God’s Guide for Teasing Heroes

Kazue POV  

   

   

   

   

   

-BOOM-  

I fired a (Swordwave) at the man.  

I decided to to this creepy guy who persistently followed us around.  

He does not seem to target Calm but rather it was like he was after "me" instead.  

From what I've learned from Rio, this man seemed to have the ability to follow me anywhere.  

As long as this man is following us around, we can never escape from the assassin.  

   

   

In the first place, the person who we need to protect is Calm.  

If Calm dies, this means that all of our effort is for nothing.  

No other assassin can be seen around.  

It seems that our friends were able to stop and stall them as they promised.  

They deliberately fell behind to keep the assassin away from me and Calm.  

The only one left is this man.  

But... unfortunately, as long as he can track me, Calm would not be able to escape as long as she is with me.  

Thus, I ordered my familiar to escape with Calm.  

   

   

This man was tracking me, specifically.  

If I was not next to Calm, he would not be able to catch up to her.  

From what Rio explained, it seemed that this man needs the blood of the person whom he wants to track.  

If that is the case, he can't chase Calm as there is no way for him to obtain her blood.  

   

   

[I have no choice, I need to stop this man here.]  

To keep Calm safe, I have to deal with this man in one way or another.  

   

   

-boom-  

My attack hit the man.  

Dirt and debris flew from where the man was standing just now.  

"..." <Kazue>  

   

   

He was there, standing still.  

At a glance, I can tell that he cleanly took the (Swordwave) heads on.  

As proof he has his hands crossed to protect himself from harm.  

I did expect this to be the case.  

He barely moved from his place.  

"Nothing... huh..." <Kazue>  

I said into the air, stating the obvious.  

   

   

I expected that to be the case.  

From the start, I knew that this man was strong.  

I expected him to stay unharmed after an attack from me.  

At the moment, one of my strongest attacks was the (Swordwave).  

If that did not scratch him one bit, I would have to rethink something else.  

Luckily, in a closer look, it seemed that my attack did not entirely do "nothing" to the man.  

He bothered to block my attack, which means that it would somehow hurt him if he did not do so.  

I also noticed after receiving the blow from my (Swordwave) he received minor wounds on his arms.  

I was relieved seeing that being the case.  

If my attack did nothing, I would just fall in despair.  

Defeating this guy is not entirely impossible.  

   

   

He dropped his guard and once again he showed his disgusting expression to me.  

He was looking at me like I was some kind of delicious food.  

He was smiling and drooling.  

Just looking at him made me feel sick.  

"Uwah..." <Kazue>  

   

   

Next to me was Rio who volunteered to stay with me to fight this man.  

I feel that she knew that there was only a low chance for me to defeat this enemy.  

That is why she decided to stay here with me and fight the man.  

It suddenly reminded me of the past.  

I opened my mouth and said what was on my mind.  

"This reminds me of the time we worked together when the zombies attacked Altus several months ago." <Kazue>  

I said to Rio as I reminisced.  

"Really? This is more like when we played games in coop back in our world." <Rio>  

[Our world...]  

"Ah... you mean playing -Master hunter-?" <Kazue>  

"Yep..." <Rio>  

   

   

I let out a small laugh.  

Yes...   

Indeed this reminds me of those times.  

Looking at Rio, it felt just like it.  

Whenever we play a hard game together her personality kind of changes.  

Like this, she acts more serious, her stuttering stops and she talks in a lower tone.  

It is as if she means business.  

[She's not here to play around.]  

This is the vibe I receive whenever she is like this.  

   

   

"Kihihi..." <Man>  

The man laughs.  

He licked the wounds, his long tongue.  

He was looking directly at me as he did so.  

[please... can you stop being more disgusting than this?]  

   

   

"Ah..." <Man>  

After licking his wound, his body flopped and let out a voice as if he had just drank water after being thirsty on a long summer day.  

"Blood..." <Man>  

He reached out his arms toward me.  

It was as if he was asking me to give him my blood willingly as he asked.  

"I could not forget the taste of your blood. It was different from all the blood I consumed from before." <Man>  

He pulled out a huge curved thick blade hanging on his side.  

If I remember it right, this sword is called a Falchion.  

