Another year has passed again. With my countless sparring with uncle, I finally managed to give him a little scratch. Not only that, I also got high level of pain tolerance, making me not flinched anymore even if my hand was severed. Unfortunately, under this extreme stress, my hair started to develop symptoms of Marie Antoinette Syndrome, making my hair slowly turn white.
I've learned a lot during this one year. Uncle teaches me how to survive in wilderness. He forces me to eat all kinds of things in the forest including some poisonous plant and animal. He doing this to develop my poison immunity, in case of my opponent smear a poison on their weapon.
Uncle also teaches me one of his best move. This technique names is Iaijutsu. This technique teach me how to keep calm in observing my enemies and find their weakness point. Learning this technique is not easy. I must slash my enemies as fast as I could while I can stop it at certain point. My train consist of cutting the tip of a candle while not extinguished it, train to observe the pattern of enemy attack based on their shoulder movement.
Right now, I still sparring with my uncle untill suddenly we hear a sound of the bell.
*dong dong dong*
"Bandit attack!"
As everyone heard it, they started to panick. Women, children, and old people started to running back to their home while the man runs to the village gate while holding a weapon they can grab.
In a moment, I and uncle shared a glance before we head to the village gate. After we arrived, I started to observe the scenery. 1 km away from us, I saw a group of people approach us in consistent speed. I saw that we are at the disadvantage, the enemy consist of 300 people equipped with proper weapon and leather armor, some even have iron armor. Meanwhile, the manpower of us is only consist of 50 people in which there are only 30 people that have a proper sword with them while the rest is holding tools such as shovel, pickaxe, and other thing that they can use as a weapon.
The bandits gives us a mocking smile after seeing our number while some villagers started to cowered in fear. The atmosphere started to tense up as the bandits started to get closer. I started to feeling anxious while wondering wether we can defeat them. Suddenly, I feel a hand touch my shoulder. When I glanced back I saw uncle smiling at me.
"There is nothing to worry about. If you feel that our training these 3 years is nothing but a waste then you can shrink back. But, if you believe that it is not a waste, you should stand proudly and fight those bandits like a proper swordsman."
Hearing that I regain my confidence. I believe that what I have done is not pointless. After a while, I take a deep breath while pulling my katana from the scabbard.
Seeing that I regain my composure, uncle started to walk in the front of the people, acting as the commander. Uncle then take a deep breath and shouted.
"Everyone, your family and your beloved ones are right behind our back. I know that this will be hard, but if you want to protect them then stand up and fight. I can't protect all of you but I promise that I will be the first one to charged and I will contain the enemies as much as possible! Now, charged!!!"
"Hhhhaaaaaa!" the rest of us shouted to boost our morale.
After finishing his speech, uncle charged at the enemy and we followed behind him.
300 meter...200 meter...100 meter...Finally, our battled started.
The sound of screams and collision of metal resounded everywhere. When I still followed uncle, suddenly a flash of a sword attacked me and I blocked it in reflect.
*clang*
Seeing that I blocked his attack he started to attack me again. After that, we exchanges blow one after another until I managed to slash at his leg. Losing his balanced, he fall off. At the moment I swing my sword to take his life, I saw fear on his face. For a moment, my movement stopped and I hesitated. The bandit, seeing the hesitation in my eyes, he throw a dagger he hid in his pocket.
*swish*
I saw the dagger fly to me at close range. But, before the dagger hit me, uncle parrying it and killing the bandit with a clean blow. After he kills the bandit, he approach me and slap me on my face.
"Why are you hesitating! There is no mercy in the battlefield, kill if you don't want to be killed!"
After saying that uncle leave me behind. I know that I just made a mistake that can end my own life. He is right, I must never hesitated to take the life of my enemy in battlefield. Realizing that fact, I charged once again to defeat the bandits.
.
.
.
.
.
Several hours has passed. Blood and broken body parts dyed this battlefield in red. My body started to feel tired, but I can't stop here. The enemy still has around 200 people while we only has 30 person remained.
Right now, the bandits using swarm tactics against uncle because of his monstrous strength. I want to help uncle but I know I will just become his burden. The only thing I can do right now is to find their leader and kill him to make the rest of the bandits retreat.
After going around the battlefield several times, I found a bandit with the most luxurious armor standing among several corpse. I charged at him and try to cut him before he aware, but he managed to block it and I take several steps back to create distance between us.
*clang*
The bandit leader looked at me. Seeing that a teenager is the one who attack him, he smile crazily.
" So, you will be next people I, Andrius will kill huh." The bandit leader gives me a mocking smile.
"You bastard." I said while approaching him.
"Oh? You are approaching me? Instead of running away, you're coming right to me! Even though the corpse of your comrade has fallen below my feet, like a student desperately doing homeworks until the last moment before the deadline?." He looked arrogantly at me.
"I can't beat you without getting closer."
"Oh ho! Then come as close as you like." He said while also approaching me.
"hhhaaaaahhhh!"
I tried to slash him first but he blocked me.
*clang*
"Too slow, too slow! I'm stronger than you even though I didn't use my full power, my power and speed already far exceed you." He looked at me with his prideful posture.
*clang*
*clang*
*clang*
Ignored his provocation, I slash at him again several times. Which he blocked again and counterattacked me, resulting in my body scratched a little by him.
"Seeing an interesting kid, I wanted to try a little test to find out just how much powerful my swordsmanship was, compared with yours. Though it appears a test was hardly necessary" He said while crossing his arm.
"What you are just doing is not even hurt. Is that what you call a test?. Well, I admit it that that you ripped my clothes, though."
"Why are you so stubborn, kid. Just surrender and I will not only spare your life but I also consider to recruit you."
"If I surrender will you spare the village and retreat or you will keep attacking the village?"
"Huh...what nonsense you are talking about? Of course we will keep looting the village and I only said that I will only spare you, if you surrender to me though" He grinned at me.
"If that is your answer then it is pointless to negotiate with me and I will just beat your smug face."
"How disappointing, I shall rise to respond your silly provocation and test you just a bit more, to show you once again the difference between us." He sighed in disappoinment while readied his sword once again.
*clang*
*clang*
*clang*
*clang*
He attacked me several times which I managed to black. It seems that he really looked down on me. But thanks to it, I managed to find his several weak point. When his attack barrage finished, I counter attacked him with my fastest movement.
*clang*
*clang*
*slash*
After several attacks, my hit finally scored. I saw that there is a little scar in his side stomach from my previous attack. Realizing that he finally get hurt, he touch his wound with his hand before licking his blood off from his fingers.
"Not bad, It's been a long time since I saw my own blood. But, It's looks like this is your fastest blow huh. Since you want to play speed then I shall gladly play with you hahahahahaha." He laughed at me maniacally.
" So what? I will make sure you eat your own word."
Once again, both of us readied our sword.