Ranker’s Return

In normal PVE, everyone would ignore it if someone were to draw a sword from a distance of over 10 meters away. Among the basic skills, there were no skills related to drawing the sword. However, the one doing the action was Alley Leader, and that made all the difference. If his bizarre magic power control were added, it might become a sure-kill skill.

Hyeonu lived up to that expectation. An elongated pure energy appeared from Hyeonu’s sword. It was like the Golden Cudgel of the Great Sage, the Equal of Heaven, that could increase in size instantly. Hyeonu’s pure energy hit Luke’s sword and dug into it little by little.

Luke’s sword also started to glow red. Nevertheless, a terrible sound began to emerge at the next moment. Luke’s sword was gradually being cut in two. Before Luke’s red pure energy could protect the sword completely, Hyeonu’s pure energy encroached on the unprotected areas of Luke’s sword.

‘I will die if I stop. I will die even if I slow down.’ Luke released his magic power frantically.

He had to get rid of Hyeonu’s magic power even one second sooner. Otherwise… his sword would end up getting cut in two. Once Hyeonu cut through Luke’s sword, Luke’s neck would be next.

Right then, Hyeonu’s pure energy stopped advancing, perhaps due to Luke’s efforts. It happened at the point when Hyeonu’s pure energy dug exactly halfway into Luke’s sword.

Luke sighed. He thought this was the only spare moment he had in which he could sigh. However, Hyeonu had no intention of giving Luke any leeway—not one bit. This time, Hyeonu rushed toward Luke. If he simply rushed in, Luke would welcome him with open arms.

However, Luke was too preoccupied holding the half-cut sword to stop Hyeonu’s attack. He was experiencing first-hand the reason why people treated Alley Leader like a god. Hyeonu was terribly cold. Even in this overwhelmingly favorable situation, he still pursued victory without giving any leniency to his opponent.

Hyeonu continued to wield his sword. Sometimes, there was pure energy, and other times, there was none. Everything was at his will. Even so, Luke had no choice but to use his magic power because he didn’t know when Hyeonu would use his pure energy. Hyeonu took a few steps and swung his sword dozens of times. For around half of the swings, the sword had pure energy, while the other half, Hyeonu was just wielding the sword through the air.

Meanwhile, Luke’s magic power leaked out like a bottomless pit. Using his limited magic power, he continued to maintain his pure energy and collided with Hyeonu’s. This left Luke with no magic power remaining. To begin with, he had invested fewer points in magic power than Hyeonu. Yet even in this state, he continued to consume more magic power and couldn’t hold on for much longer.

By the time Hyeonu arrived in front of Luke, the red light around the latter’s sword had already faded so much that it was hard to see. The sword was just barely coated with a faint red glow.

Upon seeing Luke’s sword, Hyeonu swung his single-edged sword with an expressionless face. It was a short and fast slash.

Luke blocked Hyeonu’s attack calmly. Although Luke only had a light coating of pure energy on his sword, he wasn’t pushed back because he managed to maintain it. Hyeonu’s sword dug into Luke’s sword again, going straight into the deep groove he’d made in the first clash. There were intense sparks, and he cut into Luke’s sword one more time.

The top of Luke’s sword was sliced off, and it soared into the air. The moment Luke felt his sword being in two, he quickly lowered his head. Blue pure energy passed over Luke’s head right then, but Hyeonu followed up with a kick to Luke’s face. Luke raised his arms to block Hyeonu’s foot, but he couldn’t stop Hyeonu’s kick that was infused with magic power. Luke’s body was lifted off the ground and sent flying backward. Nevertheless, he quickly restored his center of gravity and raised his sword over his head, wielding it as soon as his feet touched the ground.

Just then, Hyeonu moved like smoke. He approached Luke and swung his sword. Blood burst out like a fountain from Luke’s body, which now had a diagonal wound running across his body from the left shoulder to the right pelvis. 

Hyeonu slowly inserted his sword back into its sheath. There was a clang as the sheath touched the sword’s crossguard. Simultaneously, Luke’s body collapsed to the ground.

***

“Gang Hyeonu has achieved an all-kill with six consecutive wins! Crescent Moon has taken victory over Red Bull America!”

“Gang Hyeonu has obtained 29 victories in six matches!”

“His skills are overwhelming. He has more wins than any other player who has been at Arena Week. Additionally, his average game time is much too short at 1 minute and 7 seconds. The game will be over if you go to the bathroom for a while.”

Hyeonu had won a total of 29 games over six matches. Throughout all those matches, he was never defeated even once. It was a complete victory. Naturally, Crescent Moon also won all six matches. If Hyeonu didn’t lose, then Crescent Moon wouldn’t lose either.

There was now only one match remaining, but the ranking was already determined. It was confirmed that Crescent Moon was first place.

“Regardless of the result of the last match against JT Telecom, Crescent Moon has been confirmed as first place one after their win over Red Bull America.”

Currently, JT Telecom was the team furthest from first place. Meanwhile, there were two teams with five wins and one loss—the New York Warriors and PSG. These two teams had Reina and Aike as the main players, and they were tied for second place. Apart from losing to Hyeonu’s Crescent Moon, neither team had lost to any other team.

Now all that was left was the match between them. The team that won would remain in second place, while the losing team would be third. 

