Silence.
A peaceful, silent night. Rare, but one Laika appreciated.
The days of being part of … a mercenary group, to put it nicely, were always filled with death, thievery, blackmail, and a myriad of other unsavory actions those with power and a sick mind would often enjoy.
He did not. Not every member of the Death Spreading Brigade enjoyed such things. Many, including himself, only tolerated such behavior for their own survival.
They were mercenaries. People who gained their livings through violence.
Some mercenaries were lucky to be recruited by nobles or merchants to train their household soldiers or be their bodyguard. He was not one of them.
Through unfortunate circumstances, a series of poor decisions forced upon by the situation, and his lacking judgment in people, he, along with many others, were forced into this quagmire, filled with psychopaths.
He never took pleasure in robbing people, especially regular villagers and commoners. He knew they were simply trying to make it day by day, just like himself.
He never took a life, unless necessary for his own safety. He never touched those who had surrendered. And he would always leave some coppers or silvers to his victim secretly, enough for them to live for a few days.
It was all he could do. He never hoped for his victims to forgive him, if they even lived. It wasn't why he did it.
He did it simply to alleviate some of his guilt, which he doubted would ever disappear.
Laika sat on a wooden crate, leaning back onto the rocky walls of the cave. In front of him, another wooden crate with a small lantern. A fire-lit one. They were not rich enough to afford magic lanterns that used magic stones to light up.
His sword, a regular steel sword sheathed inside his scabbard, laid on his lap. It was a sword he had used since before the mercenary group was reduced into a group of bandits.
It was old, but it was of quality made, and one he was most familiar with. It was a gift from an old friend. The last gift he had received from him before an arrow pierced through his forehead in the war with the Empire.
His dark brown eyes stared at the ceiling, watching the flickering shadows of the lantern dancing on its uneven surface, as he reminisced the good old days.
"A woman…?"
Just then, a soft voice echoed, followed by a heavy thud. It was the voice of someone he knew. The one stationed just a few distance away for him to guard the path into the main base.
Laika immediately stood up and held the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it at a moment's notice.
He focused his senses. Though already in his forties, his battle-trained senses and instincts were still sharp enough to detect anomalies around him. They were even sharper than most of the younger ones, who still lacked experience.
The first thing that reached his senses was the smell of iron.
No, it was something even more familiar. It was the scent of blood.
His body immediately tensed.
'An attack…? How are they this deep without alerting anyone?!'
He was guarding the section of the cave which was quite near the center, where most of the mercenaries and supplies were gathered to rest or relax.
If they've reached here without alerting anyone, then they must be powerful enough to kill all the guys before him and sneak by.
In other words… They were most certainly stronger than him.
He took a step back, readying himself to flee and alert the others.
It was then that his senses picked up yet another thing.
A sound. The sound of footsteps.
It was nothing like the sound of heavy boots. It was light, but still unlike anything he would've expected.
It was echoing – something he wouldn't expect from someone trying to sneak into a lair of bandits.
And it sounded like they were wearing… heels? The kind those noble women would wear to look fashionable and taller. They were like fancy slippers, but with a thin support that raised their heels up to make them be on their toes.
He heard a similar sound when some of the others forced a captured noble lady to enter the cave. It was the last time he had ever seen her.
It then clicked.
He heard the guy in front of him say "woman", which would coincide with his guess. The invader must be a woman in heels!
But, it still sounded light. And… small?
Laika quickly shook his head. He didn't want to dally any longer. He knew something was wrong the moment he smelled blood. And the fact that he's almost certain that the one causing it was a woman in heels made his alarm ring even louder.
He immediately fled inside, hoping to alert the others.
"Hm? Oi, what's wrong?"
Soon, he found one of the best people he could've met in such a situation. The strongest member of the group. The man who once fought and barely lost against the famous Gazef Stronoff in the biggest tournament of Re-Estize; Brain Unglaus.
He was one of the better ones in the group, never intentionally seeking bloodshed or torturing those they robbed. He's just here to find those who could match his skills and overcome them.
"Brain! Something's happening. I think it's an attack."
"Huh? An attack?"
"Yeah. I haven't been hearing from the guys outside. I heard the guy guarding the post in front say "woman". Then the moment after, I smelled blood, and I heard the sound of footsteps in heels. I think someone's sneaking in and killing them off!"
The dirty-blue-haired man fell into thought. His muscular arms crossed in front of his wide, broad chest. A long katana strapped on his waist.
An attack… It should be an adventurer. And if it's a woman who could reach this far before alerting them, Brain could only think of a few that could accomplish such things, and they're all in the Adamantite-ranked adventurer party, Blue Rose.
In a small cave with a little space, he doubted they'd send the massive warrior Gagaran.
