The Grand Duelist

Bang! Bang! 

Two fierce explosions occurred as a shockwave filled with an irresistible force spread out from the Central Square of Reinhardt towards every direction possible. The second and last explosion reverberated when the figures of Joseph and the barely-clothed Alice harshly landed on the ground.

[You suffered 250 damage.]

[You are currently in the state of Dizzy.]

[Under the effects of your title, "The Sun That Overlooks Everything".]

[You have resisted.]

"Uggghhh... Fuck that hurts... Shit, hey you! Get your ass away from my stomach! You're goddamned heavy so, stand up already!" Joseph complained in pain, but his complaints were met with a fierce slap from Alice who cried out in return.

"Shut up! Do you really think that I wanted this to happen? Stop pushing me! Let me balance myself first!"

"You better cover those eyes of yours or I'm going to dig them up if I see you trying to take a peek!"

Alice hurriedly pushed down the only article of clothing that she had so that she could hide her almost exposed lower body. 

"Do you really think that I even need to take a peek? Hell, I can just recall those earlier scenes instead of trying to take a peek!" Joseph loudly complained and he was met with a fierce kick to his face as he swiftly pushed Alice down to the ground and glared daggers at the latter.

"Fuck... Did you just kick me?"

"I just did, so what? You're the one that's acting like a pervert so you cannot blame me for that!" Alice tightly held the hem of her clothing so that it wouldn't be swayed up by the wind.

'Goddamned it this hateful woman!' Joseph violently cursed to himself as he stood up and patted his clothes clean.

"It seems like I was right. The two of you would really reappear in this place." An unfamiliar voice suddenly echoed from a distance.

Alice stared at the source of the voice and anger flashed on her face.

But Joseph who looked up and stared at the man who spoke up merely shrugged before saying...

"Okay let's go now. I'm not that disoriented already so, I think we can go." He then wrapped his arm around the angered Alice's arm as he dragged her towards the direction of the Forbidden Region.

"Hey, wait up! Didn't you guys see me speaking? How rude!" The man who stood at the distance suddenly appeared right in front of them.

Joseph sized up the man and seeing the word "Crimson" written in golden letters right above his head.

Joseph casually said: "I'm sorry but we don't want to hire a carriage." He then dragged Alice with him once again as Alice's shoulder violently heaved in an effort to suppress her laughter. 

"Pffft! Did you just... Did you just call him a coachman?"

Joseph also revealed a smile: "Yeah... Other than coachmen, who else would casually approach a stranger? People in Reinhardt don't really like to socialize that much apart from when they are in the wet market or with the exception of coachmen trying their best on luring tourists into tourist traps."

Alice chuckle turned into outright laughter as she was dragged away by Joseph.

"You... Stop right there, you rude bastard!" The man clad in red once again appeared right in front of the two as Joseph deeply sighed and whispered to Alice.

"You go first, let me handle this persistent coachman." 

Alice repeatedly blinked at what Joseph had said.

But seeing the look of determination on his face. She nodded her head and complied.

"Like I'd let you escape!" The man moved in an effort to block Alice's escape, but Joseph appeared in front of him and stopped him in his tracks.

"You better not be distracted... I will be your enemy." Joseph solemnly declared.

Seeing the sharp glint within Joseph's eyes...

The man lightly chuckled and replied.

"Oh? Now you recognize who I am? In that case... I won't have to spend so much time explaining who I am to you." 

"Yeah, but I really didn't expect that the Guild Leader of the Crimson Guild actually had a hobby of being a coachman. If not for that then why would you be waiting in this place that's devoid of other people?" Joseph mocked, but the Guild Leader of the Crimson Guild, Vladimir merely smiled.

"Just as I expected. You really did purposely lure them away."

A smile also appeared on Joseph's lips.

"Why do you say so?"

Vladimir chuckled: "Well, didn't you tell everyone if they dare to follow you to the Forbidden Region? You created an illusion that you disappeared towards that place, but the truth was that you were just here in the first place! Waiting until everyone goes to the Forbidden Region before you reveal yourself and escape along with that spiteful woman!"

Joseph's smile deepened: "It seems like you're quite smart yourself... But I'm curious, just how did you know that I was bluffing when there is no basis for you to decide that I was indeed bluffing? Apart from what I said, of course."

Vladimir stared at Joseph in amusement. He was prepared for a fight long ago, and when Joseph along with Alice reappeared in front of the ancestral monument. He had already activated the signal that would attract reinforcements to his place...

