CHAPTER 23 - STALACTITE AND SNIPE

The battle rages on even if I'm busy encoding the script for the latest Gladiatrix System.

Firius swung his broadsword left and right, from up, and even from down. Each of his slashes is lightning-fast and hits like an elephant, creating sonic booms and shockwaves every time it slices through the air!

"Guh!"

Raynevere barely managed that last sword attack from the opponent. It grazed the side of her shoulder but the wound inflicted didn't bleed. If she's not a Gladiatrix, that sword swing's shockwaves would be enough to cut her clean.

"Come on, Firius! Cut that rich girl already, before her Kaiser could fully update his Gladiatrix System!!" Esthesia cried out loud.

"Shut up, bitch! I'm doing my best, okay? It's just that she's too nimble to hit!" Firius roared as he charged once again with a sword swing, but Raynevere backflipped to evade the attack!

"Grrr…" Esthesia gritted. She looked at me who is still busy encoding the script.

As of this moment, the HUD is completely blocking my vision of the fight. I have to use the full power of my brain and photographic memory to recall the OS version of the latest Gladiatrix System I saw a month ago.

Even a simple typographical error in my encoding would glitch out the nanomachines inside Raynevere's body, so I have to make it precise! But I also have to make it quick to win this fight!

"I won't let you finish that update!" Esthesia roared as she revealed a Command Card once more! "Activate Skill Card! Flame Enchant!"

Firius' blade burst out flames from its edges and continued to blaze with his sword swings. He made out a loud battle cry, and unleashed three consecutive sword slashes toward Raynevere! The elegant Gladiatrix evaded the first two attacks with her graceful dance-like moves, but the third attack almost caught her!

"Kiiih!" Raynevere gritted her teeth as she crouched to the ground. Her left leg was caught with the flames, and now she can no longer move as fast as before!

"This is our chance, Firius! Finish her!" Esthesia roared.

"Hraaaaaaah!" Firius charged forward, clenched his buttocks, and jumped up! With his flaming sword overhead, he brought down his finishing move to seal the deal against the gilded Gladiatrix!

However…

[Gladiatrix System Successfully Rebooted!]

[OS Version Updated to 2.8]

"Yes! I did it!" I celebrated out loud.

I was so happy that I encoded the whole operating system at one hundred percent accuracy, and just in time before Raynevere could be defeated! To test out the new version of the Gladiatrix System and to save Raynevere, I have to activate the most appropriate and newest card at my disposal!

I swiped one card from my roster of five and then raised it in the air! "Activate Field Card! Abyssal Cave!"

In an instant, the whole arena was converted into an alternate reality space. It turned into a tight tunnel of a dark cave where there are stalactites in the ceiling! Cold air started to rush through our skin which made it clear that the Command Card I activated is operational!

"What the-"

A loud clang in the thin underground air echoed. Just before Firius could bring his sword down to finish Raynevere, one of the stalactites above parried his gigantic flaming broadsword! The said weapon just fell on the ground and buried its tip in the soft loam soil of the field!

"Damn it!" Firius cried as he was taken aback by the sudden change in his surroundings.

Raynevere took this opportunity to shoot with her white bow! Three consecutive arrow shots echoed, and three rubber arrows hit the enemy's forehead, chest, and left knee, making him fall to the ground.

"Gah!" Firius whined.

Meanwhile, Esthesia was left dumbfounded. She could not believe the things she had just seen!

"I-Impossible! How could a newbie Kaiser reformat, encode an operating system, reboot, and activate a Command Card just in time!? This is unbelievable!"

"Then you should believe!" Raynevere said as she pointed her bow at the opponent Kaiser, ready to fire the shot. "Mister Elzane will be the best Kaiser in the world, and I will help him achieve that dream. And for that, we will defeat all Kaisers who dare to challenge us!"

"Damn you!" Esthesia cried.

Just before Esthesia could utter any more words, Raynevere fired her arrow at a fifty-meter range. The rubber arrow broke through the wind barrier and directly hit Esthesia's forehead!

"Ouch!" The enemy Kaiser cried in pain.