Chapter 259: Rave, and Eva’s Family
The cat beastman (Anmul) Rave opened his mouth, “Shuuya, let me give you some good wine.”
“Sure.”
“Thanks for having invited me on today’s occasion.”
“…That’s only natural. We’re friends who’ve enjoyed a good training match, aren’t we?”
“Speaking of training matches, are you going to have a bout with the spear’s divine ranker Fizz-dono?”
I guess he saw us talking moments ago.
“I still don’t know whether we will actually fight. I want to grow by learning various martial arts from strong fighters while developing my martial arts based on spear techniques. That’s why I have absolutely no problem fighting him, but…I’m a whimsical fellow. I like going on strolls and journeys, and I’m fond of women. Hence I might prioritize traveling without fighting him.”
“Hoh, you’re saying you’ve actually got the heart of someone wandering foreign lands?”
“I think it’s generally a wanderer’s heart. I’ve been staying in this city for a slightly long time now, though…”
“…Then, before you’re off on those wanderings, I’d like to request another bout with the magic spear user that allowed me to experience a genuine divine king ranker…” Rave’s three eyes took on a sharp glint.
He emitted a dangerous aura towards me. His gray eyebrows swayed in the night breeze.
But sure…I guess I’ll make sure of my growth. My friend Rave will be a good opponent for that.
“…That’s fine, but we’ve got to make sure that it won’t become a hindrance to the party, okay?”
“I know.” Rave laughed.
He drew his weapons with his four arms, just like he had done before, and got ready. The backs of his four swords’ blades pointed in different directions. The ones he was grasping in his upper right hand and his upper left hand were magic swords with the blades’ back being curved. They shone in a pale blue.
And his lower left arm was abnormally thick. …I feel like it’s become even bulkier than before.
The point of the dagger he held in the lower left hand looked sharp. His lower right hand held a saw-like longsword.
Both of us walked away from the hustle and bustle of the party. We moved to place with the ground being lawn and soil…in the left corner of the courtyard.
“…I have impatiently waited for a rematch, Shuuya Kagari-dono!”
As always, he had a cla.s.sy expression and voice. The looks in his three eyes were as if he was trying to shoot me to death. Rave was a martial artist with an imposing air. Even his posture of stretching his spine was no different from before.
I summoned my Magic Halberd into my right hand. With a stance of my legs in an L-shape, I extended my left hand to the front, showing my opponent its palm…
I got ready by placing my right hand with the halberd in the back. I won’t use…my new three spear style.
First I’ll devote myself to the basics. I’ll go with the basic, simple Wind Spear Style I inherited from Master.
“…Come, Rave.”
I flipped over my left hand’s palm and moved my fingers as if to beckon him over.
“Here I come――”
Following my invitation, Four-Arm Rave moved. Kicking off the ground, he charged at me. The points of his magic swords with their glittering, blue blades blurred. Rave extended his left and right upper arms straight ahead.
Truly like two sword < Thrusts > ― both thrusts were unleashed with a force to stab through my torso along s.p.a.ce.
I won’t repel those two thrusts with my halberd. I’ll grasp the bluish-white blades with my eyes.
Making my upper body faintly draw back with the least amount of movements, I avoided Rave’s sword thrusts. Using the combat distance after having fully dodged the attacks, I aimed for a counterattack. The target was Rave’s torso. After confirming the distance of my opponent’s feet, I strongly stepped on the ground with my left foot.
Focusing on the walking style of the Wind Spear Style, I simultaneously twisted my right arm holding the halberd while straining the muscles along the liver of the lower body half. As if the right arm had become a spear, I thrust it out towards the front.
< Thrust >――
I had imagined it gouging out Rave’s chest. However, it was blocked by the dagger in his big arm. He guided the red spear towards the left by letting it slide across the upper part of the green dagger’s blade.
――Not bad, divine king ranker, but this < Thrust > is just the beginning.
I pulled back the Magic Halberd, and after shortening the withdrawing motion to the utmost limit, I thrust out the red spear again. I furiously kept stabbing, stabbing, and stabbing at Rave’s chest.
“――Quick, heavy…”
Rave was surprised by my body’s speed which had suddenly gone up a gear. His three eyes widened, and he held up his four weapons in front of his chest, s.h.i.+fting towards defense.
――That’s the moment where I’m going to press.
I charged my arm and waist with Magic Combat Style, unleas.h.i.+ng a barrage of spear thrusts with my halberd while delicately altering the offensive and defensive powers. At times, I mixed in a < Thrust >.
