Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 509

“Alright! Here I come!”

Explosions erupted in quick succession, sending metal fragments flying in all directions. The battle was evenly matched for now. With his spear, he could easily block Amelie’s swordsmanship, but Caneroa’s occasional rushes and attacks were proving quite threatening.

Dealing with Amelie while diverting some of his attention to Caneroa was putting a considerable strain on him.

‘Damn it. Is 2 against 1 too much? Still, I’ll keep going like this!’

However, the fact that he wasn’t being pushed back too much was a comfort to him. Although it was difficult, he figured he could handle them both if he focused solely on defense.

If he could just buy some time here, the numerically superior God Knights’ main force might be able to crush Chaplin Whisper’s main force. Then the God Knights would take the first round, and the course of the match would be reversed.

“Beomseok! Prepare yourself!”

A modified sword, infused with extreme rotational force, flew towards Beomseok’s chest. Since the attack didn’t carry much power, he anticipated a follow-up and narrowly avoided it with a minimal twist of his waist.

The modified sword grazed past him. Beomseok deflected the incoming sword with his spear shaft and then leaped backward. Caneroa was charging in, swinging her sword with fierce momentum.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Amidst the continuous, bizarre metallic sounds, Amelie relentlessly pressed her attack. As dust clouds rose from the floor, obscuring even his face shield, her steps moved at a rapid tempo.

She was using a rhythm she had never shown before, suggesting she was pushing herself considerably. As a result, the frequency of her attacks increased dramatically, and Beomseok’s hands became that much busier.

‘Damn it. This is driving me crazy! Is she trying to die with me?!’

Beomseok blocked Amelie’s sword, which was coming down as if to split his head, and ducked to avoid Caneroa’s horizontal slash. He continued to backpedal, widening the distance between them, careful not to turn his back. Even he didn’t have eyes in the back of his head.

Beomseok kicked Caneroa in the abdomen with all his might as she quickly approached, using the recoil to jump backward. Amelie immediately followed, swinging her twin swords in a tight circular motion.

“Alright! Let’s go all the way!”

Beomseok blocked her onslaught and extended his spear tip towards her face. It seemed like a strong attack, but it was mainly intended as a feint. Since they were approaching with such ferocity, he needed to deter them with small attacks. Fortunately, it worked, and Amelie stopped approaching.

‘Good. Now’s the time to take out Caneroa!’

Seizing the opportunity, Beomseok glanced at Caneroa. It was a brief opening, but he judged that he could take her down if he played it right. However, his plan was thwarted. Caneroa had stopped along with Amelie. If she didn’t approach, even Beomseok couldn’t subdue her.

A moment of silence hung in the air. He looked back and forth between Amelie and Caneroa.

“Hey! Why aren’t you attacking?”

The reason was simple. He was too close to the God Knights’ formation. If they followed him any further, they risked getting caught up in the opponent’s melee strategy. Amelie moved backward, saying softly,

“Then why don’t you try attacking, Beomseok?”

“Am I crazy?”

“Then I guess we have no choice.”

Beomseok squinted at her. No choice? There was no way she would say something so weak, so he figured she had something else in mind. And soon, he understood the reason. He had been in enough combat matches to fully recognize the situation Amelie was worried about.

‘Heh. We’re too close to their formation. Is that it?’

Beomseok chuckled. They were afraid of a melee [close-quarters combat]? It was a far cry from the past. In the old days, Amelie would have taken the initiative to create a melee, because melee combat favored those with superior power.

He stopped in his tracks, taking a breather. Time was on his side anyway. In the battle between the main forces, the numerically superior God Knights had the advantage, so if he just waited, their chances of victory were very high.

“Then stay put.”

Amelie frowned. She realized he had caught on to their intentions. But they couldn’t just stand there. They had to draw Beomseok out somehow. And they had a way. She subtly stepped in front of Caneroa.

“Even if I do this?”

