Wednesday, May 14, 2025

[WN] Dragon Chain Ori : Volume 2 Chapter 5 [Re-Translation]

This is a re-translation.

Volume 2 Chapter 5

 

The place Mars had brought Nozomu was the outskirts of the town. The sun had already risen high, and the gradually warming sunlight spread the pleasant spring air throughout the town.

Arcazam was surrounded by walls to prevent the invasion of magical beasts and other creatures inhabiting the surrounding forests.

Furthermore, the walls were built at a considerable distance from the town. This was to allow for the deployment of large-scale troops in the event of a major invasion and to serve as a storage place for supplies to maintain those troops.

Also, because it was far from the town, the possibility of being seen by people was considerably lower than in the forest, though not as low as deep within the woods.

There, Nozomu and Mars stood facing each other.

 

***

 

Mars drew the greatsword he carried on his back and suddenly swung it at Nozomu.

 

"Tch!"

 

Nozomu drew his katana, struck the side of Mars's greatsword, and simultaneously evaded by moving around to his opponent's flank.

 

"Hey, what's this all of a sudden!"

 

Ki filled Mars's body and it was clearly a combat stance. Nozomu was confused and questioned Mars. Even though he had expected to be questioned about the forest and himself, he hadn't expected a sword to be suddenly pointed at him.

 

"Nothing much, just need you to answer my questions."

 

"Then why point a sword at me!"

 

Mars didn't answer Nozomu's question and continued to attack. Nozomu had no choice but to intercept. The sound of their clashing swords echoed.

 

Mars used his enhanced physical abilities to unleash a series of attacks that were hard to believe came from a greatsword user.

The sword's trajectory was a three-strike combo of an upward diagonal slash, a horizontal sweep, and a downward diagonal slash. The sword movements were fluid, and the power was considerable, suggesting that Mars's skill as a greatsword user was at a high level.

A combo attack with a heavy weapon like a greatsword was a very advanced technique. With mediocre physical abilities, one would be at the mercy of the greatsword's weight and wouldn't be able to unleash such a fluid combo.

However, Mars delivered powerful slashes with considerable speed.

 

Nozomu dodged the initial upward diagonal slash by turning his body sideways and avoided the horizontal sweep by crouching.

For the final downward diagonal slash, he took a step diagonally forward while holding his katana diagonally against Mars's blade trajectory, changing the vector of the force he received from diagonal to horizontal, and then moved his body in the direction of his step, moving to Mars's flank.

 

Nozomu used the momentum of his movement to slash at Mars, but Mars seemed to have anticipated it, as his greatsword intercepted Nozomu's blade trajectory, resulting in a high-pitched clang.

 

Nozomu didn't mind the parry and continued his combo attack. The distance was slightly inside Mars's greatsword range, just barely within reach of Nozomu's katana.

Nozomu's combo was even more efficient than Mars's, lacking in speed and power but without any openings, preventing Mars from carelessly switching to offense.

Unable to attack, Mars reluctantly used his greatsword skillfully to parry Nozomu's continuous attacks.

 

Since he was holding the greatsword with both hands, Mars's hands were occupied. He heightened his Ki and released it from his body. The technique had no name. He simply released his Ki, but Mars, with his abundant Ki, managed to slightly slow down Nozomu's combo.

 

In that opening, Mars focused his Ki in one hand and punched Nozomu away.

Mars's fist, possessing superior physical abilities and enhanced with Ki, was comparable to the strike of a magical beast. For Nozomu, under the influence of Ability Suppression and not fully benefiting from Ki enhancement, it was an unavoidable blow.

Nozomu blocked Mars's fist with his scabbard and deflected the force by flying backward.

 

The moment Nozomu landed, Mars pursued him. Closing the distance with Flash Step, he activated the Ki technique "Dust Wind Blade." He tried to slam the wind blades swirling around his greatsword, along with the greatsword itself, into Nozomu, but Nozomu, the moment he landed, also activated Flash Step. He focused his Ki in his legs, enhancing his leg strength to its limit, and charged straight at Mars.

 

"What!!"

 

Mars hadn't expected him to charge straight at him.

 

That was only natural. Even when Nozomu attacked until now, he would first parry and then attack.

Nozomu had hardly ever attacked first even in mock battles.

This was because his instantaneous power, necessary for attacking, was restricted by the influence of Ability Suppression.

 

Because Mars's downward swing of the greatsword had gained too much momentum, he couldn't take any other action.

Nozomu's speed surpassed the speed of the greatsword approaching his head, encroaching on Mars's range. This was due to Nozomu's unexpected movement slightly dulling Mars's sword path.

 

Before Mars's greatsword could reach him, Nozomu moved inside his greatsword's reach and struck Mars's swinging arm with an elbow strike.

 

"Guh!"

 

Mars's expression was distorted because he was attacked in a part not protected by his gauntlet.

