Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 367

369

“Hyah!”

Beomseok’s spear, an extension of his will, shot toward the 17th Gladiator’s face. The attack was so swift that she barely managed to raise her shield and parry it with her sword. But the attack didn’t end there. He immediately surged forward, slamming into her with a Shield Charge, and unleashed a relentless series of attacks.

“Eek!”

The 17th Gladiator gritted her teeth, forced into a retreat. Perhaps weakened by her injuries, the spear strikes lacked some power, but the sheer speed was unlike anything she had ever encountered.

‘What’s happening? How did this change? He’s too strong now!’

The spear tip whistled through the air, leaving scratches across her armor. She desperately deflected the attacks with her shield and sword, but she was always a fraction of a second too slow, preventing her from properly blocking his onslaught. Her face tightened with tension. At this rate, defeat was inevitable.

However, Beomseok wasn’t faring much better. Although the anesthetic dulled the pain, the constant, violent movement was taking a heavy toll on his back.

‘I need to end this quickly.’

In a flash, Beomseok lowered his stance and darted forward, sweeping past the 17th Gladiator’s waist. Startled, she instinctively lowered her sword and shield, but instead of the spear, the edge of his shield slammed into her. The spear in Beomseok’s right hand was held in reverse, its point angled sharply behind his back, completely out of sight.

With a sickening thud, the shield struck the 17th Gladiator’s jaw. She stumbled backward, a look of utter bewilderment on her face. Even though she wasn’t considered an elite gladiator, she never imagined being defeated so easily.

– Amazing! Gladiator Oh Beomseok! He outmaneuvered the 17th Gladiator with a brilliant feint and knocked her down. It’s impossible to predict the limits of his instincts!

– Indeed! Concealing the spear tip behind his back and then striking the opponent is a move only a master could pull off. He charged in first to distract the 17th Gladiator, but if she had seen through it, he would have been vulnerable. Gladiator Oh Beomseok’s audacity is truly astonishing.

As the commentators’ excited voices echoed through the arena, Beomseok turned his head toward his team’s base. This wasn’t the time for basking in praise. Winning this round would push them past the 80% mark toward promotion. He had to ensure that God’s Knights secured the second round, capitalizing on their current advantage in numbers.

‘Heh heh. Liza is doing a great job.’

Beomseok smiled as he watched Liza positioned near the Chaos Hills formation. She was simply standing there with a throwing knife in her right hand, but the psychological pressure she exerted on Chaos Hills was significant. They were so preoccupied with the threat of her unexpected throwing knives that they couldn’t fully concentrate on the main battle.

‘If they send a marksman to take her out, I’ll get involved. Hehehe.’

In a standard match, sending a marksman to eliminate Liza would be the logical move. However, anyone who had witnessed the 17th Gladiator’s defeat wouldn’t be so quick to deploy that strategy.

Beomseok slowly moved toward Liza. He had something to retrieve. As he brushed past her, Beomseok subtly lifted two throwing knives from her waist and concealed them inside his shield. Throwing knives weren’t just her specialty.

“Liza, good work.”

Startled, Liza turned to him and quickly said,

“Master, where are you going!”

“Ah, I’m going to roam and cause some trouble on the other side.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to fight together here?”

“No, it’s better to operate separately for now. Just keep standing there. Run if things get too dangerous.”

Liza, who had been about to follow him, stopped and returned to her position. She thought fighting together would be more effective, but Beomseok was the strategist when he roamed, so she had to obey.

She resumed glaring at the Chaos Hills’ base, nervously fiddling with her throwing knives. She only had five, so she needed to conserve them. But she suddenly realized that two were missing and wore a bewildered expression. She was certain she had five just a moment ago.

Cha. Chang. Kwang. Kwakwang.

The 1st Gladiator, who had been observing the intense battle between the two sides on the iron bridge from the rear, kept alternating her gaze between Liza and Beomseok, her expression tense. Since they hadn’t deployed a marksman, they couldn’t afford to lose sight of either of them for even a second.

‘The situation is deteriorating rapidly. Everyone is too focused on watching the rear, so they can’t concentrate on pushing God’s Knights back. At this rate, we might lose control of the iron bridge.’