They also wouldn't send the twins to possibly be facing the Death Spreading Brigade's vanguard, nor would the spell caster. A more effective use of them would be to search for their escape routes and deal with patrols outside silently.
That leaves only one… The leader of the group, Lakyus.
Brain shook his head…
These were only his speculations. There's no way to confirm it, given the lack of information. It might even be someone from the rising star adventurer party that just made a name for themselves. The one called [Providence].
It's a pretty fancy name. He didn't know how good they were. So if it was them, he might be in for a treat for once.
"Alright. Go in and alert the others. Just guard the inside well."
"Yes!"
Brain kept his gaze forward as Laika run past him.
Then, he began to stride forward, his senses engaged, anticipating how high the wall he would soon come to face and overcome.
--------------------------------X--------------------------------
There was silence.
Then, the sound of footsteps.
As the guy described to him earlier, it indeed sounded like the clacking of heels against the dirt and stone ground.
Brain clutched onto his katana to the side of his waist. He stood casually, but his center of gravity was lowered, ready to charge or fall back at a moment's notice.
The sound of heels matched the pace of his beating heart. And the familiar smell of iron – blood – reached his nose.
Soon, the figure finally appeared before him, and his eyes widened in surprise.
'What…?'
A little girl appeared before him, dressed like a noble lady in a beautiful, clearly high quality gown.
She was beautiful, beyond anyone he had seen, and she had pale white skin. Her small pink lips curled into a small smile as she walked forward with calm, confident strides, as if she was walking in the halls of her own household mansion.
But, his gaze quickly moved towards the orb of swirling red liquid that floated above her. The source of the bloody scent that permeated the air.
'A spell caster… No… A vampire…?'
The lack of armor and visible weapon indicated that she might be a spell caster. But given her pale white skin, doll-like appearance, and blood magic, another possibility came to mind.
A vampire. And a pretty high ranking one, he presumed. Perhaps, one of those legendary vampire lords.
He had heard about one of them before. The one who earned the title "Landfall" for destroying a nation. She was no longer a simple being who brought destruction. She was equated to a natural disaster; an unstoppable, merciless, and destructive force of nature.
But stories and legends had also told of the tale of the Thirteen Heroes defeating the abomination.
Meaning, even if she was a vampire lord, she must not be invincible. And the realization brought a grin on his expectant face.
'A worthy wall to overcome.'
Excitement filled his heart.
"Seems like you're the one making a ruckus around here…"
Shalltear tilted her head, her beautiful smile never leaving her cute, childish, yet beautiful face. Like an immortal, beautiful doll.
"Oh? You're not running like the rest. You must be confident."
"Don't put me on the same level as those guys. Sure, they're skilled. But I'm just built different."
Brain tightened his grip on his katana's hilt and lowered his stance, slowly shifting into a drawing stance before brandishing his blade.
"The name's Brain Unglaus."
After Brain identified himself to this mighty foe, the girl reacted in a surprising way; she quirked an eyebrow at him.
"Oh, so you're Brain? Hm… I didn't expect you to be like this…"
Shalltear pursed her lips as she touched it, confused. Wasn't he too normal? Why would the supreme beings utter his name and proclaim him as one of the targets with martial arts that she should capture.
Feeling somewhat uncomfortable by her words, Brain asked the girl:
"You know me…?"
"Hm? Oh, no I don't. I've just heard of your name before."
"..."
An uncomfortable silence came to past.
"...What is your name?"
"Ah! You wanted to know my name. Cocytus might have gotten it right away but I've never looked at people like that before, so it took me a while to get it. My apologies, but you should have just asked me directly."
The girl took up the hems of her skirt and curtsied elegantly, like a dancer at
a ball.
"My name is Shalltear Bloodfallen. And the pleasure will be all mine."
That elegant curtsy was directed to a man who stood before her with a drawn blade. He was unsure if she knew she would not be attacked, or if she was confident of dealing with any attack that did come. Judging by her expression, it would seem to be the latter case — "Someone like you is nothing to be afraid of."
'Well, let me break that self-assurance of yours!'
It was the arrogance of the strong.
This arrogance was one of the weapons humanity could use to defeat monsters, whose power outstripped that of human beings. In fact, Brain had played on this sort of opportunity before to defeat several monsters who were mightier than himself.
"Are you not going to use martial arts?"
She wanted to see what kind of martial arts he has that the Supreme Beings would specifically ask for him to be captured. After all, though she would never doubt her beloved's insight, she was still curious at what kind of martial arts would attract His attention.
"Hmph, I won't need martial arts for a brat like you,"
Brain responded. It was a lie, of course. He was not stupid enough to announce his ace in the hole to his opponents.
Brain exhaled slowly and further lowered his stance, returning his sword to its sheath.
