Volume 1, Chapter 5 – Awakening of The War God Part 1
The time goes back a little while ago――.
A strong wind was blowing, and heavy rain was slapping the skin. On the roof of Berg Fortress’ central tower―dozens of men and women there were unable to utter a word.
They were feeling suffocated as if the heavy air was adding pressure from all sides. The red-haired girl next to Hiro, looking at the battlefield, raised her shapely eyebrows in concern.
“Hiro, isn’t this bad…?”
“No, they still have the momentum there…”
The enemy’s side is in disarray, and the only thing left to do is to defeat the enemy general. Although slowed down by the sudden rain, the “Imperial Black Knights” led by Aura have not lost their momentum.
(There are about 8,000 enemies left, huh…)
The current situation is also an opportunity for us to catch up with them. There are only a thousand people on this side, but the enemy is completely distracted by the Imperial Black Knights.
By hiding in the heavy rain, they should be able to delay the enemy soldiers from noticing us. Even if they realize it, the chain of command should be in disarray with all that chaos.
――We should strikeout.
I looked at Liz when I decided to make that decision, but she was no longer next to me. That’s because she was already running up to Kiork.
Judging from the fact that she was desperately talking about something, she might feel the same way as Hiro. Seeing that Kiork nodded and sent instructions to the soldiers, Hiro turned his attention to the battlefield again.
“Did they take them down?”
The “Heavenly Spirit Eye captured the signs of victory coming from the battlefield”. But then the black dragon, split in two as if it had hit a large wall, began to draw a circle in the main enemy camp.
“…Why don’t they leave?”
Hiro puts his hand on the wall and leans up and strains his eyes. He could tell that something strange had happened. But there is a mixture of information, and he cannot capture the exact information.
(I guess I have no choice but to go.)
There is no time to hesitate. Climbing the wall, Hiro reaches the brink. Far below, he can see the soldiers moving in a hurry. It’s a height where he can easily die.
“Fuh…”
After taking a breath, Hiro made up his mind and stepped out into the empty space―and fell.
“Hiro!”
Liz screams in surprise as she sees Hiro falling from the top of the tower. The sound of rain quickly drowned it out, and Hiro didn’t even notice.
(…If I had to take the stairs down every single time, I wouldn’t make it.)
Gravity pulls him down to the ground. He felt as if his organs were being pushed upward. Hiro summoned the “Heavenly Emperor” on halfway. As soon as the pommel head appears underneath his feet, he uses it as a foothold and leaps. He summons it again and leaps through the air.
On the ground, soldiers could be seen jumping out of the gates one by one, heading for the battlefield. Liz and the others would be using the stairs to make their way to the surface by now.
Hiro landed on the ground after jumping over the gate a step ahead of them.
There was a groan from the allied soldiers who had come out of the gate. There was no time or need to bother explaining it to them.
With the silvery-white sword in hand, Hiro kicked up the ground. It was as if he was running through a sunny meadow, running through it smoothly without getting caught in the mud. When he reaches the battlefield filled with enemies, he looks around for an opening.
This is the path that the “Imperial Black Knights” did their best to pry open. After finding a large gap, Hiro charged at it.
“I’m in a hurry!”
A flash of light struck the back of the enemy blocking his path. Before the blood splattered, it reaped the life of the next enemy and opened the way. Ordinary soldiers would never notice. The enemy soldier’s head is flying off when the flash of light passes by.
With the shining sword, Ordinary soldiers die off before they can recognize it.
“What the hell are you?!”
The enemy squad leader notices him and swings his sword down at Hiro.
“Fuh!”
He ducked and then slashed at the side. The enemy squad leader’s sword snapped in half from the center hand; the blade fell to the ground. Simultaneously, the silent squad leader became a corpse and was buried in the mud. The enemies around him were in an uproar.
Rushing ahead, Hiro again runs out and leaves the enemy unsettled. Thanks to the blessing of the “Heavenly Emperor,” this speed is impossible for an ordinary person to achieve.
By running through the gaps, he was finally able to catch Aura’s figure with his eyes. Looking at the girl covered in mud and collapsed, Hiro’s eyes were filled with silent anger.
As Hiro wished in his heart, the space in front of him cracked open in response. A single spirit weapon emerged from the crack, colored with gems. Without hesitation, he picked up the hilt and threw it. The sharp blade sliced through the air and slashed off the enemy general’s wrist.
Hiro instantly crushes the distance between him and the unsettled enemy general to get close to him. Before he was noticed, he flashed the “Heavenly Emperor” to the side.
“Gugoohh―!?”
The feeling of the neck being severed from the bone remains in his hand. It’s a surefire way to bring death to the enemy general.
“But… why is he still alive?”
Hiro stopped and turned to the enemy general as if to ask him a question.
“Who are… you?”
Hiro is a sudden intruder. It’s no surprise that he gives Hiro a questioning look. Hiro ignores it and looks at the enemy’s neck. He confirmed that it was connected.
“…If I cut you again, I’ll see if I can figure it out.”
Hiro pointed his “Heavenly Emperor” sword at the enemy general.
“You don’t intend to tell me your name, huh? But I’ll tell you my name. I think it’s important to know the name of the person who killed you.”
The enemy general smiled ferociously.