   

   

It was an intricately decorated sword that goes well with his pure white outfit.  

A sword that brings out a "Holy Sword" vibe to it.  

If not for the fact that this man was acting disturbingly, it would have been a perfect image of a holy swordsman.  

Unfortunately, his crazed look ruined it all.  

   

   

"It's a unique taste. A taste that felt out of this world." <Man>  

He continued to talk.  

[Huh? What is he talking about?]  

It seemed that he was talking about my blood.  

"It was the first time I've tasted such flavor. Your blood... It tasted so pure... So unique..." <Man>  

His face gradually changed into a more serious look.  

"I want more of it..." <Man>  

It seemed that he was slowly getting a grip on himself.  

   

   

There was that look of craziness... longing... lust... behind his eyes.  

"I love it when my food struggles... It only makes it worth all the wait. So... please struggle the best you can... I would love to see the look of despair in your eyes as I bleed you out and drink your blood..." <Man>  

He hunched forward.  

He was not in a battle stance but rather he looked more like a mindless beast holding a sword.  

He raised his head.  

   

   

My instinct roars to my soul.  

[DANGER]  

It seemed that Rio also felt the intense blood lust from the man.  

I did not have to warn her that he was about to make his move.  

Still, I said my peace.  

"Rio... be careful." <Kazue>  

She nodded before she replied.  

"I know..." <Rio>  

The two of us did not mutter any unnecessary words.  

We focused on the battle at hand.  

We hold firm to our weapons and be prepared to react to anything.  

   

   

 

   

   

   

 

   

   

I closed my eyes for a moment.  

As expected I am afraid, still, I was looking forward to this battle.  

[Ah... my battle freaky nature is kicking in again... Well... I guess it's better than getting scared.]  

With a smile, I said.  

"Come...!" <Kazue>  

As if to provoke the enemy, I called out to him loudly.  

Without hesitating he responded to my provocation and attack at full speed.  

   

   

"Kiihahaha" <Man>  

He dashed forward as he let out a high-pitched laughter.  

He moved fast, I suspect that his speed matched mine.  

No, he was a little bit faster than I am.  

I am quite confident with my speed, AGI is one of my highest stats after all.  

Seeing the man move at a speed that rivals mine made me think.  

It would be impossible to outrun him after all.  

   

   

Yes, I expected this much.  

Then again... I knew that this man was strong, so I was not that surprised.  

He swung his sword at me.  

I decided to block it with my sword.  

   

   

-Clang-  

"Kuhk..." <Kazue>  

I felt an extremely heavy strike.  

It was not as if he used a skill to attack me.  

It was just that the power behind that normal swing was so heavy that it surpassed my expectations.  

This only means that this man's STR stat must be so much higher than mine.  

With just one swing my guard was blown away.  

I could not quickly regain my footing quickly enough.  

A second swing followed.  

At this rate, I won't be able to dodge or block the attack.  

   

   

Swing.  

   

   

Still, I remained calm.  

I did not block, nor dodged the second swing.  

Instead, I knew that this attack would not reach me.  

After all.  

   

   

"Kazue!" <Rio>  

-clang-  

Rio interrupted the man's attack.  

With the blade attached to her right arm, Rio redirected the attack to miss with a punching motion.  

   

   

I knew Rio was coming to back me up.  

I was just surprised that his attack was heavier than expected.  

Rio rushed toward me as soon as she saw the man move.  

It was not a 1 versus 1, this fight was 2 against 1.  

   

   

Blocking the attack, Rio felt the power behind the swing.  

She too was out of balance.  

The effect of the slash was more pronounced in Rio.  

She fumbled after receiving just one attack.  

This time I need to cover her as another blow was aimed at her.  

I backed her up by parrying the attack by matching it with a full swing of my sword.  

(Sword Skill: Power Slash)  

Like any "Power" skill (Sword Skill: Power Slash) is a skill that enhances the power of a swing while enhancing it with blunt and knockback effects.  

I wanted to push him away to create some distance between the two of us.  

   

   

Our swords met.  

A loud clank rang as our swords collided.  

Indeed just as I planned my attack managed to push him back.  

He was pushed to a distance from where he would not reach any of us with another swing.  

