༺ The Hero of Sodomora (1) ༻
I must confess something shameful at this moment; I’ve never been much of a fighter.
In the first place, how can a 20-something-year-old man living in the 21st century, who had never taken up any martial arts, be able to develop his fighting skills? At least, there wasn’t any method that I knew of.
So far, the laws, norms, and morality of the 21st century protected people quite thoroughly. Therefore, there was no occasion where a normal person could engage in a life-or-death duel.
My fighting experience was limited to the times I fought with my friend in elementary or middle school due to my temper issues. However, as I entered high school, I left that hot-blooded mentality behind and so there were no such issues anymore in the future.
Yet, after getting trapped in this world, I had to roll around on the dirt and use my fists to protect myself from different kinds of punks, ranging from those who had a similar big build as me to lunatics who were suddenly picking a fight with me out of nowhere.
I didn’t have to do something like that when I was sold to Elfride as her slave. However, in the years before that event, when I was a mere slave in the arena, it was a dark time for me as I experienced a series of horrible beatings and assaults.
Honestly, I didn’t want to recall the memories from that time. Nothing really good happened back then. Every single day I got bruised and battered, suffering from unimaginable pain.
However, if I had to choose something from that time that helped me immensely to survive in this world, then it would be the experience I gained in the arts of fights and duels.
“Whoo—”
When I fought for the first time, I was really distracted by the excitement I felt from the blood rushing to my head. After experiencing that process several times, although a small percentage of that excitement still remained inside of me, I was now very calm and level-headed in a fight.
For instance, when facing a much stronger opponent like Schizo, the dragon-helmet-wearing cultist, I no longer felt like running away while screaming at the top of my lungs, nor did I lose strength in my legs.
“If you don’t come out, I will destroy this house.”
“Damn it! I knew you would do something like that.”
“This old cabin must be more precious to you than your life, huh?”
Schizo, the man in black armor, slowly pulled out the sword hanging like a piece of baggage behind his back.
Swoosh—
Creating a wide arc in the air, the huge, broad iron plate hit the ground with a heavy thud. No matter how you look at it, that thing was more like a siege engine than a mere sword.
I didn’t understand the idea behind carrying such a thing around and wondered to myself if anyone was even able to use such a thing. I was very curious about that fact, but I didn’t want to find out, honestly speaking.
“I’m coming.”
Clank—
Something akin to a black bullet came at me at a swift pace, followed by the sound of an iron greave hitting the ground.
The black armored man already had a huge build. Moreover, as he was also wearing heavy armor on top of that, the giant of a man looked no different than a literal tank.
What was even more surprising was the fact that he could easily lift his hands, which gripped the huge iron plate of a sword, and swing it from the lower left to the upper right like it was nothing. It was as though he was just swinging a light stick!
Swwwinggggg—!
Following that move, the huge iron plate ripped through the air, producing sounds akin to a howling scream. You would be crushed into literal pieces if you got hit by something of that caliber.
Therefore, I quickly moved my sword-holding hands to parry the attack from the solid iron plate of a blade.
Clang!
Then, with the grating sound of metals hitting each other, my body flew like a ball hit by a baseball bat and landed straight in the garbage pile.
If these junks hadn’t acted as cushions, my body probably would have been badly smashed up already.
“Fuck—”
I managed to stop the attack somehow. However, the blow was so strong that my hands, which held the swords, had started to sting, and my whole body tingled and creaked in pain.
Schizo, the huge-sword-wielding warrior, didn’t look exhausted at all, while I barely pulled myself together and got up from the garbage pile.
“You have no chance of winning. Just surrender yourself obediently.”
“So, now you have finally fucking realized that I’m not your comrade, huh, you moron!”
“Yes… Although my eyes can’t see anything, I can figure out that much by now. However, you have great talent. Once you receive the blessing from Lord Pluto, I have no doubt that you will become a great priest.”
The pseudo-religion of this world seemed to preach with their great sword. Damn it! Magic and voodoo had already been widespread. Now, preaching seemed to be a popular physical attribute, too.
“If you don’t obey, I’ll have to take the person in that cabin with me. That person has soft breathing and based on the weight of their steps, she must be a petite girl. Girls are very useful, you know…”
“F-Fuck—!”
I was horrified when I realized that this bastard was aware of Luna’s existence. According to the circumstances, Schizo was supposed to be blind though.