He was preparing for a draw cut.
His breaths became long and shallow.
He focused his mind into a single point, and in the moment where it was fully concentrated, his awareness rebounded, expanding back outward. His perceptions were on a level where he was fully aware of everything around him; sounds, the air, and other sensory phenomena. This move was one of the original martial arts that he had created — [Field].
A martial art meant to enhance his perception to the absolute limit, boosting his accuracy and evasion while within that area.
Then, he'll be using it in tandem with his other martial arts.
Rather than learn a broad range of techniques, he had focused on one single goal. His goal was to strike faster than his opponent, to accurately deliver a single, fatal blow, and in the course of his studies he had innovated a second unique martial art — [Instant Flash].
But he didn't stop there.
In his unending quest for perfection, he trained like a madman until he had once more birthed a new technique.
He could cut his foe so quickly that blood would not even stick to the blade.
Feeling that he had reached the realm of the gods, he named that technique [God Flash].
Once he combined these two martial arts, the [Field] which guaranteed a hit and the [God Flash] that struck at divine speed, there was no way anyone could avoid being slain in one blow.
His strikes were aimed at his opponents' vitals; specifically, their necks.
This was his secret move — the "Mogaribue".
"Are you done preparing yet?"
As she looked at Brain, who stayed silent and did nothing but breathe, Shalltear shrugged in boredom.
"I'm ready to make my move, so if you have any last words, feel free to say them~"
Thump—
"—Then let the trampling begin."
Shalltear strode forward with that cheerful pronouncement.
'Are you kidding me?! We'll see how calm you are after your head hits the ground.'
Brain did not say that. He felt that doing so would break his concentration and waste his effort.
Shalltear's steps were unguarded, seemingly defenseless, as dainty and casual as if she were heading for a picnic.
'I'll finish you off in one hit.'
...One more step.
And then—
'—Your head is mine!'
With that mental declaration, Brain struck with all his might.
"Hoo!"
He expelled a short, forceful breath. His blade cleared his sheath, slicing through the air at Shalltear. There was a single word to describe the speed of this movement — lightning.
By the time one saw it, one's head would have fallen, so quickly did it take place. After practicing millions of times, it was truly a divine flash.
'I win.'
As Brain thought that… He stared in shock.
The blow had missed. The strike into which he had poured his entire being had been evaded.
If that had happened, he might have been able to admit that he had met an unimaginably powerful opponent.
However… Shalltear had caught it with her fingertips.
She had caught Brain's lightning-fast strike. In addition, she held his blade gently, like one would the wings of a butterfly.
Brain could not help but pant heavily, as he felt the air seem to freeze around
Him.
"...Im-Impossible."
Those nearly-inaudible words accompanied each gasp he made.
Although she appeared to be gingerly grasping the blade, with hardly any effort at all, Brain could not budge his sword backward or forward, despite pouring the full strength of his body into his exertions. It was like yanking on a chain fastened to a stone several hundred times his own body weight.
And then, the force on his sword suddenly increased, almost throwing Brain off balance.
"Hm, Cocytus has several of these too, but since there's an astronomical difference between the wielders, it's hardly worth being on guard for."
It was impossible, but he had to believe it.
He had to believe the fact that her fingers could easily seize his divinely-fast strike.
His face nearly turned pale from the weight of that shock, and Shalltear wrinkled her brows in surprise at this development.
Then, he heard something like an exaggerated sigh of disappointment.
"You understand, right? You can't beat me without using martial arts. If you understand, please don't hold back. Shouldn't you go all out now?"
As those cruel words reached his ears, Brain could not help but curse:
"You damn monster—!"
As she heard him, Shalltear smiled innocently, radiant as a blossoming flower.
"Is that so? Do you finally understand? I'm a cold, merciless, cruel — and lovable monster! Fufu~"
Shalltear smiled widely.
"Alright then, let's try this again. Please use your martial arts this time, okay?"
She leaped back and returned to her exact spot she was in before. Right down to the millimeter.
"—Then let the trampling begin."
Shalltear stepped forward once more in an exaggerated fashion.
Although he had previously expected that she would step into his [Field], it was the opposite now — he hoped that she would not enter the [Field].
How pathetic is this, Brain mentally chastised himself. Still, even his desire to avenge himself could not ignite his fighting spirit. It was like a fire that had run out of fuel. He used [Field] to monitor Shalltear's movements.
Three steps, two steps, one step—
—She was in range.
As Brain stared at Shalltear's neck, he noticed her mocking expression out of the corner of his eye.
—His target was the right ankle she was putting forward.
He swung down with his katana, using his body weight to further hasten his blow.
As he cast his stress aside, he was certain that this swing was faster than the previous one. Even he had no way of defending against a strike of that speed.
I can do it!
