Your Commander-in-Chief – Chapter 210

“Ugh…”

I carefully surveyed the surroundings while gripping my Nodachi.

The long blade trailed along the ground.

The respawn timer had ended as I crossed the Narrow Bridge.

So, there might be Assassins lurking around here somewhere.

Holding my breath, I cautiously advanced.

My gaze darted about continuously.

Just as I stepped into the Enemy’s Occupied Territory, I felt a piercing stare and something flew through the air at me.

That attack pattern was familiar. It was definitely a long-range shot.

As soon as I registered the direction of the attack, I pinpointed the enemy’s location.

The moment I sensed the enemy’s gaze, my body was already moving.

It wasn’t too late. My speed might be slower than Deron’s, but I could definitely block at least a flying arrow.

As I moved forward, I swung my Nodachi upward from below.

The rotational force began at my waist and was transferred to the blade’s tip, just as an arrow shooting toward me clipped the long blade of my Nodachi and veered off.

Thud-!

A faint Flame flickered in the air.

The moment that bright light hit my eyes, I charged ahead.

An attack came from deep within the Forest leading to a side path.

Melvin didn’t dart into the side path.

True to his sneaky nature, he lay in wait for the enemy to approach.

“Melvin!”

As I dashed into the woods, my sight vanished.

Right after, I heard rustling sounds not too far away.

Melvin, that guy was trying to escape.

I couldn’t let him get away. Not sensing any other eyes around, it seemed I was truly alone this time.

I leaped onto the tree in front of me.

I couldn’t fully climb the massive tree with my first jump.

Bending my jumping body, I kicked off the tree right in front of me and leaped to the opposite side.

That led to two consecutive jumps.

With my light body, I successfully stood atop the tree.

I gently stepped on the slender branches.

An unshakeable comfort.

A light breeze brushed against my cheek, scattering my long hair.

Thanks to being up high, my field of vision expanded.

I spotted Melvin quickly moving through the bushes.

He didn’t even glance back. He knew.

The moment he paused, he would meet his demise.

Through extensive battle experience, he’d learned a way to survive.

With each light step, I leaped from tree to tree.

Faster than running through the bushes.

I couldn’t track him for long. My Stamina level was 6.

I didn’t know how much Stamina Melvin had invested, but it was likely more than mine.

Then it happened. A Kill Log popped up in the top right corner showing both enemy and ally had fallen.

Enemy Elimination W.S-dodorea → API-Show

Ally Elimination API-Show → VIA-Bisu

As I verified the Kill Log, Melvin, who had been charging ahead, must’ve seen it too.

His movement hesitated for a moment.

Now’s the time.

I drew my Nodachi from my back and dove downwards.

Falling, I thought, feeling the swift surge of white pain as my mind accelerated.

The moment the movement of the falling leaves halted, I reached a solitary moment in time.

Draw the optimal route. This massive weapon isn’t suitable for swinging in this narrow forest.

Calculating the gaps between trees and the positions of the dense greenery rising to my waist.

I also kept in mind Melvin’s escape route.

The calculations wrapped up swiftly.

In the split 0.1 seconds, I accomplished it all.

The planning was complete.

Only the practical part remained.

The moment I resolved myself, the halted time began to flow again.

With the wind brushing my cheek, the green leaves scattered.

I raced down the elongated trunk of the tree.

Adding my running speed to my falling speed.

Thud-!

The loud thud startled Melvin.

He was skilled. Just because he transitioned from Deron to VRS didn’t mean he lost his talent.

Melvin’s body rapidly twisted, scattering something he’d been holding into the air.

Shiny metallic objects glimmered, reflecting the cool sunlight filtering through the forest.

Shurikens.

But I didn’t dodge. Instead, I chose to block them with my body.

Raising both arms, I shielded only my vital areas while aiming my gaze precisely at Melvin’s head.

Thud-thud-thud-!

Small shurikens flew and embedded themselves in my arms, chest, and legs, with no spare spots left.

My vision turned red with blood, but the damage wasn’t severe.

Now’s the moment.

As my feet slammed into the tree, I spun and swung my blade down like a strike.

Whoosh-!

Only then did Melvin look up at my thunderous attack.

However, his expression held no surprise.

As if he had anticipated my strike, a grin spread across his eyes visible through his mask.

A trap…?

The moment I confirmed Melvin’s expression, a red warning light flickered in my mind.

The wind shifted. The rustling of the bushes could be heard.

Using my heightened senses, I realized someone was approaching.

Another Assassin.

Feeling a faint presence behind me, it seemed someone had been hiding here covered in foliage, waiting for me.

However, it wasn’t an unforeseen ambush.

