Interlude: The Sword (Part 3)

…

My grandfather once told me that fear is natural. However how it forces one to act is not. Despite having a racing heart, a mind filled with uncertainty, and trembling limbs… one can still choose to either flee or fight. All my life I was trained to always choose the latter. To wield a sword, even if it is to kill monsters, means to walk upon a path of ever-increasing danger. It is a life with threats looming on the horizon, getting closer day by day, and moments of peace and simply living are to be cherished due to their rarity.

To be one of the chosen of the gods means nothing less.

I had almost forgotten those words, despite the trials and tribulations which I'd encountered. Hestia-sama, Bell, and Arde had been everything I wished for in a Familia. They were kind, compassionate, and would always lend themselves to me. Hestia-sama treated me with great care but without pity. Bell always sought me out and asked me if I wished to spend time with him. I did. Arde, in a manner quite similar to her Sensei, was quiet unless spoken to, but I knew someone had purchased the beddings and other small comforts of my room.

Then, out of nowhere, as we waited for their Sensei to awaken, we were attacked.

Not by monsters, but by our fellow chosen.

I knew of the competitions between gods. The Divine Wagers which they fought with their gatherings. It had not crossed my mind that my newfound Familia would be under assault, but looking at the myriad strengths everyone exhibited, I should have expected it. We had fought against Apollo-sama's Familia for the sake of our home, rebuffed them, and found ourselves embroiled into a conflict which intended to see us split apart and broken.

Had I been the same person who I was mere weeks ago, I would've been afraid and shaken by the prospect of fighting the forces of three mighty Familias. I doubt that I would have been able to stand against the forces arrayed against me today. Fear would've grasped my heart, made me unsure, and allowed me to be cut down. I would have thought that defeating the forces before me would be impossible.

Yet, here I was, holding my ground with my heart urging me to charge and end the farce of a threat before me.

"We're running out of space to run." Filvis Challia was an incredible Mage. In the fight against the apocalyptic monster in Under Resort, she was one of the few who could cast Magic while moving. She used both blade and magic seamlessly like the ancient heroes of my people. One day, I hoped that I would be able to cast my own Magic while I fought. Not only that, but she was calm and collected throughout the battle. There was no doubt in my mind that I wished to be able to fight like her. "I won't be able to keep holding back if they keep this up."

I gave a nod in acknowledgement, batting aside another wave of arrows. The difference in strength between my former self and me was nothing short of incredible. I would have never thought I would be capable of turning aside rows of pikes and barrages of arrows. I'd have died many times over if not for my recent growth in power and the training Bell decided to share with me. The way they attack was not compatible with how I was taught, but the way they moved and predict attacks…

Pikes may only thrust forward or be swept down from above. Arrows will only hit where they are pointed. Take in the stance of the opponent, look at their knees and elbows, and eliminate possibilities. Bell had told me that he had been forced to memorize certain attacks, but as he continued to grow powerful he began to realize his Sensei was simplifying it for him. Being able to register threats at a faster pace, the intuition which many of the greater chosen attested to have, could be trained and put to use by examining an opponent and discerning their actions.

With one movement of my sword, I blocked three pikes with my sword's blade, another one with the guard, and yet another with the sword's pommel. Drawing it up, just another movement, I threw back another five pikes and their wielders while intercepting five arrows. One step back and I was struck by the wooden shafts of three different pikes to no effect. A crescent strike of my blade cuts the lethal heads and blocks another three arrows.

To be one of the chosen means to be beyond mere humans; I saw that now. We were gifted not only with extraordinary bodies, but minds as well. Given how monsters grew so much stronger and faster at each floor, it explained how so many of the greater chosen were able to match them. We were all changing in every respect.

I saw an opportunity as the wall of pikes tried to reconvene. I withdrew the small blades I had been given by Cranel. They were deadly despite their cheap make. My newfound strength allowed me to throw them with great precision and strength. I was sure that none of the gathered chosen before me would survive if one of the knives struck them in their stomachs or heads. That left most of the body for me to attack. I chose my targets carefully, striking shoulders or the joint where the leg meets the hip, removing my opponent from combat as accurately as Haji would have. I hoped I did well by him by learning how to fight at range instead of just with my sword. He would have been inordinately proud convincing me to use a weapon besides my blade.

As we withdrew, I took in the rest of the battle.

Or, rather, I would have if not for the yell from the opposing side.

