Chapter 198 The Pegasus Rolling Destroyer

In that split second, Oda Ai used the move [Kūzetsu Shōgetsu: Kanshō], her blade aiming for Pegasus Descending's right abdomen from an unexpected angle.

Oda had spotted a flaw in Pegasus Descending's stance before making her move; unless the latter used a skill or item effect, it would be impossible to dodge or block this strike... but everyone knew, Pegasus Descending had no such defensive means... therefore, this attack could be said to be a certain hit.

Yet, it was under these circumstances that Pegasus Descending stubbornly fought his opponent to a mutually destructive outcome.

His method wasn't complicated either—ukemi, spin, counterattack.

When damage was unavoidable, he'd find a way to minimize it, and exploit the gap after his opponent's slash to strike back.

A very simple approach, but... correct and effective.

After the exchange, Oda Ai had indeed cut a bloody gash into Pegasus Descending's side, but her own right shoulder blade had also been grazed by a fist, tearing off a piece of flesh.

Both combatants splattered the arena with blood, though... in terms of injuries, Oda had gained a slight advantage.

"This guy... is at it again..." This round of offense and defense only infuriated Oda Ai further; because back in S2, it was under similar circumstances that Pegasus Descending had worn her down—she had unleashed a sure-hit killing move, but her opponent was somehow able to turn the tables on her from a hopeless situation.

If she were facing anyone other than Pegasus Descending, any other player, she wouldn't be so angry... but the problem was that she was fighting Pegasus Descending right now.

To put it in perspective, Pegasus Descending was like someone at a cooking competition who only knew how to make tomato and scrambled eggs, while the vast majority of his competitors had mastered dozens of dishes spanning two cuisines—it's one thing to lose to someone else, but losing to him naturally made her furious.

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"Losing her cool so quickly, looks like Pegasus Descending and his team have a chance." At this moment, Feng Bujue, watching the live broadcast of the match in the conference room, revealed a hint of a smile, tilting his head as he commented, "Speaking of which... Oda Ai, that little brat, is really a bit slow on the uptake... she's already fought Pegasus Descending once, and she still hasn't realized the other party's brilliance."

"Uh..." The next second, Snow responded with a doubtful expression, "To be honest... I can't see what's so brilliant about Pegasus Descending. I've watched quite a few of his match recordings... besides basic physical techniques, he usually uses no more than two active skills, and I've never seen him use any schemes or tactics..."

"Ha!" Upon hearing this, Brother Jue immediately chuckled dryly and retorted, "Then let me ask you... using only two or three skills, and without using any tricks, could you achieve his win rate in the previous two seasons?"

"That's absolutely impossible..." Snow replied without even thinking, but after those words left his mouth, his expression changed, "Huh? That's right... why is he able to win against so many experts under these conditions?"

"Hmm..." Feng Bujue pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "You know the term 'artisan spirit', right?"

"Of course I do," Snow replied.

Feng Bujue nodded and continued, "Pegasus Descending is someone who is born with this potential..." He paused, "These kinds of people have different thought patterns. They can be absorbed in 'exploring infinity and limits within a limited domain'; whereas most of us... won't confine ourselves to a specific domain. Our nature makes us more inclined to discover our self-worth in a diversified way, ultimately, also causing us to waste our years and lose ourselves in that infinite world..."

"Actually, you can just say..." Snow kept up with Brother Jue's train of thought and continued, "Pegasus Descending has already practiced his physical techniques and his few Pegasus constellation fist techniques to the limit... and I'll understand."

"That can't be described with just the word 'limit'," Feng Bujue said, "What he's doing is something that people like you and I... even if we can understand it, it's hard to do." He raised his chin, gesturing for Snow to continue watching the live broadcast, "For example, Oda Ai... she can't comprehend what it's like to fight with only one or two active skills. Because she has never fought under those conditions of 'almost no room for choice', even in those failed situations, until the moment she was killed, she still had more than one option for dealing with it... but Pegasus Descending has long been accustomed to fighting under the premise that most people would consider having no other options... he can already create 'infinity' from 'limited', that is—relying on instinct to make 'additional choices beyond common sense'."

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At the same time, on the battlefield.

The offense and defense between the two had escalated once again, Oda Ai's fighting spirit rose along with her rage, and Pegasus Descending's little universe also blazed in response.

At this time, the duration of [Three Steps in Accord] had already ended, and Imagawa Yoshi could no longer intervene in offense and defense at this level in any other way... because the speed of those two had already surpassed his dynamic vision. If he forcibly intervened, he would only interfere with his teammates or be "accidentally" struck by the enemy.

But the embarrassing thing was... Imagawa Yoshi didn't dare to challenge Bi Laoshi alone. To him, that was even more foolish than intervening in the battle, it was simply courting death.

Therefore, Imagawa Yoshi could only wander around the vicinity of Oda and Pegasus Descending's battle, on the one hand, keeping watch for his teammate on Bi Laoshi's movements, and on the other hand, waiting for an opportunity to provide support.

