Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 334

336

Car. Car window. Bang. Bang!

Amidst the harsh, explosive sounds ringing in their ears, the vanguards, Laffine and Shayla, charged forward, wielding their dual swords and greatsword. The Snow Girls gladiators, who had been solely on the offensive until now, were taken aback and hastily retreated.

While maintaining the offensive was good for victory, avoiding defeat had to be the top priority. In their current state, wielding unfamiliar sword and shields and forming a battle line, if their formation were to collapse, they would likely be forced to kneel helplessly before the powerful attacks of the Gods Knights.

“Everyone, watch out for the Gods Knights’ sudden surprise breakthroughs! If they break through, it’s over!”

At the command of the team leader, designated as ‘1,’ the Snow Girls team gladiators tightened their formation. However, this close formation had one critical drawback: a decrease in movement speed. Because of this, the Gods Knights were able to easily widen the gap and escape the offensive.

The Gods Knights, having reformed their battle line, waited for the opposing team’s attack. But the Snow Girls team did not attack. Aside from a few clashes seemingly for show, they did not launch any particularly threatening attacks. It seemed they had decided to aim for a draw in the first round.

Soon after, the match ended inconclusively, and the fans’ complaints spread throughout the Colosseum.

“That’s foul play! Gods Knights! Did you come here to play around?”

“Yeah! If you’ve formed an attack formation, you should attack! What is that! You might as well turn tail and go back to your Lima City!”

Amid the one-sided jeers, the Gods Knights gladiators returned to the dugout triumphantly. Such commotions were common during away games.

If they paid attention to every little thing, they wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the match. And, with the exception of a few modified humans, the Gods Knights gladiators were all elves with owners. They were only fighting for their owners and didn’t care much about the fans’ attention.

“Alright, everyone, good work.”

The gladiators, greeted by Beomseok, returned to the dugout and took their places. However, despite having completed their mission, they couldn’t relax. Because the first round had been so lax, both the Gods Knights and Snow Girls’ main forces had fully conserved their stamina.

Based on past experience, it seemed clear that the main forces would also participate in the second round.

Following Diana’s call, she designated Oscar, Laffine, Shayla, Kazella, Lenka, Rebecca, Jermia, Iphis, Herse, Seiya, Cassie, and Beomseok as the participants for the second round. With a whopping seven gladiators possessing the qualities of a vanguard, their intention to operate the strongest offensive formation, the Beehive Formation, was evident.

Cassie raised her hand and said,

“Director, is this an attack this time?”

“Yes.”

“What strategy are you planning to use?”

“We’ll be adopting the Hornet tactic.”

The Hornet tactic was a type of Beehive Formation recently developed by the Gods Knights. If successful, it could easily break down the opponent’s battle line, but if it failed, it could lead to the absurd situation of the vanguard being annihilated after charging in.

Although it was a very dangerous tactic, Cassie nodded without much concern. This was because Beomseok, who was newly wielding a spear, would be the core of the Hornet tactic.

It wasn’t just because he was her owner, but Cassie greatly trusted his skills.

Diana looked at the gladiators who would be participating and said,

“Are there any other questions?”

Everyone shook their heads. It was a tactic they had been practicing repeatedly in recent times, so there were no particular questions. They had already deeply ingrained the strategy in their bones.

“No.”

“Good. Then everyone, prepare to participate in the second round.”

“Yes!”

The Gods Knights gladiators, who had been bustling about for a while, headed back to the entrance tunnel when the time came. And as soon as the broadcast urging them to enter was played, they entered the arena.

– Now, for the second round, both teams of gladiators are entering….

The announcer, who had been providing live commentary, confirmed the entrance of the Gods Knights gladiators and then paused, as if he had forgotten what to say. Beomseok, who had never held any weapon other than a sword, was striding confidently towards the center of the arena with a long spear slung over his shoulder.

He had been surprising everyone with bizarre swordsmanship for some time, and now it was suddenly a spear.

He looked at the commentator sitting next to him and asked,

– W, what on earth is going on? Why is gladiator Oh Beomseok coming out with a spear?

The commentator shook his head as if it were nothing.

– It’s perfectly possible. Oh Beomseok has reached a level that no one can approach when it comes to swords. However, it is also true that he shows a weak performance in team play compared to his individual skills. Perhaps to overcome this, he seems to have recently practiced with a spear. Spears mainly involve thrusting motions, so they are easy to learn.

