Chapter 369: A Fight Between Brothers
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 369: A Fight Between Brothers
‘He's strong.’
That was what Goff had thought when he first saw Blood Dagger fighting a human woman. The image of the Orc wielding a greatsword, fighting on equal footing with the small woman holding a spear, was still etched in Goff's memory.
Of course, the woman with the spear was the stronger of the two. To any observer, the difference in their combat power was obvious. But the Ogre remembered the Orc's eyes from that day. He clearly remembered those tenacious eyes that refused to give up.
When he first saw the little goblin, he hadn't liked him. The little goblin had always been pragmatic, never hesitating to hide or flee. By Green Skin standards, he had considered it cowardly, but it didn't take long for that opinion to change.
There was undoubtedly a reason for his actions, and for why the other Green Skins followed him. This clan, a gathering of small and weak creatures, was initially ridiculed by others, but as time passed, they too began to look up to them.
‘Admirable.’
Every time he watched him from the side, the same thought always came to mind.
The little goblin, the Orc who used a greatsword, the demon who wielded many weapons—he was wise, he was honorable, and he was constantly growing stronger.
The Orc had left a strong impression during the Great Tribe Leader's trial, and the events of the Warrior's Exam were still spoken of by all Green Skins.
‘We were together for a long time. We fought together, slept together, and acted as one. It wasn't a long time, but... I... I think of you as a true brother.’
‘The same goes for me, Goff. We may not share blood, but I also think of you as a brother.’
‘Let's meet again in three years, stronger than before. My brother. Let's plant our flag on this continent.’
‘Yes. Let's meet in three years, my brother.’
That conversation had become one of Goff's most cherished memories. He had acted nonchalant, but he had been truly happy. To one day fight alongside him. To plant their flag on the continent and advance together.
To march forward with this magnificent Green Skin who possessed what he did not.
And indeed, three years later, Goff reunited with Blood Dagger, and just as they had promised, they planted the flag of the Brother's Land.
A new brother was gained, and the number of precious comrades grew.
‘It's all thanks to you.’
Goff muttered inwardly as he looked at the Green Skin before him. But at some point, his time with him had ceased to be joyful.
It wasn't Blood Dagger's fault. It was his own.
Blood Dagger began to aim higher and higher, growing stronger and stronger. Many Green Skins followed him, looked up to him. Watching the one he wanted to fight, the one he considered his lifelong rival, actually soar to greater heights was not an entirely pleasant experience.
‘You've grown strong.’
Even in the fight against the woman who used holy power, Blood Dagger hadn't looked at him. At first, he thought it might be too much for him. But the demon with the blazing eyes never gave up. Just like when he fought the woman called the Queen of the North, he never gave up.
It was the same when he fought the undead's fallen prince.
He achieved his goals through struggle and seized what he desired. Whether fighting other enemies or fighting alongside him, Blood Dagger was reborn anew each time.
It was around this time that Goff realized the feeling blooming in his heart was inferiority.
They fought together and trained together.
They fought the same enemies and moved with desperation.
And yet, he couldn't close the growing gap between them. In fact, it only widened. Blood Dagger was always swinging his sword. It was no wonder he grew stronger. Even when everyone else was resting, he always made time to swing his sword. He could see him moving relentlessly, doing whatever it took to become stronger. It wasn't that he was talented.
Despite that—no, because of that—he never stopped trying. He lost clan members, lost precious things, felt joy and sorrow, and climbed ever higher.
And in the scenery he looked upon, Goff was not there.
Perhaps this was the most heartbreaking fact of all.
And so, he grew angry.
When he looked at other enemies, when he clashed swords in earnest with others, when he didn't even consider Goff an opponent—Goff was enraged.
‘I respect you.’
‘I respect your tenacity, your refusal to ever give up.’
To be pitied and treated with consideration by the one he respected, the one he thought of as his rival, was an incredibly difficult and painful thing.
He had no choice but to try harder himself. He strove to keep from falling behind, to make him turn and look back at him once more. But nothing changed. This admirable Green Skin yielded everything.
He yielded everything to avoid a fight with him, not wanting to clash.
‘My dream is to become the Great Tribe Leader.’
When he had spoken of his dream before, he had clearly seemed troubled. It might have been his imagination. Blood Dagger had acted as if it were nothing, but Goff was certain he had read the ambition in his eyes.
What a magnificent, foolish bastard.
He was the one who was lacking. This was his last chance to stand with Blood Dagger on the heights he sought. Without realizing it, Goff opened his mouth and shouted.
“I respect you! My brother!”
*
“I respect you! My brother!”
“As do I.”
A laugh escaped me at his sudden outburst. Because I knew he meant it. He was already near his limit. So was I. I realized I never should have held back in the first place.
The eyes of that ever-righteous Ogre had not yet lost their light. But I will be the one to win. The moment I kicked off the ground again and swung my tail, Goff's eyes began to change.
