Volume 6
Chapter 7
Nozomu, lagging behind Irisdina and the others by tens of seconds, had nevertheless approached close enough to see the battleground. However, the situation was extremely critical. In the depths of the bushes, visible in Nozomu's sight, was the figure of a junior, about to be crushed by an orc.
"This is
bad!"
He immediately slammed
ki into his katana, and at the same time, accumulated and released ki into his
legs. Instantaneous acceleration gained at the cost of rapid ki consumption.
Bursting through the bushes, what appeared in his cleared vision was the figure
of an orc with a furious face. He placed his hand on the hilt of his sheathed
katana and drew it with a battle cry. The next moment, an extremely compressed
ki blade flew at high speed along the katana's trajectory, instantly severing
the orc's arm. The orc, unaware that its arm had been cut off, swung down its
severed upper arm. But nothing happened to Eldor, who was sitting on his
backside in front of it.
"Bumo?"
The orc made a dazed
sound. It couldn't possibly kill Eldor. Its arm was already lost and would
never return. While the orc was dazed by the loss of its arm, Nozomu leaped
into its embrace. He recharged ki into his katana again, extremely compressing
it. Rushing past the orc's side, he once again slashed with the katana in his
hand. The ki technique, "Phantom Void - Return," bisected the orc's
fleshy torso, and it was drawn to death without realizing its own demise. As
its severed upper and lower halves crumbled to the ground, Nozomu cut in
between the orcs and the juniors, glaring at the orcs.
"Bugyaaa!"
"Gafugafu!"
The orcs snorted
roughly, letting out angry roars. Their eyes bloodshot, the orcs glared at
Nozomu.
"............"
Nozomu, in contrast,
stood firm, withstanding the orcs' roars and killing intent all over his body,
firmly planted on the ground in front of the magic beasts. His eyes were fixed
directly on the orcs, and he held the pig-demons' movements in check with a
silent gaze. Their opponents were wild inhabitants ruled by strength. In this
case, whoever was even slightly overwhelmed by the opponent's intensity would
be unilaterally crushed.
"And there are
multiple opponents. If they get momentum, it'll be incredibly
troublesome..."
Nozomu, while
intimidating the orcs, also gave a slight wry smile at himself. What would he
have done if this were before he met Irisdina and the others? Nozomu thought
for a moment, but he couldn't imagine himself with anyone at that time.
"Anyway, the
problem is Eldor-kun and the others..."
While it was good to
be lost in thought, this was a battlefield. Nozomu pulled himself together and
tried to sense the presence of his juniors behind him. He felt their gazes on
his back. They seemed somewhat dazed, but it was bad for them to be disoriented
in a battle.
"Hey, pull yourselves
together. Don't just spacing out there."
Nozomu called out to
his juniors behind him. He didn't raise his voice to avoid provoking the orcs.
Honestly, Nozomu didn't know how to speak to them to make them recover.
However, Nozomu, who prioritized survival above all else, racked his brain to
survive this situation. What these frightened juniors needed now was a clear
and concise goal and means, and above all, a spiritual pillar.
"I'll watch for
an opportunity and charge in. You just protect your injured comrades."
Complex explanations
might further confuse them in their agitated state. Nozomu uttered a few simple
instructions, imagining Irisdina, who would be a reliable senior figure for
them. However, Eldor and the others could only see this action as suicidal. The
D- rank Nozomu, whose rank they had heard from him before entering this forest.
Looking only at his rank, they couldn't possibly have expected Nozomu to be
able to handle so many orcs.
"Eh, but your
rank is D-minus...? Eh? But, you just cut down an orc..."
Eldor and the others'
preconceptions about Nozomu exacerbated their confusion. Although they had seen
Nozomu cut down an orc before their own eyes, they couldn't calmly comprehend
the reality of what had just happened. Considering only Nozomu's rank, there
was no way he should be able to handle so many orcs. However, Eldor and the
others had just witnessed Nozomu cut down that orc with only two strikes. Eldor
and the others, who were first-years and lacked sufficient training and
practical experience. Their inability to reconcile their beliefs with reality
had left them unable to think properly.
