"Remember me and smile, for it's better to forget than to remember me and cry." -Dr.Seuss
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SHIN|
"Damn it all! Why the hell are you guys attacking us?!" I kept on parrying each of their attacks but they just kept on rushing at me nonstop!
"Nothing personal, kid. This is just a job." One of the enemies said as they continue to attack us.
I don't know if I can hold them off for a bit, I'm starting to get tired. I tried to step back to put a gap between me and my enemies.
I don't want to kill humans... I can't kill humans... Demons are the reason why I want to become stronger!
I need to retreat, but first, I need to help gramps so we could retreat together! I used my light magic to blind the enemies using 'blinding light'.
"Gramps! Let's retre-"
No...
No way...
"G-Gramps..."
I... I saw him getting stabbed by the enemies in the abdomen right infront of my very eyes...
Why?
Why does he still have a smile on his face even though he was about to die?
He killed the enemies infront of him, but at what cost?
Gramps...
"GRAAAAAMPS!!!"
I can't stand this anymore!
They...
THEY KILLED MY GRANDFATHER!!!
"WRAAAAAAGH!!!"
All of them...
All of them deserve to die!
I remove the sheath of my sword and let the burning rage and wrath take over my body...
I won't spare even one of them...
They took him away from me...
They will pay with their lives!
"Shin Ganryu style, fifth sword..." I will show them no mercy...
"RAIKIRI!"
I slashed and killed each and everyone of them... using my own hands, I took the lives of twelve humans... But I don't even feel even an ounce of guilt...
But still...
The first lives I took wasn't a demon, nor a monster... It was a human... I killed a human...
Gramps... I need to hurry! Maybe I can still save him!
I quickly rushed to where Gramps is and drop my sword.
I pulled out the swords that was pierced in gramps' body and tried to heal him.
"D-Don't worry, gramps! I'm going to save you!" I tried using healing spell that Aria taught me to try to heal gramps' wounds but it was just too deep.
But no... I can't give up just yet! I must save him at all cost!
I tried putting some more magic power in my healing spell when gramps holds my hand to stop me from healing him...
I looked at him but he's just staring at me with a big smile of his face...
"S-Shin-k-kun... You can s-stop now..." He said while smiling... But no... I won't give up! I can still save him!
"J-Just stay put, gramps! I can heal you!" I tried to cast healing magic at him again but he holds my hands even tighter to stop me from what I'm doing...
"L-Listen to me S-Shin-kun, for t-this will be... The l-last time..." He said with his weakening voice... I can't take this anymore, but I have to listen to him...
"Y-You've become... S-Stronger now... P-Please... Use your p-power to support j-justice... Just like your f-father... Pave your o-own p-path with your s-sword... To become e-even more s-stronger..." He uttered and handed me a pendant with mom and dad's name in it, including him, me, and Aria...
"You're t-the only one... Who can create your o-own d-destiny... Please... Make o-one w-with everyone b-being a-able to... Smile freely..."
I hold his hand and kissed it...
My hearts shattered when he starts coughing with blood and tears fall from his face while his smile still remains...
"I-I... I w-want to stay with y-you and Aria-chan j-just a bit l-longer... I-I want to see t-the two of y-you become a-adults... I-I'm sorry... For l-leaving you behind S-Shin-kun..."
He said as he cries while holding my hands... I tried to hold my tears to show him that he can be at peace without any worries... I... I will send him off with a smile...
"T-Thank you S-Shin-kun... Thank y-you for letting m-me become y-your grandfather... I'll b-be going now... Protect your s-sister..."
"I-I... Love..."
Before he manage to finish his sentence... Gramps took his last breathe...
"No gramps... Thank you..."
I uttered as I hold both of his hands and kissed it gently... raindrops starts to pour from the sky...
I want to thank the rain... For hiding the tears that was falling from my eyes...
Gramps...
Just this once... please...
Allow me to cry...
"GRAAAAAAMPS!!! AAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
That very moment... I cried my heart out like there's no tomorrow... For the very first time...
I promise gramps... After this... I will never cry again...
Thank you for making me stronger... I will put an end to everything that threatens us... Just like I promised...
I carried gramp's lifeless body together with his sword and went to the hill where grandma, mom, and dad's grave is...
I dig a hole and buried gramps' body beside grandma's grave and pierced his sword there...
"Mom... Dad... Grandma... Please take care of gramps for me... And please watch us from up there..." I mumbled and picked a flower near me and placed it on gramps' grave...
"I will miss you, gramps..."
I went back to our home...
I must tell Aria what happened to gramps...
I don't know what I looked like right now... I must really look so horrible...
I slowly walk back to own home, alone...
I rubbed my eyes when I felt that tears are starting to fall again.
I want to cry... I want to cry so hard to the point that I won't be able to cry anymore... But I have to be strong, for Aria and for myself...
When I was close to our house, I noticed that something feels off...
I take a closer and saw Goza-san laying at the front door cover with blood!
No... This can't be...
"Aria!"
I run towards Goza-san who's bleeding because of a huge cut in his chest. He's still alive!
I still have enough mana, and used most of it to heal and seal Goza-san's wound.
When he recovered for a bit, he started screaming while saying sorry with tears falling from his eyes.
"Y-Young master... I'm sorry young master... I let them took her..." He cries while grabbing my clothes and sobbing with tears.
They took her...
T-They took...
"Young master... P-Please forgive me... I wasn't able to stop them from taking the young lady, Aria..."