   

   

Again, the effect of my skill was not as I expected it to be.  

I was expecting him to be pushed back for about 5 meters.  

Instead, he was only pushed back to less than half of what I expected.  

Still, I managed to stop his attacks.  

Since I was unable to move him far enough.  

I grabbed Rio and pulled her as I leaped back.  

I released Rio as I saw that we were far enough.  

"What the hell was that? His attack is so heavy, it's like a swing from a High Orc." <Rio>  

"His Strength stats must be ridiculously higher than the two of us." <Kazue>  

"ki hahaha" <Man>  

The man laughed, amused at seeing our resistance.  

"Yes, yes, that's right... You must at least resist this much. If not this would not be fun for me... Yeah... It is more exciting this way... This way the hunt will be a lot more enjoyable..." <Man>  

   

   

[Damn... I was foolish to think that I could take this man alone.]  

This is the first thought that came to my mind.  

Learning how strong the adversity is now, it was foolish of me to think to take him on all by myself.  

I was unable to gauge the disparity in our strengths.  

Well... I did not have a choice anyway.  

Even if I did not decide to fight him now, sooner or later I needed to fight him.  

Thankfully I have Rio to back me up.  

   

   

Indeed, compared to 5 months ago, Rio has grown so much.  

Before, the gap between the two of us was so large that she wouldn't be able to assist me in fighting an enemy of this level.  

Now, she seemed to be strong enough to effectively help me.  

At the very least the gap between me and Rio is almost gone.  

I can trust her to back me up.  

   

   

Rio let out a breath.  

"Plans?" <Rio>  

She said  

A phrase I often hear from Rio when we play games.  

A phrase I often hear when we face a boss enemy for the first time.  

A phrase asking for my thoughts on how to fight a boss.  

"I don't know yet... Let's observe first and plan later." <Kazue>  

A phrase I'm used to saying back.  

These are words we use often when we play games together.  

   

   

We still don't know the extent of this man's abilities.  

It would be foolish to assume that anything we do now will do anything.  

As I said, We need to observe him first.  

We need to know what he can do.  

   

   

Rio and I knew what to do.  

We need to stall time.  

We need to make him show us what he can do.  

By then we can make plans.  

To do that, we need to support each other and cover each other's backs.  

There is no need to say a word.  

We are used to working together since we play games a lot.  

This may not be a game but Rio and I knew how to work together well.  

Teamwork is not an issue.  

Weirdly enough, I am treating this battle like a game.  

A game where we only have "1 life".  

Failure means death.  

Weirdly enough, I can feel that Rio was thinking of this situation like I do.  

I can tell by just looking at her expression.  

   

   

We moved. I moved left, and Rio moved right.  

Rio moved at a speed that was a lot faster than I could.  

She seemed to be using a skill to boost her speed.  

Seeing her do that, I also activated a skill that boosted my speed.  

(Speed boost)  

   

   

The man was surprised at how fast the two of us moved.  

Soon the man was between the two of us.  

He looked left and right determining the one to attack first.  

We stopped and waited for his reaction.  

   

   

As expected he moved to attack me.  

Thus I prepared for whatever he does.  

His blade glowed and swung his blade.  

There was a faint glow from his body.  

Looking at it, I knew what skill he was using.  

Both of those skills are skills that I possess.  

A skill common to sword users.  

(Aura Blade) and (Mana Shroud)  

   

   

I am aware that (Aura Blade) is a skill that enhances any attack using the sword.  

(Mana Shroud) is a skill that protects the body from all kinds of attacks.  

[He's trying to overpower me using his superior strength. He is planning to tank my attack to a certain extent.]  

I maintained focus on the enemy who was about to attack me.  

My skill (Concentration) is activated.  

Things seemed to have slowed down all around me.  

I focused all my attention on his attack.  

I raised my sword as I waited for the attack.  

   

   

[Calmly... Calmly...]  

My focus is at its highest.  

I did not miss any details.  

I watched the man swing his sword at me.  

It was fast but not so fast that I needed to panic.  

I can see the attack well enough.  

I patiently anticipated the attack.  

I moved to parry the attack.  

(Parry)  

   

   

I used a skill in response to that attack.  

