Part 6 (1/2)
”Okay, then. Goodnight,” I said simply, and closed my eyes. It didn't take long before I was swallowed into sleep.
I woke up not long after I'd fallen asleep. I could tell that much by checking the angle of the sun and how much I'd healed. Some kind of murderous intent was around, and it had woken me up, and it wasn't from just one or two individuals. Without the use of magic, I could sense exactly how many individuals there are, up to about 10, but right then I couldn't do that... meaning that there were more than 10 individuals.
”We're surrounded,” Zelgadis stated. He didn't try to lower his voice... the enemy already knew our location, so that would be pointless. ”The enemy?”
”About 20 or 30 trolls. Rezo's not with them, so we should be all right,” he says casually, but I wondered if that was really the case...
”Come on out! It's not as though you think you've not been noticed! Let's end this now, Zel.” It was a voice I've heard somewhere before, and I stood. Just as Zelgadis has said, trolls could be seen between the trees.
I purposefully raised my voice. ”h.e.l.lo, Dilgear-san! It must have been tiring, having to march all the way here.” As I expected, the werewolf stepped out of the shadow of a nearby tree in response.
”You remembered my name...I'm honored.”
”How could I forget?” I said, glowering at Dilgear. ”The things you said to me...you said I was more unattractive than a goblin, said a cyclops was still better, said my skin was rougher than a golem's, and I was smaller than a pixie!”
”...n.o.body said that much.”
I coughed. ”Anyway! In my place, Zelgadis will make you pay! Now, go, Zelgadis! The world is waiting for you! You're the man! Go for it!”
”...Can't you do something... about that personality?” Zelgadis asked, glaring at me.
”No!” I said. It's not like I was doing it for fun; I was only trying to dull the enemy's will to fight. Really!
”Dilgear, did you not swear to be loyal to me?” Zelgadis asked, though his voice has a hard and threatening undertone.
Dilgear laughed and blew Zel off. ”I swore loyalty to the berserker created by the Red Priest, not to Zelgadis. Since you betrayed Rezo-sama, you're nothing but another enemy!”
”Oh?” Zelgadis said quietly, eyes narrowing. His expression was the same as a demonic warrior. ”Don't tell me you, a mere beast-man, are thinking of defeating me?”
”Mere beast-man? Then, let me show you the power of a mere beast-man! Attack!” Dilgear roared. The armed trolls closed the distance.
Zelgadis smiled a bit. ”Idiot!” He raised his right arm high, and made a motion as if he were holding an invisible object in the palm of his hand, before slamming it into the ground. ”Dug Haut!”
I blinked, and screamed, hurriedly moving next to Zelgadis. The ground vibrated, rippling and flowing like the surface of water. The trolls completely panicked, but Zelgadis was smiling madly as he swung his right arm back up again. ”Earth, obey my will!” Rocks and soil answered Zelgadis' call. The ground flowed and in an instant, turned into numerous spears which thrust up from beneath the trolls, impaling them. The fight was over as quick as that. Dozens of trolls were impaled by the spears, hanging in the air. Many were still alive, but with the spears in them they couldn't regenerate. Their strength would eventually fade and they'd die...like being tortured to death. I thought of saying something, but decided not to because I wasn't one to talk, really. Only the other day, I'd defeated Zolf's trolls with a reversed version of Recovery.
”Now...” Zelgadis said, still smiling that icy smile. ”Hurry up and show me your so-called power...or are you too afraid to fight now?”
Dilgear took in a sharp breath, stepping out of the shadow of a stone spear. ”Your strength proves you're Rezo's berserker. As long as you've got your Shamanism, I can't win...”
”Heh...” Zelgadis smirked, as if making fun of Dilgear. ”It sounds like you're saying you can beat me with a sword.”
Dilgear smirked in return. ”That's exactly what I'm saying.”
”Then why don't you try?!” Zelgadis drew his sword.
Dilgear did not draw his sword. ”Once things look bad, you'll just use spells, won't you?”
”I won't.”
”Really?”
Zelgadis nodded.
”Then you'll come to regret it.” The werewolf drew his sword from across his back. The evilly curved blade glimmered in the light... a pretty long scimitar. I knew if I just stood there, I'd get caught up in the fight, so I moved back. With a great, b.e.s.t.i.a.l war cry, Dilgear charged. Zelgadis leapt to meet him, and their swords clashed, sparking. Zelgadis started to push the werewolf back.
