Triple Jump.
No, it doesn’t mean I can only use it three times. It’s a skill that divides my movement ability into three stages, allowing me to control the magic used with each leap to adjust the distance as needed.
The moment I found the right angle, I didn’t hesitate.
I launched myself off the ground, executing the first jump with the speed of my Orthros Long Boots.
“Kill him!”
As soon as I was airborne, a torrent of murderous intent surged toward me, as if it had been lying in wait.
But I had anticipated this. The moment I was in the air, I sharply dropped my body, feeling the lethal intent slice through the empty space above me.
I dodged, but landing wasn’t an option. Before I hit the ground, I quickly kicked off, feeling the solid contact of someone’s shoulder beneath my foot.
Using that as a springboard, I leapt again with the boots.
Swish! Swish!
Arrows targeted me once more, but the intensity of the killing intent had noticeably decreased. I swung “Victoria’s Glory” fiercely in the direction of the incoming arrows.
The arrows were sliced cleanly in half, scattering into the air. However, a few that slipped through hit me.
I bit my lip and glanced down. There was no space to land, just a dense formation of enemies, their eyes wide and weapons raised.
If I descended now, I’d lose my balance. The key to the triple jump is to transition smoothly from one stage to the next.
The solution was clear: create space, just like before.
As I began to fall, I infused my sword with magic and unleashed a barrage of sword energy at my landing point.
“Victoria’s Glory” emitted a short hum, and each wave, reaching 30 centimeters, crashed into the enemy ranks.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Amidst the dust and chaos, cries and frantic movements erupted. The relentless waves of energy created a small breach in the enemy lines.
Moments later, I landed, feeling the wind whip through my hair. As soon as my feet touched the ground, a blinding light enveloped me. The air was filled with the sound of slicing blades closing in from all directions.
I clicked my tongue at the seamless coordination.
Quickly, I looked ahead. Amidst the onslaught of weapons, I spotted a gap in their formation. I activated my second jump, using my unique ability to leap over it.
I blinked, and the scene changed. A faint cheer rose behind me, only to be abruptly cut off as the afterimage faded. Without looking back, I resumed running.
“Halfway there.”
In an instant, I had halved the distance. Fifteen meters remained—a distance I could normally cover in a single bound.
But the sight of the Spirit King standing in my path filled me with an inexplicable sense of dread. It was the final hurdle before reaching the summoner, and not an easy one.
But there was no turning back. It all came down to who had calculated their moves more precisely.
I swallowed hard. I knew that if I took to the air again, I’d become a target. The only open space was the sky. Could I dodge the attacks and get past the Spirit King?
“I can’t leave it to chance.”
Relying on luck was foolish. The enemies were watching my every move. I had to exploit that. By now, they would have reloaded. I needed to make them waste their spells and arrows again to increase my chances of breaking through to the Spirit King.
With that thought, I reacted instinctively to the incoming attacks.
Before launching myself off the ground, I heightened my unique ability. As I soared into the air, I activated it a beat later.
My feet were still on the ground.
Then, as I cut through the air, the sensation of floating was brief.
It reversed in an instant, pulling me back down.
Thud!
I landed back on the ground just as quickly as I had taken off.
Boom! Boom!
Swish! Swish!
Magic and arrows rained down on the empty space I had just vacated. The enemies had targeted me the moment I leapt, but I had already landed, thanks to my ability. The gap was about a second. The preparation before the jump and the activation of my ability had been almost simultaneous.
This gave me a chance.
The Spirit King still loomed ahead, but the situation was better than before.
Before the precious time I had gained slipped away, I acted swiftly. Grabbing the collar of a dazed man in front of me, I yanked him down and used his shoulder as a springboard, mustering all my strength for a powerful leap.
The distance to the Spirit King was about five meters. With this leap, I could easily reach him.
The arc of my jump brought me swiftly toward the water giant.
The Spirit King seemed to notice me. Its head lowered slightly, fixing its gaze on me.
Then, dozens of water-like beams shot from its body, and its right arm began to transform. The beams, with fierce intensity, targeted me as I ascended.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In the face of this concentrated barrage, I held my breath for a moment but responded by extending my sword forward. I infused it with magic, preparing a wave to strike the Spirit King.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
I had a plan. The water beams, though fierce, dispersed into mist upon contact with my magic resistance, which was still holding strong despite the relentless assault.
Roar!
With a furious roar, the Spirit King’s now-enlarged right arm swung toward me. The physical force of the water fist was formidable. Just as I had leapt with all my might, the fist was aimed to crush me.
As it neared, I gripped my sword with both hands, focusing all my senses.
At the moment the fist and sword were about to collide, I twisted the sword diagonally and spun my body to the right. My experience in one-on-one combat with the sword helped me in that instant.
It happened in a flash.
A sharp pain shot through my left elbow, but the water fist, now a massive stream, brushed past me. I slipped alongside it, moving toward the Spirit King’s body.
For a moment, I imagined a vast blue ocean. The Spirit King’s body, eight meters in diameter, was like a massive wall of water. Just before I was engulfed, I slashed at it with the prepared wave.
Slash!
The ocean parted, revealing empty space beyond.
This was a chance to deal a decisive blow to the Spirit King.
