Ten years ago, back before Asura remembered her past life, she lived in a village that existed on the border between East and Central Felsen. It was a quiet place untouched by war and completely self-sufficient. It didn't exist under any flag, and peacefully enjoyed its independence. There was a creek near the village where Asura often played.
The days flowed by in tranquility, and Asura was raised with plenty of love. She had been a gentle child who hated the sight of blood and never fought with the other kids. She'd innocently believed that such beautiful halcyon days would continue forever and ever.
But then, the soldiers arrived.
"Check to see if any of them are hiding Jeanne Autun Lala. If anyone resists, then treat them as rebels against our country and neutralize them," the female sergeant said.
Asura only learned about this later, but at the time, several organizations from Central Felsen had been looking around for Jeanne, who had escaped after causing the Great Massacre. They'd viewed her as a common enemy, and worked together in their search.
The soldiers tore through all the houses in the village, and once they saw that Jeanne wasn't there, they gathered all the villagers into the plaza. There weren't that many people—only around forty. It was truly a small settlement.
"All right, everyone, it's time for vacation! This is the whole point of being a soldier! Rape all the women you want and let out all of your daily frustrations! Aren't you happy, Corporal Pietro Angelico?"
"Yes, Sergeant! I thank the heavens that you are my superior!"
Then the soldiers' vacation started. The men of the village tried to fight back, but they were easily killed. None of them had ever seen battle, so they were no match for trained soldiers.
"Hmm, I'm going to enjoy that silver-haired man over there. He's quite handsome." The person the female sergeant pointed at was Asura's father. Asura's mother remained silent and simply kept her hands over Asura's eyes. Asura's sister or brother was inside her belly. "Is that your daughter?" the sergeant asked, and when Asura's father nodded, she commanded, "Don't cover her eyes. Let her watch. It makes things hotter for me."
"Please, grant us mercy," Asura's father begged, and the female sergeant grinned.
"Then I'll separate your daughter's head from her body. Which would you prefer? If you listen to my orders, I won't kill her. I'm not a Demon Lord, after all!"
Asura's mother took her hands away from Asura's eyes. "It's going to be all right," she murmured.
Asura was terrified and could only cling onto her mother in response. Then her father was raped before her eyes. All of the soldiers were wholeheartedly enjoying their vacation.
"I've always wanted to do it with a pregnant woman," Pietro said after finishing up with all of the young women in the village.
"Me too, me too!" The soldiers ripped Asura's mother away from her.
"Mama!" Asura cried out, but she was kicked away.
"Don't hurt my daughter! Please, I'll do anything you want! Just don't hurt her!"
It was as if they'd been thrust into hell. Asura couldn't stop crying. She was absolutely terrified. Why are these people doing such horrible things?
***
Huge tears rolled down Asura's cheeks.
"Boss..." Marx said, but no further words would come. He was simply too shaken at the sight of Asura—at the sight of his boss—crying. She didn't even look like she was aware of the fact.
"That's awful..." Jyrki said. "I was a bandit, sure, but I didn't do any of that shit..." He was just as shaken as Marx.
"This is still just the beginning, Jyrki," Asura laughed softly through her tears. Marx found it to be a terribly painful sight.
"I wanted to see Boss cry...but...this wasn't what I meant..." Iina glared at Pietro. "This is why...I hate humans..."
"Am I...crying?" That was when Asura finally noticed what was falling down her face and she quickly wiped them away with her robes.
"That's horrible... That's insane..." No one noticed when Iris moved to stand behind Asura, and she was crying just like her.
"Let's continue..." Asura said.
Image here:
After the soldiers had had their fill pleasuring themselves with the villagers, they started nocking arrows to their bows. They lit the arrow tips on fire and proceeded to burn down the village.
"What are you doing?!" Asura's father yelled. "If you burn down our houses, then what are we supposed to do?"
"Die, I suppose? You were a pretty good lay. It's a waste, but it's time for you to die." The female sergeant laughed out loud as she cut down Asura's father with a sword. "Now, it's time for a manhunt! By the time we arrived, Jeanne had already pillaged this place. Isn't that right, men?!"
With that, the soldiers began to kill the villagers. Asura's childhood friend, the older boys and girls next door... They all died, screaming and crying.
Help me! Help me! Help, God! Asura's mother jumped in front of Asura to protect her from a sword and was stabbed clean through right before her eyes. "Mama..."
"Run...Asura..." The sword was pulled from her mother's body. At the very end, she gave Asura a gentle smile.
"Man, I love toying with weaklings," Pietro said cheerfully. He noticed Asura, held his sword aloft, and then slashed down at her. Asura dodged it before she dashed off. "Oh? Damn, that kid's fast."
She could hear Pietro's words from behind her but she paid little heed as she ran into her burning house. She grabbed the fruit knife that had been left out on the counter. When she saw her own dark eyes reflected in the blade, she smiled.
