Atla exhaled powerfully and the sound of her breath resonated throughout the hall. The air around her rushed outward, as if a shockwave had erupted from her body. The opponents — Jaralis and the minotaur — must have sensed the incredible power accumulating within Atla, because they both gulped unwittingly. “Hmph! We are pureblood warriors! A pair of hakuko half-breeds could never defeat us! Let’s do this!” Jaralis roared. He pulled a pair of brass knuckles out of his back pocket, slipped them on, and rushed toward Atla and Fohl. The minotaur held his ground to the rear, waiting for an opening. “Atla!” Fohl shouted. He leapt forward to protect Atla, but Jaralis’s target appeared to have been Fohl from the beginning. The minotaur leapt over the both of them and swung his massive axe down at Atla. He looked like a heavyweight, but he was surprisingly quick! He’d sprung toward Atla at unbelievable speed, given his massive body. The sight of him flying through the air as he swung his axe was, in a word, astounding. “Too slow!” Atla scoffed. She dodged the axe by the breadth of a hair as it came flying at her and then used the force of its impact to launch herself high up into the air. “To think you would be able to dodge that . . . It looks like I might get to have a bit of fun, after all,” said the minotaur. He must have been one of those bellicose, muscles-for-brains types, because he grinned with excitement when he saw the way Atla moved. “I’ll leave her to you! This all-show-and-no-go hakuko half-breed is mine!” Jaralis roared. Oh wow, he called Fohl “all show and no go.” That wasn’t funny, considering the fact it was pretty much true. “Say what you like! I don’t plan on letting you beat me! I have to protect Atla, after all!” Fohl shouted. He ran toward Jaralis swinging, but Jaralis just grinned. “Ha! Do you really think I’d lose to someone with a swing like that?” he snarled. Jaralis moved so quickly that his afterimage seemed to linger behind. In a flash, he buried a fist deep into Fohl’s stomach.
“That was too easy! Your defense is weak, hakuko half-breed!” he roared. Without even giving him a chance to breathe, Jaralis unleashed a flurry of attacks on Fohl. “This miserable nothing is supposed to be one of the Shield Hero’s soldiers?! Don’t make me laugh!” he sneered. He kicked Fohl, delivered a powerful hook, and then followed up with a straight jab. After that . . . he cast a spell?! “Zweite Accel Boost!” Jaralis appeared behind Fohl almost instantaneously, as if he had teleported. He then clenched his hands together and smashed them into the ground. There was a loud rumble as a tremor shot forth, shaking the earth below. To be able to deliver such a barrage of attacks in mere moments . . . I’d heard that Siltvelt was a militant country. It wasn’t hard to believe after seeing such combat prowess. I wondered if Fohl would be alright. “Hmph. Finished already? How boring!” Jaralis growled. “Raahhhhh!” bellowed the minotaur. I looked over toward Atla just in time to catch a glimpse of the instant the minotaur swiped his axe at her. He must have used the axe version of a Hadouken or something, because the pillar behind Atla split in two. “Jaralis, you better not try to interfere!” the minotaur shouted facetiously while grinning. “I’m afraid I can’t let you have all the fun this time. This duel is sacred. That hakuko half-breed disgraced me, and for that I’ll make her pay,” Jaralis replied. “Oh really? I don’t mind fighting you both by myself, but it’s a bit early for you to assume that you’ve defeated my brother,” Atla said. She dodged the minotaur’s swing and attempted to close in on him in one fluid motion, but his guard was tight. He deflected her attack with his axe and then used it to repel her, tossing her into the air. “I’ve fought people like you before. I know taking any of your attacks head-on would have dire consequences. I can see why the Shield Hero chose you,” the minotaur said. “Oh? Should I parry that comment too, then? Gosh, I never expected this to be so difficult,” Atla taunted.