"Why? Why can't I win? Why can't I win against this guy with such poor combat skills!" As time passed, Oda Ai became more and more anxious; she clearly had the advantage in raw strength, but now she was being stalemated by an opponent who had "tied his own hands" in the area of "close-quarters combat," which she was most confident in. The mental blow was self-evident.

"Calm down!" Finally, Imagawa Yoshi couldn't help it, and he shouted loudly at his teammate, "As long as the two of us cooperate, we can easily take down that kind of guy!"

Having gradually lost the momentum she had at the beginning, Oda Ai did regain some sanity after being shouted at by him.

"That's right... why do I have to use this method to compete with him? A player like Pegasus Descending... can be taken down by even two second-team members with just a little cooperation." Oda thought to herself, "But... I'm really unwilling... now that I've fought to this point, if I were to take a detour and bring in my teammate to fight again, wouldn't that be equivalent to admitting that I lost to him in a direct one-on-one duel?"

"You seem to be troubled by something?" Just as Oda Ai was hesitating, suddenly, Pegasus Descending actually opened his mouth and asked her a question.

"Huh?" Oda naturally couldn't put on any good attitude towards Pegasus Descending, and she immediately replied in that delinquent girl's tone, "What'd you say?"

At the time of their dialogue, the clash between fists and katana did not stop at all, and the sound of fighting spirit colliding continued without pause.

"Mental hesitation will be reflected in actions..." After throwing a few more punches, Pegasus Descending continued, "Because your blade has slowed down, that's why I asked you."

"Stop talking nonsense!" These words made Oda Ai even more unhappy, "If you're afraid of dying too slowly, I can speed things up and grant your wish!"

Who would have thought, at the same time that Oda Ai said these words...

"No, you no longer have that opportunity..." Pegasus Descending's left hand firmly grasped Oda Ai's wrist holding the blade.

"What!" This grab shocked Oda Ai; for a master of her level, such a situation where one's life gate was seized would only occur when exposing a huge flaw or when one's speed was crushed by the opponent.

"You're strong..." Pegasus Descending said solemnly in his heroic tone, "From the beginning, I was pushed to my limits by you, even I didn't expect to last until now..." As he spoke, he twisted Oda Ai's wrist, causing her body to turn, then he took a small half-step, moving behind Oda Ai, changing to a posture where he passed his hands through the other's armpits, clamping down on her shoulders, "If not for your brief distraction this time... I wouldn't have had even the slightest chance..."

"Wh-what, are, you, going, to, do!" Oda Ai was so angry that she was about to grind her teeth to powder, but at this moment, she could only vent her anger, without any way to break free from the restraint.

Fortunately... she still had a teammate.

Imagawa Yoshi, who was more than ten meters away from the two, saw that they had stopped their ultra-high-speed offense and defense and entered a stalemate, immediately flashed behind Pegasus Descending and threw out two shuriken.

Two "thump, thump" sounds were heard, and the two flying projectiles successfully penetrated the saint cloth's defense, piercing into Pegasus Descending's back, blooming into two blood flowers.

But... this was not enough to kill Pegasus Descending.

"Haah—" Not only did it not kill him, but it also triggered a chuunibyou roar from him, "I'll leave the rest to you! Bi Laoshi!"

Before the roar had died down, a piece of music actually rang out on the battlefield... This melody was also a household name, a famous anime song from the last century—the instrumental version of "Pegasus Fantasy."

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"What the hell?"

"Whoa, whoa... even the BGM is out..."

"Is that even allowed?"

"Could it be added by the broadcasting side?"

"Doesn't seem like it, I think it's... a skill that comes with it?"

"The skill that brought the 'lights out' effect last round was already so strong, this one with a built-in hype song is probably going to be world-destroying?"

The audience's reactions and speculations were generally correct...

At this moment, Pegasus Descending had indeed activated a big move; he wasn't using [Pegasus Meteor Fist], nor was he using [Pegasus Comet Fist], but the second-tier soul intent born from the basis of his soul intent, "Little Universe"...

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It was said that it was slow, then it was fast!

Before Imagawa Yoshi's subsequent follow-up attack arrived, Pegasus Descending had already raised his legs and clamped down on Oda Ai's legs as well, and the two of them immediately fell to the ground together... viewed from the side, their bodies formed a tire-like ring.

"Take this!" Immediately afterward, Pegasus Descending straightforwardly announced the move that he had created and named himself, "Pegasus Rolling Destroyer Invincible Fire Wheel!"

Different from the ordinary "Invincible Fire Wheel," this move did not need to be activated on the stairs, it could be effective on flat ground...

Integrating the high-speed rotational force of the [Pegasus Rolling Destroyer Fist], attached with the huge energy generated by burning out the little universe, and combined with the incredibly embarrassing action of the [Invincible Fire Wheel], this move... its destructive power was even greater than the [Good-for-nothing Strong Hit], and was truly irresistible by human power.

It could be said... when Pegasus Descending began to "roll" with Oda Ai in tow, the ending of mutual destruction between the two was already a certainty.