――Hard, metallic sounds reverberated many times over. Each time the red spear and ax blade clashed against Rave’s weapons, fireworks similar to fireflies were created.
Both of us repeatedly thrust, swept, kicked, and slashed. Only Rave suffered cuts on his cheek, and ear, with pruned fur dancing in the air.
“――Kuh, to have refined the basic skill < Thrust > to such a point――”
< Thrust > interwoven with Magic Combat Style might be the true secret technique. I remembered the words of Master Achilles.
The black coat of his protective clothing got torn just like before. Meanwhile, my Hal’Konk coat was safe and sound. Even when its dark green fabric was. .h.i.t by a blade, the blade was repelled as if sliding off.
And, even when getting cut, Rave healed through the powers of his magic swords. It was different from the last time where the healing had created an opening. He finished the healing of his body while dodging and slightly pacing his counterattacks.
He’s also a divine king ranker. It looks like he has grown. The martial artist Rave unleashed three-chained sword sweeps, beginning with the saw sword in his lower right, from the stance he had shown me before.
He swung both magic swords from the left and right, and with a slight delay, he extended the point of his saw blade.
I fully followed the spiraling saw blade approaching from the front with my eyes, and while focusing on my trunk, I moved the halberd I held in both hands sideways, knocking aside Rave’s magic swords with the halberd’s handle without s.h.i.+fting the axis of my body.
Next I made my halberd rotate, clas.h.i.+ng its handle against the saw sword’s thrust that had approached my lower abdomen’s area.
Gloomy sparks scattered, but since I definitely warded the blade off, I concentrated on counter attacking with Magic Halberd Baldok. I rotated around by strengthening the mana in my left waist, and going along with the power of the mana and rotation ― I activated < Powerful Slash >. The image was to strike Rave’s torso. I had the red ax blade head horizontally towards him.
However, he avoided that slas.h.i.+ng sweep by lowering his stance extremely. Using that stance to his advantage instead, he released a low kick as if to swipe my legs.
As if I’d get hit by that!
At the same time as I evaded that kick while jumping lightly, I swung my halberd with a trajectory, drawing an arc from below, as if to unleash an upper jab with the left hand holding the halberd.
I targeted Rave’s chin with the Magic Dragon Gem, but he dodged it by bending his head back. His cat fur was ruffled up, seemingly by the blow’s wind.
At that moment, applause erupted from the surrounding spectators.
“Master! Those are magnificent chain attacks!”
“Your Excellency, you have the backing of water!”
“Kyaa, cold. Spirit-sama, please restrain yourself for now.”
“Master, haven’t your movements become faster again?”
“Nn, they have! Cool!”
“Somehow it feels like we’re watching an artistic performance rather than a fight, though.”
“Yui, that description really fits here. However, the cat beastman, who continues to calmly deal with milord’s attacks of such a high quality isn’t normal either.”
“Encha? Enchaaaaan!”
“Nyaon, nyaa.”
“N, nyan.”
“Nya?”
“Nyaooon!”
It’s chaos around us. Without minding it, I continue unleas.h.i.+ng a lower kick at Rave after mowing down my red ax blade.
“――Tsk, fast.”
Rave carried out a splendid cartwheel to the right. Once he got out of the range of my lower kick, he quickly turned around with so much force that he sent the ground flying with his feet, and unleashed a rotational slash with his bluish-white blades as if to cut my ribs.
Making sure to match my own body’s rotation with his, I splendidly dodge the blades with a rotational evasion using my toes as axes. While walking and avoiding by revolving around as I had learned from Master…I looked at Rave.
…Unlike before, his expression betrayed that he was perturbed. However, it was possible for that to be a fake, too.
In the next moment the special swords in his for arms lunged out at me with fast thrusting techniques. He’s a divine king ranker, alright. He challenged me to psychological warfare with his facial expressions.
――But, it’s fun!
I also fought him with thrusts based on < Thrust >. Rave’s sword thrust techniques, and my chains of < Thrust > techniques clashed. The shrill, dissonant sound of metallic clas.h.i.+ng reverberated. The thrusting combinations of my red spear unleashed with just one weapon fiercely collided with Rave’s sword thrusts using his saw sword and his three magic swords.
We were even. From there I went around my opponent with a half turn, and thrust at his flank.
However, one of Rave’s three eyes had perceived my movements. He turned the magic sword in his upper right ― and parried by letting the red spear sliding off it once again.