"This is bad,
what should I do..."
Nozomu slowly sheathed
the katana he had drawn while keeping the orcs in check. He lowered his stance
and braced himself for battle, but inwardly, he was clutching his head. He had
intended to help them recover, and had chosen his words carefully, trying to
evoke an Irisdina-like atmosphere, but he seemed to have only made them more
anxious. It was understandable, since they only knew Nozomu from rumors and his
rank.
"Irisdina and the
others will finish soon. Hold out until then. Understood?"
Honestly, Nozomu
himself thought he was doing something quite unfamiliar. He was used to
fighting alone, but collaborating with others didn't go well. He didn't have
the kind of trusting relationship that Irisdina and the others had, nor did he
have time to plan tactics to a certain extent like Jin and his team. Precisely
because it was a sudden battle, the disparity between Nozomu's reputation at
the academy and his real combat ability had caused further confusion among his
juniors. Therefore, he would make them aware of Irisdina herself, rather than
himself acting like Irisdina. Irisdina and Feo, visible at the edge of Nozomu's
vision, seemed to be fine. Despite being outnumbered, they were reliably
parrying the orcs' attacks and steadily reducing the enemy's numbers one by
one. And as the number of orcs they were fighting decreased, Irisdina and the
others' opportunities to attack also increased. It would only be a matter of
time before they finished.
"Y-yes!"
Eldor and the others
had also witnessed Irisdina and her team's fighting. Unlike Nozomu, Irisdina
had a high reputation within the academy. She possessed charisma to lead other
students, as well as the deep trust of the teachers and proven results. Her
valiant efforts gradually invigorated their deflated spirits. The strength
returned to their voices as they replied to Nozomu. Nozomu thought that in
times like these, her presence as a spiritual pillar was significant, and he
gripped the sheathed katana. The opponents were numerous, and he was no match for
their brute strength. But he couldn't let the enemy pass. To protect his
juniors, what Nozomu needed was to draw all the opponents' attention to
himself. It was easy to imagine what would happen if even a little of the
opponent's attention turned to Eldor and his team. Although their energy had
returned, his injured and exhausted juniors probably wouldn't be able to
withstand the orcs' offensive. To prevent that...
"Fugooo!"
The orcs let out
strange cries and charged at Nozomu. The magic beasts, completely enraged,
seemed intent on eliminating Nozomu, who was right in front of them. Nozomu
reached into the pouch at his hip without the orcs seeing, and quietly dropped
something he pulled out onto the ground.
"Hmph!"
Nozomu glanced at the
orcs approaching with even more distorted, hideous faces, then exhaled softly,
slammed ki into his feet, and stomped hard on the object he had dropped onto
the ground.
"Bumooo!"
The next moment, a
bursting explosion echoed through the forest. Nozomu immediately activated
Flash Step. He plunged head-on into the group of orcs, holding his sheathed
katana. What Nozomu had taken out of his pouch and stomped on was a sound bomb
that emitted a loud noise. Surprised by the ear-splitting explosion, the orcs
momentarily dulled their movements. Nozomu rushed straight towards the orc that
flinched in surprise at the explosion.
However, his speed was
by no means fast compared to Irisdina and the others. The orcs surpassed Nozomu
in both physique and brute strength. Eldor could only imagine Nozomu, charging
head-on into the orcs, being crushed by the magic beasts. The orc, quickly
recovering from the confusion, stepped forward and charged at Nozomu, who had
emitted the unpleasant sound. The distance between the rushing Nozomu and the
leading orc instantly closed. The orc's club was swung down, aiming for the
crown of its approaching prey. Grasping the approaching club's movement, Nozomu
again wreathed his sheathed katana in a ki blade. At the same time, he shifted
his direction diagonally forward with Flash Step - Curving Dance and then
thrust his drawn blade into the side of the descending club. Normally, one
would think that the orc, superior in strength and weight, would unilaterally
strike down Nozomu.
