Sometime after reincarnating in this world, I discovered that I had a terrible physical condition.
So, I ran.
I ran as much as I could.
I ran so much, so much... that one day I couldn't run anymore.
Something was missing.
My magical attribute was electricity, so I could do things that only happen in anime.
But the problem was my body.
I couldn't do anything with these limiters.
One day, I watched a cat run across a rooftop to a taller building.
Seeing that gave me an idea.
What if I adapt my way of running to another?
That took a lot of strange things to think about.
In the end, it was a success.
The problem is that to do it, I have to change my consciousness to that of a cat, then I have to act like one until the end.
That's why this phase 2 is really problematic.
◇◇◇
Razel was on all fours like an animal.
Helmut looked at him strangely.
"You've certainly thrown away your humanity to now imitate an animal."
Helmut's expression was disheartened, while Razel's was that of an angry cat.
"Shaa!"
Said Razel in his cat-like mental state. He stretched his body like a cat and propelled himself forward.
A ray of light traveled through the streets. It passed through the ghouls at great speed.
He pushed off against a building and climbed like a rocket straight up.
Once he reached the highest part, he struck the air hard in a zigzag.
He approached Helmut directly.
But he didn't hesitate.
"Kiri no jutsu: Kyoka Suigetsu."
Multiple residual images of him appeared.
They all headed straight to attack him.
An aerial battle began.
Razel attacked with his claws, and Helmut intercepted them with his sword.
Razel attacked all of Helmut's residual images, but they were all mirages.
"Kiri no jutsu: Meikyo Shisui."
Helmut got behind Razel using a thick mist.
He cut him.
But there was no damage.
Razel's coat withstood the inflicted damage, and that surprised Helmut.
Razel turned around and launched an electric palm in the shape of a cat.
Helmut dodged it by leaping from the flying body.
Razel fell to the ground, and then Helmut approached.
An electric paw approached and blew off one of his shoulder pads.
Helmut retreated and took a few steps back.
Razel came out of that hole, and when he got into position to attack,
"Puah!"
He spat out the equivalent of a liter of blood.
Helmut watched as the blood came out like an open hose.
"It seems using that ability worsens your organs. You can see how your insides show symptoms of rejection from what you're doing."
The bleeding stopped, and Razel staggered a little, but then his bloodshot eyes looked at him.
Helmut prepared to resume the fight.
Razel marched straight towards him.
Helmut activated his Meikyo Shisui.
But this time, the effect was different.
Razel's mouth opened, and then Helmut, who was off to the side, watched as Razel changed direction and now aimed at his face.
A few strands of his hair were torn out.
(How did he do it?)
(My presence should be completely erased.)
(My mist attribute should erase my existence entirely.)
(But he found me easily. It must have been—)
Helmut's thought was cut short when, trying to escape, Razel followed his pace.
Now they both jumped onto a building and entered its interior.
It was packed with ghouls.
Helmut erased his existence from them.
But Razel followed him and tore the ghouls apart as he ran.
He feigned jumping by breaking a window.
Razel jumped; his head searched for his enemy.
Helmut used that opportunity and attacked him from behind.
But...
"How?!"
Razel disappeared.
Helmut inadvertently commented.
"That was undoubtedly Kyoka Suigetsu!"
"How did you—?"
Helmut's cheek was kicked by two shining legs.
The force of the impact was enough to send him several meters into the street.
Blood dripped from his forehead.
A cloud of smoke enveloped Helmut; he brushed it away and didn't find Razel.
"Where—"
Once again, Helmut couldn't process what happened.
A strong blow came from the right.
He was thrown against the wall, but he couldn't reach it because a kick came from the other side.
When he reached the center of the place where he crashed, a kick came from below.
Helmut was launched into the sky.
While ascending, his head was spinning.
(How can he mock me like this?)
(It's impossible for something like this to happen.)
(I never—)
An object came out of a dust cloud, heading rapidly towards him.
Seeing it, Helmut understood everything.
"... I finally understand. This kid... has copied my movements."
Helmut watched as various residual images of Razel approached at great speed.
"This brat has learned Sendo just by watching me..."
Razel's eyes were bloodshot; sparks ran across his corneas.
When he activates his Eagle Eye, the result is that everything slows down.
And if a person makes a quick movement, he could watch in detail what they do.
Since he always had his ability activated, he carefully observed what Helmut did.
To activate Kyoka Suigetsu, he needs to release his magical power and mix it with his element. The same for Meikyo Shisui.
