Why, Jouna-san has disappeared.

Not on the right, left, front, back, up or down, even though Break Skill should’ve enhanced my senses by many times, at the very least, her presence completely disappeared from everywhere I can see.

Could she have hid behind a tree?

Or she got out of my cognition by becoming transparent, laughing at me even though she’s right in front.

As for the unlikely outcome of logging out……, there’s no way such an outrageous idea would be the truth.

By the time I noticed it, I was going in circles, the sand in the hourglass continued to trickle ruthlessly while I was stuck in the slump of my thoughts.

It’s a vicious cycle that must be ended.

「Dear viewers, even if it might be an insignificant clue, is there anyone who saw where Jouna-san went! 」

As I can’t reach an answer on my own with my eyes, I tried to rely on a subjective viewpoint.

『W-what the heck happened (Explainer role fail)』

『She ran! She ran, RIO-san! Jouna just ditched! Don’t run, stupid! 』

『We were fooled! She ran away in the point something second before Break Skill activated! 』

『I-I will write what happened as is! Jouna was about to attack with her Movement Technique, but the next moment straight up disappeared. Probably some super speed』

『Holy shit. Jouna’s gone, what about the attack! 』

『RIO-sama super panicking』

「Fumu……, honestly, thanks. Looks like I’m lacking in life experience. 」

From a subjective viewpoint, I was panicking when in face of something unanticipated.

Because of the time limit, and not wanting to waste any of the limited time, I lost my calm, if so, then let’s try thinking that there’s no such time limit and calm down.

「Fuu…… I’m fine. 」

Alright, I’m really fine, I stood back up.

In this situation, there’s no other way but to grasp where she is with Blood Scent Detection. Calming down and hastening will be best.

「No matter where Jouna-san is hiding, being a human with blood in her veins, there’s no escaping from a vampire’s nose. Search starts. 」

10 meters, nothing.

20 meters, nothing.

50 meters, nothing.

100 meters…… mu, just when I thought I picked up her scent, to think that she had escaped this far.

On top of that, Jouna-san’s reaction was stopped at that place, so it seems like she was planning something after she ran away to a safe distance.

Moreover, even if I chased after her now, my time would be up.

「A dud fire after using one of my body function as the cannonball. To think that I would be the one being disrupted despite planned to disrupt her with that move. 」

The ringing noise in my right ear is so harsh. Looks like the sacrifice was my right hearing.

The silver lining is that it wasn’t one of my four limbs being crippled, but in any case, it doesn’t change the fact that this was a huge shock.

As for what I can do in this nine seconds, it’s at most use bloodsucking on the A rank 7th-san corpse to recover some HP.

Even if I know it’s useless to be sour over it, I just can’t get over how green I was. Ah, Jouna-san’s blood scent moved a little…….

「《Seventh Movement ・ Mach Step March (Ground shrinking March)》」

「Kuuuuuuuuuhhh」

She left in a blink and came back in a blink.

The sword passed between my head and torso, and notes that are smaller than little wild flowers bloomed at Jouna-san’s feet.

『Gyaaah! RIO-sama’s head is off! 』

『What is this……! 』

『I have the adventurer’s forum at the side opened, apparently A rank 1st That Guy-sama died to this Movement Technique! 』

『Come to think of it, Jouna had a super speed movement skill in her Movement Technique, which was the 《Seventh Movement ・ Ground shrinking March》. In short, there’s not much difference from the original 《Ground shrink》. Although a decapitation is mostly what finishes the fight, the Achilles heel is its rook-like capability that can’t do curves at all, and significant speed decrease if there’s even as much as a pebble in the way, in the first place, it’s not a skill that can be used in close distance since some run up is needed from middle~long distance, so it should have been a skill full of weaknesses. But in reality, Jouna can just use it to get away from her opponent, then use it again to get back, in essence, making it possible to use it in a close distance fight 』

『↑This long paragraph bastard that acts ignorance then put this kind of essay here at this timing, what harassment is this』

『They say neutral side is always the third enemy. I already reported by the way』

In any case, if I haven’t become a Vampire Lord and overcoming the neck weakness, it would’ve been dangerous.

