Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: One Shot Left
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The sudden duel with the Pirate King.
The pirates watching from the deck began to get swept up in intense excitement.
"C-Captain's sparring?"
"Ooh... it's been a while!"
He wasn't just the captain of one ship—he was the ruler of the seas, an absolute powerhouse.
Though he always led the charge in real battles, mowing down enemies without mercy, spars like this were actually quite rare for him.
And his two opponents were no pushovers either, even if they were up against the Pirate King.
Frankling, one of the top five strongest in the entire fleet.
And Mazelan, a rookie crewman at the lowest rank, but whose fame and skill as a former pirate hunter were already well-known.
With anticipation for the spectacle they would put on, the pirates backed up a bit further than before, watching with keen interest.
And among those pirates was Elkana and Ambasha, in a relationship much like a freshman who'd gone through four years of college, gotten a job, then retaken the entrance exams to return as a first-year—standing next to a second-year senior who'd joined the workforce but was playing the part of an upperclassman.
"Things are getting interesting... Who do you think will win, senpai?"
"Hmm... If he doesn't hold back, obviously it'll be Father, but... I dunno. Even so, Frankling sis and Mazelan are pretty strong. They might at least graze his sleeve, right?"
"Eh... I think even that's a stretch. No matter how you slice it, the skill gap is just too wide."
"...No chance at all. But he's still your boyfriend."
Ambasha made a slightly awkward face, already knowing the rough outline of their relationship.
Elkana lightly patted her head in response.
"Hehe. That's exactly why I know him so well—his skill level, his weaknesses, every nook and cranny. Even where to touch to make him melt."
With that, she licked her lips slightly.
But Ambasha, failing to grasp the deeper meaning, just tilted her head in confusion.
She was at that age where she was transitioning from girl to full-fledged woman, learning all sorts of things—but still a bit too young for that.
A twinge of regret at that fact, mixed with the thought that it'd be fun to teach her all sorts of things later on. Elkana cleared her throat lightly and continued.
"Ahem... Anyway, judging by Mazelan's skill and fighting style, it's impossible. The wildcard might be Frankling—if anything. I've seen her fight before, but never her full strength."
"Hmm... We'll find out watching closely. Oh—since we're at it, wanna make a bet? Whoever buys dinner when we hit Bennetsa in a few days."
"Ooh, why not? Alright, let's see if we can score a free meal off our cute senpai. I'm betting both of them lose."
"Then I'll go with... at least grazing his sleeve and granting a wish..."
And so, in that increasingly thrilling atmosphere, Elkana began watching the scene unfold before her.
Though she said all that, deep down she was rooting for Mazelan to win.
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-Whoooosh...
The Pirate King stood silently, gathering mana into his practice sword.
Watching him, Frankling and Mazelan began to feel a prickling sensation all over their bodies.
The immense flow of power pressing palpably against their skin—even before the real spar had begun.
If this had been a real fight, surrendering right then to survive would have been the norm.
But this was just a spar.
As such, there was no killing intent like in the past.
And his stance was far more relaxed than it would be in battle.
He was known for fighting bare-handed, after all.
The fact that he'd picked up a sword at all was, in a way, a blatant handicap.
Seeing it as a valuable lesson and opportunity regardless, Mazelan flashed a slight smile at Frankling beside him and said,
"I'll take left, you take right."
"O-okay."
A tactic to maximize their numerical advantage.
Thinking they might at least graze his sleeve this way, Mazelan and Frankling began channeling mana through their bodies.
'A prolonged fight is out of the question no matter what...'
'End it quick!'
With that, Mazelan kicked off the deck in sync with Frankling, charging forward.
Their mana-wrapped weapons arced straight toward the Pirate King.
That's when...
-Whoosh!
"!"
"Huh?"
The Pirate King casually swung his sword.
The mana bursting from it became a sudden shockwave that slammed into Mazelan.
"Guhk!"
It felt like smashing bare-skinned into a wall.
If he hadn't instinctively thrown up a mana barrier at the last second, that strike could have been seriously dangerous.
"Tch..."
Mazelan rolled once across the deck before barely regaining his footing.
It wasn't fatal, but blood streamed from his nose as he grimaced.
Meanwhile, Frankling—who'd sensed it a step ahead—had blocked without much damage.
