Chapter 453 Rank B Closest to S
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
(Carla’s POV)
”Mr. Waleerry… I’m fine, really.”
”But Ms. Carla…”
Around the time when dusk began to fall, a man appeared here at the ‘Zett Merchant Guild Headquarters.’
He looked like an adventurer, about the same height as Mr. Hiroya.
He drew his sword and sought my company.
”So you’re Carla. ──You’re better-looking than I expected.”
A grotesque grin spread across his scarred face.
”I’d love to take a bite out of you, but since you’re just ‘an added bonus’… ──Well, that’d piss off the client…”
”Where are you taking me?”
I stepped forward, pushing Mr. Waleerry and the staff back.
”Someone is requesting you. ──Apparently, you were the best to embrace…”
(The ‘someone’ who has held me before… No, no way…)
Memories of past violations resurfaced, and dizziness made my legs unsteady.
”Whoa! Are you alright…”
The man who rushed over grabbed my arm and pulled me up.
”Don’t touch me!”
I tried to shake off his grip, but his strong hold wouldn’t let go.
”Ms. Carla!”
”I-I’m fine, Mr. Waleerry. Please tell Mr. Hiroya at Clan House that I’ll accompany this man.”
If I said ‘no’, I didn’t know what Mr. Waleerry, the employees, or this establishment would do.
The sharp pain from his grip and the n*ked sword he held conveyed that to me.
”I love obedient women. ──Now, let’s get going.”
He kept holding my arm as we exited the store.
* * *
(Asuka’s POV)
(What… is that…!?)
”When Gorge and I arrived near the ‘Zett Merchant Guild Main Branch,’ a man appeared from the shop.”
His arm… he forcefully pulled Ms. Carla.
”Let go of that hand!”
I shouted loudly and rushed towards the man.
”Oh… you’re the ‘Famière’ swordsman known as Asuka, huh?”
”Release her…”
I placed my hand on ‘Kansenmaru’ on my back and faced him.
”What’s this… Rebecca said I was able to fight someone strong, but to me, you’re just a rank B weakling…”
The man carelessly tossed Ms. Carla aside and aimed his sword at me.
”Even if I’ve heard from Giacomo about the ‘Famière’ members, it’s surprising to see a low-rank come to me…”
”So you think I’m weak and a low-rank… want to test that?”
I unsheathed ‘Kansenmaru’ and held back Gorge, who was readying his bastard sword with my left hand.
”Oh… That’s right. ──I’ll ask you for a CarCar. After slashing this small fish… I’ll kill you too, so I’ll leave you with CarCar until then.”
Gorge was about to say something back to the man, but as I looked at him, he nodded and ran over to Ms. Carla.
”Come… I’ll slash it in an instant.”
The man stomped the sword at me again and hanged it down.
(This is what I feel… I’m not letting my guard down)
I gave the man a check-out and wait-and-see thrust.
After the touch of the tip being slashed, the man disappears.
(Rank S area…!?)
From the dust rising from the ground where the man was located, I senses the direction of my opponent’s movement, and quickly turns to face him and sets up ‘Kansenmaru.’
──Grrrr!
With the impact of the blades hitting each other, the man appeared in front of me.
”Oh… you’re going to do it, but… I don’t think you could see it.”
The man grinned, jumps backwards.
(Movement of rank S… I can’t see it after all…)
While reestablishing Kansenmaru, I cursed my own immature.
”Next, let’s start from here.”
The man kicked the ground.
He closed the distance in one swift motion.
(A vertical movement… I can see it!)
In an instant, the man closed the distance and swung down his sword.
I raised Kansenmaru above my head to block, quickly following up with a leg sweep──
”To think luck would strike twice… I’m really out of luck.”
My kick sliced through the air, and the man retreated to his original position.
(What I can see… he hasn’t noticed. Then──)
I dashed toward a certain location.
”──!”
The man chased after me, ignoring Gorge and Carla.
”I can’t let CarCar go, but I can do whatever I want. I can’t let my prey escape── Hey, you! Don’t run away with CarCar!”
As I heard the man’s words behind me, I couldn’t help but suppress a smile, glad he was a foolish enemy.
* * *
”So, you came to such a deserted place on your own. Are you inviting me?”
I escaped with all my might using ‘Physical Boost,’ leading the man who taunted me into a narrow back alley.
”Besides, you can’t swing your weapon in a place like this… You’re really a pathetic woman.”
The man laughed while looking at the odachi Kansenmaru in my hand.
”Now… what will you do?”
”Don’t worry. I won’t kill you… but I will have to cut your legs a bit to immobilize you.”
The man licked his lips with a vile grin.
”There won’t be a third stroke of luck, you know? I’ll finish this in an instant, so stay still.”
The man was poised with his sword, gathering strength at his feet.
”Well, after that… it won’t be over in an instant. If you want, I can make you scream until morning.”
”Is Carla going to be okay?”
I readied Kansenmaru with a focused gaze, speaking to gather magical power.
”I’ll come to kidnap her directly from the ‘Famière’ mansion later. There are stronger folks than you, and I’ve heard it’s full of beautiful women.”
”It’s true that there are strong people and beautiful women. But──”
I pulled Kansenmaru closer, placing my left hand on the tip to re-aim.
”It’s a mistake to think you’re stronger than me. Saying ‘about the same as me’… well, that’s correct.”
”‘A thrust,’ huh… In this narrow alley, that’s all there is. But… it’s only if you can catch my movements.”
The man vanished.
Yet, my eyes caught his movements.
(Here, I can’t move sideways. And… I can catch vertical movements. ──Thanks, Hiroya.)
I leap up, aligning the aim of ‘Kansenmaru’ with the man descending from above.
”You! You, you can see…!”
”‘Piercing Fang’──!”
I pour all my refined magical power into ‘Kansenmaru’ and unleash a Full-Force Thrust at the man.
A technique inspired by Gargantua’s ‘Raijin Kizan (Thunder God Slash)’ that packs my magical power into a single strike.
The man descending from the sky has no way to dodge.
No, he won’t evade my blow raised to the limit with Physical Boost.
──Boom!
Before the tip, the shock of the magical power I infused grabs the man.
”Guhh!”
Receiving that blow, the man was blown away.
”Not yet!”
Losing the speed of rank S, I strike a follow-up ‘series of thrusts’ into the man slowly floating in midair.
The sensation of the blade sinking into flesh reaches my hands.
The ‘Kansenmaru’ infused with ‘Pierce’ magic pierced the man entirely to the hilt.
* * *
”You… were quite the weakling.”
──Thud
The fallen man groans, spitting out a clot of blood.
”I apologize. I’m ‘rank B, very close to rank S’.”
”What the… where’s rank A…?”
Leaving those words behind, the man breathed his last.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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