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 59

Chapter 59: The Strongest vs. the Berserk Knight

 

In the weapon categories of ?Astral Online?, the greatsword is known for its focus on one-hit kills.

 

It is considered one of the most difficult weapons to handle, as spears offer greater reach for thrust attacks, and one-handed swords, which can also be used with a shield, are more advantageous in close combat by allowing for blocking and counterattacking.

 

As a result, in PvP battles, most players regard the greatsword as an impractical weapon, suited more for personal preference rather than actual combat.

 

However, when wielded by the Berserk Knight, who has lost all sense of reason and is driven by overwhelming power, the greatsword becomes a storm that defies the conventional wisdom of PvP battles and threatens Sora.

 

“Graaaah!”

 

A horizontal slash comes from the right to the left, faster than one would expect from a greatsword, even from outside Sora’s sword range.

 

I, having concentrated and read the trajectory of the slash, narrowly dodge it by stepping back.

 

As soon as I land, I kick off the ground, intending to launch a counterattack.

 

But the greatsword that had just pierced through stopped dead in mid-air.

 

No way, I can’t believe that such a big sword could be controlled from that place.

 

Even though the Berserk Knight should have lost all reason due to his berserk state, he skillfully manipulates the greatsword with precise body movements.

 

“Shaaaaah!”

 

With a fierce shout, he kicks his right foot forward and delivers a reverse diagonal slash from the lower left to the upper right.

 

“Whoa…!?”

 

Surprised, Sora instinctively activates ?Sword Guard II? to block the slash with her blade, deflecting it upwards.

 

The Berserk Knight’s movement is momentarily frozen in the posture of swinging the greatsword.

 

This is it!

 

Without missing the slight opening created by the deflection, Sora activates ?Sonic Sword III?.

 

In an instant, she closes the distance at supersonic speed and targets the right arm joint, a weak point in the full-body armor, slashing upward from below.

 

Sensing danger, the Berserk Knight twists his body to misdirect the attack, and Sora’s blade strikes the armored upper arm.

 

“Ugh…!”

 

As metal clashed against metal, a high-pitched sound reverberated through the surroundings, and sparks flew.

 

The high defense armor couldn’t be cut, even by a blade with enhanced power through skills.

 

No damage was inflicted, but my hand was slightly numbed, and I was debuffed, unable to use any attack skills for three seconds.

 

Amidst this, I saw the enemy raise his greatsword.

 

Seeing the counterattack coming, Sora stepped widely to the side, avoiding the downward slash.

 

Just as I thought I could land a counter, the greatsword, which had been swung down, suddenly changed its trajectory and homed in on me.

 

“Whoa!?”

 

I stopped my forward movement.

 

Barely dodging by jumping back and widening the distance, I cautiously readied my sword, holding my breath.

 

…This is much more troublesome than I imagined.

 

Compared to the armor worn by the player named Gard that I fought before, this armor is of much higher rarity.

 

The sword techniques are executed at a speed unimaginable for a greatsword.

 

It’s not just the difference in level.

 

This is equipment he has acquired over many long years.

 

The sword techniques that are unleashed, honed by accumulated skill, are each incredibly sharp and fast.

 

Even though he should have lost his reason, his body remembers how to wield his beloved sword.

 

To be blunt, the fierce battle with Leviathan General feels like child’s play compared to this.

 

That full-body armor is particularly troublesome.

 

In ?Astral Online?, armor can deflect attacks that are below its defense value.

 

When an attack surpasses the defense value, the damage, after subtracting the defense value, is deducted from the armor’s durability and the player’s HP.

 

In other words, with the current ?Silver Sword?, I can’t damage the Berserk Knight unless I hit a gap in his armor.

 

But there’s a proper way to deal with such armor, even at a low level.

 

Sora activated her enhancement skills, boosting her attack power with ?Attack Power Boost Enchantment II? three times and her speed with ?Speed Boost Enhancement II? twice.

 

She consumed 225 MP, leaving about 105 remaining.

 

Clad in a crimson glow, much like Kuro’s ?Battle Spirit Boost?, she dodged the greatsword’s downward strike by moving diagonally forward to the right.

 

Entering the range, she raised her sword and activated ?Guard Break II?, unleashing a sharp slash that swept from left to right across the Berserk Knight’s torso.

 

“Grooargh!?”

 

The Berserk Knight’s HP was chipped by a mere fraction from the attack that ignored his defense.

 

Though ?Guard Break? itself has no attack power, it is the only anti-armor skill that deals damage by ignoring the enemy’s defense.

 

It can’t bypass a shield, but it can penetrate the target’s defense and inflict damage, making it especially effective against fully armored players like this.

 

The enemy’s level is 156, and from that, the total HP can be estimated at 3,120.

 

To cancel the berserk state, she must deal at least 1560 damage using only the ?Silver Sword?’s attack power. This would require approximately 18 hits.

 

In contrast, the enemy’s weapon has an attack power of ?A+ Rank?.

 

Without skills, two strikes from that weapon could wipe out my HP, and a single skill-based attack would obliterate it entirely.

