The Final Desperation

Seeing this prompt, Genji realized he had to move, preferably finding a remote place to fight or leave the city. This was a boss-level creature we were talking about, and each hit could cause massive damage to the surroundings.

Although Genji didn't understand how faction reputation worked, he assumed that causing damage would deduct from it. That's because he received a big boost after the raid event, making him realize that there were external factors that could affect this number.

Genji got up from his bed and started thinking of a place he could go. As he scoured the map, he came across a familiar abandoned warehouse, the same one he had entered the world in.

"That should do."

Genji made his way there and found a place to hide himself. It wasn't much, but he hoped to gain an advantage by ambushing the boss. He was an assassin, after all. An hour later, a girl with purplish hair walked in.

"This is the place," she said, looking around. "Come out. I know you're here. My marking is never wrong."

Genji didn't answer. He positioned himself and prepared for an attack.

*Fooosh*

His blade missed as the girl jumped out of the way. She turned around to face Genji.

"Found you!"

Her voice was emotionless, but Genji felt a sense of anger in it, directed solely at him. Her eyes turned red as nine giant tails burst out from the back of her dress. Her facial features became bestial, and her fingers sharpened into claws. Genji found this transformation similar to Kazuya's final form before he killed him. The only difference was the tails; not only were they larger, but they were also more numerous.

As Genji thought back to the battle, he realized he was in for a hard time. Each of those tails was capable of dealing devastating damage. It was like fighting another attacker at the same time. And considering the number he saw, it would be like fighting nine deadly individuals.

 

[Red Kitsune, Risa]

Health: 5800/5800

Energy: 120/120

Con: 16

Str: 16

Dex: 16

Int: 12

Spc: 8

Skills:

 - Boss Physique: +5000 Health

 - Transform: Change body into a combat state

 - Tail boost: +50% movement speed when using tails for movement

 - High-level-regen: Convert stamina into healing

 - Stalker's Mark: Allows for tracking of anyone that meets a condition. Only one condition can be set at once.

 

Seeing these stats, Genji drew in a sharp breath. This stat line was absurd. Although the strength and constitution stats did not match the Troll of Grief, the Kitsune's other stats more than made up for it. Not to mention the skills possessed by this boss. Genji had already witnessed the trouble with the regeneration skill, but that wasn't the most ludicrous part.

No, that title belonged to the Stalker's Mark. Judging by the way the skill was phrased, Genji had reason to suspect that the skill meant exactly what it said: any condition. A very potent skill for a hunter. This profile almost seemed bugged to Genji. Was this how a normal boss was supposed to be?

Genji held his sword up and prepared himself for the most difficult fight of his life. Risa smacked the ground with three of her tails and disappeared from Genji's sight.

"Shit!"

Lightweight

He hurriedly swung down and managed to parry one tail, but the other tails soon came at him.

*Clang*

His katana clashed against Risa's claws. Sparks flew as an overwhelming force hit him. His arms became numb from the impact. Genji paid no mind to this as he lifted his feet to deliver a kick. Risa didn't budge, not even a bit, as her tails turned around and shot toward Genji's back.

Genji swung his blade again and jumped before the impact, using the repulsion force to send himself flying beside her tail. As he neared, he twisted his body to slide between the gaps and get outside her range.

When Genji landed, he had to roll again to dodge an incoming attack. It was a barrage of back-to-back attacks that deprived Genji of all time to catch his breath. Little by little, he was being pushed back.

In a way, this situation was expected. No matter which stat you looked at, Risa's stats out-ranged Genji's. This included the dexterity that he had relied on heavily to fight against the other corruptors that surpassed his stats. The ones Genji had fought before had one thing that allowed him to come out on top: their speed. No matter the situation, Genji was able to dodge all their attacks and dance around them until he landed a fatal blow.