Just as he was about to slice off the girl's delicate ankle that revealed itself from beneath the hem of her skirt—
—The hilt of Brain's katana slid from his hands.
Brain's line of sight did not move, and he had no idea what had happened.
However, the special sensory abilities granted to him by [Field] made him acutely aware that his beloved katana was now on the ground, trod under a high-heeled foot.
It was impossible. Yet, it was an undeniable reality.
The reason Brain's katana had slipped was because of the shock transmitted into his hands when that high-heeled shoe had stepped on it.
There was only one reason not to believe this.
That reason was: despite heightening his focus to its limit, he still had not sensed his opponent's movements. Yes, not even within the [Field] of which he was so proud.
She was close enough that if she reached her hand out, she could touch him.
Shalltear's disdainful gaze landed on Brain from such a short distance. The startling pressure it generated threatened to crush the air along with Brain himself.
Brain's breathing grew chaotic.
His sweat flowed like rain, soaking his entire body. His field of vision trembled and an intense feeling of nausea came over him.
He had been through several risky encounters before, so desperate situations were a common sight for him. However, those encounters were little more than child's play compared to his present predicament.
"—Are you done preparing yet?"
"!"
The third repetition of those words filled Brain with an incomparable sense of despair.
"Could it be that… you can't use martial arts?"
That voice — filled with pity and surprise — made Brain draw a sudden breath.
He could give no reply. No, to be precise, he did not know what to say. Perhaps he could playfully reply like a clown: "Ah, I used them just now, but you defeated them easily."
Biting his lower lip, Brain retrieved his katana.
"...Could it be that you're not actually that strong? I thought you were stronger than those chaps at the entrance… Sorry about that, I measure strength in meters, so I can't discern differences of a millimeter or two."
He had worked so hard and for so long.
During the showdown with Gazef, he was overly confident in his natural abilities, so he had not trained and lost to someone who had. As a result, his defeat had turned into his motivation.
The mindset he had developed, of standing up again from defeat — of earnestly honing his skills to produce results — was nothing but foolishness to the monster before him.
This can't be happening. All along, I've been slaying those monsters who scorned me and mocked me for being weaker than them—
As those thoughts rose through Brain's mind, he struggled to press them down, and in their place—
"Aaaaahhhhh—!"
With a great shout, he made his move on Shalltear. Brain swung at Shalltear —
who had a puzzled look on her face as she watched him attack — with all the force his body could muster.
His blow, which marshaled all the muscles of his entire body, could easily cut an armored human being in half.
Even so.
Even so — Brain's katana had still been deflected.
By the little finger of her left hand—
"Uoooohhhh—!"
A roar issued from Brain's throat. No, it was not a roar, but a cry of despair.
Horizontal slash — parried.
Diagonal slash — parried.
Frontal slash — parried.
Diagonal cut — parried.
Vertical cut — parried.
Horizontal cut — parried.
No matter the angle, no matter the direction in which he made his attacks, all of them were deflected.
It felt as though his katana was being drawn to that nail, and in that moment Brain finally understood.
His opponent was truly powerful. Even his hard work and natural talents could not even bring him close to her feet, let alone onto her level.
"Ara~ Tired already? Though, come to think of it, this nail clipper is pretty dull."
Brain stopped swinging as he heard those surprising words.
"Hah… Alright then, if you're being difficult and don't want to show me your martial arts, then I'll have no other choice."
Her eyes glowed as her [Mystic Eyes of Charm] skill activated, instantly bringing her under his control.
"Do you have martial arts?"
"...Yes."
Shalltear's eyes widened, not from the fact that he indeed possessed martial arts as the Supreme Beings had stated, but from the fact that he didn't use it despite her insinstance.
'Did he truly believe he could win against me without using it?'
For the first time, a frown appeared on her expression.
"Then why did you not use your martial arts?"
"I used them."
"Eh…?"
This time, a look of surprise appeared.
"I used [Field] and [God Flash], my two strongest martial arts."
Shalltear could not believe his words. But she knew he was incapable of lying to her while within the effects of her mystic eyes.
Then that means… he indeed used it. She simply didn't realize that he did.
As she said before, she was unable to discern the differences of a millimeter or two.
Shalltear fell into a thought.
If he indeed possessed martial arts, then she should bring him with her for the time being. She would let Lelouch-sama decide what happens to him.
"Alright. Then, follow me for the time being. I still have to hunt the others."
"Yes…"
--------------------------------X--------------------------------
AN: I hope you guys enjoy this chapter~! Please comment your thoughts~! I would love to hear what you think about it~!!!!
Also, if you'd like to read additional chapters ahead and get a pdf version (Light & Dark), please feel free to check out my at patr_eon.com/verglasx ~!
Thank you~!