Leftover snow and rock blasts past me and ‘Gilbert Argevald’; the guardian of the mountains decided to test the freedom it gave us. There are no traces of soldiers from either of our sides, just the three of us.

[https://imgur.com/kI2cRyq.jpeg]

‘Gilbert Argevald’, myself, and our guest here.

This thing is why this area is known as no-man’s land. Frigid cold that spanned the two countries, no one has been able to cross between these two lands using this place as a shortcut.

However, the person I grew up with is smarter than I; he said this was the best way to survive, the best way to possibly reclaim our lives. This abomination is nothing to that goal. This will also be the first time we will be fighting to the death together. Maybe the long years have distorted who I was, but I’m happy right now.

‘Gilbert Argevald’s sharp amber eyes look at me and explain things in a simple and effective way.

“Don’t be afraid.”

Those words were enough to spring me into action. The grand nature of this thing makes me excited. Just like the story books he used to read me, I’ll strike it down like the stories.

A metallic roar shakes the ground we stood on, but I’m at its legs. With both of my swords I swing as hard as I can only to give it two shallow cuts.

“—!”

In response to this, the guardian attempts to trample me with the same front leg I struck.

“Tch…!”

I back out of its legs’ range, and defying its massive size, the monster swung its trunk towards me.

The unexpected speed had me use my swords to guard, but I already got caught in a silly mistake. I’ll just have to make due with some damage.

A silent burst of snow followed me as I got blasted away.

Oddly enough, I wasn’t worse for wear. Only the intense pain in my ribs. I look to my shoulder and notice a band of blue light. ‘Gilbert Argevald’ shouts towards me.

“Eclaire! I’ll help out as much as I can, but be careful!”

“Ngh..! Right!”

I stood back up and brushed the snow off, but before I could, it just slid off. I can’t quite see it but it’s as if I have a protective layer of skin on me. This aura was undoubtedly created by him. An unknown heat builds up on my chest; I want to take this thing down.

To erase it and move forward.

If what I did was too shallow, I just have to cut deeper.

Another metallic roar echoes through the mountain.

“—!!!”

Alright, I’ll accept your challenge. I charge towards this creature one more time, dodging the massive trunk and striking the same legs my initial cuts went through. After that, I roll to the side, expecting another attack from its trunk.

As expected, it does the same thing, except this time I rotate my swords and slam my blade against it before it can build up force.

Waiting for that moment, piercing lightning hits the side of the monster, unbalancing it. Two metal spikes stuck into its flesh as this thing moves side to side to brace itself. I ran at full speed to the damaged leg, knocking it with my shoulder.

Instead of a roar, its voice pathetically whimpers as it stumbles over.

Taking advantage of the moment I start to unleash a series of strikes onto its body. Constantly at the same spot, ripping and tearing the flesh until I reach something.

The wriggling of a wild animal continues and the screams don’t reach my ear.

My senses are numb due to the frigid cold.

The pangs of pain make my arms numb, I feel as if I’m hitting metal.

No, I was hitting metal somehow.

I was ignorant to the cries as I tore into its flesh. I had a need to see this creature in pain; I wanted it to cease to exist, to not get in our way.

What ends up getting my attention is a shout towards me.

“Eclaire!”

I snap out of my stupor, and Wing pulls my shawl pulling both of us onto the snow. The beast unleashes another deafening cry towards the sky, but this time something shoots out of its trunk. Wing’s eyes emit a soft light as he focuses his hand on his blade.

Then like when we were at the ward, flames appear, but this time an arc of fire gets launched into the air. Giant ice spikes rain down on us, the smaller ones feel like sharp pokes at best, but the flames he emitted dispelled the more dangerous attacks.

The guardian stumbles back up and I get spoken to again.

“Well, this is a bit troubling.”

“Wing?”

According to him, he could use another blast like in the ward, but he would be over his limit after that. So we’d need to make sure that it was a final attack. In addition, if I keep taking hits the Aura Shield wouldn’t last.

