Chapter 94: Leslie (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 94: Leslie (5)
Some madman was shouting incomprehensible words as he smashed him in the face. Osner's mind couldn't process the situation, but his body could. The moment the punch landed, his body registered Cloud as an enemy, and he threw a kick with the full force of his turning momentum.
Instead of retreating, Cloud dove in closer. Osner's thigh slammed into his side. Just getting hit by a thigh sent a stinging pain through him, but Cloud didn't even frown. Instead, he grinned brightly.
"Kronok—!"
He grabbed Osner by the throat and slammed his right fist into his face again and again. Even as he took the blows, Osner swung his own fist, hammering Cloud's side. His insides churned, and a wave of nausea washed over him. An ordinary person would have flinched and stopped punching.
"Keuh."
But Cloud just laughed the pain away. The smile he wore, his lips stained with dark blood, made him look like a madman. Cloud clasped his hands together and brought them down on Osner's Adam's apple.
"Gack!"
With a choked gasp, Osner's body went rigid. Cloud grabbed him by the neck and hurled him toward the ice barrier. Thump! The large man crashed into the wall of ice. Cloud rushed in and drove his fist into Osner's face.
Crack.
His head broke through the ice barrier. Cloud kept his grip on Osner's neck and ran alongside the barrier. CRUUUNCH. Osner's head plowed through the ice, shattering it as he went.
Osner dug the soles of his feet into the ground, creating friction. His momentum gradually slowed until he came to a complete stop, at which point he grabbed Cloud's arm. He slammed him onto the ground. It didn't end with one throw. He continued until his rage was spent.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
The ground cracked, and dust plumed into the air.
The moment the dull thuds stopped, Cloud was sent flying through the cloud of dust, crashing into the ice barrier.
Osner closed the distance in an instant and threw a follow-up punch, but it missed. His fist pierced through the ice barrier, and he was rewarded for his miss with a headbutt.
"Hngh."
Cloud let out a laugh as he watched Osner stagger, then immediately launched a kick. The side kick sent Osner crashing into the ice barrier.
Rumble.
Perhaps having lost too much of its foundation, the ice barrier began to crumble. Leslie, who had been staring blankly at the fight, snapped back to her senses. She quickly dispelled the barrier.
The solid ice crystals melted into water and dripped to the ground.
"The barrier is gone!" Alfred shouted. He and the other warriors had hesitated to enter the ice barrier. Iledrick, the knight, and the martial artist who had gone inside hadn't returned, and the barrier had been shaking violently with constant thuds.
They didn't know the specifics, but it was clear a fierce battle was raging inside.
And now that the ice had melted away, they were witnessing that fierce battle firsthand.
"Hahaha! You're a sturdy one. Sturdy enough I'd want you as my son-in-law!"
"Hnngh."
"No time for talk, is that it? Fine by me!"
The wolf-head breastplate was in tatters. Deeming it a hindrance, Osner ripped it off, going shirtless just like Cloud. Thick, menacing muscles were revealed.
The next moment, the two men charged at each other. Thud. Thud. The ground cracked with every step they took. As they closed the distance, they threw their fists, pummeling each other without mercy.
It might sound like a simple brawl, but their fight was far too complex to be described so simply.
Crack. Smash. Thump.
A series of savage thuds and cracks tore through the air, echoing across the arena.
Blood splattered, and at times, skin was torn away.
'What in the world is that... and where did those three go?'
Alfred scanned the area and soon spotted the three men lying on the ground.
'Are they dead...?'
These three were heroes renowned across the continent. And now they lay there, brutally killed. By whom? Who killed them?
The answer was obvious.
It was right in front of him.
'Dammit. What is that thing?'
Alfred didn't think of the man fighting Cloud as his father. To him, that thing was something beyond human. And because of that, he was in awe of Cloud.
He was fighting toe-to-toe with such a monster.
'I'd heard the brat Hero had matured, but...'
He never imagined it would be to this extent.
Or was this just the average for heroes? If so, what was the point of having an army?
Alfred's mind was flooded with all sorts of thoughts. The logical decision would have been to send his warriors to support Cloud, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. The others felt the same.
Everyone in the arena was so overwhelmed by the fight that they didn't dare think of intervening.
"He's crazy... He's crazy!"
...Everyone except for one person.
Katarina, who had already been waiting anxiously outside the barrier, turned pale the moment she saw the fight up close.
She didn't feel awe or admiration like the others.
How could she?
The one getting beaten to a pulp amidst those brutal sounds was the man she loved!
'Is he... is he going to die?'
It seemed entirely possible.
With every blow he took, she could hear the sound of something breaking.
Loud enough to be heard clearly even from this distance!
"Stop! Stop it!"
Finally, Katarina couldn't take it anymore and moved to intervene. But Shedia stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
"Shedia? What do you think you're doing?"
"Cloud told me. He said to stop you if you tried to interfere."
"What?"