But now, he was faced with a situation where his speed was suppressed. Even with lightweight

activated, he was only barely keeping up. And soon, this ability would end and enter a long cooldown. Sure, he could gamble right now by activating swift movement, but that only gave him five seconds of extreme speed. If he missed, then he would be dead.

Genji suspected that Risa's current speed was not her top speed. In these few seconds of dodging, he noticed one thing: Risa's top speed depended on how many tails she used to boost herself. Although there were diminishing returns, she had plenty of tails to accumulate her speed. Even if her top speed wasn't faster than his, there was another problem.

It was her regeneration skill. If Kazuya, who was way weaker than Risa, was able to survive a beheading, then there was a high chance she could as well. With her speed, Genji had no confidence in killing her as he had with Kazuya. Overall, everything came down to speed.

Genji dodged another tail attack and tried to cut down on another tail.

*Clang*

The same metal collision sound. A few strands of hair fell, but there were no visible wounds. It was a perfect hardening.

"Dammit. I can't seem to cut her."

Genji rolled beneath another tail and opted to stay on the ground. Right now, he didn't want to risk jumping into the air. As his power was outclassed, becoming airborne would make him akin to a sitting duck.

Dagger Arts: Threading the Needle

Genji disappeared and slashed at Risa's neck.

*Clink*

Blood seeped out, but not from Risa's neck. Between her neck and Genji's blade appeared her clawed hands. She gripped the blade and yanked hard. Feeling the intense pull, Genji used this force to deliver a kick before he got sent flying.

*Bang*

He smashed against the metal-plated wall of the warehouse, leaving a deep dent. He reached out and grabbed onto the side of the wall to pull himself out when another tail came at him.

"What the hell. Is she not even going to give me time to recover?!"

But Genji knew that was just him venting his emotions. In a real battle, you never let your opponent recover. If you have the chance, go for the kill right away. If you don't kill in a single strike, continue to pressure the opponent until you do.

Swift movement

Genji was forced to use his last speed boost skill. Although this skill had a lower cooldown compared to lightweight, Genji had always preferred lightweight over swift movement. The difference between the two is that lightweight decreases his weight so he can move faster, while swift movement forcibly increases his speed. It's a matter of body strain.

Genji appeared next to Risa again and slashed at her neck. This time, he was faster than she could react, so it connected. But his worst fears came true. Before his blade could finish cutting through, he felt her flesh twist to hold the wound in place. In a matter of milliseconds, her neck had fully regenerated when his blade came out the other side.

As his swing reached its end, he felt a strong sense of danger. Genji disappeared from Risa's side and appeared on the other side of the warehouse. Looking back, he realized Risa had clawed his prior position. Genji had no doubt had it connected, he would have lost a good amount of flesh if it hadn't outright killed him.

"Chance!"

He appeared next to Risa again as she finished her swing. This time, instead of aiming for her neck, he severed her arm at the shoulder. Then he grabbed the arm before her muscles could repair it and appeared back on his side of the warehouse.

Genji dropped the arm and reached into his storage space to grab a gallon of highly flammable gasoline and a lighter. He dropped the gasoline and hacked the container in half with his sword before flicking the lighter and throwing that down as well. Then he flashed away to avoid a swipe coming from Risa.

At this moment, the two of them had switched positions. Genji looked back to see an enraged Risa standing over her burning arm.

"How dare you!" she shrieked in a feral tone. "You think that could stop me? I still have my tails!"

Her tails flared up menacingly behind her, but Genji ignored her comment. He appeared next to her again and cut off two tails. Why would he respond when he could deal more damage? Unfortunately for him, Risa seemed to have learned her lesson and wielded her tails hazardously, forcing Genji back before he could repeat the burning act.

Her tails reattached themselves as she crouched down. She put her remaining arm on the ground and folded her tail together, forming one giant tail. And the worst part? Genji's speed buff had run out!

Risa pushed off the ground and propelled herself towards Genji, swinging her giant tail. Genji raised his sword to parry as his body was not fast enough to dodge this.