If that’s the case, what if I just keep hacking at its leg? I mean it’s pretty difficult, but maybe that’s a solution?

“If you do that you have to make sure it won’t get back up again.”

I think I can do that.

Time for the next round.

I can’t help but remember something really minor before I got put in the Elkystian Army.

It was unfair.

The person I fought was bigger than me and I was told to just ‘prove’ I had potential, which is dumb. How can these people measure how good anyone is if someone like Wing gets refused to go to a great place…?

Just thinking about how pointless the thought was made me angry, I ended up tackling the guy and taking his practice sword.

Yes... just like now…

If attacking one time doesn’t work. If throwing dirt won’t work. If his electricity doesn’t work.

I’ll just hack at its legs.

I’ll keep doing it until there is nothing left.

I ran towards this freak of nature as fast as I could. It was different, I felt static in the air coming from behind me. Most likely it was that lightning that he used earlier.

I rolled under the initial strike of the trunk and jumped towards its underside. Since it can move its stupid thing towards me even there, I start to move around as I try to hit the same leg that I sliced at before.

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No luck. I can’t build up enough strength while running around.

“—!”

Oh shut up. I didn’t even do much yet.

I feel my body getting hot again. I repeatedly slam my blades into its leg. Each time I put more strength into my slashes.

Again with the feeling of metal. My arms are reverberating in shock as this thing stomps around.

I move around the legs each time it tries to hit me with that dumb trunk, I take a few hits, but not enough for me to get sent flying like last time. The band around my arm starts to fade a little, but that’s not that bad. I think.

However, just when I felt like I was getting somewhere with the arm, an unusually strong hit gets me from the back of the head.

My vision shakes as I try to continue to hit its leg. It was spurting with blood, but it’s not quite there.

I try to shake off the feeling, but when I turn around, I see it swinging at me, it was clearly an even stronger force than before and I can’t block it. The band on my arm broke too, so I don’t think I’ll be getting away with a small bruise.

“—Ah!”

I let out a brief sound, but it was cut short by an even louder sound of thunder. Wing was wreathed in electricity. He deflected the strike from me.

Now to do my job.

Meanwhile, Wing kept zipping around the head, distracting the trunk.

I kept hacking at the legs of this thing repeatedly, that metallic panging was getting softer and softer until I heard a disgusting cracking noise. It sounded sort of wet.

“——!!!!”

There ya go. Somehow the sound was kind of pleasant this time. Maybe it was that combined with the sound of it toppling over. Once it was on its side again, Wing raised his sword in the air and electricity kept convulsing in his hands.

However, while he was standing still, the trunk once again went to strike, but it was aimed to hit him this time.

Not so fast.

I used both of my swords to slam its head to the side, but it tried to shoot something out of its blasted hole again.

“Oh will you give it a rest?!”

I stab into the trunk with one of my blades, but it’s still able to struggle. I let go of that sword and started to hammer into it with my other. Using the butt of it I slammed deeper and deeper into the trunk so all it could do was pathetically scream while its nose was being covered.

Once Wing’s sword was completely overloaded as he put it. He raised up into the air with a crashing sound.

Lucrum Break–

Right before the roaring sound of Wing’s Lucent Overload, I hear the distinct sound of the gem breaking.

I guess if the stuff he was using was defined to me as ‘divine lightning’ this would make it a ‘judgement’ wouldn’t it?

The same attack that cleaned out the roof of the prison, this time struck into the ground where the guardian was. A destructive force that echoed through the mountain range. It sounded like a thousand of those lightning strikes.

“————————!!!!!!”

The guardian was now roasted to a crisp. Pretty good handiwork if I say so. The sword that was in the trunk got destroyed though.

While basking in my glory, Wing started to drag me away. He was sluggish, probably tired from all that.

