Nate memuat satu set lima gergaji bundar yang terhubung ke dalam kompartemen amunisi CS-01 Ballista dengan kecepatan luar biasa. Tangannya bergerak di atas senjata mekanis itu tanpa ragu, memasang gergaji yang terhubung ke posisinya sebelum jari-jarinya langsung meraih tuas. Dia menariknya. Roda gigi di dalam CS-01 Ballista bergerak cepat. Komponen logam bergeser satu sama lain saat mekanisme bersiap menembak. BANG! Lima gergaji bundar melesat keluar dari Ballista. Mereka terpisah satu sama lain saat terbang, masing-masing berputar dengan kecepatan tinggi sambil mengambil jalur berbeda menuju Ezra. Ezra segera mendorong tubuhnya menjauh dari tanah. Tubuhnya bergerak sebelum gergaji pertama bisa mencapainya. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Lima gergaji bundar menghantam platform satu demi satu. Tepi berputarnya menggigit ke dalam panggung, menembus permukaan dan mengirim pecahan batu dan kayu ke luar. Salju dan batu pecah sedikit terlempar ke udara di sekitar titik tumbukan, sementara suara tumbukan terus bergema di seluruh arena. Dalam gerakan yang sama, Ezra meraih ke dalam Space Bag-nya. Tangannya muncul memegang peluncur RPG-2 yang sudah terisi. Dia segera mengangkatnya. Tubuhnya tetap rendah saat dia cepat membidik posisi Nate. BANG! Ezra menarik pelatuknya. Proyektil RPG melesat melalui udara menuju Nate. Nate menyadarinya tepat saat dia hendak memuat ulang CS-01 Ballista. Tangannya berhenti. Proyektil itu sudah hanya beberapa inci dari menghantam dia dan Ballista. Alih-alih menyelesaikan pengisian ulangnya, Nate segera melompat dari CS-01 Ballista. Boom! Ledakan menelan area itu. CS-01 Ballista terlempar oleh kekuatan ledakan, struktur kayu besarnya hancur saat beberapa komponen logam terlepas dan terlempar ke seluruh platform pertarungan. Beberapa puing menghantam medan gaya yang melindungi penonton. Dampak terhadap penghalang menghasilkan suara tajam yang bercampur dengan raungan ledakan. Tubuh Nate berguling keluar dari asap dan api yang telah menelan area tempat dia berdiri. Dia terus berguling beberapa meter sebelum segera menghentikan dirinya. Satu lutut menyentuh tanah. Kakinya yang lain menapak kuat di platform. Selama gerakan itu... Dia memasukkan tangannya ke dalam Space Bag. Lalu... Nate mengangkat kedua tangannya, kini memegang Acu-Vector Mk.I dan membidik sedikit ke atas. Bang! Dia menarik pelatuknya. Peluru besar dari senjata itu melesat ke udara. Untuk sesaat, peluru itu terus naik sebelum tiba-tiba terbuka. Jarum-jarum menyembur keluar darinya. Mereka menyebar di langit di atas panggung sebelum menghujani posisi Ezra. Pada saat itu, Ezra memasukkan kembali RPG-2 ke dalam Space Bag-nya dan mengeluarkan Glock 19 dan Kel-Tec PMR-30 lagi. Dia mengangkat kedua tangannya. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Ezra menembak dengan akurat ke arah jarum-jarum yang datang. Dia tidak sekadar menembak secara acak ke arah serangan yang jatuh. Mata hitam polosnya melacak jarum-jarum saat turun, dan dia memastikan untuk menargetkan yang datang langsung ke posisinya terlebih dahulu. Lalu dia menyesuaikan sudut beberapa tembakannya. Alih-alih menghancurkan jarum-jarum itu langsung, dia membidik ke sisi-sisinya. Peluru-peluru menghantamnya dari berbagai sudut, membuat jalurnya melenceng. Beberapa jarum bertabrakan satu sama lain di udara. Clink! Clink! Clink! Clink! Beberapa jarum baja saling bertabrakan dan berubah arah, jatuh menjauh dari Ezra sementara dia terus menembaki yang lain. Lebih banyak jarum berjatuhan. Ezra terus menembak. Suara dua pistolnya terus terdengar di seluruh panggung saat setiap tembakan ditempatkan di tempat yang seharusnya. Saat serangan berakhir, jarum-jarum telah berjatuhan di tanah di sekelilingnya. Beberapa tertancap di panggung. Yang lain tergeletak berserakan di permukaan yang rusak. Tapi tidak ada satu pun yang mencapai posisi Ezra sedikit pun. Ezra tidak berhenti setelah berhasil memblokir serangan itu. Dia melesat ke depan. Nate juga tidak menunggu. Setelah menembakkan Acu-Vector Mk.I, dia memasukkan senjata itu kembali ke Space Bag-nya dan segera mengeluarkan dua Horned Pistol. Saat Ezra mulai melesat, Nate sudah menyerang. Tapi bukan peluru dari Horned Pistol yang dia tembakkan ke Ezra. Dua jarum tebal melesat ke depan. Mereka