However, what leaped
into Eldor's eyes was the upper half of the club, bisected and flying through
the air in an instant.
"Zei~!"
Nozomu's blade, with a
return strike, was sucked into the orc's torso. The two passed by each other as
if crossing paths.
"Guh, pugyau..."
After a beat, the orc
that had passed by collapsed, spitting blood. A single, deep, horizontal cut
was carved into its abdomen. It was clearly a fatal wound. Nozomu, without
killing the momentum of his Flash Step, plunged into the group of orcs.
"Gaaaaa!"
"Booo!"
The orcs swung the
weapons in their hands at Nozomu one after another. The density of attacks was
only possible due to their overwhelming numbers. Nozomu widened his eyes,
trying to discern the attacks of the orcs coming from all directions.
"Hmph!!"
The moment he entered
the orcs' range, Nozomu drew a complex curvilinear movement with Flash Step -
Curving Dance. However, in his current state, without releasing his ability
suppression, he couldn't perform the overwhelming maneuvers that had once toyed
with the Triclops. In fact, several of the descending clubs caught Nozomu's
body.
"Kuh!!"
Nozomu used all his
might to parry the clubs approaching his body. He used the momentum of his
body's rotation from Flash Step - Curving Dance and the unique curve and
flexibility of his katana to deflect the clubs' trajectories. Each time he
tried to parry, a pressure like blocking a boulder weighed on both Nozomu's
arms, and all his muscles screamed.
But a single strike
from an orc was not comparable to an A-rank Triclops, or even a B-rank Cyclops.
If he linked his entire body's muscles seamlessly, he could parry them. The
orcs' attacks didn't catch Nozomu's body and cut through the air. However,
while a single strike might be manageable, in this surrounded situation, even
if he parried one orc's attack, other orcs would attack. And once he took an
attack, even if he parried it unscathed, his movement speed would inevitably
slow down. If that happened, he would be exposed to even fiercer attacks. In
fact, the density of the orcs' attacks had increased after he parried one
attack.
"Kuh!"
Another orc's stone
axe passed just barely by Nozomu's face. He somehow managed to twist his neck
and dodge, but honestly, it was bad to waste any more time like this. He still
thought he could handle them, but if he took too long, the orcs' attention
might turn to his juniors. Nozomu clicked his tongue and focused all his senses
on the movements of the surrounding orcs. His vision lost color, and the flow
of all time slowed down. In Nozomu's eyes, displaying extreme concentration,
the trajectory of the axe that attacked him with a return strike was clearly
visible. Nozomu, slamming ki into the katana in his hand, slashed his katana
upwards towards the side of the axe that was about to sweep him. Nozomu's slash
accurately caught the swung axe, making a sharp clack! sound and bisecting the
orc's stone axe. The orc, its own axe, which was supposed to turn Nozomu into
minced meat, bisected instead, was stunned. In that opening, Nozomu swung his Phantom
Void - Clad - infused katana in a diagonal slash. The orc's body collapsed a
beat later. But Nozomu didn't look at the magical beast he had just cut down
and was already eyeing his next opponent.
***
"............"
Eldor watched Nozomu,
who was parrying the orcs' attacks by a hair's breadth and inflicting fatal
wounds on them, with a blank expression. His appearance was far removed from
the image of Nozomu Bountis he had heard in rumors. Eldor was completely
captivated by his swordsmanship, which could completely parry an orc's strike,
which should have been overwhelmingly superior in brute strength, and his ki
blades, sharpened to their utmost limit.
"Amazing..."
