The game duel-
Had begun the moment the flame-like Aura appeared.
Whether it was Ging or Moses, both would do their utmost to exploit every rule of the game in this duel.
Ding-ding-ding...
Just as Ging stepped back toward the flame-like aura, a crisp, melodious chime suddenly echoed across the plaza.
The source of this sound came from a strange object in Moses's hand that looked like a musical instrument.
The device consisted of two ancient golden rings pressed together. The inner ring of the ancient golden ring looked ordinary at first glance, but the outer ring's edges were adorned with tiny, delicate wind chimes.
Moses's entire hand was slipped inside the inner ring, and he rotated it continuously like a hula hoop.
As the inner ring spun, the outer ring, which is pressed against it, rotated as well, producing the clear, resonant chime that filled the plaze.
Strangely enough-
The inner and outer rings twisted and intertwined like a distorted Tai Chi symbol as they spun, constantly merging and separating.
From a physical standpoint, not only was this rotational trajectory bizarre, but if the outer ring were to press inward, it should have injured Moses's hand.
Yet, in reality, the two had never made actual contact.
And watching it for too long could induce a sense of visual disorientation.
[Ring Chime]
This is the name of this bizarre instrument, and it is also the Conjuration-Type Ability that Moses had drawn.
The effect of Ring Chime was...
To reverse the target's limb movements through the 'sound of performance'.
"Well, I suppose this counts as a good ability."
As he spun Ring Chime, Moses answered Ging's earlier question.
at the same time.
As the Ring Chime's effect was activated, Ging, who was originally retreating towards the flame-like Aura, suddenly and inexplicably charged forward instead.
The abrupt reversal of his limb movement commands startled Ging slightly.
If a normal person encounters this situation, they will most likely be dazed for a moment due to the intense sense of disorientation.
But Ging was no ordinary person.
It took him less than a second to adjust himself and realize that this phenomenon was caused by Moses's conjured object.
'An ability that reverses limb movement commands, huh...'
Ging thought to himself.
However, Moses was no ordinary person either. Relying on his explosive physical prowess, he arrived in front of Ging, who had hastily halted his momentum, in the blink of an eye.
Even if Gin could adapt in an extremely short time, it will definitely take some time for him to perfectly adapt to the phenomenon of 'reversing limb movement commands'.
And the brilliance of the Ring Chime lay precisely in buying the user this time, allowing them to overwhelm their opponent with a relentless offensive before they could fully adapt.
In fact, many Conjurer tend to focus heavily on refining their conjured objects, such as mastering the trait of instant summoning and dismissal.
So they will naturally develop the habit of relying on the conjured objects in battle.
But if there really is someone in this world who possesses the [Ring Chime] Ability, then they will certainly not waste time and energy on training like instant summoning and dismissal.
Instead, they would invest heavily in honing their hand-to-hand combat skills and one-handed fighting techniques in order to complete an ability system centered on Ring Chime.
When Moses, who was already highly skilled in close combat and possessed monstrously powerful Manifested Aura, had rolled this ability-
It can be said that Lady Luck was on his side this time.
At the very least-
Moses didn't believe that Ging could withstand his onslaught under these conditions!
In an instant-
Moses came forward, clenched his left fist, and threw out a barrage of strikes aimed at overwhelming Ging.
Faced with Moses's audacious frontal assault, although Ging was still adjusting to the reversed movement phenomenon, he was able to remain calm and raised his arms to block.
The two men's fists and forearms collided mid-air in a rapid flurry.
Bang, bang, bang…
A series of dense, muffled impacts rang out as shockwaves of visible white Aura rippled from the points of contact.
The intense clashing of Aura even caused the surrounding light to refract.
Within moments-
In less than three seconds-
Ging's Ken: Bone-Plated Armor was destroyed by Moses's one-handed assault.
Without the damage reduction from his Bone-Plated Armor, Ging couldn't help but feel a tangible pressure.
'How long had it been-'
'Since I last experienced such an oppressive sense of urgency?'
A glint flashed in Ging's eyes. Despite being at a disadvantage in the exchange, he showed no intention of retreating.
Instead, amidst the storm of blows, he continuously sought opportunities to disrupt the conjured object wrapped around Moses's right hand.
However, Moses was well aware of the importance of maintaining Ring Chime's normal operation, and even if it meant slightly reducing his offensive intensity, he refused to give Ging any chance to touch it.
'To instantly grasp the correct combat style the moment he acquires a 'new ability'… And to such an exaggerated degree… it's almost as if that weird ring was something he developed himself.'
Ging thought helplessly in his heart as his defense was about to collapse.
He had actually anticipated how quickly Moses would adapt to Ready Player One's effect, but he hadn't expected it to be this fast.
It was like a rookie transforming into a master in a single second.
In the gaming world, that would be considered downright absurd and shocking.
'Fortunately... I've played similar games that reverse controls before, so it's not difficult to completely adapt to it.'
While Ging was parrying Moses's fierce attacks, he quickly adapted to the reversed limb movement phenomenon.
The reason why he stubbornly chose to block Moses's fierce attack head-on was not only due to the margin of error provided by Bone-Plated Armor, but also because he wanted to use the fast-paced confrontation to quickly adapt to the ability's negative effects.
As for the results-
The process unfolded exactly as he had envisioned.
By the fifth second of their exchange, Ging had completely adapted to the effects of Ring Chime.
But just one second after he adapted to the effect...
Moses suddenly dismissed Ring Chime from his right hand.
As the conjured Ring Chime vanished into Aura, Moses's right hand was instantly freed, and the effect of the reverse limb movement on Ging's body also disappeared.
This abrupt change unavoidably caused another brief moment of disorientation in Ging's movements.
And now, Moses could also use his right hand!
Then-
Seizing this fleeting opportunity, Moses drove his right fist through the chaotic shockwaves and slammed it squarely into Ging's cheek.
Bang!
The flurry of fists and arms vanished in an instant.
Ging, who was struck squarely in the face, was sent flying like a cannonball.
"Welp… I just got wrecked."
Ging's mind reflexively conjured this phrase he'd picked up from his time surfing the net.