Chapter 9

As he slowly opens his eyes, the light pierced through the darkness. Upon that, there was a familiar ceiling before his eyes.

"Good, you're awake." a soft voice greeted him. On a look, a young girl was peeking relieved. "Yu,ki?"

"Yes. Please rest assured. We're at your place. In your room."

"My...." Marco frowned and then he remembered. Suddenly a dull pain ran through his torso and he scowled.

"I see… At the rooftop, the enemy."

"I took the bandages from the infirmary and gave you first aid on the spot, but it would attract attention at school, so I carried you here with Rebecca."

"I see… Thanks." Saying so, Marco slowly raised his body. And then, he tightly clenched his fist.

"Good." It still hurt, but he could move. His thoughts were clear too.

"Amazing. To think you already regained consciousness from such a deep wound. It would not strange for a normal hunter to be unconscious for a day."

"Let's just say I heal faster than most."

Hunters undergo special training so that they can recover faster and have better self-healing powers than normal humans. It was an ability that was acquired to win battles. Yes, they had to be victorious. On the rooftop Marco was overpowered by the enemy.

"Right, how's Rebecca. Yuki?" Marco spoke her name, whereupon Yuki reacted by averting her gaze by looking down and clenching her fists.

"After the masked man disappeared, Rebecca

was gravely agitated. She was partly in a panic, yet she tried to treat your wounds by herself… I made her rest a bit to let her calm down a bit. And about an hour ago, I told her that you are over the worst, but then"

"Hey, don't tell me----"

"Yes. The next time I checked upon Rebecca, she was no longer in her room."

"That idiot…!" She must have felt a strange responsibility and went to settle it by herself!

"Shit, so how do we find her?"

"Don't worry about that, I planted a tracker on her before our current situation." Yuki said so calmly.

"Of course, you did." Marco rolled his eyes as he pushed aside the blanket and got off the bed. He didn't mind the scorching pain that ran through his whole body.

"Let's go, I owe that bastard a beating anyways." Marco said with a wry smile.

***

Leaving the room and house, Rebecca headed for that park on the hill.

It was a famous spot in the city and normally even at night people came by now and then, but on the vast grounds a thick forest expanded with all kinds of trees and people didn't come to its deepest part.

In her heart, Rebecca apologized to Marco. By now they must have noticed that she left. She knew that she was being reckless. But Rebecca couldn't think of any other plan.

She didn't know anything thing

And Marco was gravely injured while protecting her. At that time--- The image of the bleeding Marco overlapped with that of her dead parents.

Her heart was unsettled. So much that she fell into a pathetic trembling, even though the enemy was still around.

Therefore, Yuki had told her that she had to calm down first if she wanted to treat Marco. While she trembled alone in her own room, she kept thinking about the masked man words.

As long as you host that power, those close to you will suffer. How many more will suffer because of you?. And the answer Rebecca finally came up with was this.

Still, while she stood here like this, she could only think about one thing.

"Please be safe, Marco."

She tightly closed her eyes like for a prayer. Yuki had said he was over the worst, but it was still a precarious situation. She could watch over him while praying for his recovery.

But to put it another way, she could only watch over him while praying for his recovery.

Upon that,

"Seems like you made your decision." Suddenly a voice called out from behind. Rebecca opened her eyes and turned around with a "Yes."

Rebecca fixed her glare wordless onto the masked man. When he left the rooftop, he had said "Depending your choice, you can end all of this at once". She perfectly understood the meaning behind these words.

"Hehe, You're more honest than I thought. But, I believe this is the correct choice." The masked man said.

"If you were to keep fighting, it would claim more victims. But if you were the only victim, everything would come to an end."

"….Yeah." Rebecca nodded.

In front of Rebecca, who stood there silent, the masked man came over like gliding on air.

"Your hands." When she held out both her hands on his request, a black rope wrapped around Rebecca's wrists.

"What is this?"

"A binding tool that seals your magic power. Although you can't use magic yet, but I'll seal it just in case. Now then--- Let us go."

"To where?" Rebecca had given up on fighting, but not on her hostility. The masked man answered

"You will know once we get there. My master is waiting for--" Before he could finish, the masked man suddenly jumped back widely to take a distance from Rebecca.

At the same time. The space where the masked man had just been was cut through by a wind blade.

"Don't tell me."

Rebecca tried to look behind her--- the direction from where the attack came, whereupon a human silhouette swiftly rushed past her at the same time.

It was a girl that wore the same Faith Academy uniform as her and carried a katana in her right hand while holding the sheath with her left hand. It was Naruse Yuki.

Regardless of the unsteady foothold in the mixed forest, Yuki didn't slow down on her dash and attacked the masked man at once.

However, Yuki's attack was easily warded off by the barrier that the masked man had erected.

