Musou Knight: Crow of Cinders-Chapter 65: Entrance Ceremony Duel – Crow VS Rock Norg

Chapter 65 - Entrance Ceremony Duel – Crow VS Rock Norg

Elite mobs with magical weapons had quite a status, slightly below lieutenant tier but higher than other elites. The key difference was their loot table.

A regular mob had less than a 1 in 10,000 chance of dropping an item. The chance of an elite mob yielding food, wine, or talismans was a mere 2%. Conversely, elite mobs possessed distinct loot tables, influenced by the items they wielded. Besides guaranteeing a common item drop, they sometimes left their items behind after dying.

But named elites were different. Their loot tables reflected the gear they wielded. They guaranteed at least a common drop and sometimes left their weapons behind when they died. Although those items became irrelevant in mid-to-late game, they were the bread and butter of player income.

My eyes locked on Rock’s twin swords. I salivated. This time, I might have to go all out and murder someone.

But should I? Would it risk exposing my secrets?

Debating was pointless. I shoved the thought aside and focused on his next move.

Rock didn’t move. He stood still, watching me. Then he took three deliberate strides, closing the distance into striking range.

No musou energy yet. Just a test swing at my exposed side.

The counter-indicator flashed, then vanished before I could react. I stepped back, letting the sweep miss.

He followed with a twin-sword sweep aimed at my arms. This time, his blades glowed red. I retreated two more steps, dodging cleanly.

Rock spun, jabbing with his left sword, a rhythm-breaking fast strike. An orange circle appeared, highlighting his wrist.

I had been waiting for this. I triggered bullet time. My blade twisted, targeting his wrist.

CLANK!

Instead of slicing through and sending his hand flying along with the weapon, my sword struck a transparent energy layer. It shattered, kicking his arm upward.

Rock staggered, then countered with a diagonal slash from his right sword. Another orange circle lit up.

Easy counter. I deflected it. His arms and blades were wide open. His chest and face were exposed.

Still in bullet time, I thrust at his left eye.

Die, bozo!

CLANK! 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Another barrier shattered. The impact rocked him backward, sending him tumbling across the platform.

I recognized the pattern. The invisible barrier was a work of defensive talismans, commonly wielded by specific stage bosses in the mid-to-late game phases. Fortunately, they were expensive, consumable products. Most bosses carried around two to five talismans to negate fatal strikes. Rock had already used two. I doubted a named elite mob like him could afford more.

Rock had already burned through two. For a named elite mob like him, the chance of him having more than two was slim.

I canceled bullet time, saving my musou gauge. There might be more opponents. I had to conserve my stamina and energy.

Rock climbed back to his feet. His bloodshot eyes glared at me. We stopped moving.

Meanwhile, the arena crowd held its breath, then erupted.

"TOO FAST! WHAT WAS THAT?!"

"Did you see their movements?!"

"Are they even human?!"

I couldn’t blame them. That exchange had lasted maybe one or two seconds. The orange circles just shrank too fast.

Rock Norg had the qualifications for the top elite class. Unfortunately for him, this duel exposed his reliance on artifacts and other weaknesses. The other guys in the royal knight class should have sensed this by now.

Also, I hated the fact that I had the elemental disadvantage.

Knights with elemental disadvantages had shorter counter windows. The orange circle shrank two to three times faster depending on level differences. Some attacks became outright impossible to block or counter. If a knight was three levels below their opponent, the orange counter mechanic wouldn’t manifest unless they held the elemental advantage.

"You... do you realize what you’ve done?!"

Rock staggered back, veins bulging in his neck as he shouted.

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU’VE DONE?! I AM ROCK NORG, SON OF MARQUIS NORG! MY BLOODLINE IS SACRED! MY FUTURE GUARANTEED! YOU THINK YOU CAN HUMILIATE ME IN FRONT OF THIS CROWD?!"

He jabbed a trembling finger at me. His voice cracked between rage and panic.

"THOSE TALISMANS WERE GIFTS FROM MY FATHER! GIFTS MEANT FOR WAR, NOT FOR SOME FILTHY COMMONER TO FORCE OUT IN A DUEL! DO YOU REALIZE THE COST?! DO YOU REALIZE THE INSULT?!"

His face twisted, half fury, half desperation.

"YOU’RE TRYING TO KILL ME! ME! THE HEIR TO A MARQUISATE! THIS IS TREASON! THIS IS BLASPHEMY! I WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD FOR THIS!"

My brother in Christ. The caps.

If he didn’t want me to kill him, why challenge me to a duel in the first place?

Having had enough of this clown, I charged.

Seeing me rush forward, Rock bellowed. Water surged beneath his feet, twisting into a black liquid tornado that wrapped around him like a shield.

I clicked my tongue and halted mid-charge. A drop of that stuff would melt flesh and bone into goo.

Since close-quarters combat was off the table, I kept my distance and drew a dagger from my hip pocket. Musou energy condensed into the blade, turning it crimson.

I shouted, unleashing the ultimate musou attack and emptying my musou gauge.

"HAH!"

The dagger left my hand, transforming midair into a flame bird. It pierced the swirling acid, carving a hole through the tornado. Emerging on the other side, the crow dissolved, reverting into a half-melted dagger that clattered to the ground.

The tornado collapsed. Black rain poured across the stage, but the acid’s bite was gone.

At the center stood a motionless man. A hole gaped in his forehead, and his entire head caught fire. His body crumpled, with bloodshot eyes staring blankly into nothing.

When musou attacks or regular attacks collided, the advantageous element always won. A perfectly timed counter was an exception as usual. Ultimate musou attacks, however, always trumped regular musou attacks, provided the level gap was one or less.

That was Rock’s mistake. When fighting a fellow knight, never stand idly or wall yourself. Covering in a tornado shield like that was basically asking me to ult in his anus.

The match was over. I turned to Paul and glanced at the crowd, where Rock’s patrons and followers were.

As expected, their faces reddened. Their veins were bulging.