"Humph, this is the best I can use in this body. Fate really is a funny thing. I was so terrified of this situation, and now I simply find it nostalgic."
Asura had remembered who and what she used to be. She held her free hand against her chest and thought back on all of the people she'd met in this life. At the end, she thought about her father and mother. Her mother's final smile gave Asura the power and will to survive. After all, that had been the key to unlocking the memories of her past life. Everything she remembered would've been repugnant to the innocent Asura who had been born in this world.
"I'll make those pieces of shit regret waking me up and making me angry."
However, with her memories restored, she couldn't envision herself losing. The hand around the knife's handle was small, soft, and pale. She was so short that she barely even reached the soldiers' waists. Even so, Asura was certain that she was the stronger one.
She left her home and looked around. It didn't take her long to see one of the enemies. She silently sneaked up behind him, then slashed at the backs of his knees. The soldier screamed and fell to the ground.
"I'm pretty short right now, so thank you for lowering yourself to my height."
She flipped her grip on the knife and slit the soldier's throat from behind. With her underdeveloped muscles, she couldn't pierce through the leather armor. So the correct answer to deliver certain death was aiming for their neck.
Asura carefully continued to kill the soldiers one by one. If she came across them in pairs, she would disable one of them by cutting up their legs before running away. The uninjured one would chase after her, so she would lie in wait and then ambush them. After that, she would return to where the injured soldier was moaning in pain and then deal the final blow.
It was when she'd killed nine soldiers that she noticed there was no one left in the village. Only corpses were left. Asura crouched down before them in the central plaza.
"I'm sorry," she said. "If only I had remembered who I was much earlier, I wouldn't have let scum like them do what they please." Her apology was directed at the villagers. "As much as I'd like to dig graves for everyone, as you can see, I'm only three years old. It's far too much work for me. I'm sorry." She lifted her arms into the air and continued, "I know. Why don't I sing a song? I remember everyone praising my voice. What would you like to hear? 'London Bridge Is Falling Down'? I'm kidding. I'll sing 'Amazing Grace.' It's a good choice, isn't it? I pray that you will all rest in peace."
Left alone in a burning village and surrounded by the dead bodies of her kin, Asura raised her voice in song. But she turned around when she sensed another presence. A woman was walking towards her. She wasn't a villager. Apart from a cape around her shoulders she was completely naked, and she was dragging a sword behind her in her right hand.
"What a nice song," the woman said. "I don't know it, but it drew me towards you even though I no longer believe in God or destiny... I'd even go as far as to say I'd curse the heavens if I could. And yet, I wonder why I think of our meeting as one that has been divinely ordained."
"I've no interest in gods. More importantly, I didn't think there were exhibitionists in this world. You're naked under that thing, aren't you?"
"Has this village been pillaged?" the woman asked calmly, ignoring Asura's question.
"Something like that. They called it a vacation. Two of them escaped, unfortunately. Well, I can always seek them out later and kill them then."
"You were the one who killed the culprits? I find that hard to believe." There was a deep despair in the woman's voice. It was clear just from listening to her that she no longer held any hope for the world.
"You can believe what you want. I don't really care. It looks like you've been through some tough times yourself. Was it worse than what happened here?"
The woman's eyes were as dark as the night sky. "In a way."
"That's impressive. My name is Asura Lyona. How about you?"
"Lumia..."
"Now then, Lumia. If you're not my enemy, then raise me. As you can see, all the adults here have died. Due to my youth, there are plenty of inconveniences that I can't handle alone. So you have to raise me. It's not like you have anything else to do, right?"
***
A heavy silence fell over the collected group, broken only by Iris's soft sniffles. Asura was still wiping her eyes with the hem of her robe. No one said anything.
"I'm not the one crying," Asura said with a weak chuckle. "Iris is. And I suppose the me from before she became me." She was talking about the child version of Asura, who had been pure and innocent about the evils of the world. "Now then, Pietro, tell me the name of the female sergeant. You must already know what fate will befall you. There's no need for meaningless suffering. I'm not like you. I may enjoy war. But I have no desire to drag people peacefully enjoying their lives into hell, and I only conduct torture if there's a meaning to it. If you talk, then I'll grant you an easy death."
Asura stood up and unsheathed the claymore from Lumia's back. She moved to stand next to Pietro and held the tip of the weapon against his forehead. This was an orthodox stance from Central Felsen swordsmanship, taught to her by Lumia.
"Wait... Hey, hold on a second," Iris said, grabbing onto Asura's shoulder. "I...understand that something terrible happened to you. I know that these people are awful. But, you mustn't take revenge, Asura... It doesn't help anyone..."
"I know," Asura replied. "But I'll still seek it."
"Wait! Unless you overcome your hatred, you'll never be able to move forward! I understand how you feel. But—!"
