VRMMO: Passing of the Sword

Ding! Announcement: Demonized Tovilis has activated his inherited Skill: Imperious Fighting Spirit (Simplified). All negative effects are dispelled, all subsequent negative statuses are weakened by 30%, attack damage has increased by 30%, and all other attributes are increased by 20%. This skill lasts for three minutes!

Ding! Announcement: Demonized Tovilis’ hit points have dropped to a dangerous level and he has been completely infuriated by Blue Maple. Demonized Tovilis has entered his Demon Death Battle Mode. All skills are automatically cooled down. If Demonized Tovilis is unable to kill his target, then he will have a 100% movement speed boost before his death, and he will charge at his target and explode!

Blue Maple frowned tightly when he received the system’s notification. He surveyed his surroundings, because that was something that could very likely result in his death.

Kamikaze?! Blue Snow immediately thought That was a self-destructive ability that several Bosses had; they were unlucky to have run into one with this ability. Typically, a team would deal with this by leaving one person behind as a scapegoat while the other players would escape.

Anyone could guess that this was a test of a player’s personality for a Hidden Class. Demonized Tovilis would self-destruct, no matter what, while the Warrior had to stay behind to sacrifice himself and protect his teammates. This was a lot simpler than Blue Maple’s complicated personality test.

However, Blue Maple’s personality test probably been considered a true test of personality. This was a game after all, and there was nothing wrong with such a direct and primitive test. This game was purely for entertainment purposes in the first place.

A test like that seemed a little low-level for a game created with so much intelligence. However, this game had no ties to a person in real life, and there was also a hit point limitation. How many people would still be willing to sacrifice themselves? Therefore, a seemingly simple test like this one wasn’t that superficially easy to complete.

Shit, it’s over. We can’t continue fighting like that. Tovilis will definitely charge to the little gangster and self-destruct. I was the one who asked him to help me, so I cannot let him drop a level here. Blue Snow realized what was happening and was extremely worried. Blue Maple had helped her a lot along the way, and Blue Snow would never let Blue Maple die here.

Blue Snow ran towards Blue Maple as she shouted frantically, “Little Gangster, leave if you still can! Don’t care about me! You will die if this continues.”

“Seems like it.” Blue Maple muttered under his own breath as he stared at Demonized Tovilis, who was staring back at him with brutal and cruel eyes.

“Yes. Leave, Little Gangster, don’t care about me. I invited you here to help, it’s okay!” Blue Snow bit her lip as she forced a smile.

Blue Snow knew that even though Blue Maple appeared cold, he wasn’t a heartless person. But when it came to personal benefit, a person like Blue Maple couldn’t possibly disregard his own benefit for someone he had only met two or three times before and sacrifice his own level. That wasn’t something that Blue Maple could do.

Therefore, Blue Maple could walk away from such a situation. He wouldn’t sacrifice his own level for someone he had only met a few times. Everyone could see that from how he slaughtered Dazed Kitty and the others.

However, Blue Maple couldn’t escape this time, either.

Charge!

Demonized Tovilis was already unleashing an attack on Blue Maple. This was a fight, and he wasn’t about to give them time to talk to each other.

Blue Maple wasted no words as he lunged forward. He didn’t dare meet Demonized Tovilis head-on this time, as he would be sent flying if he did so! He had used the same routine that he normally used against Charge once, and Demonized Tovilis wouldn’t fall for the same trick, no matter how unintelligent he was.

Therefore, Blue Maple switched to a new combination. He used Airborne Somersault and charged at Demonized Tovilis with explosive speed.

I have an absolute advantage if we clash at this speed. Blue Maple thought as he charged forward.

Blue Maple’s idea was very simple. Demonized Tovilis didn’t have his terrifying reflexes when dealing with a clash at such high speeds. Blue Maple could use his reflexes to do things that normal people couldn’t.

Blue Maple’s world suddenly appeared to be in slow motion. It was something that only people with exceptional reaction time could experience!

They were just about to clash when Blue Maple suddenly tapped on the ground with his foot and redirected Demonized Tovilis’ blade at a subtle angle. Tovilis couldn’t react fast enough to change his blade’s angle as Blue Maple’s sword lunged towards a familiar spot: Demonized Tovilis’ neck!

Swoosh!

-2768!

The two of them touched shoulders in the instant as they separated again, and a dash of fresh blood splattered out.

Blue Maple relied on this high-speed clash and his incredible reaction time to slightly readjust his position in a short window of time as he evaded Demonized Tovilis’ attack. He struck Tovilis’ neck successfully, and dealt additional damage because he was moving rapidly!

What… Blue Snow wasn’t focused because she believed that Blue Maple would leave her behind and escape. She only saw that they were about to clash, but eventually separated after he struck Demonized Tovilis’ neck once more.

Demonized Tovilis’ reaction this time was unnatural, and he didn’t turn around to continue attacking Blue Maple. Instead, he continued charging forward and raised the blade in his hands once more.

He wants to… shit! Blue Maple suddenly realized something, because Demonized Tovilis was charging towards the tunnel Blue Maple and Blue Snow had originally entered from.

Boom!

Tovilis struck the rocks above the opening like he was using a simplified version of Earth-Rending Chop; enormous rocks and stones collapsed and fell, blocking the opening entirely…

This fellow is now intelligent! Blue Maple suddenly realized a very important thing. Demonized Tovilis seemed like he now possessed some intelligence.