Wow, a technique like that of Riko.
My stance was thrown slightly off balance by the halberd’s power vector inclining. Rave swung the dagger in his lower left, and the magic sword in his upper left.
No, the middle-staged slashes are fakes. And then he fully swung down his magic sword from an overhead position with force by squaring his shoulders, as if dragging his torso into it. In a hurry I lifted my halberd while rallying my stance. I took on the magic sword’s blade, which felt as if it had stretched, with my halberd’s handle.
――As the hard metallic sound reverberated from the clash, it s.h.i.+fted into a jostling of strength, a jostling that caused a greasy-like sound.
Excelling in physical ability, I forced back his magic sword like last time.
“――Ugh, as usual, heavy and powerful…I’m at a disadvantage with k.u.mite.”
…I won out in the pus.h.i.+ng contest. As if to bury it into the ground, I forced the magic sword’s blade towards the ground from above with the red ax blade. The tip of his sword got buried in the soil.
However, seemingly remembering the last time…Rave appeared to pay attention to his balance.
I waited for an opportunity of the power equilibrium falling apart, but it was in vain.
Rave is really amazing. He’s a divine king ranker who stays cautious of the finer techniques. It’s because he fully understands that any mistakes will be fatal in the world of milliseconds…
However, I’ll tie it up in one go.
With Magic Combat Style at full throttle, I summoned the Divine Spear Ganghis into my left hand, and abruptly released a < Thrust > with it. The blue spear ta.s.sel at the handle of the spear 1 swayed. Without letting the ta.s.sel deploy, the crescent-moon-shaped blades of the spear left a beautiful trace behind in midair.
“――Guaah.”
Rave couldn’t deal with the blow that looked like blue lightning. The spear pierced his flank. Without giving him any time, I also extended Baldok to the front. Its < Thrust > headed for Rave.
“――Guoooaahh.”
Even while injured at the side, Rave dealt with the red spear’s thrust, praiseworthy blocking it.
“…Compared to before, the quality…” Even while saying so, he donned a pained expression.
The dagger he had held with his thick arm dropped to the ground.
――Alright.
The two successive < Thrusts > I had practiced settled it with perfect timing.
“I give up, it’s my loss.” Rave declared.
At that point, loud cheers erupted around us. All the members of the Martial Arts District, who had watched the match, applauded.
Rave was dead tired. Just when he was about to open the lid of a healing potion――
“Ah, please wait. Leave the healing to me. 《Greater Heal》!”
Rave’s three eyes blinked repeatedly due to the sudden casting of magic.
“…Oohh.” He stored away the potion while raising his voice in surprise.
Rave took off his chain mail and checked his flank that had been stabbed by Ghangis.
“What magnificent healing magic. It’s faster than my magic swords, Oswald & Himika. No, is this healing magic to begin with? There was no chanting…you’re…”
“Oh, sorry for being so sudden. My name is Rubia. I’m an adventurer belonging to the 【Blue Wind】 clan.”
Rubia introduced herself while politely bowing her head.
“You’re polite. My name is Rave Kuzeguile.”
“Okay, Rave-san. Nice to meet you,” and after bowing towards Rave once more, “Shuuya-san, do you need a heal?” Rubia ran up to me.
“No need.”
“Oh, I see. That dark green armor clothing possesses amazing defense power, doesn’t it?”
“It’s the result of my activities as an adventurer.”
The look Rubia turned at me was obviously different from the one she had turned upon Rave. It was pa.s.sionate, making me feel that she was a woman.
At that moment, my neighbors Tomas and Naomi-san came close.
“Dear, that gentleman is…”
“Yeah, he’s Mr. Rave. He’s a quad-sword master and the third rank of the divine sword king ranking who also won the champions.h.i.+p in a martial arts tournament. To subdue such a strong martial artist with a novel, original martial art style using two spears with the Wind Spear Style as a foundation…Shuuya-dono, you’re an amazingly strong fighter.”
I became embarra.s.sed by Tomas-san’s praise. I stored away the Magic Halberd and the Divine Spear by making them vanish.
“Tomas, as he’s someone living across the street, tonight is a truly golden opportunity. Let’s stay in contact with Shuuya-san, his family, and his acquaintances.”
“Uh-huh. As long as we aren’t a bother to them…my motivation was stirred as well. I want to keep developing my dual-wield sword techniques.”
