Chapter 59: Round Of 32 Knockout Stages (3)

The crowd's noise hit me like a physical force. 989th. Was it really necessary to announce that bit? I was here, doing my best, the same as anyone else.

haaah...

A frustrated sigh escaped me as I faced Sergio Vex across the cold stone floor. A sea of confused and jeering faces blurred in my vision. Did a low rank really matter that much? Before I could dwell on it, the starting signal reverberated through the stadium. It was time to move.

Pulling out my crossbow I could see Sergio already had his sword and shield, a standard combo favoured for both defence and counterattacking. At least he wasn't underestimating me because of my ranking. Good.

TAK!

I let my first bolt fly to gauge his reaction rather than inflict damage. Sure enough, Sergio batted it away with his shield, but with less effort than I expected.