Duel Measured in Kilometers

Duel Measured in Kilometers

When Mashu carried Luo Zhen behind a building, causing the rain of arrows falling from the sky to lose its target, a figure at the top of a tall iron tower several kilometers away stopped an attack that was about to be released.

"Did they realize so quickly that they needed to find cover?"

A composed voice came from the figure.

It was a man in combat gear, gripping a black bow in one hand. His skin was dark, his hair gray-white, and strange markings appeared across his face.

"Looks like the opponent has a fairly level-headed commander."

The dark-skinned man raised his sharply defined face, revealing a pair of eyes filled with the weariness of experience and unyielding resolve.

Generally speaking, anyone with eyes like that was either extremely resolute or extremely cold.

And on this man, either description seemed to fit.

"Unfortunately, although that judgment was correct, it was a little too hasty."

The man extended the hand not holding the bow.

"Bzzzt!"

Amid the buzzing of the air, red magical energy surged through his outstretched hand like lightning.

In the next moment, the magical energy created a miracle, producing a sword.

The man placed the sword against the bow.

"Crackle...!"

Amid the electric crackling, the sword surging with magical energy actually transformed into an arrow, as though shedding its outer shell.

The magical energy raged across the arrow.

"If I destroy the cover itself, there'll be nowhere to run."

After that cold declaration, the man released the bowstring amid a flood of magical energy.

Then, with a cannon-like boom, the arrow transformed into a shooting star and flew toward its distant target.

"Boom----!"

The explosion was deafening. The tall building looked as though it had been struck by a cannon, the side that took the hit bursting apart entirely. Like fragile building blocks, most of it turned into fragments.

The astonishing impact caused the entire building to shake violently.

"Senpai!"

Behind the building, Mashu rushed to Luo Zhen's side and raised her enormous shield above them, blocking all the falling rubble and debris.

Astonishing strength immediately erupted from Mashu's body. Even rubble as hard as rock could not budge the shield in the slightest; the moment it struck the shield, it was sent flying.

Luo Zhen instinctively hugged his head and hid beneath the shield. He stared at Mashu, who was protecting him with a serious expression, and felt conflicted.

(As expected, Mashu gained power and became a Servant.)

Whether it was the defensive power she used to withstand the attack, the speed with which she rushed behind cover, or the arm strength that let her hold back rubble as heavy as rock, none of it was something an ordinary human could possess.

Even with magical reinforcement enhancing the body, displaying power of this level was exceedingly difficult.

So there was no doubt that Mashu had gained power comparable to a Servant and become a transcendent existence.

She should be at the level of a High-Level Familiar, at least.

No.

If one considered only her defensive power, she might have already surpassed a High-Level Familiar and reached the level of a Top-Level Familiar.

While Luo Zhen was silently thinking this, Mashu spoke again.

"The power is immense. For an enemy to give an arrow this level of power, they're very likely a Servant." Mashu said with a grave expression, "At this rate, the cover will be destroyed. Master, let's find other cover and leave while hiding from one place to another."

That was the judgment Mashu had reached.

However, Luo Zhen did not accept it.

"If the opponent is very likely a Servant-level existence, then unless we can break out of their line of sight in one move, it'll be impossible to hide while escaping."

Luo Zhen said this.

If the opponent was a Servant-level existence, then leaping freely between high-rises was not beyond their abilities.

Under such circumstances, it would be very difficult to escape while dodging the opponent's astonishingly powerful attacks.

As long as the opponent leaped along the high-rises lining the route, continuously fired, and destroyed their cover, sooner or later Luo Zhen and Mashu would have nowhere left to hide.

At that point, the two of them could only rely on a single shield for defense.

"Then what should we do?"

Mashu turned her gaze toward Luo Zhen.

In those eyes, Luo Zhen saw the same trust as always, along with something else.

That something made Luo Zhen's heart tremble.

And so...

"To deal with an archer, you can't keep your distance. You either have to close in, engage them directly, and take them down, or break out of their sight and escape their firing range."

As Luo Zhen spoke, all kinds of tactics and strategies surfaced in his mind, while his gaze swept across the surroundings and he carefully observed the terrain.

This was a town reduced to ruins.

There was plenty of cover, but fires raged everywhere, severely obstructing visibility. As a sniping ground, it was practically the worst possible place.

However, the enemy was a Servant-level figure and could not be judged by common sense.

No matter what kind of cover they used, the opponent could destroy it with arrows as powerful as cannon fire.

No matter what kind of trick they employed to obscure their position, the opponent could use unimaginable abilities to locate them.

"The opponent may possess some kind of extraordinary eyesight. They might be able to fire even from several or even dozens of kilometers away. Escaping their firing range won't be easy."

Just as he did during a Simulated Battle, Luo Zhen made his mind race at full speed.

Until Luo Zhen saw something.

"Got it!"

Luo Zhen's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Rumble..."

Amid the rumbling, the building could no longer withstand the overwhelmingly powerful attack. Beneath the explosive flames, it slowly collapsed.

This was the result of the dark-skinned man's second overwhelmingly powerful attack.

"With this..."

The archer, magical energy surging throughout his body, narrowed his eyes atop the iron tower.

This archer possessed a skill called "Clairvoyance."

This skill granted its possessor extraordinary eyesight and was also frequently used for reconnaissance.

If he merely surveyed the area from a high place, this archer could even visually identify the entire town and search for his enemies.

In addition, "Clairvoyance" also affected the accuracy of bow shots. Once he drew his bow, he could perform precise sniping.

Thanks to this, he could carry out long-distance attacks with accuracy beyond the limits of humanity.

In other words, beneath those eyes, an enemy who had been targeted could almost never escape.

Of course, there was one prerequisite—"They had to be within his field of vision."

"Hm?"

While looking toward the collapsed building several kilometers away, the archer suddenly froze.

"They're gone...?"

Yes.

His opponents had disappeared.

There was no sign of the enemy beneath the collapsed building.

This left the archer somewhat astonished.

And at that very moment...

"Whoosh----!"

A fierce gust of wind attacked the archer from behind.

"...!?"

Without the slightest hesitation, the archer spun around and raised the bow in his hand before him.

"Clang----!"

With a sound like metal striking metal, an enormous shield suddenly slammed into him, colliding with the bow.

The fierce wind whipped up.