Deprive Desert Double-Cross
This chapter is from green haired boy, Radiasta's POV.
"Y, you, have, you gone mad...! Ga... Ha...!"
"Couff...! ...I got, no chance, if I, didn't resort to, this...!"
I barely managed to reply while coughing up blood.
...What the heck am I even doing.
On the tenth match. My opponent is a Great Lancer, Baredorai.
Last time we fought together in Daijel's Stampede. He probably doesn't even remember me.
A spear and a dagger. He's got overwhelming advantages in terms of reaches. While I'm faster at swinging my weapon.
Long to mid range are his domains. The first and foremost thing I have to do is to close the distance between us.
But it's virtually impossible for me to get into the dagger range.
I mean, I'm sure the other party is fully aware of that as well. He's gonna keep stepping away if I try to close the gap in order to maintain the distance where spears reign supreme.
Extended Mana Blade? Mana Blade Farslash? He can use those too. They're usable as a diversion tactic but do nothing to turn the tide of battle.
The only Skills I can use decently are Dagger Arts and Martial Arts. Both are still at Lv9, so I've got no Master Skill yet.
...You'd think there's no way for me to win this.
I can never get a hit while my opponent easily lands plenty.
My chances of winning are extremely low even if I go all out. That is if I fight normally.
So,
"Uaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
I shout. I shout and shout as loud as I could my throat feels like it's gonna rupture, louder than that time I charged in during Daijel's Stampede.
My opponent, Baredorai must think that I'm making a desperate charge due to realizing my zero chance of winning.
He activated Extended Mana Blade to skewer me with his spear.
I took it with my left palm and forcefully turned the spear away from my body.
"Ugiigigiiiii!!!!!!!"
"! Oy oy, how far yer' gonna sacrifice your body anyway!"
Baredorai sounded perplexed but I don't care.
My action succeeded turning his spear away. I quickly rushed in and closed our distance...!
The stabbing sensation in my left hand suddenly vanished.
"Eh...?"
"This and your earlier match. Gotta admit you got guts."
He undid Extended Mana Blade and took a stance with his spear.
Then he thrust his spear at my abdomen while stepping back...
"But, too bad."
"A... Ga..."
An acute pain assaulted my abdomen.
He activated Extended Mana Blade once again, cutting up my body for sure this time.
At this rate, my life force will run out in a few seconds, signaling my defeat.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
Everything went as planned.
"Haa...! Aa... Aaa...!! Uwagaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
"Wha, y, you...!!?"
I activated Quick Step with the spear still sticking in me.
I went along the extended blade of mana until Baredorai's spear physically got inside my body.
Now he won't be able to resume attacking me even if he undo Extended Mana Blade.
I got in a striking distance while sealing his spear.
This is my domain now!
I swiftly stabbed his chest with Mana Blade Gale-cast dagger, followed by Extended Mana Blade to pierce him through!!
"Guba... Ga...!! ...Y, you, have, you gone mad...! Ga... Ha...!"
"Couff...! ...I got, no chance, if I, didn't resort to, this...!"
Both our spear and dagger stabbed each other's body.
...What an awful state we're in. I dunno why I'm going this far myself.
I'm participating in this tournament to impress this kingdom bigwigs.
I'm going to join this kingdom's army, pile up achievements, rise through the ranks and then... and then, I'll get back at him, my big brother, aniki.
I had to use one word to describe him, aniki is an idiot.
A selfish idiot who rush ahead without thinking or listening to what people tell him.
He absolutely won't share his things while always craving for others' belongings.
Always putting his grubby mitts on others' allowance (mostly mine and our little brother's) and even our family's in the end.
There was never a day I didn't lament the fact that he's our big brother.
He vanished the same day he came of age, alongside with a big portion of our family's money, leaving only a letter behind saying he wants to become an adventurer.
He's so egoistic he snatch away other people's things without permission. Revolting.