A classmate, who was
treating his comrades behind Eldor, let out a voice of admiration. He, too, was
mesmerized by Nozomu's sword dance unfolding before his eyes. Irisdina, swaying
her black hair in the wind, simultaneously manipulated multiple magic bullets
and swung her rapier, flashing silver light. Feo's staff, accelerated by his
nimble body movements, struck the orcs, and his thrown talismans exploded with
flashes of light, burning the orcs' bodies. And Nozomu, who, despite being
unable to use magic and having a handicap due to ability suppression, displayed
movements completely comparable to theirs with just a single katana. Their
fighting styles might be different, but they were clearly those of individuals
at a far higher level than Eldor and his team. Eldor, mesmerized by the
unwavering trajectory of Nozomu's katana, felt something warm surge from deep
within his chest. His heart pounded with excitement, and Eldor, forgetting that
he had almost been killed just moments ago, was captivated by the sight.
***
Nozomu's eyes caught a
club swung horizontally from the edge of his vision. He stepped towards the orc
that had swung the club and pressed his ki-infused katana against the club that
had been swept, as if to cut into it. Then, his katana bit into the orc's club as
if cutting through clay, bisecting it instantly. Nozomu's katana then deeply
sliced the magic beast's arm.
"Pigyaaa! Gafu!..."
The orc let out a
scream from the pain in its arm, but before it finished screaming, Nozomu's
katana severed its head. The katana and ki techniques were wielded without any
restraint. To concentrate the orcs' attention on himself, he needed to make
them believe he was a formidable enemy they couldn't take their eyes off. To
that end, what Nozomu did was... engage in a full-power battle, completely
disregarding ki consumption.
"Haa!"
He plunged his
sheathed katana into the mouth of the orc, which had been stunned by the sight
of its comrade's head being severed, and delivered a Vibration Strike. The ki
and shockwave that exploded in its mouth pulverized the orc's skull, scattering
its brains around. Nozomu, who normally controlled his highly lethal ki
techniques at the academy, used them all-out, overwhelming his opponents with a
continuous barrage of killing techniques. Nozomu's close-quarters combat was
supported by his outstanding ki control and ki techniques and body techniques
that embodied overwhelming lethal power. Although he had not released his
ability suppression, his ki blades and katana techniques, which bisected opponents
along with their weapons, kept the orcs completely at bay.
"Kuh, sei!"
Nozomu's katana, which
had been sheathed after he used Vibration Strike, was drawn again, cutting
through the air with a flash and slicing the body of the orc behind him along
with its weapon. However, even if he could suppress the ki used for attacks
with "Phantom Void - Clad -," the efficiency of his body
strengthening due to ability suppression was terrible. Full-power enhancement
without regard for consequences, in a state of poor fuel efficiency. The rapid
consumption of ki quickly pushed Nozomu's body to its limit.
"Haa,
haa..."
Nozomu's breathing
gradually grew ragged. His heart began to pound, and he started to feel pain in
his lungs.
"Bumooo!"
"!"
The blood mist from the
orc, exhaled by Nozomu's Phantom Void. Cutting through it, another orc from
behind swung a huge club. A horizontal strike from outside his vision. Nozomu
reacted immediately, but his body movements were slightly too slow, and he
couldn't completely parry it. Nozomu's upper body slightly lifted, exposing his
defenseless body for an instant. Furthermore, the club, reversed, approached
Nozomu from the opposite direction.
"Tch!"
Nozomu intentionally
released all the strength in his body that he had been bracing with, instead
deliberately disrupting his own posture. Instead of resisting the impact he
couldn't fully parry, he intentionally let his body ride the flow, twisting his
upper body and crouching. Nozomu's body dropped with a thud, following gravity.
As he sank to the ground, clinging to it, the next moment, the orc's club
passed overhead with a roar.
"Hmph!"
The moment the club
passed overhead, Nozomu put force into both hands, which were on the ground,
and swung his katana with a slash as he sprang up. The orc collapsed, spewing
blood, its torso, abdomen, and skull bisected in one strike.