Just like Luna had an incredible smelling ability, Schizo, who was blind, seems to have superhuman hearing or something of the sort.
“Get lost!”
“Even if we don’t hasten death, everything that has lived will eventually go to Lord Pluto. It’s just the difference between being late and being early, that’s all.”
Swoosh—
The huge sword was raised high like a guillotine’s blade. Soon, with an explosive stepping sound, the huge iron plate came straight down at me in a vertical line.
Swwwiinggg—!
I had a very short time to move my legs and avoid the blade.
Thinking that I would rather give up a finger or an arm than lose my life altogether, I crossed the pair of swords in my hands in an X-shape and lifted them above my head.
Claaaaang!
Innumerable sparks flew in the air following the powerful bursting sound. Having used enough strength with the determination to lose my arm or at least a few fingers, I was somehow able to parry his greatsword!
“Uckkkk—!”
However, I didn’t realize that he would strike me with such a fucking strong force that my knees would literally buckle. I also felt that my hands were about to lose strength any moment now.
“I can hear your joints and muscles cracking. You have a fairly strong body, but I don’t think you are trained to catch a sword of this caliber.”
“Ugggh!”
“I’ll crush you by pressing my sword down like this.”
Even though I could block the black armored warrior’s attack, he began to push me down with stronger and greater force.
Clang— Clang—
The terrible sound of sharp metal grating against each other continued for a while. I ended up kneeling on one knee as though I was being pressured by a literal elephant.
“F-Fuccc— aack!”
I was really going to die if I didn’t do anything soon!!! Was there anything sharp around me? My head desperately searched for a way to survive.
However, as expected, nothing came to my mind. I had to buy more time until Luna completed her spell somehow. When the fuck would that spell be finished, dammit?
“Just give up already.”
At that time, the weight of the huge sword pressing my body down slowly declined.
The reason was that Schizo lifted the sword above his head again with all the intention of beating me to death.
He struck the sword, he had raised high, once again with tremendous force.
Crash—! Crash—!
Along with it, the two swords I held in my hands were smashed to bits, and I was thrown back and fell to the ground as a result.
My wrists felt numb, and all my fingers and joints ached so badly that I felt like I was gonna die. Maybe it had already cracked at this point.
“Your weapons are broken. What are you going to do now?”
“Fuck that, you moron! I still have another one!”
Pull—
I drew a dagger from my belt this time. Damn it, the Santoryu art was really the best. It would have remained a symbol of defeat if it consisted of just dual swords.
“It would be better for you if you do nothing and just give up quietly. Don’t worry. I won’t kill you. I will take you and tell Somnia and Anxious to open your head and modify your brains.”
Hearing this man’s words, I immediately imagined a scene where someone opened up my skull and performed brain surgery on this world without proper medical equipment. Damn, perhaps death was a better option in that scenario.
Fuck, this was a lose-lose situation for me.
“Whoo—”
I let out a very deep sigh.
“Have you given up now?”
Did Schizo think this was a sign of giving up? But contrary to what he thought, I hadn’t given up yet. Instead, I was going to try my chances.
“Hoo— Heuuu—”
With a pounding heart, I made a calm decision after exhaling a few ragged breaths.
“…Lady Knox, could you lend me some strength?”
When I felt like my prayer had been heard to a certain extent, I took a deep breath and held it in, suppressing my breaths.
『The Night’s Cloak Blessing 》has been invoked.』 『Calibrating the probability of detecting covert behavior by consuming task points.』 『Current Task Points: 17』
16.
15.
“Huh, he’s gone—?”
I could sense him getting flabbergasted. Using my ultimate skill and seeing such a clear response was worthwhile indeed.
Of course, I didn’t have time to relax like this either. I probably had only been given no more than a dozen seconds at most. No matter how long the time was, I had to do something effective during this period.
Push— Push—
“I don’t know what kind of trick you’re playing… But, it doesn’t matter. You can’t hide your Mana. I know that you’re there!”
At that time, the warrior with his sword raised high came rushing through the fog as if he had located me already. The sword he had raised in the air hit the ground once again.
Boom—!
As if he was digging the ground with a forklift, the greatsword plunged itself into the unevenly paved ground and created something akin to a pit.
The rocks and debris of grit splashing in all directions were like bullets coming out of a shotgun.
But the sword was not able to cut through my body.
“He is not there—? Then what the hell is this—”
The startled man reached toward the ground to see what he swung the sword at. After the rattling sound, what that man’s hand could feel was—
“The star of Acheron, don’t tell me you were using your necklace as bait—!?”