“You seem to be convinced you’ve won, Jaralis. You better keep your eyes on your own opponent,” the minotaur said. “Hmph! You warrior types are too serious. Look at this! My victory is already —” Jaralis had grabbed Fohl by the leg and lifted him up into the air as if he were about to finish him. But Fohl kicked Jaralis’s hand away with his other foot, landed on his hands, and sprung backward away from Jaralis in one swift movement. “You’re quick, but you hit like a girl. Actually, you make yourself seem quick, but you’re really not all that fast,” Jaralis taunted. Fohl brushed himself off, faced Jaralis, and readied himself to fight again. “What did you say?!” he shouted. “Oh? You’re pretty tough after all, Brother,” Atla said. “This is nothing compared to my training back at the village. I hope you’re not going to tell me those attacks were you being serious,” Fohl taunted Jaralis. Jaralis snarled and his aura grew even more threatening than before. I guess that meant he had been holding back. His attacks had been slow enough that I was able to follow them easily, after all. Raphtalia or Filo would’ve had no problem dodging and counterattacking. Now that Fohl mentioned it, I remembered that he’d not only been training daily, but he also had to do battle with Atla every night. “Tough” might have been an appropriate description, after all. Maybe he’d purposely taken the attacks to get an idea of his opponent’s strength. “Why would I fight seriously against a hakuko half-breed? Don’t insult me,” Jaralis replied. “Nothing is more insulting than not taking an opponent seriously!” Fohl shouted angrily. His eyes were ablaze. “Have you ever even been on a real battlefield before? It’s not a place for aristocrats to play tough,” Fohl codded. Jaralis let out an angry roar. “You mouthy brat! You’ll regret that!” he thundered. The two of them went on bickering, but I turned my attention back to Atla and the minotaur. This duel was supposed to be a tag team battle, but it had just ended up being two one-on-one fights. Not that I actually cared either way.
“Here I come! Aiya!” Atla cried out. The minotaur bellowed out a battle cry and swung his axe down with all of his might! But the path of the axe mysteriously shifted sideways, and the blade fell just to the side of Atla. “Hmph . . .” “I wouldn’t get hit by an attack like that in a million years. If all you have is your superhuman strength, parrying is easy as pie!” Atla taunted. “This is getting interesting! Then how about this?!” the minotaur shouted. He gripped his axe with both hands and held it out directly in front of himself. He then took a wide stance and closed his eyes. Huh? What was he doing? The axe started to glow faintly. “Do not underestimate pure strength. Your little tricks won’t work if the strength is so great that it cannot be parried,” he said. “Impressive. Attacking is everything to you. I admire that. In that case, I won’t hold back. I’ll divert anything you can throw at me!” Atla replied. “You better not think that strength is all I have!” The minotaur bellowed out another long, ear-piercing war cry. Strange patterns suddenly appeared on the surface of his body and his muscles began to bulge. But was that war cry really necessary? It lasted so long that I zoned out for a second there. “Th-that’s . . .” Raphtalia muttered. She was at a loss for words. “Did something happen?” I asked. “It’s not quite the same as the Muso Activation technique, but it’s similar to Filo’s toned-down version of haikuikku. He’s increasing his stats by circulating magic power throughout his body,” she explained. Hmph, I guess he really was a legendary warrior. “Oh? That’s interesting. Let me give that a try,” Atla said. And just like that, something like magic power began to accumulate around Atla. I could sense it thanks to my training with the Way of the Dragon Vein. “Just as I suspected, you must be a prodigy. Here I come!” shouted the minotaur. Atla exhaled powerfully and the sound of her breath filled the hall. The minotaur was fast! Seeing a body of that size move so quickly reminded me of Filo fighting in her filolial queen form.