An oddly sounding high-pitched metal noise rang.  

-Tingggggg-  

A quick flash of light appeared from where our weapon met.  

I knew as soon as I saw the flash of light.  

(Perfect Parry)  

[Nice]  

   

   

As soon as my skill activated, his arm-holding sword bounced back as if hitting an invisible solid wall.  

"What!?" <Man>  

He was surprised by what happened.  

He froze still as soon as the skill activated.  

   

   

(Perfect Parry)  

A skill that activates only when I parry an attack using the skill (Parry).  

To activate this skill I need to activate parry at the exact time my sword would be in contact with an attack.  

A fraction of a fraction of a second.  

A skill that requires a lot of practice and even luck to execute.  

This skill reminds me of the action games I played back in our world.  

In gaming terms, we call it the "Just Frame".  

However... the time frame to use this skill is so much harder to time than in those games.  

I was only able to pull it off since I was anticipating the attack, I was prepared and was specifically aiming for that one moment.  

To be honest, I can't use this skill perfectly.  

I even feel that I was very lucky to trigger the skill.  

   

   

The skill froze his body for a very small moment.  

(Decapitating Slash)  

My hands moved aiming to slash at the man's neck.  

-swish-  

My attack landed.  

   

   

"!!!"  

I was expecting his head to have separated from his body.  

Instead, I saw that my attack was only able to cause a wound on his neck, but the wound was nothing serious.  

This means that my attack could not deal much damage.  

[No way?!]  

   

   

I was expecting to see more serious damage from my attack.  

(Decapitation Slash) is one of my best moves.  

I used this to finish off many of the monsters I've encountered in the past.  

Seeing that this attack barely had a significant effect on him terrified me.  

[This guy... he's too tough. He must have an insanely high VIT stat.]  

   

   

He was about to counter me.  

Fortunately, Rio was there to attack the man.  

Instead, he moved away to dodge Rio's attack.  

Rio's attack missed but managed to keep him away.  

"Tsk..." <Rio>  

Rio clicked her tongue seeing her attack miss.  

   

   

The man touched the wound on his neck and looked at the blood that flowed from it.  

"Ho~~" <Man>  

He let out an impressed moan.  

"That skill just now... Perfect parry. I'm impressed you managed to pull that off." <Man>  

He placed his hands stained with the blood on his face to do a facepalm.  

I could feel that he was trying his best to restrain his desire for blood to its limit.  

"Ahahahaha. This is so funny..." <Man>  

He glared at me, this time his facial reaction showed that he was pissed.  

   

   

He attacked again.  

Rio moved back as she knew that he was aiming at me.  

She moved and circled the man.  

The man only gave Rio short glances.  

What Rio was doing was obvious.  

She was aiming to attack from behind, capitalizing on the moment when he attacked me.  

I knew this, the enemy knew this.  

But he still chose to attack me, disregarding Rio's threats.  

   

   

He swung his sword clad in (Aura Blade) at me.  

It was the same swing that I managed to parry earlier.  

(Parry)  

I saw him smile, he stopped his attack.  

He knew that I was going to try and parry his attack again.  

This time he used a faint and delayed his attack.  

[Crap!] <Kazue>  

I failed the timing for the (Parry) skill to activate.  

As the skill has a short cooldown, I will not be able to parry the incoming follow-up swing.  

   

   

The blade of his sword glowed red.  

It was obvious that he was to use a skill.  

He swung his sword down at me.  

I knew that I wouldn't be able to block the attack with my sword.  

Instead, I used another skill to escape from harm.  

My body moved automatically away from harm.  

(Dodge)  

His swing missed and his sword struck the ground.  

It caused a large impact that blew away a portion of the dirt off the ground.  

[That was close, if I tried to block that with (Parry) I would not have escaped unharmed.]   

   

   

Not giving me time to collect myself, he continued his rally of swings.  

He followed up and swung the sword at me once again.  

I still needed some time to wait before I could use (Parry) or (Dodge) as if they were on cooldown.  

Without using a skill, I was forced to block his attack with my sword.  

-Tang-  

A dull sound of metal rang as it blocked the swing.  

The powerful swing blew away my guard.  