Schizo straightened his knees to lift his body and get up from his sitting position.
But he was too late to notice the anomaly.
Standing beside the necklace, I was holding my breath to the point where even the sound of my heartbeat was becoming faint.
I grabbed the startled man’s helmet and pulled it back, then accurately stabbed a dagger into the only hole that was available in his full plate armor— the eye sockets.
Crush—
The sensation of the makeshift dagger piercing through flesh and bone and tearing it sharply was vividly transmitted to my palm. Soon, a dreadful scream resounded from beneath the helmet.
“Argh!”
“Go and say hello to Pluto, you punk.”
Even the strongest warrior would not be able to withstand the fatalities of this sudden attack.
After seeing Hippolyte lose to Luna, I realized that no matter how strong a person was, in the end, they could still be defeated one way or another.
Even this literal lump of iron plates that was no different from a monster would surely die if he was fatally wounded.
Snip— Snip— Crush—
Nevertheless, being anxious as I was, I repeatedly stabbed his eyeballs and was able to finish him, in the end.
As if all strength had left his body, Schizo’s spasming figure finally fell as he could no longer handle the heavy weight of his weapon.
Thud—
Shit.
I won.
I won against this monstrous being.
His blindness must have been a great cause of his eventual defeat. Also, the power of the blessing I had received from Knox became a big variable and helped me knock him down.
Ding—
『Achievement ‘Hitting a Rock with an Egg’ — It is the first time you knocked down an opponent with a level difference of 20 or higher.』 『Task Points + 200』 『Current Task Points: 204』
“Damn! I can’t believe this, I won! Take that, you punk!”
I was relieved that I had somehow crossed the threshold of death. And now, the overwhelming feelings and excitement of defeating a foe that seemed too powerful to be taken down by me and being able to survive made blood rush to the top of my head.
Perhaps the after-effect from holding my breath for so long had finally come. My breathing became rougher, and my heart was pounding as if it were about to explode.
It was at that very moment when…
Tramp— Tramp—
I reflexively swung my hand, holding the dagger, at the presence I felt behind my back. Perhaps there were more cultist comrades of his here!
Swoosh—
However, my elbow was blocked by something, and I couldn’t move it anymore.
“I came here because I felt like a friend was calling me. This is— a hell of a circumstance, yeah…”
It turned out to be a pervert wearing a red cape over his body and triangular panties on his lower torso. His curly amber-colored hair was quite an impressive sight, and his face had thick and prominent features, so he was somewhat handsome. However, it still didn’t change the fact that he was wearing a pervy outfit.
I could feel it instinctively. This punk was like Viole1Author is referring to Viole one of the aliases the protagonist, Bam the 25th Night, from Tower of God used.. No matter what I did, I couldn’t beat this bastard.
“What, what are you so scared of? Samaritan, my friend, did you forget my face already? It’s me, Actaeon— Hero of Sodomora!”
Only after hearing Actaeon’s words was I able to come to my senses.
Luna’s sorcery must have succeeded. That was why this guy came here to find us. It also meant that I didn’t have to stand here and hold my fucking stance anymore.
My trembling legs lost strength, and I collapsed to the ground.
“I was on standby after hearing that they were going to raid Minerva Guild’s guild building. So, you met the black warrior in such a place, huh…”
“D-Do you know him?”
“The Priest of Pluto. Schizophrenia, The Black Warrior. He’s a pretty famous guy actually. I heard that he was the guy who smashed Mars Guild’s guild building with a weird trick a few days ago.”
I didn’t know what this weird trick Actaeon was speaking of. I think he didn’t use that trick when dealing with me just now.
Did I survive because he was careless and didn’t use his ultimate move? Fuck, whatever it was, I was really lucky this time. I must have looked like a pathetic bronze-tier fighter to him, and that was why I was able to survive.
“More than that, I knew that you had talent, my friend. You were the one who knocked down this cultist priest, right? Now I like you even more, my friend. You are the second most interesting Samaritan I’ve ever seen! Looking at it like this, I think you guys look alike too!”
Actaeon raised my body from the ground. And then he put his arm around my shoulder as a sign of comradeship.
I felt awful when his armpit touched my shoulder. Shit, was this bastard a real homo or what?
“Anyway, you have done a great job! You can expect to be rewarded handsomely!”
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