27
Chapter 27
I love a good challenge. The tougher it is, the greater the rush of satisfaction when I finally overcome it. Solving the riddles hidden within a trial is, without a doubt, my favorite hobby in life.
And right now, a fairly blunt and reckless challenge is charging straight at me.
Depending on a single misstep, I'd be booking a one-way ticket to the afterlife; I have to hunt a foe with vastly superior physical abilities on the edge of a uselessly steep cliff, all without a single grain of mana. Truly a simple and reckless challenge.
Come at me, you challenge.
Just like the Divine-Devil War between the Archangels and Great Demons, or the bloody battle between the First Demon King and the First Hero, let's have a grand showdown of our own. We might just be the eldest son and the youngest of the Northern Duke Family, but our resolve is no less than theirs.
"Aaaagh! You little brat!"
Ugh, I take it back. Retavis, you have no style. I actually feel sorry for the Great Demons and the First Demon King I just compared us to.
Clenching his fists, Retavis charged at me head-on. Thump, thump, thump—a sound far different from the drumming in my head echoed across the cliff.
Holding my pocket knife in the proper grip, I made a light feint, pretending to swing at him. Retavis reacted to my movement, flinching in a way that totally contradicted his explosive momentum.
Normally, he would have scoffed regardless of what nonsense I pulled, but he must still be reeling from the shock of Leonard's death. A very beneficial reaction.
"Huh? What's this? Are you scared?"
I bought myself about a second. I didn't let the opportunity slide.
"No way, the height difference between us is almost double. There's no way an Adult Demon like Hyungnim would be scared of a nine-year-old Young Demon like me."
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting! Who says I'm scared!"
"Hehe, just admit it. Being scared isn't shameful. It's the proper attitude for the 'weak'."
"...!"
I've felt this for a long time, but my gift for gab feels like a divine blessing. Whether it's from the Demon God or The Lord, I couldn't say. Either way, it's always fun.
It's always fresh. It's thrilling. Talking my way through things is the best.
"Who are you calling weak!!"
Infuriated, Retavis closed the gap in an instant, thrusting his shoulder and forearm forward like a shield to shove me aside. And behind me lay the cliff, where a single step backward meant certain death. The same cliff where a Young Demon recently met his end by my hand.
"Up we go!"
Boing!
A complete deadlock. I lightly kicked off the ground and leaped into the air, vaulting over Retavis's head to escape the predicament.
Of course, my pathetic leg strength as a child could never propel me over Retavis's crown with a single jump. Not in one go.
Bang!
"Hyungnim is too slow to do this, isn't he? Hahaha!"
With one leap, I reached Retavis's waist level, then jumped again. Stepping lightly on the air, I soared upward, extending my knees like a spirited rabbit.
How is that possible without magic? It's a double jump I learned back when I was studying thievery. I used it often when scaling the walls of the Royal Palace.
Whoosh!
"Waaaaagh!"
Having lost his target, Retavis lost his balance at the edge of the cliff and flailed wildly. Half his body hovered on the border between the cliff and the abyss, dancing between reality and the afterlife.
Performing a light mid-air somersault, I landed right on Retavis's unbalanced back with that same momentum.
Using the rotational force and inertia, I pushed with all my might, intending to shove Retavis off the cliff.
"Ahaha! Don't tell me you're going out this easily...!"
Stop.
"...As expected, Adult Demons really are something else. Even while off-balance, I pushed you with everything I had, and you didn't even budge. Isn't that a bit much?"
He didn't sway. He wasn't even affected. Leonard would have tumbled over with a simple kick, but to Retavis, who outweighs me several times over, I'm nothing more than a buzzing mosquito.
"Guh... you... you slippery little rat...!"
"Is that a compliment? I feel great being recognized for my speed."
"All that speed, and still no strength. You're all talk!"
He's got me figured out exactly. All talk, no power, but pretty nimble. Some sage once said that knowing your enemy and yourself leads to victory in every battle, but since we both know each other now, I wonder what'll happen.
Tap.
My soles met the solid ground again after a brief parting. My positioning is more advantageous. Compared to Retavis, who is standing on the cliff's edge where I just was, I've claimed the wider flat ground. However, from a combat perspective, it's not that helpful.
It's become harder to create unpredictable variables. The previous spot was perfect, but I made a mistake by assuming Retavis was on a similar level to Leonard.
A thrill courses down my spine. My entire body feels scorched, as if struck by lightning. A fight that was already disadvantageous has become even more grueling. The thrill of not knowing when I might die manifests as beads of sweat on my forehead.
