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Chapter 145: Showdown in the Digital Arena

"First one down!"

After landing a swift combo set, I finished Sakura off with a high kick, executing the Dragon Fist command simultaneously. I depleted my SP gauge to unload a barrage of gunshots towards her suspended character in mid-air.

As Sakura's body reddened amidst the raining bullets, I seized her in mid-air, continuously pounding her while descending beneath the building. Just before touchdown, I jumped away, making Sakura vanish amid swirling cherry blossom petals.

"Wow! That was insane..."

"Ah! The player who chose Sakura here has been eliminated! Players in line, get ready to switch in!"

"Ugh, no time to catch my breath."

But the player pursuing me was equally relentless. If speed mattered, then I was the one reigning over this map, racing crazily back and forth.

"Where on earth is Potenking!?"

Potenking, my only ally in this battle, appeared to be engaged in a duel with the golden-haired witch, Roxie, on Yuki's screen.

Compared to other characters, Roxie consumed relatively less SP gauge for teleportation, making her a superb match against Potenking. However, in the case of Potenking versus Yuki, the match-up was abysmal. Yet...

"I need to help out."

Chasing after a group of assassins alongside Hwirin, I swiftly maneuvered through buildings towards Potenking. Fortunately, Yuki's character, boasting remarkable defense, remained unwavering against Roxie's consecutive attacks.

"Junhyuk, this character feels so slow."

"Well, doesn't exactly look like a speedster, right?"

"Try hitting the guard button right when the enemy's attack is about to end."

As Hwirin demonstrated earlier, though not invincible, the golden shimmer displayed reduced guard damage against Roxie's assault, prompting Yuki to focus more on the game.

"Hold on till I arrive."

"Oh, here, developer Kang Junhyuk's rooting for Ishikawa-san. Seems like he's just hoping someone sorts out this couple situation! Purely wishful thinking from him!"

At that moment, a new player entered, selecting Potenking, the same character as Yuki, blocking my path. With a swift diagonal flick of the lever just before our clash, I pressed the jump button, soaring over Potenking with a blue trace behind Hwirin.

As Potenking spun towards me, I countered by inputting the lever in reverse, launching a kick.

"Oops? I guarded, though?"

Reverse guard. In this 2D fighting game, executing an aerial kick slightly delayed in timing allowed for hits by inputting the lever in the opposite direction.

Disregarding an additional hit, I quickly maneuvered Hwirin towards Yuki.

Soon after, Yuki's controlled Potenking appeared on the screen.

Slipping out between Potenking's legs with a slide, aiming for Roxie on the opposite side, I yelled to Yuki at the exposed moment.

"Now!"

Potenking's giant fist struck Roxie's character squarely as her health plummeted in an instant.

"Great. Leave the follow-up to me!"

"Ouch! Potenking's Iron Fist connects! Roxie's knocked out in a single blow, followed by Hwirin!!"

"Wow! That combo attack!"

Roxie's direction and an ice bullet from the opposite end caused her to bounce back towards me. Seizing the moment, I directed another kick towards Yuki's Potenking.

"Once more!"

Boom!

Potenking's Iron Fist thundered once again as Roxie turned into light particles.

"Whoa! Instant KO in just two moves."

"Looked like watching an anime."

"Junhyuk's Hwirin is wreaking havoc all over the map. Nobody seems capable of stopping him! His health gauge is still at 120%! Oh! Just as I say that, Hwirin's Shadow Pressure is blocked. His health gauge must be running low, right!? Ah, here it is! Shadow Pressure fails, and he's out! Demon director Kang Junhyuk has eliminated three players without surrendering! He doesn't give up easily! What a waste for Psych Force's figure?"

"What does that guy take me for!?"

Cursing silently at Gunpei, I moved Hwirin back towards Yuki. Then—Boom!

"Ah! Here comes the trap set by the Bomber Roy!"

"This one's big. 53% damage is too much..."

With seasoned players now unleashing coordinated attacks, my health plummeted in an instant.

"Still not yet? Just a bit more to hold out, and it might show up?"

Gritting my teeth, I focused solely on defense. At that moment, a player attempting the finishing blow fell victim to Potenking's fist, instantly eliminated.

"Wow! I got one too!"

"Just brace for the guard and wait; recovery items should appear soon."

"What? Recovery items?"

I did my best to shield Potenking while firing my gun at the surrounding enemies. Occasionally, Yuki's mistimed controls resulted in punches directed at me, but it was better than being pummeled in the enemy's territory.

Dodging left and right, I fired at the encroaching players, making it hard for them to approach.

"Oh, pressed the buttons too hard. Fingers are hurting now."

In that moment, a red blotch appeared again on the ground where Potenking and I stood. It was another eruption of flames from the Fire Pillar of the Flame Wizard skin. I quickly stomped on Potenking's head, utilizing a super jump to evade the attack.

"Tenacious!"

Facing Potenking, I shot an ice bullet to immobilize him before dashing towards him again.

"Wow, just flying around like that?"

"I want to try it too. Seems incredibly fun..."

"Junhyuk's Hwirin is rampaging through the map. No one seems able to stop him! His health gauge is still at 120%! Ah! Just as I say that, Shadow Pressure by Hwirin is blocked! His health must be low! Oh, here it is! Shadow Pressure fails tragically, eliminating him! Demon director Kang Junhyuk, eliminating three players with no intention of giving up! Is the Psych Force figure regrettable?"