"Hah, hah,
hah..."
Covered in the blood
splattering like rain, Nozomu exhaled heavily and glared at the remaining orcs.
"Bu, bubu..."
The orc, intimidated
by Nozomu, recoiled. The remaining magic beasts had completely lost their will
to fight. Their prey's movements weren't particularly fast. His strength wasn't
particularly strong either. In fact, just now, he had lost his balance greatly
from a single strike from a comrade he failed to parry. Frail prey that
couldn't even properly block their single strikes. But all of their comrades
who entered the range of Nozomu, whom they thought was frail, were slain, their
corpses exposed in a gruesome state. The other remaining comrades were also
being continuously cut down by Irisdina and the others, leaving only a few. An
indescribable terror filled the orc's heart. The killing intent of the single
human standing before it touched its neck like a cold blade. The next moment,
the sight the orc saw was its own head flying through the air, utterly
helpless.
"Pi-pigyauuu!"
Fantasizing its own
death, the orc's mind finally reached its limit. Letting out a pained scream,
it tried to run away from the spot at full speed. In the direction that orc was
headed...
"Fwoah! What is
this!!"
For some reason,
Zonne, who they had told to wait, was there.
"Old man!? Crap!"
Had he grown impatient
because Nozomu and the others weren't returning? However, the frenzied orc
didn't even see the old man in front of it. The magic beast frantically moved
its legs, trying to get away from the spot. At this rate, Zonne would be
knocked away by the charging orc. Nozomu's face showed signs of impatience. For
a human without the means to fight, an orc's colossal body alone was a
sufficient threat. Flash Step wouldn't make it in time. Furthermore, Zonne was
in a straight line connecting the fleeing orc and Nozomu. If he carelessly used
Phantom Void, he might bisect the old man along with the orc.
"Kuh!!"
Nozomu tried to
activate Flash Step anyway, but then the events of this morning came to mind.
His eyes caught the small blade tucked into his hip belt. Nozomu instinctively
switched his katana to his left hand, and with his right hand, he drew the
throwing knife he had received from Feo. He then swung back, taking a throwing
stance. He took a step forward, visualizing the scene from this morning when he
hit the target with Feo's advice, and shifted his center of gravity forward.
However, honestly, a throwing knife alone was unreliable to stop the orc's
movements. Given the uncertainty of his aim, a certain level of striking power
was essential to stop that colossal body's movements.
"If the power
isn't enough..."
Nozomu, holding the
raised throwing knife, infused it with ki, extremely compressing it, as if
using Phantom Void. He tried to compensate for his lacking throwing knife
technique with ki techniques, attempting to give it sufficient power. He
focused on his body's centerline and side, and swung his arm down as if
performing an overhead katana strike. The throwing knife left Nozomu's arm and
flew, rotating in the air, then, with its extremely compressed ki blade,
plunged into the orc's defenseless back. The next moment, the extremely
compressed ki broke free from Nozomu's control, and the plunged throwing knife
exploded with a bursting sound.
"Gyauuu!"
The orc twisted its
body in agony from the sharp pain in its back. A hole several fingers deep was
pierced in the orc's back. But even with its body swaying and its speed
reduced, the orc's feet didn't stop. Its survival instinct must have overcome
the pain.
"Damn it! Old
man, run!"
Nozomu's loud voice
echoed around him, but the orc was already pressing close to the old man. He
couldn't make it in time as he was. Judging that, Nozomu immediately reached
for the chains binding him. He put strength into his arm, trying to tear off
the chains of ability suppression. Surprisingly, the previous anxiety didn't
well up.
But at that moment,
familiar shadows rushed past him from both sides.
"It's alright,
Nozomu!"
"Leave the rest
to us!"
Voices of his comrades
came from behind him. The next moment, a dozen or so dark-colored chains,
growing from the ground, entangled themselves around the orc's body in multiple
layers. Irisdina and the others had finished off the orcs they were fighting and
had rushed to the scene.