"Scatter!" I recognized Laulos's voice. Bell's fellow student had been a good leader in the heat of battle. Her voice carried well over the din of combat. I understood why she left their group. In her own way, she had cared for her Sensei. She cared for him enough to be willing to hurt him and not care for the consequences of her actions. If I were to make a guess, I would say that I believed that she looked to him differently than the rest of his students. "He's coming from above!"

The block of pikes attempted to disperse. I could see that they were well organized. They split apart into small, equal squares which would have still been a great threat. They gained mobility by sacrificing hardly any strength and power. It was a hallmark of the teachings which Bell had shared with me.

However, there is a reason why the Sensei is the Sensei and the student is the student.

The lightning, which had so suddenly come into being from above and had been streaking toward the center of the block, collided with the ground… and split into four tendrils that shattered the squares of adventurers. I had almost forgotten that spells could be shaped through the use of certain staves, since most Mages preferred to simply enhance the strength of their spells, until I had witnessed Hikigaya wield a massive coil of lightning against the Black Goliaths and the Asura. Naturally, if he could curl lightning into an immense blade to strike against such massive enemy then he would have no issue splitting apart the attack and wreaking havoc upon the enemy. Truly, though he was limited in the number of Spells he had, Bell's Sensei made the most of his weapons.

My eyes and many others traced where the attack had come from. In the most flagrant location possible, he was located at the very top of one of the Coliseum's sides. The battle will take place in the Coliseum and will not reach the stands or anywhere within the stands indeed. Planning against Hikigaya-sensei, as Bell said, was impossible. The man didn't care for tradition or common decency in the slightest. From his perch, where he could overlook the whole battle, he was striking with impunity by arcing his magic into the sky before sending it straight down. Given his immense reserves of magic and the very nature of his spells, he alone would have decided the battle completely with just his simple plan.

But that wasn't the case in the slightest.

The Level 5 gave a command to the cloaked individual she had been guarding. The giant of a woman hefted her massive war axe and received a bolt of lightning with a fierce roar. Her Magic Resistance was terrifying, but as she turned toward Hikigaya-sensei's location, I wondered how Bell's Sensei would be capable of taking on a Level 5 as brutish and powerful as her.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, a figure clad in green slammed into the giant woman's side, sending her stumbling. The very same figure leapt off in the same moment, striking with a staff of obsidian steel as she arced through the air and landed in a crouch that seamlessly turned into a kick to the knees. The Level 5 roared at the barrage of hits from the hooded and masked figure, but as she turned to attack, arrows slammed into her with such force that she was sent reeling.

Tracing the trajectory of the arrows, I could hardly believe my eyes as I watched an archer arc through the air amid the coils of lightning which Hikigaya had filled the air with. No more than a speck of black in the torrents of power that surged through the air, the archer used a massive bow of the same obsidian steel to launch thick bolts of metal that would tear through wooden buildings with ease. The moment they landed on the other side of the Coliseum's roof they leapt once again into the sky filled with lightning without a care in the world. A weapon hidden within another weapon. My mind boggled at the sight, at the sheer audacity of the move, but there was no denying the effectiveness of the masked figure's methods.

Then, a sword landed just a step ahead of my form that took my breath away.

Since I had lost Shinonome [1], I had restrained myself from using a sword of high quality. Equipment was entirely secondary to skill. Prowess, above all else, was the greatest strength of an Adventurer. I decided to follow a path similar to Bell and his fellow students'. I wanted to grow stronger and find a weapon that would benefit me rather than have a weapon that I would have to mold myself around. I familiarized myself with many different types of blades and weapons. Bell had a multitude of weapons that he trained with which he generously allowed me to borrow. Though I preferred the blade, what I truly wanted was to be able to use whatever weapons I came across so that I would not be without one.

However, I could not refuse to take up the incredible blade of obsidian steel that had been given to me by Bell's Sensei. There was no doubt in my mind that it was made of the Apocalyptic beast which I had faced mere weeks ago and that it was a silent nod of recognition from Hikigaya Hachiman of me as a follower of the way of the sword. Not only that, but looking about, I found all my allies taking up their new weapons and gifts.

Bell received a longsword, Arde a pair of gauntlets and greaves, Erisuis twin axes, and Nelly a claymore. Challia produced a slender ebony rapier from a sheathe while sporting a small smile.

How could I possibly refuse my own gift, the call for victory, when they have so gladly taken it themselves?

How could I not commit myself completely to save one of the few friends I had left?

Haruhime, even if you don't think you're worth saving, I will do so anyway.

…

[1] Made a mistake in the earlier chapter by calling her 1st sword Zansetsu. Shinonome is the correct name.