In my previous life, I lived with eleven layers of shields just to avoid a futile end. If I were to be assassinated absurdly like the Emperor of the Empire, I wouldn't be able to run wild across this wonderful continent.
I love the thrill. Nothing is more exciting than jumping rope with my own lifeline. That's exactly how it feels right now.
"Let's see if you can dodge this!"
Retavis charges at me, leading with both fists. Since taking a hit head-on would undoubtedly crush every bone in my body, I sidestepped with a crab-like movement. But unlike before, Retavis didn't falter and immediately pursued me.
It was because he stopped trying to shove me. As my positioning changed, his attack method adapted. He has the experience and seniority; he fights far more freely than Leonard did.
"Oops!"
I reflexively arched my back to avoid his swinging fist. Retavis's thumb brushed past the tip of my nose by a hair's breadth. If I had been wearing my mask, it would have been shattered by now.
Admiring my own foresight, I threw my body backward. Using my head as the axis, I performed a backflip, unlike the flip from before. I needed to get out of Retavis's range.
Retavis followed closely, keeping his guard up. He was like a cat chasing a bouncy ball.
"Geez! Aren't you a bit too calm!? You're trying to burn down the whole house just to catch one bug! Take it easy!"
He's like an impregnable fortress. A single, well-forged heavy hammer. That is Retavis's combat style.
In terms of compatibility, I have the advantage. I read the opponent's movements and act in advance, relentlessly picking at their weaknesses. But that only applies if I'm at least the size of a dagger compared to him.
Retavis continues his bold assault.
Swoosh.
"Ugh...!"
Following his trajectory, I tried a light stab with my pocket knife. Retavis, seemingly not expecting my quick counterattack, failed to dodge.
Poke.
But that was all. The pocket knife I lunged with confidently failed to cut or pierce Retavis's forearm. It didn't even leave a scratch.
Compared to Retavis, I'm more like a toothpick. A toothpick that just slides between teeth after a meal to pick out some debris.
"Oh dear, is it my turn to get beaten up now?"
With my attack failing, the turn passed back to Retavis. The problem was that I had no time left to dodge his strike.
Whack!
Retavis's precisely thrown fist collided with my lower jaw. Calling it a collision is an understatement; it was practically a car accident.
Eeeee.
A ringing sound pierced my ears and took over my mind. For a moment, the world split into three, and Retavis became six. My brain vibrated violently, demanding rest. My lower face felt numb, as if hit by an earthquake.
In that moment, a storm surged. A massive storm raged toward me. An intense premonition that I would die if I didn't dodge awakened my mind like a divine revelation.
But right now, I have no room to dodge. In that case, I'd rather.
"Yah!"
I desperately thrust my forehead toward the incoming storm. As long as I avoid the critical hit, I can take a decent blow. Retavis likely aimed for my jaw, so if I shift my head, it'll hit somewhere else.
A hit to the jaw rattles the brain. Whether demon or human, that's a guaranteed knockout. That's why I hate getting hit in the jaw. There's no time to even feel the pain.
Whack!!
"...! You crazy brat...!"
Fortunately, my plan worked. I felt a scorching pain as if my forehead had cracked, but regardless, I succeeded in taking the blow somewhere other than my jaw.
...However, the attack was so powerful that my body went airborne from the impact. I flew several meters and rolled across the ground a few times before giggling.
In a world that had shrunk down to two dimensions, Retavis stood there. One foot supporting him on the earth, the other cutting through the air. It wasn't a punch, but a kick. No wonder it felt so damn strong.
"Hehehe. Ah, your combos really are magnificent... The moment you spotted an opening, you threw a punch at my jaw to throw me off balance, then immediately followed up with a kick... Ugh, my head is spinning."
"...Your reactions aren't half bad. I can't believe you actually put your forehead in the way of a kick."
"Compliments always feel so good."
"However."
Retavis slowly retracted his leg and examined his forearm. It seemed he was checking for injuries. What? Was he actually prepared to trade skin for bone just to attack me?
"Unlike your instantaneous judgment or evasion, your attacking power is pathetic."
Showing me his forearm, Retavis smirked with confidence. The caution and fear that had filled his eyes until now had completely vanished.
He was certain of victory. He knew I couldn't run forever, nor did I have the power to kill him. Even though I had a small piece of metal, I lacked the lethal force to cut through someone in a full combat stance.
Retavis stood tall and looked down at me. Overwhelming confidence and a certainty born of Pride were etched onto his face. Retavis, who had vowed to punish his younger sibling's pride, was now drowning in that very pride himself.