Mars released one hand from the greatsword and focused his Ki, creating a mass of wind in his fist.

Mars released that mass of wind at point-blank range to Nozomu.

 

Ki Technique: "Wind Mass Palm"

 

A wind-attribute Ki technique that releases a mass of wind at once to blow away the opponent.

It is also a versatile Ki technique that can be applied to increase striking power utilizing the mass of wind.

The released wind blew Nozomu away, creating a large distance between them again, leading to a reset.

They glared at each other from outside each other's range, gauging their own and their opponent's reach. However, time passed without either of them stepping forward.

 

Mars was once again impressed by Nozomu's skill.

 

***

 

(I see... so in pure swordsmanship, he's the better one after all...)

 

Even though I'm overwhelmingly stronger in terms of power, I can't push through. After the initial slash, I unleashed a speed-focused combo, but it was all either dodged or parried. If I tried to force my way through with brute strength, I'd immediately get countered.

 

My sword could corner him, but it couldn't finish him.

 

I want to know. The reason why he became this strong, so that I can become even stronger.

 

More, more, even stronger……………….

 

For that, I have to know him. This man who has become unbelievably strong………….

 

***

 

They faced each other with swords drawn, neither looking away, maintaining a state of readiness. But then, Mars let out a "phew," dispersed the Ki he had been building up, and sheathed his sword.

 

"Sorry about that. Suddenly attacking you."

 

Nozomu, while wondering why Mars, who had been so eager to fight, had sheathed his sword, also sheathed his katana for the time being.

 

"……There's something I want to ask you. …………Since when have you been going into the forest?"

 

Mars stared straight at Nozomu. His eyes eloquently said that he wouldn't let him get away with any excuses.

 

To be honest, Nozomu didn't have any concrete plan for what to do if his identity as a Dragon Slayer was revealed. To be precise, he knew it would be bad if it was revealed, but he hadn't come up with any thoughts on what he wanted to do with this power or what he should do.

He was aware that he had been running away and thought that things couldn't continue like this, but having lost the goal of "helping Lisa's dream" and having no reason to stay at this academy, Nozomu had no concrete idea of what he wanted to do.

This loss of a "purpose to become stronger" was something Shino had worried about, just like his "unconscious escape," and now that he was aware of his unconscious escape, it was the biggest reason why Nozomu still couldn't move forward.

That's why Nozomu felt a strong emotion akin to longing for people like Irisdina, who said "I'll help anyone in need," and Somia, who said "I want to catch up to my older sister," people who were moving forward towards their goals.

 

"Let's see... I started going into the forest around the summer to fall of my first year. …………Well, at that time... there were things about Lisa... all sorts of things..."

 

In response to Mars's questioning, Nozomu decided to say something innocuous for the time being. Thinking carefully, since the presence that had been following him yesterday had disappeared when he entered the forest, Nozomu figured that he hadn't directly seen his Dragon Slayer power.

 

"…………I'm speechless. You've been going into the forest alone since that time?"

 

Mars was dumbfounded at Nozomu's nod and looked up at the sky. The academy prevented students from entering the forest unless they met certain conditions because it was dangerous, and the students themselves didn't do such things. Occasionally, there were reckless students who ignored the warnings, but most of them ended up seriously injured and needing bed care, or at worst, becoming food for magical beasts and disappearing.

Students were, after all, inexperienced. No matter how high their abilities or combat skills were, they couldn't survive without proper judgment. This fact was made known to the students every year through the sacrifices of several reckless students.

 

"But that makes sense. Your unusually precise movements and judgment were honed in the forest."

 

Indeed, Mars's words were correct. For a while after becoming Shino's disciple, he was made to run through the forest relentlessly, and naturally, he was attacked by magical beasts.

The magical beasts that attacked him were all classified as low-rank, but Nozomu at the time, while his physical abilities hadn't changed much at the time, was immature in swordsmanship, Ki techniques, tactics, and judgment. No matter how low-rank they were, he had no chance of winning.

 

That's why it was crucial for him to escape.

He would enter rivers to erase his scent, camouflage himself with leaves on his body, and climb trees to wait it out.

Nozomu's judgment on the battlefield was something he naturally acquired while thinking, judging, and executing various things to survive at that time.

The movements during the group mock battle the day before yesterday were also like that. He would constantly move to avoid being surrounded, repeating one-on-one engagements.

This was something he had learned while fighting magical beasts that hunted in packs, like Wild Dogs.

 

And then there were mock battles with Shino.

Fighting Shino, who possessed extraordinary power, meant that even a slight delay in action would result in immediate incapacitation, and a wrong judgment would lead to defeat.

He was in such an environment. He would gain judgment skills whether he liked it or not.

 

"So, why did you call me out here, Mars? Don't tell me you suddenly attacked me just to ask about that. Hey."

