Chapter 79: Split-Second Parry

“Is this guy concealing his real realm?”

“Idiot, if he were, he would be a general. And this is the first time I am hearing about him! He is probably a legacy.”

“But he does look kind of familiar. I think I have seen him but can’t say where.”

Murmurs began to spread after Michael’s showcase of overwhelming might.

“This is my Michael, alright!” Ava puffed her chest in pride. She naturally didn’t miss the way Victoria’s lips had curved upwards but chose not to comment on it.

Michael, not paying any attention to the chatter, quickly went back to the waiting area, eager to see the others’ matches.

“Even with the cybernetic I just gained, the distance between us only keeps increasing.” Enzo sighed in displeasure.

“Stop comparing yourself to Michael; only a moron like you would think of him as a rival.” Amelia exclaimed. “If you really want to get stronger, focus on comprehending the technique.”

While Michael was able to comprehend most techniques in a flash, others would need time.

“It’s my turn now!” Ava hyped herself up.

“Beat them to a pulp.” Michael was looking forward to the match.

The petite woman quickly entered the ring and focused her eyes on the opponent before her.

“Hey, is that Daredevil?”

“Shh! Don’t call her by her nickname. There is a rumor she would beat you for that!”

In contrast to Ava’s petite build and giant hammer, her opponent was a two-meter man that wielded a thin reaper.

’Quite a comical sight.’ Michael chuckled at the scene.

It didn’t take long for the one with the upper hand to become apparent. While Ava’s victory wasn’t as overwhelming as Michael’s, she displayed a swiftness that made the soldiers erupt in cheers.

With a proud smile on her face, Ava went back to her place.

“Good job.” Michael praised.

“…”

Ava remained silent, staring at him.

After several seconds, a lightbulb went off in Michael’s head before he patted her on the head.

“Hehe~” She beamed.

Since the Experts were fewer than the Adepts, the duels weren’t going to take as long.

With the first rounds over, it was obvious who the biggest challengers were. Aside from Michael and Ava, the other single-digit number bases had fearsome competitors.

“Hey, why do they have so much personnel if they are ranked #85?”

“It’s because after the change in leadership the leadership board hadn’t been updated.”

Surprisingly, Oliver proved to be a tough nut to crack, managing to easily win over his opponent in the first match.

“Do you think that he is cheating?” Ava’s eyes narrowed to the size of needles. The way the rounds were going, Michael was going to fight Oliver at the finals if things continued as is.

“I hope so.” Michael glared at the man from afar. While he hadn’t acted when Oliver had tried to get Victoria’s chastity, it did rub him the wrong way. He was looking forward to their duel.

’It will be a pleasure to make him experience death… Even if it’s not a real one.’ Michael thought, his face not showing his dark thoughts.

Quickly the Experts began to drop one by one. In a flash it was time for the final rounds.

“Look, he is up again!”

The moment Michael got in the ring, the place went dead quiet. By now he had demonstrated his overwhelming might, winning with ease against every Expert he had fought regardless of the Early or Peak stage.

What’s more, he did it with a single well-timed strike. Not using his weapon nor even killing his opponents, he just made them unable to continue.

’I don’t like to kill needlessly after all…’ Was his reason. As a human he felt reluctant to harm his own kind.

“But you…” His eyes burned crimson, setting on Oliver, who had a smug smile on his face.

“Are you surprised?” Oliver misread his gaze and laughed out loud. “This is the difference between me, a legacy, and you, a barbarian!”

His confidence was somewhat understandable; after all, during the short time the two had spent apart, Oliver had gone from an Early Expert to a Late Expert! Having two breakthroughs was an impressive achievement at the Expert realm since it would require one to have many resources.

“They must have fed you all kinds of specialized cybernetics and drugs like a pig.” Michael sneered.

“YOU!” Oliver became enraged. He activated one of his techniques, creating a protective field around his body.

“It’s quite unfortunate for you! Now be prepared to be ashamed in front of so many spectators!” The man proclaimed before pouncing forward.

He had been prepared for this moment for a long time, even going as far as to ask Isaac for personal help with getting cybernetics to speed his rate of growth.

’It was costly and will get even more expensive as time goes on, but it’s all worth it in the name of beating you!’ Oliver decided.

“Don’t expect your death to be fast… Or painless.” Michael said, summoning Devil’s Tongue.

The moment he did, the onlookers became shocked.

“He has a soul weapon!”

“This must be the secret of his power!”

“Wait! I remember him now! He is the one who led a group of Elites away from his base!”

Michael, not sparing any efforts, appeared at Oliver’s side.

“I can read your movements!” Oliver declared, anticipating Michael’s speed, and punched.

Boom!

Yet, to the surprise of the onlookers, Michael caught his fist effortlessly.

“Are you stupid?” He asked before seeing Oliver flying several meters backwards.

“Your main weapon is a sniper; why are you charging in melee?”

Oliver gritted his teeth in anger.

“To think that I have to resort to using this!” With a grunt, he took the sniper off his back.

“DESPAIR!” Oliver shouted. “Even if it’s not a soul weapon, it’s still an Epic rank!”

He feared Michael was going to prevent him from using it. Yet to his surprise, he stood motionless in one place.

“An Epic sniper? Now that is interesting; I will give one free shot.”

’Keep calm; he is bluffing.’ Oliver reasoned before aiming. Since he hated Michael and wanted to cause him as much pain and suffering as possible, he focused on one particular spot.

His crotch!

’Let’s see you act so calm after being hit there!’ Oliver sneered before shooting.

To the onlooker it looked like the duel had ended. The bullets of an Epic sniper moved so fast and with such force that there was no stopping them.

This is why Michael’s next move shocked them. With Parallel Sight, he saw the bullet’s path clearly, and with Perfect Vision enhancing his sight, he acted just in time.

Slash!

BOOM!

In a blur, his soul weapon sliced vertically, cleanly splitting the bullet in half. The two halves missed him by a hair’s breath and collided with the arena, causing smoke to rise in the air.

“…”

The feat caused the deadly silence to turn even more suffocating than before.

Oliver stared at the barrel of his sniper, then met Michael’s gaze, who looked at him as if asking, ’Is that all you’ve got?’

’Ah…’ A revelation hit him soon after.

’I am fucked.’

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