New chapter of Nameless Hero is out! (1/3 chapters)
vs Alfred
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Pregnancy. In other words, it means that the stork brought a new life into the mother’s womb.
However, when I see the woman who became the mother right in front of me, I can clearly understand that this is just a child’s tale. Even though I’m still around 11 years old, I think I understand the basic principle of how children are made. That means that Lindsay has become involved with someone in a man-woman relationship…
“———And then, after barely escaping with my life, the altar of Gala collapsed, and you were buried in the ground.” (Lindsay)
“…” (Jack)
We were sitting together on the living room sofa, listening to the story. I was so focused on Lindsay’s belly that I missed most of the earlier parts of the story.
In summary, here was what happened.
After I fell, the first person to try and help using magic was Dwayne, but something interfered, and Dwayne fainted. After that, Lindsay used her magic to save Alfred and Lizbeth, who were being attacked by a large group of Oshi-oni, and the four of them managed to escape. After taking Dwayne back to the hideout, it seemed that he started wandering around the town, as if he had gone mad.
“It was after that he asked why you weren’t there.” (Lindsay)
“So, that’s what happened… I’m sorry, I made you worry.” (Jack)
“Worry? It’s not that… I was already in despair. I was told clearly that it was over.” (Lindsay)
“I-I see…” (Jack)
Lindsay seemed to have tears welling up at the corners of her eyes again.
“Tell me about Jack… And also, the scar on your cheek… is it a bruise?” (Lindsay)
“This… this is…” (Jack)
“Oh, your wrist!” (Lindsay)
Lindsay’s attention shifted to the huge clasp and bolt screws digging into my right wrist. Even though the arm’s demonic crest was hidden by the holy scriptures, the distorted machinery that had fused with me couldn’t be hidden.
“T-This… it’s the first gift Lindsay gave me.” (Jack)
“Huh?! A Managram?” (Lindsay)
She took my right hand and carefully observed it. Her warm left hand touched mine, and I could feel that this distorted arm still belonged to me.
“Why… why did it end up like this?” (Lindsay)
“…After I fell into the hole, I found myself in a strange place.” (Jack)
“Strange place…?” (Lindsay)
“There was a wall in front of me with strange patterns drawn on it… and there were mummified giants embedded in the wall… um, it looked like they were crucified.” (Jack)
Lindsay listened to my story with a frozen expression. My lack of expressive words made it hard to explain.
“Then a voice echoed in my head… someone whispered incomprehensible things… and then, from the giant mummy’s stomach, a girl fell out!” (Jack)
Ah, geez. Even I don’t understand what I’m saying! But that’s really what happened.
“The girl said she was the Goddess Kea. Then, after touching my cheek, I lost consciousness… and when I woke up, I was like this…” (Jack)
Lindsay froze for a moment, blinking once. Her face looked like he was wondering what the hell he was talking about.
“Pl-Please believe me. I don’t understand it either!” (Jack)
“…Aah” (Lindsay)
Lindsay closed her eyes and sighed.
What’s with that reaction… Did I disappoint her by saying too much nonsense?
“Jack, I believe what you say… because Jack doesn’t lie.” (Lindsay)
“Ah, yeah…” (Jack)
“It must have been hard… You did your best.” (Lindsay)
Lindsay smiled gently, patted my head.
I felt relieved. Her warm smile, even more comforting than that of a Goddess. I felt tears welling up at the corners of my eyes again.
“Now that I’m witnessing the changes in the Managram with my own eyes, I have to believe it. And then, how did you get here from that place?” (Lindsay)
“Well, um…” (Jack)
The machinery fused with my right arm, the particles of light shooting from it, and the red-black symbols. They gave me power.
How should I explain this?
Just then, I heard someone descending the stairs with a creaking sound.
“Ah—” (Jack)
“Who is it?” (Lindsay)
The familiar, sturdy figure came into view.
Fiery red hair. It was our red-haired leader, Alfred.
“What are you doing…” (Alfred)
Alfred. Reckless Alfred. The leader of Liberta.
I honestly believe I’ll never be able to match up to this person. Not because I’m scared, but… The right word for it would be awe.
But right now, I felt a sense of fear from Alfred. My instincts sensed the wild beast hidden behind Alfred and sent a shiver down my spine.
“Alfie! It’s Jack! Jack has… come back!” (Lindsay)
“What?” (Alfred)
Lindsay, in contrast to me, was treating Alfred the same way as before. I also stood up from the sofa and faced Alfred.
“F-Fred…” (Jack)
The voice I barely squeezed out felt like a struggle, and I could sense the resistance that I couldn’t casually call him like I used to.