But I dismissed the thought. Despite being a king, the Spirit King was a summoned creature. Defeating the summoner would cause it to vanish.
The target was clear: the summoner.
As I reminded myself of this, the parted water began to bubble and close. Before it sealed completely, I slipped through the gap, gliding along a straight path.
“I did it…!”
As I emerged, a powerful blow struck my back, knocking the wind out of me. My speed had already decreased from cutting through the water, and the impact threw me off balance.
I felt myself tilting further, but I couldn’t give up. If I fell now, all my efforts would be for nothing.
“Ugh!”
Fortunately, my heightened focus turned the crisis into an opportunity.
Instead of resisting the force from behind, I accepted it. Just as I had saved Ansol during the rite of passage, I adjusted the impact to propel myself forward, and my halted body shot forward like a spring.
Swoosh!
The wind brushed past my hair, and the open sky stretched endlessly above. Seeing it, a wave of exhilaration washed over me—I had finally crossed the eighth ridge.
Only ten meters left. My body still hovered in midair.
After two flights, I glanced down and saw the spirit summoner within reach.
Finally. The summoner was now within my grasp.
Gone was the arrogant smile from before. Seeing their mouth agape, I felt the thrill of nearing my goal. What had been a vague hope now crystallized into certainty right before my eyes.
I channeled all my magic through the circuits coursing through my body. Countless users below watched me. It felt like the moment I first held the Zero Code, that familiar sensation returning.
“I can do this.”
With the power lent by the Spirit King, I regained some speed and began my descent. The leap and magic, this time, would cut through the air like a slide, aiming to achieve my goal. The spirit summoner, watching me, bit their lip in frustration, their expression turning fierce.
I dove straight into the woman’s embrace, drawing upon the magic flowing through my circuits. Just one step remained.
Swoosh!
It happened then.
On the brink of victory, the spirit summoner’s sudden action caught my eye.
Just as I began my descent, realizing I was closing in, the summoner opened their mouth wide and shouted, extending their hand horizontally.
Swoosh!
From the left, a massive water path and a dark shadow loomed, like a blue carpet being rolled out, racing to block my path. On the right, an unknown force matched the water’s charge, rushing in fiercely. In that fleeting moment, I understood the situation and couldn’t help but admire it.
Their attack was calculated to match my speed. If I continued at this pace, the lethal forces from both sides would crush me the moment I reached the point.
“Not a chance.”
The leap wasn’t over yet. I curled my body tightly. The magic I had stored still surged through my circuits.
Just before reaching the passage point.
Boom!
Without hesitation, I unfurled my body, unleashing all the magic in a burst. My body, which had been falling in a gentle arc, snapped forward like a rubber band, transforming into a near-straight line.
The final leap, the activation of the Bow Body Bullet Shadow.
My descent accelerated further. In that state, I literally ‘passed through’ the passage point.
Splash!
I heard nothing. Only after passing the magical entry point did I feel the light and spray of water shooting skyward.
With hope finally within reach, I focused on the “Glory of Victoria” for the final push. I aimed at the spirit summoner and the users surrounding the woman below.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The ability I had saved for this moment. At last, the white sword sang a clear note. The sword’s light shot forth, and with a tearing scream, several users fell, their bodies collapsing.
Among them was the spirit summoner. Though not yet dead, they staggered, clutching their right arm to steady themselves.
The summoner, barely standing, glared at me as I approached. In their right hand, they held the transformed ‘Caligo Abraxas.’
Seeing this, a thrilling exhilaration coursed through me.
All the restraint, all the patience, had been for this moment. A hard-won opportunity forged through countless perils.
Thinking it was truly the end, I drew my right arm back.
Vroom!
As if affirming my victory, the “Glory of Victoria” resonated with an unprecedented clear tone.
In a final desperate act, the spirit summoner let out a piercing scream, struggling to raise the ‘Caligo Abraxas.’
At that moment, the distance between us became ‘zero.’
Simultaneously, white and black intersected.
Slice!
Boom!
As something was cut through, I plummeted to the ground. The force of my effort sent a massive rumble through the earth, raising a cloud of dust around me.
But what I felt beneath me wasn’t the hard ground. It was something soft and yielding—human flesh.
Regaining my senses, I looked up to see intermittent fountains of blood and a headless corpse, its body crushed and blood spurting out.
“……”
The result came swiftly, despite the struggle. I caught my breath, thinking I had finally succeeded, but it wasn’t over yet. I lifted the corpse and stood up.
The surroundings were silent. The dust had settled, leaving only the enemies staring blankly at me and the spirit summoner.
Holding the corpse in my left hand and the “Glory of Victoria” in my right, I looked up at the sky. Dark clouds had gathered above.
Splash!
The massive waters that formed the Spirit King scattered, following the law that they could no longer exist here with the summoner gone.
Drip! Drip!
As raindrops began to soak the area, the enemies finally snapped out of it, their murderous intent filling the air. Yet, I continued to gaze at the sky.
By now, the signal should have reached them.
Boom!
A bolt of lightning pierced through the clouds, and I felt a surge of determination.
Confirming it, I unleashed my magic once more, shouting with all my might.
“Hyooong!”
And at that moment.
Boom!
The world transformed into a brilliant yellow light.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Tomorrow’s note might be a bit longer. :)