In other words, Vladimir wanted a fight that would buy him time. Buy him time until the arrival of reinforcements.

He understood that buying time against another player without letting that player escape at the same time was quite hard due to his class that required him to be extremely close to his opponent at all times.

However, Joseph was actually asking him questions instead of fighting him outright.

If Joseph's actions weren't in support of his idea of buying time until the reinforcements arrive.

What was it?

Vladimir decided on humoring Joseph for a while as he replied: "It was pretty obvious that the so-called declaration of yours was only a diversion... Let's be honest, who in their right mind would reveal their own hiding spot towards their enemies, right?"

Joseph nodded his head, but he still didn't look convinced as he asked once more: "But is that really it? I don't think that something like that is enough for the honorable Guild Leader of the Crimson Guild to wait here for me in ambush."

Vladimir chuckled and he stared at Joseph with a complicated look on his face: "Actually... I only acted based on my intuition..."

"I found out that the force that the Kingdom sent towards the Forbidden Region in pursuit of you is already too much, so I thought that it wouldn't hurt for me to test my theory..."

"In fact, if you appeared half an hour later then I would be at the Forbidden Region at that time. In other words, your diversion would've succeeded and you could easily escape from us." 

"Oh? Are you saying that now that you are here, it's impossible for me to escape?" A challenging look appeared on Joseph's face as he stared right at Vladimir.

"But of course! How can you possibly escape from the hands of me, the number one Grappler of Victory?" Vladimir took a stance and Joseph revealed a small smile on his face.

"So you're a Grappler, eh? The number one Grappler of Victory?"

Joseph took out the Rapier of Grandeur and Beauty from his Inventory.

The moment that it appeared, Vladimir was astonished by the sheer length of the Rapier. But when he saw how thin it was, he couldn't help but mock.

"What is that? Is that a Sword? If you consider that as a sword then there really is something wrong with you. What you are holding there looks so thin that it seems like I can just grab it and break it like a twig." A proud look appeared on Vladimir's face as he mocked.

But Joseph remained unfazed and he replied.

"How about you just shut up and let's fight? Do you really think that I don't know that you're just talking with me like this just because you want to buy some time?"

Vladimir was shocked by what he heard, but anger soon flared up in his heart.

He stared daggers at Joseph who now had a mocking look on his face.

He suddenly understood that he was the one being played by Joseph instead of the other way around.

"How detestable! But since you followed through what I wanted to happen..."

"I cannot say that I failed on buying some time. Now, everything is just a matter of keeping you here!"

Vladimir rushed at Joseph with his hands formed into fists.

[Water Dragon's Embrace]

A dragon made out of water suddenly laced around Vladimir's thick arms. He pushed both of his fists forwards and after images of his arms instantly surrounded Joseph, depriving him of an opportunity to run.

"You're already dead!"

Seeing that Joseph had no intention of dodging his attack. Vladimir canceled his Water Dragon's Embrace.

Both his hands stretched towards Joseph in an effort to lock him into an embrace.

"Kekeke... This retard doesn't really understand the severity of the situation that he's in!" Vladimir thought to himself, but as soon as his hands gripped Joseph's arms.

What he felt wasn't the sensation of holding another person's arm but holding an incredibly slippery eel as Joseph hurriedly widened his distance away from him.

[Your suppression has failed!] 

He failed to suppress his enemy!

"So this is how a player Grappler plays?" Joseph said.

He knew Grapplers since he fought against a Grappler NPC back at the Festival of Battles. 

Fury raged in Vladimir's heart when he heard what Joseph said. He rushed in the latter's direction once again, and Joseph didn't stop him from doing what he wanted.

In fact, it seemed like he was deliberately inviting Vladimir to hold him down.

To a Grappler like Vladimir, this was an extremely good opportunity but instead of joy...

Vladimir was frustrated.

[Your suppression has failed!]

[Your enemy's physique is extremely slippery! Your suppression has failed!]

It was because no matter how perfectly he gripped Joseph's body. He couldn't get a proper hold of him. It was as if Joseph was the reincarnation of a thousand-years-old eel deep in the ocean.

"You... Why are you so slippery?! You shameless bastard, could it be that you protected my ambush so you applied some strange oil on your skin against me?!" Vladimir suddenly accused him of cheating to which Joseph mockingly replied with a light smile on his face.

"That is some grave accusation right there, honorable Guild Leader. I didn't even know that you were out here to ambush me..."

