A fist came down upon my face, pushing in my jaw and knocking out a few of my teeth. Right from the back, I could feel them wrench out from my jaw and fly to the ground. I hit the ground and slid across it. The force of the blow was monstrous.
Feeling that kind of pain—right after being summoned to this absurd world was more than I could handle. I wanted to cry, right then and there. And right as I could feel the tears welling up—
* SNATCH *
He pulled me up by the collar of these scrubs I had been wearing. A beige shirt that wasn't at all fitted to my size—a complete contrast to the clothes the King ordered for me to wear normally. The person lifting me
was my instructor. And...he seems to be—
* PUNCH *
" U-Ugh!! "
A fist that could've only come from the depths of hell buried itself into my stomach, making me hold onto it tight and scrunch up in his grip.
" What's that, you little pissant?! You're going soft on me—aren't you? "
He pulled me in closer and hit me again; this time, blood came from my mouth rather than just the air leaving my lungs. It felt like something ruptured.
" You think you get to be a Hero and cry about getting hit? You ought to be ashamed! I'm going to beat that crybaby out of you! "
And beat he did.
. . .
" Ugh...I really didn't want to see you so soon... "
I muttered under my breath, thinking about my past. I could still feel the teeth he knocked out. Even though I got them back, I was cautious about getting hit in the face for so long.
" It's Instructor Yulius... "
Even Elise straightened her posture when looking up at her superior. Julius Von Asteria, a man given the title after training many of the elite knights who served the King, was a terrifying demon. At the time, I wasn't sure if I could beat him. And he died long before I reached my full power, so I'm not sure how I'd fare with my entire capabilities.
" Oi oi oi...You two were having a grand time messing up my training grounds, weren't you? "
His voice was so cold and piercing that any bystander who had been watching our skirmish scampered off and left only Elise and me to deal with Yulius. I couldn't help but feel the pressure from the man who showed his fangs to us as if it didn't matter. However, I wasn't the same crybaby from the past.
Even if that's a past only I remember.
" Ah, well— "
Elise started to speak, but I stepped in front of her. My eyes were resolute, and my fists were clenched. Yulius was the type to swing at any given moment. And this time...I'll swing back.
" I was training her here. As the Hero, I'm able to do whatever I want. "
* SWING *
His fist came up fast—just like I thought. This man was a top-tier delinquent in a grown man's body. He had no problem swinging at any given moment. His long hair, swept back under his military cap, swayed violently in the air as he brought his fist toward my face from its resting position at his side.
And I responded in kind. His fist and mine clashed, his knuckles and mine colliding and causing a shockwave of force. It seemed in that split second before our fists met, to protect our knuckles from shattering, we both used Aura. While Yulius's Aura was colorless, mine was, of course, its golden glow.
Since I always fought with colored Aura, did that mean I was naturally stronger? No. It just meant I could match him. With that one exchange, my question was answered. If Yulius had been using his weapon, he'd have cut my arm right off in that clash.
" Still so damn strong... "
I grunted as I grinded my fist against his, trying earnestly to push him back.
" You talk as if you know me...little bastard...! "
With his colorless Aura, Yulius still struggled to push me back and shrug off my attack. Our eyes dug into each other, and we glared like there was no tomorrow in sight for either of us.
To be honest...something inside of me wanted to fight him. Not for any reason like a grudge from the past—no. I wanted to show him that I'd gotten strong. I never had the chance back then.
" H-Hey! Takumi! Cut it out!! You'll lose! "
Elise called out from behind me. For the first time, she sounded like a concerned and soft girl, looking out for my safety. I looked over my shoulder, looking at her face as I continued to press my knuckles against Yulius's.
" Sorry, Elise! But I have to do this! Because if I don't... "
I grunted further, this time using Aura in my legs and pressing forward, throwing my full body weight into advancing my punch before knocking Yulius's hand back and delivering a swift follow-up combo one-two.
He gracefully dodged my jab into a straight before jumping back away from me.
I'll never be good enough if I back down here.
" You little shit...You think you can take me on, Hero? "
" It's because I'm a Hero! That's why I'll fight you earnestly! "
I started with my standard start to a fight. Kicking off the ground and going into a full sprint dash, my speed kicks up. This time, I'd use my full power against this man. With Elise, I still have to hold back so she isn't gapped and gains nothing. But here? I had no such luxury. There is no holding back against this monster.
" Be ashamed of yourself! It's about time you tasted some reality! "
As I approached Yulius, swiftly closing in due to us still being quite close to each other, he exerted a large amount of Aura, washing over me as I could feel his energy prick into my body. Yulius was obviously an advanced Aura user. And even more than that, he thrived when using Aura typing.
His Aura, now put into the Sharp typing, pressed against my body and forced me back. It was nearly the same as my provocational ability to produce large amounts of Aura spikes at an opponent's throat. However, unlike my threat, his was the real deal. Just from that short interaction with it, cuts had come across my body. He must've used an Aura Burst as well.