"Shut up!" Asura spun around and slammed the claymore against Iris. "How could someone like you ever understand how I feel?!"
***
Iris grew up in a loving household, surrounded by a supportive family who taught her the meaning of justice. She also learned that it was never right to take another's life without hesitation. That was why she chose a single-bladed sword with the intention of only unsheathing it in self-defense.
"Shut up!"
I'm going to be killed, was Iris's immediate thought. Asura's killing intent was genuine, and it was the first time that Iris had ever felt something like that directed at her. She instinctively placed her hand on the hilt of her sword. Faster than Asura could behead her, Iris drew her sword and blocked the claymore's blow.
"How could someone like you ever understand how I feel?!"
Iris became a hero because she was strong. But that wasn't the only reason. She also wanted to protect everyone from the threats against humanity. And Asura Lyona was among the people that she swore an oath to.
"Wait! Calm down! I'm sorry!" It had been too rash of her to imply that she could understand what Asura had gone through.
Completely berserk, Asura continued to slash at Iris with the claymore. She was a completely different person from before, and Iris was a little bewildered at the sudden change. Even so, she managed to guard against every one of Asura's attacks.
Damn, this kid is super strong!
"It's not as if you've ever seen hell on earth!" Asura screamed. Like a small child throwing a tantrum, she continued to wave the claymore, ignorant of the tears streaming down her cheeks.
***
"Should we stop them? It looks like Boss has completely lost her mind," Marx said.
"Ain't Boss super strong right now? Is it just me or is she winnin' against the hero?" Jyrki asked.
"This is...terrible... Won't she...kill her?" Iina wondered.
"We're still in the middle of a mission too," Lumia sighed. "And of course Asura is super strong. I was the one who taught her how to use a sword, remember?"
"Vice Captain, this isn't the time to be bragging about that. Isn't this bad?"
"Like, there ain't nothin' we can do if she kills Iris."
"This is my first time...seeing Boss lose her cool..."
Even as Moon Blossom conversed, Asura and Iris were still fighting, with Asura on the offensive and Iris on the defensive.
"Idiots," Lumia said with a shake of her head. "Asura isn't scary at all right now. All she's doing is using swordplay on the same level as mine."
"Isn't that enough of a threat?" Marx pointed out.
"That ain't a threat. That's a nightmare," Jyrki corrected him.
"That's not true," Lumia argued. "Normally, Asura would mix in magic or use more of her surroundings. Fighting her can be tricky with how versatile she is. If all she's relying on is a sword, then she's hardly dangerous."
"Oh, I see." Marx nodded, looking convinced. "So you're trying to say that right now, Boss isn't a soldier-mage, but rather an ordinary swordsman?"
"That's right. She's lost control and can only think about the weapon she's currently holding in her hands."
"But...isn't she still stronger than Iris? Won't...Iris die?" Iina tilted her head slightly as she asked the question.
"Iris is a hero," Lumia said. "You saw the way she moved when she stopped Asura's first hit. If she can keep that up, then she won't lose. Besides, if she can't even fight off Asura here, then she'll die on her first Demon Lord Expedition."
Iris wasn't serious. To be more specific, her mind was serious, but her body remained tense. Her first taste of real killing intent had scared her badly, and she was unable to call upon her true strength. Or perhaps she was simply lost on what to do.
"Whether Iris can use fighting spirit or not will determine her fate," Lumia concluded.
"What's fighting spirit?" Salume asked.
"Fighting spirit is something that travels throughout your body and helps you to utilize your full strength."
"You'll be stronger if you use it?" Reko asked.
"No. All it can do is allow you to use your full strength. For example, let's say Asura's maximum combat strength is a hundred points. But she's not usually performing at that number. Her condition varies from day to day, and can be affected based on the current situation. A person can probably only use their full strength for a few minutes in their entire lifetime," Lumia explained calmly. "But if Asura were to use fighting spirit, she could maintain a hundred points of power. Conversely, a person whose maximum combat strength is fifty points will still only be able to use fifty even with fighting spirit. So it's not that impressive an ability."
"In the end, you have to train every day if you want to become a powerful fighter. Salume, Reko, there are no shortcuts to true strength," Marx said.
Salume and Reko nodded in response.
"We don't even use fighting spirit, so there's no use learning it," Jyrki said.
"That's right... We're...not a good match...for fighting spirit..."
After Ina said that, there was a change in Asura and Iris's fight.
"She's unleashed her true power," Lumia commented.
"Yes." Marx nodded. "So this is Iris's fighting spirit? Unlike how aggressive Axel's was, it's quite the calm aura."
"Oops. Looks like Boss is gonna lose this one. Heroes really are strong!"
"That's too bad... I guess you can't win against a hero...if you fight normally..."
The mercenaries of Moon Blossom were quick to change their tune.