Chapter 103 – Dare (1/2)

“I want to ask you one thing.” (Laboras)

While grasping the haft of the knife tightly, Laboras asks without drawing the blade out.

“Why did you come to this forest?” (Laboras)

“I heard that the demon race is deep within this forest. I came to visit them.” (Hifumi)

“You plan to meet the demons, huh?” (Laboras)

“That’s what I said.” (Hifumi)

Hearing Hifumi’s reply, Laboras swiftly draws his knife.

“That means there’s even less reason to let you leave this place alive.” (Laboras)

While having a stance of aiming at the eyes with his katana, Hifumi doesn’t move.

“The demons are dangerous. I don’t know what you intend to do, but even though we are imprisoning them on behalf of this world, you are only bringing unnecessary turmoil.” (Laboras)

Laboras kept his left hand free to use magic while holding the knife in a backhand grip in his right hand.

The five elves who saw that change, similarly set up their bows and knives.

“Get out of my sight, you weakling who want to escape! The ones who are to stay here are only the elves who have the resolve to protect this forest and world.” (Laboras)

Having started to retreat bit-by-bit, the elves stopped their feet.

Hifumi is also waiting to see which choice they will make.

“For me… impossible.”

“For me as well.”

One after the other two elves ran away, however the remaining three elven youths readied their weapons.

“The actors have assembled. Let’s begin?” (Hifumi)

“Don’t talk such crap!” (Laboras)

The beginning was a magic attack by Laboras.

Several tens of fist-sized pellets which had sharpened points assault Hifumi in succession at a speed similar to a machine-gun.

Taking a stance with his legs in a L-shape, Hifumi evades those while using the katana as support to shift their trajectory.

Although Hifumi dashed forward swiftly and greeted with a thrust, Laboras roughly repelled it with his knife.

“Humph!” (Laboras)

Laboras drives his free left hand into Hifumi’s abdomen with the momentum of the swung knife.

Kicking the ground at the moment of being hit, Hifumi who became unsteady used the force of being struck to take some distance.

Once again they face each other at the same distance.

Due to the sudden close combat, the surrounding elves are unable to give cover or to do anything else. Even though they have readied their spells and arrows, they have no choice but to watch attentively.

“You are quick and you are even able to hit me, huh?” (Hifumi)

Hifumi fixed his stance once again.

The hit abdomen is painful to the extent that I can at least expect a bruise though it’s unlikely to have reached as far as my internal organs.

“An incompetent person who completely relies on magic isn’t fit to act as mediator between men. It seems that you avoided it skilfully just now, but next time that won’t work.” (Laboras)

Changing his hold of the knife to an overhand grip, Laboras takes a stance of curling up his back.

Holding out the knife he held in his right hand, his left hand supports in a style of enabling him to release magic at any time.

“It’s a different stance. However, it looks like you are familiar with it.” (Hifumi)

“Indeed. This is an elven technique we have fostered in this forest. It’s at a different level in skill, weaponry and magic in comparison to you lowly humans.” (Laboras)

Making sure to slide his feet, Laboras slowly closes the distance.

Hifumi doesn’t miss the instant Laboras shifted his sight.

A wind spell burst open underfoot the spot where Hifumi moved away from with a single step.

“… Avoided, huh?” (Laboras)

“Don’t leak such easily detectable signs. It’s a kill-joy.” (Hifumi)

“Humph… do it!” (Laboras)

Upon Laboras’ command arrows and spells attack Hifumi all at once.

Their speed is much faster than that of the elves who attacked Hifumi a while ago. The power is higher as well.

Hifumi avoids them by shifting his body and repelling them with his katana, but in a style of matching the saturation attack, Laboras adds attacks with his knife and wedge-shaped stones with a perfect timing.

“You are doing nothing but avoiding!” (Laboras)

Laboras increases the speed by stacking up even more attacks.

Hifumi, who knocked aside the thrust out knife among those blows with his bare hand, turned around and ran off.

“Are you running away?” (Laboras)

“Certainly not.” (Hifumi)

Swinging his arm which was wounded by the knife, Hifumi steals the sight of an elf with his blood.

“Ugh?”

The elf, who tried to fire an arrow, faltered only for an instant due to his abruptly dyed red field of vision. That became this man’s final moment.

Alongside the wooden bow he grasped in his hands, his body was was bisected into two parts at the waist in a flash.

“It’s only vaguely, but…” (Hifumi)

As result of their companion being killed by the opponent who was showered with a saturation attack, they unintentionally cease their attacks.

“The style of the archery is harder to grasp than the magic. No, it’s the other way around. I reached the point where I can somehow understand the magic.” (Hifumi)

While saying that, he struck the wind spell approaching from behind with the hilt of the katana and scattered it.

“… You bastard, are you really a human…?” (Laboras)

Due to the subdued voice of Laboras who spilled drops of sweat, Hifumi answered with a smile,

“That’s obvious. You, me, you guys will die if we are cut by a blade. We are normal people. Just like him.” (Hifumi)

He points at the corpse which had its body split in two.

“That’s probably why we get thrilled by killing each other, because starting over is not possible.” (Hifumi)

Without minding his injured left hand, Hifumi grasps the katana tightly with both hands and assumes a hachisou* stance. (T/N: google 八相 to see pictures. I explained it in some chapter beforehand but I forgot where and can’t be bothered to check through over 100 chapters. :p)

“I will kill you here by all means.” (Laboras)

“I see. Do your best.” (Hifumi)

Once again the magic attacks concentrated on Hifumi who muttered that as if it was someone else’s problem.

Different to before, Hifumi lets the spells go past while running around as he pleases. He slips through the spaces between the lined-up elves just like a whirlwind.

“Auu!”

“Guaaa?”

The elves in all directions raise screams and collapse in fountains of blood.

While being hindered by their brethren making them unable to take aim, three more got killed.

Suddenly noticing something, Hifumi pushed the back of an elf.

“Eh…? Eh…”

The elf didn’t comprehend what was done to him for an instant, but once he lowered his look due to an intense impact, he saw a large wedged stone piercing into his own chest.

“Why…?”

Once the dead elf collapsed without even understanding the reason, Hifumi’s smiling face was reflected in the sight of Laboras who released the spell.

“L-Laboras-san!?”

An elf, surprised by the friendly fire, shifted his attention from Hifumi to Laboras and was instantly killed by the katana stabbing directly into his heart.

Laboras fires one stone after the other at Hifumi with magic while including his companion, who got skewered, in the line of fire.

While pulling out the katana, Hifumi, who decided to use the corpse as shield and kicked it flying, dashed in an extremely forward-bent posture, as if falling, by drawing out the power of his knees.

He doesn’t head towards Laboras, but to another elf.

“D-Don’t come!”

Although he tries to face Hifumi with magic in panic and fright, he is too slow.

As he tried to finish him with a reversed diagonal shoulder slash, Hifumi fell onto his back this time.

At the moment the elf felt relieved with a “I’m saved,” his entire body was riddled with holes by the stone bullets, similar to finely sharpened shells, fired by Laboras.

“Tsk.” (Laboras)

“Don’t sweep away my prey from the side.” (Hifumi)

Hifumi pouted at Laboras who clicked his tongue due to Hifumi avoiding his shots.

Laboras doesn’t reply.