God's Avatar

Mock Battle Part 2

“Samantha you blocked it very well, for that, I must congratulate you…”

Matthew praised Samantha, but he doesn’t mean it really, in fact. There was a trace of irritation carving his face. But there is quite a distance between them so how can they talk to each other despite the distance?

They were simply using the features on the menu system called “Voice Call” it allows them to communicate at such great distances, however, just like in the game. The receiver has a choice to receive the call or not. This was the case for Samantha, with her menu system opened. She can feel the irritation in his pitch.

“There is no need to congratulate, that was just a simple barrier skill of a Chanter.”

Samantha humped and prepared her staff once more. The crystal core embedded in the tip of the staff began glowing crimson red. Then a barrier formation started to form on the tip of her lance.

“Since you attacked us with such deadly magic, please accept this gift of mine. [Release]”

With her soothing voice, a majestic ball of flames similar to Matthew were fired at him.

Matthew’s eyes widened, not because he was surprised, but the fact that she can use the [Steal Magic] of a Chanter. He accepted the said gift with a warm smile and began countering it with another ball of flame.

The two collided, causing a great explosion that sends shockwaves, powerful enough to uproot a tree from its radius.

A searing wave of heat began to fill the eight-by-eight kilometer forest. The Battle Gods halted for a moment to analyze such a situation. To think that the effect of a skill can be felt even if they are not in battle with Matthew.

“Interesting Samantha! That’s it, let's exchange spells until we run out of mana! [Twelve tail laser], [Fireball], [Phoenix Storm!” ]

The huge formation of a magic circle warped the space surrounding Matthew. A laser protrudes and reaches the vantage point at blinding speed, followed by the ball of flame, and bird of flame.

As expected, Samantha blocked all of it easily as if they were just a piece of paper being thrown at the cement wall.

“Samantha, let me help you…” Aeyana offered and nocked one arrow in her bow. She fired one arrow at the horizon. To think such an arrow will be able to travel four kilometers without losing its trajectory is ridiculous. But it happened, just like that.

Matthew caught the arrow from the vantage point. He smiled as he learned something new.

“So basic attacks such as this can reach four kilometers...Interesting. The more I fight, the more I learn about my fellow friends. Although I wanted to entertain you more, I think I finished my job here…”

Acting as if he is sad, Samantha picked up what it means.

“Matthew wasn’t spamming his skills to us randomly?” Samantha voiced her thoughts.

“What do you mean?” Aeyana with a troubling expression on her face, asked Samantha

“Aeyana, you said that the three were retreating right? Where are the other two?” Samantha asked urgingly as if Aeyana’s answer might solve the mystery behind this peculiar situation.

Aeyana lowered her face.

“I didn’t see the other two, perhaps they are strengthening their defense in their crystal?”

“I see…”

But her answer confused her even more. There is nothing coherent and consistent about what was happening. The opposing team didn’t compete for the vantage point and yet Matthew is hurling skills at them one after another. Just what is Matthew planning to do?

Her thoughts are filled with uncertainty, but a sudden voice rang out in the menu system.

“Don’t overthink it, why are you being serious about this? I mean come on, why can’t you have some fun? It’s just a game after—no this is reality, well just think of it as a virtual reality game…”

Matthew stated his reason for spamming his skills. Samantha was quite frantically shocked. She is overthinking all of their actions and yet Matthew just gave her a simple answer.

“So that means that you’re just enjoying this mock battle?” Samantha asked.

“Of course, it would be no fun if I end the game early. Know that I have more powerful skills in my arsenal that I can use at any moment.”

“Well, it sounded just like you.” Samantha sighs, “You never take practices too seriously. Even in this world.”

“Why do I need to get serious? After all, this mock battle is an insult to us in the first place. Why are they making us fight between us? To entertain? To learn? But those thoughts are only my thoughts, feel free to voice your own as well. But I do find some benefit in this mock battle.”

“What is it?”

“It let us test how powerful we are in this world. After living for such two months in this world, I can only see disappointment, all the people here are weak and not worthy for us to fight. We are the only ones who can entertain ourselves.”

Declaring that, Matthew brandished his staff once more up in the air. A huge magic formation appeared on top of the vantage point.

It was so big that it enveloped the vantage point. What kind of skills will Matthew be displaying?

“That’s why let me test this skill of mine…[Solar Flame]”

An intense beam of sunlight descended at the vantage point. It was not a skill that they can evade in a short time. The only way for them to survive that spell unscathed is to block it.

