no one should be underestimated!
Quickstep was inwardly elated. This fight was not over yet! Although she herself was already on half HP, Liam's stats were not much different from hers. It only took a few successful hits and the man would fall.
Unfortunately, Liam wouldn't make it easy for Quickstep. When her next sword arrived, he had already gotten used to it, dodging again.
But Quickstep didn't get anxious. Her and Liam both knew that Liam was about to run out of stance.
And indeed, Liam only had enough stance left for one action. He came to a swift decision. Instead of dodging Quickstep's next attack he took a step forward, his swords raised for retaliation. An invisible force gathered on his weapon, which was caused by [Brutal Strike].
Quickstep's eyes narrowed. She knew she couldn't allow Liam to hit her and recover his strength. But her skill still had one second of duration left and dodging now would be a waste.
Thus, she decided to leverage her current speed advantage. Bringing out all the agility of her body she made one of the fastest sword strikes so far.
Her sword turned into a flash, stabbing into Liam's chest. Before the damage number even popped up, Quickstep had already jumped back in retreat and activated her ultimate skill, conjuring a small sphere of condensed storm between her and Liam.
[-2416!]
Liam inwardly praised Quickstep's move. He was forced to stop his skill and take a step back as Quickstep's ultimate skill erupted, producing a frightening tornado. From time-to-time white flashes could be seen, coming from dangerous wind blades, ready to cut every enemy apart.
For a moment it seemed as if the fight was on pause.
"Damn, that's some skilled swordplay!"
"So great to watch! Quickstep puts a lot of pressure on Bleary Mirage!"
"You think so? I think Bleary Mirage is amazing. Quickstep used a skill, but he could still hold up."
"But now Quickstep clearly has the advantage! Bleary Mirage is almost out of stance."
"Honestly, it could go either way. Both have low resistances. A few hits can decide victory or defeat."
"But in this situation, both will take an HP potion. After all HP are recovered, Quickstep has a chance to win this!"
The audience was talking excitedly but Liam didn't share their thoughts. With a tornado standing between him and Quickstep, he was temporarily out of his opponent's line of sight. But instead of taking a health potion he was prepared to deliver the deciding strike.
Three swords made from holy light appeared behind Liam, forming a triangle. Suddenly they shot out, aiming for the tornado.
Simultaneously Liam used his last few points of stance for a flash step. In the blink of an eye he emerged behind Quickstep, drawing startled exclamations from the audience.
"Quickstep, no!"
"Watch out!"
Quickstep also felt Liam's appearance. But the veteran had timed everything perfectly. The moment he arrived, his swords were already crossed before his chest, and he delivered a dreadful [Cross Slash]. Exactly at the same moment, Liam's three holy swords broke out of the tornado. Quickstep never expected something like this and failed to dodge.
Two skills crashed into her and the female warrior suffered devastating damage.
[-4224!]
[-3564!]
[-857!]
"Oh my god! What a beautiful move from Bleary Mirage! Dear audience, this might just be it... yes, yes, Quickstep falls! Wow, what a worthy match to decide the championship! With this move Bleary Mirage has made himself unforgettable and rightly emerges as the champion of the United Human Federation!!!"
The audience flipped out once more. Cheers for Bleary Mirage sounded without end. Even those people preferring Quickstep chimed in, considering that one of Quickstep's teammates was the second-best option to win the tournament.
Somewhere the central star system's top players gathered, watching the match. After Maycos announced Liam's victory, Conter was the first to sigh in admiration:
"I'm convinced..."
"Both of them are strong but Bleary Mirage is indeed unbelievable.", agreed Elvor4.
Next to him stood Apollo with his usual polite smile, nodding calmly:
"This should be a reminder to us all. Let's turn it into our motivation to always strive to improve."
A few people secretly sneered. Not everyone shared Apollo's opinion, the elitism too deeply ingrained in their bones. However, in the time to come, the tournament's results would still lead everyone to work harder, afraid of being left behind by their peers.
Liam didn't care about the effect he had on others. He knew it would take a long time until someone of his skill level could emerge. Until then he wasn't interested in fighting one against one. If it weren't for C and Serena, he wouldn't even have participated in the tournament.
With relatively stable emotions Liam watched as Quickstep's body disappeared. She was sent back to her friends, who immediately tried to cheer her up.
Quickstep couldn't hide her disappointment. Although the friends joked about second place a lot; after coming so far how couldn't she harbour some hopes? Alas, Bleary Mirage was impossible to overcome.
"Don't worry, Quickstep. Continue learning from Bleary Mirage and then use what you learnt to defeat him! I believe you can do it!"
Quickstep looked at Balm in surprise. Saying something like this with a grin, she looked almost insidious. Seeing her Quickstep couldn't help but laugh, finally lifting her spirits somewhat.
Meanwhile the arena had already changed, and Liam appeared on a floating platform. The scene was familiar with a red carpet below his feet and light figures waiting on both sides.
Liam advanced with measured steps accompanied by heroic music and the cheers of billions. At this moment even he couldn't remain indifferent. Such a spectacular scene had never appeared in his past life.
With a hint of pride on his smiling face Liam waved in all directions before finally stopping next to Maycos.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! I want to hear you go crazy for our tournament champion Bleary Mirage!"
Claps, stomps, and shouts caused the entire world of Crunaboul to tremble. People shouted until their throats were hoarse, celebrating Liam's unbelievable feat.
The light figures in front of Liam suddenly turned around, all saluting, welcoming him in their ranks just as they did with Hotpot before.
Only when the audience slowly quietened down did Maycos continue:
"Bleary Mirage, congratulations to the championship! From now on you will be honoured as the number one player in the entire federation, an unprecedented accomplishment!
Of course, the tournament wouldn't come without a reward. Here, may these swords accompany you on your road to glory!"
As Maycos said this she raised her hands high. Two swords suddenly appeared in them, drawing everyone's attention.
They were surrounded by a chaotic aura, their blades so sharp they appeared capable of cutting the very air itself. One blade was white as snow while the other was black as the night, both radiating a frightening power.
Liam stared at the swords in surprise. Not because he didn't expect to get a reward, but rather because he had never heard of these swords before. With great anticipation he took the weapons from Maycos and instantly inspected them.