– But isn’t it a waste for Oh Beomseok to use a spear? I don’t think there’s any reason for him to take on a role that other gladiators can do.

– Well, that’s true, but there’s no reason why he can’t do it. If you look now, Oh Beomseok has a sword strapped to his waist, doesn’t he? He’ll support the team’s attack with the spear, and if he sees an opportunity, he’ll draw his sword and charge in.

Upon hearing those words, the announcer turned his gaze back to Beomseok. Sure enough, he had a sword strapped to his waist.

– Ah. That could be the case. Hmm. But in my opinion, I suspect there’s another purpose hidden in that spear…. Actually, Oh Beomseok is also very good at throwing, isn’t he?

– Hmm. It’s long for a javelin, but that could be the case. Oh Beomseok has scored many kill points by throwing his katana at unexpected moments.

– Hahaha. Then this is really something to look forward to. We’ll have to watch closely today to see what kind of throwing technique Oh Beomseok will show us.

Listening to the commentary from the broadcast booth, Beomseok, standing in the center of the arena, chuckled. It seemed he was going to give them a big disappointment. He had no intention of putting down the spear in this round.

‘But it’ll be worth watching. I’ll make their jaws drop.’

He stood at the center of the Beehive Formation’s tip, placing the spear horizontally behind his back with his hands behind him. The match start signal hadn’t been given yet, but it was necessary to prepare in advance.

The success or failure of the Hornet tactic depended on how the early part of the match was played out. If Beomseok, the core of the strategy, did something unexpected at that moment, the vanguard would be annihilated, and ultimately the team would lose.

“Alright. Everyone, focus! Once the match starts, we need to overwhelm the Snow Girls all at once!”

“Yes!”

The Gods Knights gladiators gripped the weapons in their hands tightly and glared at the Snow Girls gladiators, who had formed a battle line.

The main force had come out this time as well. Everyone was a world-class gladiator, so no mistakes could be tolerated. For the strategy to succeed, they had to move organically without the slightest disruption.

– Bwee! The match begins!

As soon as the in-house broadcast sounded, the Gods Knights gladiators, who had formed the Beehive Formation, began to run forward in unison. And just as they were about to reach the opposing team’s battle line, Shayla, Oscar, Laffine, and Rebecca, who were at the vanguard, scattered the formation, drew a round semicircle, and raised the swords in their hands high. They were sticking out their bellies to fire their stingers [referring to a quick, unexpected attack].

“Everyone, charge!”

As soon as Beomseok’s command was given, the vanguards jumped up with all their might. Seeing this, the sword and shield bearers at the front of the Snow Girls smiled triumphantly, thinking it was easy pickings. Movement was not free in the air, so they could block the incoming attacks with their shields and then stab their swords in to easily take down their opponents.

But it was a clear miscalculation. Just as the bee’s belly hides a deadly stinger, Beomseok was behind the Gods Knights’ vanguard. Sliding along the ground with the force of his run, kicking up dust, he lowered his upper body and swung the spear powerfully towards the calves of the Snow Girls gladiators at the front.

Clang! Clang! Car window. Spear.

“Argh! What the heck!”

In an instant, the Snow Girls gladiators collapsed with absurd ease. They had raised their shields to block the sword attacks of the Gods Knights’ vanguard, only to have their calves exposed to Beomseok’s spear strike.

They barely managed to fend off the Gods Knights’ vanguard’s sword strikes with their shields, but due to their legs being incapacitated, they all fell to the ground.

“Everyone, abandon the front line and retreat!”

At the urgent command of Gladiator No. 1, the eight Snow Girls gladiators at the rear stepped back in unison. Although the front lines were collapsing on the ground, trying to take care of them would mean annihilation.

Now, while the Gods Knights gladiators were dealing with their partially incapacitated comrades, they had to rebuild their battle line. Otherwise, this second round would be a certain loss.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Beomseok, leaping with all his might, struck the center of the Snow Girls’ battle line with his spear, shouting fiercely. It was to prevent the opponent from regrouping. The momentum had already shifted, but if they were to rebuild their battle line, the opportunity to easily win the second round would disappear.

Pulling back his spear, he scraped the shoulder of Gladiator No. 7 with the crescent blade and then forcefully struck the shield of Gladiator No. 13, who was showing signs of disarray.

“Kyaaak!”

