Chapter 0743 The Reason for the Defeat
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"Impossible… We sent a force of twenty thousand, twenty percent of the regular army. How…? Don't tell me those people from the Western Countries betrayed us?"
"No. The military forces of the Western Countries Federation were annihilated as well. We have also received word that the Federation's Head is missing."
The reporter shook his head in answer to Crown Prince Zorn's question.
As far as Zorn remembered, the Western Countries Federation had sent around twenty thousand troops as well, just like the Eastern Countries.
In other words, a total of forty thousand regular troops had been annihilated by the oasis nation.
"Am I to believe something like that…?"
Whether he could believe it or not, he had to act.
His father, the Emir, who had made the country's policies, was not there.
More than that, he was in the enemy's hands!
"Gather the generals. We'll hold a war council."
"Yes, sir."
Within the Bardael Emirate, information about the army's annihilation and the Emir being taken prisoner was tightly controlled and not disclosed to the people.
As a result, the party from the Kingdom of Knightley staying there was also kept completely unaware…
The desert country of the Julban Kingdom, and its capital, Tantoga.
Tantoga was also the name of a gigantic oasis that had existed since ancient times.
Several centuries had passed since a city named Tantoga was built there and people began settling there.
Compared to the two great nations on the northern coast of the Dark Continent, the Eastern Countries and the Western Countries Federation, the Julban Kingdom was a weak nation, but it nevertheless maintained the appearance of a country.
Correction, it had maintained it.
Until certain people seized control.
Those people were now occupying the royal palace in the city of Tantoga.
They were occupying it, but in truth, they were doing nothing at all.
The people who had been involved in governing the country until those people arrived continued to run the city's government almost exactly as before.
The people who had been conducting business in the city until those people arrived continued to conduct business in the city just as before.
Every member of the royal family of the Julban Kingdom had been killed in battle or driven into exile.
Everyone else remained as they were.
They had replaced the royal family… there could be no more fitting way to describe it.
They occupied the royal palace, occasionally training with swords in its courtyard.
All the administrative officials were asked to do was keep the country running as before.
And prepare three meals a day for them.
To put it in the simplest terms, that was all.
Lastly, they were to obey the central figure among them.
That person was to be addressed as 'Garwin-sama'.
The sound of fierce sword clashes echoed through the courtyard of the royal palace.
Two men were crossing swords.
It was a mock battle, but… it was so fierce that it could easily have been mistaken for a real battle.
Four people were watching it.
A man around sixty years old who was seated in a chair.
A beautiful woman in her prime standing behind him.
A man carrying fruit and drinks to the table… an attendant.
And a strongly built man in his mid-twenties… who was frowning.
The two men continued their fierce sword fight.
One was the Djinn Garwin.
The other was his follower, Oranj.
Oranj's sword was knocked away.
"Damn… I need more training. At this rate, I'll never beat Abel."
The words slipped from Oranj's mouth.
"Oranj, I've always wondered about this, but wasn't it the elf who defeated you, not Abel? Why is Abel your target?"
Garwin asked.
"Why, you ask…? Why is that, I wonder?"
"Huh?"
"I don't really get that feeling from that elf. You know, the feeling of really wanting to defeat her at all costs. Somehow, in my mind, the person I need to defeat is Abel."
"I don't understand what you mean."
"You always say, 'I'm definitely going to defeat Ryo!' yourself, Garwin-sama."
"Of course I do. I'm planning to set all kinds of traps for him and crush him the next time."
Garwin answered Oranj's words with a hearty laugh.
But Oranj apparently did not like what Garwin had said.
He frowned.
"Setting traps… isn't that cowardly?"
"Cowardly? What do you mean, 'cowardly'?"
"Shouldn't you defeat your opponent fairly and squarely, face-to-face…"
"Calling it cowardly is nothing more than the barking of a loser."
"Ugh…"
Oranj, Garwin's follower, visibly recoiled from his words.
"He's an opponent that strong. No matter how you fight him, it will be fun. But I don't like losing. At my core, I simply cannot accept losing. Now that I've lost once, I must win next time, no matter what. I'll use any means necessary to win. If he begs for mercy at that point, I might spare his life and allow him to make a comeback."
"What a cruel monster…"
The words slipped out of Oranj's mouth before he could stop them.
Garwin glared at Oranj and opened his mouth.
"Oranj, are you really my follower?"
"Are you really my master, Garwin-sama…?"
"You are pretty rebellious."
"Because you don't treat your followers well."
"You insist on defeating your opponent head-on."
"Always resorting to underhanded methods seems a bit much."
Garwin and Oranj… even as they traded insults, they continued crossing swords.
Watching them from farther away was another of Garwin's followers, Isolda.
"However you look at it, they're obviously master and follower."
She muttered, shaking her head.
After a while.
"Wait, Oranj."
Garwin suddenly stopped the sword fight.
"I received a transmission from Juke."
As Garwin said this, he looked up at the sky.
Oranj shrugged, approached the table, and began drinking.
"Really, Juke?!"
Garwin's surprised, delighted voice rang out.
"Excellent work! Yes, yes, of course, that was a tremendous accomplishment! Oh, right, when we meet up, shall we drink human blood? It's your favorite after all. You did well!"
To anyone watching from the side, Garwin looked as though he were simply having a loud conversation with himself.
Watching him, Oranj spoke to Isolda beside him.
"Drinking human blood… isn't Juke more like a vampire?"
"Juke is that kind of follower, so there's nothing to be done about it. You don't drink alcohol either, despite that huge body of yours, do you? Every follower is different."
"'Despite that huge body of yours'… that's a weird thing to say."
"Because, no matter how you look at it, you don't look like a heavy drinker."
"I'm pretty sure that's called prejudice."
Oranj shook his head slightly as he voiced his dissatisfaction.
"Is it prejudice, Emir-san?"
"Well, I cannot say that I fully understand."
Isolda asked the man in his sixties who was sitting there alone.
"You're pretty uncooperative for a prisoner, Emir-san."
"Prisoners are generally uncooperative. They're being held against their will, after all."
Oranj shrugged at Isolda's words.
Yes, the man they called the 'Emir' was none other than Battuzon, Emir of the Bardael Emirate.
He was not tied up with rope or bound in chains.
But Battuzon understood.
There was no need for such measures because the followers before him, and the Djinn himself, possessed overwhelming power.
He had been shown that all too clearly on the battlefield.
There were others present besides the Djinn and his followers.
The man standing beside Battuzon, a man in his mid-twenties, was unquestionably human.
Even he, the human named Bazaar, was unbelievably strong.
He had originally ruled the underworld of this country, but after losing to the Djinn Garwin, he was said to have submitted to him.
The man constantly moving back and forth between the building and the table like an errand boy… a man named Bozun, Battuzon did not know much about.
He obeyed the Djinn and his followers completely.
It was obvious that he had not even the slightest intention of attempting a rebellion.
Having finished communicating with Juke, Garwin came over to the table with one of the most radiant smiles he had worn in a long time.
"Just as expected of Juke and Vim Lowe."
He muttered this to himself.
"Hm? Come to think of it, where's Vim Lowe?"
"Juke has taken over his body."
"…Huh?"
Oranj let out an incredulous sound at Isolda's words.
Oranj, Isolda, Juke, and Vim Lowe were the highest-ranking followers of the Djinn Garwin.
As the name 'Four Generals' suggested, there were four of them.
However, only Oranj and Isolda were present here.
As Juke had just contacted Garwin, he was infiltrating somewhere.
But what about Vim Lowe?
Juke had taken over his body?
"You saw it when we were in the Kingdom of Knightley, didn't you? Juke took over the body of the young duke, remember?"
"I know that… but that was because he was human, right? Juke always has that kind of role… What I mean is, can Juke take over the bodies of us followers too?"
"Of course. We're all originally followers of Garwin-sama, after all… If anything, wouldn't it be easier than taking over a human?"
"Ugh…"
Oranj made an unmistakably disgusted face at Isolda's explanation.
He wondered what Vim Lowe, whose body had been taken over, thought about it, but…
"Vim Lowe doesn't talk, so there'd be no way to hear what he thinks anyway."
