Chapter 14: Square 11: Three Against Three (2)
In that moment, a blindingly fast slash tore across Tender’s shoulder.
"Guhh!!"
Bright red blood sprayed from the wound.
"I happen to be a body enhancement mage myself."
The man reset his grip on the knife with a triumphant look, holding it reversed.
"Tch... you didn’t even see it, did you!?"
"Something trained through your little hobby games can’t compare to real magic!"
The slim man mixed feints in every direction, landing hit after hit that were nearly impossible to dodge. Tender protected his vital points, but his shoulder, leg, and side were sliced open one after another, his butler uniform darkening with blood.
"Alright then, guess it’s about time I finish you off. Die!!"
The sound of flesh tearing. Blood pooling slowly, the light fading from his eyes.
"Heh, you’re pretty weak."
"Do I look that way to you?"
A snapping sound rang out, scattering red in every direction. Tender, who should have just breathed his last right there, dissolved into smoke in an instant.
"Wha... what’s going on..."
"Wrong place, I’m afraid."
Tender, now standing behind him without a sound, drove a heavy roundhouse kick into the back of his head. The man’s face slammed into the ground from the impact, blood gushing from his nose as he writhed in agony.
"Guh... how... why!?"
"And here I thought that landed cleanly, for such a notorious wanted criminal."
"Ngh!"
The slim man threw a second hidden knife at Tender. The knife flew straight at Tender’s face, passed clean through it, and lodged itself in the outer wall nearby.
"Too bad, a little further right would’ve done it."
Tender, his form flickering into multiple afterimages, kicked the fallen man’s face.
"Guh, damn it..."
"Ah, right, I should mention."
Tender looked down at the man with a triumphant smile.
"I use illusion magic. Sorry for all the tricks."
"Wai... wait, stop... stop it!!"
Tender stepped on the fallen man’s arm, exposing his blood covered face turned upward.
"There we go. Sleep tight."
A full weight punch aimed straight at the skull came down hard enough to crack the stone pavement beneath. The man’s face, taking the full brunt of it on his nose, rolled back with eyes gone white, foaming at the mouth. From the look of it, he wasn’t waking up anytime soon, and that mangled face wasn’t going back to normal either.
"Well, I’ve done my part here, staying any longer would just get in the way. I should go arrange a carriage for the trip back. The rest is up to you, Elizabeth."
Tender unfolded a map with a snap, pulled out a pocket watch, and headed toward the main street.
"What the hell, you’re smoking weird stuff! You’re pissing me off!!!"
"Telling me to calm down probably won’t help, huh."
A smoke to steady my nerves. Or maybe a final smoke before death. Either way, it meant nothing right now, because fear had wiped out any sense of taste.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH!!!!!!!!"
A roar loud enough to make my ears ring. Was I really supposed to handle this with nothing but a lighter and a bag? No way, this was hopeless!
"Would... would he be scared of fire?"
My brain was starting to give up on thinking straight.
"Ugh, can’t get through, this is pissing me off!!!"
The alley entrance was narrow, and his bulk kept getting stuck trying to squeeze in. But that was only buying a little time. Watching the wall crack more and more, it wouldn’t be long before he broke straight through it to get to me.
"Come on, isn’t there anything!"
I rummaged through my bag, knowing full well it was pointless. It felt exactly like being a condemned man watching the executioner approach.
"I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you!!!!"
The sound of the wall crumbling pushed me closer to the edge with every second. That was when, digging blindly through my bag, my hand caught something unpleasantly slick.
"Ugh, oil!?"
I didn’t remember packing any oil. For a moment I forgot the danger I was in and looked down into my bag.
"...oh, this."
"Ooooh! It’s coming looooose!!!!"
The huge man came crashing into the alley like an avalanche. Less than fifteen meters between us now.
"Just die already!!"
"You first!!"
Just like with the business card holder earlier, I threw something toward him.
"I said, if you just cut through something like this, you’ll be fine!!"
The thing sliced clean through by the cleaver’s downward swing was...
"Whoa, it’s all sticky, gross!"
"Well, I guess lighter fluid wouldn’t mean much to you."
From all that frantic digging through my bag, the cap on the oil had come loose. But thanks to that, I got lucky and stumbled onto a last ditch move.
"Burn nice and good for me."
The container, sliced clean through by the force of the swing, sprayed oil everywhere. And this overweight man had just taken a full soaking of it, head to toe. I lit my Zippo lighter, smirking with certainty of victory.
"Game over. I win, fat ass."
Striking the coolest pose of my entire life, I tossed the lighter toward the still confused huge man. It happened in an instant. Flames caught on his clothes and, carried by the oil, spread to engulf his entire body. It looked like some kind of mad dance. He took off running with a howl and immediately tripped and fell. Even then the flames didn’t die down, and his huge body rolled across the ground in pain and heat.
"GAAAAAAAAH!!! IT BURNS!!!!!"
The smell of burning stung my eyes. Thick black smoke rose violently, like firewood being burned.
"GYAAAAAAAAH!!! ...guh, ...guh, ...guhh!"
His limbs thrashed against the ground, knocking the Zippo lighter and sending it skittering toward my feet.
"...ah."
The moment I picked up the lighter, my eyes met the huge man’s, writhing in agony. His eyes, moisture boiled away, were grotesque, and a wave of violent nausea hit me.
"Ugh... ugh, bleeaaaargh"
I vomited, making an awful sound. I’d breathed in the smell of a person burning firsthand, heard his death throes up close. Guilt for having killed someone, fear, unease. All of it hit me at once. Maybe up until now, some sense of justice and adrenaline from helping people had numbed me to it all.
"Damn it... I killed him. I killed him, just now."
But I didn’t regret it. No question, it was kill or be killed.
"...he was trying to kill me, so, well, I guess it’s fine."
I put my hands together quietly for the corpse that had stopped breathing, climbed over the huge body blocking the exit, and headed back toward the girl’s house.
Elizabeth and Nest hadn’t moved an inch this whole time.
"Mind if I ask you something?"
Nest broke the silence that had lasted several minutes.
"What is it? If it’s something trivial, I’d rather not hear it."
Nest continued, hand to her mouth, chuckling.
"Have you ever heard of the man eating dragon?"
"...A famous fairy tale. A dragon that hunts down wicked children. Everyone in this country knows it."
"Right? But if something like that actually existed, what would you do?"
At Nest’s words, this time it was Elizabeth’s turn to let out a smile.
"Of all things to bring up, how whimsical of you."
"That’s right. No matter who she is, a woman never forgets her girlish heart, ufufufu."
Both of their laughs slowly began to grow louder.
"Well, that much I do understand. Ohhohohoho."
"Ufufufufu, ahahahahahahahahaha."
"Ohhhohohohohohohohoho."
The two women’s laughter echoed through the room. That was when it happened. From the broken wall, a single board fell to the floor with a clatter.
In that instant, both of their weapons were drawn faster than the wind.
The air split apart. The shockwaves of their clashing weapons collided, and a fierce gust tore through the room, scattering debris like fallen leaves. The two of them, having closed the distance in an instant, had every trace of a smile gone from their faces. That fight to the death was not going to stop now.
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