“Kuuuwooooooooooooooo!!!”
His reddened body and face, the intense heat radiating from him—I understood what his hidden card was. An ability of the sort where attack power increases based on damage taken. As Goff leaped toward me in an instant, I began to observe him more carefully.
He merely stomped on the ground, but a tremendous shockwave washed over me. But there was no damage. He had completely surrendered himself to his wild instincts. Calling it ‘Berserk’ would be most fitting. His attacks grew faster and stronger, but his patterns didn't change.
CR-CR-CRACK!
KRAAAAAAAAANG!!
Seeing him move so well despite his wounded body, he was certainly one tough bastard. I continued to manipulate my blood, focusing on inflicting more wounds on him.
“You are strong.”
“Kuuuwoooooooo!!”
“But I am stronger.”
An undeniable fact. His attacks didn't even graze me. My concentration, pushed to its absolute limit, made everything in my vision slow down.
After dodging Goff's sweeping kick, I immediately swung my massive tail, and with a grotesque sound, his leg was half-severed. Even so, he didn't stop moving.
I couldn't understand what kind of body he had, but that was all there was to it.
CR-CR-CR-CRACK!
Pshuk!!
- Kyahahahahahahahahaha!!
A maddening voice. I was unscathed, but my body was also nearing its limit. No, rather, it felt like I should release the unification soon, so I began to push him a little harder.
“Hoo...”
Goff's movements began to slow. His eyes still tracked me relentlessly, but he had lost his mobility, and his greatest asset, his stamina, was also gone. Seeing him fall silent at one point, I slowly let out a breath. It was then that I replenished all my lost blood. Just as I was about to release the unification.
- No!! Ah, no!!! We'll be together! We'll be together!
‘Crazy bitch.’
The sword was half-detached from me, but the blood originating from it continued to bind my body.
- We are one! Together forever! Aaaaaah!
The sight of the sticky blood continuously forcing its way into my body, as if desperate to maintain its previous state, was truly bizarre.
It was then that Goff, who I thought had fallen silent, flashed his eyes. They were eyes I had seen many times before.
‘He hasn't given up...’
It was absurd, but I started to feel as if I were seeing my past self in Goff.
‘Dammit...’
At this point, I was almost grateful to Dain for not releasing the unification.
“Have I become a little like you? My brother.”
“Dain!!! Get in here!!”
- Yes! We are one! Forever! Forever! We will become one! I'm coming in... I'm coming in!!
Dain's cry was not realized. Goff's massive body lunged at me in an instant. He grabbed Dainsleif—no, he grabbed the sticky blood that was binding me and began to tear at it with all his strength.
- Noooooo!!! You ignorant bastard! Get your filthy hands off! Now! Get those filthy hands off!! Don't you dare interfere with us becoming one!!
CRRRRRUNCH
The feeling of Dain being separated from me was far from pleasant. Dain kept stabbing at Goff's body with blood, but Goff continued to rip it away.
Unification with Dain was no longer possible. I had consumed some magic, but there was almost no penalty. I immediately drew Mystletainn.
“Ha...”
The massive Ogre, not one to stand by and watch, swung his fist at me.
I had always been the underdog. When fighting the Queen of the North, the Beast of the East, the Sword Saint, or the Fallen Prince, I was always the weaker one, the challenger. I thought this situation was different. I thought I was in the position of the strong, like Ha Yuri, and Goff was in the position of the weak. And while that was an undeniable fact,
I felt like I finally understood how my opponents felt when they faced me. They never give up, no matter the situation. They never stop thinking, never stop searching for a way to win.
“Da...”
A massive fist struck my body.
KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!
Excruciating pain washed over me.
“mn...”
It felt like my body was sinking endlessly into the ground.
CR-CR-CRACK!
CRUUUNCH!
I felt like something inside me had broken. I couldn't see anything through the swirling sand, but I could clearly see his fist flying toward my body.
Absurdly, my mind felt like it was clearing up.
“it........”
KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!
“Hoo.... hoo..... hoo....”
I was the one lying down. Goff was the one standing.
“I... lost...”
“I was... lucky.”
I was careless. I didn't go all out from the beginning. It was unexpected. All of it was probably just an excuse. Unable to move even a single finger, I let out a quiet sigh.
‘I lost.’
Holding back for his sake was, without a doubt, arrogance. At least when it came to a fight. I was so furious I could grind my teeth to dust. It was just like when I was broken by the Queen of the North. I bit my lip in genuine frustration, and blood trickled out.
“That's a good look on you. An expression I haven't seen in a long time. Now that's the Blood Dagger I know...”
Goff muttered as he looked at me, and I slowly opened my mouth. Even to my own ears, my voice was trembling.
“After this is all over, we fight again.”
The massive Ogre smiled. As if he was truly, genuinely happy.
“Of course. Anytime. My brother.”
“Thank you. My brother.”