[Chapter 24]

"Armen. I'm ready."

The mild breeze pushing through the atmosphere swept the tallgrass of this blossoming field. The vibrant ambience was heard all around, swaying calmly like waves flowing across the sea.

The dawning light of day shone upon my low-level blade, reflecting into my eyes as I held it firmly to the right of my head. Its tip points towards the sole target.

My breath was heavy, pure exhaustion ran through me. For the first time, I have felt mentally fatigued in this forsaken world.

My opponent, undaunted, immovable. Down to his last pixel, tranquillity is all that is expressed. Everything about his face whispers a constant state of patience.

His hair is reminiscent of the clouds, the snow and the sun. White, like a winter's freeze and a summer's heat.

His arms never moved out of order, never even so much so as twitched...

"It's okay, you don't have to fight anymore." his soothing words reached me, slightly giving me an annoying afterthought.

The dark blue-ish eyes he dawned began to soften as he tilted his head observantly that day.

Echoes.

It echoes in my head every night, his voice that seemed so fragile. His existence flashes before my eyes every instance where my emotions overwhelm my soul. It could very well have made me insane. Sometimes, I completely forgot who he was. Other times I knew him as a distant memory.

The stress... has affected me in some way. Odd, I can't seem to recall him at all now.

But I can remember clearly the moments when I do recall his name.

When I begin to scream for dear life as my head cracks open with every trauma.

The memories come flowing back to haunt me as I bore the pain.

Armen... I'm sorry.

~Akato.

[-•¤Yuuki¤•-]

"Behind you!"

The whirring axe behind me was anything but a surprise. My blade reached my back long before my eyes, crossing paths with the weapon's strike. With all my might, I hardened my grip and parried the blow.

Thank's for the heads up, Tecchi.

Reeled over by the weight of my defence, he backed away; "GH! WHY YOU!"

His face clearly showed a struggling child's desperation as he attempts to land more hits, only to be in vain as all the others that came before.

A scene that's reminiscent of a fleeting rat trying to bite its predator.

What is this? Another stream of adrenaline rose in me, the sense of grace gripped my chest and kept my heart beating faster! It was a sudden surge, but the reasoning behind it was clear to me.

His presence!

He has done everything he could for this guild!

Akato is risking it all for us, and I'm inclined to make it worth his effort.

This is where the blaze ignites anew, with him by our side!

"Hey~! I almost forgot about you. Now, where were we?" I grinned at the enemy, faces of foes I'm sure I won't remember.

My guildmates stood with me as before, entrusting the Crimson Rose to watch our backs. Within our sights were those posing as an obstacle towards our attempt to reach our final goal.

"Now that we have no more distractions, let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

"Time to wipe the floor with these guys!" Jun sounded enthusiastic.

"Don't lose sight of the goal now, boys!" Nori added.

"Ready!" the Black Swordsman's shout made it to our ears from behind us.

Three.

Everyone stood their stance, firm on their toes. Focused solely on their competitor.

Two.

Jun holding both hands tight on his greatsword, Nori balanced her Warhammer on her shoulder, Talken's spear readied, Tecchi's shield held with an iron grip and Siune's staff ready to flow its magic.

...One!

Explosions ignited behind us and the legendary blades began their bloodshed once more. Four of the strongest players collide in a once in a lifetime battle, beginning with an exhilarating shockwave!

"GO!"

Leading the way, I jolted towards the first front row of raiders. The gnome struck first with a heavy swing towards me.

Lowering my body, I slid down under him, quickly stroking his legs to make him topple.

Jun and Tecchi bombarded the heavy-weighted players, spreading them out with their defensive manoeuvres.

Talken speared the opponents down immediately, up to three people in a row with each thrust.

Nori appeared behind him and slammed other unsuspecting players back down to earth.

These sets of combos were merciless, almost perfect!

With this and Siune acting as backup, our guild is unstoppable!

Other blades came after me. I hastily dashed towards their open sides and gave them all a taste of sweet damage.

Through every leap, dodge, kick and parry, I bested every last one. None seemed qualified to even come close to my speed.

A Warhammer nearly tore my arm off, though didn't even get the chance to do so. The blunt tip broke the floor as I dodged, unable to be pulled out.

He's stuck! I used the humongous armament as a ramp, then got my foot on the guy's head and jumped past the front lines, skipping some of them entirely, twirling in mid-air to make up some elegant flash.

I landed and got a few slices on some people as quickly as I could. Having my body lower than the attackers gave me a good chance to go for the legs so they trip.

