Tsukuru used his Stasis Shift Skill on the Paleneedle Rapier, causing it to return to his hand.
He thendashed at the remaining Hobgoblin.
Her face twisted in irritation, she wrenched her arm upwards and diagonally, the spear pointed right at Tsukuru.
She threw it like a javelin.
As the spear traveled, the sound of electronic interference could be heard, and Tsukuru's body took on the likeness of a light-blue hologram.
Just as the spearhead was about to reach him, Tsukuru glitched out of existence.
The Hobgoblin grit her teeth.
'Damn it!' she thought.
A moment later, she heard the sound of electronic interference again.
The Hobgoblin began frantically looking back and forth. She had learned from the previous "wave" that Tsukuru would not always appear behind her.
Eventually, she made her decision on where to look.
'Alright, there's no way that he would appear in front of me TWO TIMES IN A ROW!' she thought.
She snapped her head behind her…and saw nothing.
A moment later, she felt a sharp pain in her chest.
Directly in front of her, Tsukuru had his arm extended up at an angle, the Paleneedle Rapier pierced right through her heart.
The Hobgoblin coughed up a bit of blood, and fell backwards.
She crashed to the floor and exploded into pixels.
A System message appeared in front of Tsukuru.
[You have killed an Infantry-Rank Pawn-Grade Hobgoblin. Video Emperor's Battle Arena-Exclusive Effect: 60 XP received. XP: 1025/8000]
***
A fair distance away from Tsukuru, the last remaining Dark Elf loaded an arrow in her bow, and aimed it at the back of Tsukuru's neck.
She released the bowstring. The tension of the bow was released in one sudden moment, and the arrow was sent flying through the air at high speeds.
However, the moment that the arrowhead made contact with the back of Tsukuru's neck, it only succeeded in pushing him forward before the arrow then lost all of its kinetic energy and fell to the ground.
Tsukuru snapped his head around, and locked eyes with the Dark Elves.
He subconsciously slipped his hand under the helmet, and rubbed his neck.
Tsukuru then began running towards her.
As he did, he activated his Ability. The sound of electronic interference could be heard, and pixels began to appear in his hand.
The pixels clustered together into a cylinder. The cylinder also had a thick cap on the top with a right trapezoid attached to the top. There also seemed to be a long, thin handle coming out of the back of the top of the trapezoid, reached down to the center of the cylinder.
There was a flash of light.
When it faded, the cylinder came into existence. The cylinder was completely made out of a clear material like glass, with the "cap" being made out of a silver metal.
Additionally, the clear cylinder was filled with something that looked a metallic-silver powder. Almost like iron sand.
Tsukuru clamped his hand around the handle, pressing it against the side of the cylinder. Then, he threw it high into the air.
As it did, the metal cap popped off, leaving just the clear cylinder behind.
The Dark Elf loaded a new arrow into her bow, aiming to shoot whatever that was out of the sky before it reached her.
Then, her eyes narrowed.
The metal powder in the canister was beginning to glow a bright yellow.
A moment later, a huge flash of bright light filled the arena.
Tsukuru brought his arm up in front of his face to block the bright light.
The Dark Elf wasn't as lucky.
As both of her hands were occupied, she had no way to protect her eyes.
To her, it felt as if a high-powered flashlight had just been shone directly in her eyes.
A moment later, the light died down.
But even so, the Dark Elf still couldn't see.
She dropped her bow and arrow, and immediately began rubbing her eyes.
"My eyes!" she replied. "I can't see anything! What was that?"
While she was rubbing her eyes, she once again heard the sound of electronic interference.
Then, she heard it again, directly behind her.
It was soon followed by a piercing pain through the back of her chest and through the front.
Her whole body froze, and she fell straight forward like a cut three.
Directly behind her, Tsukurucould be seen. He had his right arm extended up at an angle, clearly having just stabbed the Dark Elf through the chest with the Paleneedle Rapier.
"A flash grenade," Tsukuru replied, answering the Dark Elf's earlier question.
A moment later, the Dark Elf exploded into pixels, and two System messages appeared in front of Tsukuru.
