Tower of Karma

“Gh!? Could it be the headquarters are…!?”

During his fight, Gregour spotted there were smoke signals coming from the direction where the headquarters were.

“Ooh! Don´t go looking elsewhere!”

The supple spear casually and effortlessly bent. In result, the increasing destructive power at the impact point. Nikka´s fighting was light and flexible; a fighting style that made most use of the good point of her female traits. She couldn´t win against men with just raw power. And so, she devoted herself to improving her technique. The result she came up with was this method of fighting.

“Tch!?”

Gregour could only block against the long spear. It was a continuous and fast barrage of attacks. Nikka´s spear undulated phamtasmagolically. Gregour, who had been blocking the attacks, was also amazing. In this war composed of only men, he had never seen any traces of that spear. There were few men that could block Nikka´s continuous attack when seeing it for the first time.

“Ora ora ora ora ora ora! That´s all you got, you blockheaded boy!?”

While feeling the enemy troops advancing from behind with his skin, Gregour´s squad were moving to the side. They were completely cut off at the front and the back by Nikka´s squad, so there was no way to move other than there.

“s.h.i.t! Those guys are strong!”

They weren´t only common soldiers. The black soldiers they were facing against were all skilled. They put up a good match against the elite soldiers that were on the direct command of the household of Tundar, which Gregour was head of.

“I won´t let you escape. After I finish killing all these guys at the rear, I will have you crushed flat in between.”

At the rear, the retreating soldiers were being trampled down. Gregour couldn´t do anything about it. Even before that he couldn´t think of a way to escape from this predicament.

“So I can´t escape no matter what!?”

While barely parrying the enemy´s attacks, Gregour was looking for a way to get away from this situation somehow.

“It´s impossible. There wasn´t one time Volf´s plans went wrong. You guys will be ma.s.sacred.”

Gregour wasn´t really the thoughtful type. He wasn´t at a really good situation to be pondering in the middle of war. In result of that…

“Wha!?”

“What. Have you made your resolve to die?”

Gregour retreat was stopped by a tree that was at his blind spot, and also there wasn´t enough s.p.a.ce for him to swing his great sword either. This was something that happened in an instant. In only an instant. However, this was fatal.

“Your head is miiiinee!”

Gregour was completely in trouble. His death was certain.

“D-don´t take my head!”(TL:->く、首は嫌だ！

Gregour wasn´t very clever. However, Nikka…

“Ah!?”

… was a natural idiot. Whether it was the stomach, the leg, the arm, or some other part, if Nikka was to cut any of those, her victory would be pretty much a.s.sured. However, Nikka was stupid. She aimed for his head just as she had declared she would. And so, Gregour was actually able to stop the attack as he made a ruddy face. And then…

“Ahーーーーーーーー!”

Although it took all his hair along with it, Gregour was able to evade the attack of the spear. Continuing its trajectory, the spear cut the tree, completely halting when it was about halfway through.

“Fuh, hii. I-I´m alibe*.”

Gregour had snot dribbling at his nose. Nikka had a lot of sweat running through her body.

She couldn´t pull her spear out of the tree.

“Gregour-sama!”

Coming to his senses by his subordinate´s words, Gregour charged at Nikka without swiping his snot. Seeing that, Nikka released her hands from the spear as fast as she could and stepped back.

Of course, Gregour went after her. He wouldn´t give her time.

“On the contrary. Your head is mine!”

Gregour´s moments of joy. When he had his victory at his hands…

“Tch, even though I was still in the middle of practicing now… Can´t be helped.”

Nikka took at hands a thin longsword and main gauche that were at her waist. With the main gauche that was on her left hand, she parried Gregour´s attack.

“Wha-what!?”

That movement was of an expert. Nikka laughed.

“These days people fighting on the horseback have been increasing after all. That from before was me training with polearms, stupid. I´m just saying, but this is my main style. Dual wielding sort of stuff. Do you get it?”

Gregour´s face was pale. However, what Nikka was thinking in her mind was…

“”…Those aren´t made for attacking though. After all, those are self-defense techniques.””

Nikka readied her stance. Gregour was cautious and didn´t move. Even though the battle was overflowing with spirit, the place they were standing at was incredibly silent. It was such a disappointing match.

The time continued to pa.s.s.

“…What, she won´t come!? I-is it fine if I run?””

“”Come attack me, trash. I will cut your head in one go with my counter.””

しーん*(TL note: Sound of the wind?)

“”Wh-what should I do?””

“”Come already you blockheaded boy!””

Seeing Nikka, who was openly showing her irritation, her subordinates watching her from the side thought…

“”Well, our objective is to stop them here, so I guess that´s fine.””

…thus, deciding to leave her be.

Regardless whether something was happening at the headquarters or not, Anzerm was heading there even if it had to be done so forcibly. Although his current situation was harsh, he believed it was the first priority to protect the headquarters.

However, the [Noir Guard] was getting in his way. The one preventing him from getting out the mountain was the mysterious feminine man.

“…Fast.”