Razel was using a quick, improvised version of those techniques.
But in doing so, electricity coursed through his body with great intensity.
It was then—
"...!"
That Razel's heart stopped.
Being on the verge of touching Helmut, Razel had a heart attack.
His heart beat twice as fast as an average person's.
That's why blood flowed faster, and due to the electricity coursing through his bloodstream, small signals of red blood cell death were generated.
Razel occasionally expelled blood, but he wasn't worried. Today was the worst negative effect on his body.
All this happened on the day he saved Lily from a student.
That day, he lost his sense of pain.
If he had had it, in his battle against Lambert, he would have noticed that his body had small bruises from hitting trees and stopping.
But he didn't.
Razel was pushing his body to its limits. Today was the day his body couldn't take anymore.
He fell to the ground, and a loud sound resonated.
His eyes were white.
Helmut also fell. He was more injured than he expected.
He watched Razel lying on the ground.
"It was a good fight, kid. But you lost from the moment you pushed your body to its limits. Power is something you obtain, not something you're born with."
"If from the moment you were born you didn't obtain power, it's because your destiny was none other than—"
*badump*
"...!"
Helmut looked strangely at Razel.
Taking a step, he heard a sound that should normally be impossible to hear.
*badump*
It was a heartbeat.
*badump*
*badump*
Helmut watched in amazement as Razel's chest inflated and deflated as if inflating a balloon.
*badump*
*badump*
*badump*
The sound intensified more and more.
It grew stronger and stronger.
A faint blue glow emanated from his body.
Helmut drew his sword and rushed towards Razel.
The inside of Razel's body wasn't emanating magical power, but pure electricity.
Razel, moments after his heart stopped, intensified his nerves so that they would send a signal to his heart to beat strongly.
Little by little, a large amount of energy coursed through his bloodstream.
In an instant, Razel stood up.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"
He shouted with all his might towards the sky.
Helmut approached to cut his throat, but quickly Razel took his hand and sent him flying in the direction of the building.
Helmut looked like a test dummy in the air.
Razel manifested a magic circle on the ground and then jumped directly at him.
Being in front of Helmut, a rain of pain from all possible directions fell upon him.
He was beaten mercilessly.
The last blow was direct to his face. He was sent to the opposite side from where he should have fallen, but Razel kicked the air and lunged at him, grabbing him by the legs.
As if he were a spinning top, Razel spun Helmut until he released him directly into the Palace of Pleasure.
Helmut destroyed the wall.
The interior was being invaded by ghouls.
Some of them were crushed by the debris.
Helmut was embedded in the wall.
His internal organs were severely damaged.
Someone entered through the opening in the building.
The ghouls approached him. They were instantly torn apart.
Helmut watched that figure approaching.
His body didn't respond.
His right arm was twisted, and the only one he could move with difficulty was his left.
Pulling it out, his grip strength diminished, and he dropped his sword.
Razel approached with his shining eyes.
Helmut spoke to him with his faltering voice.
"Even if you kill me... that won't make you an assassin... you're just trying to force yourself to be one..."
Razel was getting closer and closer; his hand was shining.
"As someone who lives in darkness... I can recognize someone born to be an assassin..."
"I don't know what motivates you to force yourself to be one, but there's something I can tell you, kid... *cough*"
Helmut's mask filled with blood.
His gaze was tired.
"There are two types of people who live in darkness. Those who were born for it... and those who had no choice but to escape."
Helmut remembered his past.
He was a warrior of a royal family from a Japanese-style country.
That country was just a prototype that never saw the light in the game.
That's why only a brief introduction to it was included.
Helmut, who at that time had another name, lived in peace protecting a princess.
In that country, it was normal for demi-humans and some humans to live together.
It was a small but pleasant country to live in.
The princess of that land approached him as he meditated in the garden.
"Hey, why do you spend all day meditating? My grandfather said it's strange for warriors to meditate all day when they're not monks."
The warrior laughed.
"That's because I'm not just any warrior. I'm a follower of the Sendo, so I need to use the natural energy of the environment."
The little princess didn't understand what he said, so she summarized what he said.
"Magical element enters my body, and thanks to that, I can use Sendo. It's not as easy as it seems; it requires a lot of meditation to enter the zone."
"The zone?"
"It's something like a ghost state where your body reacts before your brain."
The little princess opened her mouth in astonishment.
Helmut laughed. Those were peaceful days until that happened.
An attack by an enemy country.
The royal family and the palace, similar to the Edo period, were burned.