[You have killed an Infantry-Rank Pawn-Grade Dark Elf. Video Emperor's Battle Arena-Exclusive Effect: 60 XP received. XP: 1085/8000]
[Intermediate-Tier Paleneedle Rapier's Passive Skill Leech Drain has been activated. +2 HP. HP is currently full. No HP recovered.
Skill Leech Drain is now in cool-down. Time remaining: 10 seconds.]
Tsukuru then walked back to where the remains of the "flash grenade" were. The cylinder looked completely scorched black in multiple areas, as if it had just been burned in a fire. Additionally, the metallic powder inside was now a dull gray color, looking like ashes.
"A flash grenade, huh?" Reiju asked.
'Relatively simple tomake,' Tsukuru thought back. 'It's essentially just a modern grenade packed with manganese powder.'
A moment later, Tsukuru once again heard the sound of electronic interference.
Looking over to the far side of the arena, he saw ten groups of pixels beginning to form. They all clustered together into the arachnoid shape of the Swarmers.
Tsukuru let out a sigh, and took out a Stick Grenade from his System's Equipment Tab. Pixels began to form in his hand, clustering together into the shape of the iron rod with the cylinder attached.
The glowing light of the pixels then died down, revealing the grenade.
Once the Swarmers fully manifested and let out their battlecry, Tsukuru threw the grenade. Then, as it was flying through the air, he took out another one.
He threw that one at the Swarmers as well.
Two large explosions were heard, and the ten Swarmers were easily dealt with.
A set of two System messages appeared in front of Tsukuru.
[You have killed 10 Swarmers.
Wave 2 is now complete.
You have received 2 Battle Points.
Battle Points: 4
You have received 100 Gold.
Current Balance: 1,240 Gold]
[Wave 3 will now begin. Would you like to continue?
[Continue] [Retire] ]
Before continuing to the next wave, Tsukuru took this opportunity to reload his Scordana Gunblade.
He stabbed his Paleneedle Rapier into the concrete floor of the arena, and retrieved his Scordana Gunblade from the System's Equipment Tab.
Pixels began to appear in his hand, and cluster together into the form of the weapon in it's "gun mode", as that was the mode the gun was in when he put it into the System's Equipment Tab. The glowing light of the pixels then faded, revealing the weapon.
Tsukuru pressed the button on the side, causing the cylinder to swing open.
He held the gun upside-down and knocked out the six empty cartridges on the arena floor.
Then, he activated his Ability.
The sound of electronic interference could be heard, and pixels began to appear in his hand.
The pixels clustered together into the shape of another speed loader.
There was a bright flash of light, and the speed loader fully manifested.
Tsukuru placed the "wheel"bullets-side down on top of the gunblade's cylinder. Then, he twisted the knob counter-clockwise.
The "wheel" jerked upwards, and Tsukuru pulled it away. Underneath, the gunblade's cylinder was filled with six new Paleneedle Bullets.
Tsukuru pushed the cylinder back into place, and an audible "click" was heard.
He then placed the gunblade back in his System's Equipment Tab, causing it to take on the likeness of a hologram, and explode into pixels.
Tsukuru then picked up the Paleneedle Rapier once again, and pressed the "Continue" option.
The rectangular bar lit up, and an electronic "beep" was heard.
Just like before, Tsukuru's body became enveloped in an aura of green light, and he felt a warm, soothing sensation flood his body.
A set of two System messages appeared in front of him.
[Your In-Game HP, Energy, and Stamina have been fully restored.
HP: 55/55
Energy: 180/180
Stamina: 15/15]
[Wave 3 will now begin.]
Tsukuru gulped.
Wave 2 had been the farthest he had made it into the Battle Arena up to this point. And it was all due to who, or rather, what appeared relatively early into the third wave. The Minotaur.
But hopefully, now that he was Level 10, most of his Skills had Leveled Up, had stronger Gear, and had all of his fighting experience up to this point, things would end differently.
The sound of electronic interference was heard, and Tsukuru turned his attention to the far side of the arena.