Beomseok, with a troubled expression, placed a hand on the katana [a Japanese sword] at his waist, preparing for her threat. They were close to his team’s base now, and Caneroa could try to strike from behind.

“Is that going to be so easy? For Caneroa to hit our base, she’d have to show me her back. She’d definitely get hit.”

Amelie looked at the katana in his hand and sighed deeply. This was why dealing with Beomseok was so difficult. He was also very skilled at throwing weapons. The moment Caneroa went to attack the God Knights’ base, the katana would fly from his hand, and it was obvious where it would go.

‘Hoo~ What to do…….’

Eventually, Amelie began to retreat slowly, heading back to her base. It was a shame they couldn’t defeat him, but they could consider it a small victory that they had pushed him this far.

“We have no choice. Let’s end our match here.”

At these words, Beomseok suddenly stepped forward. That was unacceptable. If he delayed them even a little longer, Chaplin’s main base would fall, and he couldn’t let them go.

“That won’t do. How can I let you go when I’ve finally drawn you out?”

Amelie smiled triumphantly and gripped her twin swords tightly again. Either way, they had drawn him out, so they could continue the fight. Although their base was in some danger, if they could just defeat him, victory in the first round would be theirs. She met Caneroa’s gaze and charged towards him.

Meanwhile, the battle between the main forces was entering a lull. The God Knights gladiators were temporarily retreating to regroup. But the Chaplin Whisper gladiators didn’t realize this was the calm before the storm. The God Knights had retreated because they needed time to implement a new strategy.

Priscilla raised one hand and signaled everyone by switching her index and middle fingers. And after a moment, she shouted loud enough to shake the arena.

“Now! Change formation!”

At the same time, the God Knights’ formation shifted, forming a wedge formation [a V-shaped formation used to penetrate enemy lines]. And with Nikita at the head, they charged towards the Chaplin Whisper formation.

“Be careful! It’s a wedge formation! Prepare quickly!”

The Chaplin Whisper formation wavered with a thud. Because the situation was so sudden, they couldn’t properly gather their strength, and the front line was slowly breaking apart. And Nikita, who had penetrated this gap, was soon able to face the leader, Abyss.

Seeing this, Priscilla smiled faintly and ordered everyone.

“Just a little more! Then we can break through!”

Small skirmishes broke out within the compressed formation. Everyone was targeting Nikita. But in a state where they couldn’t even control their bodies properly, there was no way they could deliver a proper blow. They merely left scratches on her shield and suit before sliding away.

Eventually, unable to withstand it any longer, Abyss ordered the vanguard standing behind her. In the phalanx [a close-ranked formation], the vanguard stood behind.

“We have no choice! You guys go out and intercept the God Knights’ leader!”

As soon as the vanguard moved out, the Chaplin Whisper formation, which had been pushed back, was brutally bisected. Now, a melee was inevitable. It was advantageous for the God Knights, but the outcome was still uncertain. Some Chaplin Whisper gladiators, led by Milia and Salivia, were flanking to target the leader, Agelia.

“We’re here! You know our plan, right?”

“Don’t worry!”

A small clash occurred a moment later. Lezaris had blocked the Chaplin Whisper vanguard that had come to intercept. In response, Agelia, who was in the rear, continued to retreat with her dual shields in front of her, ready to run at any moment.

“Don’t run away!”

The Chaplin Whisper vanguard, having pushed Lezaris back with their strength, rushed towards Agelia. But she had already abandoned her shields as planned and was running away as fast as she could. Even with dual shields, she couldn’t face three enemies at once. It was better to draw them out and separate them from their base.

“Th, this……. Chase her quickly!”

The Chaplin Whisper vanguard immediately chased after Agelia. The distance was precarious, so they had been caught by her. In response, Agelia began to run around the entire arena with three tails.

“Kyaaaa!”

Nensia was defeated by Priscilla and fell to the floor. She had a sword and shield, but she didn’t have the ability to face Tiela and Priscilla at the same time.