After nodding at Tomas-san…I turned my eyes to Rave. He simultaneously stored his four swords away into the scabbards on his back and at his waist. …Sheathing four swords into their scabbards at the same time…that’s really stylish.
While full of admiration, “…Rave, I had fun.”
“Me too. But, Shuuya, you’re truly strong. This time I couldn’t even get you to use your trump cards. That means your growth is that fast.”
“I don’t mean to brag, but I believe I do have at least some talent in spearmans.h.i.+p.”
My swordsmans.h.i.+p was lacking. Oh, I have something close to talent in magic, too.
“…I know. You adopted my legwork based on fine Magic Combat Style techniques, and incorporated them into your own Wind Spear Style techniques, and you’re constantly groping for new ways of fighting. That’s truly magnificent…the spirit of always trying to improve oneself truly defines a martial artist among martial artists. You made me deeply impressed…”
“Thanks. But it’s also owed to you being so strong, Rave. I used your delicate body movements immediately after changing the Magic Combat Style as a reference. You sword movements are, honestly, impossible for me, but…I want to diligently continue my studies so that I will also be able to implement a part of the Magic Combat Style techniques that capitalize on your swordsmans.h.i.+p techniques one day.”
“I see. Not only spearmans.h.i.+p, but even swordsmans.h.i.+p…”
“It’s a talk about what I can handle right now. Just by seeing the skills of a Eight Divine Sword King ranker, I know that it’s worth it. Anyway, I’m going to drink some juice.”
I turned on my heels
“Got it. Let’s have a rematch on another occasion.”
While waving one arm at the Rave’s voice calling out to me from behind, I headed to the place with the Refined Gold Company’s ten-ten-dutea as I gave such an ambiguous reply.
At that moment, I heard the voice of a beastwoman.
“――Shuuya-san! How dare, how dare you, milady…!” She closed in on me with the hem of her skirt pulled up.
Come to think of it, I had intended to go over to Eva.
“Lily, huh? Sorry, okay?”
“Jeez, Lily, you’re not allowed to get angry. Shuuya is just after battle.”
Eva moved in front of me with her magic wheelchair, trying to protect me.
“Right, Lily! Even though I explained it over and over to you, you still plan to trouble milady!?”
It was the cook, Dee-san.
“Dee-san, but, but, to think that milady was stolen away…”
“Lily, are you saying that you can’t accept milady’s happiness?” Dee-san asked with a grim look.
“…No, I’m delighted about milady being happy…”
I suppose I’ll patch things up for the time being.
“Lily, it’ll be okay. Please don’t worry.”
“…Those words, please make sure to engrave them in your heart…?”
Lily stared directly into my eyes with her two eyes gleaming. It looks like she can’t forgive me for having had s.e.x with Eva on the second floor the other day.
“Yeah…I know.”
Lily is slightly scary.
“Nn, Lily, no glaring. I feel happy when I’m with Shuuya. I also have a mysterious connection with Shuuya. That’s why, whether he’s far away from me or next to me, I can always sense a happiness deep in my heart as if he’s right besides me――” Eva said like a poet with an angelic smile.
She made her wheelchair transform, combining it with her metallic legs. Compact wheels were attached to her ankles. Whirling around like that, she leaned in on my side while causing sparks at the soles of her feet. I could sense her soft big b.o.o.bs pressing against me.
“Milady…”
“Look at that face of milady. I’m happy. Lily, we’re blessed, you know?”
“Yes…”
Dee and Lily watched Eva’s movements and face…as she smiled gleefully. However, their faces looked pained and disheartened, close to crying.
I guess I’ll leave them alone for a bit.
I returned a gentle hug to Eva, and separated from her after placing a soft kiss on her black hair.
“…Did you already eat meat or vegetables?”
“Nn, not yet. I have only been drinking ten-ten while talking with Mysty, Zaga-san, Rubia-san, Amelie-san, and her father.”
“So you didn’t eat it yet, huh? I think you might get startled by its great taste. If there’s any meat you like, tell me so that I can reserve some for you.”
“Nn! It’s okay. I already got some. It’s also for my personal use, but I’ve collected quite a bit of it myself as well.”
“Oh, true, you had an item box as well, didn’t you Eva?”
“Nn, Shuuya, you forgetful?” Eva smiled like an angel.
She headed over to Dee and Lily, and talked with them about the meat.
Meanwhile I went away from Eva’s family which was overflowing with love and affection. The evil domain cow’s Guniguni dishes might actually conquer the neighboring area along the eastern Heim River with Eva’s restaurant in the center.