"It is pretty clear that the reason why you cannot hold me down even though you're the so-called number one Grappler is simply because of your lacking skills! You cannot reach the apex so you resorted to blaming me instead!"

"Hmmph! How shameless! The saying that 'the tree defines what the fruit is really is true'!" Joseph mocked even more and Vladimir's expression now looked red in anger. His chest violently heaved.

But Joseph wasn't finished yet...

"I knew about your plan of buying time. The only reason why I humored that plan of yours is that I want to experience the strength of the so-called Guild Leader of the Crimson Guild..." Joseph looked expressionless as he quickly glanced at the direction where Alice disappeared.

"Now that I know that the Guild Leader of the Crimson Guild is only like this... Then, I really am disappointed. I cannot stay here anymore..."

"Staying here with you who is the so-called leader of the strongest guild within the Kingdom of Nether is just a waste of time! You're too weak! You're not enough for me!" Joseph mocked, and threatened to move away.

But Vladimir blocked his way.

A fierce and determined expression was plastered on Vladimir's face as he blocked Joseph.

"Oh? You're approaching me?" Joseph casually said.

Vladimir didn't reply.

Instead, he took a stance and faced Joseph.

"In that case, since you really want to fight. Let's end this as soon as possible."

Joseph placed his left hand behind him and he held his Rapier vertically in front of his chest. Such a stance was full of openings according to Vladimir's understanding, but when he stared at Joseph who was doing that stance. He couldn't help but feel disturbed.

An expression of extreme seriousness surfaced on Joseph's face.

"Take this! Void Piercing Heaven Sealing Thrust!"

Joseph roared and he rushed at Vladimir.

'Void Piercing Heaven Sealing Thrust?!'

Vladimir was alarmed by the name of the attack, so he hurriedly moved to the side.

Whing!

The air itself was torn from the thrust that Joseph unleashed.

But apart from it, Vladimir couldn't see the void being torn, or the heavens being sealed.

'That's all?' Vladimir repeatedly blinked. "You bastard! Isn't that just a normal thrust?!"

Seeing that his thrust missed its mark.

Joseph once again readied an attack.

"Emptying Seas Thrashing the Heavens Slash!" 

His Rapier moved horizontally towards Vladimir's torso.

"Fuck your Emptying Seas Thrashing the Heavens Slash!"

Vladimir cried out and sent a punch directly at the Rapier.

Bang!

Vladimir's fist as the number one Grappler was harder than steel.

When it collided with the Rapier, a blast of air exploded and sent Vladimir and Joseph backward away from each other.

[Your wrist has fractured! This is caused by a natural phenomenon and cannot be resisted!]

[Your fist has met an unstoppable force. Your attack has backfired and you suffered 5231 damage!] 

Vladimir paled when he saw that he suffered damage from Joseph's attack instead of forcefully stopping it. But when he saw that Joseph's attack was really just a simple slash. His anger bubbled up once again...

"Come at me, you bastard!" Joseph yelled, and another series of terrifying names came out of his mouth one by one. Of course, Vladimir knew that Joseph was just bluffing so he threw all caution to the wind and domineeringly met Joseph's attacks with his fists.

[You suffered 5262 damage!]

[You suffered 5375 damage!]

[You dealt 2203 damage!]

The more Vladimir fought, the angrier he became. What's worse was that not only he couldn't destroy the weapon of his enemy. It was as if his enemy's weapon had infinite durability. He always suffered damage whenever his fists clashed against the thin as cicada wing's weapon of Joseph!

Furthermore, whenever Vladimir managed to get a hold of his enemy's arm that held the strange and thin weapon. His hands would always slip causing endless frustration for Vladimir who was now a Grappler that couldn't hold his enemy down!

After suffering a few more attacks with fearsome names from Joseph.

Vladimir finally couldn't take it anymore.

"You little bastard, do you really think that you can just bully me like this?!

A terrible aura exploded from his body, and the same as earlier Water Dragon materialized and laced around his arms as he rushed at his enemy.

[Water Dragon's Pounding]

Roaaar!!!

The horrifying image of a Water Dragon roared at Joseph.

Joseph responded with...

"Point!"

... an incredibly dazzling attack that went straight to the roaring Water Dragon.

"Reveal Vitals!"

Before his attack could land, Joseph revealed the vitals of his enemy and he swiftly diverted his thrust towards a nearby weakness.

