NOVEL NEXT 043. Arrogance and Jealousy
- Arrogance and Jealousy
Bang bang bang bang!
Yavanna fired both guns simultaneously, but Li Aozzi's movements were ghostly. The moment she lifted her wrist, Li Aozzi anticipated where she would aim and deftly sidestepped her shots.
Gravity drive.
At the same time, the iron chain in his hand swung like a black serpent, swiftly spinning and dancing in the air.
Crack—
Yavanna's eyes narrowed, and she stopped firing just in time.
She quickly realized that the rapidly whirling chain around Li Aozzi would deflect bullets. Instead of wasting ammunition, she decided to wait for an opportunity.
The fleeting moment of battle passed, and Li Aozzi silently praised her for being smart. Under the influence of the gravity field, the chain moved in a circular motion.
Normally, the chain's whip effect would transfer energy through each link, eventually reaching the increasingly smaller tip, where it could exceed the speed of sound.
But that wasn't enough.
With the gravity field's enhancement, Li Aozzi's grey eyes lit up with golden rings.
He skillfully applied the gravity field solely to the chain. As the chain's end swung out, he instantly changed its direction, increasing the gravity and acceleration. The chain's tip instantly exceeded four times the speed of sound!
Whoosh!
The sonic boom was crisp and pleasant, creating a white mist in the air that quickly dispersed. Yavanna, her nerves taut, rolled to the ground, avoiding the fierce strike. The high-speed friction caused the chain to glow red as it cleanly sliced open a seam in the car's roof.
Opportunity!
Once the long chain was deployed, retracting it became extremely troublesome. Yavanna knelt on one knee, stepping on the chain with her boot, raising her left hand to aim her gun at Li Aozzi.
Buzz—ding!
Li Aozzi nonchalantly tilted his head, the bullet grazing his ear. Trying to shoot accurately while standing on a moving vehicle was wishful thinking.
"Good combat awareness, but lacking experience."
If it were players, they would quickly realize that fighting a gravity-powered mutant wasn't as effective with guns.
Whether it was short-range maneuverability or countering flying projectiles, gravity powers were incredibly useful.
If Li Aozzi wanted, he could use gravity to lift his opponent's arm, leaving it stuck above their head.
Or he could reverse the gravity, making the female agent fly backward like a kite.
As for bullets, arrows, and spears, Li Aozzi could simply alter the gravity, making them curve around him.
Of course, if someone used certain hypersonic weapons, he'd have no counter. His current control over gravity wasn't developed enough to deflect such high-speed projectiles.
The best way to deal with a gravity user was to close the distance and engage in close combat. A warrior could activate their super armor and launch a combo attack; it was either kill or be killed.
Clearly, this female agent lacked the experience and awareness for such tactics.
Li Aozzi casually twisted his wrist, the gravity pulling the chain to wrap around her ankle like a venomous snake.
"Huh?!"
With a shift in gravity and a pull of his wrist, the chain would sever her foot at 700 meters per second.
It was luck after all...
Her performance disappointed Li Aozzi. He thought he had met an equal in skill.
Boring. Time to kill.
Li Aozzi quickly twisted his wrist, the chain snapping back. But at that moment, Yavanna lifted her ankle, slipping her foot out of the boot, and instantly shot herself three times.
One to the head, two to the chest, a textbook Mozambique drill.
Bang.
Li Aozzi caught the boot with one hand, while the gravity deflected the three bullets away.
A slight change in acceleration made it nearly impossible for projectiles to hit him. For a novice, overcoming the instinct to dodge and fully trusting one's powers was challenging.
But this girl—was she just lucky, or did she have real talent?
Li Aozzi couldn't say for sure.
He looked up at the green-haired, gold-green-eyed beauty, unable to connect her to any significant character.
"Not bad, quite talented."
Li Aozzi remarked nonchalantly, noting her black-stockinged leg stepping on the car's edge. He tossed the boot back.
Plop.
The boot landed in front of her, swaying in the wind.
Yavanna remained unfazed, holding her ground with caution. Li Aozzi's attitude was unpredictable; he had shown himself to be ruthless, with no shame in using sneak attacks.
"You don't trust me? I understand."
Li Aozzi shrugged, turning his back to her.
He knew her gun was empty. The Beretta Pt93 held only eight rounds, and she'd used them all in their brief skirmish.
