Chapter 141 : 141-Downfall

"Everyone, this fight is reaching a critical moment! Sir Solos has just jumped away from Michael, creating some distance... but wait! What's this?" As the woman observed everything, a smile appeared on her lips, and she nodded, saying, "Hmm... even though I'm really mad at him, I have to admit, that kid is impressive. How did such a weak family like the Kamsturs end up with someone like him?" It was almost like she could predict what was going to happen next. Anyway, she quickly shifted her attention back to the live match broadcast. The Journalist continued: "Out of nowhere, a small white stone has been thrown toward Michael's feet! He's noticed it and—yes—he's jumped back just in time!" The screen zooms in as the stone detonates, releasing a thick white smoke that engulfs the entire battlefield. "An explosion! The area is now completely covered in white smoke! We can't see a thing, folks—only the echoing clash of metal and stone fills the air! Listen closely, you can hear their weapons meeting, but there's no visual confirmation of the action happening within the smoke." The tension builds as the seconds tick by, with only the relentless sound of blades clashing against something unknown... "It's been almost a minute, and still, we can't see a thing! What is happening inside that cloud? Sir Michael should be somewhere in there... but we don't know what going in there?" Suddenly, the clashing stops. The silence is almost deafening as the thick smoke begins to clear. "The smoke is dissipating, there is no clashing sounds... What will we be seeing folks?" The scene that unfolds shocked the journalist... "Unbelievable! There's Onylitor's giant stone body, standing tall... but wait—his head—it's gone! What has happened to Onylitor? And more importantly... where is Sir Michael?" The camera zooms in on Solos, who frantically scans the battlefield for any sign of his opponent. "Sir Solos is scanning the area, seemingly in search of Sir Michael, yet there's still no trace of him. Where could Sir Michael have gone?" Suddenly, Solos reacts, as if realizing something critical. Something's clicked! Solos has turned to defend himself, his instincts flaring! He raised his sword... but no—it's too late! A massive gust of air slices through, shattering his blade in half! In the next instant, a gust of wind cut through Solus's head, giving him no chance to respond. The reporter resumed speaking. "Everyone, Sir Solos is no more—" Before the reporter could finish, a ringtone disrupted the serious atmosphere in the room. The middle-aged woman let out a frustrated sigh. "Ugh... Who is bothering me now?" With a swift motion, she summoned a translucent smartphone from thin air, sweeping her hand sideways. She checked the caller ID, hesitated for a moment, then answered, "Yeah, I completed the work you asked for..." The caller's voice came through, muffled but inaudible. "No, no, that fat guy is dead..." As the conversation went on, a sense of silence filled the room, changing the mood among those listening. "No, I didn't kill him..." The clock ticked, showing the time as 11:49 a.m. The woman continued her call. "Hmm, he took his own life by slicing his neck..." For some reason, she misled the other person by saying the fat man was bleeding from his cut-off neck. In reality, there wasn't a single tiny injury on his neck; blood was only dripping from his severed right shoulder... "Alright, alright, I'll return right away!" After a brief exchange, she hung up and took one last look at the TV. The reporter's voice resonated in the background: "That concludes our segment for now. We'll be taking a short break, but rest assured our live telecast will continue without interruption. Stay tuned for more updates and important stories, and we'll return shortly with further analysis. Thank you for watching News24!" Then, the screen showing the reporter shrank and vanished, leaving only the displays of the top ten participants. When the woman noticed that Michael wasn't on the list and had disappeared from all the screens, she let out a disappointed sigh. "As much as I want to watch your game, given everything that just happened, I don't think I can stay. Sorry, my baby, maybe next time!" With that, her figure began to fade away. In a matter of moments, the room was empty, leaving only the lifeless body of the fat man with blood flowing around him. The clock continued to tick, birds chirped outside, and sunlight poured in through the windows. Unfortunately, at that moment, she failed to notice something crucial that was set to happen in just a few minutes... Very... Crucial... Something that the entire human population was about to witness... *** "Urhhh.. Fuck, maintaining it is unbelievably hard for me!" A young man stood in the heart of the dense jungle, leaning on his sword and panting heavily. It was clear that exhaustion had taken its toll. That young man was... Infact me. I wasn't worn out from an enemy's attack, but from my own abilities. A moment earlier, I had activated my Dash skill, but unintentionally triggered my Rage skill as well. Rage doubled my stats, and Dash sent my speed soaring to an incredible level—definitely faster than mid-platinum rank. Even though I could have ended the fight easily, I chose to toy with Solos. In just two seconds, I was circling him, leaving him utterly confused. I could have killed him instantly, but I wanted to enjoy the moment. When I finally had enough, I stopped and swiftly sliced his neck. He had no time to react—he was dead before he hit the ground. As I caught my breath, a rustling sound from a nearby General Sherman tree grabbed my attention. I looked up and spotted another guy perched on a branch. The second he saw me, he launched himself toward me, sword in hand, moving with incredible speed. His quick attack surprised me, but I stayed calm... Then... I dashed forward without a second thought, launching myself into the air to meet him head-on, sword raised and poised to strike. With a burst of unbelievable speed, I closed the distance between us and struck him down before he even had a chance to react. My sword sliced cleanly through, and in an instant, his body crumpled, lifeless. But as soon as the adrenaline faded, the toll of my actions hit me like a crashing wave. Even though this was a virtual game, the