I staggered as I felt the heavy blow as I fell on my back.  

At this rate, I would not be able to defend myself from his next attack.  

   

   

Fortunately, he stopped attacking as Rio was on him and attacked him from behind with his Arm Blade.  

I felt Rio's killing intent, she gave off an ominous vibe.  

Her weapon vibrated as it overflowed with power.  

The killing intent even forced the man's attention on Rio.  

He could not ignore Rio, he was forced to look back and was forced to act upon Rio's attempt to have his back.  

Rio attacked with a punching motion with her Arm Blade.  

The man met the attack by blocking it with his sword while the (Mana Shroud) protecting his body grew stronger.  

   

   

That decision of his was correct.  

As soon as Rio's arm blade clashed with his sword.  

A powerful blow struck him.  

A shockwave was created by that attack.  

It was a powerful attack filled with buffs and layers of skills merged into one.  

As a result, the man was blown away.  

He was blown away like a cannonball and flew straight away from the two of us.  

Certainly, the attack was not something to laugh about.  

If I was the one who blocked it, I am not confident to survive that blow.  

   

   

"Wow..." <Kazue>  

I said as I saw the man thumbling, and rolled on the ground after blocking Rio's attack.  

It was surely an impressive attack.  

"How's that you creep!" <Rio>  

Rio taunts while glaring at the man who was blown away from us.  

   

   

"Rio, that attack just now was amazing." <Kazue>  

"T-t-that... that was nothing... R-r-really..." <Rio>  

[Oh she's stuttering again. She must be really happy.]  

Rio blushed hearing me.  

I stood up, praising Rio.  

   

   

Seeing that the man was still far away from us I spoke to Rio.  

I spoke in a soft voice making sure to not let the man hear us from where he was.  

"Can you pull that attack again?" <Kazue>  

I asked Rio.  

"I can use it for about 2 more times but we need to wait, 5 minutes before I can use it again..." <Rio>  

"5 minutes... huh." <Kazue>  

[That informed me that the skill Rio used in that attack had a 5-minute cooldown.]  

   

   

"Alright... so we need to wait for 5 minutes... we need to finish him by then." <Kazue>  

[I see, so she can't use that attack consecutively. I expected that to be the case...]  

After seeing that attack, it made me realize that by using that attack, we can defeat that man.  

There is no way he would still be safe if he got hit by it cleanly.  

At least for now, with that in mind, I can see a way for the two of us to win.  

   

   

The man slowly stood up from where he was blown away.  

He was blown quite far away and Rio was still able to talk for a little bit.  

"Got it... I guess we have to survive for another five minutes then. By then I'll do my best to allow you to hit him clearly with that." <Kazue>  

"Alright... I'll inform you when I am ready to do it again." <Rio>  

"Please do so... I will be counting on you when that time comes..." <Kazue>  

"Leave it to me." <Rio>  

We nodded at each other.  

   

   

Although we don't have a concrete plan to defeat the man.  

When Rio is prepared to execute that skill once again.  

I will try to make an opening for her to hit him with that attack.  

As to how specifically, I honestly don't know.  

I need to improvise by then.  

   

   

As the two of us observed the man staggering, we prepared ourselves.  

Rio's attack seemed to affect him.  

As expected, he was not unharmed.  

Rio's attack did something to bother him.  

He spit blood as he was standing up.  

Blood was also flowing out of his forehead.  

Even with (Mana Shroud) protecting his body, Rio's attack still caused significant damage to him.  

After all, it seemed that he no longer had the leisure to laugh at us.  

Instead, I can feel him glaring at us, especially at Rio who just made her presence felt in this fight.  

   

   

Earlier he was only focused on attacking me.  

It was as if he was ignoring Rio as he thought she would not be a threat in this fight.  

After realizing that Rio can harm him, he can no longer ignore her.  

I am sure he will be cautious of Rio from now on.  

Now... I wonder what he'll do.  

   

   

   

It seemed that we had caught his attention and now he was getting serious about fighting us.  

"Well... I suppose you don't see us as simple prey now..." <Kazue>  

I point my sword at the man to provoke him.  

"Bring it on... you creep!" <Rio>  

Rio screamed at the man looking at us with a furious look on his face.