Pheww...
I was kind of nervous standing on the training ground.
I had tried my best to use deception, since manipulation wasn't exactly my forte.
It was 2 a.m.
I was wearing my uniform without the coat because, well, I didn't have one anymore. I had given my original coat to Yash, after all.
I could switch into Trigger 4 now.
Master Krishna must have deduced my entire fighting style by now. He would surely use everything he knew to counter me, even if he was holding back his speed.
While I was thinking about it, he arrived on the battlefield.
He wouldn't attack. He would remain defensive throughout the fight.
He wouldn't use his strongest attacks or defensive techniques.
I would never get an opportunity like this again.
If I failed here, I wouldn't be able to train under him.
If I passed, it would be my first step toward my goal.
Krishna: The fight begins now.
He said calmly.
The moment he finished speaking, I rushed toward him.
As soon as I reached a certain radius around him, I stopped.
He didn't show even the slightest hint of surprise.
Seems like everything was going according to his plan.
Fine.
Let's see how long that lasts.
[Pratik]: Range Shiftling, Convergence.
I had never used this technique around him.
I hadn't even mentioned it when he asked me about everything I had learned after returning.
I had been hiding it this entire time for one reason—
To use it here.
I activated Convergence, ensuring that even my missed attacks would eventually converge toward him.
Even if he tried to run away, I could still redirect my attacks toward him.
Before he could react, I activated my Trigger.
[Pratik]: Trigger 1, Acceleration. Range Shiftling, Amplification.
I increased my speed and amplified it even further.
How was he planning to escape this?
All my converging attacks suddenly deflected away.
At the same time, I felt an enormous pressure building near my chest.
I immediately jumped backward.
[Krishna]: Divergence is the perfect counter to Convergence. I didn't apply it through a Range Shiftling, so its effective range is limited to my immediate surroundings.
He glanced at my hand, which was pressed against my chest.
[Krishna]: Seems my Divergence diverted your Convergence as well. The blood around your heart temporarily converged.
Oh, crap.
I had been reckless.
Of course he would have a counter to my techniques.
And I had never even considered using a technique without a Range Shiftling.
Range Shiftling was merely an extended application of one's core techniques.
Even my Triggers were derived from core techniques.
Maybe I should practice using those properly sometime.
[Pratik]: Trigger 1, deactivate. Trigger 4, Plasma!
My body turned slightly blue.
The air around me began turning into plasma.
I made sure to keep the effect contained so it wouldn't damage the training ground.
Fortunately, the training ground itself was ridiculously durable.
Hundreds of protective and energy-absorbing barriers surrounded it.
Now I could speed-blitz him.
At least, that's what I thought.
In an instant, I appeared directly behind him.
He couldn't perfectly track my movement.
Perfect.
Or maybe not.
Before I could even touch him—
He disappeared.
I expected this.
Beating him wouldn't be that easy.
He had prepared teleportation in advance.
But that meant he could only teleport somewhere within the training ground.
I could still attack him whenever he appeared.
He wouldn't have enough time to react.
I turned around and saw him reappearing in another location.
Aha!
I dashed toward him.
Just then—
He disappeared again.
In the blink of an eye, he teleported billions of times while I desperately tried to hit him at every location.
Eventually, I returned to my base form.
He finally appeared in front of me.
[Krishna]: What I set up wasn't teleportation.
He paused.
[Krishna]: It was an initiation chain.
I stared at him.
[Krishna]: You were the catalyst, by the way.
Huh?
[Krishna]: I never deactivated my Divergence, did I?
My eyes widened.
I understood.
He had been using Divergence as a sensor.
The moment I entered a certain radius, my Convergence clashed with his Divergence, triggering the teleportation chain.
I had been the one activating it the entire time.
I was basically clowning myself.
Or maybe not.
What should I do?
What should I do?!
I couldn't even touch him while he was heavily handicapped.
I closed my eyes and thought for a moment.
I needed to change my final plan.
His Divergence was probably still active.
In that case...
[Pratik]: Range Shiftling, Reversal.
I set the radius to twenty metres.
It was short.
Far too short to reach Master Krishna.
But that was exactly what I wanted.
[Pratik]: Range Shiftling, Divergence.
Now this would be fun.
Waves generated from nowhere shot toward Master Krishna.
He dodged them effortlessly.
Wait.
Did he smile?
No.
That must have been my imagination.
Maybe it was.
Maybe it wasn't.
Urgh.
Why am I even thinking about that?!
This was my chance.
[Pratik]: Range Shiftling, Shadow Lord!
Before Master Krishna could react, he was pulled inside my Range Shiftling.
How did that work?
Easy.
I used our Divergences against each other.