“Rayhill Lemaire Lichtine. I am the next Prince of the Principality of Lichtine!”
Reyhill, who announced himself, swung his sword, a spirit weapon, vertically. Hiro received it with his “Heavenly Emperor” and flicked it back. A spark is flashed between the two.
“I’ve been pushed back…?”
Rayhill, who had backed away from the force, tilted his head back, and a question mark appeared on his face. He then took a glance at his own hand and then looked at Hiro.
Hiro was inwardly surprised. This was because his opponent’s physical strength was beyond his imagination. Although he pushed him back, Hiro has taken two steps back from his original place.
“Kuku, hahaha, good. You don’t need to say anything! After I kill you, I’ll take a closer look at it.”
Rayhill approached Hiro, swinging his sword carelessly.
Hiro kicked the ground. Keeping up the momentum, he twisted and spun his body and dove into Rayhill’s chest to side-leave the “Heavenly Emperor” with vigor―but he was easily caught, and a tingling sensation returned to his hand.
Delight spread across Rayhill’s face.
“You are indeed formidable. But all you have is only speed.”
With a grin on his lips, Rayhill swung his sword with force. However, Hiro’s body, who tried to repel it with the “Heavenly Emperor,” floats lightly.
(The power is even greater than before!)
If someone were watching this fight to the death, they would think that the boy would be blown away. However, Hiro deflected his sword blade to the side to catch the force and then jumped back to open up the distance.
Hiro was trying to take control of the situation, but when he turned his gaze forward――.
“――!”
Rayhill was right in front of him.
“Gurraaaahhh!”
“Kuh!”
A few moments after he stooped down, a storm passed over his head from right to left.
After dodging the attack, Hiro thrusts out the Heavenly Emperor, but Rayhill kicks the blade, and the tip of the sword points towards the heavens. As Hiro’s arms were raised, a large opening was created in his arms.
“Kid! It’s over!”
The sword blade that made the air creak as lightning has locked onto Hiro’s head. However, it was blocked by two swords that appeared tearing through space.
“W-what?!”
The two spirit weapons were stored in the spirit world through the Heavenly Emperor a thousand years ago.
The two spirit weapons that have done their job have disappeared from this world, and there is nothing left to stand between Hiro and Rayhill.
“What’s that?!”
Rayhill’s confused expression appeared on his face, not understanding what had happened.
“Now!”
Without any obligation to answer, Hiro thrusts out his “Heavenly Emperor” sword.
“Don’t make light of me!”
It only resulted in a shallow slash to Rayhill’s side.
(His reaction time is increased too.)
If it’s the Rayhill of a while ago, he wouldn’t have been able to dodge it… He gets the feeling that something is off.
(And what is that extraordinary recovery…?)
The wrist he had cut off was regenerating, and the wound on his side from earlier was instantly closed.
(A spirit weapon shouldn’t have this kind of blessing.)
It is possible that the spirit weapons of this era may have evolved, but there is no spirit weapon that gives such a blessing, at least in Hiro’s memory.
(Perhaps…)
Hiro remembered something, but Rayhill interrupted his thoughts.
“Do you find it strange? Did you think you’d killed me for sure? That’s stupid!”
Rayhill, who placed the sword on his shoulder, pointed to the “Heavenly Emperor” that Hiro held.
“I don’t know what that sword is, but I know that’s either a spirit weapon or one of the five great swords. At any rate, the blessings from this weapon will enhance one’s physical abilities tremendously. But the rest depends on the strength of the individual. So――.”
After a pause, Rayhill continues.
“Don’t get too excited after cutting down some small-fries, kid! When a strong man like me appears, a weak man like you will be exposed! If your original power is weak, then “that” is just a “useless treasure”!”
When he finished, Rayhill’s body transformed, his back swelled up, and his arms became even thicker.
The “cause” of the strength of the enemy general―finally crossed Hiro’s mind.
“I see…”
“Huh?”
Hiro slammed the “Heavenly Emperor” into the enemy general’s shoulder and cut him down.
“Fuhahaha, that won’t work!”
Rayhill didn’t feel the pain, but he swung his sword down with a distorted face in amusement. Catching it with the silvery-white blade, Hiro glared at Rayhill in as if he’s struggled to compete with him.
“What you said earlier is correct. But, you know, your power right now――.”
“Urraaaaaa!”
“Agh!?”
Rayhill’s kick sunk into Hiro’s solar plexus, and his body was blown away. He rolled on the ground, unable to breathe as he was hit by the intense pain that seemed to tear his entire body apart.
Hiro finally stopped as he collided with an enemy soldier who was rampaging on the battlefield that becomes a turbulent battle. Slowly getting up, Hiro had no longer the cold expression on his face from earlier, but a boyish, human-like expression that was appropriate for his age.
“…I don’t want to know why you took in the “demon”…”
The spear tips of the enemy soldiers who had noticed Hiro’s presence floated around menacingly. After looking around at them, Hiro spoke up as if it didn’t concern him.
“But you see, once you knew how to use your power, you didn’t have to rely on that thing.”
As soon as Hiro waved his left hand to the side, his sword stabbed into the chests of “all” the enemy soldiers surrounding him. Every enemy soldier has a question on their face, but without knowing the reason, they spat out a clot of blood and clattered to death.