 

If I prioritize evasion and defense, and ensure that each hit counts, reducing the berserk state by half shouldn’t be too difficult.

 

The only issue is how long I can maintain my focus while facing him in this situation.

 

But I have no choice.

 

If I don’t hold my ground, the Berserk Knight will turn his blade toward Kuro and Aria.

 

If Aria, an important character, dies, the event will fail.

 

The real world would suffer 10% contamination, resulting in penalties.

 

And in Kuro’s case, something that should never happen—being killed by her own father—would occur.

 

I absolutely cannot allow that.

 

Most importantly, they are my precious companions.

 

With determination in her eyes, Sora locked onto the approaching greatsword, dodged with ?Sonic Sword III?, and closed in on the Berserk Knight.

 

She swung her sword, activating ?Guard Break II?, and slashed across the Berserk Knight’s torso once again.

 

“Not done yet!”

 

Sora, who has further enhanced her speed with buff skills, moves faster than the Berserk Knight can swing his greatsword, steadily dealing damage.

 

No matter how strong or skilled he is, the Berserk Knight, who can no longer engage in the most crucial mind games of PvP, is now no different from a high-level monster.

 

Dodge, parry, then leap in and strike.

 

She repeats this over and over.

 

When it comes down to the last five strikes, a jet-black aura begins to emanate from the Berserk Knight’s body.

 

Sora’s ?Insight? skill reveals that the aura is the Dark Knight’s area-of-effect skill, ?Unleash?.

 

The sweeping wave of darkness narrowly caught Sora, who had just dodged, and it still sent her flying.

 

“…! As expected, it won’t be that easy…”

 

As Sora tries to regain control while sliding across the ground, a dark shadow looms over her.

 

The Berserk Knight, wielding a greatsword, swung his blade, emitting a crimson light, from the upper stance to the lower stance.

 

That move is the wide-range shockwave attack skill, ?Buster Impact?.

 

Realizing the danger, Sora immediately leaps with all her strength to evade the strike. However, a shockwave from the greatsword slamming into the ground rushes toward her small body.

 

The shockwave itself doesn’t deal direct damage.

 

But its real effect activates, and Sora’s body becomes temporarily stunned.

 

“No way… Seriously?!”

 

In ?Astral Online?, a stun effect that disrupts actions requires a full three seconds to wear off.

 

While it might be acceptable for battles with normal monsters, in our current situation where a single hit could finish her off, it’s a fatal opening.

 

The Berserk Knight readies his greatsword, unleashing a deadly thrust attack glowing with blue light, aiming to take Sora’s life.

 

This is the greatsword thrust skill, ?Drag Strike?.

 

Like a dragon’s charge, the Berserk Knight, with overwhelming speed and power, aims to pierce through Sora’s small body.

 

“Hurry, hurry and break the stun!”

 

Terrified by the incoming greatsword, Sora desperately waits for the stun to wear off. The tip of the greatsword closes in, now just a meter away, and finally, the stun releases.

 

With only 50 centimeters before being impaled, Sora activates ?Sword Guard II?, inserting his ?Silver Sword? between herself and the greatsword, barely managing to block it, though she’s sent flying backward.

 

“That was too close!”

 

Relieved inside, Sora uses the momentum to perform a backflip and land on her feet.

 

But the assault isn’t over.

 

She saw the Berserk Knight charging with his greatsword now glowing with green light.

 

This is the greatsword’s dual-strike skill, ?Dual Tornado?.

 

The Berserk Knight holds the greatsword horizontally and takes a large step forward.

 

Sora, sensing a horizontal attack coming for her torso, dropped into a low stance and used the full force of her body to parry the greatsword with her ?Sword Guard II? ability.

 

However, the force behind the deflection only accelerates the greatsword.

 

As the skill’s name suggests, like a mighty tornado, the spinning, powered-up second strike comes crashing down.

 

“…No way!”

 

Dodging is impossible.

Parrying is also impossible.

 

Choosing the only remaining option, Sora lets out a small but determined shout, and her sword, now glowing with a vivid blue light, is held horizontally.

 

She aims for the blade of the greatsword and thrusts with all her might, using ?Strike Sword III?.

 

“Ugh…”

 

“Gaaah!?”

 

The collision of skills sends both of them flying backward.

 

The Berserk Knight, along with his greatsword, is knocked to the ground, while Sora, unable to maintain her balance, tumbles across the ground repeatedly.

 

‘This is bad—I need to get up fast.’

 

With that thought, Sora starts to push herself up.

 

Just then, from a distance, the Berserk Knight swings his greatsword from low to high.

 

It’s an obvious miss, as Sora is out of range.

 

‘What is he trying to do?’ Sora wonders.

 

Suddenly, space itself tears open, and a “jet-black slash” comes hurtling toward her.

 

Sora’s ?Insight? skill identifies it as a long-range attack, a skill known as ?Darkness Thrust?, used by the Dark Knight.

 

Sora’s delayed reaction leaves her defenseless as the merciless, pitch-black strike cuts through her body.