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Chapter 71: Third Step
Time passed, and it was the second day of training.
"Haa… haa…"
"Good job, Bell. You've cleared the second step of your training."
Bell had finally succeeded in scaling the sheer cliff. Reborn climbed the cliff and offered a word of appreciation to Bell, who had collapsed face-down.
"Alright, next is the third step. The training is only going to get harder from here."
W-What is he going to make me do next…?
They had only completed two exercises so far, but the sheer brutality of them had left Bell physically and mentally exhausted. Hearing that the training would only escalate left him with nothing but anxiety over whether his body could endure it.
"You'd better brace yourself, Bell. If you drop your guard during this next phase, you will actually die."
"Die…!?"
The blood drained from Bell's face as a violent chill raced down his spine.
"The third step is sparring with me."
"Sparring…? You mean I have to fight you, Reborn-san?"
"Exactly. From here on out, I'll be personally beating you into shape. In every conceivable environment."
Reborn cracked his knuckles, a joyful smile spreading across his face.
"I won't be using any Dying Will Bullets for this. You're fighting me with your own strength."
With that, Reborn dropped the knife and clothes he had been holding onto right in front of Bell.
"Change into those and get into your stance."
"Y-Yes, sir…"
Following Reborn's orders, Bell quickly changed into the clothes, equipping the Hestia Knife in his right hand and Ushiwakamaru in his left before dropping into a combat stance.
"Whenever you're ready. Come at me from anywhere."
H-He doesn't have a single opening…
Reborn wasn't even taking a proper fighting stance. Yet, Bell could sense a complete lack of openings. He racked his brain for a way to break through, but no good ideas came to mind.
"If you aren't coming, I will."
"Eh—Guh!?"
Reborn vanished. In the blink of an eye, a right straight buried itself deep into Bell's stomach. Bell collapsed to his knees, clutching his abdomen with both hands.
"Trying to read your opponent's guard and formulate a plan is fine, but you were so focused on looking for an opening that you left yourself completely wide open."
S-So heavy… He's way too strong…!?
Bell couldn't hide his shock. He hadn't expected Reborn—a man without a Falna—to possess this level of physical power.
"Also, I think you've got the wrong idea. I didn't have you take off your armor because it would break from a Dying Will Bullet. I had you take it off because my attacks would shatter it to pieces anyway."
Reborn casually explained the real reason he had Bell remove his armor, but Bell was in no condition to listen. Just standing back up took everything he had.
"I forgot to mention, but I've never lost a sparring match against Tsuna. Not even once."
"Wha—!?"
"I don't know how much stronger Tsuna has gotten since receiving his Falna, but even without one myself, I'm confident I could beat him."
He had no concrete proof, but Reborn was certain his own strength wasn't inferior to the current Tsuna's.
Well. If he uses 'that,' it's a different story.
As Reborn spoke, the memory of Tsuna fighting Bermuda during the Representative Battle of the Rainbow a year ago flashed through his mind.
"I'll say it again. Come at me with your Dying Will. Otherwise, you'll be dead long before the War Game even starts."
"—!?"
Reborn unleashed his killing intent. The sheer weight of it hit Bell like a wave of physical pain, piercing his entire body like thousands of needles.
Scary!! He makes the Black Goliath look cute by comparison…!?
The image of a Goliath distinct from the one that reigns as the 17th Floor's Floor Boss flashed through Bell's mind. Gritting his teeth against the phantom pain, Bell desperately forced himself back into a combat stance.
If I can't find an opening, I just have to make one!! If I don't fight with the intent to kill, I'm the one who's gonna die!!
Though momentarily suppressed by Reborn's aura, Bell understood that hesitation meant death. Abandoning his cautious approach, he dashed around Reborn at blinding speed, trying to force an opening. Thanks to his recent [Rank Up], his agility had drastically improved.
He's faster than I thought.
Without moving a single step, Reborn tracked Bell solely with the movement of his eyes, watching the boy attempt to shift his breathing rhythm and create a blind spot.
"Firebolt!!"
A bolt of lightning-shaped fire was blasted from Reborn's flank, aiming straight for his feet. Reborn casually hopped backward, letting the magic strike the empty ground.
"Firebolt!!"
Bell fired another shot at the mid-air hitman. Twisting his body, Reborn evaded the second blast.
He's gone…
When Reborn glanced toward where the magic had originated, Bell was already nowhere to be seen.
"Haa!!"
While Reborn was dodging mid-air, Bell had swiftly maneuvered behind him. Kicking off the ground, he launched himself toward Reborn's exposed back.
Not bad, but still lacking.
Reborn understood Bell was trying various tactics to throw him off, but the hitman could clearly feel the boy's presence behind him. A complete surprise attack was impossible. Reborn spun further and launched a roundhouse kick toward Bell.
"Firebolt!!"
"!?"
The moment Bell approached Reborn, he fired a shot directly at the ground, using the recoil to propel himself even higher into the air. This sudden shift in trajectory actually forced Reborn's eyes wide in genuine surprise.
"Firebolt!!"
Firing another blast upward to reverse his momentum, Bell initiated a rapid dive. He plunged toward Reborn, thrusting Ushiwakamaru forward with all his might.
"Not bad."
With his feet!?
Hanging upside down in mid-air, Reborn showed absolutely no fear as the blade approached. He simply clamped both feet around the flat of Ushiwakamaru's blade, stopping the thrust cold in a flawless mid-air blade catch.
"Too bad."
"Kuh!!"
Shaken by the failure of his strategy, Bell immediately swung the Hestia Knife in a wide horizontal arc.
"Your decision-making is too slow."
