Part 3 – Chapter 010 (Chapter 347)
Title: Honeymoon 4
T/L: IonMan
Editor: Zioming
Raw Chapter: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n9511bs/401
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Year 7448, Month 6, Day 8
Katz got struck by the flaming sword. Carol, with her right shoulder pierced by Bell’s sword, held onto her bleeding wound with her left hand, while slumping onto her knees.
“W-wh-wha-what? What the hell happened? Ah?”
Toru came a moment too late. A group of over ten minions, including Zingal and Gamulan, were standing behind him, all wearing a surprised expression.
They were all confident in Carol’s fighting prowess. Moreover, one of Carol’s minions, Rosy, reported, that they had double the numbers of their opponents. And yet, what appeared in front of them, was a scene, of her whole party being nearly wiped out, even despite their rush to get here as soon as possible.
Toru cautiously observed the opponents, while tapping lightly on his cheek.
A man with dark green hair, who appeared to be an elf.
A woman with dark blue hair, who appeared to be a rabbit-kin.
One, wearing no armour, and wielding a wavy blade in his right hand, the other, armed with just a simple blade. The bulge on the left thigh pocket of the elf’s pants was noticeable larger, than on the right, possibly concealing a full purse. The elf was quite muscular and had a good physique.
Their clothes were decent … bunny-kin’s clothes were a little different, as if she favoured the ruggedness of the countryside.
As they didn’t use any shields or armour, it was unclear, how did they come out unscathed by Carol’s magic. Did he parry it with the sword? No, this wasn’t a scene from a manga, like in his previous life. Even the best-trained sword masters would find such a feet challenging. Besides, Carol wasn’t stupid enough to fire at them from such a disadvantageous distance.
What then …
While he was thinking, the elf, still pointing his sword at Katz, turned around slowly and cautiously. The flames enveloping his blade slowly died down.
“Be careful of these guys, Boss!”
“Carol-san?”
“Let’s get them. Time to chop them up!”
“Alrighty, let’s take them!”
Toru raised his hand to silence his shouting minions.
“Shut up for a moment.”
He squinted, looking at the elf’s glaring face, trying to spot any additional details, from a distance of about 10m. He tried to identify the source of the flames enveloping his sword, but couldn’t comprehend it well. Was it possible, it was one of the magic swords, he had only ever heard rumours about?
Toru’s own unique skill, [Super Dexterity], came to mind. Still, even he couldn’t parry arrows and magic spells fired from different directions during battle, unless he had a shield. Even more so, while wielding only a single sword.
Just maybe, the sword … No, the sword used by the bunny-kin woman, who faced Carol, hasn’t changed.
Looking at the profile of the bunny-kin woman, Toru though, she was much too good looking, to stand beside that elf.
Is that woman also Japanese? She is my kind of woman. If she’s with that elf man, that would make him Japanese too. There’s no doubt, these two have unique abilities, they can use to defend themselves, possibly even negate magic attacks.
So she’s the one who struck Carol. Carol’s pretty good at close combat, in addition to her signature magic spell…
And look at that chest. It protrudes with such fantastic mounds, even when viewed from the side. Eeh? Is that, a bra? Was there such a thing as bras? No, maybe she had it made. But it’s best to be careful, as I can only guess about the unique abilities of these people. Did he take Hogs and Jacqueline down as well? That would mean, together with Katz, they most likely fought his three on one, making the two exceptional fighters, even without their abilities. I thought, that adventurers weren’t such a big deal, compared to knights, so how did they do it? No, they have a magic sword… I want it. That kind of thing will only show its true value, when used by a competent wielder like me.
Damn, those thighs, my eyes are glued to them…mmm? They are a bit muscular. Hmm, they should be good enemies to use my [Super Dexterity] on, even if they are unique ability users. They will definitely lose, if it’s one-on-one! But, I was surprised to see Japanese people here. After all, I am one of them …
Hah. It would be great if I could get that bunny-kin person! But why did she have to dress like that?
Anyway, her arms are thick at a closer look, and her abdominal muscles are ripped… I can get that sword, if I kill them, so should I do it!? However, I was thinking, that I should soon get some more capable minions to use… isn’t it a little wasteful to kill them?… How can I get these guys to become my minions? Then again…
Toru never opened his mouth, while thinking about various things in that instant.
“Are you Japanese?”