strain on my body was immense. Maintaining the speed of mid- to high-platinum rank wasn't easy, and the fatigue finally caught up with me which led to my current condition... I felt completely mentally drained. Taking a deep breath, I looked up at the hologram in the sky displaying the leaderboard: 1) James Wilson: 2340 points 2) Jack Smith: 2250 points 3) Sam Smith: 2190 points 4) Anna Parkour: 2160 points 5) Allen Smith: 2100 points "Huh..." I sighed. The leaderboard was unchanged—James was still in the lead. When I shifted my attention from the names to the clock, I saw it was 11:51 a.m. There were only 9 minutes left until the match ended. I had all but given up on winning, realizing it was almost impossible for me to climb back up the ranks now. Still, I figured I should try to take down a few more monsters to keep some dignity, especially since this was being live-streamed to everyone. If I just sat here and did nothing, it could cause problems for me and the Frostburne family. With that thought in mind, I turned and began moving in a random direction. But then... Hmm? A sound suddenly caught my attention. It was the unmistakable noise of someone running. The sound grew louder, getting closer with every passing second. I could hear it clearly now. What's happening? Where is that noise coming from? Who's running? I carefully scanned my surroundings, but I couldn't see anyone. Yet, the sound of footsteps continued to grow louder, echoing through the trees. Where is it? Despite searching all around and checking every angle, I still couldn't find the source of the noise. It felt like it was coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Then, I heard a familiar voice call out, "Yo, Michael!" I quickly spun around, scanning the area, but couldn't see anyone. That voice—it had to be Allen. He's definitely up to something. In the middle of this competition, it was hard to believe he wasn't planning something. The fact that he was staying hidden only made me more suspicious. I knew I had to stay on guard, but without knowing his location, I figured keeping him talking might give me the time I needed to figure out where he was. Keeping my voice calm, I called out, "Allen, what's up?" He responded in his usual, upbeat tone, "Nothing, bro! Just thought I'd meet up with you, so I came straight here!" As he spoke, I listened carefully, trying to pinpoint his location based on his voice. Okay, he's somewhere to my right... Feigning casualness, I asked, "Meet up for what?" He laughed lightly, "For nothing, man. Why do you think I'm here for something?" He was getting closer. I could tell. I closed my eyes, tuning in to the sound of his footsteps. 50 meters... 45... 30... I stayed silent, listening intently as he continued, "Come on, bro, I'm not that shady!" 20 meters... 10... 5... Now! Without a second thought, I dropped my sword, swiftly drew both of my daggers, and turned around, fully prepared for whatever was coming next. Then... *Clang!* The sound of metal rang through the air as my daggers clashed with Allen's sword, neither of us willing to give ground. With a smirk, I said, "Yeah, you're not shady at all, but..." In a swift move, I aimed a kick at his shin to break the deadlock. I couldn't see exactly where his shin was, but it wasn't hard to figure out. "Sorry, man, this is a virtual world—anything is possible!" My foot connected with his leg, maybe his thigh, but it worked. Allen stumbled back just enough for me to free myself and reset my stance. Allen chuckled, his voice light but with a hint of something more serious. "Bro, I swear, I just came to meet up. Why won't you believe me?" Bullshit... I stayed on guard, not convinced. "If that's true, then why aren't you leaving?" His smile faded, the atmosphere growing tense. In a low voice, he said, "Don't blame me for what happens next." Yeah... Expected it... Without warning, Allen charged at me, sword raised high. His sudden attack didn't took me by surprise, as my instincts kicked in, and I reacted quickly. In seconds, he was right in front of me, his eyes filled with intense focus. He swung his sword down in a vicious vertical arc, aiming to slice me in half. I may be a simple, weak-minded guy, but that doesn't mean I'll be going down easily... I didn't hesitate and lifted both my daggers to block the strike. The metal clashed together with a loud bang, sending sparks flying between us. The brief flash lit up the intensity of the fight, but just as I prepared to push back, Allen did something totally unexpected. He let go of his sword. What? What is he... Before I could even think, his right hand shot forward, reaching for my neck. Shit! He is aiming to strangle me... I barely had time to react, jerking my head back as his fingers brushed against my skin... His right hand barely brushed against my chest, and I felt a surge of relief—I had managed to avoid him. *Sigh* Saved myself... Just as that thought crossed my mind, Allen exclaimed cheerfully, "Bro, you know what? You were right—anything is possible!" What is he talking about? He continued, "Anyway, like I said before, don't blame me!" Feeling confused, I asked, "What do you mean—" Before I could finish, Allen cut me off with an unusually sharp tone, "Move!" In an instant, everything around me shifted drastically, leaving me with no time to comprehend what was happening. "Huh?" The air slammed into my face like a fierce gust of wind. Why is the air rushing past me so quickly? And why can't I feel the ground beneath my feet? Looking down, I was stunned to see something unexpected... What? That I was falling from a mountain... Wait a minute! When did this happen? How did I get up here? Wasn't I just fighting with Allen? Then how...? As I plummeted deep down, a sudden realization hit me. "Crap, his special ability..." He must have triggered it when he touched me, sending me here. From what I could gather, his powers were connected to teleportation. The twist is that instead of teleporting himself, he could only teleport someone else. Hmm... But the catch is that he needs to touch a person to activate it; otherwise, it won't work. That's what I figured out from our last fight. But then, the harsh reality of my situation crashed down on me as the air whipped past my body—fuck, What the heck am I wasting time thinking for? I'm falling right now!