“Wooow, they’re both so quiiick,” Filo said. She was able to follow their movements with her eyes. I guess that wasn’t surprising, considering that she could move like that too. “Let’s see you take this! Crushing Bull!” The minotaur planted his feet down firmly and swung his axe down toward Atla. “Indeed, it would be the end of me if that attack landed. But I’m not going to just stand here,” Atla replied. She hopped to the side with a light step and anticipated the path of the axe, delivering a swift kick to the blade from the side as it came crashing down. In one fluid motion, she followed up with strikes using her elbow, heel, and fist before delivering one final thrusting jab. There was a loud bursting sound, and something like magic power exploded out of the axe and dispersed. “Hmph! To think such an evasion would be possible!” snarled the minotaur. “I drew out the power you concentrated in the blade and used it to counter the power of your swing. It’s a technique I often use to divert my rival’s attacks,” Atla replied. The minotaur gave a slightly irritated grunt. “Making such an indiscreet show of life force is just asking for it to be repelled. You need to either wait until the moment before impact to channel the life force in or just make it so concentrated that it is undetectable. You’ll never land the attack otherwise,” she continued. I glanced over at Raphtalia without saying anything. “She’s right. That’s the least you have to do to make it through Atla’s defense,” she said. In other words, Atla had no problem thwarting the minotaur’s finishing move, thanks to having sparred with Raphtalia. I guess that meant their sparring was at least as intense as this fight was. Hmm, it sure was inconvenient not being able to see life force. I wanted to learn how already, but I just couldn’t seem to catch a break. Then again, I had a feeling I was starting to be able to see it lately. “I see! You mean like this!” the minotaur shouted with excitement. Just as Atla suggested, he swung his axe across and power erupted out of the blade at the very last second, just before impact.
“You need practice! Now it’s my turn!” she said. Having crouched down to dodge the minotaur’s attack, Atla delivered a swift jab to his stomach, arm, and finally his back after passing under his arm and circling around him. Immediately after, a loud splitting sound rang out. “Urg . . . gah! Not a bad attack for such a frail little body . . .” The minotaur swallowed the blood that had filled his mouth and flashed a feisty grin at Atla. “Oh? It would seem you are far tougher than I expected,” she said. “It’s been a long time since I last fought someone who stirred my blood this much. This is starting to get fun. The effortless grace of your movements is unusual for a hakuko. I want more! Don’t let the fun stop yet!” the minotaur exclaimed. Atla’s opponent sure seemed to be enjoying their fight. “I don’t have time to spend all day fighting you, but I will admit that I’m enjoying this!” she said. “Then let’s do this!” he shouted before bellowing out another war cry. I don’t know if the minotaur used magic or what, but his horns suddenly grew longer and sharper. He crouched forward like he was about to charge and pointed his horns at Atla. “Oh my, that appears to be a savage attack, indeed. I’m guessing you will charge forward and then use that momentum to attack with your axe — a transfer of kinetic energy,” she said. “Well read, blind girl. I can confidently say that you are one of the most formidable fighters I know of, even within Siltvelt,” the minotaur replied. “You flatter me! I suppose I should go ahead and do something about that superhuman strength of yours,” she said. She stood on her tiptoes like a ballerina and held her hand out toward the minotaur. Atla sure was a lot flashier than Fohl when it came to fighting. I glanced over at Fohl. He was exchanging blows with Jaralis. Well, no. Actually, it was Fohl doing all of the swinging. It was a stark contrast to Atla’s defensive approach. That said, Jaralis was dodging all of his punches with some fancy footwork. On top of that, Jaralis must have been more tactically inclined than Fohl, because he was also using tools to his advantage. “Take this!” Jaralis shouted. “That again?!” Fohl moaned. Jaralis hurled a smoke bomb at the ground and smoke billowed up around Fohl. I really wished he would stop doing that, because it made the fight hard to see. Fohl seemed to understand the potential danger of such a thing, because he made his way out of the smoke immediately. But just as he did, Jaralis flung something that looked like metal spikes at him. Was he supposed to be some kind of ninja assassin or something? There were a bunch of similar weapons scattered around the area.
