NOVEL NEXT Chapter 67
Chapter 67. Breakthrough
[He’s strong! Too strong! Even with the players banding together, they couldn’t stop Leon, and Jack sliced through the maze itself!]
The uncertain thoughts the audience had before the match about not knowing the outcome are now gone.
Having witnessed the battle of an overwhelming force, they understood the difference in dimensions.
And they reached one conclusion:
Only another absolute being can defeat an absolute being.
With that, the audience’s excitement has already surpassed the semifinals and is shifting towards the finals.
Everyone understood that the organizers would prevent the Absolute Ones from fighting in the semifinals.
In fact, the organizers are already preparing to have Leon and Jack face off in the finals.
“The finals are tomorrow, right? Man, I wish time would hurry up~”
“Hey, hey, we still have the semifinals left, don’t we? Well, the outcome is pretty much decided though.”
“I heard there’s betting starting from the semifinals, but this isn’t even worth betting on.”
Listening to the nearby spectators, Ao puffs her cheeks and devours her snacks.
“Muu~ My onii-chan is stronger!”
Indeed, neither Leon nor Jack can be dealt with using half-hearted strength, but Ao knows her brother is just as extraordinary.
Having seen the back that saved her countless times, Ao firmly believes that Hayato will absolutely win… but the man himself is currently slacking off on the field.
“Get serious already!” Anger causes veins to pop on her forehead, but since she’s aiming to be a proper lady, she takes a deep breath and calms down.
“That girl is lucky. I would’ve found it more interesting if all three were on the same field… Well, I’ll save the excitement for later.”
Beside Ao, Hayato’s mother, Akio, sighs in boredom.
Of course, the “three” refers to Hayato and the two Absolute Ones. If that had happened, the preliminaries would’ve already been the climax. Hayato’s father, Atsushi, looks at Akio with exasperation but says nothing, shifting his gaze to the screen showing Hayato. After all, it’s scary to say anything. Having experienced Akio’s emotional outbursts countless times, the head of the household’s skill in ignoring her has reached its limit and even broken through!
“But still, this isn’t like him.”
Muttering in admiration as she watches him try to get through the preliminaries with minimal effort to hide his true strength.
(Well, that’s to be expected. The Absolute Ones of this generation seem far more capable than before.)
Narrowing her eyes, she recalls the Absolute Ones from earlier and concludes that with their level of power, Hayato has no room for carelessness.
In previous generations, both were top-tier powerhouses, but in this generation, Leon is seventh, and Jack is below third. While the strengthening of humanity’s forces is desirable, to Akio, it feels more like preparation for a great calamity.
“…We’ll cross that bridge when we get there… For now, let’s enjoy our son’s moment in the spotlight.”
Shifting her serious expression to a brighter one, she turns her gaze back to the screen showing Hayato.
◇
“Wow, this is amazing.”
Having found the perfect sniping spot, I’ve been lazing around for twenty minutes since the match started. There don’t seem to be any Absolute Ones in this field, so I’m feeling pretty relaxed.
From a hill slightly higher than the trees, I have a clear view of the battles.
Among them, one ability user is wreaking havoc, doing my job for me.
It’s none other than Lyle, the guy who humiliated me a few days ago.
For a moment, I consider blowing his head off with my sniper rifle, but I stop myself at the last second. I’ve decided to let him fight until he’s the last one standing, and then I’ll take everything from him at the very end.
“Hmm, but still, what should I do…”
What I’m currently pondering is how to take down Lyle.
Around Lyle, who’s cutting down enemies with the momentum of a lone warrior, the other players aiming for him often stop or slip mid-movement.
“Is he manipulating the coefficient of friction…?”
If so, that’s an incredibly powerful ability.
He could be controlling air friction to restrain his opponents and reducing ground friction to zero for high-speed movement.
“A rifle might not cut it.”
This thing’s maximum range is about six kilometers. Considering my full sensory focus to ensure a hit, it’s around two kilometers. If manipulating friction is synonymous with manipulating intermolecular forces, then there should be an impenetrable barrier around Lyle that a rifle can’t breach… There might be some gaps for breathing, but targeting those would be difficult.
“It’s over, huh…”
Looks like the battle’s ended.
The players Lyle defeated are disappearing into particles.
As Lyle searches for me, the last one standing, I toss my sniper rifle aside.
“Oh well, as long as I rank up, it’s fine.”
I was a bit annoyed with that guy, but it all worked out in the end.
Yawning, I leap from the hill, clearing the trees in one bound, and land about a hundred meters away from Lyle.
A few seconds later, Lyle, having heard the impact, parts the trees and arrives where I am.
“Huh? You’re that weakling from before, aren’t you?”
The moment he sees me, he mutters with a suspicious look.
“Nah~ Good work. I’ve been hiding the whole time, but thanks to you, I didn’t have to waste energy fighting.”
“…You rotten to the core or something?”
You’re so mad your veins are popping, you okay (lol)?
Avoiding fights isn’t a bad thing. I’d call it efficient.
“Now, now, don’t get so mad. Look, it’s just us left, so let’s wrap this up quickly, okay?”
“Don’t tell me… You think you can beat me? Don’t get ahead of yourself, you weakling…”
Ugh, shut up.
You’re just a fool who mistakes yourself for a strongman, judging people by numbers alone. Just looking at you makes me sick.
“Then stop yapping and come at me already.”
I’m getting pissed off too, so I provoke him with an angry tone.
Lyle looks confused for a moment, then finally understands what I said, and his eyes fill with killing intent.
“Die!”
Fast.
He closes the distance between us in an instant, swinging a greatsword with his right hand.
And as I suspected, he can manipulate friction.
He’s probably controlling air friction to immobilize me. Even with his blood boiling, he’s still taking precise actions. Impressive.
As I watch the blade approaching,
——I raise my left arm.
“Huh…?”
With a dumbfounded voice, Lyle’s right arm, still gripping the greatsword, flies into the air.
Forcing my arm to move, the friction ignites flames that trace the path of my arm, drawing a circle in the air.
“Physical laws don’t apply to me.”
After a moment of stillness, Lyle slides across the ground, grabs the greatsword stuck in the ground with his left hand, and takes a defensive stance.
“…What kind of ability is that…?”
He must be desperately trying to figure out my ability.
The mocking look from before is gone, replaced by sweat pouring down his forehead as if he’s facing some incomprehensible, mysterious entity. He probably can’t fathom that I just forced my way through with sheer physical strength.
“Here I come.”
By focusing my fighting spirit into my legs, I can move regardless of the friction coefficient of the ground.
“Tch?!”
Lyle tries to regain his footing, sliding across the ground at high speed and using the sides of trees as footholds to dart around. No matter how bizarre his movements, they’re meaningless against my physical abilities.
Finally, I close the distance completely.
“Shh!”
Even while mid-air, he twists his body to deliver a greatsword strike aimed at my neck.
“…What a waste. With all that power…”
I catch the greatsword strike with my left hand and, with all my strength, crush it into pieces.
Without pause, I grab Lyle’s face with my right hand as his eyes widen in shock and slam him into the ground. A loud crash echoes, and a crater forms. As Lyle’s body turns into particles, I, the winner, am also ejected from the field.
Standing in the center of the venue, I look up at the cheering audience.
“Well, I made it through the preliminaries.”
The real deal is next.