Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Sword and Shield (2)
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Perfect humans don't exist. Humans seek from others what they lack in themselves. As needed, humans cooperate with one another.
"Constraint one: No preemptive strikes."
Belnoa, standing on the boundary line, opened their mouth. Shadows writhed around Belnoa's arm.
"Constraint two: Spells limited to Smite. Used only to intercept spells."
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Stock Circuits engraved into the shadows. Gauging the count of stocked spells.
Belnoa glanced at Rak while gauging the number of stocked spells.
"There are five constraints total. The professor already mentioned two... and I've found one of the remaining three."
"Is that so. I've found one too."
Rak clashed the axes gripped in both hands together with a clang, clang. Sparks flew as the spells stocked in the axes heated up.
"...Th, this is the constraint I found."
"...Ga, this is the one I discovered."
Belnoa and Rak had different fighting styles. Different styles led to different ways of reading the battle. Their differences manifested in language. Belnoa's words and Rak's words did not overlap.
Two constraints had been revealed.
Only one constraint remained.
Belnoa explained the plan, and Rak listened. After hearing it all, Rak spat out a single short word.
"I see."
It wasn't an affirmative reply. However, Rak answered in place of words by bending his knees. Rak lowered his stance.
Ku-guk.
Rak's shoe dug into the ground. A mound of dirt was pushed back. With his stance low to the ground, he pressed the axe handle against the earth.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Accel ⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Muscular Ku-woong, Rak's heart pounded fiercely. Rak's breathing quickened. Steadying his quickened breath, Rak began counting his moves.
"One."
Belnoa drew out shadows.
"Two."
The drawn shadows coiled into sharp needle shapes. There were five coiled shadows in total.
"Three."
The moment "three" was uttered, Rak kicked off the ground. Tu-kwak, a mound of dirt exploded upward. Beyond the dirt, Belnoa twitched their left hand.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Shadow-Needle The needles launched. Faster than the launching needles, Rak charged toward Lania.
2.
With every step, the distance closed rapidly. Rak ran forward, eyes wide, kicking off the ground. The gap shrank to around five steps.
Tak.
However, the professor still showed no sign of moving. Was it because of the constraint against preemptive strikes unless the line was crossed? Or was it simply composure?
Impossible to know.
Impossible to know, but Rak's task was set.
Rak pulled his arm back behind him without slowing. Taking one more step, he closed the gap to around three steps.
Hwooung!
He swung his pulled-back right arm forward. The hand axe sliced through the air with a whistle, thrown toward Lania.
"......"
Lania, silently staring at the axe, swung her hand. Rak's eyes widened.
'Right hand.'
She precisely struck the handle of the spinning axe blade. The hand axe's trajectory bent vertically, slamming into the ground.
Tak.
At that moment, Rak had closed the distance to one step. He had crossed the boundary line Lania had drawn. Looking down at Rak, who had lunged in with a low stance, Lania's gaze was calm.
Her movements remained composed.
Rak swallowed dryly and swung up the axe in his left hand. The motion was fast. But Lania was far faster.
Kwak.
She gripped the axe blade barehanded.
'Right hand.'
Once more gripping the axe with her right hand, she slightly bent her body. Her knee approached Rak's abdomen.
'Fast!'
He couldn't dodge. However, this much was anticipated. Rak quickly twisted his body sideways.
Shiiik!
The shadow needle hidden behind Rak's back revealed itself. A spell striking from a blind spot in his vision. Yet Lania reacted this time as well.
She twitched her left finger.
💥 SMITE! 💥 Shadow-Needle deflected
Ku-woong! In an instant, the plunged Smite struck down all the shadow needles. However, a pause occurred between actions. Rak released the axe and rolled across the ground, exploiting that gap.
Rolling on the ground, he pulled out the axe embedded in the earth.
'Left hand.'
Rak gained conviction from the recent exchange.
'All spells are used only with the 'left hand.'
Pulling the axe free, Rak lunged to the left. He listened closely to the sound of Belnoa's approaching footsteps, tak.
'Even when the right hand could be used, she uses the left. And the opposite holds true as well.'
Rak spun left and swung the axe.
Even in a situation where her left hand could easily grab it, Lania reached out with her right.
'Even letting go of the gripped axe to do so.'
Such an unnatural movement.
'All strikes, grabs, attacks... physical interferences use only the right hand.'
Rak twisted the axe's trajectory and leaped one step sideways. Lania's right arm sharply cut through empty air.
'Even.'
The twisted axe trajectory headed toward Lania's leg. Her right hand was already slicing through the air. She didn't use her left. Then, what came next was obvious.
Leg.
Sure enough, her leg moved. Her knee bent into a kick. Seeing it, Rak curled his lips upward.
'Even the legs are part of the constraint.'
He had predicted the right leg would move.
'This is one of the constraints the professor set.'
Rak brought the axe blade to meet the incoming heel. Kang, the axe blade clashed against Lania's shoe heel.
"Kuhp!"
The one pushed back was Rak.
Rak's shoe scraped across the ground. No time to recover his stance. This time, Lania stepped toward Rak.