I sat there and coughed a few times. Red droplets scattered across the dirt floor covered in green grass. How long has it been since I last shed blood in a fight? A smile naturally formed on my lips.
"Hehehehe-."
I'm not a masochist. I'm not being sarcastic; I really am not. As proof, I can point to the time I spent cursing while suffering under Great Mage Merlin Gregory's magic during my 111 days in Tartarus.
There are types of pain. While some pain is meaningless when felt, there is pain that heightens the thrill and exhilaration of violence. The pain I feel now is the latter.
"Have you finally lost your mind?"
"Lost my mind? This is the real me."
"...Exactly how on earth did you hide such a twisted personality all this time?"
"How did I—cough."
Chewing on the pain in my jaw, I pointed a finger at Retavis.
"I've been waiting for this moment to play with both my older brothers."
I lowered my finger. I pointed to his right foot, which was now touching the ground.
"But that power was a bit too weak to be interesting. I thought the world would spin, but it was just my head spinning. Can you really play with me at that level?"
"Tsk, I should probably plug my ears."
Though his words were blunt, Retavis's face was as hard as rock.
He no longer intended to maintain his composure. Since he believed I had no way to harm him, he had abandoned the very idea of being careful.
Step.
"This is the end of that arrogant mouth of yours."
Retavis began to walk toward me slowly. His lips twitched menacingly. Even a single word from him would have suffused the area with a thick scent of murderous intent.
The curtain falls. The sun has set, and the veil of night covers the stage. The audience, thinking the show has ended, prepares to leave.
The magician, or perhaps the film director, or simply the youngest child of some insignificant family, lies miserably sprawled on the ground. He cannot even steady himself against the searing pain.
The moment everyone is disappointed in the magician's show. The moment the spectator, certain of victory, declares that everything is over. The moment the long-awaited show closes in vain and the crowd begins to murmur.
For this very moment, I have waited and waited.
Step, step, step!
Sprinting forward, Retavis threw a low kick with his right leg, intending to strike me while I was curled up. He likely thought I'd be paralyzed by pain and unable to move.
Whoosh!
I flattened my body even further, letting his kick glide right over me. Thanks to that, Retavis's right leg passed over my back, and I slid right between his thighs. Like a boa constrictor climbing a tree.
The time had come. I gathered all the strength I had been accumulating and surged upward. Thrusting both arms above my head, I drove the pocket knife in with a sharp stab.
Toward one of the few gaps that even my frail pocket knife could penetrate!
Squelch!
"Gah!"
The gruesome sound of tearing flesh spread like the clear ring of a bell. It was such a beautiful sound. The situation reversed, and the extinguished lights flickered back on. The roles of prey and predator, which had briefly swapped, returned to their original places.
"Ugh, guh, ah, h-heugh...!"
Unable to process the situation, Retavis let out a bizarre groan and clawed at his lower body with both arms. His hands scrambled frantically between his legs to find what he had lost, but it was a futile effort.
One of the few areas my pathetic pocket knife, which couldn't even cut skin, could pierce: the testicles. I dissolved his vigilance by taking the hit, naturally dominated his lower body, and reduced the distance and eye level between us.
The only target point I had been aiming for from the very start.
"Ugh, ugh, aaaagh...!"
Thud!
Unable to endure the pain, Retavis collapsed, clutching his groin with both hands. I moved quickly to avoid being crushed beneath him, then stepped in front of him and plunged the pocket knife in again.
Toward the second area I could penetrate with my strength, the eyeball. In a straight line.
Squelch!
"...! Ghuuu! Keh, hack! You little bastard!! When I catch you, I'll tear you to pieces!!"
The pain of an eyeball going dark must have been comparable to the pain of bursting testicles. Recovering his senses, Retavis screamed and threatened me at the top of his lungs.
You shouldn't have done that. You shouldn't have opened your mouth and exposed your weakness. With your right hand clutching your groin and your left hand gripping your empty socket, you shouldn't have dared to scream.
I threw the pocket knife, which I had already retrieved, once more. Aiming for Retavis's wide-open mouth. I plugged the world's most terrible sound effect, the background music of his screams.
Squelch!
".........!!!"
"Hahaha! Hyungnim, you've become like a mute! I fed you a knife instead of honey, but the taste is pretty much the same, right!?"
Gush, bright red blood poured out profusely. I ripped through the third area possible for a Young Demon's arm strength: the inner flesh of the mouth.
A red mist wafted through the air, tickling my nose.
The crimson dye seeped into the white suit that covered me.
"As expected, a fountain of blood is the best highlight for a show. Don't you agree?"
It is a night to be intoxicated by the metallic scent of blood.