Chapter 153: A Far Away Tale. The Sword And The Spear - 2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 153: A Far Away Tale. The Sword And The Spear - 2
Unlike Shei, who had foreseen this turn of events, Tyrkanzyaka looked quite tense.
Of course, "tense" for her was merely a slight furrowing of her elegant brow, but it was a far cry from the indifferent expression she wore while crushing armies.
"That's no ordinary presence. It feels as if it's calling for us."
"Not us. It's probably for me," Shei replied, picking up Chun-aeng and Jizan.
"Stay here and watch Azzy and Nabi. I'll go alone and be right back."
"Will you not be in danger?"
"I have to. There's something I need to finish."
Shei let out a heavy sigh and launched herself through the narrow window. She ran straight toward the source of the powerful presence.
As expected, General Patraxion was standing there. He greeted Shei, standing as imposingly as if he'd never doubted she would come.
"Yo, kid. Long time no see."
He wasn't holding his beloved weapon, but a standard-issue spear. A spear with nothing special about it, one that barely met the minimum requirements.
But his strength had long since transcended his weapon. No matter what spear he wielded, the fact that he was an extremely dangerous being remained unchanged.
A suitable tension settled over Shei. She returned the greeting.
"Long time no see, Sunderspear."
"Still a disrespectful brat, I see. Tsk, and here I thought you had potential."
No further introductions were needed. The two were old acquaintances.
Shei had used Patraxion to fall into the Abyss.
In this timeline, Shei had decided to infiltrate Tantalus. But in the early days, before she had fully recovered her strength, her options for reaching Tantalus were limited.
So, Shei had called out one of the Six Generals, Patraxion.
The method was simple.
She would set herself up in a moderately bustling city. She'd propose a betting duel and defeat every challenger who approached out of curiosity.
After felling enough of them, the military would arrive to stop her, since the Military State did not permit private duels. She would defeat them, too.
At a certain point, the Military State would stop sending troops. Instead, one of the Six Generals, excited by the news of an unexpected duel, would rush over to face Shei.
After a decent fight, Shei had said she wanted to face a stronger opponent without interruptions. General Patraxion, appreciating her spirit, had kindly guided Shei into the Abyss.
"Your skill was more than enough. I thought you were at least General material. Perhaps you could have become the youngest of the Six Generals… no, youngest might be a stretch. In any case, I had hoped the Six Generals might become seven."
Whoosh. Patraxion swung his spear in a long arc. The sound of it cutting through the air was chilling.
"But you went and made a spectacular mess of things. Killing a General, cutting off the Earth Sage's right arm, and then leading the rest of the prisoners outside?"
Patraxion readjusted his grip on the spear, his face filled with nothing but deep disappointment and hostility.
"That Ebon fellow, I may not have liked the way he talked, but he was my comrade-in-arms. Since my comrade died because of me, it's my responsibility to clean this up. I will honor his spirit with this duel."
Shei had no intention of refusing a fight. But she didn't want any unnecessary misunderstandings, either. She retorted.
"Even though he tried to kill me first?"
"What? Why would Ebon go all the way into Tantalus just to kill you?"
"That bastard is part of The Human Regime."
"What?"
Patraxion faltered, then planted the butt of his spear on the ground and asked again.
"The Human Regime, you say?"
"Yeah."
"Him?"
"Yep."
"Why?"
"Dunno."
Groaning, Patraxion scratched his head in frustration.
"Ah. So that's why that bastard was always replacing his subordinates. Hmm. I did think his unit's mortality rate was abnormally high."
His deliberation was brief. Patraxion steeled his resolve, along with his spear.
"However! Cutting off the Earth Sage's arm is an inexcusably atrocious act!"
"I tried to reattach it. She's the one who refused."
Patraxion asked dumbly.
"...Reattach it? Is that even possible?"
"If you're good enough."
"Then why didn't you?"
"What was I supposed to do when she said no?"
"How can I believe that?"