One, two, now five of them fell victim to my surprise-crippling attack.

I backed away to look at the damage I've done, expecting a pleasant sight where they would spin around clumsily to get up.

Instead, to my surprise, they were in good condition;

"HEY, NO FAIR!" I complained.

The damaged ones were healed, not by potions or buffs. The red scars faded and the ones who fell got up. Great, I know who's work these are, and it's horrifically obvious.

Looking past the dozens of people, I see the hoods of those whom I hate fighting the most; Mages. Their staves raised high, their chanting grew louder and the green healing glow appeared everywhere from one player to another.

"Jun, Nori, Tecchi, Talken. Handle things on this side for me will ya? I got a date waiting for me back there."

"Got it! Kill 'em all, Yuuki!" the excited Talken cheered.

Let's try this again.

I skipped on my toes to bounce for a moment as I prepared. Concentrating my focus on the battlefield, I took a deep breath. Sword raised, grip stiffened, the tension on my feet began to increase.

Breathe...

Original Sword Skill: Saint's Pride

The trajectory was clear, straight-ahead without a moment to spare. The enemy began defending the mages, forming a line to block me from attacking.

How convenient, this just makes my job easier!

Thunder broke outwards off my blade, luminosity blinded the enemy's vision. I zoomed and released the pressure off my thighs and calves, going at speeds I never dreamt of. A thunderclap roared through the walls of the dungeon as I moved at a relentless pace, bolting in a zig-zag motion hitting everyone in my path.

Those who closed their eyes due to the light were unaware of their torsos dismembering from their lower half. Only when the skill ended, and ten of them struck by tempests, did they realize what has happened.

My blade still zapping mildly and soon passed, I now find myself at the furthest back of the raiding party.

In front of me were the mages, and beyond them, the boss room door.

The sword skill completely lacerated the bodies, separating the chest from the hips of those who were unlucky enough to meet my sword. And as such, ten people began to disintegrate behind me.

The mages took off their red hoods, sweating rivers. Their eyes met mine, in a state of indecision. Some were confused, though I already know why.

They were confused about me. A mere girl singlehandedly erased an entire defensive formation like she used a butter knife. To them, I was an anomaly.

I smiled innocently and comfortably, despite the dead players past me. Almost as if I was oblivious to the chaos I've done.

"So it's you, the Absolute Sword..." they whispered,

"And you would be right." I nodded in friendly agreement.

They knew they were going to respawn eventually, so they raised their hands and accepted defeat rather willingly. Of course, I was smarter than that, so no such sparing is allowed.

I did the deed as soon as I could, wasting no time. And~

They're dead!

It was a bit anti-climatic, of course. I mean, at least fight back some more, I don't mind! They just had to make it boring, didn't they? Sheesh~!

Before I knew it, there were small, flaming embers floating on the ground. The obstacle that presented itself was cleared, and all twenty people from before were now gone.

The rest of the guild reached me;

"Yuuki! That was awesome! I didn't know you could do that! It was insane!" Nori praised, grabbing my shoulder while trying her best not to drop her hammer.

"Hehe~ well it's me after all! Nothing more, nothing less! I guess I never cease to impress, huh?" I bragged without boundaries, taking in all the compliments, but was quickly cut short by something hitting the cowlick of my hair.

"SMACK!"

"H-hey! Wha-"

"It's okay! It's me!" a familiar, puny voice alerted me. Even though I can't see him, It won't take much to figure out who it was.

"Seiki? What is it?!" Siune asked the fairy.

Oh, YES! Finally, he sat on my head! That's one wish off my bucket list!

"I take it everyone here is done, right? Hurry up and heal, we don't have much time! YOU TWO, THE STRONG DUDES, OPEN THAT DOOR!" he ordered in a panic, jumping up and down on my head.

"Owww~" I ached playfully,

"Oh, s-sorry Yuuki!" the Cait sith muttered.

Jun and Tecchi then hurried to push the grand door. The sesame of great proportions where none can get in, nor get out. That is, without means of death.

"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with Akato?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Good question! Well, bad question, actually. Sis, being with you is far safer than being stuck with him right now." he sighed, shaking his head.

Now that I looked behind us;

Yyyyyeaaahhh~ I could see exactly what he meant.

[The End of Chapter 24]

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Author's Notes

I like Scorchy, yes. I made him based on my Palico from Monster Hunter World. I won't bore you with the details but, essentially, a Palico is a sort of feline companion that helps you hunt monsters. I named mine Scorchy and sure enough, made good memories with it.

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