Chapter 192: The Struggle (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 192: The Struggle (2)
Silence fell over the training ground.
A chilly breeze swept between Abel and Saki. Abel was the first to break the silence.
"You want to fight? Why?"
Saki silently broke in her bowstring. Her attitude made it clear that the decision was already made and all Abel had to do was agree. It was a silent pressure telling her not to ask for reasons.
Absurdity washed over Abel's face. At first, she was just displeased, but as the moments passed, she found it utterly ridiculous.
Right, Saki has always been like this.
The reason Abel felt uncomfortable around Saki was her self-centered attitude. Saki had a habit of bluntly stating her business and leaving it at that.
It wasn't as if she only treated Abel this way. She treated everyone the same.
Yet, because of this equal-opportunity coldness, the cadets didn't dislike Saki. In fact, many of them found her cool. Since she gave everyone the cold shoulder regardless of status, everyone was equal before her.
She occasionally had something resembling a conversation when she was with Weapon, but that was the extent of it. Once she said what she needed to say, she would end the conversation and walk away without looking back.
Saki fundamentally never revealed her true feelings. Except to one person.
...She always smiles when she's with him.
Abel narrowed her eyes and stared at Saki. An unpleasant feeling welled up, scratching at the back of her throat.
Abel crossed her arms imperiously and retorted.
"I came here for personal training, you know. I have absolutely no reason to agree to a match when you won't even tell me why. And frankly, it's quite unpleasant that you came to the training ground with such an obvious agenda."
Saki shrugged and shook her head.
"Talk about self-absorbed. Abel, you might not know because you haven't been to the training ground lately, but I come here every day. Asking for a match was just a spur-of-the-moment decision. As for the reason... well, it's too much trouble to explain. So, are we doing this or not?"
"...Ha."
Dumbfounded, Abel let out a hollow laugh. How could someone asking for a favor speak in that tone? Saki sounded so blunt, as if she were the one doing Abel a favor. A small crack appeared in Abel's composure.
Part of me wants to accept right away and teach her a lesson about her attitude, but...
Accepting so easily would mean playing right into Saki's hands. She would end up getting dragged into Saki's pace. Moreover, there was her pride to consider, not to mention that the reason, purpose, and justification for this match were completely unclear.
The true purpose of a spar is mutual respect. This was a match that satisfied none of those conditions.
It's better to just refuse here.
Just as Abel was hardening her resolve, another person entered the training ground. It was Yoo Se-in.
"Why is she here...?"
This was unexpected in its own right. If anyone was as distant from the training ground as Saki—or even more so—it was Yoo Se-in. Her appearance seemed to catch Saki off guard as well, judging by her slight flinch.
The already awkward atmosphere grew even stranger. With Abel and Saki's eyes fixed on her, Se-in stepped right between them. Se-in's eyes were still pitch black. The only other person with that iris color was Kang Geomma. It made sense, given their connection. Yoo Se-in and Kang Geomma were supposedly cousins, and thanks to their black eyes, everyone believed it.
Se-in looked back and forth between the two. Then, as if reading the room instantly, she let out a faint smile.
"I can referee."
Se-in rummaged through her pockets and pulled out a whistle, placing it between her lips.
...Why is she carrying something like that around? The same question crossed both Abel and Saki's minds.
In any case, a referee had appeared. Se-in urged Abel and Saki with her eyes.
Aren't you going to start?
Now that things had come to this, backing out would look like a defeat. After a brief moment of bewilderment, Abel's eyes sharpened.
Though it was a bit forced, the situation practically demanded a spar. Even if she didn't know the purpose of the match, she had no particular reason to avoid it.
Abel wrapped both hands around her hilt. Taking a deep breath, she composed her posture. She stood tall, holding her blade dead center as if dividing herself in two. It was a silent acceptance.
"What's the format?"
Without a change in her expression, Saki slung her quiver over her shoulder. The arrowheads were all sharply pointed.
"Need you even ask? This is Joaquin Academy. Subspace sparring, obviously."
* * *
"What on earth is going on here...?"
Those were the first words out of my mouth the moment I arrived at the training ground. I had sensed their presence before entering, but I walked in without thinking much of it, only to be greeted by a trio that couldn't possibly look more out of place together: Abel, Saki, and Se-in.
To make matters worse, a temporary subspace barrier had already been deployed by the time I walked in. That meant only one thing: subspace sparring. From the looks of it, the combatants were Abel and Saki, with Se-in acting as the referee with a whistle in her mouth.
They're putting way too much intensity into this for a simple spar, aren't they?
Sparks practically flew between the two, and a sharp, blue aura of hostility gleamed in their eyes. The tension filling the training ground was suffocating.
Murderous intent? Will to fight? No, that's...
It was pure competitiveness. But the intensity was a bit excessive... If I had to make a comparison, they looked like wild beasts baring their fangs to fight over prey. Whatever it was, the object of their desire seemed to overlap perfectly.
Otherwise, there was way the atmosphere could be this fierce. The look in their eyes bordered on obsession—a determination to crush the opponent and claim victory at all costs.
I suddenly feel a chill...
Just as I was trying to sneak out of the training ground, my eyes met Se-in's. Abel and Saki were too focused on each other to spare a glance my way, so out of the three, only Se-in noticed me.
Se-in's black eyes stared straight at me. Having seen so many colorful eyes in this world, her plain black ones felt strangely foreign. Though, that might also be because Se-in was the most enigmatic person to me.
