23RD GEAR - DON'T TAUNT THE CHICKEN, OR ELSE IT WILL TELEPORT
23RD GEAR - DON'T TAUNT THE CHICKEN, OR ELSE IT WILL TELEPORT
That technique Flu just did was Flash Step, a B-Tier speed spell used by Speedmages. It involves enchanting your feet with mana and giving all your force and speed with one step. It is almost comparable to teleportation, but it has high mana and stamina consumption and is hard to aim.
"Good job, Flu!" I said through the mic.
"Tehehe!" Flu shyly laughed.
Now that we are in the lead with a score of 3:2, we should shift our plan to disrupt Vincent to prevent him from getting more points.
The white contrail streak rushes through the 3rd line, targeting the 1st Checkpoint Tower. However, Prez was already there, her hands spread like a goalkeeper. Vincent tilted to the left and ran a few angles off his target!
Clash!
Prez striked Vincent with her fingers imbued with mana. The magical barriers made a repelling effect, launching both players in opposite directions!
"You won't get past me!" Prez shouted.
"You got the reflexes, I'll give you that," Vincent smirked as he ran once again, but towards the right!
Prez boosted forward with her Ice Accel, trying to intercept the Speedmage Champion once again!
However, a few centimeters before the two Speedmage clashes, Vincent immediately changed his direction to the left! It was a crossover!
Because of the sudden change in direction, Ericka tripped on her foot and failed to follow Vincent!
"Kyah!"
"That was an old-school Ankle Breaker. I never thought you'll fall for it!" Vincent teased before blasting off at almost light speed, leaving Prez in the dust.
Beep!
Vincent touched the 1st Checkpoint Tower, and it indicated another point for him.
The score is now tied at 3:3. Even with the separate roles of Flu getting the Checkpoints and Prez disrupting the opponent, it was not enough. If we continue the same tactic, both girls will be left to dust.
Vincent stopped running after he touched the 1st Checkpoint Tower. He swiped his hand, and a magical sword materialized. He then stabbed the sword to the floor next to the Checkpoint Tower.
I still have to know the purpose of those swords. Come on, show me the purpose of the swords already!
"Listen, Flu and Prez. Forget the Checkpoint Towers. Work together, focus on preventing him from touching any checkpoints, and try to find an opening to strike his back!"
"Roger!"
"Yes, Coach!"
Prez and Flu ran forward in a zigzag-like manner, leaving blue and pink streaks in the shape of DNA. They are ready to charge the Speedmage Champion who is just standing next to the 1st Checkpoint Tower!
"You know what? I'll accept your challenge! We will play tag!"
Any Speedmage enthusiast will find Vincent's words funny. A Speedster like him is not suited for tag fights, especially since his opponents are Striker and Counter. Both Strikers and Counters have superior control maneuvers than Speedsters.
However, he will soon prove me wrong in just a blink of an eye.
Swoosh!
White streaks blasted forward in a straight line, passing through the gap between Flu and Prez!
"Wha-!"
"This will be two points!" Vincent said as he spread out his hands to strike both girls' backs.
Beep! Beep!
A white magical circle point indicator manifested on both girls, indicating double points! The score is now 3:5 in favor of the Speedmage Champion!
"Gah!" Flu was thrown off by the recoil when the Speedmage Champion struck her back.
However, Prez was standing strong as she was able to stand back up and rush towards Vincent!
"You're really pissing me off!" Prez roared as she drew a circle with her foot, creating a field of ice! "Freezing Field!"
"Heh," Vincent uttered a single laugh as he skated around the place. It was amazing that he has great control over his runs even though he's a Speedster and the ground is filled with slippery ice!
"Your back is mine!" Prez circled the Speedmage Champion and immediately surged towards his back like a cobra!
Vincent spun around and evaded Prez's strike by a hair's breadth. And when the opportunity arrived in a split second, Vincent struck the Prez's back!
Beep!
The score is now 3:6!
"Gah!" Prez was launched due to the repelling effect of the magical circle point indicator. "Darn!"
"Prez, use a spell to lower his agility!" I advised through the mic.
Prez made a few meters of distance away from the Speedmage Champion and raised her hand. A frozen 3D snowflake materialized on her palms, and it exploded- making snowfall out of the sky!
"Snowpoint!"
