Big Dipper Step was technically a Basic Grade technique that he had refined and upgraded to Human Grade through his system, but Shadow Step was a real Human Grade technique from its foundation.
That meant it had more potential for growth and would be more efficient to use once he mastered it.
But as he wasn’t a Stellar knight yet, forcibly using a Human-Grade technique would instantly dry up his blood and energy which is technically why only Steller Grade users get to use Human grade techniques. However, with his regeneration, pain nullification and unlimited stamina...
He was about to turn and leave the area, planning to find a quiet place to study the new technique, when he suddenly felt a vibration traveling through the ground beneath his feet.
Vogue turned around and saw a group of military vehicles rolling down Broadway toward him from the south. Three armored tanks flanked by dozens of soldiers in formation.
He was genuinely surprised to see them. The army was here? Already? Organizing evacuation and clearing operations this quickly after such a catastrophic event was impressive. Maybe the government’s had expected something of this nature to happen.
There were lots of things the government had hidden from the people and thousands of times way more terrifying than what conspiracy theories has figured out. But that was a discussion for later.
Vogue raised his hand and waved casually at the approaching convoy. Then he turned to leave, walking in the opposite direction while calling back over his shoulder.
"Sorry for the mess! I’ll get out of your way!"
He assumed they would be focused on helping civilians and killing Radiants, and he didn’t want to complicate their mission by getting in the way. Better to just leave and let them do their job.
But the captain standing in the lead tank’s hatch, the same iron-haired man with the stoic expression simply squinted his sharp eyes as he observed Vogue from a distance.
The way the young man moved. The confidence in his posture. The lack of visible injuries despite being in the middle of a Radiant-infested zone. The corpse of a Savage Radiant lying at his feet.
The captain immediately knew what he was looking at.
This was a Player.
His expression didn’t change at all, remaining completely emotionless. He raised his hand slowly and pointed directly at Vogue’s back as the young man started to walk away.
"Kill!"
The command was given without hesitation, without any attempt to communicate or verify whether Vogue was a threat. Just an immediate execution order.
The three tanks’ turrets immediately swiveled and locked onto Vogue’s position. The targeting systems calculated trajectory, windage, and distance in milliseconds.
Then they fired simultaneously.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Three tank shells launched at explosive speed, crossing the distance between the convoy and Vogue in less than a second. The projectiles screamed through the air with enough velocity to create visible shockwaves, aimed directly at where Vogue was walking.
Vogue was stunned when he heard the thunderous sound of tanks firing and an overwhelming feeling of mortal danger crashed over him like a tidal wave. His instincts screamed warnings louder than they ever had before.
Everything appeared to slow down in his perception as adrenaline flooded his system. He could see the three massive artillery shells traveling through the air toward him, leaving trails of displaced air in their wake. Each projectile was easily the size of his torso, moving at speeds that would vaporize a normal human on impact.
He immediately activated Time Stop without hesitation.
"Time Stop!"
The world froze. The sound cut off instantly, replaced by eerie silence. Dust particles hung suspended in the air. Birds that had been flying overhead became motionless statues. The soldiers stopped mid-motion, their expressions locked in place.
But what Vogue expected didn’t happen!
The three massive tank shells did pause in mid-air, frozen by the temporal lock just like everything else. But in the next instant, something impossible occurred. One of the three bullets, the center one, began to move again.
The tip of the shell released a mechanical whirring sound that grew rapidly louder. The nose cone started spinning like a drill bit, rotating at incredible speeds. Space itself began distorting around the spinning tip, creating visible ripples in reality like heat waves rising from hot pavement.
The spinning shell literally bored through Vogue’s Time Stop ability, piercing the temporal barrier like it was made of tissue paper. It continued traveling forward through frozen time, accelerating as it broke free from the effect.
Vogue’s eyes widened in absolute shock and horror. Nothing should be able to move during Time Stop! It was his absolute defense, the technique that had saved him countless times!
But there was no time to process this impossible development. The shell was already too close.
He immediately activated Big Dipper Step, pushing the technique to its absolute maximum output.
His body split into seven afterimages as he moved at speeds approaching his upper limit. Each afterimage peeled off in a different direction, creating a spreading pattern that made it nearly impossible to predict which one was real.
But even with that explosive burst of speed, he was still too slow. The drill-tipped shell had too much velocity, had gotten too close before he could react.
"You’re crazy!"
Vogue roared fury and swung his enhanced Nevulium machete in a defensive arc. He activated Falling Star, his most powerful striking technique, and slashed directly at the incoming projectile. At the same time, he activated his Dragon Form in a burst of transformation.
His right side exploded with silver scales. His wing ripped from his back in a spray of blood and immediately folded forward, positioning itself to shield his face and vital organs from the incoming blast.
The machete connected with the drill-tipped shell.
"DING!"
For a split second, the blade actually bit into the metal, cutting a shallow groove. But then the shell’s spinning tip caught the edge and twisted the weapon violently out of Vogue’s grip.
And then the shell exploded.
"KABOOM!"