Chapter 43: Chapter 43 Counterattack? _1
Translator: 549690339 |
The distance between the two was closing in.
In terms of witchcraft, Link’s attack power was limited, so he could only play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses, trying to make good use of his sleeve crossbow and physical advantages.
So, close combat seemed like a good strategy.
Erick was dazzled by Link’s feints and realized unexpectedly that he wasn’t able
to take aim.
He tried a few times but failed each time.
So Erick gave up aiming altogether and stood still to wait.
It’s not like he only had his Golden Arrow Technique as his attack method.
Just wait until the gap closes a bit, and see how he gets rid of that despicable midget!
In order to be prepared against metal arrows, Link was observing Erick’s gaze while charging forward.
He noticed a fleeting change of emotion in Erick’s eyes and knew something was off, immediately cancelling his plan to go into close combat after the charge.
He decided to fire the remaining four crossbow arrows in his sleeve crossbow
and to retreat swiftly.
Attack like fire, retreat like wind.
The transition between his offense and retreat showed no signs of obstruction;
one word to describe it would be, smooth.
“Shameless!”
Erick, caught off guard, had no time to dodge the soundless and rapid crossbow arrows and had to take them head-on.
Bang, bang, bang, chua!
There were four short, compact and successive noises when the crossbow arrows collided with Erick.
The first “bang” was the first crossbow arrow colliding with his Zero Ring s Golden Coat Technique, the momentum of the arrow was blocked and the thin transparent golden coat was destroyed.
The second “bang” was the second crossbow arrow colliding with his robe, the powerless arrow fell to the ground, and the enchantment on his robe was also gone.
The third “bang” was the third crossbow arrow colliding with his chest armor, the arrowhead broke off, the shaft snapped in three places, and the chest armor was shattered into two halves.
The fourth sound “chua” occurred when the fourth crossbow arrow plunged
into Erick’s chest.
Regrettably, underneath the chest armor, Erick was wearing a silken garment that dissipated most of the crossbow’s force, causing it not to pierce too deep into his flesh.
Erick’s defenses were entirely crushed, and he was also injured. Seeing that Link was retreating after gaining the upper hand enraged him even more.
A person should not be… at least, they should not be…
This shameless!
Link could hear Erick’s roar of rage and couldn’t be bothered to respond.
While retreating, he cautiously guarded against Erick’s attack, and at the same time, reached for his spare arrow box, replacing the crossbow with five new arrows.
After switching out the arrows, Link didn’t go on the offensive again. Instead, he discreetly signaled with his left hand for Jasmine to move further away.
He began backing toward the fork in the road, seemingly ready to wage a war of attrition and drain time until the Intelligent Law Enforcement Puppet arrived.
Erick was increasingly anxious.
His entrapment strategy was to ambush Link Grande and Jasmine Kidman within the three-minute duration of his magic shield, obscuring the view of the Intelligent Law Enforcement Puppet.
Who would have thought Link was so alert that Erick’s ambush was foiled before it even began.
Erick knew he should have had a backup plan, but all his savings had been spent on purchasing disposable magic tools used for shielding.
Where would he get the funds to support a backup plan?
Seeing that most of his three-minute window had passed and not only had he failed to avenge himself on Link Grande and Jasmine Kidman, but he had also been injured, Erick decided to go all in.
He abruptly raised his right hand, hurling the now visible light orb in his hand
at Link.
At the same time, he propped himself up with his cane and hopped forward.
The light orb was fast, and when it reached mid-air near Link, it exploded with
a bang.
But Link’s reaction was not slow, he timely ducked his head and shut his eyes, avoiding the irritation of the “flash bang”.
Poor Jasmine, having never seen a gunfight movie or played games like CS/CF, was not familiar with things like a flash grenade.
Caught off guard, she fell for it.
Her eyes were nearly blinded by the intense light of the explosion, instantly turning red, with tears streaming down.
Fortunately, she gritted her teeth tightly and did not make a sound to reveal her location.
Despite having broken a leg, Erick moved with surprising speed.
Just as Link bowed his head to avoid the flash, Erick had already sprung several meters away.
He who hesitates is lost.
Seeing his opportunity, Erick fired off three Gold Arrow Techniques in rapid succession, aiming with reckless abandon, the priority was to hit first and ask questions later.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, three metal arrows flew in a trident pattern in quick succession.
In the urgency of the moment, Link’s response was spot-on.
First, he briefly glanced at the three metal arrows, swiftly determining that he was not in the firing range. Therefore, he just slightly lowered his water shield for protection.
He casually changed directions and retreated into the forest.
Due to being on guard against an attack, Link’s speed was unavoidably slowed. Taking advantage of this, Erick relentlessly pursued him, gaining a bit of distance despite hopping.
However, after firing so many Gold Arrow Techniques, one Light Illusion Technique, one Golden Coat Technique, and one Flash Art, Erick’s spiritual and magic power were nearly depleted, leaving him unable to continue his attacking spree.
He then pulled from his waist his secret weapon, a self-destructing fire thunder that looked like a cluster grenade, and threw it with all his might.
It was the Rune Object that Rivers had gifted to Erick.
As for Link, he did not care what Erick threw. He got as far away as possible and sent his intact water shield to intercept it.
The water shield, made of flowing water, altered the direction of the self-destructing fire thunder and slowed its speed.
With a loud bang.
The self-destructing fire thunder exploded less than ten meters in front of
Link.
Its power was indeed astounding.
The ground was blasted open, nearby trees were shattered, and flying debris fell over Link’s head and body.
However, other than being covered in dust and mud and looking slightly disheveled. Link was unharmed.
One good turn deserves another.
As Erick heaved his self-destructing fire thunder, Link unleashed his long-prepared Thorn Entanglement.
The thorns lurking on the ground instantly ensnared Erick’s cane and right leg, immobilizing him.
At the same time, Link fired five crossbow arrows.
Thud, thud, thud, whizz, whizz.
Three crossbow arrows were blocked by tree trunks, but two found their mark in Erick.
One pierced through his abdomen, while the other lodged in his cheek.
“Ugh…”
Erick spat out a mouthful of blood, howling, “I… can’t accept this!
As the words fell, Erick’s left arm loosened its hold on the cane, his right leg was tripped by the entangling thorns, and he tumbled forward to the ground. Seeing this, Link, rather than moving to confirm the kill, stepped back a decent distance.
When he first purchased the sleeve crossbow, he had planned for counterattacks when severely wounded.
Jasmine had a flying needle hidden weapon for self-defense, indicating an intention to fight back even at death’s door.
Why would Link leave his enemies with a chance to counterattack?
Wouldn’t it be better to wait for them to die?
If not for the need to deal with the Intelligent Law Enforcement Puppet later, Link would absolutely fire all five arrows in his newly replaced quiver into Erick’s Six Sun Chiefs.
A completely dead enemy makes a good enemy!
Jasmine, in the distance, waved her personal computer, signaling that the academy had dispatched an Intelligent Law Enforcement Puppet.
Link nodded, maintaining his attention on Erick, just in case he was playing possum.
After a while, the Intelligent Law Enforcement Puppet arrived, better late than
never..