“You fight dirty! I thought this was supposed to be a barehanded fight!” Fohl shouted. “Dirty? I prefer to say I fight smart!” Jaralis replied. He pulled out a long sword that was covered in decorations and swung it at Fohl. It must have been hidden under his cloak all this time. “I never said anything about bare hands. Whatever happens, the victory goes to the last man standing,” he said. I guess we hadn’t really set any rules regarding finer details. And Atla’s opponent was using an axe too. There were no rules against weapons. Regardless, I still didn’t like how he’d started out unarmed and then suddenly began using concealed weapons later on. Did he think he could just weasel out of things if I objected? “What happened to all of that confidence?!” Jaralis taunted after cutting into Fohl’s arm with the sword he’d been hiding. “Ugh!” Fohl groaned. After being attacked, he looked at the wound on his arm and then held a hand to his forehead like he’d become dizzy. “How underhanded can you get?” he muttered. “Were you not listening? Winning is all that matters!” Jaralis roared. “You fool. You have no concept of honor in battle. You’ll never know true strength!” Fohl shouted. It looked like he might pass out for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and glared at Jaralis, standing as steady as if nothing had happened. “What?” Jaralis muttered. “I don’t know what poison you used, but it will take more than that to defeat me!” Fohl exclaimed. Oh! He sounded like a real tough guy now. Out of curiosity, I took a look at Fohl’s stats. I should have been able to tell if he’d ingested any poisons, but nothing looked out of the ordinary. I guess that meant he’d already nullified it.
“Just as expected of a hakuko,” the old genmu whispered. Fohl was growing tougher by the day, thanks to Atla. Practicing with her was supposed to help me awaken some kind of latent strength, but it almost felt like he’d beat me to it. “Hmph! You sure talk big for someone who can barely stand!” Jaralis roared. “I’ve had enough of your dirty attacks!” Fohl shouted. He blocked Jaralis’s swing and snapped his sword in half before slugging him in the face. “Gah!” Blood poured out of Jaralis’s nose. He grabbed his face and groaned in pain. “Ugh . . . How dare you . . . How dare you leave a mark on my face! You’re nothing but a pathetic hakuko half-breed!” Jaralis roared. This guy reminded me of someone—his hubristic way of speaking. Who was it? I knew it was someone I hadn’t interacted with much. I just remembered he had an overbearing sense of pride and managed to present himself as well-mannered while still being insolent. If you paid careful attention, it became clear he was a selfish megalomaniac. And then it came to me! Jaralis gave off the same vibes as Armor, one of Itsuki’s old party members. I was glad I figured that out, because it would have bothered me forever. “Umm, Mr. Naofumi? What are you thinking about? It’s something that has absolutely nothing to do with the duel, isn’t it?” Raphtalia asked. “Huh? No, not really,” I replied. I brushed her question off, satisfied with my revelation. It made total sense. Jaralis was a megalomaniac who was trying to take advantage of a hero. Just like Armor. And he was arrogant as hell! “‘Half-breed! Half-breed!’ You’re so annoying! Are your dirty tactics supposed to be noble, then?!” Fohl trounced. “Ugh! You never stop! The way you constantly insult me reminds me of your father!” Jaralis replied. “I was wondering when you would mention my father. You told me to ask with my fists, but your fists tell me nothing of him. I was just thinking how disappointing it was,” Fohl said. “Bah! The man was disowned by his parents and left his own country, and he still seemed to know everyone! Just thinking about him pisses me off!” Jaralis growled.
Was he jealous? Something seemed fishy here. “Yeah, I talked to a hakuko who knew my father earlier this morning. He told me that you fought in the same war that my father died in,” Fohl said. I turned to the hakuko who was standing behind the old genmu. “What’s the story behind that?” I asked. The old genmu replied, “That hakuko boy’s father was most likely the son of Tyron, a man who once ruled over Siltvelt with his extraordinary charisma. Tyron’s son was a brave man, but he disliked war and his relationship with Tyron suffered for it.” I could’ve guessed that much. What I was interested in was what came after that. I seemed to remember something about him getting engaged to Trash’s younger sister. “One day, Tyron’s son was in Melromarc attempting to finalize a peace treaty. I didn’t know this until later, but he was set up by someone in Melromarc. They murdered the members of the pacifist faction he was meeting with and then shifted the blame onto Tyron’s son,” he continued.