HP hasn’t drop that much. As the emergency first aid, I used 《Blood Ice Needle》 to freeze my wounds.

「Is this…… one of your plans…… Jouna-san. 」

「Well, it’s my strategy against Break Skill, everything’s fine if I get outside the radius until the duration expires. Avoiding fighting against stronger people is the basic, arrogance is only a fool’s trait. 」

Even though it was something that could’ve been labelled a chicken play, Jouna-san declared it with so much confidence.

As for me, criticizing her for that is inelegant.

Rather than criticizing, as if a teacher praising her students for solving a difficult question she thought up, I could only feel impressed.

「I suppose that’s right. Fuh, fufu……」

Currently, the feeling that I’m getting, is the joy from meeting someone that can be my teacher.

Even though it’s a streamer’s job to deliver entertainment via stimulation and excitement, I was becoming too entranced by the bloody battle, and was enjoying too much of it.

I want more of this heart jumping excitement.

Deceiving the strongest and outwitting them, the desire to leave them stunned continued to well from within.

「Ufufuh…… is that everything? More, give me more, let’s fight until I’m satisfied」

To think there would be a time for someone like me to be crazed in fighting so much that I won’t back off, it’s a good point of this game too.

Heat nested around my chest, all while my head felt chilly as if being wrapped in cold water. I will keep in mind that getting too heated up that my HP gets to 0 won’t achieve anything.

「Even without looking that desireful, I will present something that RIO will like a lot. 《Eighth Movement ・ Ecstasy Blade Symphony》! 」

Another Movement Technique as she turned around. Her judging skills are really sharp.

Quick and heavy, a sleek swashbuckling technique alternating between these two traits. Notes flew out whenever our sword clashed, enhancing her attack.

「Mu. This music of yours is relentless at people. 」

Even if I grasped the rules of her skill, her weapon, the notes randomly spewing out is the pain point.

Because I chased them around with my eyes even though it would be futile, my left ankle was cut off.

「Feels~ so~ good~. Slowly breaking and weakening someone. 」

Since standing against her with just one leg is too reckless, I spread my wings as the countermeasure. I can’t get a solid ground but, either ways, with only one leg left, it’s the same.

「《Eighth Movement ・ Ecstasy Blade Symphony ・ Encore》! 」

She didn’t loosen her attacks at all.

Even if I had two swords to increase the range of my movements, to completely defend against that, I will need at least 4 limbs.

「Guh. The notes always get in my way if I leave them alone. 」

Two of the notes slipped past my guard, and sliced open my two eye balls.

Suddenly losing my vision, it’s a terribly bad situation.

Within the darkness and not knowing which direction is which, facing against someone else is only fanning unlimited anxiety in me.

Even worse, the opponent can see very well, if for any average person, their mental side would’ve given up first.

「I win! Or so I thought, why? 」

「The supreme match is in its climax, it’s three hours early to be ending it now. 」

Even if she wants me to give up after blinding me, I can only say, so what.

Since my blood was stuck on Jouna-san’s sword, I can very much tell where her attacks are coming from. Even without light, I can still handle them.

「To land a strike in this situation, RIO’s fetish is so outrageous that even a pervert can’t empathize! 《Eighth Movement ・ Ecstasy Blade Symphony ・ Encore Repeat》! 」

Again with the Movement Technique.

Even though it’s the third time she used it, my leg having lost its agility can’t dodge it, and with my vision lost too, I can at most try to do something by predicting with blood scent.

「One more time! 」

「Crap, my sword! 」

Fast and heavy is the Ecstasy Blade’s rule.

But as if breaking the rules of the skill designer, all of her slashes suddenly sped up, and of all things, they slashed at both of my arms.

One of them stabbed into my chest like a nail, so no worry for that.

「Thanks you very much! 」

But the other one is probably gone.

If Jouna-san hid where my other sword is, not only will my combat power drop by half, I can’t even use a form change, it’s only bad news.

As expected of Jouna-san. To top the greatest threat I experienced so far so many times so quickly, as someone who is aiming to be the top of all players, I felt inexpressible.