"If I'd intended to kill her, I would have taken her head."
"That's also true."
Ugh. After scratching his head in vain, Patraxion shouted in annoyance.
"Alright. Whatever. I see you have some sort of justification. But! That doesn't make your crimes disappear!"
"I have no intention of making excuses. I just don't like being falsely accused."
"However, that doesn't mean there's no room for compromise."
Planting his spear on the ground again, Patraxion asked slyly.
"You wanna be a General?"
For a recruitment offer, it was a remarkably blunt statement. Shei asked back as if she'd misheard.
"Huh?"
"With power like yours, the Military State would welcome you. Besides, you're not a pure martial artist, are you? The State is always looking for asymmetrical assets like you."
The Military State was a nation founded on the ruins of the kingdom of knights. It was gathering soldiers, putting guns in their hands, and pulling in forces from every corner of the world.
However, in war, such a quantitative increase… wasn't particularly helpful.
Once strength reaches a certain level, it transforms from a property of scale to one of intensity. A thousand grunts cannot defeat a single master who has reached that realm. They'd be considered successful if they could just buy some time.
That's when asymmetrical assets are needed. A trump card that can change the situation and overturn the tide of battle.
The Military State, with its short history, lacked such Arcane and secrets, and was actively recruiting such individuals to bolster its forces.
However.
"I refuse."
Shei rejected the offer in a single breath. General Patraxion's expression clouded over at her firm refusal.
"...Is that so?"
Patraxion sighed deeply and scratched his head.
"I have a daughter. She's about your age. A really cute kid. Maybe it's because I'm getting old, but I don't want to fight a kid with a bright future ahead of him."
Once, Patraxion had been a young man full of vigor. Challenging the kingdom to a duel was a reckless act impossible without extraordinary spirit.
But time passed, he rose to the rank of General, and after fighting in a few wars, he had aged. The more responsibilities he shouldered, the more deliberate his actions became.
Patraxion, who had lived more youthfully than anyone, missed those days.
"Above all, I like your attitude. I can see your will to fight everything in the world. It's kids like you who change the world."
"Are you bragging about yourself?"
"I'm envying a lost youth, you brat. Tsk, I'm on leave, so I can either catch you or not. I hear you haven't killed anyone so far, so I could just let this slide."
Even as he said it, Patraxion kept glancing over with an expectant look. Shei, understanding his intent, smiled defiantly and raised her twin swords.
Chun-aeng in her right hand, Jizan in her left.
The two treasured swords held their breath in her hands.
"That would be a shame. I learned a thing or two from you last time. Aren't you curious how much stronger I've become in the Abyss?"
"...Yeah. This is why I like you."
Flick, thwack.
Patraxion joyfully gripped his spear with both hands. Radiating a powerful aura from his entire body, he aimed the tip of his spear with a voice full of exhilaration.
"Don't worry. I'm a pretty good fighter. I'll make sure you don't die, somehow."
"I'm not very good at controlling my strength. You might die."
"Hahaha! That arrogance! I love it!"
The next instant, a ray of light split the air. Shei's eyes turned violet as she raised Chun-aeng.
A heavy weight pressed down on both her arms. The moment it was blocked by her blade, the spearhead changed direction like a snake and aimed for Shei's neck.
So much for making sure I don't die.
Grumbling, Shei gritted her teeth and deflected the spear. Their Qi clashed, sending out crimson sparks.
Patraxion took a light step and leaped back. A moment ago, the spearhead had been at his throat, but now he was more than ten paces away.
He tapped the ground once with the shaft of his spear, then pushed off hard with his back foot. Patraxion shouted.
"Good! That's enough for greetings! Let's fight! Do we need any more conversation than this!"
"Hmph. Fine. Just what I wanted!"
Shei shouted boldly and raised Chun-aeng above her head.
Jizan was a shield. More accurately, it was terrain that was advantageous only to Shei.
