Not to mention what Gareth, Riveria, and the Gulliver Brothers were thinking while watching, on the battlefield itself… the Twin Stars and the White and Black Knights had entered the most intense stage of their respective 1v1 duels.
For Lumine, as Hedin began moving and dodging, she truly understood the difficulty of facing him..
Of course, her rapid offensive also placed enormous pressure on him.
Between the two, a single gust of wind or flash of lightning could be seen in perfect symmetry, both displayed exceptional evasive skill, both launched barrage-style ranged attacks, and both could engage in high-level swordsmanship once in close proximity…
It was a genuine state of evenly matched combat.
From here, the only factors left to consider were the likelihood of mistakes and each combatant's stamina.
Regarding stamina…
Hedin clearly had the advantage, his mana reserves far exceeding Lumine's.
But Lumine, as an energy-based lifeform, had semi-infinite physical endurance and could supplement with cost-free elemental skills and bursts.
With this push-and-pull dynamic, the outcome was far from certain.
As for Renjiro (Aether)…
"Tch~"
He felt increasingly constrained.
A man who habitually seeks stability and acts after thorough planning did not enjoy this sort of "self-restricting" style of combat.
If this were a deathmatch, he would have taken control immediately, overwhelming the opponent before they could even adapt to the pressure of group combat.
But now…
"Sigh~ I'll just take it as gaining some experience in close combat."
After parrying another sword strike from Hogni, Renjiro (Aether) quickly retreated a short distance.
Though he disliked wasted effort, he was willing to cooperate with Lumine's plan.
"The key is to make full use of every opportunity."
With that in mind, he floated his sword behind him and switched his elemental attribute from Wind to Geo.
Then…
"Hinshin!!!"
He was definitely having a bit of fun.
After jokingly quoting a classic line, Renjiro (Aether) formed Geo elemental constructs on his hands and feet: dark-golden gauntlets and greaves.
This was a self-developed ability he had recently honed.
While not as durable as top-tier adventurer gear, it could self-repair and was almost indestructible.
Thanks, OTZ…
Undoubtedly, he was training toward the ultimate goal: crafting a five-star weapon by hand.
Now…
"Hohoho~"
Perhaps seeing Renjiro (Aether)'s slightly goofy (yet cool) antics, Hogni, who had been maintaining a serious battle intent, suddenly had a gleam in his eyes.
"Damn it, I forgot this guy's a major chuunibyou."
Renjiro (Aether) felt a strange pang of hurt at Hogni's gleeful recognition.
"Even if I'm embarrassed, I won't let others think so. If I'm not awkward, the embarrassment is theirs."
In this world, the concept of chuunibyou was almost unknown outside ancient gods.[2]
"The Emperor said, always practicing against a model target fosters overly standardized bad habits."
On the plains, Renjiro (Aether) readied his stance, knees bent, charging…
"Then, while accompanying Lumine's antics, I might as well take some 'small profit'."
He barely finished speaking when…
"BOOM~"
Though Geo elemental techniques weren't as fast as Wind, they were far from slow.
Explosions in Geo function similarly to the fire+lightning Overload reaction, producing a knockback force.
Renjiro (Aether) used this effect to accelerate himself, launching forward toward Hogni.
"If the target doesn't react, it's self-destruction."
Hogni, a veteran Lv.6, immediately recognized the inherent flaw in Renjiro (Aether)'s technique, but could not perceive the deeper strategy.
After all, Renjiro (Aether)'s reaction capability…
"…is directly linked to Paimon!"
Lumine only said not to use "Genshin Descent," not "Paimon Time."
With Renjiro (Aether) and Paimon in a synchronized shared-sensory state, he didn't even need large amounts of mana to maintain time stop, Paimon simply acted as a second viewpoint, providing extra battlefield information.
"First-person versus third-person perspective…"
The latter's information was vastly superior.
At that moment…
"BOOM~"
Renjiro (Aether), propelled by Geo knockback, closed the gap with Hogni. Just as Hogni tried a side dodge, a sword strike aimed at his waist, no, Hogni didn't want to harm the junior too severely, so he opted to lightly strike with the sword's side rather than cut him in half.
But this leniency…
Unlike the Amazonian wrestlers' close-combat style, Renjiro (Aether), trained recently in Emperor-style martial arts, used a joint-lock to seize Hogni's sword-wielding wrist.
Hogni immediately tried to force it free, but Renjiro (Aether) leaned backward, pulling him off balance.
Combined with Hogni's own misjudgment, he briefly lost footing.
Next moment…
"SWISH~"
A cold smile curved Hogni's lips. His lightning-shaped black sword switched hands, striking toward Renjiro (Aether)'s right shoulder.
"If I dodge…"
"Do you really think that'll save you?"
Hogni, reading Renjiro (Aether)'s intent, sighed. Another swordsman about to be defeated.
The black blade was a cursed sword. Its swings expanded the cutting area like an additional vacuum blade, and it could drain blood from its target.
Hogni, the Vanguard Killer, had defeated countless swordmasters and close-combat specialists with this weapon.
Now…
"Freya's adopted brother… the moment you think you'll win is the moment you reveal a flaw. Let's give you a lesson… huh?"
Hogni froze mid-thought. He had planned only to sap a little HP with the cursed sword, but to his shock…
"No… no bleeding?"
The vacuum blade grazed Renjiro (Aether)'s shoulder, yet didn't cut his clothes.
"No, I really did take HP," Renjiro (Aether) said, inexplicably.
Then…
"BOOM~"
Seizing the moment, he slammed a heavy punch into Hogni's side, sending him flying.
"Bleeding? HP loss?"
Lumine, hovering in the air, couldn't comprehend the difference.