I Take Everything Even If I Die (2)

"Hah!"

It was Erita, the Blood Axe King's first fairy, who announced the start of the battle. Drawing a sharp breath, she charged at Haggis from the left.

Erita.

Not bad.

I nodded as I took in Erita's status window. A Nature (Wood) attribute I didn't have, two traits, respectable stats, and all four skill slots packed with solid choices. She was a good fairy.

But…

I bit my lip. That useful fairy was wounded, which meant she couldn't fight at full strength. And there was a bigger problem than that.

Fuck.

It was the attribute. Of all things, the Blood Axe King — the strongest among us — and Erita both had Nature (Wood). Haggis, meanwhile, was Fire, which dominated Nature. An already lousy matchup, made even lousier.

…This is terrifying.

By any reasonable measure, beating Haggis was impossible. The odds weren't even five percent. And yet the reason I was staking my life — the reason I refused to surrender a single scrap of what could be gained here — was myself.

I'm counting on you!

No matter how high his rank or his level, Haggis had never seen anyone die and come back. A fairy that strong would be certain I was dead. The instant he became certain of my death — that was the opening I was hunting.

Anyway. Back to the matter at hand.

"Haaah!"

To support Erita as she charged Haggis, Lidia of the Thief class dashed in as well. Right on her heels, the Blood Axe King himself surged forward. I tried to follow them —

Clang-clang-clang!

"Holy shit."

I couldn't keep up with the speed of those swinging weapons. The Blood Axe King's Agility was lower than mine, and yet, astonishingly, he displayed the near-miraculous skill of parrying Haggis's blurring sword as if he'd been born to it.

How the hell was that kind of movement even possible?

Haggis's Agility sat at a full seventy points — the highest number I had seen in this world. The Blood Axe King's was a mere forty-one. He was overcoming a twenty-nine-point gap. That was impossible even in the game.

That's know-how. And instinct.

To reach four-star, the Blood Axe King must have piled up a staggering amount of experience. Hadn't he said he'd traveled from city to city with Kanisia, fighting every strong opponent they came across? His Agility might be low, but he hadn't become a four-star for decoration.

I need that too.

I was a textbook case of strong-against-the-weak, weak-against-the-strong — endlessly frail before anyone above me, and endlessly brutal to anyone below. If a status window were the whole of a person's strength, Haggis's sword would have already punched through the Blood Axe King's throat. He possessed experience that no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠status window could display, and I needed that.

Not that getting it is exactly easy.

If everything in the world could be achieved just by deciding to, there wouldn't be a single unsuccessful person left.

For now, I'll take knowing the direction I need to go.

Knowing the path versus not knowing it — that was a world of difference.

But when the hell do I jump in?

I could barely even picture inserting myself. And I had no desire to just throw my body into that mess. I'd resolved myself to die, sure — but if I dove in now, dying once wouldn't be the end of it. My single life was worth more than three fairies put together. In the end, I had no choice but to wait until the moment came to throw it away.

"Hahhh… kya?!"

"Ghhk!"

"…"

This bastard's actually insane.

Even having conserved his stamina, Haggis didn't so much as blink facing three opponents. If anything, he was the one pressing the Blood Axe King and his fairies as they attacked from different angles. He'd go after Erita, then somehow be on Lidia. The instant the Blood Axe King swung his axe to cover her, Haggis would spin in the blink of an eye and counter.

Is that what high Agility lets you do?

It wasn't just that his body was fast. His reaction speed was absurd. As if he'd grown extra eyes, he blocked attacks pouring in from every direction and still found room to strike back.

…Is the Blood Axe King going to die first at this rate?

Then the gamble was over. The only one who could land a killing blow on Haggis was the Blood Axe King.

"…"

I wait.

Impatience shoved its head in, and I forced it back down. He was a four-star too. He wouldn't die that cheaply. I endured, and endured again, waiting for the chance to throw my body into the fray.

Their bodies felt impossibly heavy, like cotton soaked through with water. How many hours had they been swinging their weapons now? Combined with a comrade's death and the crushing pressure of the enemy before them, the fatigue they carried was considerable.

"You're exhausted."

"When did you—!"

Lidia, who had been swinging her sword on pure reflex, snapped her eyes wide at Haggis's whisper. The blade that had been thrusting from the front had somehow changed its path and was coming in from the side. She hadn't noticed the shift in trajectory. The price of that was obvious.

"…Kh! Haaaaah!"

Death was unavoidable. That was what Lidia thought. Then there was only one thing left to do — even if she died doing it, she would wound him, for her master's sake.

Lidia resolved herself to die. And her resolve achieved a modest result.

Slash—!

"No!"

"…Damn it!"

Lidia's head fell. Her body turned to light and vanished.

"…"

Having killed her, Haggis looked down at his own leg. Blood was gushing from a deep wound carved into his thigh. The most troublesome thing about fighting Haggis had never been his sword. It was his legs. Lidia had stolen his mobility at the cost of her life.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"I'll kill you!"

Enraged by her friend's death, Erita gritted her teeth and swung at Haggis. He swung at her in the same breath.

Slash—!

"Kyaah!"

Erita's side was opened —

Swish—!

"…"

And Haggis's left arm was carved open.

"Aaaaaaah!"

