Monster Hunt: The Blade That Holds Power Within

Facing a formidable enemy, Rendel recalled a lesson from long ago—not from his time after entering the academy, but from even deeper in the past. Meeting his master, a former Aindium pilot back in his hometown, had been a stroke of luck. Thanks to that encounter, he discovered his own talent and quickly rose to prominence among the gifted students gathered at the academy. A secure future lay ahead of him, provided nothing unusual happened. Yet in the past six months, quite a few unusual things had occurred. And at the center of every incident was always a certain junior who had a knack for making his life complicated.

Rendel glanced upward at the black Nimus hovering in midair. Just like she had known this situation would arise, Luna had abruptly offered him the hammer. During the previous attack on Allob Island, her prior warning had allowed them to respond swiftly. Could Luna be something like the Saint of Revelation from the old tales? No, that was impossible. Rendel let out a small snort of laughter and raised his sword toward the enemy before him.

If he used the hammer as Luna suggested, the attack would surely land. But Rendel had a reason to wield his sword against this monster. He remembered the pinnacle of Aindium martial technique his master had once spoken of. In the early days of Aindiums, decades ago when weapon performance was far inferior to the present, there had been a legendary pilot who pierced enemy Aindiums, tanks, and even the Empire’s artifacts—said to be impenetrable by ordinary means—with his blade. This hidden hero, whose very name remained unknown, had once been a comrade of his master’s father. His master had heard many stories from the man whenever he visited. Having grown up listening to those tales, his master had become an Aindium pilot himself. In a way, the nameless hero was the master of Rendel’s master.

“What teachings did you receive from him?”

“I didn’t receive any formal teachings. I simply listened to his stories, over and over.”

His master had shared those same stories with Rendel—the tales of a “realm” he himself had never reached. In the distant past, before Aindiums or power armor existed, those who had attained the extreme limit of swordsmanship with nothing but the human body could wrap their blades in magic power or even condense it to form swords outright. To counter such masters, the Empire had crafted armor from special metals, and the Kingdom of Alitus had suffered many bitter defeats in those days. Though his master’s master had not been from Alitus, he understood well how to fight the Empire.

If one removed the magic from a sword clad in it, the blade became ordinary steel once more. But if one could contain the magic inside the sword and circulate it endlessly… should one reach such a realm, the blade could hold magic power perfectly and become infinitely hard. Both its power and durability could match the strength of releasing magic outward. If he mastered that technique, he would no longer need to swing his sword cautiously for fear of chipping the edge in collisions.

Rendel desperately wanted to reach that realm. If he could gain the skill to slice through even the Empire’s Aindium shield-bearers—said to be impossible to defeat with a sword alone—he would possess true power to protect the homeland he loved. Of course, he also wanted to win his bet with Luna. That ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was why, even though the hammer slung across his back was cumbersome, he refused to touch it. If he so much as reached for it to set the hammer aside, that sly junior would surely insist she had won and throw a tantrum. He could not afford to lose this time. There was something he wanted.

As if she had read his thoughts, a transmission came from Luna.

Her urgent voice once again said something completely unexpected. She seemed to be having another one of her strange ideas. It would clearly be safer to fight it together. Thinking that, Rendel grabbed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the hammer without hesitation.

In the end, I declared my defeat. The bet no longer mattered. There was no point wasting time and letting someone else snatch the Ellydium. It was better to yield a little. The moment I announced my loss, White Fang distanced itself slightly from the Earthworm, reached its left hand behind its back, and gripped the hammer’s handle.

Yes. Smash the Earthworm’s head to pieces just like that.

I clenched both fists, eyes fixed on White Fang as I eagerly awaited a satisfying hammer strike.

Thud.

But Rendel betrayed my expectations. White Fang pulled the hammer from its back and simply hurled it to the ground.

Rendel’s voice carried a resolve that was difficult to ignore. After a brief hesitation, I switched to the general communication channel.

“This is Black Fairy. We are currently engaged in combat with a large monster near the northwest forest of the operational area.”

“Yes. I’m fine, Sabrina-senpai. Rendel-senpai is currently holding it off. We need assistance from the other cadets as well.”

Most of the other cadets had already arrived nearby but hesitated to join the fray. What I requested was for them to distract the Earthworm with long-range fire. “Its burst speed is like a snake hunting, so please stay at least five hundred meters away and provide support from a distance. Those with the capacity should attach to the body sections far from the tail and head. Magic-infused weapons don’t work well, and its hide is tough, so blunt weapons are effective. Bombardment carries the risk of danger-close, so please prepare precision-guided missiles.”

Sabrina-senpai quickly organized the rapid-fire information I had spat out and immediately repositioned the pilots.

While the other cadets moved busily, Rendel bought time against the Earthworm alone. He dodged the house-sized boulder the creature spat out in a surprise attack and leveled his sword horizontally.

A scraping noise from Rendel’s blade mixed into someone’s audio feed. His sword still sparked as it bounced away. Yet I could sense a subtle difference from before. Whether because he had set the hammer down and lightened his load, or because he had regained his balance, White Fang’s movements had become sharper and more precise.

I had fought Rendel hundreds of times and suffered just as many defeats, but I had never seen him wield a blade like this. It was neither the fastest, most powerful straight thrust nor a flashy feint meant for intelligent humanoid opponents.

Clang!

I was starting to worry the sword might actually snap. The reason Kirie had forged a new blade mixed with Ellydium was probably because his original sword had taken heavy damage in this battle. It was hard to imagine Rendel—who was so attached to his sword that he occasionally maintained it himself instead of leaving everything to Kirie—doing something so reckless. Yet for some reason, the image of a craftsman shaping pottery and then deliberately shattering it overlapped with his figure.