By activating Reversal over a shorter range, I created a sort of conductor.
The current was Divergence.
Normally, Range Shiftling: Divergence would operate around its user.
But because of Reversal, I redirected it toward Master Krishna like a current.
When it reached the boundary of Reversal, it interacted with Krishna's Divergence, creating destructive interference.
At that exact moment, I activated Range Shiftling: Shadow Lord through my Divergence, allowing it to cover him as well.
Now he was inside my Range Shiftling.
Maybe...
Maybe I could actually win.
I deactivated his Divergence since it was similar enough to mine that my analysis could shut it down inside my Range Shiftling.
If I had attacked before doing that, I was sure he would have used the destructive interference against me.
I had stripped away every advantage he had.
A bead of sweat rolled down my forehead.
I could see my victory.
Yet I still felt uncertain.
I froze.
What if everything was going according to his plan?
What if my excitement and lowered guard were also part of his plan?
Was I becoming paranoid?
This man was too cunning.
I needed to trust my instincts more than my strategies.
Because no matter how many strategies I created, I couldn't beat him if he was always several steps ahead.
I closed my eyes and attacked blindly.
Many of his techniques were being deactivated within my Range Shiftling.
[Pratik]: Range Shiftling, Convergence!
The moment our two Convergences collided, they created a spatial distortion that attempted to suck both of us inside.
I immediately deactivated his Convergence.
[Pratik]: Trigger 1, Acceleration!
I dashed toward him.
He teleported away.
I immediately deactivated his spatial manipulation.
I tried punching him again—
He disappeared.
Again?!
That was frustrating.
He had teleported away once more.
I realized he had more than one method of escaping.
In that case...
[Pratik]: Trigger, deactivate. Range Shiftling, Pressure!
I applied immense pressure within a certain range that included Master Krishna.
He should have been experiencing enormous pressure.
At least 1.989856 × 10¹⁷ pascals.
I was certain of it.
This won't even scratch him.
He was standing within my peak range, because my Divergence was forcing the effective range of my abilities to extend.
Now was the perfect time to unleash my final move.
I threw a blade toward him.
Another went above him.
And another to his left.
I deactivated the Pressure around him.
He teleported away.
The blades teleported with him.
He appeared behind me.
Then—
[Krishna]: You passed.
I froze.
Then smirked.
There was a tiny scratch on his cheek.
He healed it instantly.
How had that happened?
Simple.
I had covered one blade with Dark Energy Reserves, another with Hypermass, and the last with Pressure and spatial manipulation.
The blade covered in spatial manipulation interfered with his teleportation, creating a tiny delay.
The Dark Energy Reserves blade was merely a distraction.
He sensed it and deflected it.
Meanwhile, the blade carrying Hypermass and Pressure struck his cheek.
I deactivated my Range Shiftling: Shadow Lord.
I had passed.
I knew he had been spying on me the previous day.
Therefore, all the plans I had made yesterday were fake.
Deception.
My conversations with my friends about my plans...
My attempts to hide the mechanisms behind my core techniques...
Even my apparent attempts to figure out a strategy—
All of it had been part of the deception.
He probably assumed that since I was hiding my core mechanisms, those plans were the real ones.
Exactly what I wanted him to think.
I won!
I laughed in joy.
*
Evening.
Krishna was sitting in his enormous office, checking some paperwork.
[Krishna]: You can't hide your presence from me.
He said calmly.
Arun suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
[Arun]: I can if I actually want to. I heard Pratik defeated you.
He said with a playful smile.
[Krishna]: Yeah. Totally.
Arun raised an eyebrow.
[Arun]: How would you score him?
[Krishna]: I had decided that four would be the passing score. He surpassed my expectations and scored eight.
Arun smiled.
[Krishna]: He picked up my clues well. He realized that he needed to use the initiation of his Divergence. I had dozens of ways to escape his speed blitz, but I deliberately used teleportation initiation so he could figure out what was happening.
Krishna sighed.
[Krishna]: He was smart. He realized I had been spying on him the previous day and successfully faked his plans. Very good deception.
[Arun]: Yeah. He started deviating from those plans pretty early during the battle.
[Krishna]: Moreover, if I were in his place, I would have used Hypermass and Pressure somewhat differently. He could have secured an early victory without giving me any hints.
Krishna leaned back.
[Krishna]: Those were his shortcomings. That's why he lost two marks. Real battles won't give you many chances.
[Arun]: Yeah, whatever. So, I guess you'll be training him now.
Arun narrowed his eyes.
His playful smile slowly faded.
[Krishna]: And you'll be dealing with my paperwork.
Arun's expression immediately went blank.
Arun (thinking): Knew it.
To be continued...