meluncur menuju Ezra dengan kekuatan senjata di belakangnya, tubuh baja mereka berbentuk seperti tanduk saat membelah udara. Ezra bereaksi sambil terus bergerak maju. Dia melompat. Tubuhnya berputar akrobatis di udara saat dua jarum tebal itu melewatinya di bawah. Jarum-jarum itu meleset dari tubuhnya dengan jarak tipis. Mata hitam polos Ezra segera melirik ke tali baja tipis yang menempel pada jarum tebal Horned Pistol. Begitu kaki Ezra menyentuh tanah, Cognis mengalir melalui pembuluh darahnya dan masuk ke kakinya. Kecepatannya meningkat. Ezra melesat ke depan lebih cepat dari sebelumnya. Tanah di bawah kakinya sedikit retak karena ledakan kekuatan yang tiba-tiba. Nate mundur sedikit dan sekarang berdiri dengan benar, ketika matanya terkunci pada Ezra, yang tiba-tiba muncul di depannya. Lalu Nate menyadari sesuatu yang lain. Ezra tidak memegang pistolnya. Dan pada saat yang sama... Nate sudah menekan pelatuk Horned Pistol untuk waktu yang lama, membiarkan mekanismenya mulai menarik jarum tebal kembali ke arahnya. Jadi, ketika Ezra muncul tepat di depannya dalam jarak dekat... Jarum tebal itu menarik kembali. Mereka merobek mundur melalui udara dan kembali ke arah Horned Pistol. Nate mencengkeram kedua senjata itu dengan kuat. Tangan kanannya bergerak lebih dulu. Dia melakukan tusukan lurus ke arah Ezra. Ezra juga menggerakkan tangannya. Tapi kali ini... *** Jauh sebelum Festival Tempur Agung Tahun Pertama dimulai, selama persiapan latihannya untuk Festival, Ezra telah mempelajari kembali Seni Tai Chi-nya dari awal. Alasannya adalah Seni Kekuatan Instan yang dia pelajari dari Vera. Dia ingin mempelajari kembali seni Tai Chi agar bisa mencari cara menggabungkan kedua seni itu dengan tepat. Dia mengulangi gerakannya lagi dan lagi, memperhatikan bagaimana tubuhnya mentransfer kekuatan dan bagaimana setiap gerakan terhubung ke gerakan berikutnya. Dan saat itulah dia menemukan sesuatu tambahan dalam seni Tai Chi yang tampaknya terlewatkan. Sesuatu yang membantu meningkatkan tingkat penguasaannya atas seni bela diri itu. Selain itu, itu membuat gerakannya lebih berbahaya dan lebih mengalir daripada sebelumnya. *** Alih-alih hanya mengalihkan tusukan Horned Pistol seperti yang biasanya Ezra lakukan, dia mengubah gerakannya. Lengan depan tangannya meluncur di sepanjang lengan bawah Nate. Pada saat yang sama, Ezra memiringkan tubuhnya sedikit ke kanan, sambil menutup jarak di antara mereka lagi daripada membiarkan Nate mempertahankan jarak yang diciptakan oleh tusukannya. Nate sudah tahu bahwa Ezra memiliki metode gerakan dalam jarak dekat yang pada akhirnya bisa membuat lawannya terjungkal. Karena itu, dia cepat bersiap. Horned Pistol-nya yang lain bergerak ke arah kaki Ezra. Nate hendak menembak. Tapi tangan Ezra, yang telah meluncur di sepanjang lengan Nate yang lain, tiba-tiba berputar. Perubahan gerakan itu menyebabkan tangan Nate terkunci dalam kuncian lengan hampir seketika. Bang! Nate masih berhasil menembakkan senjata itu. Bam! Pada saat yang sama, kaki Ezra bergerak. Itu kaki yang sama yang dibidik Nate dengan Horned Pistol. Ezra mengangkatnya dengan tajam dan lentur, mengangkat lututnya sebelum Nate bisa menyesuaikan posisinya dengan benar. Lutut itu menghantam perut Nate. "Argh!" Nate mengerang kesakitan. Tubuhnya sedikit membungkuk karena hantaman. Bagaimana bisa dia bergerak begitu mengalir? Dia berpikir dalam hati, benar-benar bingung dengan cara Ezra menghubungkan gerakan-gerakan itu dalam waktu kurang dari satu detik. Hampir tidak ada gerakan yang terbuang. Sebelum Nate bisa mengendalikan tubuhnya lagi, Ezra bergerak lagi. Dia melepaskan tangan yang telah dikunci di ketiaknya dan mengambil satu langkah mundur. Gerakan itu menciptakan ruang yang cukup. Lalu tangan Ezra yang lain meraih pergelangan tangan yang sebelumnya dikunci lengannya, lalu dia berputar dari sisi kiri sambil mempertahankan cengkeramannya pada pergelangan tangan Nate. Saat Ezra berputar, kakinya meninggalkan udara dan tubuhnya melanjutkan gerakan itu. Gerakan itu menarik Nate hingga kehilangan keseimbangan. Tiba-tiba, tubuh Nate terlempar berputar di udara seperti Ezra. Untuk sesaat, kakinya benar-benar meninggalkan tanah. Ezra melepaskan pergelangan tangan Nate. Nate mulai jatuh. Hampir pada saat yang sama, kaki Ezra sendiri menyentuh tanah. Dia menggunakan momentum gerakannya dan dengan lancar mengangkat kaki kanannya. Kakinya naik di atasnya. Lalu turun. Tendangan Kapak. Bam! Ezra membanting kepala Nate ke tanah. Hantaman itu mengguncang platform di bawah mereka. Sebelum Nate bisa pulih, Ezra dengan cepat meraih ke dalam Space Bag-nya dan mengeluarkan Glock 19 lagi. Dia membidikkannya langsung ke sendi kaki Nate. Bang! Bang! Dua tembakan meletus. Ezra menembak dengan akurat ke arah sendi-sendi itu tanpa ragu. "Arghhhh!" Nate mengerang keras, wajahnya masih menempel ke tanah.