Her footsteps were light. Nimble.
Yet the incoming attack was heavy. She bent her elbow. A fist came flying.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Shadow-Needle However, thorns flew in once more. This time, it wasn't just thorns. From behind her, Belnoa swung down a dagger gripped in reverse.
💥 SMITE! 💥 Needle deflected
Kwa-jik! As the needle bent, she spun her body. Ashen hair fluttered. The spinning kick struck Belnoa's side.
"Ku-heup!"
Belnoa, struck by the kick, rolled on the ground and stood. Rak also rolled, picked up his axe, and widened the distance again.
"Hm."
Lania tapped the ground lightly with her toes, tuk-tuk.
Watching her, Rak swallowed dryly. Sweat trickled down his back.
Tension gripped him.
But excitement overshadowed the tension.
"...Ha."
A smile formed on Rak's lips.
'I see it.'
The answer was visible.
One step, one step ahead lay the answer. Rak's eyes widened. His pupils trembled as he observed every tiny movement of Lania.
'It'll work.'
With Lania between them, Rak exchanged glances with Belnoa. Belnoa threw a shadow dagger. The dagger exploded, shadows surging up.
Lania reacted to the shadows.
Kwa-rung!
A flash gleamed. Lightning streaked from below upward. Smite tore the shadows apart. Rak closed in through the scattering shadows. He swung the axe.
Hwooung.
A kick flew in. Right foot.
He ducked his head to dodge. Knowing how the leg would move made it avoidable.
Dodging, he swung the axe upward. Lania leaned her upper body back. The first evasive motion shown.
From her arched back, Belnoa thrust a dagger. Without even looking, Lania reached her right arm behind. She grabbed the dagger.
Near-acrobatic movement. Almost like eyes on the back of her head.
'Still, it's fine.'
The condition was met.
'What's left is.'
Rak brought down the axe that had been swung upward.
To somehow draw Lania's attention from Belnoa toward himself.
'Just buying time.'
She released the dagger. Twisting her waist, she turned and struck Rak's abdomen with her elbow. Rak choked on air and was pushed back.
However, he didn't fall.
Rak charged again.
Grinding his teeth, swinging the axe, sometimes dodging, sometimes taking hits.
With every blow received, his vision shook. He felt like collapsing. Yet Rak endured. To seize that one moment of advantage.
'Belnoa said.'
He endured.
'Don't let her take that action.'
With wide eyes, Rak stared piercingly at Lania's left hand. The glove. Every time she reached for it, he lunged in.
'2 seconds.'
He counted inwardly.
Even tumbling on the ground, he rose again.
'1 second.'
Belnoa's promised moment approached.
In desperation, Rak even threw his axe to buy time. He hurled both axes. Thus gaining 1 second.
'Now.'
Rak charged barehanded, eyes wide. Looking at Rak lunging without tiring, Professor Lania's pupils shook, if only briefly.
Her head snapped around.
She looked behind. Behind her, Belnoa had arms outstretched. Shadow needles quivered around them. Not just the needles quivered.
📜 OFFERING 📜 Belnoa's two fingers bent. Circuit on the verge of completion. Reflexively, she tried to twitch her left finger, but tsk, she clicked her tongue.
She reached out as if to tear the circuit.
However, that hand never reached Belnoa.
Kwak.
Barehanded Rak clung to Lania's right arm. She couldn't stop the motion, but her speed was definitely slowed.
Bban-jjak.
Finally, with a flash, the circuit completed. The shadow took the form of a beast, its maw splitting wide.
The trade was made.
The stars granted Belnoa the fitting phenomenon.
'It's complete.'
Needles aside, dispelling a shadow beast without spells was difficult. Two fingers' worth of shadow beast, no less.
'And.'
Rak smiled.
'The professor can't use spells.'
The constraint Belnoa had mentioned before the start.
- Professor Lania only uses three spells per round. Three at a time. And after using those three, she must perform that action.
The motion of pulling the left glove.
- She doesn't cast spells until she does that action. So block that motion somehow and buy time.
If you do just that.
- We've won. I'll unleash a spell she can't block without magic.
The beast with maw agape lunged at Lania. Compared to the massive beast, she looked so small. Belnoa and Rak sensed victory.
'...Huh?'
But that moment.
Rak, clinging to Lania's arm, noticed the anomaly. He looked at Lania's face. Precisely, those blue pupils.
Calm.
Still unshaken.
Before the lunging shadow beast's maw, only those pupils moved swiftly. The swiftly moving pupils finally turned to Rak.
Freeze.
The pupils stopped. As if time itself had halted. Meeting Lania's eyes, Rak instinctively felt it. The intuition built through repeated combat warned him.
'We failed.'
The plan was shattered.
However, no time to signal Belnoa.
Ppwoeok!
"Ku-heup!"
He didn't understand what happened in that instant. His vision shook, and he face-planted. Pain bloomed in his chest.
'Stamped with the knee, huh.'
Too fast to notice.
But the movement didn't stop there. Face-down on the ground, Rak looked at Lania.
Tak, she kicked off the ground.