Oranj gave up on the thought.
Their master was in a better mood than Oranj had seen him in for quite some time.
"Garwin-sama, what did Juke say?"
"Rejoice, you two. It seems Ryo and Abel were there."
"…What?"
Oranj and Isolda tilted their heads and voiced their confusion in unison at Garwin's words.
Purely because they did not understand what he meant.
"It seems that Ryo and Abel of that detestable Kingdom of Knightley are staying in Hosoina, the capital of the Bardael Emirate."
"You're serious…?"
Oranj finally understood.
He was surprised.
He was delighted.
He was ecstatic.
"Yes!"
Oranj thrust his fist into the air.
But then he immediately had one concern.
He had to get in first.
"Garwin-sama, Abel is my prey!"
"Huh?"
"I'll leave Ryo to you, Garwin-sama, but Abel is 'my' prey!"
Oranj stuck out his face as he insisted on the matter.
Oranj could hardly be called an obedient follower toward his master, Garwin, but he never asserted himself this stubbornly.
Oranj's obsession with Abel was extraordinarily strong.
Literally, it was the sort of obsession that might only appear once in a thousand years.
"…I know. Abel is yours."
"Thank you!"
Garwin accepted the forcefulness of Oranj's insistence.
In truth, the only one Garwin himself was fixated on was Ryo.
"But you are not permitted to lose. I will defeat Ryo, and Oranj will defeat Abel. Only when those two things have been accomplished can we say that we have overwhelmed the Kingdom of Knightley that Richard left behind."
"Of course. I will not lose."
A savage look appeared in Oranj's eyes.
He would face Abel head-on and defeat him fair and square.
But that did not mean he would be satisfied with merely having 'put up a good fight' or 'given it his all'.
Fight head-on and defeat him fair and square.
That was Oranj's wish, after all.
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Chapter 0744 Insufficient Information
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The Ruler's Court in Hosoina, capital of the Bardael Emirate.
The army had been defeated, and the Emir had been taken prisoner.
This was a matter that concerned the very survival of the country.
Meetings was held day after day to discuss what measures should be taken.
The decision was already made to send out an army.
The work of organizing it was also underway.
The problems were the size of the force, who would lead it, and gathering information on the enemy…
"The royal family was expelled from the Julban Kingdom? Why are we only getting that information now?"
"There were no particular proclamations, and apparently most of the people do not know about it."
"So even if the people at the top are simply replaced… it does not impact the common people?"
Crown Prince Zorn wore a lonely expression at the report.
They were desperately running the country.
Even though they devoted themselves to governing day and night to make the people happier and more prosperous… it did not reach the hearts of people who were busy with their daily lives.
Even though he knew it could not be helped, it was still a lonely fact.
"Then, what is the name of the new king?"
"We do not know for certain."
"We have not even obtained information like that, and our country sent an army to the battlefield… and on top of that, we brought Father into it."
Zorn grimaced at the generals' negligence in gathering information.
But he shook his head slightly.
It was wrong to blame the generals.
From the outset, everything about this war was strange.
A sudden war launched by a small country… against the two great powers on the northern coast, simultaneously.
And before that, the royal family had been replaced?
To top it all off, the enemy was said to number only a few hundred.
Those few hundred had defeated forty thousand soldiers combined from the Federation of Western Nations* and their own forces. (TLN: So as not to confuse the Eastern/Western bloc in the Dark Continent with the broader Eastern/Western Countries)
"What is happening?"
No one could answer Zorn's mutter.
As long as they knew nothing about the enemy, they could not move, nor should they.
They had to thoroughly gather information.
However… the situation would not wait for them.
A new report arrived.
"The Julban Kingdom's army has begun moving north."
"What?! What about Father?"
"It appears that the Emir has also been spotted among the army moving north."
"Are they planning to bar us from preparing?"
Zorn muttered bitterly.
It meant there was no time to gather information.
"We cannot let them reach Hosoina."
Zorn understood at least that much.
The enemy army would line up outside the city walls, with the captured Emir pushed to the front.
What would the people think if they saw that?
Their trust in the nation would collapse in an instant.
They would realize that the country did not even have the strength to take back its leader, who had been captured by the enemy.
Even if they repelled the enemy army by relying on the city walls, the people's trust, once lost, would not be restored so easily.
There would inevitably be those who took advantage of that.
Not only was the Julban Kingdom's behavior this time unknown, but the movements of the Western Nations were also unclear.
And there was no telling how things might develop within the Eastern Nations, either…
The Bardael Emirate was, after all, merely one of the countries that made up the Eastern Nations… Although it currently stood at the center, that did not guarantee it would remain at the center of the Eastern Nations forever.
"Do not let the enemy army reach Hosoina under any circumstances!"
Meanwhile, the Knightley Kingdom delegation continued their stay at the guesthouse.
"So they lost that battle after all. Apparently, a new army has set out."
"Apparently. The Julban Kingdom's army is said to be moving north."
"Does that mean they went out to fight so they would not have to turn this capital into a battlefield?"
"That must be it. When laying siege, city walls are certainly convenient for defense, but… they end up putting the people living in the city on the front line."
"I really hate war."
"Couldn't agree more."
Ryo sighed, and Abel agreed.
The two of them were the top two people in the Kingdom, the Premier Duke and the King.
And yet… no, precisely because of that, they did not like war.
Rather than making war, they would much rather lie sprawled lazily on a sofa reading a book, occasionally eating cake and drinking coffee… they preferred that by tens of thousands of times.
"I hear that Chief Battuzon, the Emir, has been taken prisoner by the enemy."
"Huh, really? The people in the city probably don't know about that, do they?"
"Of course they don't. It's top-secret information known only within the Ruler's Court."
"Information control as usual, huh? Governments everywhere are the same."
Ryo sighed.
"It can't be helped. I think Emir Battuzon is the central figure of the Bardael Emirate. If the people were told that he had been taken prisoner by the enemy army, the public unrest would be terrible."
"Is that so?"
"The day we arrived, the sea was in chaos too, wasn't it? If that happened just because the Emir went off to war…"
"Ah… I see. That might be true."
It was better for a country to have a central figure.
Clearly, a country was more stable when there was such a person.
No, to be precise, it was the hearts of the people that became stable.
A government, or things like a national flag or national anthem, could not take that person's place.
A study of history made that abundantly clear.
People probably demonstrated their greatest strength when they gathered around another person.
A very simple and easy-to-understand principle.
When people who did not understand that took positions at the core of an organization, the organization would collapse.
It did not matter whether it was a nation or a company.
That was because they fundamentally failed to grasp the obvious fact that people had emotions.
Trying to move people through reason and logic alone was never going to work…
"The Emir who was taken prisoner… why was he taken prisoner?"
"It's more useful to take a head of state prisoner when thinking about negotiations later, isn't it?"
"Ah… If you kill him, he becomes a martyr. Something like, 'For the Emir who was killed, the people will unite and defeat the enemy!'."
"That's right. If there were no clear successor, or if the successor were obviously someone of inferior ability… then they might kill him in an attempt to weaken the country's ability to govern."
"So it depends on the case."
Ryo nodded at Abel's explanation.
Deciding whether to execute a single person or take them prisoner… even that required considering a great many things.
That was probably what politics, war, and diplomacy were all about.
"When you think about it that way, we are fortunate."
"Without a doubt."
Dark coffee was placed in front of Ryo and Abel.
While they were staying at the guesthouse, the Bardael Emirate was arranging everything for them.
Of course, even under such circumstances, Ryo occasionally went out into the city and bought food to eat… or rather, gathered information, making sure not to neglect it.
That was why they had information that the people did not know the Emir had been taken prisoner.
"Come to think of it, the neighboring Federation of Western Nations also sent an important person to war as the supreme commander, didn't they?"
"The head of the Federation of Nations. Apparently, he went missing after the defeat."
"I thought perhaps he had been secretly in contact with the Julban Kingdom."
"Apparently not. It seems the Federation of Western Nations also had an army of twenty thousand wiped out."