The princess was crying over the corpses of her parents.
Helmut had a scar on his face.
It was caused by a man in red armor.
Seeing him remove his helmet, his eyes widened in surprise.
"It can't be... you are him. Solomon Vanderdraken, the dark knight of the Ideal Empire."
The man had white hair and red eyes.
"The empire was supposed to have a zero-aggression pact due to our taxes!"
The white-bearded man said.
"His Majesty recognized that you are no longer necessary."
"Therefore, you will be eliminated."
A huge black sword rose towards the sky.
Instead of attacking, Helmut prostrated himself as a sign of begging for forgiveness.
"Please wait! I beg you to have mercy on this girl! She is innocent and does not deserve to perish like us!"
The red-eyed man looked at him and said with a smile.
"How about a deal?"
"I came accompanied by some guys called the Black Crows. They are friends of His Majesty. Since you are the only one of these guys who gave me a fight and didn't die, why not show your loyalty to them?"
Helmut looked at the man with horror; then his gaze, in that sea of flames, turned to the 6-year-old girl crying over some corpses.
"... How long would it be?"
"I'd have to ask, but maybe ten or twenty years at most. They need a lot of help because there's a kid who discovered a marvel for those guys."
"Okay, I accept."
Helmut bowed his head before him.
The years passed, and he became the second strongest in that organization.
Today marked twenty years since that moment.
Razel's hand became firm like a saber and aimed at Helmut's heart.
Quickly he stopped him.
But with the force Razel used, every passing second was to penetrate his muscles until reaching the bone.
Helmut's face showed an expression of pain.
"I'm sure you must have a reason to lie to yourself... but kid, you know?"
"Lies are bad... Guh!"
"One day... when you look in the mirror... you'll find nothing but a monster—"
"...!"
Razel's hand managed to pierce his muscle and now entered the bone.
Helmut's heart was within reach.
The expression on his face was one of maximum pain.
But not because of his own... but because of Razel.
"... What's with those eyes?"
"From your gaze, I can tell you're starting to hesitate..."
Razel stopped for a moment; his eyes stared intently at Helmut.
Then, footsteps were heard descending some stairs.
Razel's hand opened.
Turning a corner, a girl saw them.
It was Yukihime, a little battered.
Upon seeing her knight, the first thing she did was call him.
"Munakata!"
Helmut didn't even turn to look at her. He just smiled.
"Live happily for all of us, Yukihime-sama."
Razel launched a lightning palm, and Helmut's heart was pierced along with part of his back.
Razel withdrew his hand.
Little by little, Helmut's corpse fell until it hit the ground.
Yukihime covered her mouth as she saw her knight on the ground.
Razel looked at her, approached her, and Yukihime stepped back.
For some reason, Razel was silent.
He turned around and told her.
"If you want to escape, let's go."
He walked to a staircase; ghouls approached, and he cut them down.
Yukihime was sad.
She walked to Helmut and took out a toy hairpin she had.
"Goodbye, Munakata. Even until the end, you always tried to protect me."
Standing up, she ran to hug Razel's back.
"I'm sorry about before. But I was scared. He always took care of me here, but today when I found out I was going to be sold, he was planning an ambush to get me out of here."
"Those guys called the Black Crows were watching us until today. But thanks to the disturbance, he won't have to make a plan to get rid of them."
Yukihime hugged Razel tightly.
"... I am a guardian among the shadows. My only goal is to end the future suffering that will come. That's why my hands, stained with the blood of those in my way, are a path to everyone's happiness."
From her position, Yukihime didn't understand what he was saying.
But a mirror reflecting Razel's face showed a strange shadow in his eyes.
◇◇◇
Razel and Yukihime arrived at the underground area.
There was no other way out. The exits were full of ghouls and people fighting.
Razel didn't care about them, so they were left to their fate.
Razel lit a torch, and they walked through that dark alley.
After a while, they found something strange.
In many cells, there were slaves.
They were men, women, and children with chains.
Yukihime said to Razel.
"Knight-sama, can you free them?"
Razel was silent briefly and then...
He cut the cells with a ray of light.
They entered each cell to cut the slaves' chains.
After a while, everyone was freed.
Razel said to Yukihime.
"There's a current of air in that direction, so there must be an exit. I'll look for another one that leads me to the tower."
"Knight-sama, I..."
Razel handed her the torch and then went straight into the dark tunnel.
Yukihime didn't look at the ground; if she had, she would have noticed red stains coming from Razel.
Razel marched towards his destination.