Author's Note~
Hey, sexy, handsome, and beautiful readers
This will be the last chapter for this year...not like it will end here, but what I mean is it will be the last chapter for the year 2022. Next year would be a tougher time for me since I will now have to choose between work and academics, which the latter is a more appreciated choice. Work can go for later, after all my work is just to fuel my hobbies (don't ask what these are) and my parents are still supporting me.
Anyway, I hope you would like this chapter so, please vote and share your thoughts about it. You might also just give me some greetings, and it is highly appreciated
Happy New Year Everyone!
-Author who wishes you a good year
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Have you ever seen a Chinese movie that focuses too much on swords? It looked decently and well done when it comes to choreography, western sword fights are also wonderfully done as well. Yet, something always bothers me when it comes to certain movies where the protagonist and antagonist cross swords and there is that scene where they just stare at each other and make these powerful words...wherein they could have instead done the practical way of finding another way to hit the enemy instead of a stare down...
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The sound of its rotors being put to the maximum power reached the microphone within Ronin got conveyed to us that it was now doing what I wanted it to do. To act as the decoy.
*Pisha Pisha Pisha!*
Three consecutive plasma shots soared from across the lakeside, hitting the Hydra on the back. The plasma drone then made a movement pattern of moving in a circle around the hydra, saturating it with a decent amount of plasma bolts. Its camera was making me see what the hydra was at from a distance, and my god, it was really that huge.
[Graaaar!!!!] (??) It angrily spewed fire towards the drone, but thankfully the drone is nimble as its maneuverability is its standing point. Dodging the breath of fire by increasing its altitude and then moving around the trajectory of the flame, and then shooting another series of plasma bolts.
*Pisa Pisha Pisha!*
As for me, I was preparing both my mind and Ronin's broadsword when...
{SWORD STYLE UNLOCKED! [LONGSWORD FIGHTING STYLE]!}
{SWORD CORE HAS NOW LEARNED THE WAY OF THE LONGSWORD!}
A new message notification popped out in my HUD along with the logo of its core with a longsword in it.
What are the sword styles commonly used when wielding a huge broadsword? Surely one can just go and berserk around like a certain character of a certain dark fantasy anime, but doing so would create large gaps within each movement and it is a waste of energy doing such. That means associating Ronin's broadsword fighting style with the longsword fighting style is what is suited due to the size and length of the blade added to its weight. Huuuhhh??? Wait, what?
[Goddamn, even if it was preoccupied with the drone, it was still able to put its attention to me. As expected of a hydra]
*Pang!*
The automatic parry within its AI immediately activated causing a metallic pang to resonate in my ears. The tense atmosphere surrounding this standoff is now getting my nerves, but the hope in the eyes of the girls inside the cockpit dampened my fears...fuuuu...breathe in Jack, this is the greatest battle that will happen in your life! Also, what is with this information flowing in my head?
*Bang!..Bang!..Bang!..Bang!*
The drum magazine got ejected from the gun and landed in the waters, the lead wall shotgun is pretty good at closer ranges than going medium because the kinetic energy of the buckshot decreases greatly as the distance becomes bigger. Also, the name "lead wall" isn't just a title but is also the way it fires the buckshot. There are three barrels in the lead wall, and each barrel is associated with one round, hence when shot creates a huge wall of fast-firing lead and metal that would fatally injure any soft-armored enemy. That is one heck of a lesson learned. Also firing at really close=> medium size distances makes the wound this time on the hard scale of the hydra is now more noticeable...
Since Ronin has to reload longer when using the lead wall, and that will become risky, switching to the secondary is faster as they say. So I detached the sword once again and holstered back the shotgun in place. Now that I have remembered it, didn't samurai warriors in 1800 wielded guns along with their swords or spears?
The way of a longsword is an art that uses both hands and arms when wielding the said sword. It is a very difficult technique to master due to the size, weight, and length of the sword. However, despite the weight, it is somewhat similar to the fencing's basic movements such as its offensive moves, stances, and defensive moves for certain offensive attacks.
Ronin's dash back to its position earlier just to evade the hydra's bite is called voiding, it is the defensive move where one has to step forward, backward, or sideways just to evade an attack which in my case is a set of razor-sharp teeth.
[Woah!!!!]
[I told you! Be careful!] (Nene)
[I know! Don't shout near my ears!!!!]
That was a close call, thank goodness this information that flowed in my head is useful, too useful.
Now then, what did I actually do again when using Ronin in the game? My gameplay style when it comes to Ronin is shooting, slashing, running, and evading. But, the enemies in the game are just pilots, other titans, grunts, and other non-playable characters...not big giant multi-headed dragons.
*Sha!*
The radiator became hotter as time passes by, and the compressor valve opened as hot air exited, I can't let Ronin run for long because too much movement is causing its internal temperature to rise faster than usual. I'm already overburdening it by evading most attacks and then charging at the being with speed while using most of its titan abilities.
*Thud!*
*Splash!*
[It's now or never!] I synced my mind into Ronin's and decided on the decisive moment of this standoff.
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His hands were shaking, his body was wet with sweat, and his breath was ragged.
I saw how he was planning to defeat the superior hydra species, but little would he know about the situation about himself.
[Big sis, big brother Jack is--] (Tanya)
[We can't distract him or else we too will get caught up in this, all we can do now is to just watch] I thought about the horror that we had just experienced from those bad men thinking it ended with that, but to think we also have to experience this.