“Haha, hahaha… hahaha!!” Demonized Tovilis chuckled incessantly before he started laughing hysterically.

Tovilis… Blue Snow watched everything from above dazedly, and felt unable to react.

A terrifying smile appeared across Demonized Tovilis’ sinister face as he spoke, “Finally. I’ve finally destroyed that pathetic consciousness. I have to thank you for that. If I didn’t have a tough opponent like you to trigger my primitive fighting instincts so that my brutal aura was explosively unleashed, I wouldn’t have been able to destroy him.

“He held back the pressure that I released in the beginning, and he suppressed my consciousness so that I couldn’t control my body completely. Everything is fine now. The tyrannical aura that I just unleashed is the best nourishment for me, and I instantly crushed that pathetic willpower. Now, I will kill you!” Demonized Tovilis revealed a frightening expression as he swung his blade through the air.

So that’s what happened…, Blue Maple thought to himself.

Demonzied Tovilis’ consciousness was awakened because Blue Maple’s performance and fighting techniques were too formidable. He provoked Demonized Tovilis; this was not part of the hidden quest’s original setup.

Blue Snow jumped down from above and landed beside Blue Maple.

“Leave, Little Gangster. You can escape with your fire.” Blue Snow bit her lips as she spoke frankly. She knew that they no longer had a chance in their current situation, unless some miracle occurred.

Blue Snow came into this battle thinking that they could only win on a fluke, and could no longer see their chance at victory after Demonized Tovilis’ consciousness was awakened. She knew that Blue Maple’s bonus from removing his Seal had disappeared. They were already struggling to deal with Demonized Tovilis with his explosively increased attributes, not to mention that Demonized Tovilis now possessed intelligence!

That was why Blue Snow had such emotions at this moment.

“It’s okay. You’re here to help in the first place, and it doesn’t matter if you escape now. I don’t think you’re willing to drop a level,” Blue Snow continued worriedly when Blue Maple didn’t respond to her, because Demonized Tovilis was starting to walk towards them.

“Escape? Do you think you can still leave? Neither one of you shall leave.” Demonized Tovilis spoke with a malevolent expression on his face, as his fearsome aura increased with every step. The pressure that he could emit, which had been suppressed before, increased with every step that he took.

Blue Maple seemed like he didn’t hear Demonized Tovilis’ words, or he just didn’t care.

“Are you stupid?” Blue Maple replied, suddenly turning towards Blue Snow.

“Eh? What?” Blue Snow was momentarily stunned by Blue Maple’s words, and was dazed once more and didn’t know how to react.

“Do you think a Skill like that doesn’t require time to use?” Blue Maple eyed Blue Snow like he was looking at a mentally retarded person. He was conveying the fact that he would have run away a long time if he had time to activate that ability.

“That…” Blue Snow was momentarily stunned. She was a gaming expert after all, but she had forgotten that Skills had casting times despite that. Blue Maple had to use some time to cover himself with fire before he teleported away after his fight with Crippled Feather in the town back then.

“Then, let me help you hold him off so that you can activate your Skill and escape near the cave opening.” Blue Snow grit her teeth as she made up her mind. Demonized Tovilis was edging closer and his pressure was successfully taking effect. Now wasn’t the time to deliberate!

Blue Snow gestured at the cave opening on the other side with her eyes. There was a large rock protruding from it, and there should be a cliff outside. They’d had to hike for a long time before they arrived at this place, while they could see the skies filled with the light of dusk if they looked out from the opening. The sunset’s reddish hues were beautiful.

“You are actually stupid. Do you think you can hold him off?” Blue Maple retorted with another question. Demonized Tovilis’ pressure had returned, and Blue Snow couldn’t possibly stop Demonized Tovilis if he wanted to charge at Blue Maple to interrupt him!

Furthermore, why would Blue Maple want to run? He would only want to run if he couldn’t win this fight, and if he had to sacrifice himself.

Kamikaze? Blue Maple had never believed that was a difficult problem. At most, he would just jump down from the opening!

“I… I can definitely help you hold him off long enough for you to use your Skill!” Blue Snow hesitated before she spoke resolutely. She had a determined look in her eyes, and she was ready to sacrifice herself so that she could buy more time for Blue Maple. A thin layer of moisture appeared over her eyes for some reason...

“You are really…” Blue Maple paused halfway, and couldn’t continue anymore.

You didn’t care about what happened at the restaurant at Novice Village and interfered with my business. You had no money but said you wanted to treat me, and you were ready to use your equipment as payment no matter how expensive your ordered dishes were. Now, you want to sacrifice yourself for a little bit of time. We have only met a few times after all, and you wish to do that just because you invited me here and you’re unwilling for me to suffer any losses? You’re really an idiot, thought Blue Maple to himself, like he was mocking her.

I do appear like I could leave someone behind for my own benefit. That does seem true, Blue Maple thought to himself mockingly.

But I’m not someone who needs an idiot to protect me. Blue Maple’s thoughts stopped there as his expression suddenly grew serious as he pushed Blue Snow, who was standing in front of him, to one side.

He was sufficiently powerful!

“Take care of yourself. I didn’t say that I was going to run away.” Blue Maple started getting into a stance to face Demonized Tovilis, who was unleashing more pressure as he continued stepping forward.

“Eh?” Blue Snow wasn’t able to react.

“Remove the Seal!”

Blue Maple’s Heavenly Fire surged from his body with a roar once more. The blue flames were just so magnificent and dazzling…