The centurion Anzerm was very skillful. His troops too had into them the strength Anzerm, who held the t.i.tle of knight at such young age, possessed. He would go to war since his teenage years, and many of his core soldiers had long service since those days. They were tempered by the real battle. Anzerm was sharpening himself as well.

But even so, they were being overwhelmed in terms of speed. They couldn´t lose them, thus getting stuck on top of the mountain.

“We are different from n.o.bles like you that only fight in your spare time. We are professionals that are on the special list, you know?”

Because of that, he couldn´t lose him. No matter how much experience he had, in the end he was only considered that among the n.o.bles. Compared to mercenaries, who make a living at the battlefield, he certainly fell behind in terms of experience.

“In the spare time, is it…? Perhaps.”

Anzerm sent hand signals to the soldiers at the rear. Of course it was done so in a way the enemy wouldn´t see it.

“Perhaps the true hero isn´t the one from n.o.bility, but one that was born in the streets. If so, I don´t mind being the shadow. I serve the light, and I swing my sword for its sake. That is the reason I live for.”

Anzerm´s body surged with energy. Seeing that, the man frowned.

“”Anzerm von Krolkar. I´ve heard he was a man of wits that had no gaps…. Is the man I see really the same person? This is as if….””

So the man thought in that instant. However, Anzerm made his move first. The man was still in the middle of battle after all.

“I will break through!”

A lighting speed endeavor. Standing in front of his troops, Anzerm advanced without a break.

He had enough speed. He was going to attack the enemy while he was unguarded.

“So you are fussing over protecting the headquarters to the point you even throw away your terrain advantage? You are really faithful. However…”

Anzerm and his elite troops were filled with fighting spirit; what leaked from Anzerm was black fire. It was as if it dirtied Anzerm. As it wrapped around his subordinates, the madness-like fighting spirit increased. If it hit, it would destroy. To the point it would give off such illusion, Anzerm´s aura was distancing itself from what it was normal.

“…Poor move.”

A platinum shine that didn´t suit his black colored attire filled the man. This was the shine of a king.

Anzerm, who was enveloped by the black flames, and the man surrounded by the platinum shine. In terms of intensity, Anzerm was winning. To begin with, the man didn´t even move. Once again, Anzerm won in terms of physical strength. There was no reason for him to lose. He didn´t have any parts he fell behind the man.

The first clash. A slash that held the aura of the black flame that seemed like filth. The man casually blocked the attack. That attack that carried power was so easily blocked to the point surprise could be seen at Anzerm´s eyes.

Barrages of attacks after barrages of attacks. Anzerm´s resolve was set to break his way through. Despite that, his attacks were easily being blocked. It was as if they were only practicing.

Anzerm´s momentum was greatly diminishing. At the same time, the intensity of the black flames also weakened.

“Do or die… This kind of thinking is the cause of defeats.”

The feminine man that held the platinum shine completely suppressed Anzerm. The man had been hiding his true strength since then. But as for why such a remarkable person was a mercenary…

The man´s light grew. It stole Anzerm´s eyesight. The shine he gave off was his proof of being king; it was the figure of a lion.

“Sir Anzerm!?”

Being stolen of his eyesight, Anzerm was standing still. In response, the man drove his sword in. With his slender arm that was like that of a woman´s, and with his gorgeous body, he unleashed his swordplay.

“Oh!?”

It was fast, strong and beautiful.

Although Anzerm barely blocked it with his own sword, he was sent flying back by a lot. He ended up flying into his subordinates.

“You blocked this? …. So you really can do it. Arcadia´s standards are really deep.”

The man didn´t pursue Anzerm any further. Many times until now it was possible to see signs he didn´t really want to defeat Anzerm. However, this time it was clear to the eyes. The man wasn´t aiming for victory.

“…Do you intent to buy time?”

The man smiled at Anzerm´s words.

“Yes. Today is my boss´ stage. There is no way I can hinder that, right? My task is to steal the position you are standing at away from you. I will meticulously take my time and defeat you with the minimum sacrifices.”

Today, the man had declared his animosity. Although he ultimately was going to capture Anzerm´s position, he would carefully take his time before taking it away. This was so he wouldn´t stand out more than his boss. However, was that man really someone that stood under others? The enchanting aura from before was above that.

“It is impossible to get out of here. I need to fortify the defenses.”

Anzerm gave up on trying to escape and decided to prioritize their own protection. If he attacked, he would die. He ended up realising that.

‘Who are you?”

Anzerm asked the man as he retreated.

“I am just a mercenary. Just a simple mercenary, you see.”

That man that declared himself to be just a common mercenary took the eldest son of the Kolgar household, a prominent and distinguished family even in Arcadia, as his opponent, and yet was carrying on with superiority on pretty much everything. It was close to impossible for Anzerm´s hundred man army to get away from that man. Even if Anzerm had the advantage in terrain, he had to give his all just to hold the ground.

“…I am deeply sorry.”

The centurion Anzerm was completely entrapped on the top of the mountain.