Astral Online: Cursed by the Demon Lord to Become the Strongest Beautiful Girl, I Rapidly Grow and Dominate with Cheat Skills Despite Being the Weakest Profession - Chapter 190
Chapter 190: Mastered Skills
As she faces off against the one-horned foe, Arisa calmly assesses the current situation.
Despite the difference in stats, with her future son-in-law’s skills, this wielder of the great battle-axe isn’t an unbeatable opponent if he teams up with Inori the archer and Slime-chan. Adding Laura would improve their chances, but according to the information she has, Laura is essential to obtaining the ring.
Though killing Laura isn’t an option, involving her could be risky for us, so it’s best to avoid that.
If Kuro could stand beside them, the situation would further tip in Sora and her allies’ favor, but it’s difficult given her condition.
Kuro’s ?Sword of Dawn? took a direct hit from the battle-axe, reaching its limit after defending its owner once. One more strike, and it would likely shatter beyond repair.
…That sword’s been at its limit for some time, but she’s held onto it until now. It was only a matter of time.
The sword Kuro received from Hart was more of a memento than a weapon. Technically, it should have been replaced once she reached level 80.
Yet, she continued using it, likely because she didn’t want to sever her bond with her father. Keeping it close made her feel as if her parents were always with her.
As Arisa ponders this, her mental simulation for eliminating the obstruction before her nears completion.
“To have the leisure to focus on anything else while facing me… Just as expected of the monster who once brought down the leader of the Seventh Division back in that war.”
The enemy grips his sword’s hilt, speaking of Arisa with a hint of awe.
With a smirk, Arisa feigns exaggerated shock.
“Oh my, I may be gorgeous, but calling me a monster is a bit much.”
“It’s the truth. You and Hart, along with several leaders of the current ?Knights of the White Rainbow?, ravaged the Seventh to Tenth Divisions to allow the other ?Unknowns? to escape. You scattered us like insects.”
“We heard that our wandering kin were being captured and forced into service. No way we’d just sit back and allow that. If I’m being clear, it was self-defense.”
Only when a detachment was caught off guard did Hart end up getting captured while protecting the “Priestess of Light”, who had been guiding the Beta players to safety (not that he remembered how he got caught once he was captured).
If Sora had not rescued him, Arisa would have likely had to infiltrate the underworld, alongside the White Rainbow Knights’ elite, to save her husband at great personal risk.
‘Really, I owe that kid a debt of gratitude…’
Arisa twirls her magic spear once and steps forward.
To an average person, it would look like an ordinary step.
But to these two, where even a single mistake could mean death, that step is a signal of impending combat.
The enemy’s aura flares up, waiting for this moment, and he unleashes a lightning-fast iaido slash.
“I am Ritter, captain of Helheim’s Seventh Division! With my ultimate skill, I will send you off, wielder of the Magic Spear!”
“Advanced Sword Skill: Vacuum Seven-Star Slash!”
As the blade is drawn, an invisible vacuum-created slash races through the air, aiming to slice Arisa’s torso in half.
And it’s not just one slash.
With repeated draws and sheathing, a total of seven powerful, flying slashes are unleashed, each strike deadly.
Based on their approach speed, evading is impossible. That leaves only defense, but each of these flying slashes far exceeds the power of Sora’s enhanced ?Angriff Fliegen?.
Is it possible to block these directly and emerge unscathed?
The answer is no.
The seven slashes spread out, leaving no room to dodge.
Judging by the look of them, this skill has been refined to at least level 10 or beyond. While trapped in this world, we Beta Players have discovered that profession and weapon skills can be strengthened infinitely past level 100 if you have enough points.
Refined to match its wielder’s fighting style, this skill is indeed a fitting *ultimate technique*.
Such individuals earn titles.
So, this is the swordsman of the Seven Blades who was rumored among my allies.
Understanding the enemy before her, Arisa makes a decision.
If evasion, defense, and survival are impossible, there’s only one path forward.
Noticing her daughter’s gaze fixed on her in this desperate situation, Arisa can’t help but smile.
‘Watch closely, Kuro-chan. This is my full power.’
Arisa channels a purple skill effect into her spear and slashes at the incoming blades.
A sound like shattering glass echoes as the vacuum blade splinters and breaks.
“What…?!”
With precision, Arisa shatters the second, third, and subsequent vacuum blades one after another with her magic spear.
The knight facing her cannot hide his shock at her fluid, practiced motions.
Because what he’s witnessing is a feat beyond his reach—a divine skill unmatched by mortals.