Bab 481: Festival Tempur Agung Tahun Pertama: Dua Gun Alchemist Misterius IV
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Nate loaded another linked set of five circular saws into the CS-01 Ballista’s ammunition compartment with incredible speed.
His hands moved over the mechanical weapon without hesitation, fitting the linked saws into their position before his fingers immediately reached for the lever.
He pulled it.
The gears inside the CS-01 Ballista moved rapidly.
Metal components shifted against one another as the mechanism prepared to fire.
BANG!
The five circular saws blasted out of the Ballista.
They separated from one another as they flew, each spinning at high speed while taking a different path toward Ezra.
Ezra immediately pushed himself away from the ground.
His body moved before the first saw could reach him.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The five circular saws smashed into the platform one after another.
Their spinning edges bit into the stage, breaking through the surface and sending pieces of stone and wood outward.
Snow and broken rocks flew up slightly around the impact points, while the sound of the impacts continued to echo through the arena.
In the same motion, Ezra reached into his Space Bag.
His hand emerged holding an RPG-2 launcher that was already loaded.
He brought it up immediately.
His body remained low as he quickly took aim at Nate’s position.
BANG!
Ezra pulled the trigger.
The RPG projectile shot through the air toward Nate.
Nate noticed it just as he was about to reload the CS-01 Ballista.
His hand stopped.
The projectile was already within inches of colliding with both him and the Ballista.
Instead of completing his reload, Nate immediately jumped off the CS-01 Ballista.
Boom!
The explosion swallowed the area.
The CS-01 Ballista was thrown away by the force of the blast, its large wooden structure breaking apart as several metal components were torn loose and sent flying across the fight platform.
Some of the debris struck the force field protecting the audience.
The impact against the barrier produced sharp sounds that mixed with the roar of the explosion.
Nate’s body rolled out from the smoke and flames that had consumed the area where he had been standing.
He continued rolling for several meters before immediately stopping himself.
One knee touched the ground.
His other foot planted firmly against the platform.
During that motion...
He placed his hand inside his space bag.
Then...
Nate raised both hands, now holding an Acu-Vector Mk.I and aiming slightly upward.
Bang!
He pulled the trigger.
The large bullet from the gun flew into the air.
For a moment, it continued upward before the bullet suddenly opened.
Needles burst out from it.
They spread across the sky above the stage before raining down toward Ezra’s position.
At that moment, Ezra placed the RPG-2 back into his Space Bag and took out his Glock 19 and Kel-Tec PMR-30 again.
He raised both hands.
Bang! Bang!
Bang! Bang!
Bang! Bang!
Bang! Bang!
Ezra fired accurately at the incoming needles.
He wasn’t simply shooting randomly into the falling attack.
His plain black eyes tracked the needles as they descended, and he made sure to target the ones coming directly toward his position first.
Then he adjusted the angles of some of his shots.
Instead of destroying the needles outright, he aimed at their sides.
The bullets struck them from different angles, throwing their paths off course.
Some of the needles collided with one another in midair.
Clink!
Clink!
Clink!
Clink!
Several steel needles struck together and changed direction, falling away from Ezra while he continued firing at the others.
More needles came down.
Ezra kept shooting.
