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Chapter 21 - Kyrie’s Weapons
"Strongest spear master in Stige...?"
Stige, that's the leader's homeland, and I was fighting its strongest spear master. I should have investigated more about him.
"...I've said too much. Let's wrap this up."
Now, what should I do? It's still winter, but it's been sunny lately, melting all the snow away. There's hardly any left even in the forest. The only weapon I had at hand were the contents of the bamboo flask. But there's no time for more thoughts. He kept launching consecutive thrusts. I couldn't run away, and could only keep defending. He's so fast that I saw multiple spears.
"Ouch... Guuu...!"
Since I could only guard my vital points, my arms and legs were left bare. Fortunately, perhaps due to the emphasis on speed in his attacks, their power and precision weren't that impressive, but still, small wounds kept appearing on my limbs.
"You're quite resilient... However..."
Cain-san's sharp gaze was directed at my forehead. He intended to deal the finishing blow with the next strike.
"It's over!"
In an instant, he twisted his body and thrust forward with full force. It's the same as before, a powerful strike with gathered momentum. If I didn't do anything, the spear would pierce through my head. But...
"This...!"
I could see the trajectory. If I know where he's aiming, even with a speed that seemed impossible to react to, I could respond. With my sense of time slowed down, I managed to entangle the jagged edge of Swordbreaker with the tip of his spear. I stopped his attack. Then, I grabbed the hilt and the tip, and spun around.
Crack!!
"I broke it!"
The tip of the spear snapped. I did it, I defeated Cain-san--
Thud!
"Huh--"
The opposite end of the spear plunged deeply into my abdomen. I felt my organs being squeezed, and blood spurted out of my mouth.
"Goboh...!"
"Let’s just say I am little surprised. Hmph!"
Following that, I was struck on the head with a side blow and sent flying. While I'm rolling on the ground, Cain-san took out a spare spearhead and replaced the broken one.
"Geho, geho, uwoe..."
My head hurts, my abdomen hurts, and I felt dizzy. Was I done for? If my swordbreaker didn't work, then...
(...My weapon...)
No, the swordbreaker wasn't my weapon, it's only for my defense. My real weapon was my power. To defeat Cain-san, I had to use the power [Boil].
(But how? I don't have an opportunity to grasp him, and even if I pour hot water from the flask, it'll only be slightly hot. There's no snow, and there's no other water...)
I thought about it a moment, and it struck me. There's water, a certain kind of water. It's there. Before Cain-san arrived, I looked around and searched.
(...There it is!)
I found it in the brown forest where the leaves had fallen. I ran straight towards it. Honestly, my head was pounding and I felt nauseous, but there was no time for that. I stopped caring about the Resistance's plan or whatever. Right now, I simply wanted to survive. I couldn't die until I turned Brutogyu's face into stew.
"Realizing that you’re no match, are you trying to escape? It's futile, I won't let you."
Alright, he's following. I just need to reach that tree before he caught me...
"Unn!!"
He caught up! I dodged his thrust by leaping to the side and kept running. Another thrust came. I hid behind a nearby tree's shadow and used the trunk as a shield. Then I quickly dashed into the undergrowth.
"After a chase, is it hide-and-seek now? But I told you, I won't let you escape."
Him mistakenly thinking that I was running away was a very convenient situation for me. If he didn't chase me all the way here, I would have been in trouble.
I followed the undergrowth and the shadows of the trees, and somehow managed to reach the tree I was aiming all along. I then leaned my back against it and made it look like I was hiding.
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"So, you think you're hiding? It's quite pitiful. I wonder what that kid Balge taught you."
"...Hey, what's your relationship with the leader? Why did you betray us? Please, tell me that much before the end."
"...Alright, I'll tell you. It seems you can't go to the other side while wondering in the dark."
The end he's talking about wasn't my end.
He slowly approached me, and began speaking, "I was a knight serving the noble Littner family in Stige."
"Littner family... The leaders were nobles, huh..."
"Yeah. I used to teach martial arts to Balge every day along with Gilius... until this country started attacking, that is."
And so, Cain-san told me about the past. They lost the war, their homeland was destroyed, and Cain-san's wife and daughter were taken away. Recently, he found out about the whereabouts of the two.
His wife was forced to become one of Brutogyu's many concubines, and his daughter became the first prince's... It was all against their will. Upon learning this, Cain-san begged for them to be returned to him.
"I was used in return. They wanted me to be useful to the kingdom."
"...How much of the information you leaked is there?"
"I only knew about the plans within the scope I was informed of. I couldn't sell out the names of the members, of course. I couldn't do that."
"I see. But, what about Gilius' rebellion plan this time? You're going to talk about it, right?"
"Yeah, I'll talk. If a rebellion were to happen, who knows what would happen to my wife and daughter."
"Unfortunate, then I guess I have to kill you after all."
"Yeah, that's right. Let's end this, Hero."
After the long conversation, Cain-san stood on the other side of the tree, opposite to me. That's right, he's using a spear. He's going to thrust it straight towards me, along with the tree.
"I agree, it's over."
I poured magic into my hand that touched the tree. The moisture inside the tree instantly boiled, causing an explosion, and then...
Zudododododododo!
"Ga... What...?!"
The shattered fragments of the tree, sharp splinters, pierced Cain-san's body and tore him to pieces. Taking advantage of his momentary hesitation, I struck him again. Since the base was significantly gouged, the balance of the tree was disrupted.
Creak, zzz...
The tree collapsed toward Cain-san, burying him beneath it. I wasn’t able to crush his entire body, but I succeeded in completely crushing his lower body. He wouldn't be able to move anymore.
"I can't believe it, so this is the power of [Boil]..."
"Yeah, that's right. This tree, even though it's winter, it still has green leaves in the withered forest."
It's an evergreen tree. Kenny-jii-san taught me that. A tree that didn't shed its leaves all year round, and was continuously absorbing water. Unlike trees that shed their leaves, it would have plenty of moisture in its trunk even in winter.
"That’s why I led you here."
Clank...
The spear slipped from Cain-san's hand. With such severe injuries all over his body, he wouldn't last much longer.
...I didn't want to make him suffer any more than this.
"Excellent... Maybe, with you... with you around, perhaps..."
"Is there anything you want to say before you go?"
"Yeah... My wife... and my daughter..."
"I'll definitely save them. So rest assured and go."
I couldn't guarantee it; my words were just to console him. I sent magic into his heart, boiling and bursting it. With a jerk, Cain-san stopped moving. Looking at his dead face, I saw that it was different from those I'd killed so far, somehow his face looked a little peaceful.
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