"They wiped out a combined force of forty thousand… The Julban Kingdom is a small country, right? How did they gather such a huge army?"
Ryo tilted his head.
"Apparently, this is unconfirmed information, but it seems their army was not large."
"Unconfirmed information?"
"Apparently Scotty heard it from a court lady at the Ruler's Court whom he had befriended."
"Ah… Scotty-san is handsome, after all. Impressive."
Abel explained with a shrug, and Ryo nodded in admiration.
It was an information-gathering method that probably would not work very well for Ryo.
"There is a rumor that they had fewer than a thousand."
"What? Fewer than a thousand wiped out forty thousand? And they took the Emir prisoner and made the head of the Federation of Nations disappear?"
"Yeah. That's incredible. They must have lured them into some kind of trap, but…"
"They weren't completely wiped out, right? Surely some soldiers survived and made it back to this capital? What about information from them…?"
"Apparently, he was unable to obtain information of that level, something that would amount to a military secret."
Abel sighed softly and took a sip of coffee.
Ryo followed suit and took a sip of his coffee.
"Well, however they did it, it is certainly true that they are a very troublesome opponent."
"That's right. The next battle… the one involving the army that just left the capital, will probably be a major turning point."
"Winning would be good. But if they lose…"
"They will probably have to defend this capital with the remaining forces. If they lose twice… there is no way they can launch another offensive from here."
"A decisive battle for the capital…"
Both Abel and Ryo wanted the Bardael Emirate to win.
Of course, they knew almost nothing about the Julban Kingdom.
But judging from the information they had heard, it felt as though the Bardael Emirate was in the right… probably, more or less.
At the very least, it was a fact that they had treated the Kingdom delegation, including the two of them, with the utmost courtesy…
"If… just hypothetically, but what would we do if the Julban Kingdom's army surrounded the capital where we are staying?"
"Who knows… If the Bardael Emirate wanted our help, we might lend a hand."
"That would be without having concluded any treaty or anything, right? Wouldn't that constitute interference in their internal affairs?"
"Honestly, it's a gray area. I could argue that because I, as king, had been dragged into it, I was lending them my strength… It's not impossible to make that argument. Well, since the other country is asking us to help, I suppose it wouldn't be interference in their internal affairs… but honestly, I don't know. There are not many cases like this."
Abel shrugged.
Yeah. Diplomatically, it might… just barely… be acceptable.
Of course, the simplest and most reliable way to avoid the problem was for the Knightley Kingdom delegation to leave the country before it became a battlefield.
Even so…
"The reason I came here this time was ultimately to explore the possibility of trade with the Dark Continent. Considering that it looks like we may be able to build a deep relationship with the Bardael Emirate, one of the two great powers on the northern coast and the center of the Eastern Nations, I think diplomatically it would be better for us to stay rather than withdraw. But…"
"But?"
"I have a bad feeling about this."
Abel said it with a grimace.
Seeing that, Ryo also frowned.
Ryo knew… how good Abel's instincts were.
It was not something to be taken lightly.
"There is no doubt that the oasis nation moving north possesses a very powerful military force. After all, they defeated forty thousand regular troops combined from the Eastern and Western Nations."
"That's what bothers me. Really, just what is moving north toward us?"
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Chapter 0745 Anguish
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A few days after Ryo and Abel had that conversation.
The Knightley Kingdom delegation was still staying at the guesthouse.
"It's been several days since the second army set out, and we still haven't heard anything, right?"
"Nothing."
"Why do you think that is? The battle should be over by now, shouldn't it?"
"I don't know. They may still be facing each other on the battlefield."
"Ah, I suppose that's possible."
Ryo was reading over the magic formulas he had copied onto an ice sheet, while Abel was reading a book he had borrowed from the Royal Palace Library.
Both of them were avid readers.
Since they were talking while doing that, neither of them was paying much attention to the conversation.
"It seems even the army's command headquarters haven't received any detailed information."
"Huh? Then doesn't that mean the people in this Royal Palace don't know whether the two armies have clashed or what is happening on the battlefield?"
Only then did Ryo look up.
The fact that information from the front lines had not reached headquarters was not a good sign.
"In the Central Countries, information would be sent by messengers or birds, but… I don't know how things are handled on the Dark Continent."
"So there might be monsters that prey on birds?"
Ryo nodded at Abel's words.
"Ah… So that possibility exists?"
"Huh? You meant something else?"
"As I said, I simply don't know the circumstances."
"I really overestimated you, Abel."
Ryo sighed and gave a small shake of his head.
And he had genuinely thought Abel was amazing…
"A little while ago, you said that even the army's command headquarters hadn't received any information, right?"
"I did."
"Was that information that Scotty got from one of the court ladies?"
"Yes, Scotty, but apparently he heard it from an adjutant of some general, not a court lady."
"That adjutant… is she a woman, by any chance?"
"Apparently so."
"I don't know what to say. Scotty is really something. I couldn't do that."
"Neither could I."
Ryo and Abel both gave a small shake of their heads.
In many ways, Scotty was an invaluable asset.
That same Scotty had been Abel's schoolmate during his days at the Royal Higher Academy.
"Abel, you were always getting into trouble back when you were at the Higher Academy, weren't you?"
"Getting into trouble?"
"You'd sneak out of school and hang around dens of delinquents, causing all kinds of trouble for the good people of the royal capital, right?"
"No, I never did anything like that. As for school… I only skipped class occasionally to read books. And even then, I stayed on school grounds."
Ryo looked at Abel suspiciously, while Abel shrugged.
"Then Scotty and Zack were led into a life of wrongdoing by Abel. They had no choice but to obey because you were the Second Prince… How pitiful."
"Uh, were you listening to what I said? I didn't do anything wrong."
"Skipping class is wrongdoing."
"Ah, no, well…"
"If Prince Noah skipped class, would you praise him?"
"No, I wouldn't."
"See?"
Before he knew it, Ryo had folded his arms in front of his chest and was looking incredibly self-important.
As the two of them were having trivial banter, there was a knock at the door, and the very Scotty the conversation had turned to, Captain Scotty, entered.
"Your Majesty, Crown Prince Zorn has arrived."
"Send him in."
Crown Prince Zorn was the crown prince of the Bardael Emirate, where the delegation was staying, and with Chieftain Battuzon away on campaign, he was currently responsible for the Royal Palace.
The guesthouse where the delegation was staying was also located on a corner of the Royal Palace grounds.
"King Abel, thank you for taking the time to see me."
"There's no need to thank me, Your Highness Zorn."
The two of them sat down on the sofas.
Since one of Zorn's guards was standing diagonally behind him, Ryo also stood diagonally behind Abel, trying to look like a guard.
He was certainly curious about what they were going to discuss…
"You may already have heard, but… we have been unable to contact the defense force for the past several days."
"Yes."
"The Royal Palace has also sent soldiers to investigate, but… we have been unable to contact them either…"
"…"
Zorn's expression was the very picture of anguish, and Abel found himself unable to say anything as he looked at him.
Abel understood how he felt.
He was in the same position, with responsibility for so many people.
So many people's lives depended on a single decision he made… The weight of that burden was something those who had never experienced it could never truly understand…
At the same time, Abel found himself favorably disposed toward the young crown prince before him.
His anguish came from how deeply he cared about the people and soldiers and how seriously he faced his responsibilities.
That also meant he had the potential to become a good king.
"Problems keep coming at me one after another… So this is what my father and King Abel had to deal with every day. As for me…"
"A country is always exposed to danger. The reason those dangers do not become apparent is simply that the people involved in governing the nation deal with them accurately and patiently every day. At present, the Bardael Emirate is without the Chief who stood at the center of that effort. That is why it may appear that you are under even greater strain than usual."
"Yes…"
"But, Your Highness, there is no need to despair."
"What?"
"There must be people who have supported this country alongside the Chief until now. They are probably still confused and unable to act effectively at present, and the effects of that confusion are likely being felt in various places. But the confusion will settle down eventually."
"Do you really think so?"
"Even if it is only temporary, Your Highness is the one at the top right now. I believe the most important thing is for you to trust them."
Saying that, Abel smiled warmly.