If that’s decided, it’s no situation to be concerned over looks.

「Will someone like me allow a thief? 」

Among the many blood scents nearby, I targeted my arm that just flew off, and equipped it by biting onto it.

「Hee? 」

With a sword in my mouth, I struck a reply to Jouna-san’s sword.

「Fuuuuhhhhh! 」

「You’re still moving after all of that. 」

No matter if it’s unsightly or barbaric, if I had collapsed then, I would’ve been dragged off the stage, eternally off it.

In any case, I can only cling desperately like a dying madman, only thinking about biting as hard as I can.

「Fuuuh!」

「Ah, ha, ha. Even though any sane person would already be in a state of devastation so much that he can’t move, but your slashes aren’t getting dull at all. Aah geez, now I want to praise you for your shitty magnificence with death」

It doesn’t feel bad to be praised for your hard work.

If I try it this hard and desperate, surely, she will praise me to the heavens.

「Vampa, I order you! Sacrifice yourself and hold her back! 」

While pretending to be bent over, I pushed the sword handle still stuck in my chest to shave some HP off and summoned an up and coming helper.

【Leave it to me, I will be the one to remove all your enemies】

If I can just hope Vampa’s special attacks can at least do something or make a small opening…….

「Don’t just call some random small fry. I’m gonna ban him. Hoi. 」

……An overwhelming strength difference.

Even though he faced her boldly with his ice magic, not even a match, the sound of him getting sliced up came through my left ear.

But, through my ear, I was able to realize that a survival route was opened with Vampa’s tragic struggle.

Even if there’s no opening for a sword to work, I can try to pull off a super difficult technique by making use of the opening with my legs.

「I kick! 」

Even without a foot recovered enough to have the mobility to run, just kicking still works.

The reason being, only one leg has to be the axis while the other unleashes kicks.

「Ouufu」

Landing on her abdomen, as Jouna-san was knocked back out of a sword’s range, I transitioned into my next move without any hesitation.

「The slimmest chance that Vampa grasped after losing his neck, I will definitely expand it to a greater chance. 」

Collapsing my wings, turning my entire body using my ankle in a half turn, overusing my other still healing foot, I sprinted with not a single glance spared elsewhere.

……Naturally, it’s for creating a greater chance, but depending on the person, I might’ve been looked like I was trying to escape? But who cares who are they and what they say, I have no reason to follow what they want.

「Say~~~~. I can’t get why you’re choosing to run but, maybe I’m just stupid ~~~~ 」

Aaah, I can really tell Jouna-san is angry from how she’s speaking.

「It’s a little lonely to have this kind of place be our stage for the final match. So, I’m just leading the way to somewhere else that’s more suitable, or something like that. Follow me if you’re interested. 」

『Running! RIO-sama is running! Even as an avid RIO-sama admirer, I can’t write it off as anything else with this 』

『That’s not the way! RIO-sama is running away from the direction to the base! 』

『But it’s normal to run away unless you’re a demon king ……』

『But it’s doesn’t look like she’s running to escape? Maybe she’s getting away from the trees obstructing vision 』

『Wait y’all, don’t think, feel. This is definitely not tucking her tail and running』

『That’s right, RIO-sama switched on overdrive mode in her brain! The shine of an average high school girl that can’t be imitated by an average boy is gushing out! And according to my mental map, where she’s headed is……』

My vision had recovered enough that I can see the chat, and it’s as one of them said.

Since it’s something an exaggerating and bluffing person like me had said, I won’t settle if I don’t fire up the match more.

If I continue down this path, I will arrive at the city on the verge of collapse, Dornad.

『Ah (noticed)』

『Ah (noticed)』

『Ah (noticed)』

『Ah (noticed)』

『Ah (noticed), are the average high school girls nowadays all like this……?』

『W-Well, it’s something like replenishing water content during a marathon……』

Since it’s the long awaited third anniversary party.

Won’t it be a waste if we don’t bring the festival to the adventurers serving as blood bags who are probably celebrating in the city?

A/N: The match moves into festive moods

A/N: Everyone is eager to join!