The elf, who heard his question, answered.
“So, you’re one too. But I guess you wouldn’t know about us, if you’re hanging out with this kind of crowd all the time.”
Toris was also quite pissed inwardly, because it turned out, that this Japanese person was involved with such a dubious group. However, he stayed on guard against Katz, with his sword still pointed towards him. He was also desperately maintaining his poker face, to prevent his anger from seething out.
“Hah, I wouldn’t be alive now, if it weren’t for them. I don’t want to be told off by someone, who doesn’t have a clue.”
Reminiscing about his childhood, Toru recalled about his escape from the Damuru Spinning Company.
I would have been sold off to the mines, before even becoming a teenager, and spent the rest of my life there. They would surely work me to death, with that weak body of a child. These people, all they do is preach, without knowing the first thing about me!
“Ooh, let me guess. I don’t know a thing about you, and the fact, that you were born at the bottom of the society, is somehow an excuse for all the crimes you’ve committed to stay alive? People like you always say the same thing. It’s no different, whether it’s Japan, or Orth. “
Toris rebuked his nonsense, clearly showing no interest.
Toru nearly exploded, hearing that, but he managed to keep his cool. However, he would not let it go, without making a comeback.
“Yeah, you’re right. Whether it’s Japan, or Orth, people in power don’t know the first thing, about what it’s like, for those, living at the bottom. Let me remind you, as it seems, you’ve forgotten all about it.”
Toru made a grinning smile.
“You’re not in Japan any more. This is the god damn Akatsuki’s territory. No one here reports to the Knights when someone gets killed.”
Hearing him monologuing, made Toris and Bell involuntarily look at each other’s faces.
“What’s that? Got scared, when you suddenly realized it? Your “proper boy” act won’t work here … well now. I was wondering, whether I should take it, since I was also Japanese. How about you just give me the sword and hand over the woman obediently, and I won’t hurt her?”
Of course, I’m not going to let the elf man go alive.
“…Huh?”
Toru looked at Toris and Bell, while saying in confused voice. The two were laughing with amused faces.
“What’s that? It’s not going to get reported? Then it’s okay for us to kill them all?”
“That so? Well, it’s a legitimate defence, so I don’t think we’ll be blamed too much, even if we do end up killing a couple … on the other hand, even if it’s this city’s garbage, if we killed them all, it would be a major bother, if we did get blamed by the knights, so let’s go easy on them.”
Toru dismissed his expectation of these two, as they were discussing something he didn’t anticipate.
Aren’t they scared? We have way more people, right? And yet, they still didn’t aim to kill? And they were fighting Carol. Not only can she use magic, there are also her poisonous claws… no way could they have an upper hand against her! It’s stupid, utter nonsense!
Should we attack them all at once? No, considering that they defeated Carol, and even dealt her considerable damage… Zoe and her group are also still being held by the knights. It’s going to be a major problem, if I lose any more minions.
I won’t lose, if it’s one-on-one, so let’s go with that.
“I’m pretty confident, you guys.”
Toru tried to provoke them with his statement.
“Our leader is speaking in a foreign language? That’s amazing!”
“I know, right? Way to go, leader!”
“Oopsie, talking in “Japanese” doesn’t make sense to the guys around me. Please speak in Lagdalios language from now on.”
Hearing Toru speak, Toris and Bell both thought “Weren’t you the first to use Japanese” but didn’t say anything.
“So, what now? You won’t miss them, if you give me your sword and the woman, right?”
“Ara? Will you hand me over? You’re such a terrible person.”
Toris and Bell responded a playful banter. However, they were still facing against more than ten people, even when you excluded Katz, and the three, who have already been seriously injured and incapacitated. Moreover, they also had a reincarnated person on their side. Still, for the both of them, it didn’t feel, like they were in much of a peril.
The reason being, Toru and the others only saw what was on the surface. Both Toris and Bell were so accustomed to such perilous situations by now, it didn’t take much effort, for them, to keep their poker faces.
“Just leave that pitiful guy be. I’ll make you my woman instead.”
Toru pulled out his shortsword. His swordsmanship was a self-taught style, that heavily relied on his unique ability. As for the shortsword he was using, it was a custom-made ultra-luxury item, forged specifically for him, to let him wield it more dexterously. In his left hand, he would usually hold a specially made large knife. Toru could freely manipulate blades of these sizes with both of his hands, letting him dual-wield in both attack and defence, using slight-of-hand-like movements. Because it was self-taught, and not a formal style, in often allowed him to surprise his opponent by launching sudden attacks from seemingly impossible angles.
