Tsuyokute New Saga (LN)

In the single room of one of Archen’s inns, Zentos looked at the limited-time contact card on the desk. Even if something had happened to the vice-captain, someone else would take his place. Yet, since nobody bothered to contact Zentos, the entire corps must have been decimated. His expression remained calm, but his fist was quivering in rage. Stepping out of the room, he gave his few remaining subordinates an order.

“You protect His Highness. Don’t let anybody through until I’m back.”

Leaving only these words behind, Zentos rode on his trusted horse, and left Archen.

At roughly the same time, Kyle’s group was close to making it to the exit of the great forest. One they made it through there, they would be back on the main road, with Archen practically right in front of them. It was already in their sight. Kyle knew how close they were, which is why he did not relax a second, when a report from Shildonia came in.

‘Hey, Kyle. There’s a knight heading your way.’

“Only one?”

‘Only one…Woah!?’ Shildonia raised a shocked voice.

“What happened?”

‘Well, I should have kept my distance, but he just fired an [Energy Bolt] right at me. It’s impressive that he could aim this accurately despite me being so far away.’

[Energy Bolt] is a type of attack magic that fires off mana like an arrow, not necessarily strong, but accurate, which makes it a common grade magic, but depending on the user, you can heighten its effects.

“I see, so he caught on to suspicious movement in the sky, and fired that magic without hesitation. Not to mention with that accuracy…there can only be one person.” Kyle sighed. “So he’s finally started moving. I was hoping he wouldn’t come out, but I guess that my luck ran out.”

Kyle didn’t want to find him, but saw no other choice, so he mentally prepared himself. He stopped the Sleipnirs, and gave out orders to everyone.

“You all retreat, and hide. If you think anything is off, fall back and group up with Seran.”

“But, will you be okay, Kyle?” Lieze called out, seemingly worried.

“…Honestly speaking, I would have been more confident fighting these 30 Imperial Knights, or another Hydra.”

“So Zentos is coming, I see.” Princess Milena showed a complicated expression. “He is the strongest knight in Zilgus. Are you saying you’re going to fight this man all alone?”

Kyle knew that he was planning the impossible. He knew that he’d be regarded as a coward, but if possible, he would have wanted to fight Zentos together with Seran.

“I wanted to avoid it, but we don’t have any other option left. I won’t force myself too much.” Kyle said, leaving the others to walk ahead.

‘You seem to have some connection with him, aye?’ Shildonia spoke up with an intrigued tone of voice.

“Something about that. Sorry about this, but I need to have full reign during this battle, you okay with that?”

‘Heavens, what a helpless fellow you are.’ Shildonia complained, and grew silent.

Lieze and the others took sufficient distance, waiting in the shadows. Kyle himself stood in the center of the street, when a single horse trotted closer. The person on the horse caught on to Kyle’s presence, and jumped off.

Zentos walked forward, and right as he reached a distance where their battle could ensue any second, Kyle called out to him.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t set up any traps, it’s just me.”

“So you’re the traveller who saved Princess Milena? …I see, you seem to have the talent for it.” Zentos’ caution went up even further.

“Well, somewhat. Why are you alone? You should have another ten knights at your disposal, right?”

“I don’t want to lose any more subordinates because of this incident. I’m enough to cut you all down.” Zentos words were overflowing with confidence.

“I see. Sorry to tell you, but most of your subordinates must be out cold right now. On top of that…can’t you just surrender? I don’t want to see you dead, nor do I want to be the one killing you.”

“What did you say?” Zentos raised one eyebrow.

He probably didn’t expect to hear these words with no hesitation, let alone from someone younger than him.

“You might get punished for a capital crime, but I can use my reward to get you out for free. I don’t mind whatever condition you add, as long as this fight doesn’t have to happen.”

Zentos’ expression grew even more puzzled the longer Kyle continued. He understood that Kyle was fully intent on saving Zentos, the enemy that was aiming to kill the princess herself.

“I don’t get your reason. Why would you want to save me?”

“Because, from the bottom of my heart, I don’t want Zentos Oldi to die in such a place.”

“…I’m happy for your feelings, but I cannot quite quit this far into it.”

“Yeah, figured you’d say that.” Kyle knew that this would be Zentos’ response, but he still had to say it nonetheless. “Let me ask one more thing. Why would you plot the assassination of the princess? It can’t be because of the money or position, right? Not to mention that you’re working under Carenas. He shouldn’t have that much value, does he.”

“You seem quite informed with my own circumstances…Or, is this knowledge from the Princess? For now, I’ll keep the right to remain silent.”

That was also a response Kyle anticipated.

“…Isn’t your plan full of holes? It’s about to break apart. Just be honest.”

“As long as I can silence you folk, this is something that can be fixed.”

“Aren’t you being a bit too forceful about this? There’s bound to be people who are suspicious.”

“That is nothing for you to worry about, since you will die right here.” Zentos pulled out his sword, signaling that any further talking was futile. “I can’t have you buy any more time than this. I need to defeat you, and chase after the princess.”

“…Well, I figured as much.” Kyle sighed, and pulled out his sword as well.

Exactly as Zentos stated, Kyle was trying to buy time. Even if it was Zentos, as long as he could buy a few seconds for the others to group up, there is a chance to capture Zentos alive. For now, it was either kill or be killed. That’s why Kyle chanted magic, as Zentos did the same.

