Silenbsp;

  A peaceful, silent night. Rare, but one Laika appreciated.

  The days of being part of … a merary group, to put it nicely, were always filled with death, thievery, bckmail, and a myriad of other unsavory as 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 meraries. People who gaiheir livings through violenbsp;

  Some meraries were lucky to be recruited by nobles or merts 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 g judgment in people, he, along with many others, were forced into this quagmire, filled with psychopaths.

  He ook pleasure in robbing people, especially regur vilgers and oners. He khey were simply trying to make it day by day, just like himself.

  He ook a life, unless necessary for his own safety. He ouched 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 tive 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 bato the rocky walls of the cave. In front of him, another wooden crate with a small ntern. A fire-lit ohey were not riough to afford magiterns that used magic stoo light up.

  His sword, a regur steel sword sheathed inside his scabbard, id on his p. It was a sword he had used since before the merary 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 st gift he had received from him before an arrow pierced through his forehead in the war with the Empire.

  His dark browared at the ceiling, watg the flickering shadows of the ntern dang on its uneven surface, as he remihe good old days.

  “A woman…?”

  Just then, a soft voice echoed, followed by a heavy thud. It was the voice of someone he khe oationed just a few distance away for him to guard the path into the main base.

  Laika immediately stood up ahe hilt of his sword, ready to draw it at a moment's notibsp;

  He focused his sehough already in his forties, his battle-trained senses and instincts were still sharp enough to deteomalies around him. They were even sharper than most of the younger ones, who still cked experienbsp;

  The first thing that reached his senses was the smell of iron.

  No, it was something even more familiar. It was the st of blood.

  His body immediately tensed.

  ‘An attack…? How are they this deep without alerting anyone?!’

  He was guarding the se of the cave which was quite he ter, where most of the meraries and supplies were gathered to rest or rex.

  If they’ve reached here without alerting ahen they must be powerful enough to kill all the guys before him and sneak by.

  In other words… They were most certainly strohan him.

  He took a step back, readying himself to flee and alert the others.

  It was then that his senses picked up yet ahing.

  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 eg – something he wouldn’t expect from someorying to sneak into a ir 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 ooes.

  He heard a simir sound when some of the others forced a captured noble dy to ehe cave. It was the st time he had ever seen her.

  It then clicked.

  He heard the guy in front of him say “woman”, which would cide 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 arm 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 stro member of the group. The man who once fought and barely lost against the famous Gazef Stronoff in the biggest tour of Re-Estize; Brain Ungus.

  He was one of the better ones in the group, never iionally seeking bloodshed or t those they robbed. He’s just here to find those who could match his skills and overe 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 muscur 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 aplish 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 warriaran.

  They also wouldn’t send the twins to possibly be fag 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 ohe leader of the group, Lakyus.

  Brain shook his head…

  These were only his specutions. There’s no way to firm it, given the ck 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 faname. He didn’t know how good they were. So if it was them, he might be in for a treat for onbsp;

  “Alright. Go in and alert the others. Just guard the inside well.”

  “Yes!”

  Brai 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 e to fad overe.

  --------------------------------X--------------------------------

  There was silenbsp;

  Then, the sound of footsteps.

  As the guy described to him earlier, it indeed sounded like the g of heels against the dirt and stone ground.

  Brain clutched onto his katana to the side of his waist. He stood casually, but his ter of gravity was lowered, ready to charge or fall back at a moment's notibsp;

  The sound of heels matched the pace of his beati. 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 dy 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, fident 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 st that permeated the air.

  ‘A spell caster… No… A vampire…?’

  The ck of armor and visible on indicated that she might be a spell caster. But given her pale white skin, doll-like appearance, and blood magiother 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 earhe title “Landfall” for destroying a nation. She was no longer a simple being whht destru. She was equated to a natural disaster; an unstoppable, merciless, aructive 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 realizatiht a grin on his expet fabsp;

  ‘A worthy wall to overe.’

  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 fident.”

  “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 bde.

  “The name’s Brain Ungus.”

  After Braiified 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, fused. Wasn’t he too normal? Why would the supreme beings utter his name and procim him as one of the targets with martial arts that she should capture.

  Feeling somewhat unfortable 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 unfortable silence came to past.

  “...What is your name?”

  “Ah! You wao 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 da

  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 bde. He was unsure if she knew she would not be attacked, or if she was fident of dealing with any attack that did e. Judging by her expression, it would seem to be the tter 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 ons humanity could use to defeat monsters, whose power outstripped that of human beings. In fact, Brain had pyed on this sort of opportunity before to defeat several monsters who were mightier than himself.

  “Are you not going to use martial arts?”