" Tch...an Aura Burst so early? You scared? "
I could see the veins on Yulius's forehead pop.
" Cocky. "
He reached up and grabbed his cap, throwing it down to the ground. His hair was now let free. His locks were long and wavy with a long stand falling right between his golden set eyes. And a very striking feature had been the scar that came just below his hairline. It was only visible the first time he took off his hat due to his hair being slicked back at first.
Though it's immediately hidden again from his hair falling.
That scar itself was the reason we were able to identify what remained of his corpse during the first invasion of Raksha's army. To think a man with such an oppressive Aura was defeated so brutally by Raksha and his troops...It was impressive and scary.
It felt as though he were two to three times bigger just from the sheer size of his intimidation alone. And this is only while using colorless Aura. Further, Yulius pushed his Aura down upon me, showing quickly that I was outclassed in terms of control, output, and power. However, I did not buckle.
I, too, used an Aura Burst to gain a bit of headway. My body tensed, and I could feel our energies intermingling. It felt like we were having a conversation with nothing more than our souls. To Elise and anyone else who could've possibly been watching, it must've looked like two monsters going at it. And they wouldn't be too far off.
With one twitching movement, both Yulius and I flew toward each other. Our fists were raised to deal a deadly blow that could blow off our limbs.
" S-Stop!! "
And upon hearing her scream, with my fist extended, I stopped. I completely halted the progress of my flying punch, aimed right for Yulius's face. And he too stopped.
His fist was right under my chin, ready to blow my head right off, just as I was ready to knock his head back into last Sunday. Yulius's sharp and untamed golden eyes looked at me with severe disdain for a moment. And mine were filled with conviction—I didn't need a mirror to tell I had an infuriating look on my face.
" You're lucky, little shit. "
" Is that right? You sure you aren't happy you got off easy? "
I was quick to snap back. I may have been in the body of a teenager, but I no longer feared elders. I was much older mentally, of course.
" Tch... "
He pulled his fist back, and so did I. Turning, he picked up his cap and dusted it off, looking in both our direction. It seemed as though his eyes looked down to the ground where we fought. It was ruptured. Cracks went through the training ground, and all sorts of holes were drilled into it. However, there was a cut-off point. Right where I had been standing.
All of the damage was completely in front of me.
I didn't let a single bit of his Aura get by me.
" You fought me while protecting that girl? "
" I told you—I'm a Hero. "
Yulius, for a moment, looked stunned. His eyes were lazy, and his jaw agape. It was as if he was having a hard time processing what I had said and done. However, eventually he would close his eyes and situate his cap on his head after slicking back his hair, again for a moment revealing that scar. He pushed his hands into his pockets and looked to Elise, a woman radiating natural skill but also showing a bit of a timid side.
" I take it you're training that little monster. "
" Little monster? "
" I was on the receiving end of her blade before—she took me by surprise. She was the only cadet of the past two years to have wounded me. "
I looked at Elise and examined her expression. She looked pensive but also resolute. Not even for a moment did she let go of the sword she held in her hand. And from where I was standing, it looked like she was ready to go at any point.
Did she intend to jump into the fight if we didn't stop?
" Right...I'll keep that in mind, Instructor Yulius. "
Yulius paused for a moment, looking at me with a bit of surprise. Had I said something weird? Well, even if I did, he didn't linger on it long enough for me to care, as he immediately turned away from me.
" If I catch you on my training grounds again, you'd better pay your respects. Or some lacerations won't be the only damage you suffer, Hero. "
Instructor Yulius cared more about the strength of someone and their ability to command respect due to their power than ranking or standing. My title as "The Hero" meant nothing compared to the fact that I was strong. And that was the only reason he left us.
" Takumi! What the hell?! "
" Calm down, Elise! Nothing bad happened! "
" Nothing bad happened?! You put me on the sidelines and got all cut up! "
" Ah my wounds aren't that ba— "
" I don't care how bad they are. You still got hurt trying to protect me...I saw it. You could've dodged that Aura Burst he did! But if you had— "
It would've definitely pierced behind me. The range at which Yulius used his Aura was immense. The area behind him was totally torn up.
* PAT *
" Since when was it the student's job to pester the master? "
I smiled. It was nice having a companion worry about you.
" How about you get stronger—then I'll let you handle him next time! "
" E-eh...I don't know...Instructor Yulius is kind of scary. "
Woah? Did I hear that right? The hot-blooded fighter who had been executed for acting up against Nobles was scared of Yulius?
Sounds about par for the course.
" How about we take a break—huh? "
" No way! He may be scary—but watching Instructor Yulius fight has me totally hyped up! And since he left... "
" W-what? You want to keep going...? "
" Yep! "
I groaned a bit and put my palm to my face. This girl...Maybe having a companion was too much work after all.
CHAPTER 27 END