That smile soothed Zorn's heart.
From there, the conversation progressed, eventually returning to the matter of being unable to contact the defense force.
"To be honest, I believe this country is heading toward a very difficult situation."
"Your Highness…"
"Before that happens, I believe it would be best for Your Majesty and the people of the Knightley Kingdom to leave the emirate."
Even as he said this, Zorn's expression was one of deep anguish.
As he had done earlier, Abel would offer useful advice as a king.
For the inexperienced Zorn, with his father absent, there could be nothing more welcome.
Moreover, the forces under King Abel's command, especially Duke Rondo, possessed tremendous strength. He alone had driven back tens of thousands of monsters.
With that strength there, there was no doubt it would be easier to deal with the army advancing north.
But Zorn believed that this was something he must not wish for.
Not merely as a matter of logic, but from the emotional side of things as well, he felt that this was not something he could rely on.
As the leader of an independent nation, even if only temporarily…
Abel understood Zorn's feelings as if he could hold them in the palm of his hand.
Even if Abel himself had been in the same position, he probably would have said the same thing as Zorn.
"Relations between nations really are difficult, aren't they, Your Highness?"
"Yes… Your Majesty."
Abel and Zorn gave bitter smiles.
At that moment, the door was thrown open violently.
Under normal circumstances, such a thing would have been unthinkable.
But both Abel and Zorn understood. Something abnormal had happened.
"What is it?"
"Pardon the interruption during your meeting! We have just received word that what appear to be mounted soldiers are approaching the South Gate!"
Before the report had even fully ended, Zorn stood up and ran out of the room.
"Abel, could this be…"
"Yes, they're probably people from the Oasis Nation."
"So the defense force…"
"We should assume it was annihilated."
Abel nodded in response to Ryo's question.
The two of them then left the room as well.
Since the approaching forces were near the South Gate, they would be able to see them if they climbed the walls or one of the watchtowers.
"Prince Zorn isn't going to ask us for help."
"I think so too."
From their earlier conversation with Crown Prince Zorn, both Ryo and Abel could easily imagine that.
"But realistically, evacuating the city while an army with hostile intentions is right in front of them… Is that really possible?"
"If the city isn't surrounded, they could leave through somewhere other than the South Gate."
"Yeah, I know, but… abandoning them, or whatever you'd call it… It just doesn't sit right with me…"
Ryo said this with a grimace, but halfway through, he could no longer continue.
Ryo couldn't help imagining it.
The sight of the serious crown prince they had been speaking with moments ago, the woman arranging delicious fruit in the market, and the man who had sold him delicious meat skewers at his street stall, all being invaded and subjected to terrible treatment.
"I don't like it."
"I agree."
Ryo spoke from the heart, and Abel agreed.
Ryo was surprised that Abel had agreed with him.
"I haven't forgotten what happened when the kingdom was ravaged."
Abel's words sounded calm.
But Ryo could sense what lay beneath them.
The regret, resolve, and anger buried deep within those words…
The memory of his homeland being trampled into the ground would not disappear easily.
And now, right before their eyes, the country in which they were staying was about to suffer the same fate.
"The desire that drives people to start conflicts… It's terrifying."
Ryo muttered that, and Abel let out a sigh as well.
-x-X-x-
Chapter 0746 Negotiation
-x-X-x-
By the time the two arrived atop the southern city wall, Crown Prince Zorn, along with those who appeared to be the commanders, were already lined up, looking out beyond the walls.
There did seem to be several hundred of them, but there was a familiar silhouette among them…
"The ones trying to pick a fight aren't human."
"That silhouette looks familiar, doesn't it?"
"Yes. They are Djinn Garwin and his familiars."
"This is the Dark Continent, isn't it? What are they doing in a place like this?"
"Just as we were thrown into the archipelago region, perhaps they were thrown onto the Dark Continent."
Ryo answered Abel's question with a supposition.
The cause of the two of them being thrown into the archipelago region was some kind of haywire magic power or magic from Garwin.
In the first place, it appeared that Djinns like Garwin were capable of manipulating gravity.
'Gravity is a distortion of space,' as Einstein put it.
If so, there could be no doubt that gravity and space were closely connected.
Therefore, if a Djinn's magic power or magic ran wild, space could warp and send them flying a great distance… Somehow, it was not difficult to imagine.
"A pitiful Djinn who was sent flying by his own magic."
"…So, does that mean the Knightley Kingdom has ended up being involved in the situation happening here?"
"I can't really argue with that when you put it that way…"
Ryo frowned as he answered Abel's words.
"But there would have been no problem if Garwin hadn't attacked the Bardael Emirate, and if he hadn't fought the kingdom, his magic power or magic wouldn't have gone out of control in the first place… So, I still think all the responsibility lies with Garwin."
"…Yeah."
However, the target had no intention of leaving the two of them alone.
He had apparently noticed that they had appeared atop the city wall.
Even though they should have been about four hundred meters away…
"There you are, Ryo, Abel! I've got business with you!"
Garwin shouted.
His voice was impossibly loud to be human, and it reached the top of the wall clearly.
"You've got the wrong people!"
Ryo instinctively shouted back.
His voice was not particularly loud, but Garwin apparently had excellent hearing.
"I know exactly who you are!"
"I couldn't fool him."
"Of course you couldn't."
Abel gave a small shake of his head at Ryo's report.
However, hearing the exchange between Ryo and Garwin seemed to shock the people atop the wall.
Zorn, whose expression was especially astonished, spoke to them.
"Forgive me for asking, but Your Excellency Duke Rondo, are you acquainted with that invader?"
"Ah, well…"
Ryo hesitated over how to answer and looked at Abel.
"Your Highness Zorn, that is Djinn Garwin, who once rampaged through our Knightley Kingdom as well."
"A Djinn!"
Abel answered, and Zorn was shocked.
"A Djinn…"
"From the legends?"
"Where just one of them turned half the continent into a wasteland by himself?"
"The one who stopped destroying things after being persuaded by the Sage Ndon and disappeared into the depths of the continent?"
"But his name wasn't Garwin, was it?"
"Either way, that isn't something humans can defeat…"
The people atop the wall exchanged words like that.
It seemed that the Dark Continent also had legends about Djinns.
"Your Majesty said earlier that he 'rampaged through the kingdom as well'. Has that Djinn ever been in the Central Countries?"
"Yes, Your Highness. A year ago, our kingdom mobilized all its forces in an attempt to defeat that Djinn, Garwin. In the end, the magic Garwin unleashed went out of control, and I and Duke Rondo were sent to the archipelago region… To put it simply, the Eastern Countries."
"What the…"
"At the same time, we received a report that the Djinn and his familiars had also disappeared. They must have been sent to this Dark Continent."
Abel explained.
Upon hearing that, the people atop the city wall fell silent.
Perhaps they could not keep up with the information in their heads, hearing that they had been sent to the Eastern Countries, a place they knew only by existence… and the other sent all the way to the Dark Continent.
The people atop the city wall were in such a state, but that was irrelevant to those who had come attacking.
"The chieft of this country is here."
When Garwin said that, Chief Battuzon of the Bardael Emirate was brought forward to the very front.
"Chief!"
At the sight of him, the gazes of everyone atop the city wall focused on him.
It was indeed the chief they had received word had been captured.
"Father…"
Zorn muttered.
Chief Battuzon, who had been brought forward, was not bound with ropes, nor did he appear to have been tortured.
"We're treating him with the utmost care as a prisoner of war."
Garwin declared.
"Your Highness."
"Even if they tell us to open the city gates in exchange for my father's return, we cannot accept."
"Yes…"
Such an exchange took place between Zorn and his aide.
Exactly. When an important person from the target of an attack was treated as a prisoner and brought to the front, it was usually because they intended to use that person as a bargaining tool.
Of those possibilities, the most likely one under the present circumstances was a demand to open the city gates, or a call to surrender.
However, Zorn's thinking as crown prince was clear.
Instead of the life of his father and chief, Battuzon, he would protect the city…
With so many people in the city, it was the logical choice in a sense… but making that decision was not easy.