However, just like in the game. Samantha’s skill is on cooldown, she can’t cast it and therefore leaves them defenseless.

Moments later, a golden shield appeared on top of them, blocking all the deadly rays of sunlight that are descending at them. It was an enormous golden shield of light. They didn’t feel any heat sensation in their body, instead, they just received warmth.

Samantha and Aeyana turned back and saw the man sheathed in golden armor.

Now they know who cast the spell.

“Just in time Jon…”

“What took you so long?”

Both girls began to complain, but Jon only remained calm and looked at the dazzling ray of light up to him.

“Strengthening the defense of our crystal is important, without it, the opposing team will win. Now that we contained it with our high-level protective skills, we can go all out on our enemy.”

“I see, then what is the Captain’s order?” Samantha asked.

Jon looked at the tattered ground beneath him. Any skill can crumble it if it took another hit.

“First, we need to strengthen our location. This is the vantage point that we secured and yet the integrity is so low. Samantha, I’ll let you handle that matter to you. Let me deal with Matthew.”

With his order, Samantha acted quickly. She drove the base of her staff into the ground. The magic formation appeared with the staff at its center, seconds later, the shattered mountain began to heal, grounds that were blasted from the impact returned to their respective position on the mountain.

One could simply say that the mountain reverted to normal.

A hint of a smile curled on Matthew’s face.

“So they are done huh?” He said and descended down to the ground. He was floating in the air for about ten minutes, poking long-range skills at them in hope of learning something.

It was worth it so with a voice-call, he called his teammates to regroup in their rendezvous point.

…

Six battle gods gathered in the clearing.

It was Team B's rendezvous point.

“They are now in the vantage point and setting up defenses. Now it's our time for us to move…”

Matthew declared and lowered his body into a kneeling position. He placed his right hand on the ground and closed his eyes.

“Please work…” He muttered softly and moments later, the earth answered in a rumble.

A weak earthquake occurred and moments after, the earth erected from their position.

“Hmm?”

Jon looked reactively at the shaking earth from afar. There was something rising on the Team’s B location. His eyes widened as he saw what’s happening.

Not only him, but his two teammates beside him were also shocked as well. But Jon immediately figured it out.

“So the reason they didn’t put up a fight for this vantage point is that…” With a mocking laugh, he concluded what he saw… “Because they can create their own vantage point with the use of Matthew’s innate skill.”

Since Matthew’s class is Oracle Mage, which has an affinity for all elements such as earth. It was just easy for him to make something like that.

“Then let’s see—”

Before finishing his sentence, he raised his shield instantly and deflected the incoming projectile coming towards them at Mach speed.

For a projectile moving like that, he can feel the momentum transferring in his arm. If he was a normal human, his bone would shatter—no, his body would shatter.

“Aeyana, take care of that incoming rounds from Ian, since they have a vantage point, they can shoot us in clear sight.”

Aeyana assumed a battle stance, she raised her bow and nocked an arrow. But compared to before, it was not the same as her arrow that she was shooting. It was now completely different.

“Let’s see who’s the best marksman in Surrender at 20. [Arrow Barrage]”

Thinking of it as a challenge, Aeyana fired a series of powerful arrows, the target, the elevated platform with a distance of roughly four kilometers away.

The arrows didn’t change their trajectory, it didn’t even curve. It defies the laws of physics.

Team B saw the incoming torrent of arrows coming at them, Ian reacted swiftly and used his sniper. Placing it on a rapid shot—No, it was a skill of a Gunslinger [Rapid Shot] his weapon can take any form such as assault rifles, machine guns, and so on. This time he used a machine gun and with a dry smile on his face, he fired an incessant round of bullets.

The arrow falls to the ground after being intercepted by Ian’s barrage of bullets.

Despite being a machine gun, it didn’t affect the accuracy and precision of Ian.

Seeing it as a challenge of Aeyana, he changed his weapon into a sniper and fired long-range piercing rounds.

Aeyana countered it with powerful arrows, but the trajectory of the bullet is changing sporadically, conversely, the trajectory of the arrow is changing sporadically as well. It was now a battle of the marksman, intercepting each of their shots is their main mission for now.

That gives both teams time to think for the next offensive.

A minute pass and both marksmen are not giving any hint of exhaustion, they could see the determination and the thrill marked on their faces. So they continued their onslaught.

It was now five minutes, and they are not giving a hint of halting their shots.

In Team B’s perspective, specifically, Matthew, he sensed something coming.

He glanced at Manuel, signifying him to do his job. And so, Manuel jumped off the platform to meet his opponent.