In the brief moment of Bell's hesitation, Reborn released Ushiwakamaru, kicked off the tip of the blade to safely land on the ground, and easily evaded the Hestia Knife's leftward sweeping strike.
"Returning the favor."
"Gaha—!?"
Kicking off the dirt, Reborn launched himself back into the air and buried a vacuum flying knee right into Bell's jaw. Unable to use his magic to change direction in time, Bell's neck was forcibly bent backward.
"I'm not done yet."
"Guho—!?"
Following up instantly, Reborn drove a brutal right straight directly into Bell's face. The impact launched Bell backward, sending him plummeting off the very cliff he had just spent hours climbing.
"Don't take your eyes off the enemy just because you're falling."
"Gofu…!?"
Running partway down the vertical cliff face, Reborn kicked off the stone to use it as a foothold, intercepted the free-falling Bell in mid-air, and planted a devastating kick into his stomach. Bell coughed up blood before violently crashing into the ground below.
"..."
Even with his newly acquired [Rank Up] stats, the sheer trauma of being pummeled in mid-air and slammed into the earth was enough to completely knock Bell out.
"You've got decent instincts, but you still have a long way to go. Not that you can hear me right now."
Landing gracefully beside the crater, Reborn noted Bell's unconscious state and walked over to the battered boy.
"Get the hell up, Bell."
"Guho!!"
Rather than administering first aid, Reborn ruthlessly kicked the unconscious Bell. The sharp pain forcibly jolted Bell awake.
"You don't have time to sleep. You have an overwhelming lack of interpersonal combat experience. Now get on your feet."
H-He's an absolute demon…
And so, Reborn's training—which made literal hell seem preferable—continued.
.....
Training Day 3.
"Uwooooooooooo!!"
Currently, Bell was sprinting through the Kaios Desert. Having been shot with a Dying Will Bullet, he was running with the literal Dying Will to survive, kicking up a massive sandstorm in his wake.
The reason they were running through a desert? Because it was scorching hot during the day and freezing cold at night. Reborn had decided it was the perfect environment to build endurance.
.....
The scene shifts.
It's been five years since then… Smiles have finally returned to the people.
This was the Kingdom of Shalsard, a nation nestled deep within the desert. Walking through the bustling castle town was a human with tanned skin, accompanied by heavily muscled, dark-skinned guards.
Freya. What are you doing right now, I wonder?
This human was Aram Raza Shalsard, the King of the Shalsard Kingdom. However, that was merely a public facade. Her true name was Ali. Though publicly known as a man, Ali was actually a woman. The previous king had struggled to produce an heir, so Ali had been raised as a prince.
Five years ago, the Kingdom of Shalsard had fallen when the Kingdom of Valsa brought in the Resheph Familia to invade. The king was executed, and Ali was captured by slave merchants.
However, Ali was saved from slavery by Freya, who had taken an interest in her. With the power of the Freya Familia, they successfully repelled the Resheph Familia. From there, Ali ascended to the throne and rebuilt the Shalsard Kingdom at an astonishing pace.
Currently, Ali was personally inspecting the castle town.
"Is something the matter, King Aram?"
"No. It just brings me joy to see smiles return to the faces of people who once looked so close to death."
"That is all thanks to you, King Aram. Because we had you, the Shalsard Kingdom was able to rise again."
"I couldn't have done it alone. It's thanks to the citizens who believed in me, and to you and the Fazur Company, Bofman."
"Your words honor me. I give you my deepest gratitude."
The man called Bofman spoke words of gratitude. His full name was Bofman Fazur. He had once been a base, greed-driven slave merchant. But after a certain incident, he reached an enlightened state where he realized that muscle is everything. He washed his hands of the slave trade, becoming the absolute shield that protected Ali and pouring his efforts into the development of the Shalsard Kingdom.
"Kyaaaaaa!!"
"P-Pervert!! There's a pervert charging this way at incredible speed!!"
Suddenly, the panicked screams of the citizens echoed through the streets. Accompanied by a tremendous roaring sound, the sudden appearance of a man in nothing but his underwear blasted into Ali and Bofman's line of sight.
"W-W-What in the world is that!?"
"Protect King Aram!! I will halt this ruffian!!"
""Yes, sir!!""
The sudden appearance of a half-naked man charging toward them caused the guards to flush red with confusion. But Bofman immediately ordered his men to protect the king and took up a combat stance against the approaching Dying Will Bell.
"I know not who you are, but Bofman Fazur will not permit such savagery within the Shalsard Kingdom!! I shall strike you down!!"
"Outta my way!!"
"Goha—!?"
Bofman bravely challenged the Dying Will Bell, only to be struck by a devastating uppercut that launched him high into the sky. Without losing a single ounce of momentum, Bell continued his mad sprint straight through the town.
Meanwhile, the airborne Bofman eventually plummeted back to the earth, crashing heavily into the street.
"Bofman!!"
""Lord Bofman!!""
Ali and the guards rushed over to where the massive man had fallen.
"Forgive me, King Aram… To think that I, your shield, would expose such a pathetic display…"
"Never mind that!! Are you alright!?"
Bofman possessed a Falna and had achieved a [Rank Up]. Thus, he was able to maintain his consciousness even after taking a direct hit from Bell.
"Yes, I am unharmed. However, this foolish Bofman has realized something. To reach even greater heights… To truly protect King Aram and the Shalsard Kingdom, I must train myself even further! I swear to become a warrior capable of surpassing that man!!"
"I-Is that so…?"
Seeing Bofman completely unfazed by his defeat and instead burning with a renewed passion for bodybuilding, Ali couldn't help but slowly back away in mild horror.
Seriously though, what the hell was that guy…?
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