The Chaos Hills’ base was gradually being pushed back. Fortunately, Beomseok was far to their right, not approaching them directly. Even with his speed, he didn’t seem like an immediate threat at that distance. They believed they could react in time if he did approach.

The 1st Gladiator shifted her attention back to Liza. In reality, she was a more immediate problem than Beomseok. Her throwing knife accuracy was so high that even the smallest opening could prove fatal.

Just then, a throwing knife flew from the unexpected right side, striking the 14th Gladiator’s helmet and bouncing harmlessly off.

“Who the hell was that!”

As the 14th Gladiator staggered, the 1st Gladiator quickly glared at Beomseok. Judging by the angle of the throw, he was the culprit. She saw Beomseok casually twirling a throwing knife while holding his one-handed sword, and shouted a warning to her team.

“Throwing knives are coming from the right! Everyone, be careful!”

However, this proved to be a critical mistake. The moment she shouted, nearly all of her teammates, except for a few engaged in direct combat at the front, turned their heads to the right. This created a golden opportunity for Liza. Instantly, a throwing knife launched from Liza’s hand struck the 4th Gladiator in the rear in the neck.

“Kyaaaaak!”

The Chaos Hills’ base, having lost two gladiators in quick succession, was rapidly pushed back. They were thrown into disarray by the throwing knives coming from both flanks, and ultimately lost the power struggle for control of the bases.

Seeing this, Seiya ordered a full-scale charge. They were determined to seize victory by capitalizing on this momentum. It was rare to see the Chaos Hills’ defense so thoroughly shaken.

“Now’s the time! Wipe them out!”

As Oscar’s greatsword swept horizontally, the 12th and 19th Gladiators were sent flying backward. Fortunately, their teammates in the rear provided support, preventing them from falling, but their defensive line was collapsing.

“Alright, here we go!”

Matilda, following close behind Oscar, swung her two-handed sword with all her might at the 12th Gladiator, who was struggling to regain his balance. Subsequently, with Violet and Hestia leading the charge, the mid-tier gladiators of God’s Knights surged forward, breaking through the center of the Chaos Hills formation. Soon, they had shattered the opposing formation and were engaged in a chaotic melee.

At that moment, the spectators, caught up in the frenzy of excitement, leaped to their feet and roared at the top of their lungs. Even though they were just spectators, they knew that God’s Knights had seized the momentum and were on the verge of victory.

“God’s Knights! Crush them all!”

“Yeah! Great job! Make sure you win this round! Then we’re going to the World League!”

The 1st Gladiator, surrounded by the deafening cheers, looked around in confusion. She desperately needed to regroup her teammates and establish a new formation, but it was proving impossible. Most of the Chaos Hills gladiators were locked in fierce combat with the God’s Knights gladiators, leaving them no opportunity to disengage.

The 1st Gladiator’s face paled as she watched Nikita’s spear slam into the 15th Gladiator’s face, sending him crashing to the ground.

‘At this rate, we’ll all be defeated! I have to rally my comrades quickly!’

But she was too busy fighting to issue orders. Liza, who had charged into the fray, began to pressure her, wielding her katana with deadly precision. In the end, the 1st Gladiator, overwhelmed by Liza’s attacks, was struck by a throwing knife from behind and collapsed to her knees.

Waaaaah! Waaaaah!

The fans’ cheers intensified as Beomseok entered the arena, basking in the enthusiastic support. They were incredibly grateful for his dedication in participating despite his injury and leading the team to victory. The fans chanted Beomseok’s name and celebrated the impending victory. Now, the path to the World League was more than half-open.

Diana, beaming with satisfaction, rushed toward Beomseok as he entered the dugout.

“Master, you were amazing! Thanks to you, our chances of winning today have greatly increased.”

“Hehe. What? With me on the team, how could we possibly lose?”

Diana, her smile widening, nodded in agreement. It wasn’t just because he was her master; Beomseok was a truly reliable gladiator. She believed that with him on the team, they could achieve remarkable results even in the World League, a place known to be filled with monsters.

“Yes, that’s right. A team with Master is destined to be invincible.”

“Kekeke. That’s obvious.”

Beomseok wasn’t embarrassed by her praise; instead, he openly reveled in it. He was particularly susceptible to flattery, especially when it came from women.

Diana now looked at him with a worried expression.