They would probably torture him in front of them in an attempt to make them accept their demands.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this was precisely why they were keeping him alive.
That was what it meant to use someone as a bargaining tool.
And yet, after taking all of that into consideration, Zorn had firmly told his aide:
'We cannot accept.'
Then Djinn Garwin opened his mouth again.
"I'll return this prisoner as is."
"What?"
Zorn looked suspicious.
"I have only one demand. Ryo, Abel, fight us."
"…Huh?"
Ryo let out a dumbfounded sound at Garwin's words.
Abel remained silent, but his expression was grim.
As for the other people atop the city wall… they were staring blankly.
No one seemed to understand what it meant yet.
"If you fight, I'll return him unconditionally. And if you win, I'll withdraw my army."
Garwin's voice could be heard.
The city wall erupted in commotion.
"Abel, that's what he's saying."
"He certainly is."
Abel shrugged at Ryo's words.
"Your Majesty, Your Excellency Duke Rondo, can you defeat that… Djinn?"
Zorn asked with an expectant expression.
"Djinns… at least that Garwin, can come back to life even after being completely annihilated."
"What?"
"How could we possibly 'win' against an opponent like that…?"
Zorn was astonished, while Ryo tilted his head.
Abel also frowned beside him before speaking.
"The familiars too… if Garwin decides to, they can come back as many times as he wants, right?"
"It was a completely unfair fight to begin with."
Ryo gave a small shake of his head.
Even so, both Ryo and Abel understood that there did not seem to be any choice other than fighting.
They had taken an 'invaluable' hostage: effectively laying siege to the city and the country itself.
"There's no helping it. I'll try negotiating."
"Negotiate?"
Ryo muttered, and Abel tilted his head.
"Garwin, there's something I want to say to you!"
Ryo projected his voice from deep within his core.
It carried quite a long distance.
"Ryo? Go ahead."
Garwin urged him on.
"You can't defeat a Djinn. Even if you cut one to pieces and annihilate it, it regenerates, doesn't it? That's unfair."
"Well, even if you say that…"
Ryo pointed this out, and Garwin shrugged.
"You want to fight me, don't you? If so, we should make the conditions equal."
"You… Ryo, do you understand what you're saying? I can attack the city just like this, you know? I'm deliberately stopping that and offering to fight you instead."
"Even if you attack the city, I don't feel the slightest bit of pain or concern about it."
Of course, that was a lie.
While waiting for the chief to return, Ryo had gone into the city many times.
There, he had formed connections with many of the people… There was no way he could now feel nothing if the city were attacked.
But this was a negotiation.
He knew that fighting was unavoidable.
If that was the case, he had to draw out victory conditions that were even slightly more advantageous.
If that was possible through negotiation, Ryo was willing to lie.
"If you want to fight me, then we should make the conditions equal."
"…Fine. If you cut my head off, we'll call that your victory."
Ryo said it again, and Garwin, frowning, presented his condition.
"That alone isn't enough. Garwin, if you lose, promise that you won't attack the Bardael Emirate for the next ten years."
"Well… I suppose that's fine too."
"You won't go back on your word?"
"I won't."
"Understood. Then I'll accept."
Ryo nodded deeply.
The conditions were in place.
"Ryo, is this really okay?"
"That's probably the limit of what we can draw out of him. There's nothing we can do. What about you, Abel? Are you okay?"
"My opponent will be a familiar… probably Oranj. So I'll manage with this sword."
Saying that, Abel struck his beloved sword.
During the 'Djinn War,' Abel had defeated Oranj once.
"A sword, huh. Right…"
Ryo muttered that and drew Murasame from its sheath.
Then he called out to it.
"Murasame-kun, just like during the previous battle with Garwin, please activate the
When Ryo called out to it, Murasame's hilt glowed faintly for just an instant.
Ryo nodded with a satisfied expression.
In contrast, Abel wore a puzzled expression.
"…What was that just now?"
"I asked it to activate the Secret Sword Technique, Freezing Sword."
"Secret Sword Technique? You asked?"
Abel did not understand what he meant.
"It's something like a special effect of Murasame."
"If you ask a sword to do something, it can do it?"
"Yes."
Ryo nodded in response to Abel's question.
Abel tilted his head again and again.
"In my homeland, they say that gods dwell within all things. If that's the case, then there's no way my partner, Murasame, especially a sword given to me by my master, would not have a soul dwelling within it."
"R-right."
Ryo stated with absolute confidence, overwhelming Abel and forcing his acceptance.
Of course, Abel himself completely trusted his beloved sword.
He entrusted his life to it in battle.
If a swordsman did not trust his sword, then what else could he possibly trust?
That was why Abel could understand Ryo's feelings about trusting his own sword.
It was not that he could not understand it, but…
"There are all sorts of strange things in this world, huh?"
Abel's mutter did not reach Ryo.
-x-X-x-
Chapter 0747 Death Match I: Abel vs Oranj
-x-X-x-
"At last. I've been waiting for you, Abel."
"I wasn't particularly waiting for you."
Oranj and Abel.
With their swords at the ready, the two faced each other.
It had been a year.
But…
(What's with this guy…? No, it's Abel. I know that. I know it, but he's so completely different from a year ago.)
Oranj took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.
He was so overwhelmed that he could not remain calm without doing so.
Abel was doing nothing.
He was simply holding his sword at the ready.
He wasn't even deliberately applying any pressure.
And yet…
(He's way too different from a year ago! Abel is human, isn't he? Can a human really change this much in just one year? Just by facing him… Am I trembling? No, no, no, no. Me? A familiar of Garwin-sama?)
Oranj took another deep breath and slowly exhaled.
"What's wrong, Oranj?"
Abel asked.
Oranj flinched at the question.
It was an inexplicable sense of pressure, as though his heart had been seized in a crushing grip, as though his throat were being squeezed…
"You've changed in just one year."
The words slipped from Oranj's mouth before he knew it.
He had said it. He had no choice but to say it.
Unless he put it into words, he could not escape that overwhelming pressure…
"Have I? I've indeed started swinging my sword every day."
Abel answered, nodding repeatedly.
There was not the slightest sign of tension in him.
"I don't think it's something that superficial."
"Even if you say that."
Oranj squeezed the words out, but Abel remained completely unconcerned.
In reality, Abel himself hardly felt that he had changed at all.
In the Eastern Countries, he had regained the desire he had once held to 'become stronger'.
That much was certain.
However, he also knew that one could not become stronger in just a year or so simply because of that.
For now, he had only just resumed his efforts.
The results would come several years from now, perhaps even a decade or more into the future…
"To be honest, I would have preferred to have our rematch a little later."
"What did you say?"
"I mean, I wanted to fight you after I'd gotten a little stronger!"
Abel closed the distance in an instant.
Clang!
The sound of sword striking sword rang out sharply.
Abel's onslaught began.
"Urgh."
Oranj desperately focused on defense.
Abel was human, while Oranj was a familiar of a Djinn.
Normally, a Djinn's familiar should overwhelmingly surpass a human in both strength and speed.
Even now, Oranj should have surpassed Abel in both strength and speed… And yet…
Abel was the one pressing the attack.
Why?
Because Oranj was being overwhelmed by Abel mentally.
In close-quarters combat, one's state of mind accounts for a very large part of the outcome.
Wasn't that what Ryo always said?
Taking away an opponent's composure was the most basic of the basics in one-on-one combat.
Making them angry wasn't the only way to take away their composure.
Making them afraid could do the same.
When someone loses their composure, what is affected most?
Strength?
Speed?
No, technique.
Oranj's wounds multiplied before his eyes.
He had not suffered any fatal blows.
His hands and feet still moved without issue.
His actual combat ability had not declined, but…
The place taking heavy damage was not somewhere visible like that.
It was inside his mind.
(Why? Why has the gap become this wide?)
Those thoughts were throwing Oranj's mind into disarray.
In reality, the gap was not as great as Oranj believed.
If anything, Oranj was superior in strength and speed.
There was not even an astonishing gap in technique.
But because Oranj's mind had fallen behind, that difference had spilled over into his technique, increasing the number of wounds he suffered.