“Oh?” “After that, Tyron’s son went missing. That is until the country, where he was hiding, got mixed up in a war. When his true identity was discovered, he was forced to go to war as a soldier for one of Siltvelt’s allies. That is most likely where he came to know Jaralis,” the genmu explained. Hmm . . . Having seen how that lion-bastard fought, I could imagine what might have gone wrong when the two met. Fohl’s father was a brave, valiant man. Jaralis liked to fight dirty and probably loved making surprise attacks. “Come on, spit it out! Tell me about my father’s final moments!” Fohl demanded. “Hmph! He charged straight at the enemy like a fool and died in battle, of course! The fool was vastly outnumbered and couldn’t even defeat a single enemy!” Jaralis snorted. “Lies! There’s no way my father was that weak! He was a kind man, but he bravely stood his ground when it came to battle!” Fohl exclaimed. I wondered just what kind of father he’d really been. “He enjoyed reading books when he was a child. His natural talents surpassed even those of Tyron’s, but he did everything he could to avoid fighting. Even so, he was no less impressive than his father when he did decide to fight,” said the old genmu.
“So he was more of a Mr. Nice Guy?” I asked. The old genmu nodded. I hadn’t actually expected Mr. Nice Guy to translate. Anyway, that made sense. So he was willing to fight when necessary but tended to be mild-mannered otherwise. I was totally imagining him as a character from an anime show, manga, or some game. That type was so cliché. “Kind of like Master when he’s coddling Raph-chan?” Filo asked. “You might be on to something. Mr. Naofumi doesn’t go easy on his enemies, but considering the way he looks after everyone, they do seem pretty similar,” Raphtalia said. “You’re wrong!” I snapped. I was a tyrant. I was no Mr. Nice Guy. And to be honest, before I came to this world I was just some frivolous otaku! What were they thinking?! We went on talking and Fohl took another swing at Jaralis. Determined not to lose, Jaralis pulled a collapsible spear out from behind his back and attempted to counterattack with it while dodging Fohl’s fierce swing. The head of the spear suddenly detached and shot straight toward Fohl’s face. But Fohl must have anticipated the attack, because he tilted his head to the side and dodged it. “Ha! Did you really think an attack like that would work? The mercenaries in Zeltoble are a lot dirtier than that!” he exclaimed. Well, yeah, Zeltoble was basically a huge collection of cowards, after all. “You say you were comrades in arms? Sacrilege! Whatever the truth may be, I don’t trust a word that comes out of your mouth!” Fohl continued. “What?! You dare attempt to disgrace me?! A pathetic half-breed like you!? You’ve gone too far!” Jaralis roared. “No way . . .” mumbled Werner. He must have known something I didn’t, because he looked horrified. But that didn’t concern me at the moment. The lion’s roar filled the hall. I thought the lion was supposed to be the king of the savanna. Were they really such dastardly creatures? Well, I guess this was a different world. And this bastard was just a therianthrope. He probably thought nothing was off limits as long as he won. On the contrary, this fight was making Fohl look better. He’d been on the verge of being declared the weakest of us all.
“Stop screwing around! Help me finish this bastard already!” Jaralis shouted at the minotaur. He ordered the minotaur to help defeat Fohl, but the minotaur was completely absorbed in his fight with Atla and wasn’t listening. “I’ve never seen someone dodge like that. Trying to hit you is like batting at a feather dancing in the wind — so difficult!” the minotaur said. Every time the minotaur attacked, Atla would divert the attack with her bare hands and then go spinning around. He was marveling at the way she maneuvered to divert each and every one, no matter how skillfully the attack had been executed. I would’ve expected him to be overcome with rage and go into a swinging frenzy, but he seemed to be more of the “intellectual warrior” type . H e remained calm and level-headed during battle. It was clear he was a formidable fighter. “Then how about this?!” he shouted. With a loud clunk, his axe split right down the middle, transforming it into two single-handed battle axes. He swung the axes at Atla from both sides in an attempt to sandwich her so that she couldn’t divert the attack. “That can be diverted like this,” Atla replied. As the axes came barreling at her from both sides, she placed a hand on each one and then leapt up into the air as gracefully as if she were dancing. With a determined shout, the minotaur altered the path of the axes in an attempt to crush her from above and below. But Atla carefully placed her hand on the blade of the top axe and pulled herself up over it in one swift, flowing movement. “You’re not getting away!” the minotaur bellowed. “Indeed. Because now I have you right where I want you,” she replied. The minotaur thrust his horns at Atla and she gave him a light jab right between the eyes. “What?!” he exclaimed. “You finally left yourself open. Now then, I wonder how much stamina you have left after all that. As for me, I’ve just been hopping around and diverting your attacks,” Atla said. Atla landed on the ground and closed in on the minotaur in a flash before unleashing a barrage of jabs into his chest. “Ugh! Gah! Argh! I’m not done with you!” the minotaur bellowed. Despite being bent over backward and falling toward the floor, he caught himself and returned to an upright position, but his axes slipped out of his hands and fell to the floor.