The only one, who even stood a chance against it so far, was Carol, with her ability to cast attack magic at god-like speed.
Then, he assumed his battle stance, with the tip of the shortsword in his right hand pointed towards Toris.
“Oi, you there. Since you’re ready, let’s get on with it. It’s a one-on-one match with me. No one’s allowed to interfere. I won’t take your life, even if I win. I just want an apology, along with your money and sword. Plus, I’ll make sure she doesn’t miss you too much.”
Toru didn’t want to hurt Bell, but it could prove difficult to hang back, while fighting against her, who appeared to have a unique ability capable of nullifying Carol’s attack magic. Also, it would be a bother, to try and strike Toris, who seemed pretty skilled with a sword, during their fight. It will be more fun, to go the other way around. It may even be possible, to kill Toris in a single strike, and decide the game there and then.
He hadn’t faced the reincarnated Toris and Bell before, but it’s not like he could ever lose in a one-on-one close-quarters fight.
He had unwavering confidence in that.
Toris was inwardly cheering, while being pointed at with a sword.
“Eeh? One-on-one? You appear pretty strong …. By the way, you said what you want from me if you win, but what about if I win?”
“Ara? You want me to be the prize?”
Bell responded in a slightly disappointed tone.
“Only if you think I’ll lose, which isn’t the case, right?”
Toris unbuttoned the bulging pocket on his left thigh, before taking out a small pouch and throwing it to Bell. When she received it, as everyone watching expected it to be filled with coins, they all felt let down, as it made no such sound.
“Hmm, as always, the strongest takes all. If you win, the Akatsuki will belong to you from today onwards… I wish you luck.”
Everyone acknowledged Toru’s announcement.
Violence was the absolute rule in the underworld, where justice belonged to the strong. The minions and the surrounding onlookers whispered in confirmation, believing without a doubt, that none would ever wager on Toru to lose.
The reincarnated person called Toru, was known for his personal strength. The leaders of the other criminal groups have avoided direct confrontation with him for the past few years, as there were rumours going around, he was one of the three strongest people in the city of Doran, on par even with the knight’s captain.
“Hmm…I see…hmm…”
The atmosphere suddenly changed, as Toris took a moment to think it through. Without losing his gleeful smile, it felt, as if the temperature around him was dropping sharply.
“Hey… even if I were to be the prize… still, how can we even believe your word?”
Bell, still cautious of Carol, opened the pouch she received from Toris to look inside and smiled brilliantly.
“Oh, declare it properly then. You will give yourself as a prize right?”
Toris looked at Toru, as he asked him. It was important to know where they stood, before going forwards.
His response came as a surprise to Toru. It was normal to dislike such a tactic, even more so, when it was being used by the leader of a criminal group. It was common for the main characters of the stories in his previous life to declare “That gets me nothing” in such a case. It was also a condition, that seems to be abhorred, as it essentially meant treating your spouse as an object in the bargain.
What’s more, wealthy people of Orth, and even the commoners had similar values.
Are these guys not actually adventurers, but criminals from some city?
Such a thought crosses Toru’s head, with a quick reminiscence.
There was a high possibility, the elf man could become a competent right arm, if left alive, if he were ambitious enough. It would be a shame, but it could even be worth him giving up on the bunny-kin girl, if it could buy him the elf’s loyalty.
“… Alrighty. Everybody hear me! I’ll declare it!”
Toru raised his voice, so that everyone could hear him, including the surrounding onlookers. And then, he thrust his sword upwards.
“Both of you will join us if I win! All of the Akatsuki is yours if you win! The game is a one-on-one against me! No one will interfere! And by chance… if one of us dies, the one left standing, wins. That sounds good?”
Toru believed it couldn’t be helped, if he ended up having to kill Toris, but first, he wanted to at least confirms his origin.
“Alright. Understood. What is the starting signal?”
Toris kept his sword pointed at Katz’s neck, as he calmed himself down and asked.
“Withdraw your sword away from him. Then, how about we start when Katz steps onto this side of this line?”
Toru answered, after drawing a line on the ground with the tip of his sword.