“We gotta go. There’s probably going to be another avalanche.”

“Is there anywhere safe from one?”

“To be honest? Not sure. We just have to be clear from here.”

We stumble away, but of course, we started to hear voices pop in the moment this thing got taken care of.

“Get them!”

Ugh… It was those Mysmegal bastards. Especially THAT one. At least the Elkystian Army left us alone after we left the ward. Then again, they probably need to leave before they get caught up on this side of the map.

Our stumbling around turned into an exhaustive sprint across the mountain with idiots chasing us.

Why can’t they just leave us alone?

Unfortunately, when we reached the incline? Decline? Recline? That part that goes down. Another set of soldiers pop out, blocking our path. More from Mysmegal.

Not being able to turn back, or go forward, we start getting pushed to the edge. Wing is clearly tired if he is being directed somewhere like this. Well… I am too.

While being surrounded, the soldiers clear out in the center for their commander to walk through. The piece of crap that confronted us was as usual. Greasy looking combed back blonde hair, punch-able face and a witch nose.

“Well, it looks like the two Eklystian mutts are finally cornered.”

Wing pointed his sword at the bastard and smiled.

“You should be embarrassed.”

“Hardly, using full might for every task is the Mysmegal way. Not that you’d know that as you went against the gracious country that gave you a second chance.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Oh? Still got lip, I suppose you and that dumb girl over there come from the same dirty hole.”

“I meant, you’re using ‘Mysmegal’s Full Force’ and you still can’t catch two ‘mutts’. That’s the true shame.”

The remarks that he made started to anger the dumb-face. He directed his people to point their weapons at us. Wing looked at me, and I stood in front of him ready to protect his focus.

Before the first arrow was drawn, I use my sword to swipe snow into the air, blinding the left side. When the right side started to shoot at me, I prepared to parry.

[https://imgur.com/Rb0sbAs.jpeg]

The first one was easy to smack away.

Second was difficult since it came immediately after, but I was able to parry it as it grazed off of my gauntlet.

Third grazed me a little.

Fourth was aimed at Wing, but it was no big deal as I just chopped at it as I saw it.

With minimum movement, I grabbed my singular sword and swept another blinding patch of snow.

However, this is when all of them were finally on the same page and barrages of arrows were heading towards us.

That didn’t matter though.

Using the last of the very last of his mana, another Aura Shield surrounded our bodies. The comforting blue band was on my shoulders yet again. This time it was obviously not going to last very long as it fluctuates in vibrancy.

Wing reiterated to the idiot commander.

“Once more... you’re using ‘Mysmegal’s Full Force’ and you still can’t catch two ‘mutts’. Truly shameful.”

I can see the ugly witch nosed dumb-face’s nerves popping out as he barks out more orders.

“KILL THEM!”

However, while that made me happy and proud. Wing wrapped his arms around my torso.

“Huh?!”

What?! What’s going on?! Why is he embracing me now? He whispers in my ear.

“Sorry Eclaire.”

There’s… Nothing to feel sorry for. I look directly ahead of me, they’re to blame for any issues that we face.

Yes… Directly in front of me, their foreheads remain in view as I prepare to fight back.

Uh… Directly in front of me, where the blue sky was.

Wait...

Without realizing it, we’re suddenly in a free-fall down the cliff. Off the mountain known as no man’s land.

Louder than my screaming, I hear an echo in the mountains.

“——————!!!!”

The hell?! It’s still alive?!

As expected from the guardian of the mountains. Welp not my problem.

Right now I’m plummeting to my death. Not so bad I guess, I’m finally with him. I guess it was a fruitful life.

My grim thoughts continue before I get shouted at.

“Eclaire! Work with me here! Brace yourseeeelf!”

Oh.

The last thing I hear is the crashing noise of trees and branches. And of course our fall.

Then there was nothing. No metallic screech, no voices, nothing of lightning, fire or the sound of steel.

Just darkness.