"…Tch."

For the first time since the battle began, Haggis's face twisted. Through Lidia's death, Erita had understood a single fact: that as long as they lived, they could neither kill this enemy nor save their master. And so Erita decided to stake her own life as well. She didn't know when, but eventually she would serve her master again. For that day, she resolved to die together with Haggis.

Abandoning all defense, Erita devoted herself solely to the attack. For every five wounds that opened on her body, one appeared on his. He had lost his mobility, but Haggis's sword was still fast. Blocking only the strikes that would kill her outright, Erita attacked, and attacked again. The clothes he wore were dyed red with his own blood.

Thrust—!

"…Cough!"

At last, Haggis's sword punched through Erita's heart. Looking down at the blade planted in her chest, she coughed up blood.

"Erita!"

The Blood Axe King roared in fury at her death. He had four fairies, but among them Erita was special. She was the first he had ever obtained.

Leaving those last words for the Blood Axe King, Erita turned to light and vanished.

"…I'll summon you again. No matter what it takes, I'll get you back, Erita."

He muttered it toward the fading light. It was probably his imagination, but he thought the light was smiling.

"Now we're about even."

"…"

Reining in the emotions that threatened to run wild, the Blood Axe King spoke to Haggis. From the two fairies' life-staking assaults, Haggis too had taken heavy wounds. This was doable. That was what the Blood Axe King believed.

"You, and every last bastard standing behind you — I'll chew you all up. You should never have laid a hand on me."

The man with the blood-soaked axe charged.

Slow, but solid. And heavy. The deep wound in his thigh meant Haggis could no longer bring his advantages to bear at a hundred percent. In the end, he had no choice but to take the axe head-on.

Clang—!

"Kh!"

Axe and sword collided. Haggis's Strength was higher by a razor-thin margin. But it was Haggis who was driven back by the clash.

"DIE!!!!!"

The Blood Axe King's eyes went the color of blood.

Kill ten, and every stat rose by one point, up to a maximum of five. The Blood Axe King, having slain fifty enemies including monsters, had succeeded in drawing the trait's power to its absolute peak. He hadn't gone out of his way to kill Prince Aeson and every last traitor one by one for nothing. All of it had been a buildup for this very moment.

Ziiing—!

White light surged from the Blood Axe King's axe.

His favorite combination. At the sight of it, Haggis clicked his tongue for the first time.

"…Damn it."

Fwoosh—!

And he answered with a skill of his own. Flames erupted from his armor.

"Kh!"

The fire leaping from the armor traveled up the axe and onto the Blood Axe King. He groaned at the horrific sensation of his entire body burning. Because he was Nature (Wood), the effect was all the more devastating.

"GRAAAAAH!"

Even through the agony of his whole body on fire, the Blood Axe King did not stop attacking. This was the chance his fairies had given their lives to create. He knew perfectly well that if he let it slip, he would not make it back alive.

But still, it was the Blood Axe King who was being driven back. When the stats were close, what ultimately decided victory was attribute. A Nature-attribute fighter could not defeat a Fire-attribute one.

Slash—!

"GRAAAAAAH!"

Haggis's sword severed the Blood Axe King's left arm. His center of gravity gone, unable even to stand, the Blood Axe King dropped to his knees.

"…"

Holding a sword that writhed with flame, Haggis stood over him.

Shit.

Even with death at his throat, the Blood Axe King's eyes were full of rage and hatred. Haggis clicked his tongue inwardly at the sight. In truth, the order his master had given him was not to kill the Blood Axe King. It was to break him and make him one of their own. But looking at the man now, turning him into an ally seemed impossible. The thought that he had failed his master's command left a bitter taste in his mouth. The silver lining was that she had prepared a Plan B for the scenario in which the Blood Axe King would not cooperate.

Whoosh—

Haggis swung at the Blood Axe King. The Blood Axe King's head fell.

"RAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!"

"?!"

No — it should have fallen. If there hadn't been an interrupter, that is.

Startled by ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the voice from the side, Haggis snapped his head around. Alan, who had been watching the battle until now, was charging straight at him. He had done nothing — and more than that, his presence had been so faint that Haggis had forgotten he was even there.

Haggis changed his sword's path on reflex and swung.

Thrust—!

"GRAAAAAAH!"

Haggis's sword punched through Alan's chest. He had meant to pierce the heart, but because Alan had suddenly thrown his body forward, the blade missed it.

"…?"

Haggis felt something strange — as if Alan had thrown himself onto the sword. And that was exactly what had happened.

Squeeze—!

Even with the blade through him, Alan drove closer. Then he locked his arms around Haggis with every ounce of strength he had left.

"Blood Axe King!!!!!!"

"…It can't be?!"

The two fairies he had just killed flashed through Haggis's mind. They had given their lives for their master.

A human… sacrificing his life for another human?

Erita and Lidia had been able to do that because they were fairies. Alan was not a fairy. He was a person. He had no reason to give his life for the Blood Axe King. And yet he had.

"…Well done!"

BOOOOM—!

The Blood Axe King did not let the opening Alan had made slip away.

CRACK—!

"GRAAAAAAH!"

"Ghhhk?!"

The Blood Axe King's axe cleaved Alan and Haggis in a single stroke.