Now, the numerical ratio between the main forces was 10 to 6. Thinking that annihilation was only a matter of time, Abyss shouted at the vanguard chasing after Agelia. They didn’t have time to catch the fleeing opponent’s leader right now.

Even though their vanguard possessed considerable physical abilities, they couldn’t easily catch Agelia, a sprinter by training, who was determined to run away.

“Return to the base quickly! We’re going to be defeated first!”

“A, alright!”

Nikita and Lezaris stood in front of the vanguard returning to the base. In the meantime, Agelia, who had returned, picked up the shields she had abandoned and began to help them.

Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang. Bang. Bang.

As the situation at the base became urgent, Amelie shouted to Caneroa. Capturing Beomseok was important, but protecting the base was even more important.

“Caneroa! I’ll take care of Beomseok alone, so hurry back to the base!”

“Yes. Understood!”

Beomseok, who was looking at Amelie alone after Caneroa left, chuckled. He thought he could handle her alone with ease. Without saying a word, he raised his spear high and charged towards her.

“Alright. Amelie! Here I come!”

Amelie, who blocked the long spear that flew in with a strange tearing sound, glanced at the situation at the base. Caneroa had joined, but they were still being pushed back. In particular, Madel being defeated by the combined attack of Iphis and Herse was very critical.

‘Damn it! We’re going to be defeated like this! What should I do?’

But there was no way she could recover the battle situation that had already tilted so far. The only hope was to somehow defeat Beomseok quickly and then help the base. But it wasn’t easy. Right now, Amelie was being unilaterally pushed back by his spear attacks.

“What are you doing! How can you afford to pay attention to other things when you’re facing me! I won’t go easy on you this time, so be prepared!”

Amelie bit her lip and rotated her body greatly, launching a series of swords at him. It was a sharp and meticulously controlled sword attack, but Beomseok easily blocked it and continued to extend his spear tip. No matter how strong Amelie was, he wouldn’t be defeated by an attack filled with distractions.

Soon, a crescent blade cut through the air, wrapped around her right arm, and slashed across it.

“Agh!”

Amelie, who dropped her sword with a short scream and a bewildered expression, backed away. Since her right arm was injured, she couldn’t use her ultimate skill anymore. Now, her defeat could be considered a foregone conclusion.

Beomseok smiled bitterly and gradually cornered her.

“See? What did I tell you? I told you to stay focused, didn’t I?”

Amelie gritted her teeth and shouted. His taunts were always annoying.

“Stop nagging and just come at me!”

Unlike her wishes, Beomseok was refraining from approaching, maintaining only a certain distance. There was no particular reason to defeat Amelie. The battle between the main forces was gradually being resolved. There was no need to waste energy on her. There were four rounds left, so he needed to conserve his stamina.

“Heh heh. Well? Should I go? Or not?”

“Are you toying with me right now!”

“That’s not it. I just feel sorry for you.”

“Don’t say such nonsense! There’s no need for sympathy in a match!”

Beomseok pointed his spear tip at her and said in a small whisper.

“If you really want to, why don’t you come? I don’t really want to go.”

“Hmph. Fine. Then I’ll go.”

Amelie slowly moved her steps and approached Beomseok. It was a very dangerous action, but she had no pressure because she had already expected to lose. She soon glared at Beomseok with sharp eyes and swung her sword.

– Peeeeeep! Match over!

Whoosh. Clang.

At the same time as a single sword ring, Beomseok immediately retrieved his spear and slung it over his shoulder. He realized that the game was over with the sound of the whistle. There was no reason to fight anymore.

“Well then, good work……. Hehehe.”

Beomseok, who turned around without hesitation, headed to the dugout with a bright face. This first round victory was a sweet fruit for the God Knights. It was only natural since the positions of the two teams had now been reversed.

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

Have a nice day, everyone. I’ll see you again tomorrow.