Abel did not fully understand all of that, either.
He simply knew that his ability to read his opponent's moves was smoother than usual.
He also knew that his body was moving more smoothly than usual.
For some reason, his sword also seemed to be shining whiter than red, more so than usual…
Regardless of the sword, he could tell that everything else was going well.
At the same time, he could tell that Oranj's mind was in disarray, that it was manifesting as a difference in technique, and that the result was magnifying the gap.
Since he knew that, he would exploit it to the fullest.
There was no need to open his mouth.
He only had to let his sword speak for him.
And then…
"Impossible… Why is there such a gap between us?"
The words leaking from Oranj's mouth sounded almost like a curse.
Of course, Abel said nothing in response.
If he answered, that information might allow Oranj to recover.
In silence, the clash of swords grew even fiercer.
-x-X-x-
Chapter 0748 Death Match II: Ryo vs Garwin
-x-X-x-
On the other side were Ryo and Garwin.
Their opening was quiet as well…
No, was 'quiet' really the right word?
Ryo held Murasame in the middle guard stance, his feet spread front and back, just as usual.
Garwin, too, was just as usual, fighting bare-handed with only the gauntlets and greaves he had magically materialised.
(What is this feeling?)
They were both behaving as they always did, yet Garwin felt something was off.
He knew the reason.
It was the Ryo standing before him with his sword drawn.
If he closed his eyes, he would lose all sense that Ryo was there.
That was how little presence he had.
Little presence?
No, that was impossible.
Garwin was a Djinn, a Spellno.
For someone to suppress their presence enough to slip past his senses was beyond what any human could do.
And yet, it was happening.
That was why it felt wrong.
A wrongness born from something impossible actually being possible.
Garwin looked at Ryo again.
(Is he asleep?)
He appeared to have his eyes closed… no, looking closely, his eyelids were slightly open.
Half-lidded eyes.
His gaze did not seem to be fixed on Garwin.
It seemed as though he was not looking at him, and yet…
(No. He is seeing everything about me… That's how it feels.)
It was not something he could explain logically.
But Garwin recognized it with a certain kind of conviction.
His reason told him,
that he should seize the initiative.
He knew that.
He knew that, but the moment he tried to move his foot, his emotions stopped him.
Why?
He was superior in strength, superior in speed, and probably equal in technique.
As long as he did not let his guard down, there was no reason he could lose.
Of course.
He was a Djinn and Ryo was human.
The difference between them was obvious.
But… his feet would not move.
(Strength? Speed? This isn't because of some superficial factor like that. Something at the very depths of me, at the very depths of my instincts, is screaming. It's dangerous.)
An alarm was pounding loudly inside his head.
It was screaming red.
That blue, or perhaps transparent, water-attribute magician standing before him was astonishingly opposite to it.
He let out one sharp breath, but deep, long, and slow.
He steadied his mind.
Garwin, too, had fought many formidable opponents throughout his life.
Naturally, facing a powerful enemy caused his heart to waver.
He had a method for forcibly calming that shaken state of mind… Of course he did.
But…
(The alarm ringing inside my mind won't disappear. Even so, I have to make a move!)
With Garwin's lightning-fast charge.
A thrust launched with that speed behind it.
Slash!
His right side was cut deeply open.
Almost simultaneously, the wound began freezing over from the place where it had been cut.
"What!?"
"Secret Sword Art: Freezing Sword."
Garwin was stunned, while Ryo struck a smug pose.
But…
"
When Garwin chanted it, the frozen ice evaporated in an instant.
"The magic that vaporized
"It freezes every time you're cut, huh? What a nuisance."
Ryo grimaced after having his 'Secret Sword Art' countered, while Garwin also grimaced as he recognized just how troublesome it was.
Once again, Garwin launched himself forward at lightning speed.
An uppercut that rose as though surging up from the ground.
A backfist with his left hand, a hook from the right…
Ryo dodged, dodged, and dodged every one of Garwin's attacks.
And then, one strike.
"Ugh…
Garwin stopped the freezing and took a large backstep to create some distance.
Garwin's attacks could not reach Ryo.
But Ryo was landing effective blows on Garwin.
It was clear why.
At that instant, Ryo disappeared from Garwin's field of vision.
Garwin was being cut by attacks coming from his blind spots.
"What is going on?"
Garwin could not understand why such a thing was happening.
Ryo returned to his usual middle guard, then once again lowered his eyes to a half-lidded state.
Why had Ryo been able to disappear?
Ryo and Garwin had fought once before.
Because of that, Ryo knew Garwin's habits.
What kind of habits?
He knew where Garwin looked at 'that moment' during combat.
By moving while avoiding those points… Ryo appeared to vanish from Garwin's sight.
For example, the place Garwin looked when throwing a right straight after a left jab.
For example, the place Garwin looked at the instant he began the motion for a right roundhouse kick.
And so on.
Ryo had fought Garwin during the final stage of the Djinn War.
That was why he knew.
In any field, a strong capacity for learning helps oneself.
Something one had experienced once… or remembered seeing before… A situation one had anticipated, one had thought about how one would resolve it…
Whether one is capable of thinking things through with one's own mind is incredibly important.
Now, a year had passed since then, and Ryo was able to fight from an advantageous position.
Not through strength, not through speed, perhaps not even through technique… Ryo was overturning every disadvantage through his ability to learn.
Perhaps this was showing how a person should fight an opponent who surpassed them in ability… perhaps it was showing what that person could become in the future.
That said, this was a battlefield.
It was a place overflowing with factors capable of changing the situation…
Meanwhile, Abel.
The one he was facing was Oranj.
Yes, only the two of them were fighting. That had not changed.
It had not changed, and yet…
A short distance away, two familiars were quietly watching the battle.
A female-form familiar and a male-form familiar.
Of course, they had no intention of interfering, and there was no sign that they would, but… it bothered Abel.
"Those two familiars are the Four Generals or whatever they're called, right?"
Because it had been bothering him, Abel asked Oranj as their swords continued to clash.
"Yeah, that's right. You don't need to worry. They won't interfere."
"I know that. I think highly of your pride as a swordsman. Frankly speaking, I find it admirable."
"Y-yeah."
Oranj was surprised to be praised by Abel, his opponent.
When it came to the sword, Abel did not discriminate against anyone.
"Then that only makes it more puzzling. Why have they been watching our battle this whole time?"
"I don't know. I suppose Garwin-sama ordered them to…"
"They weren't watching when the battle started."
"Yeah. At the time, they were watching Garwin-sama's battle."
Oranj did not seem to understand it either.
Of course, it had nothing to do with their battle.
It was not as though being watched by someone would make them so nervous that they could no longer bring out their full ability… It was not that kind of situation.
And yet, for some reason, Abel could not help wondering about it.
-x-X-x-
Chapter 0749 Death Match III: Ryo vs Garwin II
-x-X-x-
"All right, I'll accept that I can't keep up with Ryo's movements. But if I harden myself, then even if I get cut, it won't matter!
"Full-Body… Armor?"
Garwin's words reached Ryo only faintly, and he tilted his head.
But there was no time to think.
The next flurry began with Garwin's leap.
Ryo dodged every one of them.
And then, one strike.
Clang.
But what rang out was not the sound of skin being cut, but the sound of Murasame being deflected by something hard.
"So Full-Body Armor means you harden your entire body like armor? What a total brute-force solution!"
"Now it doesn't matter where I'm cut."
Ryo was astonished, while Garwin grinned.
Indeed, Garwin's arm guards and leg guards could clash evenly with Murasame.
Since they were created by Garwin's magic, all he had to do was envelop his entire body in the same material… In principle, that seemed to be how it worked.
"Then you should have done this from the start. Why only now?"
Ryo's question was only natural.
The first reason that came to mind was that he could not maintain it for a long time.
The supply of energy was a limiting factor that applied to everything.
The next reason that came to mind was that it was inconvenient to use.
If it made his body harder but also made it harder to move, then he could not keep it deployed all the time.
Those were the two possibilities that immediately came to mind.
Unless he used some special method like
Thinking about it that way, the latter seemed more likely than the former.