The attack didn’t halt, but I twisted my body in the air.

I didn’t care if I died. If I could take Melvin’s head before I fell, it would be a one-for-one kill exchange.

We were in a position of absolute advantage, having captured two Occupied Territories.

Swishhhh!

With a downward slash that could cleave Melvin’s body in two, my strike dug into his head and then halted.

I couldn’t completely split him, but I dealt enough damage to bring him close to death.

Melvin’s body began to tilt as he wildly swung his Nodachi.

It was lodged too deeply; it wouldn’t come loose.

I just needed to confirm it. I hadn’t planned on retrieving it from the start.

As Melvin’s body fell to the ground, it reacted instantly.

The small rotational force that began at my waist branched out through my entire body as I attempted a frail struggle.

Right after, with a crunch, a splash of red sprayed from my shoulder.

A sharp pain registered late.

“This, this crazy…!”

It must’ve been a critical strike, but the Assassin’s attack had missed.

Though the blade had pierced my shoulder, my right arm couldn’t move, but my left arm was still free.

I stretched my leg to wrap around his arm.

Just like a snake climbing a tree, my leg coiled up his arm.

If only my legs were longer, I’d have loved to hook his neck, but sticking to his arm was the best option due to my short limbs.

However, that was alright. This was enough.

The shock of falling down transferred directly to the Assassin User.

The moment I saw his posture dramatically sway, I drew the dagger from my waist with my uninjured left arm.

As our gazes met in the air, they shook violently.

His eyes quickly descended from my face to my left hand.

Panicking, he tried to move the arm that wasn’t caught by me, but I was faster.

The swiftly swung dagger grazed his neck as it passed.

The moment I saw the long line of blood trailing behind, I adjusted my grip on the dagger and thrust it into that very spot.

Thud- thud- with a sinking sensation, the strength drained from Melvin’s hanging body.

A fountain of red gushed forth. As I felt the blood covering my entire face, I too collapsed to the ground alongside the Assassin.

“Gah…”

I couldn’t rise due to my exhausted Stamina.

Wiping the blood from my face, I let out a refreshing chuckle.

The situation in the occupied territory remained unchanged.

Our team held two, and the enemy team had the remaining one.

This situation would change because of me.

Confirming my recovered Stamina, I stood up and walked toward the enemy’s occupied territory.

Out of the five enemy team members, three had been eliminated.

There was a substantial amount of time left until respawns were completed.

However, the enemy team’s respawn speed would definitely be faster than my speed to capture the territory alone.

It was surely a suicidal act.

I knew that in my head.

However, my heart was pounding too fiercely to halt my steps.

It felt like I was recollecting a forgotten sense.

It reminded me of the thrill I felt in the early days of Deron.

Recalling the times when I risked my life against Goblins and Red Orcs.

The skills I could use were limited, and the monsters’ strengths exceeded those of users.

In that place, the only thing I could rely on was my own skill.

This was certainly a different game.

But one thing was sure: I was enjoying this game.

The moment the heat of my body surged to my head, a sudden white pain spread rapidly.

As I staggered into the enemy’s occupied territory, I planted my Nodachi into the ground and leaned my body against it.

Calmly feeling the cool breeze, I pondered.

What’s the point of trying to die like this?

There was no way I could handle the three respawning enemies by myself.

If I died like this, we would surely be pushed back to the central line.

I shook my head, dismissing those thoughts.

Isn’t it all about having fun in the game?

Though it might sound selfish to my teammates, I needed to enjoy myself first.

I let out a lightly amused laugh and drew my Nodachi.

Just in time, the ones who had died were being revived.

The first to appear was a Paladin User clutching a Kite Shield.

Upon spotting me standing in the occupied territory, he let out a small groan.

“What the…”

“Hello?”

I greeted him lightly, but he did not return the greeting.

As the tense standoff continued, the gauge of the Occupied Territory rose to 70%.

If I could just buy some time like this, we could capture all the enemy occupied territories.

However, the enemies weren’t going to stand idly by.

The Paladin User, assessing the situation, recognized the reviving Assassin [Heavenly Flow Blood Kill Slash] Melvin and charged at me, his black mask on.

“Diee!”

With thunderous footsteps, the revived Melvin began to glide towards me.

A quick thinker, he must have realized what was happening.

His gaze fixated on me.

I exhaled deeply.

As my breath spread out in all directions, the sensation of my Nodachi in hand sharpened.

Not a single mistake could be tolerated.

I had to throw my body into the long stretch of time.

The moment the Enemy Paladin entered my attack range, 0.1 seconds shattered into fragments.

Acceleration

Only my time matters.