In response, Toris shook his sword slightly towards Katz with “No sudden movements”, before half-turning his body and pointing it at Toru instead.
“Katz, I don’t need any tricks from you. Approach me slowly.”
Toru dexterously pulled out a knife from behind his waist with only his left hand. Toris frowned a bit, seeing Toru arm himself with a secondary weapon, but held onto his sword without saying anything else.
Based on his stance, Toru predicted, Toris might be using some orthodox sword technique, so he asked with breathing room to spare, “Is it okay to use magic?”
He knew, one required a lot of concentration, to invoke magic, plus, they had to aim, using the fingertips or their palms, to direct the channelling of the magic power.
As someone, who had crawled up from the very bottom of the society, Toru had little comprehension of magic techniques, aside from what he heard from Carol, and, of course, he had no affinity for magic either.
Still, as her own knowledge came from the time she spent training with the knights, it was considered quite high in Orth’s standards.
Toru intended to have Toris start the fight with a magic attack, making him waste a couple of precious moments before moving in for a close quarter fight. With it being a duel, if he had just waited calmly for the right moment, the 10 meters of space between them would provide him with a wide enough window, to rush forward and strike, giving Toris no chance to defend.
The trajectory speed of the magic missile itself was as fast as a stone thrown by an adult, roughly about 100 km/h.
The ball thrown by a high school baseball pitcher was slightly faster.
This wasn’t entirely true, as his knowledge was based on his past experiences in fighting against Carol, who herself made it a point to not spend any extra magic power on increasing the projectile speed, considering it simply a waste of magic power. Plus, If one wanted to use magic power for such a thing, they needed to also increase the number of hand movements required to cast the spell.
Besides, he was currently thinking on how to counter Toris, while studying his opponent’s every move. Toru had no information about Toris, and he still had to take precautions against the possibility of a magic attack, which couldn’t be neglected. Because of this, he was being more cautious than necessary, remembering the hard time he had facing against Carol’s magic. Since he didn’t witness Toris fight, he couldn’t be any less cautious, especially against these two magic-savvy delinquents. It could also be said, that he added a layer of caution on top of his existing precautions, as the person before Toru was also a reincarnated. There weren’t many delinquents who could actually use magic.
If one had the will to continue practising magic, one had the tenacity to travel on a straight road of discipline.
Katz slowly crossed the line, while they were facing each other.
But, neither Toru, nor Toris showed any big movements yet.
Since none of them begun with a magic attack, they both felt a bit out of sync, causing Toru to think.
… That sword isn’t cloaked with flames yet.
Maybe, it’s not a magic sword, but just a magic spell?
Or, maybe it is a magic sword?
Or, perhaps, after using it earlier today against Katz, it had already ran out?
Toris was thinking about something completely different in the meanwhile.
If you can do it, why aren’t you attempting to invoke any magic?
…Ah.
You can’t use it, can you?
He was convinced.
With that settled, killing him was … merely a stone’s throw away. Toru was the first one to run out of patience.
“Not gonna come? Then I’ll start from here!”
Since the other party wasn’t going to come to Toru, he was going to take a quick dash forward.
For that reason, he invoked his special ability [Instant Speed] and suddenly dashed toward Toris.
ED Reminder: Demi-human people had various racial special abilities, lios and tiger-kin like Toru had [Instant Speed] and [Night Vision], dwarves and elves like Toris had [Infrared Vision], while bunny-kin like Bell had [Super Hearing].
A shortsword in his right hand, and a knife in the left. He tilted slightly, as he launched his body forwards, with his arms, being dragged along, while spreading out slightly behind his body. (T/L: think about Naruto’s ninja dashing)
“Emeron!”
When Toris invoked the command word, a flame erupted, covering the curvy blade of his sword in an instant.
Gaat! (SFX: sound of cutting air)
Toris’s flame sword blocked Toru’s shortsword, that came up from below. The sword, cloaked in flame, struck the shortsword 10 cm above the guard. Toru quickly slashed at Toris’s thigh, as a follow-up, using the knife in his left hand.
Gin! (SFX: sound of metal-on-metal collision)
The speed, with which Toris swung his flame sword, made it seemingly vanish, leaving but a trail of shining after-image, as he turned around after parrying off Toru’s knife. Using the momentum to turn his body, he releases a roundhouse kick right into Toru’s right flank, once again creating a gap between them.