Snowpoint is a B-Tier spell where the ice energy is spread in the atmosphere, creating chills in the field. It gives an absolute zero temperature in the air and slows the opponent's movements.
I saw it work on Vincent. His speed was cut by 60% even with Photon Accel enhancement. At this moment, Vincent just stopped running around and stood in a single point of position. He knew that moving would be useless due to the combined effects of the Freezing Field and Snowpoint.
"Big bro, do it." I heard the navigator Justine offer a piece of advice to the Speedmage Champion for the very first time.
With his little brother's confirmation, Vincent stood stiff. He closed his eyes and clapped his hands. With the help of Mystic Glasses, I saw him gather mana towards his brain.
Meanwhile, Prez made a U-turn, ready to strike his back!
"You're wide open!"
Just before Prez was able to strike Vincent's rear shoulder, we all heard a ripple. Mana imploded from the Speedmage Champion's brain as he whispered his spell.
"Dodge Instinct."
With a simple lean to the left, the Speedmage Champion evaded Prez's strike!
"Huh!?"
Prez immediately went around and attempted another back attack, but this time Vincent dodged with a lean to the right! Prez skated, now from the left rear, and tried another strike but it failed as Vincent just turned around!
"Gah!" Prez was thrown away by the repelling effect of the barrier.
Not giving up, Prez tried charging and striking from different angles with extreme speed. But every time her fingers would hit Vincent's back, Vincent would do a simple movement to evade it!
Vincent looked like those martial artist hermits who are just focusing on their minds just to repel any assault from their opponents. It's an amazing display of concentration that all audiences in this battle came to appreciate.
"Dodge Instinct. It is an S-Tier spell used by world champions. Once cast, the spellcaster automatically evades any incoming assault from the other player." Justine explained. Well, thanks for the info dump.
"Gah... Hah... Hah..."
I heard Prez's pants from the headphones. She must be all out of fumes after trying all sorts of attacks from all sorts of different angles and speeds. She failed to get even one point from her attempts.
At this point, I'm scared to give any advice. Our change of tactics turned out to be worse than before, and I cannot find any weakness in Vincent's speed. He's too fast, he's too agile, and he's way too experienced for all of us to compete.
Meanwhile, I looked at Flu, who is struggling to even stand up at the area of effect of the Freezing Field. She just plops to the ice whenever she tries to stand up!
"U-Uwaah!" Flu cried as she got her butt hurt again on the freezing ground. "Owie!"
Melting the icy floor may be an option for Flu, but it will ruin Prez's field setup. So she is trying her best to run her way on the slippery floor even though it is futile.
Suddenly, I heard a confident voice from my headphones.
"Is that all you got?"
Prez said those words with a smile on her face. She wiped away the sweat crawling on her forehead and looked at the Speedmage Champion with disgust.
"All you're doing now is standing still. I thought you are Vincent the Teleporter? You're more of Vincent the Chicken for me, just standing there and evading my attacks like a coward." Prez continued to tease.
This is not the time to tease the Speedmage Champion, you idiot! We're still at 3:6! You should know your place as we are on the losing side!
I wanted to yell at the provocative president, but it was too late. I knew those words are too hurtful for the Speedmage Champion, and our president was rude even before the battle started.
Vincent opened his blue eyes which are glowing with mana. He made a smile that is too menacing even compared to horror movies.
"Oh? So you want me to show my full power then?"
"Show it to us, or else there's no point in people calling you The Teleporter."
"Well then... You asked for it."
Vincent raised his hand with a ninja seal. His blue eyes glowed, indicating the horror of seeing something we are just about to witness.
"Omnitouch." His voice echoed.
In an instant, Vincent vanished. He was next seen on the 2nd Checkpoint Tower and touched it!
Beep!
Vincent vanished once again and reappeared on the 3rd Checkpoint Tower!
Beep!
Vincent disappeared and then he manifested on the 1st Checkpoint Tower!
Beep!
He continued the loop. Disappear, appear, touch the tower, then disappear again. He is racking up points too easily as if he's just eating peanuts. It was a one-sided fight from the start, and he was just merely holding back and making fun of us.
All of those disappearances and reappearances in just a matter of split seconds indicate that he is way faster than anything, not even light. It is a real teleportation spell.
How are we even going to fight a Speedmage that can literally teleport? This is too unfair!