“Jack? You… really are Jack?” (Alfred)
Looking at the drastic change in my appearance, it’s understandable that Alfred would think that. However, somehow, I can feel that he is wary of me. It isn’t the same warmth Lindsay showed.
“What’s with that face…” (Alfred)
Alfred seemed to lack the same dominant spirit he used to have. Just like Dwayne, he gave off a worn-out impression. The weariness in his eyes made it seem like his pupils had clouded over. Those eyes glared at me with a sharp intensity.
“Oi…! Isn’t that the demon’s crest?!” (Alfred)
“Huh?” (Jack)
” Lindsay, step back.” (Alfred)
Alfred braced himself. It was a rejection directed at me. It was a clear expression of his strong intent to eliminate me.
“Fred! It’s me! Jack! It’s really me!” (Jack)
“What the hell are you? Don’t you dare speak the name of Jack again!” (Alfred)
“Alfie, what’s wrong? It’s Jack… Sure, half of his face looks a little different, but still!” (Lindsay)
Lindsay tried to defuse the tense atmosphere, but Alfred seemed not willing to respond. The killing intent emanating from Alfred only grew stronger.
“…Jack… He’s dead.” (Alfred)
Reingard had said the same thing. But even though they said the same words, there was something critically different. It was clear that Alfred deeply regretted my death. The words he spat out with clenched teeth conveyed that regret.
“I came back alive.” (Jack)
“You’re different…” (Alfred)
“I’m Jack———” (Jack)
A moment later.
The wall of the house collapsed, and I was blasted outside.
It happened so quickly that the delay in perception and the shift in the scene caused a disorientation. The fact that I was in the living room of the hideout and then, immediately sent flying outside created a contradiction in my head, but the sound of the impact and the pain from hitting the ground reset everything.
“Ugh… it hurts.” (Jack)
Alfred’s dash punch was faster than a poorly aimed arrow, and it hit with the force of a rampaging bull. He was truly trying to kill me.
Does you really think I’m a demon who broke into my house?
The vital point in my abdomen was hit with relentless damage.
“Ugh… pff…” (Jack)
Drool poured out awkwardly. Just as I staggered to my feet…
“Not yet!!” (Alfred)
The moment I stood up, as if it was timed perfectly, the flaming sword Volcanic Volga came rushing at me. A heavy sword wreathed in flames. The red warrior holding it was like fire itself.
Before I knew it, Alfred had pulled out his beloved sword and charged straight at me. One slash from that sword could kill me. It would turn me into a pile of ash. But I had no time. I wasn’t ready to block it.
“———Here it comes!!” (Alfred)
“Ugh!” (Jack)
I was blasted away once again.
I had intended to block it with my right arm, but the Goddess’s divine protection couldn’t stop the force of the strike.
The red warrior grew smaller in my vision. It was me being blown away, my body flying toward the forest on the outskirts of town.
What monstrous strength… that redhead…
The dust from the impact rose, and trees that had naturally grown freely scattered their leaves as my body crashed through them. I collided with a thick tree trunk, finally stopping my movement. My right side was deeply cut and gouged.
I see… My right arm’s power was sealed by the holy scriptures, and without the power of the holy relic, my body was just a regular human one. That was why some of Alfred’s magic had hit me.
Despite the serious damage, my body was still able to move. As the blood poured out, I could feel my body heating up.
“…Ha… ha…” (Jack)
Blood dripped from my mouth. My right arm was unscathed.
This must be the Goddess’s divine protection… the power of anti-mana.
I can’t die yet. I’ve come all the way back from the dead, and I can’t be buried here without Alfred’s approval.
I clenched the grass beneath me. I could feel my body’s energy rising. My vision turned red, and my expanded sight allowed me to survey the area clearly.
And the red warrior slowly began to approach. Dragging the heavy sword behind him, leaving scorched marks on the grass.
“Fred…” (Jack)
If you won’t acknowledge me, I’ll make you acknowledge me by force. Do you think I can’t defeat you? Do you still think of me as “Jack”? I’ll do it.
In response to my will, the holy scriptures began to float up and circle around me. The red-black markings on my right arm began to flash. At the same time, the countless grass and leaves around me wrapped around these markings and transformed into small knives. I didn’t even know if this emotion was anger or something else, but I threw the numerous knives at Alfred recklessly. Though it seemed like Alfred was far away, the knives flew toward him at an incredible speed.
Even from afar, I could see. Alfred wouldn’t be fazed by such a weak attack. He easily swung his heavy sword, cutting down the knives I threw.