*Clang*

His sword ripped his apart palms and disappeared from his hands.

*Ding*

The sound of it stabbing into the walls reverberated through his heart. A sense of helplessness started to form in him, but he squashed those feelings instantly. It didn't matter. He wasn't going down without a fight. He reached into his cloak and drew [Lethal Opportunity], readying himself for another clash.

*Whoosh*

A small chunk of flesh disappeared from Genji's torso as he twisted his body. It was painful, but he was used to the pain. Genji slashed down. No result. His daggers just bounced off.

"What did I expect?"

Genji slashed out with both his daggers and was sent flying backward. Before he could crash into the wall, he flipped himself so his legs planted into the metal plating. A rush of blood flooded his brain as a sense of dizziness overwhelmed his senses. He pulled his legs out and ran down the vertical surface. It was disorienting, but if Genji stayed still any longer, he would become a shish kebab, just like the many holes forming behind him.

Genji kicked off one of the tails and landed on the ground. His legs buckled, but he forced himself to remain standing. Another tail came at his head. Genji threw his head down as another whistling sound came from behind him.

More blood splashed onto the ground. At this point, Genji's vision started to become blurry. Sometimes, he would see multiple images and other times, his body wouldn't keep up. Genji knew. If he didn't do something soon, he would end up dead. His movements were slowing down, and his injuries were catching up to him.

He looked at the cooldown of swift movement. 8 seconds.

"Can I last 8 more seconds?"

Doubt was starting to form in him. He was in terrible condition, and the tails didn't seem to relent in their attacks. As for Risa, he couldn't even get close to her. In this moment of hesitation, another tail came at him. This time, Genji knew he couldn't dodge this. His response was too slow. It was going to pierce through his chest and leave a big hole in its path.

"Is this how I die?" Genji wondered to himself as the world started to slow down.

"I've asked that plenty of times, but it seems this might be the last time."

His perception continued to dilate as time crawled at a snail's pace.

"Still so unwilling, though."

His body instinctually moved to try to dodge the incoming strike, but his attention was somewhere else. His eyes were focused on the tails in front of him. It was slow—so slow that he had time to admire the bristles on them.

"It has a strange beauty to it. So graceful and deadly."

His body continued to move.

"Weird. Have my movements always been so flawed?"

Genji finally paid attention to his body. Watching from his current view, this random thought came to him. It shouldn't be possible since he had honed his movements to an extreme, but he had this feeling; the feeling that even with the guidance of his instincts in Frenzy mode, his movements were still flawed.

Those perfect movements that he sought to recreate seemed so weak. Weak and flawed. Almost like they were inefficient. Inefficient and useless. Like he had gone down the wrong path.

"So what happens if I follow these feelings?"

His body stopped its motion and followed a new movement. It was choppy, but it felt more natural. It wasn't perfect, but he could think about that later. The world returned to its normal speed as Genji gracefully twirled past the strike, like a falling leaf in the wind. It was strange. A strike that was supposedly undodgeable had just been avoided.

And his body. It felt relaxed. Less strained, even. But how was that possible? He was in the middle of combat. How could his body relax? Genji instinctively hopped away as another strike brushed by his side.

"The wind feels good."

He hopped over a leg sweep and flipped on a tail. Feeling the extra weight, Risa waved this tail violently to shake him off, but Genji moved his body with the motion and stuck on like glue. Genji then ran down the wavering tail and approached Risa. Seeing this, she became further enraged and smashed it into the ground. Genji jumped off before impact and slowly approached Risa.

Risa had a weird feeling seeing his movements. This human was clearly slow, so why couldn't she seem to land a hit? As Genji approached, she swiped with her remaining arm, but Genji danced around it and swung his dagger.

Nothing. Risa became relieved. Although this guy's movements had suddenly become erratic, his attack power had weakened considerably. Then she felt a prick on her neck. She jerked her head in the direction of the pain and saw Genji retracting his dagger with a few drops of blood. Her blood. Then another prick on her stomach.