Kacha!

BOOM!

The sound of glass shattering rang out along with a fierce explosion. Joseph who barely managed on evading the brunt of the attack was thrown backward by the shockwaves that it caused. He collapsed to the ground, spat out a mouthful of blood before standing up once again and yelling.

"You're really strong!"

Immediately afterwards, he once again rushed at Vladimir with his Rapier ahead of him.

"This guy..."

Vladimir's eyes widened when he realized that in that single exchange.

He lost about five percent of his Health Bar! 

But this wasn't the only reason why he was shocked silly about what just happened. It was because Joseph managed on surviving against one of his strongest attacks.

The Water Dragon's Pounding!

But the truth was far different than what Vladimir had imagined. Actually... Even though Joseph could still stand properly right now. The damage that he took was far greater than he had expected.

Just the shockwave of the Water Dragon's Pounding alone took about half of his Health Bar in an instant.

Joseph was horrified about this fact, but he knew that he cannot stand down.

He must do his best and buy the most time that he could for the sake of Alice.

As long as Alice could escape successfully...

It didn't matter even if he died.

That was why...

"Composure."

Joseph rushed at his enemy once again.

The two of them streaked around as their attacks collided against each other.

In the beginning, Vladimir could still land his fists on Joseph's body.

But when [Tenacity] was activated. He could no longer properly see the movements of his enemy...

How could he hit an enemy that he couldn't even properly see in the first place?

Vladimir was so frustrated to the extent that he had the desire to give up the fight on the spot! If not for the fact that his dignity as the Guild Leader of the Crimson Guild was keeping him afloat.

He would've already logged-out earlier!

"You... You're cheating!" Vladimir could only vent out his frustrations in this way.

The class Grappler was an extremely strong class in close-combat quarters. But their strength relied on the fact that they could grip and suppress their enemy using their hands.

Right now, Joseph was an enemy that not only possessed speed barely visible to the naked eye. He was also slippery as f*ck.

One could only imagine Vladimir's frustration.

But that didn't mean that Vladimir, as the number one Grappler was completely helpless against Joseph that he couldn't properly see. He still has a few tricks up his sleeves, and one of them was...

"Water Dragon's Ascension!"

... a strong AoE attack that was impossible to dodge, no matter how fast an enemy was.

The area around Vladimir suddenly leaked water, and to Joseph's astonishment. A Water Dragon roaring towards the skies appeared from under the ground.

"Fuck!" Joseph violently cursed. His shock made it so that he couldn't respond properly to the incoming attack. He didn't even manage on activating [Parry] for the Water Dragon had already consumed him whole.

[You suffered 20,622 damage!] 

[You suffered tremendous damage in an instant and your body is in a state of shock! Due to the amount of damage that your body has suffered, you will be unconditionally Stiffened for three seconds.]

[Under the effects of your title, "The Sun That Overlooks Everything".]

[You have resisted.]

[You are an absolute existence. A shield equal to 100% of the damage that you suffered within the last ten seconds has been made.]

Vladimir was astonished to see his enemy still standing up.

But before he could even speak any further...

Joseph was even faster than him.

"Imminent Counter-attack, Point, Discharge!" A dazzling brilliant light ignited the tip of Joseph's Rapier, and he faced Vladimir who now looked like he's on the verge of crying.

'Just how did his enemy recover so fast under the effects of Stiffness from suffering that much damage? Shouldn't he be stiffened? How can he move? This bastard... He really is cheating!'

Vladimir inwardly cursed, apart from cursing. He knew no other way that he could use on venting out his frustrations.

But in the end, in front of the brilliant ray of orange light...

Vladimir solemnly declared.

"This... This is not the end! We will meet again!"

Looking at the dazzling orange ray of light that overlapped with the illumination of sunrise...

Tears started to well up in Vladimir's eyes...

In the end, he's still indignant about what happened in this fight. But he also knew that he couldn't do anything other than to accept the outcome, move-on and then try again next time.

Boom!

A force so overwhelming and massive enveloped Vladimir's body and directly turned him into dust!

[You dealt 252,623 damage!]

Witnessing the death of his enemy, Joseph placed his Rapier back in his Inventory and turned his back towards the ashes that Vladimir's body had left.

"That was such a good fight..."

"I almost died right there... But in the end... I am still the ultimate victor."

He then ran as fast as he could towards Alice's direction. Unwilling to stay even a second longer in this place for he only had about 1% of his Health left.