“You won’t be able to use your strength for a while. I sealed it off with those jabs,” Atla said. “I’m still not going to let you win!” he shouted. The same magic power that he’d channeled into his axe when he swung it earlier suddenly began erupting from every inch of his body. “Like a true legendary warrior, you never give up,” Atla said. “Your lofty sense of composure reminds me of that man’s spirit. Ha! I love it!” the minotaur exclaimed. The two of them were really getting into the duel. In the meanwhile, Jaralis was still yelling at the minotaur to focus his attacks on Fohl. “Ugh! Why am I surrounded by barbarians?! Do you not understand the concept of strategy in a battle?!” Jaralis growled. “Strategy? Ha! Don’t make me laugh,” I said with a chuckle. Jaralis glared at me. “That’s not strategy. That’s you begging for help because you’re on the verge of losing. The way you’re fighting is far too sloppy to be called strategy,” I continued. Even if the minotaur had been listening, what was Jaralis planning on doing about Atla? It’s not like she was going to just stand there quietly and watch the two of them finish Fohl off. Well, I guess it was possible in Atla’s case. But either way, there would have undoubtedly been consequences. “You use a bunch of concealed weapons and surprise attacks, and then you go begging your friend for help when you’re about to lose. I can just imagine you blaming it all on him when you lose the duel too. Sorry, but I’m not going to let you do that. I’ll use my authority as the Shield Hero to make sure he’s protected,” I said. “Ugh . . .” Oh! Nice! I liked the way that made him look at me. He acted like propriety was so important, but he was really just a greedy bastard. Frankly speaking, I hated his type. That’s why pissing him off felt so good. The slave traders were scum too, but this guy was a different kind of scum. I could tell he despised me deep down. In fact, he made the slave traders seem like good guys, since you could never actually tell what they were thinking. “Jaralis, was it? It only makes sense that you’d take full responsibility, right? There’s no way in hell I’m going to let you off the hook,” I said. “Umm, Mr. Naofumi, why do you look like you’re enjoying this so much?” Raphtalia asked.
“Huh? Because he’s probably the one behind all of this. If things work out, I plan on using any means necessary to make him confess, whether that be torture, drugs, or whatever,” I replied. “I can’t believe you just openly admitted something so extreme. Even I wasn’t expecting that,” Sadeena said. “Hm?” Filo asked. “Hey, Filo, if that guy tells any more lies, feel free to force the truth out of him,” I told her. “Okaaaay, I will!” she replied. “I’m pretty sure I can make a truth serum with my shield. I never had a reason to before now. Maybe I’ll make an absurdly powerful one and try it out on him,” I said. We’d almost been poisoned, after all. Surely it would be okay to use a truth serum on the prime suspect. “Or maybe we should see if you can outdrink me. I’ll even give you a handicap. I mean, we’ll be competing using rucolu fruits, so it probably won’t help,” I continued. The Siltvelt leaders all gasped and covered their mouths with their hands. The thought of eating a rucolu fruit seemed bizarre to them. “Oh my! I want to play too!” Sadeena exclaimed. “Oh yeah, you were telling me all about rucolu fruit before, weren’t you?” I replied. She’d mentioned that the fruit was sometimes used to assassinate people. It could induce acute alcohol poisoning. “That sounds good, right? You get the privilege of drinking with a hero. Even if you get drunk and end up dead, you’ll be dying happy, right?” I continued. Everything he said was a lie. He was just a piece of scum dragging this country down. Nothing bad could come from getting rid of him. “Regardless, you can’t seriously think I’m going to let you off the hook after you lose. Don’t underestimate the heroes,” I said. “Get over yourself, otherworlder!” Jaralis roared. His eyes were burning with rage. I guess he was finally going to show his true colors. I’d barely had to bait him at all—setting him off had been a breeze. But seriously, I’d just gotten tired of hearing his excuses. “Fohl, hurry up and finish him off. Atla is enjoying her fight too much.