Aria...
They took Aria away from me...
I hold Goza-san's hand and look at him with a forced smile...
"It's not your fault, Goza-san... It's not your fault..."
They've done it now...
First, they killed my grandfather...
Now they took away my little sister...
I won't forgive them...
Both demons and humans...
Both of these races are corrupted...
"Y-Young master... Your eyes... I-It's turning red..."
I ignored what Goza-san said and picked up my sword...
I felt a liquid slowly falling to my cheeks from eyes... I wiped and looked at it, and noticed that it was blood...
I... I can help but to laugh...
I continue to laugh as if I was loosing my sanity...
"Goza-san... Gramps is dead... He is buried next to grandma's grave..." I uttered and unsheathe my sword... I looked at Goza-san before leaving and said.
"I'll be back if I can..."
I have nothing to lose anymore... Even if I die, I have nothing to regret...
But before that happens... I will purge this world from evil...
I will kill anyone whom I deemed evil, be it a demon, a monster, or a human...
I will show no remorse...
I will make them feel the wrath of the Hero's son and the Sword Saint's last student...
"Fouyu suru."
Using the magic I learn from my parents, I used my flight to fly and try to find where those evil humans went...
I found the traces of their steps inside the forest so I decided to descend there...
"Aria! Where are you?!" I screamed on top of my lungs but she didn't respond...
I'm starting to lose hope...
Will I ever see my little sister again?
I'm such a failure as her brother...
Uncle...
Mom...
Dad...
Gramps...
I'm sorry, I failed you... I wasn't able to protect my little sister...
I heard some footsteps and saw a demon holding a human body. I quickly rush towards it and cut off it's head.
I turn the human's body but it's not my little sister... I don't know who that person is but I still decided to bury him... I hope he may rest in peace...
I looked at the sky and the rain still hasn't stopped pouring.
"Don't worry, Aria. Your big brother will find you..."
****
"That's 2,781." I uttered and wiped the demon's blood on my sword using a piece of cloth.
I've already killed 2,781 demons and 1,943 humans...
Two months have passed since gramps passed away and Aria went missing...
Ever since that day, I started hunting demons and humans I deemed evil. I swore to myself that I will cut all evil that gets in my way with my sword...
I've also learned the powers that dwells within my sword... It absorbs the soul of any living being it kills if it's considered as evil and turn it into a pile of magic powers and become my strength, and if the soul is good, it will purify it so that it can rest in peace.
I'm still trying to find where Aria might be. I still believe that somewhere inside this forest, she's still alive...
"I guess, I'll go back first..." I said to myself and decided to went back home.
Before going home, I decided to go to the grave of my parents and grandparents first at the top of a hill.
"Mom, dad, gramps, grandma, uncle... I'm here again..." I uttered and placed some flowers that I picked before coming here and placed it in their graves.
"I... I'm sorry... I still haven't been able to find my sister... I know you're all disappointed in me, but I'll do my best to look for my sister..." I can feel the tears building up in my eyes again...
I took a deep breathe to suppress my tears and let go of a sigh...
"Don't worry, I won't stop until I found where Aria is..." I mumbled and kissed their graves gently. "I have to go now... Goza-san must be worried..."
I bowed to them before completely leaving... I looked up in the sky thinking what should I do now...
I'm at lost...
If only Aria is here, she'll know what to say in this kinds of situations... I really miss her a lot...
When I came home, Goza-san already prepared dinner for the both of us. We eat in silence as soon as the two of us finished eating, he offered to clean the dished which I humble accepted.
I went to sleep early, but when I was about to sleep, I heard a rustling sound outside the house...
I quickly grabbed my sword and went outside. I saw a spirit like being floating in the air. It slowly flies away but out of curiosity, I decided to follow it.
It went deep inside the forest where I rarely go. Just what in the world is that?
I continue to follow the spirit and it lead me to a river with lots of fireflies and shining crystals.
It's so breath-taking that I decided to roam around when I noticed someone bathing is the river near the falls.
Long black hair...
Slender figure...
And fair skin...
My eyes starts to water when I realized who it was...
"A-Aria... Aria!" She turned around but because it's night I can't clearly see her face.
But I don't care anymore! I finally found her! My little sister!
I rushed towards her and hugged her tight. "Don't worry, Aria, your big brother will never leave you ever again!" I said while sobbing in tears.
"W-What are you doing, you pervert?!" She screamed and I felt her hand landing on my face that made me fall on my butt.
"What was that for?!" I angrily asked while rubbing the part of my face she slapped.
When I looked at her face, I realized that I was doomed...
S-Shit! It's not Aria! I just hugged a naked stranger and to make it worst, she's a girl! Damn it!
"Y-You! How dare you touch me, you molester!" She's really mad, alright. I gulped several times when I saw her eyes raging mad!
"W-wait! Hold on! This is a misunderstanding!"
"You dare touch my bare body?! I, Kaguya the Priestess of the Moon, and you're saying it's a misunderstanding?!" I saw a ball of magic powers gathering up in her left hand while she used her right hand to cover her chest.
"I-It's really a misunderstanding!"
"Die, you imbecile!"
Mom...
Dad...
Uncle...
Grandma...
Gramps...
I think I'll be seeing you again so soon...
It's a shame that I'll die by the hands of this girl who thinks I'm a pervert, and not a hero...
Damn, what I miserable life I have....
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End of chapter 20
End of the second volume, rising hero arc.