”Heh...what's wrong, Dilgear? Aren't you supposed to be able to beat me with a sword?”
”This is the only the beginning, Zel...” Dilgear twisted his scimitar slightly, changing the direction of Zelgadis' broadsword. Zel slipped a bit, and Dilgear ran by, his sword flas.h.i.+ng. Zelgadis dodged the chest high swing at the last minute.
”That was pretty good.”
”I'm glad you think so!” As far as I could see, their skill with swords was equal, but Dilgear wasn't as confident as Zelgadis. He probably thought that when things got bad, Zelgadis would use spells. It didn't matter much to me whoever won; I'd either become Zelgadis' hostage or Rezo's hostage, just a tool to get the Philosopher's Stone. The two of them gradually closed the distance. I could have tried to run, but if Zel had seen me, he'd have attacked with spells.
”Hah!” Dilgear jumped to the side, right next to a stone pillar, and swung his scimitar at it. Since it was created by magic, the pillar was unstable. It broke easily, raining sand and dirt on Zelgadis.
”Ack!” I hurriedly moved away as a second, then a third pillar was cut down, turning into more smoke and dust. Dilgear continued cutting down more pillars. Zelgadis was hidden by the sand and smoke, and Dilgear charged the dust cloud.
I coughed a bit; being an observer, I inhaled dust. I held my breath and covered my nose and mouth with a handkerchief. Aaagh, my eyes hurt too. While I was doing that, the two of them jumped out of the smoke, and the dust cloud started to settle. It seemed that Dilgear's attempt to hide himself using the dust cloud wasn't much use. All show, no brains. How common.
”That was ridiculous...” Zelgadis said, voice heavy with disdain. ”I can't believe you're so confident of yourself. It's admirable.”
”Shut up!” Dilgear charged again, but Zelgadis, who had been laughing haughtily, appeared to stumble. The two of them clashed, and Zelgadis' sword struck Dilgear's shoulder. I figured it out... when Zelgadis had appeared to stumble, using the fact that his lower half was hidden in smoke, he had kicked a stone or something at Dilgear. Of course it didn't do any damage, but it was enough to throw the charging werewolf off balace.
”What's the matter, aren't you going to make me regret it?” Zelgadis gibed at the beast-man, who was bleeding from his left shoulder.
”...Then should I do just that?” Dilgear asked with a smile. Zelgadis and I stared as the werewolf's wound closed as we watched. In the time that we're staring, the fairly deep wound was soon completely closed...not much time at all. ”You had forgotten I'm half troll and half werewolf, hadn't you? If you plan to defeat me with a sword like you promised, then cut off my head...though that's probably impossible.” Since he had a troll's ability to regenerate that probably IS the only way to defeat him with a sword.
”I had completely forgotten,” Zelgadis said, though he showed no sign of alarm as he took a stance with his blade, and attacked with a yell. He raised his broadsword high and swung it downward. d.a.m.n! That left his stomach wide open, and Dilgear wasn't one to let such an opening pa.s.s by...
”Kyah!” The scimitar cut completely across Zelgadis' stomach. Blood flies.
...Or not. There was only a hard, sc.r.a.ping sound.
Zelgadis stood there, smiling. ”You also seem to have forgotten that I'm one third golem. If you want to defeat me with a sword, it had better be the Sword of Light...no matter how hard you try, you can't defeat me.” Dilgear's face was colored with despair. ”What will you do? Continue fighting and die, or go back to Rezo and whine? The choice is yours.”
”d.a.m.n!” As the werewolf moved back he took out something, and threw it at Zelgadis. However, Zelgadis moved a half step to the side to avoid the object, which fell in the river. ”Remember!” Dilgear said, and disappeared into the forest.
Zelgadis didn't even try to give chase. ”...How ridiculous...” he said, brus.h.i.+ng a lock of hair idly.
I welcomed the winner with applause. ”Master Zelgadis, that was good!”
Obviously, Zelgadis didn't look too pleased. ”You are so...”
”I'm complimenting you.”
”Oh.” He gave up on arguing, and walked toward the river.