“Is she actually executing a ?Just Parry? on each of these high-speed vacuum blades?!”
The counter skill ?Just Parry? completely nullifies an attack, canceling it 100 percent if timed perfectly.
Though it’s a tremendously overpowered skill in effect, ?Just Parry? comes with a major issue: it demands exact timing and requires pinpointing the core of the enemy’s technique to unleash its full power.
Meaning Arisa has flawlessly identified the core of each of the swiftly approaching, nearly invisible vacuum blades.
It’s a feat more difficult than threading a needle with your eyes closed.
“Damn it, this is why the ?Unknown? leaders are…!”
Cursing under his breath, Ritter freezes in his sword-drawing stance, immobilized in post-skill recoil. However, due to his skill’s enhancements, the recoil duration is shortened.
Breaking the fifth, sixth, and finally the seventh blade, Arisa activates her dash skill ?Sonic Spear? and charges forward.
If she can strike his head now, it’ll likely score a critical hit, taking him down in one blow. But…
“Like I’d let you!”
Just as she nears, Ritter’s eyes glow red through the slit in his helm, and his ultimate skill ?Vacuum Seven-Star Slash? begins again.
Now, being so close, it’s nearly impossible for Arisa to keep up a continuous chain of “Just Parries”.
An average player would be sliced in two at this point, but with her reaction speed, she just might make it.
Analyzing the enemy’s stance, gaze, and the arc of his swings, she predicts his next move.
—Now! Fifth, sixth!
Arisa deflects every strike with astounding concentration and closes in with her rush skill, finally reaching her attack range.
“This is checkmate!”
“…I’ve been waiting for this moment.”
Before Arisa’s magic spear can pierce him, Ritter, who should be in skill cooldown, suddenly moves, unleashing his fastest strike, ?Instant Sever?.
His target: Arisa’s right arm, wielding her magic spear.
Caught off guard, she attempts to dodge, but her sidestep is just a fraction too slow.
Her forearm is severed, scattering into light particles as her spear spins away and embeds itself far in the ground.
“No way… ?Rigatime Release?!”
“Exactly. A skill that sacrifices half of my HP to cancel cooldown once per battle.”
It’s an ultra-rare skill sold by a traveling cat-eared merchant girl, priced in the millions. She never imagined he’d possess such an item.
Though her HP is only down by 20%, her weapon is too far to retrieve.
As Arisa clicks her tongue in frustration, Ritter points his blade at her, grinning.
“With you down, our victory is sealed. Time to end this.”
Ritter’s blade descends upon the unarmed Arisa.
Hearing her daughter Kuro cry, “Mom!?” she barely evades the slash by arching her body backward.
Charging toward him with a final rush, she closes the distance, making Ritter scowl.
“Tch! Even now, you’re still trying to fight? Are you going to disgrace a knight’s battle with this pitiful stubbornness—?!”
But the next moment, Ritter’s eyes widen in shock.
Locking her gaze on her opponent, Arisa calmly places her remaining left hand on the center of her armor, a gentle smile on her face.
“Watch closely, Kuro-chan.”
This is my real trump card.
In ?Astral Online?, every player must choose their first profession.
Arisa, coincidentally, chose the same class as her daughter: ?Martial Artist?.
Upon reaching level 100, she had devoted points into a single skill within the ?Martial Artist? class, strengthening it to the maximum.
This skill, capable of becoming a lethal weapon, was designed for situations where she might lose her main weapon and face a heavily armored enemy.
Now, let’s demonstrate this trump card against a formidable opponent caught off guard.
The name of the skill she’s about to use is ?Dragon Palm Strike?.
Its effect is simple: a shockwave that bypasses armor, exclusive to Martial Artists.
Combined with ?Burst Charge?, it transforms even barehanded strikes into an ultimate finishing move.
She plants her left foot with such force that the ground cracks, channeling all her power into her left hand in a spiraling motion.
Her opponent tries to evade, but her hand, now resting against his armor, adjusts to his movements with precision, tracking him exactly.
At this point, there’s nowhere for you to run.
Arisa utters the name of the skill meant to finish her foe.
“Skill United—?Extreme Dragon Palm Wave?!”
“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!?”
With an inhuman scream, a massive shockwave explodes from Arisa, powerful enough to blast away even Sora and her allies fighting nearby, striking Ritter with relentless force.
Though his armor remains intact, his body inside is utterly destroyed by the shockwave that penetrated it.
The captain of the Seventh Knights falls, his HP reaching zero, collapsing lifelessly to the ground.