So why was Crescent Moon first place? It was due to the winner-takes-all principle Quency had chosen. The winner-takes-all principle was one of the ranking decider methods that often appeared in ordinary sports. If the results of the team were the same, the winning team would get the higher ranking. No matter which team won between the New York Warriors and PSG, both teams had lost to Crescent Moon. Therefore, according to the winner-takes-all principle, Crescent Moon would naturally be first.

“Now there are only four matches left in the PvP event. The two of you, please say something.” The host started talking to the commentators as preparations for the final round were underway. There was no better way to spend their spare time. The commentators noticed the host’s intentions and started to express their appreciation about today’s matches, which they’d written down beforehand.

“We witnessed many amazing things and many regrettable things. First of all, the progress of some players has been amazing. In particular, Player Gang Hyeonu of Crescent Moon, Player Reina of the New York Warriors, and Player Aike from PSG—they are great players who are undefeated or have only one defeat.”

“The unfortunate thing isn’t about the players but a certain team—Manchester. After their momentum was broken by Hyeonu, they had a score of 2:2. They are currently fourth with a score of 3 wins and 3 losses. It isn’t a bad performance, but it is a bit of a pity considering what they showed in the first match.”

Manchester had the double-headed carriage of Ryan and Luke to lead them to the top, but they collapsed in front of the walls called Reina and Aike.

“The most unfortunate one is JT Telecom. They entered Arena Week through the wildcard, but they are facing the crisis of defeat. It is very sad that they did not even win one match.”

JT Telecom’s current campaign was 0:6. They were frustrated by the walls of the teams from around the world, which were higher than last year’s. Some players won in the middle, but the team was ultimately defeated in the match. They had the opposite score of Crescent Moon that had a streak of 6:0.

“Ah, the last matches are ready. Let me introduce you to the last round of matches,” the host announced. This was the seventh match bracket of PvP: Zenith versus Xuanhua, Crescent Moon versus JT Telecom, the New York Warriors versus PSG, Manchester versus Red Bull America.

“The first match is played by the New York Warriors and PSG. The second match is between Crescent Moon and JT Telecom.”

“The first game is between Reina of the New York Warriors and Aike of PSG.”

“In fact, the winner of the duel between Reina and AK will end up taking the match. This means the duel between the two players will decide second place in Arena Week’s PvP.”

***

“Ah! Reina’s sword has pierced Aike’s shoulder!”

Reina stabbed Aike’s left shoulder with her sword. With a pained expression in his eyes, Aike quickly drove the sword in his right hand into the ground and struck Reina’s abdomen with his right hand.

Reina lost her sword and took five steps back.

“Player Reina! She has lost her sword. Aike has overcome the pain with an unyielding will!”

Aike immediately pulled his sword out of the ground and rushed at Reina with her sword still stabbed into his shoulder. As he approached her, Aike swung his sword quickly. Perhaps it was due to the sword in his shoulder, but his attack wasn’t as sharp as usual. It was fast, but it wasn’t accurate. He only made a shallow cut in Reina’s shoulder before the tip of his sword dropped to the ground while blood flowed from his shoulder.

“Aike’s sword has missed. His sword has struck the ground!”

“Ah! Blood is gushing from Aike’s shoulder like a fountain. It isn’t a problem that he can endure any longer. He can’t move his arm at all!”

Reina immediately punched out when she saw that. She was in such a rush that she didn’t use her magic power properly. Her fist simply struck the hilt of Aike’s sword.

“Reina has punched a sword with her fist! Blood has flowed once again! Player Aike is just sitting on the ground now.”

Blood had burst out from two places. Reina’s unprotected hand got injured, and blood was now flowing out. At the same time, blood spilled again from the wound in Aike’s shoulder that had grown even bigger.

Aike couldn’t stand the extreme level of pain and fell to the ground. Reina walked over to Aike with blood dripping from her fist. As she did so, she picked up Aike’s sword, which had fallen to the ground. Seeing her approach him, Aike tried to move, but his body wouldn’t budge, perhaps because he was in shock. Reina pointed her sword at Aike’s neck with a trembling arm.

“It is victory for Player Reina! She has beaten PSG’s last remaining player, Aike! The New York Warriors have overcome PSG to snatch the win in PvP.”

Reina was sweating as she emerged from the cube. Half conscious, she gave a light greeting to the crowd before walking off the stage. In the passageway between the stage and the waiting room, Reina met Hyeonu again.

“Congratulations on second place, Reina,” Hyeonu said.

Upon receiving Hyeonu’s heartfelt congratulations, Reina felt her mind return. “Hyeonu, is this your last match?”

“Yes, regardless of whether I win or lose.” 

Crescent Moon’s current score in the seventh match was five wins and three losses, just like the New York Warriors. If Hyeonu won, the score would be 6:3. If he lost, it would be 5:4. It seemed unfair, but it couldn’t be helped because Hyeonu was the last player of Crescent Moon, where only four people participated in PvP.

“I want you to win. Then...”

“Then?”

“Once Arena Week is over, would you like to come to our accommodations for a party?”

Hyeonu thought for a moment before answering Reina’s question. “Yes, parties are always fun.”

Finally, Hyeonu moved toward the stage. The last PvP match was about to begin.

A short time after Hyeonu disappeared, Reina started moving her feet.

‘What the hell did I say?’

The New York Warriors didn’t have a party planned.