Genji continued to twirl around Risa and left small cuts that healed soon after. It was a stalemate. An uncomfortable one for Risa. So she commanded her tails to form a cage around her and squeezed in.

"Can you dodge now? There's nowhere to go!"

But Genji proved her wrong by inhumanly twisting his body and slipping through the gaps before they closed. Genji landed as a fierce gust of wind ravaged the space.

"What was that?"

Genji snapped out of that state and processed what he had just done.

"That was me?"

Genji couldn't believe his body could move that way. And the way he utilized his footwork, it was astounding. But these thoughts didn't stay for long as Risa started her onslaught of attacks again.

Genji tried to recall how his body had moved moments before but failed to replicate those movements. Only traces of it remained, but it was enough to prevent him from being killed. Wounds started forming again as Genji debated on using the Injection of Fate to recover. As this thought formed, he narrowly dodged another attack.

"No. I don't have the time. Not unless I give up a dagger."

But Genji was unwilling to do that. Not when he saw the hope of dodging everything. For now, at least.

"How did I move back then?"

Genji racked his head and tried to remember his prior movements and adapt them. And it showed. The rate at which he was getting injured was slowing down. Thankfully he had only been taking hits in non-lethal places, but his health was still a concern. It was getting dangerously low, but his strong physique was keeping him alive.

"The only problem is I don't have a way to finish her off. Even if I recover, I will only return to this situation."

So Genji decided to risk it. Instead of using the injection, he would keep himself in danger. To keep himself on the knife's edge and tense. To force himself to improve or die trying. There's no point in dragging this out. And this mentality was showing results. His dodging technique was improving at a rapid rate.

At this moment, his rate of dodging had reached 90% of his original level when he entered that special state. But there was a difference. His mind was conscious right now compared to before when everything was instinctual. He was developing a new sense. One far more attuned to danger than before.

It's a strange feeling. It's like his body knew instinctively where an attack was coming from milliseconds before it happened. Not a future sense per se, but a feeling derived from all the factors in the environment. The sound, the flow of wind, the temperature, the smell of fur. All his senses were pushed to the limits to receive this information, and he moved accordingly.

As this was a new state, he still let some attacks slip through, but he managed to minimize the damage to small cuts and nicks. A meager amount of damage for how much he was learning.

"I need a way to finish this fight. Swift movement has come off cooldown, but it's short. I also don't think I can catch her off guard anymore. No, I need something faster. But what?"

At this point, Genji had stopped trying to attack. His sole focus was dedicated to dodging the attacks and buying himself some time to think.

"Threading the Needle's too slow. I need something that can catch her off guard before her regeneration kicks in."

The only problem? Threading the Needle was the fastest move he had. The Dagger Arts were theoretical until the last world. Because it's a theory, he only had 3 attacks conceived. One for penetration, one for speed, and one for damage. For now, I won't go into the one for damage. The point is Genji doesn't have a technique for this situation.

"Fine, I will make one."

Using Threading the Needle as a reference, he discarded everything unnecessary. All movements for multiple attacks. Everything about the technique. He stripped everything about the move down to its basics and kept the ones that boost his speed. He scrapped everything and made the sole purpose be speed. A linear movement, at that. No flexible movement. Just pure speed.

Soon a new technique took shape inside his head. It was simpler than before. Simpler and more direct.

"Hell, I might as well throw in my energy."

Genji circulated his shadow energy into his legs and the remainder of it into his daggers.

"I should probably not activate swift movement. I don't know if my body could handle all that strain."

The world started to slow down as he took a step. Then Risa's view started spinning. It rose and spun. This sudden change confused her. What had caused this? As this confusion rose in her, she saw something as her view continued to spin. Standing by her headless body was Genji, who was in the finishing motions of an attack.

"In your memory, I will name this technique, Flashstep."