Watching his actions and reading the letter, I vowed to drag him back home by the ear and make him apologize to dad and mom.
Three years after aniki's departure, a letter written by him arrived.
It outlined how he quit being an adventurer and joined Firie Kingdom's army.
He said something about how dangerous and unstable adventurer business is so he decided to take on a more stable job or something.
He also demanded money to cover the expense, but nobody cared about helping him by that point.
There were passages about how his party members he had been together with criticized him harshly but knowing aniki, he probably decided on a whim without discussing with them first.
Troubling his party due to his selfishness, I could only sigh knowing aniki hadn't changed at all after all these years.
So I decided to become someone higher ranking and stronger than aniki, then I'll yell at him for all the trouble he put people through and drag him back home.
My parents and siblings told me to just leave him be. I do think that'd probably be for the best as well.
But he's still my big brother at the end of the day. He may be a huge moron, but he's still my family.
I know it'll keep bothering me if I leave him alone.
I'm not doing it for his sake. It's so I can move forward without anything dragging me down.
...I'm driven by selfishness. I'm not one to talk bad about aniki--
I was already standing outside the ring by the time I came to.
Ah, guess I died. I must have been revived and dropped outside the ring.
I lost despite all that crazy stunt... It's mortifying.
"Player Radiasta, and player Baredorai have both died and revived! This match ends in a draw!! Unfortunately, both players are considered dropped out!!"
...Ah, the other guy died too huh.
I feel simultaneously refreshed for succeeding and bad for stopping Baredorai's advance when he could have gone further if I didn't push through with that suicidal tactic.
...No, that was the result of me giving out my everything. Pulling my punches would have been ruder.
Ah, Baredorai is waving at me at the opposite side... Looks like he's not holding a grudge.
Haah, should I be glad to have won one match at least, or disappointed for losing immediately after.
...Doesn't matter what I think though, what's important is the impression my matches leave on this kingdom's bigwigs.
As I made my way to the waiting room, a black haired player, Alancyan or something spoke to me.
"I give ya a passing mark, good enough for a small fry. You're at least better than the dullards in our army ranks."
"...Thanks I guess."
"Don't ya pout on me now. Didja know I think quite highly of you, me talking to you like this is proof enough."
...Small fry huh. His words are infuriating but he's not wrong.
After watching his matches, I can't come up with a way to win against this guy no matter how hard I think.
If he holds me higher than this kingdom's army officers, my chances aren't zero then. No wait, maybe he's just flattering me.
"Oh yeah, I recall a green haired bastard that looked just like you joining the army a few years back."
"...Eh?"
"I usually don't give a hoot about small fry in the army, but that bastard's a special case. In a bad way."
...Could that be, no, that's definitely him...?
Heck, why'd this guy remember some random rank and file soldier?
"...What is he doing now that's bad?"
"Hm? Ah, that guy betrayed us. Man's got a wanted poster on his name now."
"Haa!? Y-you mean, he betrayed this kingdom?"
Aniki...! Did he desert the army and go off somewhere now!?
I look like an idiot going all the way here just to chase him!
"This kingdom, yeah sure. But that ain't all."
"...What do you mean?"
"That damned bastard leaked some army's confidential information to the demons in exchange for his life when he was aboutta get killed during a skirmish. Guy stayed on that side in the wake of enormous damage. Those army morons got no eye for people. Why the hell they let that trash join?"
I was assaulted by a terrible vertigo as Alancyan prattled on.
...I should have, left him, alone.
Author's Q&A
>Hm? The parents are a hidden boss tier...?
They are. There is no rule that states only heroes can defeat demon kings.
However, defeating a demon king without the next Job progression of Hero is next to impossible. Alma's parents are no exceptions.
>Does Kajikawa-san's Menu have different functions to Hero's?
Presently their functions are identical.
The Equipment Change Function was unlocked along with Item Screen but Kajikawa doesn't really need it. It's absolutely not because I forgot to write about, I'm sorry, I did.
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