“Guaaah!”
The damage, caused to Toru’s body by the kick, was much more severe that he’d expect.
What the?
Shoes?
Toru was aware of the rubber sole boots for traversing the labyrinth, with the toes hardened with ebonite. On the other hand, that sword… what kind of mechanism did it have?
“I’m well aware of the lios’ special ability…”
Toris thrust his sword with bold movements, taking the dexterous combination of the shortsword and knife head on, and killing Toru’s momentum. The weight and speed of slashed released by Toris, was just as Toru had predicted, based on his physique and muscle mass. But then, the [Instant Speed] ability ran out.
“What, it’s already over? For you, your level is quite low.”
Toru’s got instantly enraged by his mockery, delivered in such a taunting tone.
“S-say that again!”
Toru engaged in a series of illusionary attacks, while screaming. From the bottom, then from the right, a flurry of slashes came at Toris from every direction possible.
Cheers erupted from the main group of minions, who saw the technique.
Toris at times stood at the front line against multiple monsters, so he instinctively switched into a defence posture. Still, he couldn’t break through Toru’s technique without a shield. It was too random.
Nevertheless, he didn’t hesitate even for a moment, as he completely parried off all of the incoming attacks, and with a mere single sword. Toris was inwardly impressed.
He was struck by Toru’s berserk-like behaviour. This could simply be him finally going mad… If he didn’t finish this soon, it could probably turn pretty bad.
But this is this and that’s that…
As for Toru, although he did lose himself for a moment there, he finally began to regain his cool, and pressing on hard enough, would surely create a chance in time.
But, Toris had already finished his search for an opportunity among his impatient reckless attacks, and completely refocused on defence.
Ga-in! (SFX: metal-on-metal clashing)
Shigo. (SFX: ???)
Gat! Gat! (SFX: metal-on-metal grinding)
Gogo. (SFX: ???)
The sounds of blades clashing echoed at the crossroads of Rable and Kalha streets. No one moved in to support Toru so far. All the minions were cheering vigorously, spreading their saliva all over, as they watched the unfolding event.
The only ones not talking, were the onlookers, closely following the events from a safe distance. The coat of flame on the sword had long since died down.
And finally, the end was drawing near, as the balance of the battle was about to break.
Kin! (SFX: metal clanged)
From between the two, a clean resonating sound was heard.
The shortsword used by Toru broke about 10 cm from the guard. It was exactly what Toris was aiming for all this time.
ED Reminder: Toris’s unique ability [Scale] allowed him to easily measure amount and distances and divide them into specific parts, making it fairly easy for him to keep hitting the exact spot on Toru’s shortsword with every parry.
Toru doubted his eyes.
How absurd is this!? Even with a custom-made sword worth 400,000Z!?
Toris wouldn’t miss such a chance.
“Guwao!”
Toris thrust right at Toru’s left fist, which was holding the knife, sliding right under the broken shortsword and into his right knee!
Toru involuntarily dropped the knife.
Toris instantly moved in for a follow-up attack.
“Gyi!”
A kick to the knee,
“Uh!”
A stab at the thigh,
“Guuh!”
Followed by a punch with a fist filled with coins, into the face.
Everyone was watching in silence, as they all held their breath.
Toru, with blood gushing out of his broken nose, looked around for help.
“Oi, don’t just stand there and look! Attack!”
Toru gave a command to his minions. He broke his promise without as much as a second though, causing his minions to move in on Toris.
And at that moment–
A roaring sound spread throughout the crossroads. Bell took out the contents of the pouch, she was holding onto for Toris, and used it.
The minions were surprised by the loud noise and halted their movement. Recognizing the sound, Toru tried to make a run towards them, but then…
“Uwah!?”
“I’m hit!”
“It hurts!?”
“What the!?”
“Ice!?”
Aiming for an opportunity during the momentary pause, Bell used the magic of water and fire at level 5 to conjure a large amount of ice at their feet, covering up to their knees.
“Wasn’t it supposed to be a one-on-one? Oh, and by the way, you know what it is, right?”
Showing off the metal object in her right hand, while pointing it’s tube shaped end at Toru, there was a string of white smoke still rising from it.
“Ke, a handgun!?”
Toru’s sullen voice drifted into the empty air.
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