Although she blocked with her shield, Gladiator No. 13 was greatly shocked and was thrown far from the formation. No matter how strong her world-class body was, she could not overcome the inertia combined with the spear’s centrifugal force.

The length of the spear not only provided a strategic advantage in terms of range but also the benefit of increased destructive power. The secret lay in the weight and centrifugal force. A long spear was not only heavy, but the speed of the end was several times faster than that of ordinary short weapons. This led to an increase in momentum and power, which could inflict considerable physical damage on the opponent.

Beomseok blocked Gladiator No. 13 and the Snow Girls’ main camp and stretched out the tip of his spear with all his might.

“Heh heh. You’re up against me.”

Beomseok stopped interfering with the Snow Girls’ battle line formation and began to attack Gladiator No. 13. The vanguard, including Shayla, had broken through the gap in the formation that had been created by the previous strike, tearing it apart, and the mid-tier gladiators were entering the gap, leading to a melee.

Now, the Gods Knights only had to hunt the scattered sheep, so he no longer needed to be involved.

Car. Clang. Car window.

Gladiator No. 13, who had been frantically swinging her sword and shield, was once again thrown back by Beomseok’s powerful strike. Beomseok immediately thrust the tip of his spear under her leg and forcefully levered it upwards.

Gladiator No. 13, who had fallen to the ground, tried to get up quickly, but her right leg stiffened, and she fell back to the ground. Her thigh had been grazed by the previous strike. She blocked the tip of the spear, which was pouring down on her with a subtle rotation, with a fearful gaze, but eventually gave up, exposing her forehead and falling into a completely incapacitated state.

“Alright. Shall we go hunting for the rest?”

Beomseok, who had turned around to find another prey, frowned. The Snow Girls gladiators were surrounded by their fellow gladiators and were unable to escape their predicament. At most, only three or four, including the leader, Gladiator No. 1, were putting up any resistance, and three or four Gods Knights gladiators were clinging to them.

He scratched his head and let out a long sigh.

“I was going to show off some fancy spearmanship from now on, but they’re not giving me a chance. Well, nothing can be done.”

Beomseok lowered the tip of his spear slightly. He could have participated in the battle and tried to score kill points, but he hesitated because it seemed like he would be stealing his teammates’ prey.

No, to be honest, it was more accurate to say that there was no room for him to intervene. He quietly went to where Seiya was and stood guard.

Since he had nothing to do, he was going to take on the role of a guardian gladiator. The leader of this second round was her.

Soon after, the second round ended in a one-sided victory for the Gods Knights, and the main gladiators of both teams returned to their dugouts to take a long rest. Because the match had ended so quickly, there were still 26 minutes left before the third round began.

But the commentators’ mouths became very busy. They had to fill that long break time with their teeth [meaning they had to talk a lot to fill the time].

– Oh, Oh Beomseok gladiator is amazing. He only scored one kill point, but the one who dominated this match was none other than him.

– Yes. That’s right. Oh Beomseok gladiator’s spearmanship is no joke. He melted that great Snow Girls team in an instant. When I saw him sweep away the opponent’s front line at the beginning of the match, I thought my heart would stop.

The announcer immediately responded to the commentator’s admiring explanation.

– Hahaha. Yes. Certainly, Oh Beomseok gladiator’s performance in the early stages was very impressive. By the way, the Snow Girls’ bench must be in deep thought right now. Since the second round ended so quickly, isn’t there a high probability that the Gods Knights’ main force will come out in the next third round?

– Of course. Because of this, there is a high probability that the Snow Girls will also send out their main force in the third round. If they send out their second string here and lose, they will have 1 draw and 2 losses, so the pressure will be very high. Moreover, they won’t be able to bring out the battle line like they did earlier this time.

– Oh, why is that?

– Didn’t they taste failure after bringing out the battle line in both the first and second rounds? Moreover, they have now suffered one loss. Unless the director is an idiot, they won’t adopt the battle line.

– Ah. That’s right. Then the next match will be exciting. Because a fierce offensive battle will unfold.

– Yes. That’s why I’m looking forward to it too.

============================ Author’s Notes ============================

Ah. I was wondering why the number of pre-orders has been increasing so strangely recently, but it turns out that Malibu Pirate recommended my writing. Hahaha. I also enjoy reading City Ruler and MLB-Major League, so I’m really happy. His writing skills are no joke. I feel proud to be recommended by a good writer.

Then everyone have a good day. I’ll see you again tomorrow.