“…What the hell?!” (Alfred)
That scream, filled with doubt, came from Alfred. It was his signature move of enveloping swords in mana. The flames enveloping his sword had been scattered by the knives I threw.
I didn’t let that moment slip by. I forcefully broke a thick branch and immediately transformed it into a wooden sword. A wooden sword wrapped in red-black markings.
“Now!” (Jack)
Thruster deployment!
Particles of light boosted my right arm forward, pulling my body along with it.
Take this, Fred!
Breaking free from the forest, I slashed toward the red warrior standing motionless in the meadow. Alfred intercepted my strike with his flaming sword, which had reignited. Normally, the difference in power was obvious.
A fragile wooden sword versus a heavy greatsword capable of cleaving even an Oshi-oni. The two weapons clashed, defying the laws of nature through the power of magic.
Pure fire mana and my anti-mana.
The crackling sparks flew, and Alfred’s flames dissipated. My wooden sword reverted to its original branch form and shattered to pieces. The impact sent me flying backward, but I deployed the light thruster to stabilize myself, landing on all fours. Once the battle began, unnecessary force left my body, allowing me to wield my power more effectively.
“What the hell are you?!” (Alfred)
Once again, Alfred enveloped his beloved sword in flames. With my hands on the ground, I swiftly conjured a sword from the soil and gripped its hilt tightly. The reset between us lasted only a tenth of a second.
This time, it was a solid, weighty sword made of earth. If a wooden sword was weak enough to be deflected, how about this one?
I pulled it from the ground with my right hand, gave it a light swing, then immediately gripped it with both hands and lunged toward Alfred.
Even if the distance was wide———.
“Jack, even if the distance is wide, there’s a way to close in on your opponent instantly.” (Tristan)
I remembered Tristan’s words.
Step in, firmly driving my feet into the ground. Don’t just run and leap toward the opponent, press into the earth and slither across it like a snake. Feel the contact between yourself and the ground.
“Uraaaa!” (Jack)
Alfred glared at my charging figure for a brief moment, then stepped in toward me as well. My heart pounded hard once, and then, it felt as though I was drawn into a slow-motion world. It was as if time had stopped.
If magic could control time, it might feel like this. Thanks to it, I could follow Alfred’s movements in minute detail. This must also be the power of the Goddess’s divine protection.
As the two of us closed in, the red and black swords clashed repeatedly, using their wielders as axes around which they revolved. In the span of two blinks, eleven strikes rang out in quick succession. From the high stance to the low, from the middle to the high, and from the low to the middle. Flowing like water, the techniques of the red-haired warrior were accompanied by an anguished expression.
For me, the world was in slow motion, but for Alfred, the clashes were happening in real time. Even so, I couldn’t land a single decisive blow, leaving me keenly aware of my inexperience.
On the eleventh strike, both swords clashed from a low stance, and the tips of the blades rebounded. Both weapons arced beautifully upward into the air. Alfred’s sword scattered its flames as it rose, while mine crumbled back into loose soil.
“———Hah!!” (Jack)
Having lost his weapon, Alfred immediately switched to hand-to-hand combat techniques. Seeing this, I decided to respond in kind.
“Ahhhhh!” (Jack)
I roared. I didn’t expect to overpower Alfred with my fists. But Alfred, too, was visibly frustrated by my unexpected endurance. His movements, driven by anger, had grown wide and imprecise, losing their sharpness.
———Who was it again that said fists require more precision than swordplay?
After a few exchanges of blows, Alfred seemed to get impatient and aimed a big straight right at me. I ducked to avoid it and delivered a powerful body blow to his stomach.
“Guah…!” (Alfred)
Alfred stumbled backward, dragging his feet, but just then, his beloved sword fell from above.
He caught it with a graceful slide and used it to steady himself, planting it into the ground and leaning on it as he panted.
“Haa… haa… ha… hahaha…” (Alfred)
But his fighting spirit hadn’t extinguished. He glared at me with his eyes like those of a berserker reveling in the thrill of facing a formidable opponent for the first time in ages.
“It’s not… it’s not over yet…!” (Alfred)
Alfred’s defiant voice rang out.
“If you think… you can beat me…! You’re ten years too early!” (Alfred)
Flames once again roared to life around his sword. This time, their intensity had not diminished but rather burned with even greater ferocity. In haste, I pulled another hastily-formed sword from the ground.
“Urrraaaaaah!” (Alfred)
“I’m not losing either! Ahhhhhhh!” (Jack)
This would likely be the final clash, as we swung our swords with all our might.
Our swords collided again, bursting apart.
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