There was only one way to confirm it…
"We'll just have to test it!"
This time, the sword clash began with Ryo's charge.
However, the roles of offense and defense quickly reversed, with Garwin attacking and Ryo defending.
That was exactly as Ryo expected.
Garwin was a fighter who used his bare hands and feet as weapons.
The more compact the weapon, the easier it was to maneuver. In other words, he could seize the initiative and keep attacking.
Therefore, if distance was not taken into consideration, the natural formation was Garwin on the offensive and Ryo on the defensive.
That was precisely where Ryo's ability to learn came into play.
Ryo dodged Garwin's flurry of attacks.
And then he became certain.
(Indeed, his attack speed has dropped compared to when he only had the arm guards and leg guards.)
He observed even more closely.
(Yes, the armor around the joints inevitably interferes with itself, which reduces his speed. I understand now.)
Of course, he had still not thought of a way to overcome that.
But problems had to be solved one at a time.
"Observe, analyze, execute."
He had observed.
He had analyzed.
As for execution… drive the sword in.
Where should he drive it?
"The weak point of armor never changes, no matter what era or what world you're in."
That was right, the joints.
But naturally, Garwin, who had generated
That was why even with Murasame, landing a slash was difficult.
Then…
Ryo thrust.
Garwin dodged, slipped inside, and threw a right uppercut.
With an incredibly fast reaction, no, with a completely accurate read, Ryo leaped backward to create distance.
Using the distance he had gained, he struck at Garwin's right elbow, which had extended upward with the uppercut…
Ryo drove Murasame into it!
Even if there was no gap to slash, there was a hole to pierce.
"Ugh…"
Garwin let out a pained groan and leaped far backward.
Djinns did not die. But that did not mean they could not feel pain.
Of course, the injured elbow immediately regenerated.
"So this
"Damn you, Ryo."
Ryo announced it with a smug expression, while Garwin was furious.
Of course, all he had managed to do was injure Garwin's elbow through a gap in the armor.
It was nowhere near a decisive blow that could determine the outcome of the battle.
However, fighters had hearts.
Even without damaging the body and reducing combat ability, there were ways to damage the mind and reduce combat ability.
"The gap between you and me over this past year has grown."
"You bastard…"
"With every battle, that gap will continue to grow. Right now, your wounds are still shallow. Gather your army, retreat, and as promised, never attack again."
"Don't screw with me!"
Ryo provoked him, and Garwin's emotions exploded.
Taking away the opponent's composure was the most basic of basics in one-on-one combat.
What Ryo had done was in accordance with his usual principle.
Whether or not he could bring the situation into one where that principle could be used had the most direct influence on the overall outcome.
Garwin charged in, driven by his emotions.
His first attack was a right-handed thrust thrown with all his momentum.
It was exactly as Ryo had predicted.
With his footwork, Ryo moved to Garwin's side and delivered a series of thrusts into the elbow of his fully extended right arm.
And he used Freezing Sword.
"
The ice spreading from the point where he had been stabbed was immediately evaporated by Garwin.
But it did not end with one strike.
Left elbow, left knee, right knee, throat, right elbow again…
Moving rapidly counterclockwise around Garwin, Ryo thrust Murasame through the gaps in his joints.
Behind Ryo, fine particles of water drifted…
He thrust again and again.
He circled again and again.
Before long, the speed of freezing surpassed the speed of regeneration and evaporation.
Garwin could no longer remove all the ice in time.
Garwin concentrated even more intensely on removing it.
That was exactly what Ryo had been aiming for.
Round and round and round…
Ryo targeted the throat from directly in front of Garwin.
But this time, it was different from before.
He thrust in, then pushed farther.
Along with the ice that had not yet been completely removed, he pierced deep into the throat.
And he kept spinning.
Even Murasame, which had pierced through, rotated, and Garwin's neck was severed…
Thud.
Ryo was knocked away.
Garwin himself also leaped far backward.
Garwin's neck had not been completely severed.
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"Careful, careful."
Garwin said it playfully.
At that moment, Ryo realized that his strategy had failed, and that the scales of victory had swung sharply toward Garwin.
Certainly, from the beginning of the battle up to this point, Ryo had been in the advantageous position.
But that advantage was a difference that could be overturned with ease.
Because the difference in strength and speed was overwhelming… the advantage Ryo had maintained through his ability to learn and his psychological maneuvering was fragile.
Ryo himself understood that better than anyone.
That was why this entire sequence of attacks absolutely had to succeed and bring the battle to a conclusion.
But it had failed.
By failing, he had given Garwin an important realization.
'The only way Ryo can beat me is by cutting off my head.'
A realization brought composure.
"As long as I protect that, I can't lose."
Garwin smiled sinisterly.
Seeing that, Ryo frowned.
He had no choice but to recognize that the situation was becoming increasingly difficult for him.
In the first place, Garwin had something that had been bothering him since before the battle began, no, since he had fought in the Kingdom.
It was the phenomenon in which, toward the end of that battle, Garwin had become unable to regenerate his own body.
Ultimately, because of that, he had returned to Erwin Ortiz's body, and after being resisted by Erwin, the original owner of the body, the magic of
Why had he become unable to regenerate?
He understood that Ryo had probably interfered with his regeneration in some way.
Most likely, it was because he had even taken away Garwin's magic power… the power flowing in from the 'shrine'.
What he did not understand was the method.
(Even Richard couldn't do something like that. And yet that water-attribute magician Ryo went and did it.)
He wanted to know, but however he looked at it, it was clearly the kind of trump card that one did not reveal.
He could hardly expect Ryo to explain the mechanism simply because he asked him to.
In fact, now and then, Garwin tracked the flow of his own magic power.
As far as he could tell, that magic had not been activated.
Against a Djinn capable of regeneration, it was exactly the kind of trump-card magic that could decide a battle.
Why had it not activated?
There was an obvious reason.
The conditions for activation had not been met.
What were those conditions?
He did not know.
Even if he asked Ryo to tell him, he probably would not.
Then what should he do?
"I guess I have no choice but to test it."
Garwin smiled sinisterly.
And then he chanted.
"Fill everything!
The next moment, Ryo's field of vision was filled with countless black needles floating in the air.
They were needles that emitted gravity… though at twenty centimeters long and about as thick as chopsticks, they were far larger than the needles used for sewing.
In any case, the black needles, numbering more than tens of thousands, pulled Ryo from every direction.
As a result, Ryo could not move.
"So you're going to use that magic after all."
Ryo muttered with a frown.
When they had fought in the Kingdom,
As a result, these black needles could no longer be maintained.
But now, Ryo could not use
Of course, that was not a problem caused by Ryo.
Even if he stole Garwin's energy, the problem was where that energy would go.
When they fought in the Kingdom, its destination had been the 'coffin'.
There had been a fallen being inside that coffin… a being that, in this three-dimensional world, could, in a sense, store an unlimited amount of energy.
That was why Ryo had been able to draw as much as he wanted from Garwin.
But there was no such convenient existence here.
And even then, although Ryo had been able to steal the magic power required for Garwin's regeneration and Erwin's restoration… he had not been able to steal all of it.
That was precisely why, at the very end, Garwin had tried to cast
Garwin's
It was the ultimate saturation attack.
There were even more of them than Ryo's
"I'll cut them all to pieces!
Two thousand and forty-eight lines of water moved around Ryo, who could not move.
It seemed that one
"
Lines of water were replenished one after another.
"I'll smash through it head-on!"
"Interesting! Give it a try!"
And into the space that had been opened…
"
A spell that turns the water vapor in the air into 'mines', freezing any magic or target they collide with.
"
Garwin chanted it again.
The mines and the black needles collided, producing thousands of flashes of pair annihilation.
Ryo and Garwin pitted saturation attacks against saturation attacks.
In the end, both Garwin and Ryo were brute-force types.
(Magic combat is tough.)
But Ryo understood that.
Assuming that neither he nor his opponent would run out of magic power… he could not see a future in which the battle would be decided through magic combat.
At the very least, he could not see one in which victory would go to him.
Piercing the heart through an opening in the opponent's defenses, freezing him solid, making him disappear… none of those would work against Garwin.