"H-how are you gonna dodge stuff like that if you can't even block it cleanly?"
"...Tch... that was just a fluke!"
Infusing mana into a sword to create a shockwave wasn't hard for any upper-grade warrior.
The problem was the sheer brutality of the Pirate King's—enough to send both flying in one go.
Even if Mazelan went all-out with one, a mana barrier from an upper-grade knight would at most slow them a bit. Forcing them to roll on the deck like this? Impossible.
And from his demeanor, it didn't even seem like he'd put much effort into it.
Feeling their momentum deflate after just one strike, Mazelan stood back up.
'Looks like I have no choice but to focus on defense for now... I don't need overwhelming offense anyway.'
Thinking about it, their goal wasn't to take him down—just graze his sleeve. No need for massive power.
Decision made, Mazelan immediately erected a mana barrier.
Not a hasty one like before—this time, he'd gone all-in on defense.
Frankling seemed to have the same idea, reinforcing her own barrier before pressing the attack again.
"Here we go!"
-Thud!
The signal given, the two charged at the Pirate King once more.
In response, he swung his sword again, as if he'd been waiting.
The same shockwave hurtled toward them.
Still brutally intense, it shattered their freshly made barriers in an instant.
'Ngh!... But I held!'
His barrier gone, but Mazelan hadn't been flung back—he'd kept his ground.
Squeezing every ounce of strength into his legs, he closed the distance with the Pirate King and swung his sword.
But...
"One shot left."
"!...Ah."
"Ugh..."
-KABOOM!!!
The follow-up shockwave hit Mazelan dead-on, sending him flying.
With his barrier broken, taking it bare-bodied—and from even closer range—he felt like his mind blanked out from the impact.
"Ngh... damn it..."
Fortunately, no broken limbs, but the shock was considerable.
And Frankling, in a similar spot, was no different.
The only variance: her arm dangled limp, as if fractured.
Seeing his temporary ally get wrecked and feeling the throbbing pain in his chest, Mazelan's motivation plummeted.
'I thought he'd go easy on us... but this is hopeless. We're just punching bags at this point?'
Sighing deeply at the possibility this was just the Pirate King's twisted hobby, Mazelan figured he'd forfeit quietly and aim for next time.
He should've known from the wish nonsense.
But...
"Wh-what are you doing?"
"Uh... yeah?"
"Get up already."
Frankling, battered and barely standing.
Her voice trembled as always, but with no hint of surrender in her attitude, Mazelan replied bitterly.
"You good? Doing it one more time will just end the same. Let's call it here and forfeit clean—no point getting hurt more."
"...Y-you scared?"
"!..."
"H-how can you chicken out over this? F-f-famous pirate hunter my ass— all just rumors?"
"..."
Frankling threw his earlier taunt right back at him.
The situation was different, but it was pure "chicken?" provocation, pricking his pride.
At the same time, oddly enough, it didn't feel bad. Rising once more, Mazelan said,
"But what's the plan? Charging the same way just gets us shattered again. Two shockwaves in a row like that..."
"Th-then we block two in a row."
"Huh? No way that's..."
"We can. If we... combine our power... together."
With that, Frankling awkwardly explained something.
Mazelan pondered briefly, then nodded.
"...Worth a shot. What's he gonna do, kill us?"
"Great. Then I'll go first..."
"Me first. Don't trip me up with that body of yours."
"...Got it."
Decision made, they assumed positions.
Despite their wrecked states, they gathered mana again to form a barrier.
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How do you get two enemies to join hands?
Simple.
Put a common enemy in front of them.
It's not for nothing they say invading ProX would make China and the US team up.
When facing something so overwhelming that uniting is the only way to see a path forward, they'll shelve old grudges out of sheer necessity and cooperate.
Of course, some keep nitpicking and bickering out of pride amid it all—and those types always end in ruin.
In that vein, I'd orchestrated this hoping my subordinates weren't idiots.
And I was quite satisfied watching the process unfold.
Mazelan and Frankling scheming some strategy and acting on it.
The fact their vicious hostility had mellowed to the point of discussing cooperation was result enough for me.
With the basics covered for whatever came next, I eyed them resuming combat stances and began channeling mana into my sword once more.