"Huammm—!"
I stretched out both of my arms while yawning. Feeling a bit stiffy ever since I've started watching these two fight. It's already been a minute since they first clashed and why am I already getting tired?
I wasn't the one fighting, yet I was already this exhausted. It's quite bothersome.
Klang—!
Glancing up at the sky, I saw that the sun was already setting and one of the moons had begun to rise. Has it really gotten this late already?
Boom—!
The ground trembled beneath the force of the blast, and the distant roar of the explosion echoed through the air.
'Sounds like another tree has been blasted away.'
Looking back at their fight, I could only catch glimpses of their attacks, but I could tell Ryder's speed was slowing, showing signs of exhaustion. His breathing was labored, but so was Kellen's.
'Hmm, this isn't how it was supposed to go.'
The surrounding trees were blasted away, leaving signs of massive destruction. Different skills and techniques were being used simultaneously—Ryder's abilities slit down trees, while Kellen's punches shattered them into pieces.
Clung—!
'...isn't Ryder suppose to be weaker?'
Did this guy somehow get a cheat item and increase his strength? Or did Kellen get weaker?
Something was definitely amiss, an unsettling feeling I couldn't quite grasp or shake off.
I glanced around our surroundings and had yet to feel anyone approaching us.
Someone should have arrived here, usually a Knight who should've noticed the battle. Or is it because this event happened today?
But even if the event happened yesterday or tomorrow, it should be the same?
Knights and other guards were obligated to patrol the surroundings. Even with the attack in the Southern forest. There should be at least a Knight near here.
…Yet shouldn't someone have arrived by now?
"This is a bit weird,"
I muttered to myself.
If someone does arrive here, I need to chase them away. I can't let him disturb our training time, can I?
"..."
Looking back at them, both were evenly matched. Ryder was sweating profusely, his strength visibly waning from earlier training. While Kellen, on the other hand, is heavily injured from his fight with Alice, so they're both in similar conditions.
Meanwhile, I was simply enjoying the show, munching on my tasteless chips—though the crunch was still somewhat satisfying.
It was crucial for the Hero to experience such battles repeatedly. Not only does it contribute to their immense growth, but it also helps hone their abilities at a much faster pace.
Instead of just practicing with the same people over and over again, he can instead practice with extras like Kellen over here.
Extras like him can contribute a ton to growing Ryder as of right now. And it's probably the fastest way.
Battles where two opponents are nearly equal in strength are the best show ever.
One side could be hiding a trick up their sleeve, or maybe the other has been plotting something sinister from the very beginning!
Nonetheless, while eating my chips, it became clear that I needed to rid myself of this curse soon.
After all, food is life, right?
Not being able to taste anything is driving me insane. I never realized how much I'd miss it, but now it's all I can think about.
"Haa…"
Watching their afterimages and the shockwaves blasting toward my face was becoming increasingly annoying.
Every time they clashed, a shockwave of air rushed toward me. My long hair whipped back and forth, and dust kept blowing into my eyes as I struggled to keep track of their fight.
"...Can't you two keep it down or go a little bit away!?"
I shouted while rubbing my watery eyes, and both fighters paused mid-fight, turning to stare at me.
'... I didn't mean to completely stop what y'all are doing..'
I certainly do enjoy watching a battle this hectic, but not with inconveniences like this!
Wait, but didn't I have a barrier somewhere? Meh, I'm too lazy. Maybe another battle I might bring it out.
Speaking of the battle, Ryder's sword was a few inches away from Kellen's waist, while Kellen's hand was a few inches next to Ryder's face.
It was a decisive move, yet I stopped it.
'Mmm, Maybe I should've kept quiet for a little bit longer.'
However, on closer inspection, I've noticed red and purple cracks spreading across Kellen's body—a clear sign of a demon taking over.
'...It looks like the process is almost complete, but those chips in his head are slowing it down.'
Once he's dead, I'll steal the chip from his head.
Yes, that sounds perfect.
Then the both of them quickly dashed away from each other. And Ryder, frowning, shouted back,
"Then you come here and fight him!"
"Why would I do that? I'm way too weak, and you know it."
I picked up another chip, feeling its crisp texture between my fingers, and brought it to my mouth.
"Mmm."
"Tsk."
"...Did you just click your tongue at me?"
"I'm fighting a life-and-death battle, and you're just sitting there enjoying the show?"
"...Hmm, I guess that's a good reason. But it's all for your growth!"
As Ryder responded, he was met with another powerful punch to the face, sending him skidding backward a few meters before he came to a stop.
"Serves you right, bastard! Pay attention to your opponent! Your first lesson is not to get distracted in the middle of a battle!"
I shouted, crunching on my chips between words.
"..."
He turned to me with a frown as he spat out a mouthful of blood, wiped his lips with the back of his hand, and without hesitation, dove back into the battle, his sword aiming to strike Kellen's other arm.
Strangely enough, I have noticed Kellen seemed to be in a rush.
Usually, when someone catches him during his escape route, he takes his time—talking and toying around, trying to provoke the other party, usually the Hero.