"What a surprise, to think you'll get here so quickly. The boy didn't come with you." The masked man said so with a carefree voice.

"I only will be enough." Yuki coldly stated before performing another attack. Again, her attack was easily repelled.

"Your sword or techniques can't defeat me… You should have realized that on the previous battle on the rooftop." Behind his barrier, the masked man sighed in disappointment.

"Is that so? then take this." Yuki launched an attack and it broke through his supposedly impregnable barrier.

"What...?" Yuki didn't give him time to react and lunged a slash in no time at the surprised masked man.

Instantly jumping backwards and barely dodging her sword, the masked man was puzzled.

"My barrier, how?"

"It won't break with one strike. Therefore I continued until it did… that's all." Yuki said.

"Wait… You accurately kept attacking the same spot…?"

*If it brings you down, I'll do so." Yuki declared without hesitation. It was a feat that even only a few technique type fighters could pull off. Then a white aura engulfed her being.

Battle aura, a form of mana manipulation specifically used as a technique to explosively boost physical power and physical defense. It involves coating the whole body or a specific body part in Mana and forming a mantle of dense energy.

Without wasting time, Yuki rushed forward. She sheathed her katana, then she drew it with godspeed. The cutting edge of quick-draw technique that came from making use of the slip of the sword out of the sheath, was several times greater than normal.

In one attack she cut through the opponent's barrier, and it didn't end with that. Combined with the quick-draw attack, She kept sending out attacks.

The masked man couldn't help but to jump backwards widely to distance himself from her.

"Okay.. I guess I'll get serious a bit." Saying so, he held out his palm towards her.

Yuki jumped to the side at once. It was a reflexive movement that didn't consider her landing at all.

Right afterwards. Along with a roaring sound, the ground trembled. Yuki, tumbled on the ground, looked. The place where she was at a moment ago. The ground of the forest was completely hollowed out by an explosion.

"Wow you dodged that, then.. how about this."

At the same time he said that, numerous light spheres appeared around him and he shot it towards Yuki at blinding speed. But she didn't panic.

She swiftly dodged the spheres albeit barely and appeared in front of the masked man, sending a sword strike straight for his torso. SCREEEECH! But with a shrill metallic noise, Yuki's hand got numb. The attack was repelled.

"I'm impressed. That's some excellent swordsmanship." The masked man raised a praising voice and continued with "But".

"Unfortunately for you, I strengthened my barrier right after you broke it…Too bad."

"Yeah... too bad." Yuki nodded

"For You that is--" And then she shouted. "MARCO."

"Roger." A black haired boy jumped up from behind Yuki. His figure was swinging Brynjar in his right hand.

His one strike smashed the masked man barrier, weakened by Yuki's attack, into small pieces.

"Wha---!" The shocked masked man tried to re-erect his barrier at once. However,

"Too slow." Marco dashed and appeared Infront of him in an instant. He performed a horizontal slash using the strength of the Power-Type.

Marco's attack had perfectly cut up the masked man's torso. Yes, the enemy have been defeated with a successful surprise attack. And Rebecca witnessed that moment.

Marco, having defeated the masked man, stopped moving for a moment, but before long,

"It's over." He mumbled before walking towards Yuki to confirm her well being. After exchanging a few words with her, he came slowly over to Rebecca.

But, somehow Rebecca still couldn't believe it. However--- Marco's face, looking at her, was showing a gentle smile.

"Ah…"

She finally realized. That she was saved. That Marco came to her aid. Therefore,

What to do, Rebecca panicked at heart. She didn't know what to say. She knew she had to thank him. But she still hadn't apologized for getting him hurt. When she was puzzled about what to say,

The next moment, Rebecca received an attack on her head. Yes, Marco planted his fist on her head. A brutal act, indeed.

"Wh-Why…?" She asked while holding her head, she looked as if she was going to cry.

"That's what you get for running away." Marco said with a cold voice. Rebecca's surprise changed into gratitude before long. She finally realized what she should say first. Therefore she shifted her gaze down and said

"Sorry… I'm sorry…" For her selfish act. Rebecca apologized for making Marco worry. Upon that,

"I'm just glad that you're okay." Marco said with a smile. But Rebecca expression suddenly froze up.

"What's up?" Marco was puzzled and right behind him stood a "Shadow". Rebecca did not time to call out and Marco let down his guard. The result with grave.

A sword pierced through Marco's body from behind. The tip of the sword came out of Marco's stomach.

"---huh?"

At the same time as Marco looked down at his own torso, the short sword was pulled out.

Marco collapsed like a loose string. The red blood spread over Marco's clothes on his back.

A, Aw…" The moment she let out a dumbfounded voice--- Rebecca's reasoning snapped.

""No… NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

She raised a mad scream and at the same time, a dark red surge was set free in Rebecca's heart.