"Stay back!" Hide's voice boomed across the sand, startling the retreating Tanaka forces. "This is an honorable duel! You aren't part of this—he won't harm you if you stay your ground!"
It was a desperate bluff, but it worked. His reputation held them. A few of the braver squires halted their flight and moved back into range, though they kept a healthy distance from the demon's direct line of sight.
Merun continued his slow, deliberate walk toward the commander. He noticed the voices in his head from the Mind-Crushing Symphony weren't as loud as before. The overlapping thoughts felt thin, like a radio signal losing power. He realized then that Hide couldn't just connect to any mind at will; there was a distance limitation, or perhaps a limit on how many tethers the commander could maintain at once. OP techniques must have limitations... for the most part.
From Hide's perspective, the world was narrowing down to a single point of failure. The Gnat was going haywire against his brainstem, a frantic vibration that blurred his vision. The demon's fighting style wasn't all that impressive—it was crude, almost unrefined. But the explosive strength and speed behind every movement were terrifying.
What on earth is his martial path? Hide wondered, coughing up a spray of copper-tasting blood.
As Merun closed the gap, Hide realized his only hope. If he could push the intruder hard enough—if he could put the demon in a position where he had to activate his Martial Heart. The second that Senior-level aura flared, the duel would be void by technicality, and Hide's honor would remain intact.
He readied himself. He could do it. He was still a peak Martial Squire, he was more than capable of bringing out his Martial Heart. He would push him to the brink or die trying.
The Gnat finally conceded. The parasite realized its host would rather die than suffer a cowardly defeat that would tarnish his honor. Unfortunately for it, it could only control the body for mere moments—not enough to run away.
The Gnat stared at the demon... it wasn't from this world.
...Fool.
So be it.
For the first time, Hide felt his body move in perfect harmony with the creature. He went on the offensive.
The Gnat provided pre-calculated dodges that positioned Hide's body for counter-attacks, while Hide used his remaining anchors to boost his cognition to filter-out Merun's intent-feints for the Gnat to ignore. For a moment, it worked. Merun couldn't land a clean hit, and Hide was peppering him with strikes.
But as the minutes ticked by, a grim reality set in. Hide didn't have the lethality to even spill the demon's blood while Merun was an unending, unrelenting figure of invincibility.
Hours go by and now Hide is swimming in his sweat, barely hanging on... but it wasn't long until Hide's stamina finally broke. His fists were bloodied, his body was a map of severe bruises, and his ribs felt like shattered glass. He fell to his knees, panting.
His anchors had fallen unconscious from the Load Distribution, and his hypnosis had become too weak to sustain. The Gnat had become powerless as its host's limbs cannot move anymore.
Hide's pride crumbled. Even if the man before him was a realm higher, he was a peak squire! He's sparred with the Martial Seniors within the clan even, and he gave them a run for their money! Yet, he couldn't even force this guy to bring out his martial heart.
The demon stood above him, a white cloak blocking the moonlight. The black, void-like pupils behind the mask peered into Hide's soul. It felt like staring into the inevitable.
"Do you acknowledge defeat?" the demon asked. His voice was deep and raspy.
Hide looked at him for a long time. For a brief moment, he wanted to tell the army that the man was a Martial Senior, but the Gnat forbade it—paralyzed by the thought of provoking the monster further. Finally, Hide shut his eyes and gave a single, slow nod.
There is no more reason to be afraid, Gnat, my life is in his hands.
At least he will have died having done his absolute best. He'll retain his honor. A duel is a duel.
The camp went silent. Only the distant waves and the occasional night bird broke the stillness.
Finally, you have gone quiet, Gnat.
Hide opened his eyes and he was surprised to see a hand held out to him. He looked up, and the demon gave him a small nod. Hide grabbed the hand and let himself be pulled to his feet.
"Good fight," the demon said. "I learned a valuable lesson tonight."
Hide wiped blood from his lips, looking at the mask with genuine surprise. "Thanks. You're... almost too strong for a squire," he hinted, his voice tight.
Behind the mask, Merun smiled. How the fuck did he know?
But the commander hadn't spoken up? Is it because of his pride? Merun wondered.
Then, the demon's tone shifted. "Now. Leave."
The Tanaka squires rushed forward to tend to Hide. One familiar squire ran up, looking ashamed. "I'm sorry, commander... I couldn't find any Martial Seniors in the vicinity..."
Hide just shook his head. It didn't matter anymore.
A few sneaky martial artists tried to capitalize on the distraction, scurrying toward the prisoners tied to the rope. Merun was about to turn and rip them a new one when the men suddenly slumped, falling limp onto the sand. He looked back and saw Hide's hand pointed at them.
"A deal is a deal," Hide said firmly. "Take those fools away. Punish them for trying to go back on my word and nearly dishonoring my name."
Hide looked back at the demon. "...Can you at least tell me what will happen to them?"
The Demon laughed. "These scum will be 'rehabilitated', rest assured, they won't die if they become good members of society."
Hearing their fate, the martial artists felt a shiver down their necks. But some were secretly happy, after all, some of them were of commoner origin too. Hide would have to explain why they're missing a few martial artists... but they weren't anyone worth noting. It should be okay.
Slowly, the camp was dismantled. An army of martial squires and apprentices marched away from the village, retreating toward their fortress city. As they marched, the men couldn't help but look back. Standing in the distance, silhouetted against the moonlight, was the figure in the white cloak.
Watching.
Hide felt a strange intrigue as he looked at the receding figure. Who was that? Why was there a Senior posing as a Squire? He knew of techniques and martial artists that focused on stealth and near-invisibility, but he was definitely on the unique side. Most importantly, did he truly risk everything just to protect a few peasants? Hide genuinely thought he was a spy from the Mizunori at first.
He remembered the Demon's final warning:
"Let this be your final warning. The next time anyone from your clan harms non-martials... I will be there to kill them."
———
As Hide marched alongside the army, his body aching with every step, he reflected on the fight. He had never felt so utterly helpless. His mind techniques were considered top-tier among the Tanaka, He was their golden-boy. Yet he had failed to make that monster spill even a single drop of blood. He had thrown everything at that man and it had all been swatted away like a nuisance. It wasn't just because he was a realm higher... in his opinion, he was truly just lacking.
But in that humiliation, there was a gain.
The Viper-Gnat of Malice had communicated. For the first time since the bonding, the parasite had spoken a word of its own. Hide realized the Gnat was just as shaken as he was. The creature had finally understood a hard truth: if its host remained a mere Martial Squire, it could never truly be safe. To protect itself, the Gnat would have to allow Hide to grow.
Hide felt a surge of grim gratitude. If he hadn't had this fight, he would have continued his stagnant path. If he hadn't met this man, he would have kept avoiding every dangerous mission and scheming his way out of every battle where he didn't have an absolute advantage; after all he was here because the Mizunori was too easy of an opponent. He never would have come here if he knew there was another peak Squire... let alone a Martial Senior posing as one.
He had been a slave to the Gnat's sense of self-preservation, and that was exactly what had barred him from the Martial Senior realm.
He had never fought a true life-and-death battle since getting the symbiote. Until tonight.
"Next time," Hide whispered to the night air, his eyes narrowing as he looked back at the fading white dot on the horizon.
Now that the Gnat was willing to risk more to ensure their collective survival, Hide could finally stop being a passenger in his own body. He could finally seek out the wars he had previously avoided. He wasn't just a commander anymore; he was a martial artist again.
The Demon had spared his life, but it had also inadvertently unlocked his path to ascension. Hide would remember that debt—and he would pay it back on the battlefield.