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ShangriLa Frontier Chapter 302 Part 2

ShangriLa Frontier Chapter 302: Setsuna No Kousa Part 2

I wanted to shout it out loud. I wanted to shout at the Bounty Hunter why it targets me all of a sudden, when the one it was supposed to target was standing right there inside of the crowd, happily minding his own business. But the Bounty Hunter would never listen to my shouts, continuing to attack me relentlessly and going full throttle.

「If you are going all out here, then I shall surpass the skill difference in between us with sheer difference in stats and performance!」

With that shout taken care off, I activate Moment’s Sight, a skill that gives me the advantage of moving at the accelerated rate while the rest of the world is slow motion. With that, I could switch to my Plan B here, which was “Going all-out on the offensive all at once”.

Even if you still have your normal stamina, you also cannot underestimate the mental exhaustion caused by this fight. I must do something decisive here and do it soon. Without the extra source of fuel in form of caffeine, I would soon run out of steam and that would be my end here. That is why I must stretch this one second here as much as possible, betting everything on a single strike in this one instant.

「I’m, going to, beat the shi……」

But at the same time, this skill is like a double-edged sword here. In such a way that I had less time to assess my surroundings and think rationally. That is why I only just now noticed one simple “fact” that I would have noticed much sooner under normal circumstances.

「…………」

Our eyes have met.

In this world of accelerated thought and slowed motions, the eyes of the Bounty Hunter were clearly catching up to me and following me around.

It was there, in the gap between the food and the muffler. A pair of blue “eyes” glowing like sapphires, emitting light similar to that of a star shining bright in the sky. I don’t know why, but I knew right away that right now my eyes were exhibiting the very same effect.

It was the eye that would not miss anything, not a single frame would escape from its marvelous gaze.

That simple, lone fact: the NPCs could use both magic and skills the same as us Pioneers can. It was affirmed when I caught a glimpse of the outline of Ruthia-chan’s mouth moving, formulating those simple words: “Moment’s Sight”. Next, I can feel my body starting to slow down.

But it should be enough for my attack to reach its mark. At least it should have been. But then Ruthia-chan muttered another word, disappearing for a split of a second.

「“–– Mach.”」

The moment that Black Thunder and Sonic Shockwave both intersected, I could feel sparks filling the inside of my head. …… And then I just blacked out.

5

「…………!?!?!?」

No way! You have to be kidding me! I’m still conscious!? I mean, respawn…… it didn’t happen! So does that mean I am still alive!?

「…… Bugah!?」

No, it was no use. The thread of tension that was there until just now was completely gone.

With the trembling hands I hit my chest with my right fist again to stop the effect of the Levin Trigger / Disaster hand. Once that is done, I collapse to the ground like a tower that had its foundation blown away…… And if I did not support myself with my arm, I would have fallen completely flat here.

I look up with my vision all blurry, only to see a Bounty Hunter assuming the position for making a move that I could only suppose to be a finishing blow……

Utsuro Mikagami, my virtual image focusing aggro was torn apart into six equal pieces.

「I would say that it was a job well done…… Don’t you think?」

At that moment when the copy disappears, there should be “responsibility transfer” or rather a conflict of what else to target. And at that speed it would be all the opening that was needed here.

I have no idea if it’s a skill or magic ability. However, if it is something that occurs instantaneously, it must be something similar to my own Levin Trigger / Disaster Hand…… But no, even if it was something faster than that, I can still escape it no problem. And seeing that I was able to somewhat read the movement of this here Bounty Hunter, I dare to say that my brain right about now was giving it it’s absolute best. Does that mean that I have transcended beyond the limit what we call an instant?

「Ahh, no, it’s no use. It’s already on the move.」

It was an instant move. One that would surely cause me to die about thirty times before I would actually be able to do something about it. Or should I just clench my teeth here, trust in the random numbers and go all in Russian roulette style? I do believe that I will be leaving myself in the RNG gods care here.

「…………」

「…… Ah, could we possibly set on monetary agreement here and forget about this whole incident ever happening?」

Apparently this new Bounty Hunter favored a sickle over tonfas. But then, even though it was speeding right at me, the Bounty Hunter looked at me……

SWOOSH!

「Ubuah!?」

The sickle was thrown forward at the speed that my eye could never possibly hope to register. However, that sickle was not meant for me, apparently…… it was meant for that Tooru guy, who up until now was watching the fight between Ruthia-chan and I. And the moment the knife hit him, his expression was that of pure shock. Perhaps he even forgot to recover his own health, because a simple throwing sickle was enough to reduce his health to zero. With that, his body lit up and exploded into a myriad of polygons.

I cast a quick glance at the items that this Tooru guy left behind…… and I unconsciously clicked my tongue. Yes, I am sure that I must have clicked my tongue. And it was that kind of tongue clicking that seemed to indicate “What shitty items he had on himself”.

「…………」

The Bounty Hunter then taken something from one of the pockets of its coat. Of course, it was the movement as fast as the one it used to throw that sickle…… a card? Then it threw the item towards me, and it was stuck in the ground right next to my feet.

Then, that Bounty Hunter turned around and started to slowly walk away, flipping its coat with a short sound that send chills up my spine. It was something even scarier than seeing Pencilgton smiling.

Ruthia-chan walked towards the items that were left after that Tooru guy, the original target. She quickly collected all of them and was on her way to leave as well, when……

And then she brings her face closer to my face, or more specifically, towards my ears.

「…… Café “Snake’s Apple”. The password is “Invited by the Apple’s flower”.」

「Oh, I happen to be a regular at that establishment.」

「…………」

「…………」

「…………」

「…………」

Silence.

The hustle and bustle that was all around me just a moment ago seemed to be gone in an instant, as right about now everyone went dead silent upon witnessing the thing that just took place. Everyone was literally speechless here.

Now then, whatever should I do about this whole situation? I guess that even if I were to mutter a simple word such as “toilet” right now, then all hell would break lose and chaos would inevitably ensue.

「…… (Standing up).」

I stand up from the ground and make a gesture that was meant to suggest for everyone gathered around to calm down. Hopefully, it would be enough. Then I went towards Tango and took back Emul muffler from his hands (mimicry spell slowly starting to unravel). Then I laughed shortly, and acted right away: I opened my eyes wide, pointed towards somewhere way behind the gathered crowd and shouted in astonished voice:

「Ah! Guys, look! What is Nightprowler Luukan doing in such a weird place!?」

And then I started to run like crazy with all of my might in the exact opposite direction.

I NEED GIRL POOOOOOWEEEEEER!!! I NEED IT REALLY, REALLY BAD RIGHT ABOUT NOW!