Chapter Chapter 18: RATH 18 TL: Eevee (1/2)

RATH 18

TL: Eevee

3. And so the story begins. (2)

#2 Their story: Ria el Nermia’s story

“Kuhk!”

A light strike.

But the intense pain that couldn’t possibly have come from that light strike left me unable to breathe for a moment.

“Damn it!”

“Die!”

“Hoho, how weak.”

The leisurely movements of the hand and the bat.

But at those slow movements, No.1 and No.1000’s strikes which were already faster than most families’ normal knights were easily blocked.

“Speed beats weight, weight beats change and change beats speed. The instructor always used to tell us this when he was discussing swordsmanship. No matter how strong you are it will never hit if you fall behind in speed, no matter how fast an attack it will never matter against a changing, adapting sword, and no matter how unpredictable and variable you are, you will fall with a single heavy strike. And.”

A smirk and a simultaneous slow stretch of the hand holding the bat.

I dodged immediately, but my body had already been struck.

“Kuhhh… how!”

“Haha, brats. I will teach you the instructor’s ultimate truth. If like I said before that there are different styles of swordsmanship, but in the end the strongest one wins! And the winner is justice! If a heavy blow is defeated by a fast one then use a strong and fast strike! If a fast attack is broken by unpredictability then a fast and unpredictable attack! If unpredictability is beaten down by a strength then use an unpredictable and overpowered single strike! If you are fast and strong and unpredictable then you can just flat out beat anyone!”

“Kyaaah!”

“Bullshit!”

Looking at No.1000 who collapsed with a scream, No.1 charged in with a shaking hand but the results were pitiful.

The hand that seemed to move slowly seemed to divide into eight and struck all over No.1’s body.

“Kuhuk, uhuk, aaargh! Wait, a, aaaaaaaaaargghh!”

“Foolish child, brat that has not yet felt the pain of the bat! I shall show thee the truth of life!”

Our senior, who was completely unlike when we first met him now seemed like a demon that worshipped the demon god.

No, something even scarier, his eyes were like a fanatic that worshipped the evil god as he screamed.

“Endure! Endure this paltry amount of pain! If you want to see the limits of life endure this pain and see what lies beyond!”

“Kuk, kuwuk, aaagghh! You crazy asshole! You enduraaaaaaghh!”

“We did. We endured. But beyond, the moment we saw the flash of silver, we were defeated. Those who fall under just the wooden bat have no right to be called our juniors!”

In the fear that momentarily darkened those lunatic eyes, No.1000 and I instinctively took a step back.

“It can’t be… it can’t possibly be!”

“There’s something even higher than that crazy thing?”

“Kuk, li, lies!”

Words that made even the face of No.1, who was getting hit with twelve attacks a second, turn pale.

But our senior, no the monster who had been turned by something nodded.

“That is the reason why you are mere brats.”

We wanted to deny it. But, some kind of vigour, and the determined resolve right in front of our eyes, made all of us keep our mouths shut.

“Do you kids know. Of the pain. The despair. The humiliation!”

“Kuhuk!”

A strong strike. No.1 who let that strike hit home in his belly flew back towards us and caught his ragged breath.

Looking at No.1 look up at him with a twisted face, it seemed the monster felt a lot better.

“Does it hurt? Not for me. So get hit.

“Do you think you will never win? I did too once. But humans are creatures that can adapt as they get hit.

“Among my cohort, I was the weakest. Like the instructor said, I’m an idiot that even lost to an office worker.

“And what should I call you kids that lost to that idiot? Trash? Parasites? Maggots? Now choose. I will call you whatever you want with by big heart!

“Hahaha, Wahahahahahaha!”

Ahh, that person’s already a goner. A devil has already taken over his heart. As I thought that bat was a cursed weapon.

The worst magic weapon that made those hit by it scream in pain and possess the mind of its user! To make that kind of weapon, just what the hell does the instructor do for a living.

Is this why they call an evil organization an evil organization? Is this organization full of these kinds of people?

Is this the reason why the Empire has failed all this time to destroy this organization!

“Bat style, Allegretto movement.(1) Dumdumdumdaboom.”

“Block it, Surtr!”

“Anything, anything but that!”

Along with words that I had no idea of their meaning, an attack came.

I resummoned Surtr as soon as he was unsummoned.

Even if slavery had been abolished from the Empire, this is a summon.

Although it’s spirit abuse to the point where I’d possibly get a letter of expulsion from the Summoner’s Association, since I’m not a member of the Association yet it doesn’t matter.

-Kuuwuuuuuk!

Consecutive attacks rained down on Surtr’s giant body.

But thanks to Surtr’s sacrifice I found the attack pattern!

The ‘dum’ referred to a simultaneous attack with the bat in the right hand and the left fist, the ‘da’ was the bat in the right hand, and the ‘boom’ was a left uppercut.

It was the attack pattern that Surtr’s precious sacrifice found out.

“Then block this. Andante movement, dumdumdaboomda!”

“I have already read through you!”

My predictions were right!

Dodge the attack from the left, then left, right, then left again!

“Not bad for a magician, then try this!”

“I said your pattern has already been seen through!”

“Hahaha, the reason I showed you the pattern was for this! Now take this, Larghetto movement, dum…”

A dual handed attack to begin. Next was…

“Kiduk boomdehruhruhruhbom kidukboomdehruhruhruh!”

“Wha, what? Kyaaaaah!”

Bat and fist assault my entire body. What the hell is dehruhruhruh! To suddenly use that sort of attack!

“Not bad movements for a magician, but stupid, unlike one! Who the hell would attack telling the enemy their attack patterns? The reason I revealed my attack pattern, was so that I could change it!”

“C, coward!”

“Did you not learn? To be called cowardly is a word used when you have been hit with an unexpected attack or weakness. Before you use that word realize the truth that you couldn’t even imagine the enemy’s attack. Despair that you have had your weakness seized by the enemy. And although I hear this a lot as well, this is an evil organization that specialises in rearing villains. Cowardice is one of our virtues, you know?”

“Ah…”

The swing of the bat with a smile struck me square on the chin and my vision swam. Along with No.1000’s faint screams in the distance my vision gradually turned whiter and whi…

“Now the fun can’t end just here.”

Just before it dyed in white the bat struck my thighs and forced my consciousness back to reality.

“De, devil…”

“Hoho, I’m telling you the real devil exists elsewhere.”

At the monster’s smiling face, for the first time in my life I felt the emotion called despair, and this despair continued until the evil organization was destroyed

#3 Their story: A certain empire’s story.

In the current era of the continent, if you asked what country was the strongest, then ten out of ten, a hundred out of hundred, you would only get one answer.

The Karuan Empire.

Currently the strongest superpower on the entire continent. For five years, this empire went through a bitter five-year war against thirteen big and small nations.

And the result was Karuan Empire’s and its allies’ overwhelming victory.

Among the neighbouring nations, the only country that could keep them in check, the Merdeia kingdom had lost over half their military might and in reality there was no longer any kingdom that could possibly pose a threat to the empire’s borders.