She’s just going to keep going forever if you don’t stop her,” I said. “You don’t have to tell me that! I’m done playing games!” Fohl snapped. Fohl crouched down low, held his hands out, and pressed his palms together. What was that? It looked like a pose a character in a fighting game might make before using a really impressive finishing move. Or maybe a special move that belonged to some Super Vegeta . . . ble Man. Either of those would’ve been fine, as long as his hair didn’t turn all spiky and blonde. That would have been unacceptable. “Hengen Muso Fist Technique . . .” Fohl said quietly. I could tell he was concentrating hard. I saw something appear between his hands before he gripped them tightly to form fists. Did that mean nothing was going to shoot out of them? “Why are you looking at Fohl with a disappointed look on your face, Mr. Naofumi?” Raphtalia asked. “It’s just that I expected him to shoot something out of his hands after making a pose like that. I mean, even Melty holds her hands out in front of her when she fires off magic and stuff, right?” I replied. “I think I understand what you’re trying to say, but I have a feeling you’re imagining something different than we would,” she said. No I wasn’t. I just wanted to see some kind of super-secret move is all. “Fist of the Tiger Slayer!” Fohl shouted. He dashed toward Jaralis and smashed his fist right through the spear in Jaralis’s hands and into his stomach. I hadn’t expected him to land a clean hit that easily. “Gaaaahhhhh!” Fohl’s powerful punch sent Jaralis flying through the air and into the wall, which cracked when his body smashed into it. He’d flown right between Atla and the minotaur while they were staring each other down, and they both turned their attention to him in surprise. “Hmph! That was too easy!” Fohl declared. He folded his arms confidently. I couldn’t tell if Jaralis had just been weak or if Fohl was actually strong. “Oh my, that was impressive,” said Sadeena. “I guess so,” I replied. “Atla! I’m coming to help!” Fohl shouted. “That won’t be necessary. It is I who must fight this battle,” she replied.
“Hmph . . . I don’t mind! Bring it on!” the minotaur exclaimed. “Atla!” Fohl whined. “You’re in the way, Brother!” she shouted. Atla gave Fohl a sharp jab to the chest when he ignored her and tried to interfere anyway. He gripped at his chest and fell to his knees. “Ugh . . .” “I guess that means Atla is the strongest one here,” I said. Fohl appearing strong must have been an illusion. But seriously, Atla! What happened to showing the people of Siltvelt her pride and dignity as a retainer of the Shield Hero? “Alright then, here I come! This ends here!” the minotaur bellowed. “So it shall!” Atla replied. The minotaur fused the two battle axes back into a single axe and held it behind him like he was going to drag it along the ground. “That again? Techniques are far less exciting once they’ve already been used,” she said. “This one is different. You’ll see when it hits you,” he replied. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m going to see through this one too.” “Ha! This was fun, heiress of Tyron!” “D-don’t tell me . . . Shield Hero, we are in danger here!” Werner warned me. “We’re fine. Who do you think I am?” I replied. I was the Shield Hero. My worth as a hero would be questionable if I couldn’t withstand an attack or two. And if there was an enemy capable of delivering an attack I couldn’t withstand, it would probably be in everyone’s best interest if I stuck around and made sure the enemy went down with me. “I’ll catch any stray bullets that come our way. That’ll make things simple if that’s all it takes to prove I’m the Shield Hero,” I continued. The minotaur went charging forward, and the floor below his feet cracked and crumbled with each step. Atla dashed straight at him. The minotaur bellowed out an earth-shaking battle cry and a swirling mass of magic power poured out of his mouth and took on the form of a bull. It was an incredible sight. Even if it was me trying to block that attack head-on, the impact probably would’ve sent me and my shield flying. Not that I planned on ever being careless enough to have to take such an attack head-on. “Stampede of the Iron Bull!”