Seeing him turn away, Yavanna quickly slipped on her boot, lunging forward with a flying kick aimed at Li Aozzi.
Whoosh—clank!
Li Aozzi had already anticipated her move, retracting the chain to form a shield on his arm. He turned and blocked the kick.
Bang!
Yavanna's kick was a feint. She landed, zipped up her boot, and used her gun as a melee weapon to jab at Li Aozzi's abdomen.
Click!
Intrigued, Li Aozzi stepped on her pale wrist, then kneed her chin.
Yavanna flipped mid-air, evading his knee strike, and as she landed, Li Aozzi aimed a straight kick at her.
Bang!
She crossed her arms to block, then hooked his leg, attempting an over-the-shoulder throw into an armbar.
Li Aozzi flipped over her shoulder unharmed, rolling to his feet. Using his height advantage, he pried her legs apart, breaking the armbar attempt. Both rolled away, disengaging.
Whew—
Both stumbled, glancing down: Li Aozzi's ankle rested on the windshield, nearly losing his balance.
Yavanna's leg dangled precariously, almost causing her to fall.
Li Aozzi straightened up, his interest piqued.
Yavanna steadied herself, aware that fighting atop a speeding car meant a single misstep could be fatal.
She swung a hook at his face, which he dodged, stepping forward to shoulder check her.
Thud—
A dull impact as she blocked with her elbow, grounding herself. Li Aozzi shifted, striking her face with the back of his hand like a snake's bite.
Yavanna ducked, pulling him into a clinch and twisting to drive her gun into his kidney.
"Nice!"
Li Aozzi's eyes gleamed, gripping her wrist and twisting it forward and back, dislocating it. Yavanna's face twisted in pain. She, shorter by two heads, used her leg to jab at his inner thigh.
[You have been attacked by Law IV Field Agent: Yavanna Heskin, reducing gravity power by 8%]
Finally, fully engaged in the fight, Li Aozzi saw her stats clearly.
[Entering combat state, assessing...]
[Primary attribute check passed]
[Based on your attributes, you will see the following enemy information:]
[Name]: Law IV Field Agent - Yavanna Heskin
[Species]: Carbon-based life form - New Generation Human - Frosted
[Gender]: Biological female
[Age]: 20 years
[Template]: Elite Combat NPC (All damage types +10%)
[Faction]: Frost Republic - Law IV Agency
[Total Level]: lv.13
—Primary Profession: Destruction - lv.10 [Medium]
—Secondary Profession: lv.3 [Agent]
[Health]: 50/50 (Healthy)
[Mana]: 160/160
[Attributes]:
Strength - 6
Dexterity - 6
Constitution - 5
Charisma - 11
Willpower - 16
[Talents]:
Racial Talent • Teamwork - New Generation Humans have strong team cooperation abilities. When in a team, experience gain increases by 50%. This talent is inactive when alone.
Personal Talent • Object Resonance - You can focus more easily than ordinary people and are more likely to notice patterns in changing circumstances.
Professional Talent • Spirit Sight - Those in the occult profession have extraordinary perception, naturally seeing spirits and conversing with them. Their energy is referred to as 'mana,' and by collaborating with spirits, they can achieve unexpected results.
[Specialties]:
[Academic Theory] - You excel in high-level academic theories. Any skill you learn is mastered quickly and with exceptional performance. Skill learning gains +100%.
[Enduring • Knowledgeable] - You've read extensively and have a curious mind, earning the favor of a void entity. Willpower gains +30%.
Enduring Effect: When Willpower is a primary
attribute, growth increases by 1.
[Well-Trained] - Skilled in operating military weapons and vehicles, you can quickly adapt to new equipment.
[Agile] - Your movements are swift and precise. In melee combat, your actions have no delay.
[Skills]:
[Spirit Perception], [Advanced Combat], [Advanced Shooting], [Spirit Chase], [Word of Power: Mark], [Advanced Academic Knowledge], [Agent Gun-Fu]
[Rank]: Upcoming
——————
"What the—! You (Civilized Red Arrow)!"
Glancing at her stats, Li Aozzi's blood pressure skyrocketed, his eyes filled with intense jealousy.
"Object Resonance... Oh, great! Just great, Object Resonance!"
Yavanna immediately felt Li Aozzi's sudden, intense aggression.
If he was calm like water before, now he was a raging volcano!
"What are you doing? You're committing a crime! Do you know that?!"