She dodged the raining needles. Neither striking nor grabbing them. Twisting her body, tilting her head, running alone evaded the needles. The shadow beast chased her too, but it was slow. Far too slow.
"...!"
Belnoa swallowed, moving toward the stump. But the professor was faster. Lunging in, she reached out and gripped Belnoa's head.
She yanked Belnoa with her right hand.
Twisting her hips, she extended her leg. Her slender leg hooked Belnoa's nape.
"Ah."
She swung.
Kwa-ang!
Belnoa's body slammed into the ground, convulsing. Shock near unconsciousness. Belnoa's vision flickered. They barely held onto consciousness.
If the caster's mind remained intact.
The ritual never stopped, no matter the situation.
The shadow beast lunged belatedly. Lania merely glanced back slightly. She raised her left hand. Shuuuk, she pulled the glove.
"Ha..."
Belnoa let out a hollow laugh.
Sensing the plan's failure, they bowed their head deeply.
Ddaak.
A crisp finger snap echoed. Following the snap, lightning-like flashes streaked. The flash plunged into the shadow beast's maw.
Tu-kwak!
One Smite dispersed the shadow beast.
Recognizing the ritual's dispersal, Belnoa sighed deeply, head pressed to the ground.
'...Two fingers offered, and all.'
No chance.
"Can we really win...?"
Such a mutter escaped inevitably. No answer in sight.
"Huu..."
Thus face-down, catching his breath, something caught Belnoa's eye.
'Axe.'
The axe Rak had hastily thrown. It lay diagonally embedded in the ground. Staring at it, something flashed in Belnoa's mind.
'Found it.'
They murmured inwardly.
'The final constraint.'
And perhaps, even the way to win.
3.
"Hm."
Gazing at Rak and Belnoa sprawled side by side on the ground, I stroked my chin.
"Not bad."
Then I adjusted my disheveled skullcap.
Arms crossed, I tapped my forearm with my fingers, tuk-tuk. I had given plenty of hints to notice the constraints. Still, I hadn't expected them to figure it out this quickly.
'The original plan was to beat them until sunset while teaching.'
It seemed it wouldn't take that long. Their observation skills exceeded expectations. Not just Belnoa, but Rak too.
'Still, a bit disappointing.'
I stepped forward to Rak. Kneeling before the fallen Rak, I lowered my stance.
"Rak."
"...Khek, cough. Yes, Professor."
Rak looked up at me while coughing repeatedly. No strength to stand, remaining sprawled on the ground.
'How to explain this.'
I pondered briefly.
Slightly lowering my head, my hair fell over Rak's face. Meeting Rak's eyes, I slowly opened my mouth.
"You, first and foremost, are a mage, right?"
"Yes?"
"Don't forget that you're a mage."
Rak blinked.
I sighed and stood. For now, this advice would suffice. The test wasn't over yet.
"So."
I sat on the stump, crossing my legs.
"Want to go again?"
"...In a bit, we'll challenge again."
At my question, Belnoa staggered to their feet. Belnoa tried grabbing Rak's arm to lift him, but Rak flopped back down repeatedly.
"...What are you doing."
"Can't stand. Exhausted."
"Don't you need to get outside the boundary line."
"Hm, just drag me, please."
Belnoa sighed and grabbed Rak's ankle. Dragging Rak along, they stepped outside the boundary line.
"Agh, wait. Belnoa. Wait."
"What."
"Dirt in my mouth."
"Then flip over."
"Ah, yes, that's a way."
Rak rolled over.
I unwittingly chuckled. An old memory surfaced.
-...Can't stand.
-Don't we need to hurry? This isn't a place to lie around.
-I'll recover soon. Just can't move right now. Can you carry me?
-You mad? Can't you see my ankle's busted too? I'll just drag you.
-...That's too much.
Come to think of it, Rak and Belnoa shared some similarities with me and Kyle.
'Though Rak is hundreds of times better than that bastard Kyle.'
Lost in such idle thoughts, a voice suddenly reached my ear.
『Um, Professor Lania?』
It was Professor Mackhart. I tapped the magic tool in my ear and spoke.
"Yes. Speak."
『W-well, it's nothing much... I've been watching you a bit?』
"Yes, and?"
『Isn't it too harsh...? Worried one might break a bone or something...』
Break a bone?
'From just these few light taps?'
I tilted my head and replied.
"From this? I went easy."
『......』
"If Professor Mackhart's a battlefield knight, you've disciplined troops before, right?"
『Well, yes.』
"It's just that. No need to worry."
『Nothing but worry...』
I let Professor Mackhart's mutter go in one ear and out the other. Seemed unimportant.
"......"
Ending the call, my eyes met Belnoa, who was dragging Rak. Belnoa glared at me with narrowed eyes.
"What?"
"That..."
"What."
"Nothing..."
Belnoa rubbed their ribs and sighed. Looking extremely aggrieved.
'What's with them?'
I really did go easy.
Author's Note This episode might feel relatively less exciting. I considered finishing tomorrow's next part and uploading together! But since it's complete, I decided to post it! :D *Packed in a generous volume given the heavy battle scene weight :D