The minotaur lifted his axe high into the air and then hurled it toward Atla. The axe took on the form of a bull and went flying at her. “Oh my, that is indeed a potent and fearsome attack. Such an arcane technique is certainly worthy of praise,” Atla said. And yet she looked completely relaxed. The attack charged straight at her in the form of a raging bull. Atla leapt straight at the bull and jabbed her finger right between its eyes. With another thundering battle cry, the minotaur went charging after, as if to fuse with the raging bull made of magic power. Atla exhaled powerfully and a loud hiss reverberated throughout the hall. “Haaa!” she cried out. She switched from using a single finger, to her whole hand, and then to both hands to stop the raging bull in its tracks. I had a feeling I could see something like concentrated life energy emanating from her hands. “I shall take the liberty of attacking as well. This is my imitation of the Hengen Muso technique Point of Focus—no, make that Orb of Focus!” she exclaimed. Atla held the raging bull in place with one hand and began to form a small orb of light in her other hand. It grew for several seconds before she injected it into the bull’s body at the point between his eyes. The minotaur began to howl but then stopped suddenly. “Urgah?!” Despite the fact that we were watching from relatively far away, we could see the small orb of light make its way through the raging bull’s body toward the heart, where it then burst. The magic power that had taken on the form of the raging bull shattered and dissipated, revealing the minotaur once again. He was standing there motionless with Atla’s finger resting on the point between his eyes. “Superb. Your softness, rather than hardness, distinguishes you from Tyron. But you are clearly the reincarnation of his spirit,” the minotaur said. “Coming from you, there could be no higher praise. I accept your words with gratitude,” Atla replied. “I wish I could say I look forward to meeting you on the battlefield again . . . some . . . day.” The moment he finished his sentence, the minotaur collapsed onto the floor with a loud thud. Atla didn’t seem to have taken much damage at all. That didn’t make the minotaur seem very strong, but maybe I was mistaken.
“Hey, Sadeena. How strong was that guy Atla just fought?” I asked. “Hmm . . . Strong enough that I’m not sure I could have beaten him without your hero stat boosts,” she replied. Using herself as the standard didn’t make things any clearer. I guess it was my fault for asking her. Regardless, putting it that way must have meant he was pretty powerful. “He had not only power, but also speed. His fighting style was creative and daring. And each of those aspects was of the finest caliber. I can confidently say that he was a one-of-a-kind warrior,” Atla said proudly. I looked over at Werner and the genmu and they nodded in agreement. “He was considered one of the most powerful warriors in Siltvelt, second only to the Claw Hero. Practically speaking, that places anyone that could defeat him among the most elite of warriors,” Werner said. “Half-breed or not, that girl’s hakuko spirit could be no purer. There is no truer embodiment of a warrior of Siltvelt than her. That is a fact,” added the genmu proudly. “I hate to admit it, but you’re right. She is worthy of being considered a hakuko and a member of one of Siltvelt’s four elite races. As a retainer, though, I still have doubts about her strength, among other things,” Werner said. “A hakuko? That is irrelevant. I simply did my duty as Mr. Naofumi’s retainer. Whether or not I have human blood running through my veins is of no consequence,” Atla replied. “Oh? Well, that’s fine too. We can decide who will stand at the lead of Siltvelt’s four elite races at a later date. What is important now is pledging our loyalty to the Shield Hero. Nothing more,” Werner said. “I’m not sure I agree with any of you,” I mumbled. I just couldn’t wrap my head around the way they did things in this country. But regardless, this meant that we would finally be able to get that ship to Q’ten Lo and— “Not yet . . . I’m not done . . . yet . . . I haven’t lost yet . . .” Battered and bloody, Jaralis mumbled defiantly as he crawled to his feet.
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