Soran sprinted nimbly up the mountainside with his uchigatana extended to the side, gleaming with the aura of flickering darkness. The target locked in his field of vision without ever leaving his line of sight.
His opponent, Anubis, was an exceptional reader, a master observer. He could predict an as-yet-unmade move with just observations of his enemies' actions and gestures alone. Engaging in close combat with such a visionary being would prove immensely challenging, if not downright foolish, without a clever strategy.
The power gap between them was immense, akin to that between a final boss and a player who had just created their character. Despite the added stats from Yami no Kenshi and all the equipment provided by the vampire, Soran remained far from being able to challenge Anubis directly in one-on-one close combat. His opportunity lay in creating an opening, anticipating what the enemy would do before they did it.
"He...jumped?" Soran was taken aback by Anubis's sudden movement as he casually closed the distance, seemingly not posing any significant threat. Soran wasn't foolish enough to let his guard down, but he seized the moment for a direct confrontation.
Shuraudo was a skill that boosted criticality but that wasn't the true secret at play. The darkness element of Yami no Maku held incredible potential. If Soran infused his attacks with this element, he could gradually afflict the enemy with debilitating ailments, as well as Piercing Damage - a buff that allowed an attacks to ignore the enemy's Defense and Magic Defense status.
"Being too fixated only on what you can do is a kind of flaw," Anubis remarked as he stopped Soran's uchigatana in its tracks with a single clawed-fist. Typically, coming into contact with the darkness element resulted in negative status effects, but the same rule did not apply to this heir of the throne's extent.
Soran's attack halted abruptly, caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events. "Gyah!" he exclaimed in pain, flung to the side after Anubis's spinning kick struck his neck.
Still interconnected, Anubis's well-placed kick also served to avoid an attack from another direction - this time from Valeria. The two clashed fists with a resounding clang of steel on steel. But then Anubis eased his force, sending Valeria careening towards him. Seizing the opportunity, seized Valeria's wrist he tossed her to the side as Soran already advanced on him.
"You certainly enjoy throwing things around carelessly... Shukuchi!" Soran reappeared, having successfully dodged Valeria's airborne body. Before him stood Anubis, his expression one of apparent innocence. "That expression... I want to wipe it off your face." Soran grinned faintly as he swung his uchigatana with both hands. "Issen!"
This is the moment, there would be no stopping him. With the distance and blade's speed slicing through the air, Anubis had a choice to make - to block or not. But whichever path he chose, the outcome would remain the same. Soran's conviction surged as he saw victory before him, amplified by Anubis's seemingly innocent expression, adding to the thrill of this small triumph.
The impact was thunderous, as if Soran had struck an iron wall. Anubis had chosen to block the blow - or rather, he allowed his right fist to halt the oncoming uchigatana. With a sly grin and a casual tone, Anubis taunted, "Have you learned, human?"
The scene was vivid, Soran seeing in real-time as Anubis transformed from an innocent guise to a mocking grin, and sparks flew as his weapons clashed. It wasn't meant to end just like this, and something was indeed wrong. And then Soran realized - his uchigatana was no longer shimmering with the ominous darkness element; his Shuraudo had disengaged.
With effortless ease, Anubis deflected Soran's weapon away from him. Without giving him a moment's pause, he kicked Soran ruthlessly in the stomach, sending him tumbling down the mountainside.
Amidst the towering trees near the mountainside, the fierce battle unfolded below. It was the owls perched motionless, observing the exchange of fists. It was also hard to say how long this intense battle had been going on.
Soran fell on his back, was drenched in sweat, his non-player character's physique trembling. He gasped for air, his hands lying limp at his sides, while his uchigatana bounced off the hard ground. "Aaah, forget about reading him... I'm the one who kept getting outmaneuvered... hah... hah."
Not far away, Valeria leaned against a boulder, her arms wrapped around her knees, in a state not much different from Soran's.
Anubis approached casually, offering advice rather than encouragement. He sat on the rock that supported Valeria, right beside her. "I hope you haven't forgotten the distinction between your darkness abilities and the skills of your Samurai class, Soran," he said.
Soran replied, while still lying on his back, raising his right hand and fixing his gaze on the sky before dropping it onto his face. "Ooo... of course. But... let me rest for a few minutes, my head feels like it's about to explode."
Physically, Soran wouldn't normally feel as exhausted as he did now in a purely physical battle. The level of fatigue he experienced was a result of pushing himself to his limits while facing Anubis, all in vain. Yet, there was a sense of relief in knowing that he wasn't on the opposing side of Anubis.
Lumine materialized on Soran's shoulder, who remained lying down, and spoke, "You can't treat Anubis like an ordinary monster algorithm, conventional methods will only backfire. But at least we knew something... well, even with his lower level, we don't have many opportunities."
Soran and Valeria had not fully utilized all of their skills and abilities during this light sparring. They still had a few techniques in their arsenal that could increase their chances of landing a strike or two. However, the main purpose of this training was to familiarize their bodies with the skills they possessed, both physically and mentally.
At the current timeframe, players were still adapting to low or moderate levels in this world, not yet reaching the point where skills flowed seamlessly with their every movement. Although Soran and Valeria possessed strength and abilities that could easily overpower a party of five adventurers, facing Anubis proved to be an entirely different challenge.