The sound of his two handguns continued across the stage as each shot was placed where it needed to be.
By the time the attack ended, needles had fallen across the ground surrounding him.
Some were embedded in the stage.
Others lay scattered across the broken surface.
But none had reached Ezra’s position in the slightest.
Ezra didn’t stop after successfully blocking the attack.
He dashed forward.
Nate also didn’t wait.
After firing the Acu-Vector Mk.I, he placed the weapon back into his Space Bag and immediately took out two Horn Pistols.
By the time Ezra began his dash, Nate had already attacked.
But it wasn’t the bullets of the Horn Pistols that he fired at Ezra.
Two thick needles shot forward.
They traveled toward Ezra with the force of the weapons behind them, their steel bodies shaped like horns as they cut through the air.
Ezra reacted while still moving forward.
He jumped.
His body twisted acrobatically through the air as the two thick needles passed beneath him.
The needles missed his body by a narrow distance.
Ezra’s plain black eyes immediately darted toward the thin steel ropes attached to the thick needles of the Horn Pistols.
Once Ezra’s feet landed on the ground, Cognis passed through his veins and flowed into his legs.
His speed increased.
Ezra flashed forward faster than before.
The ground beneath his feet cracked slightly from the sudden burst of force.
Nate moved back a little and was now standing properly, when his eyes locked onto Ezra, who had suddenly appeared in front of him.
Then Nate noticed something else.
Ezra wasn’t holding any of his handguns.
And at the same time...
Nate had already clicked the trigger of the Horned Pistols down for a long period, allowing the mechanism to begin drawing the thick needles back toward him.
So, when Ezra appeared directly in front of him at close range...
The thick needles retracted.
They tore backward through the air and returned toward the Horn Pistols.
Nate gripped both weapons tightly.
His right hand moved first.
He went for a straight thrust toward Ezra.
Ezra also moved his hand.
But this time...
***
Way before the Grand First-Year Combat Festival began, during his training preparations for the Festival, Ezra had reviewed his Tai Chi Art all over again.
The reason was the Instant Force art he had learned from Vera.
He wanted to review the Tai Chi art so he could figure out how he would properly blend the two arts together.
He went through the movements again and again, paying attention to how his body transferred force and how each movement connected to the next.
And that’s when he discovered something additional within the art of Tai Chi Art that he seemed to have missed.
Something that helped increase his level of mastery over the martial art.
Plus, it made the movements more dangerous and more fluid than they had been before.
***
Instead of simply redirecting the thrust of the Horned Pistol as Ezra would usually do, he changed his movement.
The front sleeve of his hand glided along Nate’s forearm.
At the same time, Ezra leaned his body slightly to the right, while closing the space between them again rather than allowing Nate to maintain the distance created by his thrust.
Nate already knew that Ezra had a method of movement in close range that could eventually lead to his opponent getting turned upside down.
Because of that, he quickly prepared himself.
His other Horn Pistol moved toward Ezra’s leg.
Nate was about to fire.
But Ezra’s hand, which had been gliding along Nate’s other arm, suddenly rolled.
The change in movement caused Nate’s hand to become locked in an arm grip almost instantly.
Bang!
Nate still managed to fire the gun.
Bam!
At that same moment, Ezra’s leg moved.
It was the same leg Nate had aimed the Horn Pistol toward.
Ezra raised it sharply and flexibly, lifting his knee before Nate could properly adjust his position.
The knee slammed into Nate’s stomach.
"Argh!"
Nate groaned in pain.
His body bent slightly from the impact.
How the hell did he move so fluid?
He thought to himself, completely confused by the way Ezra had connected the movements in a manner less than a second.
There had been almost no wasted motion.
Before Nate could regain control of his body, Ezra moved again.
He released the hand he had locked against his armpit and took one step backward.
The movement created just enough space.
Then Ezra’s other hand grabbed the wrist of the hand he had arm-locked earlier, then he spun from the left side while maintaining his grip on Nate’s wrist.
As Ezra rotated, his leg left the air and his body continued through the motion.
The movement pulled Nate off balance.
Suddenly, Nate’s body was sent spinning through the air just like Ezra.
For a moment, his feet left the ground completely.
Ezra released Nate’s wrist.
Nate began to fall.
At almost the same moment, Ezra’s own feet touched the ground.
He used the momentum of his movement and smoothly raised his right leg.
His leg rose above him.
Then it came down.
An Axe Kick.
Bam!
Ezra slammed Nate’s head against the ground.
The impact shook the platform beneath them.
Before Nate could recover, Ezra sharply reached into his Space Bag and took out a Glock 19 again.
He aimed it directly at Nate’s leg joint.
Bang!
Bang!
Two shots rang out.
Ezra accurately fired at the joints without hesitation.
"Arghhhh!"
Nate groaned hard, his face still pressed against the ground.
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