“But Master, how is your back feeling?”

“Hmm? I don’t think there’s anything wrong? I didn’t exert myself too much this time.”

Indeed, all he had done in the second round was defeat the 17th Gladiator and throw two throwing knives. Diana didn’t anticipate any major issues. But there was no harm in being cautious. She immediately removed his suit top and summoned the team doctor for a checkup. After confirming that there were no complications, she insisted he take a long break.

In the following third round, Chaos Hills, perhaps spurred by their defeat in the second round, launched an aggressive offensive from the start, putting God’s Knights under immense pressure. Another lost round would shatter their World League dreams. However, their organization quickly faltered, resulting in the loss of two gladiators, and they reverted to a defensive strategy, similar to the first and second rounds.

Consequently, God’s Knights, not needing to take unnecessary risks, willingly accepted a draw, maintaining their one-win lead as the third round concluded.

“W-we only need one more win now.”

During the break, Diana, sitting beside Beomseok, muttered in a small voice, her face etched with tension. The current score was 1 win and 2 draws. Only one more round win was needed to secure their advancement to the World League.

Beomseok glanced at her and chuckled.

“Hehe. Even if we draw twice in a row in the 4th and 5th rounds, we’ll still qualify.”

“T-that’s true.”

He stretched his shoulders while remaining seated.

“But it would be better to win the 4th round decisively and advance cleanly.”

“Yes. Definitely…….”

“So, what strategy should we employ?”

“Full force. It might seem excessive, but it’s best to ensure victory. And there’s a high probability that Chaos Hills, pushed to the edge, will also deploy their main force this time.”

It was the logical approach, and Beomseok nodded in agreement.

“Hehe. Well, they can’t afford to send out their second-string team in this situation. If they draw twice or lose once, they’re eliminated. Good! I’ll participate this time.”

Startled, Diana looked at him. As his subordinate elf, she couldn’t help but worry about Beomseok’s well-being. His safety was her top priority, not advancing to the World League.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. And I’ll be resting for two months after this game, so there’s no problem.”

“B-but……. If something goes wrong…….”

“So what? Even if something goes wrong, all I have to do is get the wound stitched up again. It’s not something to worry about that much.”

Diana sighed deeply and nodded. Beomseok’s injury wasn’t severe enough to warrant excessive concern.

“Hoo~ I understand. I’ll do as you say, Master. But you have to be careful.”

“Don’t worry. It’s my body, so I’ll take good care of it.”

Hearing those words, Diana went to the coach’s seat and added Beomseok’s name to the roster. She also included Liza’s name. She had sensed it before, but Beomseok and Liza had excellent synergy, and their combined presence in the game amplified each other’s strengths.

Even in the previous second round, he had secretly used the throwing knives that Liza carried and ultimately secured the victory.

– Now, both teams, please proceed to the center of the arena.

With the announcement, Beomseok led his gladiators to the city center. This time, he was wielding a long spear. A spear and shield, requiring less movement, would be easier on his injury, but a familiar long spear offered a better chance of victory. Beomseok was determined to win this time.

Standing in the center, he glared intently at the Chaos Hills gladiators across from him. As Diana had predicted, they were deploying their main force this time.

‘Good. This time, I, Oh Beomseok, will make sure to show them what I’m capable of.’

Beomseok was going to give this round his all. This game was the final hurdle for God’s Knights to reach the World League. By now, many World League analysts would be watching him. Beomseok intended to leave a lasting impression, instilling fear in their minds.

– Bbeeeeep!

With the starting signal, Beomseok immediately sprinted forward, leaping across the central city with all his might. Liza, following closely behind, stood beside him and surveyed the Chaos Hills formation.

“Do you think a marksman will appear this time too?”

Beomseok swung his long spear in a wide arc, then gave a wry smile.

“Hehehe. They have no choice but to send one out. They know exactly how they were defeated in the second round.”

“Well, I guess so. Without a marksman, they can’t stop Master.”

Liza’s tone was much more confident than in the second round. She had been shaken by the defeat in the third game, but she realized that things were different when Beomseok was present. As long as he was with God’s Knights, they were invincible.

============================ Author’s Afterword ============================

It’s the weekend. Everyone have a great day. I’ll see you again tomorrow.