Chapter 83: Mechanics Are The Very Reason For Being King!
Self-preservation.
His arms were numb, his legs ached, and his entire body was nearly immobilized.
Facing two opponents who knew him well, all Aeron could do was continuously evade using his grappling hook while having "Arsène" counterattack at opportune moments, occasionally employing Imagine Breaker.
Carlotta knew she couldn't kill Aeron, so the ice crystals she shot would always shatter just before making contact with him, then subject him to the collective skill decline Southern FPS players experience in December.
As for Rover, dealing with her was physically draining on another level. Before this great vehicle carrying the fate of all Solaris, Aeron was as powerless as an ant.
Forget ordinary people—even if you brought in a powerful Resonator, they might not hold their own against these two.
With both skill and stats on their side, if Rover hadn't been holding back, Aeron's capture would only be a matter of time.
But since Aeron still had the leisure to assess the situation, it meant he had a means to fight back.
Because his mechanics were even more broken!
[Cause of Death: Shot himself!]
[Cause of Death: Ripped out his own heart!]
[Cause of Death: Ambushed by Echoes!]
[Status Refreshed]
To avoid being captured by Carlotta, Aeron repeatedly killed himself to forcibly reset his condition.
Exhausted stamina, missteps, frozen arms, or limbs going numb—any of these could lead directly to failure. But for Aeron, there was one solution: suicide.
"Muda muda muda muda! Ahahahaha! You can't possibly be only at this level! Shorty, Rover, you're not nearly entertaining enough for me like this!"
The stage of Carnevale was drenched in Aeron's blood. Thankfully, the System had underage protection measures; otherwise, you'd see various mysterious little organs essential to the human body scattered all over the ground.
Clang!
After blocking another swing from Rover, Aeron's entire right arm had gone numb countless times.
But none of that mattered!
Crack!
Aeron slit his own throat—sealing his fate.
[Cause of Death: Fought to the end, fell on his own sword!]
[Status Refreshed!]
Before Rover could sheathe her blade, Aeron had already resurrected behind her, drawing his sword to strike her pristine back.
"!"
Rover reacted instantly, turning to block Aeron's thrust with her own blade.
".....?"
After a moment's thought, Rover settled on this line.
"Even if I say I can't keep going, don't stop."
The reply she received was unexpected, yet made perfect sense.
"....You said it yourself."
After their brief exchange, Rover exerted force with both hands, using the momentum to fling Aeron into the air.
"Arsène" immediately shot out from under Aeron, swiping its claws at Rover to create distance between them.
"It's not over yet! You'll need another 2000 years to defeat me!"
"If you keep scrambling around pathetically like this, that line won't carry as much weight as you think."
With graceful composure, Carlotta spoke these words aloud while raising her gun, firing ice crystals toward Aeron's landing spot just as he threw his grappling hook again to reposition.
But such a petty maneuver naturally wouldn't escape Aeron's notice.
At lightning speed, Aeron drew his gun with his free hand, tracked the ice crystal, and without hesitation immediately pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The gunshot echoed simultaneously with the sound of two bullets colliding—using a bullet to counter a bullet. This was the confidence Instant Mastery gave Aeron!
Though the System was stingy, at least it retained its value!
Passing through the freezing mist from the shattered ice crystal, Aeron landed smoothly. Then, enduring the bone-piercing chill, he continued hurling trash talk at Carlotta.
"N-n-n-not even c-c-close to enough, Second Young Lady! You need more practice!"
"Even frozen stiff, you're still doing this. No one else but you would."
Carlotta stood on the stage, Aeron's blood soaking through her soles, but she had no time to dwell on that now.
He disrupted everything according to his own whims, placing himself against everyone else...
She was determined to see what grand finale he had prepared for this Carnevale, even at the cost of such immense suffering.
If there were questions, they could wait until it was all over.
Of course, the venue would be Montelli.
Carlotta began channeling the Resonance Power within her. The surrounding temperature gradually dropped, and dozens of crystalline guns identical to the one in her hand materialized out of thin air, all aimed at the freshly landed Aeron.
"Ready to welcome the new tide?"
"Don't make me laugh, Shorty! If you can pull it off, I wouldn't mind experiencing it firsthand!"
Though he spoke boldly, seeing the spectacle Carlotta alone had conjured left him slightly unnerved.
Damn, the gap between people was even wider than he'd imagined.
He'd known this even before crossing over, but now, that disparity was manifesting before him in a far more glaring form.
With Instant Mastery, Aeron could precisely control everything from the material composition of weapons to every possible offensive/defensive trajectory.
But clearly, their strength differed slightly from what he remembered.
Like how Rover could mow down the tidal waves of Echoes drawn by Aeron as effortlessly as cutting grass, with diffraction and annihilation flowing smoother than flipping pages.
Or how Carlotta could single-handedly form an army, turning summer into winter with her presence.
Unlike the Resonators with their powerful physiques, Aeron was just an ordinary person. Facing both of them simultaneously drained his stamina faster than he'd anticipated.
Worse still, while physical damage could be reset through revival, for Aeron who relied entirely on reflexes to handle situations, he truly couldn't maintain the same focus as when he started.
And there was another thing—who knew how long the audience's enthusiasm would last?
Ultimately, though Aeron had created such a spectacle, it was all thunder with little rain. This level of panic might help establish Carlotta's image among the people, but for—
For Aeron, this was far from enough.
To make the Rover the one who could lead all of Ragunna, just a little more unexpectedness was needed.
And now, the timing should be about right.
Whoosh!
Just as Carlotta was preparing to fire, intending to add some stage effects to the drama prepared for Aeron, a crimson sword shadow shot into the air. It moved so swiftly that even she failed to react immediately.
Boom!
In an instant, dust erupted from the spot where Aeron had been standing, obscuring everyone's vision.
"Aeron!?"
Faced with this sudden turn of events, Carlotta was momentarily thrown into disarray, but she quickly took action. The crystalline guns fired simultaneously, this time not shooting ice crystals but beams of resonant energy.
The beams pierced through the dust, dispersing it and illuminating the figure within.
"!"
There, in the place where Aeron had stood, Hecate's whip-blade had pierced through Aeron's shoulder, pinning him firmly to the ground.
"Had enough of the drama?"
A cold, chilling voice came from above. The performer of Fractsidus was seated atop a ring, ignoring everything around her, slowly descending above the stage, her gaze locked intently on Aeron before her.
"Wanting to die... is often not that easy, right?"
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