Our brief staring contest came to an end. With the whistle still in her mouth, the corners of her lips curled upward. She silently mouthed a message to me.
Where are you going? The cause of the fight should watch. Who else?
"...What?"
Before I could even respond, the whistle shrilled.
[The sparring match between Abel von Nibelung and Saki Ryozo will now begin.]
[May the Blessing of the Hero be with you.]
* * *
The moment the mechanical voice announced the start, Abel leaped forward. In a fight against an archer, the most crucial factor is the distance between them. If the gap widens, the swordsman is at an absolute disadvantage. Conversely, closing the distance grants a massive upper hand.
Closing the distance in just three strides, Abel swung her sword in a low arc. This was subspace sparring. She caught her opponent off guard, swinging without a shred of hesitation.
If I can just disable her legs, she won't be able to control the distance.
The blade aimed for Saki's lower right. Saki lightly lifted her right foot. The moment the blade neared the ground, her raised foot stepped firmly onto the flat of the sword. The tip of the blade was pinned to the floor.
Abel gasped. There were very few cadets who could react to her attacks. At most, only Kang Geomma and Leon could.
She didn't react after seeing it.
She had predicted it. Saki had deduced the attack from Abel's minor tells: her breathing, the twitching of her muscles, the slight tensing of her shoulders. By reading these natural physical habits and moving in advance, she could counter no matter how fast the attack was.
However, this was only possible because it was Saki. It required terrifying kinetic vision, combined with the ability to process and calculate everything in a split second.
Damn it.
Snapping out of her shock, Abel snapped her head up. Saki was aiming an arrow right in front of her face. She had to dodge. If an arrow was fired at point-blank range, the match would be over. However, the attack came from an unexpected direction.
Thud.
A heavy impact echoed. Saki's left foot slammed directly into Abel's stomach. Abel's upper body doubled over. The threat of the arrow had been a mere feint.
The follow-up attack came immediately. Saki swung her bow brutally, like a club. To dodge, Abel would have to let go of her sword. But doing so would mean losing the match right then and there.
So, Abel willingly sacrificed one of her shoulders. The sound of cracking ribs rang out. A sharp, numbing pain paralyzed her right arm.
"Ugh."
Thunder roared in her head. Nearly losing consciousness, Abel snapped back to reality and yanked her sword. The blade, pulled free, slashed upward from below.
A red line was carved across Saki's chest, and a spray of blood erupted. Saki hadn't expected Abel to sacrifice an arm.
Abel pressed her advantage. The blade, which had soared high, reached its peak and plunged downward.
Saki leaned back, arching her waist. The blade sliced vertically through the space she had occupied just a millisecond prior. It was a strike that would have cleaved her in half had she hesitated for even a moment. She had survived by a hair's breadth.
Feeling a chill run down her spine, Saki hastily retreated. Abel pursued her immediately.
I need to open up some distance.
She stood no chance in close quarters. Predicting the next move only worked once or twice. Her opponent was Abel; there was no way she would fall for cheap tricks repeatedly.
Stamina, reflexes, technique—Saki was well aware that she was inferior in every category. Even though she had requested the spar knowing this.
But that didn't mean she had given up on winning.
I only need one opening.
Saki ran to keep away from Abel. As she ran, she repeatedly fired arrows to keep Abel at bay.
At first, Abel dodged the arrows, but as time went on, she simply deflected them with sweeps of her sword. Though the arrows were imbued with a Blessing, Abel had also activated her own Blessing—one that was equal to, if not greater than, Saki's.
The flow of the battle gradually became clear. While Saki's movements grew sluggish, Abel practically flew across the field. Even with one shoulder shattered, the tide of victory was tilting toward Abel.
The distance closed in an instant. Soon, the blade rushed toward the back of Saki's head. It was an display of overwhelming physical ability that highlighted the vast gap between them. However, momentum is always proportional to speed.
This is the moment I was waiting for.
Saki took a sidestep, her feet sliding across the floor as if on ice. A blind blade swept past just above her head.
The moment the spine-chilling sound of parting air faded, Saki dropped almost flat to the ground. She immediately drew an arrow back.
The moment the bowstring touched the center of her lips, she released her grip. The sharp arrowhead gleamed, aiming straight between Abel's eyes.
Since Abel was charging forward with full momentum, there would be no time to dodge—
Crunch!
Saki's eyes widened in sheer shock. Abel had caught the arrow, biting down on it with her front teeth. Blood pooled around her mouth.
Since her forward momentum made dodging or countering impossible, she had made the split-second decision to catch it with her teeth. Abel's eyes burned with fierce, venomous determination.
Saki immediately fired another arrow. Because it was shot from an unstable posture, Abel easily dodged and deflected it.
The deflected arrows bounced harmlessly off the floor, walls, and surrounding objects.
Abel lunged forward. Light gleamed off her finely honed blade. Right in front of her, Saki was sprawled on her back.
Just as Abel felt assured of her victory against her completely defenseless opponent, her pupils dilated.
"You know, Abel. You only ever look forward when you run."
Saki let out a faint smile.
"You should look behind you once in a while. Otherwise, you'll get blindsided like this."
Clack. Clack. Clack. An arrow, having ricocheted off the surroundings, flew straight toward the back of Abel's neck. At that exact moment, Abel's blade swept down.
"Don't feel too bad if you lose. Let's just say it comes down to luck from here on out."
"...!"
An undetected arrow, a blade descending like a thunderbolt.
As if time itself had slowed down, the two girls faced their respective fates.