'...But he isn't doing any of that...?'
He was keeping his mouth tightly shut, seemingly desperate to end the fight quickly. Even I could see how careless he was being.
So what's causing his rushed behavior? With every punch he throws, I can sense his growing fear. It felt as if he were being chased by something terrifying.
...It seems to me that his mind isn't focused on the battle but on something else.
I thought to myself, trying to discern what it could be.
Nah. Let's think about that later. The battle in front of me seems more enticing than ever.
Glancing at Ryder's sword, it looks like he already achieved condensed mana form.
If not, I would've probably locked him up to train until he unlocks it.
Thankfully I don't need to.
While some might refer it to as Aether, or Master's Aura, or something else. But it's really just heavily condensed mana.
The Hero is probably the only person to condense mana when he's not even at
Thinking back, the Hero is really broken.
His manual, the Eternal Sword Style, is crazily amazing. Extremely broken if used correctly. Now seeing his style in real life, instead of on a screen, it was very overpowered.
The manual has multiple sets of its own skills, much more than the Shinra style, and provides more versatility and wide areas of abilities.
And most importantly, the main point of the style is to let the host adapt to any manual styles of their opponent.
So he can easily counter every move that his opponent unleashes at him after battling them for some time.
And that is exactly what is happening.
He is adapting to all the moves that Kellen is pushing out. Slowly but surely, the gap between the two of them is decreasing.
I've once again realized, why he is the Hero.
…but the gap between Ryder and Kellen is decreasing at an alarming rate.
Isn't Kellen stronger than this?
As the battle reached its climax, Kellen's face grew even paler, and I grew increasingly frustrated. This wasn't supposed to happen. He was meant to push the Hero to his limits, especially without the aid of the Saintess.
I needed him to instill fear—intense, mind-altering fear that could reshape his entire way of thinking. That's what I needed. But why couldn't he do it?
Why is Kellen being pushed back?! Do I really have to wait until the demon completely takes over his body?
But I don't think Ryder can Handle that Demon.
I voiced my frustration aloud.
"Hey, why are you so weak and scared of him!?"
Ryder, now sporting multiple light wounds, interrupted with a grimace.
"Isn't it because he's feeling impending doom from me?"
"No, you idiot. It's only been a few minutes. A demonic human with his power can last for hours. Even with his injuries, he should be able to hold out for at least an hour. Yet why is he so fucking weak? You're supposed to be stronger and not collapse this easily?!."
Kellen's decision-making wasn't in line with what was expected based on the game. The fight was supposed to be close, but Ryder had only sustained minor wounds.
On the other side, Kellen was being pushed back, deep wounds were embed into his flesh, and his face was paler than ever.
'Tch.'
Here I thought he was the key to achieving what I wanted. Yet I placed my hopes into him too much.
"You're right, I am weaker than I am before. But if only that brat didn't injure my mana core directly.."
…I must really reevaluate Alice's powers.
She keeps surprising me with all these things man.
Kellen admitted, his brows furrowing deeply.
"Have you noticed how no one has shown up since we made our presence known?"
Ryder nodded quietly, a look of concern on his face. It was indeed abnormal that no one from the Academy had come to check on them, despite the intense battle.
It was far too quiet for such a massive battle to go unnoticed. Emissions from such attacks should've attracted at least a Knight to check what was happening. Yet no one was in sight, and the strangest part was how eerily quiet the forest had become.
Kellen then spoke with a grim tone. His face was smeared with dirt and blood, his eyes wide with fear.
"We're all dead. We're completely screwed."
Ryder tilted his head, his brow furrowing deeply as he tried to make sense of what he'd just heard. Confusion and disbelief flickered across his face.
"No… you mean you're going to be killed by me?"
Ryder pointed a finger towards himself, indicating his confusion about what Kellen had said.
"No, no, no, you kids can't grasp their true nature. Whenever they're assigned a mission, the sheer brutality they inflict is terrifying. They are already here! They're known as the B—"
"...!"
Pop—!
In an instant, his head was crushed and blown apart. A bulky man with massive hands had reduced Kellen's head to fragments, the pieces scattering in a gruesome display. Some of the debris landed on my clothes and hair, while others hit Ryder.
But most of the mess was on the bulky man's dark robe—plain and unadorned, yet unmistakable.
"...The captain of the Black Regiment."
"Oh? You know me?"
The bulky man turned towards me, a grin spreading across his face as he smoothly extracted a chip—the same one I had been eager to collect.
Glancing at Ryder, I saw him frozen in the overwhelming presence of the 9th tier, which seemed to envelop the entire area.
'...This is bad.'
Fighting against that Jester is one thing, but fighting against this guy?
No way in hell.
Burning my mana core?
Not an option. My pitiful mana isn't sufficient to deal with this guy.
What about the Hero?
Too weak, or his insane EX luck can come in handy.
…fuck, it's way too unreliable.
Then only two remaining options are left.
Threatening, or bluffing.
And If I mess either up…then this continent is done for.
…But isn't this exhilarating?!