Clang! A harsh metallic sound. Even the Sunderspear's weapon couldn't push, pierce, or deflect Jizan. The spearhead, clad in Patraxion's Qi, had the power to shatter steel, but it didn't leave a single scratch on Jizan.
Faced with the ironclad defense, the general clicked his tongue.
"What a magnificent treasure! I didn't see it last time!"
"I picked it up down there!"
Placing Jizan between the spear and her body to restrict its path, Shei immediately charged in and swung Chun-aeng. The supersonic sword aimed for Patraxion, but Patraxion just grinned and flipped his spear and body.
Clang! The spear shaft blazed. The Qi-infused spear and sword scraped against each other, showering sparks.
Shei took advantage of Chun-aeng's lightness and flipped her wrist, intending to aim for the hand gripping the spear.
The Heavenly Counter Domain screamed a warning.
Feeling a sudden chill, Shei hid behind Jizan.
Kiiing. The spear struck the exact trajectory that grazed both Chun-aeng and Jizan simultaneously. It was a movement that slipped through the gap like a single snake.
"I see your intent. Trying to force a speed battle with a light sword? Hey, the spear is the most defensive weapon in the world. Not counting shields, since they're armor!"
Blocking it once wasn't the end. The spearhead split into dozens of afterimages. From a distance where only the tip of the spear could reach but the blade could not, Patraxion repeated a series of strikes and retreats so perfectly it could be called cowardly.
The distance was too great, the attacks too fast. Shei couldn't easily close the gap and was busy retreating.
"Distance itself is the greatest defense! This is how you use a weapon's advantage!"
It was difficult to approach, and just as difficult to retreat.
His footwork was strange. His feet and legs slid lightly across the ground without seeming to lift, yet when he wanted to, he could plant himself as if rooted to the earth and thrust his spear with ferocious power.
The spear that pierced even the wind made no sound. If not for the Heavenly Counter Domain, she would have had at least two holes in her body by now. Patraxion continuously pushed Shei back, shouting.
"Haha! What do you think? I don't know about guns, but! A spear is better than a sword!"
"Skyblade Art, Dragon Slayer!"
"Huh?"
Above Patraxion, a massive blade that looked to be ten meters long came crashing down.
Chun-aeng, expanded to its fullest, was like a sword wielded by a giant. The moment he blocked the blade that sought to cleave his waist, a powerful repulsive force slammed into him, sending Patraxion sliding backward.
"Wait. Doesn't this negate the spear's advantage?"
Even though it had grown in size, there should have been an opening, but the impossibly light Chun-aeng weighed no more than an equal volume of air. Having lost his advantage of reach, Patraxion leaped back.
Shei didn't stop her assault. As the distance widened, instead of swinging Chun-aeng, she slammed Jizan into the ground. Crack! The earth shattered as if a meteor had struck, and Jizan sank deep into it.
"Terra Firma Arts, Stalagmite!"
Then she swung it wide.
The ground beneath Patraxion's feet trembled. A moment later, a massive spike erupted from the earth, launching him into the air. It was Jizan's power, the Earth Art.
"Wahat! What an incredible weapon!"
As Patraxion bent his knees to absorb the impact and righted himself in mid-air, Shei extended Chun-aeng and plunged it into Jizan.
The union of Chun-aeng and Jizan. A secret art that used Jizan as the cannon and Chun-aeng as the cannonball.
"Aerith Blade Supreme, Secret Art."
Horizon Sunder.
An invisible slash split Patraxion vertically. Sensing the danger, he raised his spear at an angle to block, but was immediately sent flying far into the distance.
Shei took a deep breath. Calming the raging wind, she stared into the darkness with red eyes.
She hadn't used her full power. She wasn't keen on making a permanent enemy of the Military State by deliberately killing General Patraxion, and using up all of Chun-aeng's space would create difficulties in future battles.
...And, if Patraxion had truly felt threatened, he would have responded with some other means.
After all, he had, however slightly... touched the Axiom.