Translator: Lonelytree Editor: Millman97
Throughout the mall parking lot, there were still many streetlights that had not been destroyed by the monsters, and the moonlight was quite strong. Therefore, the visibility of the area was not bad. But at that moment, the explosion turned everything nearby into an orange-yellow color. The heat waves shattered all the glasses of the cars within one hundred meters. Thick smoke rose into the sky, and the temperature around rose several degrees.
It was hard to tell if R2 had survived the explosion. Feng Bujue observed this from the air, and he looked quite calm. He did not think of escaping on his own. He knew very well that R2 was his only hope of leaving the sandbox ‘alive’. If R2 was really killed, even if he could escape the pursuit of the other Anomalies, he did not know how to look for the ‘backdoor’.
“Feng Bujue,” R2 suddenly said. He was speaking from somewhere faraway, but Feng Bujue heard him clearly. “Use Geppo to maintain your height altitude for a while.”
Feng Bujue did not answer and followed his instructions. He used Geppo and kicked himself into the air before moving further away. At the same time, on the ground, R2 walked out from the burning fire and came to the middle of the parking lot. He looked unscathed; not even his outfit was burnt. Upon closer inspection, one could see a bluish glow around his body, and that layer was the biggest difference between a level two Anomaly and a low level anomaly.
“Very regretfully, ‘normal data’ is unable to hurt me.” R2 looked at the members from Origin. “It’s meaningless to borrow the weapons from the scenario. To kill me, you have to use your own power.”
The Anomalies’ expressions did not change, but they moved into the same pose. At the same second, they charged at R2 from all directions, unleashing all their power.
“Before the loss increases, throw in all your fighting ability at once to try to topple me in one shot…” R2 slowly bent down. “That is the correct tactic, and the earlier usage of the oil truck was not a bad idea… Looks like your intelligence is greater than I thought.”
He suddenly leaped into the air.
“But… it’s all for nothing.” R2’s preparation for the leap was dramatic, but he did not jump very high. He only jumped two meters off the ground, but what he did next could explain where the rest of his gathered energy had gone. R2’s body radiated energy in midair as he turned rapidly. Using both of his legs, he kicked multiple air slashes around him. Hundreds of crescent-shaped slashes cut around him evenly. Some of them were spinning upon themselves like a whirlpool. These slashes… were tough as steel and strong as bullets, and they took Origin’s Anomalies by surprise.
A wide-area attack expanded quickly. With R2 at the center, the things around him started to get torn apart.
Viewed from a higher vantage point, Feng Bujue was impressed. He could see that R2 was using Rankyaku, but this appeared to be a much powerful version of it. It was different from the basic Rankyaku that he had just learned. This was one of the skill features in Thriller Paradise. Just as Feng Bujue’s A Hasty Repair could upgrade to Not so Hasty Repair, other skills could undergo the same change.
The skill used by R2 at that moment was Rankyaku ‘Neji Hakujin’. If it was categorized in a mastery level, it was undoubtedly a level S skill. But in reality, this skill did not exist in the game. Essentially, it was the skill Rankyaku, but after the mastery of the user reached a certain level, the user would learn its many upgraded variations on their own.
“Oh? There is one that survived…” After finishing the skill, R2 dropped down to the ground and turned to look at the only Origin Anomaly that had survived.
Roar!
A tiger’s roar was followed by a flash of speeding shadow. The survivor successfully reached R2, and his palms struck forward as the jaw of a powerful beast. The fists glowed with the blinding light of jade. The skill was obviously quite powerful, and this Anomaly was not as weak as the others. Before R2 regained his footing, he had to raise both of his arms to block. The hit blasted R2’s body away.
Tsk! Bang!
Two tracks trailed on the ground by R2’s feet, but that only worked to lower the force a little bit. His back slammed into the wall of the shopping mall, and a huge crack formed on the thick cement surface of the wall before he stopped fully from force.
“So, it is Beast-like Enhancement… I’m surprised a level four Anomaly can reach this level of completion.” R2 sighed. “Origin… seems to have been up to something dangerous. I’ll have to report on this when I’m back.”
“Hey… even though I wish to stay out of this…” At that moment, Feng Bujue saw that R2’s AOE had completed, so he used Geppu to slowly descend from the sky and dropped not far from R2. “But I have to ask… do you need my help?”
“Hah… So, I’m being underestimated…” R2 turned around to look at Feng Bujue and scoffed. His smile did not hold for half a second because a punch suddenly landed on his face. The ‘enhanced’ Anomaly struck while he had the upper hand. He used both hands and feet and continued to force R2 against the wall.
“That was not a bad hit.” While being beaten up, R2 still used a calm tone to converse with his opponent. “But the rest are like bug scratches.”
Suddenly, R2 disappeared from Feng Bujue’s sight. The next second, a light beam descended from the sky and split the enhanced Anomaly right down the middle. When it fell, Feng Bujue could clearly see the cross section of the dead body. Due to the surprising speed of that slash—and the astonishing evenness of the cut—the internal organs, bones, and muscles looked they came right out from an autopsy textbook.
R2 stood with ease.
“After all, he is still level four, and the strength of his data is limited. That kind of skill can’t be continuously used for long,” he said with some thought before saying to Feng Bujue without turning around. “Thank you for your concern, but you can put your cards away now.”
Feng Bujue was holding Death Poker. He was frozen like a petrified statue. He did want to lend a hand, but when he was about to make his move, the battle was already over.
“Hmm… Okay.” Feng Bujue put the Sorcery Weapon away and cleared his throat. “Fine, I believe I have a more objective understanding of your ability now… Lead the way.”