"Gyaaaauu!"
The orc screamed in
agony, trying to escape the chains, but Irisdina's "Chains of Darkness"
completely restrained the orc's movements in an instant. The orc twisted
desperately, but Irisdina and the others gave it no chance to escape, and Feo,
with lightning wrapped around his staff, charged in.
"This will finish
it off!"
Feo rapidly spun his
staff above his head and swung it down with force towards the orc's head.
Lightning exploded with a bursting sound, ravaging the orc's body, and the last
orc died, its entire body burned.
"That's the end
of it. Old man, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I thought
I was going to die. But, well, you saved me."
Feo casually put his
staff on his shoulder. Zonne also let out a long breath, his voice weak.
"Nozomu, are you
alright?"
"Haa, haa,
phew... Yeah, I'm fine. I used a bit too much ki, but I'm not injured."
Irisdina also rushed
to Nozomu's side and called out to him. He replied to her, composing himself.
"Well then, we've
dealt with the orcs for now, but..."
Nozomu glanced at
Eldor and the others, who were standing dazed. Among the four of them, the
injured female student was still crouched on the ground.
"Anyway, we need to
treat them."
"You're right.
Nozomu, do you have any potions...?"
"I do. Irisdina,
please take care of that student."
"Got it."
Nodding to each other,
Nozomu and the others rushed to the fallen female student and checked her
condition.
"Are you alright?"
"U-ugh..."
Nozomu called out to
the fallen female student. She was a small girl with russet hair tied to one
side, reminiscent of a kitten. Her cute appearance was now twisted in pain, but
the girl nodded faintly in response to Nozomu's question. She seemed to be
conscious.
"She's conscious.
Injuries are bruises and lacerations... Bones are okay. Iris, how about over
there?"
"It's similar
here. However, it seems her ribs are injured. Her internal organs seem fine,
though..."
Irisdina, who was
examining the other female student, answered, narrowing her eyes. She seemed to
be more seriously injured than the girl Nozomu was examining. Looking closely,
her face was pale, and her breathing was ragged.
Nozomu immediately
gave the fallen female student a potion to drink, washed the wound with water
from his canteen, and bandaged it.
"If we move her
carelessly, her internal organs might get hurt..."
However, not only
important organs like internal organs, but also broken bones could continue to
injure the inside of the body, potentially leading to massive bleeding. If they
couldn't move her carelessly, they needed to at least secure her safety until
minimal treatment was finished.
"Iris, continue
treating her wounds with magic. I'll set up the perimeter and keep watch with
Feo."
"Understood.
Leave this to me."
Nozomu nodded at
Irisdina's words, then entrusted the girl he had been treating to Eldor's
comrade and called out to Feo.
"I'm counting on
you, Feo."
"Okay. Let's go
then."
Entrusting the girl he
had been examining to Eldor's comrade, Nozomu stood up and headed into the
forest. Feo also counted the remaining talismans and followed Nozomu. After
Nozomu and Feo disappeared into the forest, Irisdina, who remained, looked at
the dazed Eldor and the others.
"Eldor-kun, can
you use magic?"
"Y-yes!"
"Then help me. I
want to at least fix her broken ribs."
"U-understood!"
Eldor, snapped back to
reality by Irisdina's words. He immediately rushed to his comrade and began
helping Irisdina. Irisdina's and Eldor's hands, placed on the female student's
flank, faintly glowed, gently enveloping her body. Perhaps the pain had
receded, as her expression gradually softened. The girl Nozomu had been
treating was also able to somehow get up with the help of her comrades.
"T-thank goodness..."
Eldor let out a sigh
of relief. He felt the tension finally leaving his shoulders, which had been
stiff with anxiety and nervousness. And a flashing sword stroke came to mind,
along with a pounding heart deep in his chest.
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