The only possible victory condition was the one that had been established, cutting off his head… but…
(He's aware of it now.)
Thinking about it that way, he could not see a path to victory at all.
Even when a path could not be clearly drawn, in most cases, the general direction could still be seen.
If he kept defending… wouldn't a crack eventually appear?
If he disrupted the opponent's emotions… wouldn't the course of the battle turn in his favor?
If he bought time… wouldn't something happen?
Even without knowing exactly what change would occur, there were many cases in which one could still understand the direction of things, thinking, 'Maybe I just need to keep doing this'.
But now, he could not even see that.
As expected…
(That I couldn't cut off his head with that rotation was a serious blow.)
Even so, there was no point dwelling on what had already happened.
He had to change gears.
Otherwise, he would lose and forfeit his own life.
He thought again.
Magic combat was difficult… then he had no choice but to settle the battle with his sword.
What did he need to do to bring the situation into one where he could settle it with his sword?
Not ranged magic combat, but close-quarters sword fighting.
Not magic combat with distance between them, but sword fighting at close range.
Even if he unilaterally closed the distance, if the opponent had no intention of engaging in close combat, he would simply be forced back.
The ideal situation was to make the opponent believe that close combat was also the better option.
At present, the magic battle was evenly matched.
Ryo knew that Garwin was not a particularly patient individual.
Yeah, he was rather short-tempered.
If Garwin decided that the magic battle was not going to reach a conclusion like this…
"Damn it, so magic really isn't getting us anywhere."
Garwin spat out the words.
"Then what are you going to do?"
Ryo played along.
"It's obvious. Close combat."
"Agreed."
Garwin spoke with a sinister smile, and Ryo agreed with a smile of his own.
Garwin closed the distance in an instant.
Ryo moved to meet him… but.
Garwin was cunning.
Ryo's movements slowed.
In an instant, he understood that
He understood.
He understood, but he was too late.
He saw Garwin's right fist come into view, its tip sharpened.
It was meant to slash open Ryo's neck.
Ryo resigned himself to sacrificing his left arm.
He would use his left arm to protect his neck, then use Murasame in his right hand alone to strike at Garwin's neck. That was his decision.
And then…
Both of Ryo's arms were sliced off.
-x-X-x-
Chapter 0750 Death Match IV: Twist
-x-X-x-
He had already sacrificed his left arm.
By letting his left arm be cut off, he would throw off the path of Garwin's fist and protect his own neck.
Then, by trading wounds with him, he would use his right arm alone to cut Garwin's head off.
That was Ryo's plan.
But… that right arm was cut off as well.
It was not Garwin's sword that had severed it.
The instant his right arm was severed, Ryo recognized it too.
A lightning-fast step-in.
Shiden Issen. (TLN: Purple lightning flash)
Just as the name suggested, a sword flash like a bolt of lightning severed Ryo's right arm.
Why?
He knew why.
There was no other sword flash like this. There was no one else who could produce it.
He had experienced it before.
As the dust settled, that person… no, that Phantomkin revealed herself.
"Marie…"
A groan escaped Ryo's mouth.
"Long time no see, Ryo. I still think Ryo looks better with an arm missing… Huh? Both arms are gone? I only cut off the right one."
"Garwin took my left arm, and you took my right."
"Oh…"
Marie shrugged.
That's right. When Ryo and Marie had fought in the Eastern Countries, Ryo had also lost an arm to Marie's quick-draw sword technique.
And this time as well…
The bleeding had stopped.
Rather, he had connected the blood flow of his two severed arms and was forcibly circulating it through his body.
"I realized Ryo was here, so I instinctively jumped in and cut off your arm, but… you were fighting, weren't you?"
"…What kind of greeting is that?"
After Marie explained, Ryo answered with a grimace.
Ryo thought that instinctively jumping in and cutting off someone's arm was not the sort of greeting one should give.
Then again, she was not human.
She was not someone to whom the common sense Ryo knew would apply.
"Phantomkin, do you want to kill Ryo too?"
"Huh? Ah… Spellno? So, Ryo was fighting a Spellno. I did want to fight Ryo face-to-face again, but that looks a little difficult now. Go ahead and do as you please."
"I see. Then I'll finish Ryo off."
With that, Garwin gave an ominous smile.
"Ryo!"
Abel's shout reached Ryo as well.
Faintly.
(This is bad…)
Even Ryo could tell that he was in a dire situation.
He glanced toward Abel.
Abel was facing not only Oranj, but also a female Retainer and a male Retainer.
The Retainers other than Oranj were positioned to prevent anyone from reaching Ryo.
It was three against one.
Even for Abel, whose strength had increased after going to the Eastern Countries, the situation looked extremely difficult.
Was there anything?
Was there any chance to turn this around?
He had been searching all this time.
Then, the gaze that had been searching suddenly turned toward the sky.
In the direction of that gaze, space was carved away into pitch-black darkness.
"I will not allow it."
A voice boomed from beyond the blackness.
"I will not allow it. I will not accept it. Being killed by someone other than me…"
Light emanated from the blackness.
Garwin, who had been about to deliver the finishing blow to Ryo, and Marie, who had been watching beside him.
The two instantly sensed the danger and leaped back.
Ryo could not move.
That voice he had just heard… he knew it.
"I will not allow it."
It was the same voice as before.
The voice of the one who had just struck the ground.
"I told you, I am the one who will kill Ryo."
It was the voice of the one who wanted to kill Ryo more than anyone else.
"I will not accept Ryo being killed by anyone other than me."
That's right. It was the voice of the Akuma who insisted on killing Ryo head-on.
In a sense, it belonged to someone Ryo knew very well…
"Leonor…"
Leonor, the enraged Akuma, descended upon them.
"Why…?"
The question that escaped Ryo's mouth was only natural.
"I told you, I am the one who will kill Ryo. I will not allow him to be killed by anyone other than me."
"Ah, yes. Sorry."
"Unless the opponent is a Dragon King, there is no way I can allow you to be killed by a Spellno or a Phantomkin."
"I see…"
Ryo could only be overwhelmed as Leonor questioned him rapidly, driven by anger.
Of course, no one around them could move either.
Garwin and Marie.
Abel, Oranj, Isolda, and Vim Lowe.
And the people of the Bardael Emirate watching from atop the city walls.
No one could move or even open their mouths as they stared at Leonor, who had descended from the sky, and Ryo, whose both arms had been severed.
"That looks painful."
"Don't you happen to have a potion that can make an arm grow back in an instant?"
"I don't. Humans can't make something like that either, can they?"
"I thought so too, but…"
As Ryo answered, he glanced at Marie, the Phantomkin.
"I used a potion like that once before."
That's right. When he fought Marie in the Eastern Countries, the potion Marie gave him after the battle had made his arm grow back.
Even Kenneth Hayward, renowned as a genius alchemist, could not make something like that.
Marie had answered that she had received such a potion from a vampire.
A vampire who was better with a sword than Marie.
"There is such a potion? How interesting. I have no need for one, but if I find one next time, I'll tell Ryo about it."
"Thank you."
Ryo thanked her.
Even so, both his arms remained severed just below the elbows.
"I'll defeat both of them."
"Just one… please."
Ryo protested Leonor's declaration.
"What will you do about the other?"
"Of course, I'll defeat her."
"With those arms?"
"If there's only one opponent, there is no problem. This much is just a handicap."
"…It doesn't look that way."
Looking at Ryo's arms, severed below the elbows, Leonor answered honestly.
From her perspective, whether it was an Akuma or an Phantomkin, she simply did not want Ryo to be killed by anyone other than herself.
She wondered whether he could really win with both arms missing.
"It's all right. I can't manage one against two, but one against one… I've fought her before."
Ryo stated it clearly.
There was a light of determination in his eyes.
After confirming that, Leonor nodded.
"Then I shall defeat the Spellno."
"Then I'll defeat Marie, the Phantomkin."
"Ryo, I will not allow you to die."
"Leonor, I'm not going to die."
Leonor and Ryo nodded to each other, then each walked toward the opponent they would face.