I knew about it, his cowardice in the depths of his heart. The bravado he had to put up just ease our worries thinking he will find a way to solve this by himself, Jack, I've never met a young man like you before.
Boys and men alike are indeed brave. Even women are brave and we would be in certain times, but Jack is just different from most men. It was as if I saw someone trying to be a knight when he isn't born to be one, it was like I saw an ordinary boy becoming a mercenary, it was like as if I saw........the coward him becoming a savior.
[Oraaaa!!!!!!!] (Jack) Little would I know about the impact about this fight to him
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I breathed in heavily and then decided on my course of action.
Ronin then does an OX WARD stance where its left foot is put forward and the broadsword is placed near the cockpit and is aimed at the upper regions of the Hydra's body...in my POV it was towards the necks.
I then moved Ronin in a lunge and......
[Kahooon!!!] (??) The enemy reacted by trying to bite us off, but it was futile.
The broadsword was charged with electricity as Ronin closes the distance between us and the hydra, it sensed the danger in its life...but its gigantic body cannot react that fast when its focus is still on the annoying drone that was shooting at it nonstop.
[Oraaa!!!!!!!]
*Pang!*
The electrified sword passed through the base of its tail like cutting butter, but like a house lizard, its tail did not bleed that much instead it immediately pulsated and started to slowly heal and regenerate. That is enough time for me to deal with this giant mother fricking lizard!
High Blow, wrath blow, middle blow, low blow, and then an overhead thrust.
*Shaaa!*
*Shaaa!*
The hydraulics screamed out air as Ronin dashed to the side 2 times before returning another blow toward the hydra's claws.
Ronin is capable of combining moves that are unique to it and does not just follow the longsword style.
This feels just like...a monster hunter game huh. Ahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!
First is a thrust at the back of the hydra, and next is a spinning attack that allowed me to cut through the hard scale with ease due to the increase in inertia as well as the kinetic energy that came along with each spin.
*Pang!*
Like a predator becoming the prey, it tried to flee by flailing around and scuttling towards the depths of the lake.
[Like hell I will let you go, you bastard!] With a press of a button, the voltage started to rise within the core as it produced more.
{V= 1,000}
{V= 10,000}
{V= 100,000}
{V= 1,000,000}
......
{V= 3,000,000}
{ WARNING! CORE IN IMMINENT BREAKDOWN! VOLTAGE OVERCHARGE DETECTED!}
The onboard voltmeter started to rise in numbers as visible sparks, arcs, and the sword itself became a red-hot piece of metal...
[Eat this and go to hell!!!!!!]
*BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!*
I stabbed the sword in the water and released the charged electricity that built up within Ronin's core.
Holy shit!!!!! The hair in my skin is basically standing up right now due to the massive voltage that was currently being flowed.
[Kahooooooooooooooonn!!!!!] (??)
[Graaaaaarrr!!!!!!] (??)
[Kyaaaa!!!!] (Tanya)
[Waaaa!!!!!] (Rikka)
Blue streaks of electricity arched within the water and then beneath the surface. 30,000 worth of Amps flowed out into the water, and only 10 A is enough to kill a person.
It already has dived quite deep, but the electricity equivalent to that of a lightning bolt being fired at the water made it resurface in pain.
[It's weakened!] (Nene)
I made another ox ward stance with Ronin and then rushed at the hydra with great speed and then delivered the finishing blow.
[You were quite unlucky, to have us as the meal you were planning to have] Ronin's sword movements then start with a wrath blow, however, it changed its trajectory, and instead of cutting the ear, it was now aimed at the base of the necks...
[Oraaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!] completely severing the two off.
{YOU HAVE FELLED A GREATER ENEMY!}
{YOU HAVE EARNED A TITLE! [DAVID & GOLIATH]}
{YOU HAVE EARNED 1000 EXP! LEVELED UP! 1=>5}
{YOU HAVE EARNED 5 STATUS POINTS!}
{YOU HAVE EARNED 5 SKILL POINTS!}
{RONIN EARNED 1000 EXP!}
*Pang!*
This time blood, bones, and flesh flew out as the sword basically smashed it instead of cutting. What was once a muddy murky lakeside has now become bloody as the humongous body of it dropped dead in the waters...
As for me, I am feeling some things for the first time. I feel lightheaded and nauseous.....
I don't feel so good...why is it.....
[Jack? Hey...are you oka...Jack?!] (Nene) The last thing I remembered before passing out was my aching head and their worried faces.
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CHARACTER STATUS
NAME: JACK COOPER
AGE: 20 YEARS OLD
RACE: HUMAN
OCCUPATION: [MILITIA] TITAN PILOT LV5 [15/1100]
TITAN: RONIN LV1 [1,000/100,000]
HP: 100/100
ENERGY: 100/100
STR: 15
VIT: 10
DEF: 15
STAMINA: 15
LUCK: 13
STATUS POINTS: +5
SKILLS:
CLOAK LV1
STIM LV1
GRAPPLE LV1
A-WALL LV1
PHASE SHIFT LV1
PULSE BLADE LV1
HOLOGRAPHIC PILOT LV1
SKILL POINTS: +5
PILOT KIT I: FAST REGENERATION LV1
PILOT KIT II: LOW PROFILE LV1
TITLE:
DAVID & GOLIATH