 

Nozomu glared at Mars with a sharp look. It was only natural. Nozomu was completely innocent. He had been suddenly called out and suddenly attacked. It was a natural reaction.

 

"Uh, well, um..."

 

Mars seemed to be aware that he had done something unreasonable. Mars's tone became hesitant.

 

"???"

 

Nozomu tilted his head, confused by Mars's sudden stammering.

However, judging from Mars's hesitant demeanor, he didn't seem to know that Nozomu was a Dragon Slayer at al. He just seemed to feel awkward about suddenly attacking him.

Considering how directly he had asked about Nozomu going into the forest, Nozomu couldn't imagine him hesitating when it came to swords or strength.

Nozomu was relieved for the time being, as it seemed his identity as a Dragon Slayer hadn't been discovered.

 

"W-what I mean to say is—" "Aaaaaaaaaa! What are you doing, Onii-chan!!" "Gah!"

 

A sudden loud voice interrupted Mars's words. Looking towards the voice, a girl with features very similar to Mars's came running towards them. An angry expression was plastered on the girl's face, and her gaze was directed at Mars. Apparently, this girl was Mars's younger sister.

 

"Onii-chan!! What were you trying to do, calling someone out to a place like this with no one around!!!"

 

"N-nothing! And why are you even here?!"

 

"Because Onii-chan left this morning with such a scowl on your face, I thought nothing good would come of it, so I followed you. And just as I thought, you're trying to mug someone here..."

 

As the girl said this, raising her eyebrows with her fingers, Mars retorted as if he had been deeply wronged.

 

"That's not it! Why would I be trying to mug someone?!"

 

"Considering everything Onii-chan has done up until now, it's the only logical conclusion! Do you have any idea how many times Mom and I have had to bow our heads to the people you've caused trouble for?!"

 

"Ugh!"

 

Indeed, Mars was recognized by those around him as an uncontrollable delinquent. Despite having the potential to be in a higher class, the fact that he was still in the 10th tier showed just how bad his usual behavior was.

However, Mars seemed to be weak against his younger sister, as he had been on the defensive since earlier.

Even when he tried to argue back a little, he was immediately shut down with logical reasoning. Mars himself probably knew that his behavior was bad and was aware that he was causing trouble for his family, as he eventually stopped arguing, and his sister's one-sided verbal assault unfolded.

 

"My favorite store banned us because of Onii-chan's rampage!" "I got treated like a boss by kids my age in the neighborhood because of Onii-chan!" "I had to apologize to the neighbors for a whole day and night because of Onii-chan!" and so on. The stories just kept coming, so much so that it made you wonder how much he had actually done.

Mars himself groaned "ugh!" or "muu!" every time a story came out, looking like he was being stabbed repeatedly with some kind of spear.

 

Eventually, the topic shifted to Mars's embarrassing old stories.

"His last bedwetting was later than mine," or "He said he wanted to ride a horse, so he jumped onto a carriage horse, and the horse got scared and went on a rampage. It turned into a big chase involving all the men in the neighborhood."

 

Perhaps because his past shames were being exposed, Mars finally couldn't take it anymore and slumped down with both hands on the ground. Even though it was his own fault, it was a pathetic sight to see.

The girl, who had been thoroughly tormenting Mars, came over to Nozomu after confirming Mars's defeat.

 

"I'm sorry. My foolish older brother has caused you trouble."

 

"Ah, no, it's alright... but, is your brother okay?"

 

"Yes. If I don't do this, my brother won't reflect on his actions. Besides, I've been through quite a lot because of him. This much is only natural retribution."

 

"I-I see…………"

 

Nozomu, feeling sorry for Mars who had been thoroughly tormented, tried to somehow soothe the girl, but she cut him off decisively.

 

Nozomu, who had been angry at Mars for suddenly attacking him, was completely taken aback by the girl who had so mercilessly dismissed her own brother, even if he was a delinquent.

 

"Oh, sorry for the late introduction. I'm Ena, the younger sister of that idiot who's dying over there."

 

"Ah, nice to meet you. I'm Nozomu Bountis, Mars's classmate."

 

Unlike Mars, the girl greeted him politely. Perhaps because she had suffered so much because of her brother, she was quite a mature girl.

 

"My foolish brother has caused you trouble today. I would really like to apologize, so would you please come to our family's shop? We run an inn with a bar, so we can at least treat you to lunch."

 

The girl asked to apologize. Nozomu said he didn't need an apology, but Ena insisted quite strongly, saying, "Since he caused you trouble, we have to make things right." Feeling it would be rude to refuse strongly, Nozomu decided to accept her invitation.

 

"Well, okay, but what about Mars?"

 

"Oh, that's right. Onii-chan, you're in the way, so hurry up and walk!"

 

Ena kicked Mars. Mars protested, "What are you doing?!" but was disheartened by his younger sister's glare and trudged along behind them.

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