  She wao 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 a the hole to his oppos.

  Brain exhaled slowly and further lowered his stance, returning his sword to its sheath.

  He reparing 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 trated, 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 inal martial arts that he had created — [Field].

  A martial art meant to enhance his perception to the absolute limit, boosting his accurad evasion while within that area.

  Then, he’ll be using it in tandem with his other martial arts.

  Rather than learn a bre of teiques, he had focused on one single goal. His goal was to strike faster than his oppo, to accurately deliver a single, fatal blow, and in the course of his studies he had innovated a sed unique martial art — [Instant Fsh].

  But he didn’t stop there.

  In his unending quest for perfe, he trained like a madman until he had once more birthed a eique.

  He could cut his foe so quickly that blood would not even stick to the bde.

  Feeling that he had reached the realm of the gods, he hat teique [God Fsh].

  Once he bihese two martial arts, the [Field] which guaranteed a hit and the [God Fsh] that struck at divine speed, there was no way anyone could avoid being sin in one blow.

  His strikes were aimed at his oppos’ vitals; specifically, their necks.

  This was his secret move — the “Mogaribue”.

  “Are you done prepari?”

  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 st words, feel free to say them~”

  Thump—

  “—Thehe trampling begin.”

  Shalltear strode forward with that cheerful pronou.

  ‘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 tration and waste his effort.

  Shalltear’s steps were unguarded, seemingly defenseless, as dainty and casual as if she were heading for a piic.

  ‘I’ll finish you off i.’

  ...One more step.

  And then—

  ‘—Your head is mine!’

  With that mental decration, Brain struck with all his might.

  “Hoo!”

  He expelled a short, forceful breath. His bde cleared his sheath, slig 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 pce. After practig millions of times, it was truly a divine fsh.

  ‘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 oppo.

  However… Shalltear had caught it with her fiips.

  She had caught Brain’s lightning-fast strike. In addition, she held his bde 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 apanied each gasp he made.

  Although she appeared to be gingerly grasping the bde, with hardly any effort at all, Brain could not budge his sword backward or forward, despite p the full strength of his body into his exertions. It was like yanking on a fasteo a stone several huimes his own body weight.

  And then, the for his sword suddenly increased, almost throwing Brain off bance.

  “Hm, Cocytus has several of these too, but sihere’s an astronomical differeween 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 faearly 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 disappoi.

  “You uand, right? You ’t beat me without using martial arts. If you uand, 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 ily, radiant as a blossoming flower.

  “Is that so? Do you finally uand? I’m a cold, merciless, cruel — and lovable monster! Fufu~”

  Shalltear smiled widely.

  “Alright the’s try this again. Please use your martial arts this time, okay?”

  She leaped bad returo her exact spot she was in before. Right down to the millimeter.

  “—Thehe 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 er the [Field].

  How pathetic is this, Braially 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, oep—

  —She was in range.

  As Brain stared at Shalltear’s neck, he noticed her mog expression out of the er of his eye.

  —His target was the right ankle she utting 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 do it!

  Just as he was about to slice off the girl’s delicate ahat revealed itself from beh 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 grao 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 oppo’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 nded on Brain from such a short distahe startling pressure it geed threateo 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 enters before, so desperate situations were a on sight for him. However, those enters were little more than child’s py pared to his present predit.

  “—Are you done prepari?”

  “!”

  The third repetition of those words filled Brain with an inparable sense of despair.

  “Could it be that… you ’t use martial arts?”

  That voice — filled with pity and surprise — made Brain draw a suddeh.

  He could give no reply. No, to be precise, he did not know what to say. Perhaps he could pyfully reply like a : “Ah, I used them just now, but you defeated them easily.”

  Biting his lower lip, Brairieved his katana.

  “...Could it be that you’re not actually that strong? I thought you were strohan those chaps at the entrance… Sorry about that, I measure strength iers, so I ’t dis differences of a millimeter or two.”

  He had worked so hard and for so long.

  During the shoith Gazef, he was overly fident 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 mi he had developed, of standing up again from defeat — of early honing his skills to produce results — was nothing but foolisho the monster before him.

  This ’t be happening. All along, I’ve been sying those monsters who sed 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 pce—

  “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 ssh — parried.

  Diagonal ssh — parried.

  Frontal ssh — parried.

  Diagonal cut — parried.

  Vertical cut — parried.

  Horizontal cut — parried.

  No matter the angle, no matter the dire 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 uood.

  His oppo was truly powerful. Even his hard work and natural talents could not even bring him close to her feet, let aloo her level.

  “Ara~ Tired already? Though, e 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 trol.

  “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 froeared 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 Fsh], my twest 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 uo dis 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…”

  VergsX