"What does he think I am!?"

Inwardly cursing Gunpei, I redirected Hwirin back towards Yuki. Then—Boom!

"Ah! The trap set by Bomber Roy is activated!"

"This one's big. 53% damage is too much..."

With seasoned players now unleashing coordinated attacks, my health plummeted in an instant.

"Still not yet? Just a bit more to hold out, and it might show up?"

Gritting my teeth, I focused solely on defense. At that moment, a player attempting the finishing blow fell victim to Potenking's fist, instantly eliminated.

"Wow! I got one too!"

"Just brace for the guard and wait; recovery items should appear soon."

"What? Recovery items?"

Here's the translated and edited chapter in a light novel style, considering Korean gamers' slang and Japanese vocabulary, while addressing the requested fixes:

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Facing our arch-nemesis, Yuki, the players began firing attacks from various directions. However, since this wasn't an official team match, there were moments when we inadvertently hit our own allies amidst the barrage.

"Hey, Justin, the fire mage of flames! Watch where you're shooting those fire pillars! You're hitting our side too!"

"Were we even a team? I thought the prize went to the one who eliminates the developer character."

"We'll all die fighting like this!!"

"I only need to land Whirlwind hits. So, dodge on your own."

Fissures were forming among them.

But wasn't that the voice of the guy who'd been grumbling since the event started, folding his arms? Is he using Justin?

Leaning on Yuki's Potenking, I simultaneously pressed Strong Punch and Strong Kick to accumulate SP gauge discreetly. After a while, Whirlwind's SP gauge reached 100%.

"Yuki, hit me with a punch, softly."

"What?"

"Quickly!!"

Boom! I deliberately took a punch from Yuki's Potenking, dropping my health gauge below 30%. That caused Whirlwind's character to start glowing red.

"Ah~!! Whirlwind, the developer's character, now has very little health left!"

Enemies gathered around me as Gunpei's commentary echoed.

Yuki's Potenking guarded me, but even the Potenking, which had been evading attacks from all directions, was nearly out of health.

I waited for all players to converge. With my health at 23%, one solid hit could tip the scale.

Then, just like before, the screen half turned red. Additionally, the ground announced an impending eruption, coloring the entire screen crimson—the mischief of Justin, the fire mage.

"I knew it'd turn out like this!"

At the moment when all characters gathered, I pushed Yuki's Potenking, initiating a super jump.

Kwaaang!!!

Amidst Justin's tremendous firepower and everyone unleashing their ultimate moves, they vanished, succumbing to instant fatal damage.

And the direction Whirlwind, the character I controlled, was headed to? It was the rooftop where the fire mage, who had been hurling spells from a distance, was hiding.

"Found you!!"

Having accumulated some stress due to long-range spells, I involuntarily chuckled while serving up a light combo. Justin tried to backstep to create distance even while taking damage.

"Nowhere to run!"

Zzzap! In that moment, with Whirlwind's eyes glowing red, she dashed swiftly towards Justin.

It was Whirlwind's ultra-special move, consuming 80% SP gauge when her health was below 30%.

"Whoa! Fast! What is that!?"

"Aahh!! Whirlwind's ultimate move is about to explode here!"

Amidst the dazzling Burst Morphing and her cut-in sweeping across the screen, cheers erupted from the audience in the venue.

"What!? Whirlwind's chest... Her chest!!"

"I saw it too!! It's moving!!"

Just a slight tremble of a woman's chest on the screen, and all hell breaks loose... Wait, didn't I also—

Sure, I once applauded the 2D character's Burst Morphing in the Super Robot Showdown, but well...

Onscreen, Whirlwind moved left and right, using all her weapons against Justin. Finally, with a sniper shot to the airborne opponent, she casually dropped a gun of similar length to herself on the ground.

Ultimately, Justin, unprepared for Whirlwind's ultimate move, turned into flames without reversing the tide.

"Oh~ Massive eliminations happening here!! Teamwork failure. Now, let me, Gunpei, join the Psych Battle."

"Oh, right. Wasn't he also a participant!?"

Gunpei, chuckling silently, was already picking his character, seated next to Yuki.

Seeing him gleefully eyeing my dwindling HP, it felt like he was aiming to kill me just to get the figure. Ugh, seriously, I'm out of stamina.

I had accumulated SP gauge until Gunpei appeared.

The remaining players were Yuki's Potenking, another Potenking introduced through substitution, and Whirlwind and Bomberman Roy, whom I controlled.

I started gathering SP gauge while keeping an eye out for Roy hiding somewhere.

"Carrying the users' expectations on my shoulders and the pride of Monthly Famicom, I will definitely—I repeat, I will choke the breath out of developer Kang Junhyuk."

"Just say you want the figure!!"

Checking my nearly depleted HP, Gunpei grinned widely.

The character he chose resembled Ryu Hwayoung, much like Whirlwind... For someone who had liked Ryu Hwayoung since the Psych Battle, it might have been an obvious choice.

"Gunpei. I-ki-mas~~(I'm coming~)"

That was the moment. As Gunpei's character appeared on a rooftop, a crimson 'WARNING' message popped up in the middle of the screen.

"Huh? What's this!?"

In Gunpei's puzzlement at the unexpected event, a colossal eye appeared between buildings.

And that marked the end of Gunpei's brief gameplay.

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