While Rendel used his acceleration ability to press the Earthworm and swung his sword at every opening, the group of Aindiums stationed at a safe distance opened fire. Those confident in their piloting skills slowly crept toward the opposite side from Rendel after shooting. Among them were Enlow and Grik.

This time they won’t run away in fear, right?

If the CT Club couldn’t monopolize the rewards anyway, it was also a valid strategy to strengthen the academy cadets as a whole. Although the story’s protagonist was the CT Club, the other cadets occasionally played important roles as well.

Still, I had not gone through all this trouble just to obtain the tiny amount of Ellydium needed to barely repair Rendel’s sword. So, Rendel. Whatever you’re trying to do, you’d better produce results soon.

I carefully aimed my sniper rifle at the Earthworm’s head as it twisted about, targeting Rendel. It wasn’t armor-piercing ammunition, but ordinary sniper rounds still delivered excellent impact. The bullet shattered the rocky surface of the Earthworm’s skin, avoided the metal, and struck a softer area. Yellow blood sprayed as its hide burst open. It was only a shallow graze, but the creature shrieked and thrashed its head wildly.

In that moment, several Aindiums clinging to its torso hammered it with their weapons. Only heavy blunt instruments delivered at close range could inflict meaningful damage; ordinary bullets from large sniper rifles were ineffective. Fortunately, some had brought blunt weapons. Even though they were unskilled with them, the sheer weight ensured solid hits.

Groooaaar—!

After receiving multiple blows, the Earthworm began rampaging, twisting not only its head but its entire body. Several Aindiums caught in the frenzy were flung away. But instead of dodging the writhing coils, Rendel drew even closer. And then—

With a light swing, White Fang’s sword sliced through the Earthworm’s hide. At first I thought he had luckily struck a softer section, but then White Fang began to dance a true sword waltz.

Fairy Number Five wiped the sweat from Rendel’s forehead.

Rendel concentrated on his sword and the Earthworm before him, just as Number Five said. White Fang’s blade was not the soft blue it usually showed when infused with magic power, but its raw silver-gray color. Yet the magic power contained within remained. In fact, it was compressed far more densely inside the sword. It was a technique he had only succeeded in after dozens of attempts.

The fact that he could attempt a technique he had never tried before— one that could cost him his life in real combat—dozens of times was only possible because Luna and the other cadets had bought him time. Afraid that even the slightest lapse in concentration would scatter his focus, Rendel had cut off all audio channels except one: his private channel with Luna. If anything happened, she would take appropriate action. Trusting his junior, Rendel devoted himself entirely to swinging his sword.

Slice.

The Earthworm’s hide was covered in uneven rock and metal, but there were thinner, softer sections. If its entire body were solid stone it could not move freely, so there had to be flexible areas like human joints. Even those were difficult to cut with an ordinary sword. But once he succeeded in containing magic power inside the blade, it became as easy as slicing through a rhinodon.

Rendel’s sword grew faster and faster. The Earthworm’s rampage grew fiercer. It was time to deliver the finishing blow. Rendel stepped on the pedal and accelerated sideways. He had been heading toward the creature’s head, but he evaded the snapping jaws and pulled back. Because of its enormous size, even slight movements generated ridiculous mass that could send Aindiums flying. After shaking off all the clinging machines with a great twist, the monster turned its head and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠began moving at high speed.

Rendel’s sword had worked. I wanted to ask how he had done it, but capturing the Earthworm came first, so I set the question aside. Number One must have heard me muttering, because it spoke up.

“How?”

“Please do.”

I remembered the bulletin board and turned back on the one I had disabled to concentrate when the Earthworm first appeared.

After reading a few posts, the name Black Wolf appeared and a certain scene flashed through my mind. It was the moment from the first series when the protagonist Black Wolf, armed with only a commando knife, eliminated an Empire general piloting a new-model Aindium. That machine, covered in the Empire’s signature thick armor and loaded with Ellydium shields, had easily withstood even bombing runs and blocked every magic-infused weapon with its shield. When Black Wolf broke through, he had drawn the magic power from the knife’s surface and contained it within.

So Rendel had managed to replicate that. For some reason, even I felt moved. The hot-blooded boy who had once vented his frustration on an innocent wall after losing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to Line had grown this much in only half a year.

“Really?”

It really was Black Wolf’s technique. To think he had recreated the skill of a veteran special agent like Black Wolf—and with a much longer blade, no less. Rendel’s talent and effort were truly shining through. Now all that remained was to finish off the Earthworm.

At Sabrina-senpai’s shout, all the cadets jumped into action and piloted their Aindiums forward. Only Rendel was faster than the Earthworm, but attacking while moving at that speed was nearly impossible.

The third-year senior in the Vivald-class fired a missile that struck true, but the Earthworm continued fleeing while leaking bodily fluids. The Taraen border really wasn’t far. Another ten kilometers and it would reach the area where Taraen troops and Aindiums were stationed. At this speed, it would arrive in less than five minutes.

It looked like I had to step in again. I hadn’t planned to use this, but it was supposed to be a secret weapon after all.

I changed the mode on my sniper rifle. The rifle Kirie had made for me had low recoil and stable output, but its destructive power was a little lacking. In exchange, it supported various function modes. This would be my first time using one in actual combat.

The barrel detached and slid into the storage compartment on Limpid’s external parts. What replaced it was a massive stake. Once the compressed three-meter stake deployed, its length extended all the way to ten meters. The proportions were similar to a normal person wielding a two-and-a-half-meter stake, making balance difficult to maintain.

True to its masterpiece status, Limpid closed the distance to the Earthworm at tremendous speed. It soared high, then dove while aiming the stake resting on its shoulder—

“Fire.”

I pulled the trigger hooked around my finger.