Katarina looked dumbfounded. If he'd gone so far as to give Shedia separate orders, didn't that mean he knew it would turn into a fight like this? She gritted her teeth and tried to run past Shedia.
But Katarina, who was far weaker than Shedia, had no chance of pushing her aside.
In the end, she could only plead with her.
"Let me go. Cloud could die at this rate!"
"That might be for the best..."
"What?"
"N-Nothing. Anyway, Cloud told me to do this. I have to follow his orders."
"Because of the moonstone fragment?"
Shedia nodded. Katarina let out a deep sigh and placed her hands on Shedia's shoulders.
"Shedia. I'm asking you. Please, can't you step aside?"
"..."
"You can get the moonstone fragment later. I'm begging you, okay? Surely a piece of moonstone isn't more important than my request, is it?"
At her slightly colder tone, Shedia's eyes wavered. After a moment of hesitation, she avoided Katarina's gaze and said, "...It's not like you could interfere anyway."
"..."
Katarina silently lifted her head and watched the fight between Osner and Cloud. To her, their limbs were just a blur. It meant she couldn't even properly see their attacks and defenses.
Just as Shedia said, there was nothing she could do even if she did intervene.
In fact, she might just become a burden.
Feeling a wave of powerlessness, Katarina bit her lip hard.
'I can't just stand here and do nothing...'
How could she stop this fight? As she desperately racked her brain, she had a realization. If she couldn't stop them, couldn't she ask someone who could?
'Shedia won't listen to me.'
For some reason, she was obsessed with that moonstone.
Katarina turned her gaze to Leslie. The white-haired woman was sitting on the ground, staring blankly at the fight. If she could create a massive ice wall in an instant, she could surely stop the two of them.
"Excuse me, Miss Leslie!"
Leslie didn't turn to look at Katarina.
What's with her? Is she even listening?
Katarina decided to just say what she had to.
"The man fighting over there is your father, isn't he? Don't you think you should stop them soon? If this goes on any longer, they could get seriously hurt!"
Leslie didn't answer right away.
Just as an exasperated Katarina was about to say more, Leslie muttered, "I can't."
"What? No, you can. Just put up a thick ice wall between them and..."
"That's not what I mean."
Leslie shook her head slightly and continued.
"My father is smiling. A look of such joy... I've never once seen it on his face before."
The only smile Leslie remembered from Osner was one that was withered and worn down by duty, responsibility, and work. Seeing it always left a bitter taste in her mouth. But look at the smile he wore now. Look at that vibrant grin, even on his battered body.
You want me to stop him when he looks like that?
"I can't do it."
Leslie didn't want to take away her beloved father's happiness.
Even if it was a path that would ultimately lead to ruin.
Of course, this was Leslie's issue and had nothing to do with Katarina. Hearing Leslie's words, Katarina was stunned for a moment.
What is she talking about...
Aha?
"Are you completely insane?! Hey! What the hell does your dad having fun have to do with my boyfriend getting hurt?! You... you just wait. If Cloud gets hurt or dies, I'll kill you myself. You got that?!"
"Calm down. You'd lose if you fought her."
"Whose side are you on—"
CRASH!
The sound of a body slamming into a wall drowned out Katarina's voice. The arena wall was shrouded in a thick cloud of dust. Cloud, who had been thrown into it, slowly picked himself up.
He couldn't muster much strength, and more importantly, he was having trouble breathing.
Looks like a broken rib punctured a lung.
'He might be on par with Frillite.'
Even using the Ogre's Pattern and stacking [All Bless], he was losing in a simple brawl. At this rate, his physical abilities were probably on the same level as Frillite's.
Though, of course, Frillite's technique was overwhelmingly superior.
'I should avoid fighting Frillite.'
If I fought her in this body, I'd get my ass kicked.
'Not that I'd have any reason to fight her in the first place.'
Cloud let out a dry laugh and took a step forward. As he emerged from the thick dust, he saw Osner standing where he had been thrown from.
"Cloud! A-Are you okay?!"
Katarina's worried voice came from the side, but he didn't turn his head. Looking away from an enemy was a stupid thing to do.
"Your breathing is ragged. It seems a broken rib has punctured your lung... Can you continue?"
There was a strange hint of concern in Osner's voice.
Cloud smirked, took a deep breath, and said, "I will end this before my breathing stops."
The moment he finished speaking, he kicked off the ground. He could practically feel Katarina's heart shattering behind him, accompanied by a scream of "Noooooo!!!", but he ignored it.
"Full of confidence, I see!"
Osner charged forward to meet him, a look of relief and excitement on his face. The veins on his forearms bulged. He swung his fist violently at Cloud's head, but Cloud ducked, easily dodging it.
He felt a little bad about it, but Cloud was planning to end this little game.
He extended his open right palm, twisting it as he thrust it forward.
[Knife Hand]
His fingertips dug into the left side of Osner's chest.