“[Haste] [Strength]!”

“[Haste] [Strength]!”

They finished using speed and strengthening magic on themselves. In the previous world, Zentos was something like an example of a magic swordsman for Kyle, which is why fighting him here hurt even more.

The first one to move was Zentos. Rather than running towards Kyle, he held his sword above his head, aiming at Kyle’s own—that however was just an [Illusion], a magic attack caused by a phantom appearing. Although it was just a phantom, it emitted genuine killing intent, so a first-rate fighter would pick up on that, their bodies moving instinctively. However, Zentos real attack actually came from below, which was already hard to deal with, and it even happened roughly at the same time as the phantom’s attack.

A beginner, or a first-time observer of this skill would have no way of countering it. Zentos used this technique to strike down many enemies before. However, Kyle evaded this with ease.

“Wha…!?” Zentos raised a shocked voice.

After dodging to the side, Kyle swung down his sword at Zentos arm with his own sword in hand. However, Zentos managed to jump backwards to evade that attack, which let him escape with a graze on his arm.

“You…” With Kyle evading that certain-kill technique, and even having his own arm injured in the process, Zentos glared at Kyle.

However, Kyle just clicked his tongue. He was annoyed at himself for missing out on this chance to defeat Zentos while keeping him alive.

“If I managed to cut off your arm there, you would have had no more chance to fight back…” Kyle spoke with a regretful tone.

Kyle knew that Zentos would go for his special technique to finish the battle early, but missed out on the timing. This time, Zentos attacked with a normal slash, repeating this over and over. Kyle intercepted these, while slowly walking backwards. He would sometimes evade Zentos’ onslaught, sometimes block it with his sword. Waiting for an opening Zentos showed in the midst of that, Kyle attacked. Zentos showed no problem in dodging this, but Kyle followed up with a kick at almost the same time. He showed incredible control over his body, attacking with his upper body and kicking with his lower body, but Zentos blocked this kick with the hilt of his sword. Kyle learned this fighting style from his Master Leyla.

“What an insolent fighting style!”

“Learned that from my teacher!” Kyle used Zentos’ sword as a stepping stone to jump backwards, turning around mid-air, and took his distance.

Following that, Kyle threw a magic stone with [Explosion] at Zentos. Since the range of explosion was fairly large in this one, you might be able to evade the main damage, but you won’t get out of it unscathed. However, since Zentos had heard of Kyle using magic stones beforehand, he took a step forward, and used the main body of the sword to fling the magic stone back at Kyle. The actual fire damage was blocked thanks to his armor, but the impact still injured Kyle. Zentos however wasn’t done yet, as he dashed through the resulting smoke, aiming at Kyle’s neck.

Because of his own attack, Kyle’s reaction was delayed, and as the blade was buried in his neck for a few millimeters, he shook it off with the guard of his own sword. However, Zentos didn’t let up just yet, as he forcefully pushed the sword further, with Kyle desperately trying to block that. After this back and forth continued for a while, right as Zentos’ blade started to turn red with Kyle’s blood, he suddenly jumped back, taking distance.

Kyle was safe, but was injured as a result of this, his neck bloody from the wound. As for Zentos, he must have still suffered damage from the previous explosion. Now, the two were facing each other, breathing heavily.

“You…really are strong.”

Kyle had only known the Zentos in three years, but his strength didn’t change much from that. In terms of skill with the sword, they were about equal. However, when it came to speed, strength, and overall abilities, Zentos was above Kyle. Normally, Kyle would use magic to make up for that, but right now, he was still a beginner. Naturally, magic stones won’t work much either against a trained swordsman like Zentos. Right now, he was much stronger than Kyle was, and he was painfully aware of that. However, Kyle was calm, as he had a winning condition.

“What a great sword…” Zentos observed Shildonia in Kyle’s hand.

He realized this thanks to their constant clashes, but it was a fine work of art. Zentos’ own sword was of quality befitting the captain of the Knight Corps, but it couldn’t hope to compare against Shildonia. With any bad handling, the sword could break after all, leaving Zentos with no more chance of winning. He was at a disadvantage because he had to fight much more carefully than Kyle. The reason Zentos pulled back during the previous exchange was simply because his sword would have been damaged otherwise.

“I’m sure it’ll be happy to hear that…Also, let me ask one more time. Won’t you surrender? Or, why not become a deserter? I’ll help you with money.”

“…You sure are persistent.”

“Of course, this is important to me after all.”

“You want to save me that badly? I wouldn’t mind if you let me cut you down right now.”

“That I cannot afford.” Kyle said with a faint smile.

He’s not shaken at all…Just what has he experienced at such a young age…

Zentos commented inside of his mind, clicking his tongue. You wouldn’t expect such casual banter in a battle for the death. If Kyle had hesitated for even a second during their previous exchange, his head would have flown right away. If anything, it felt like Kyle was used to fighting an enemy stronger than him. As a matter of fact, this faint attack Zentos had shown in the very beginning was something he came up with, and nobody else should know of this. After all, everybody who had seen this was dead now.

“You…How could you react to my initial attack…Do you know about me?” Zentos had no memory of ever meeting Kyle before.

But, Kyle knew something, that is all Zentos could tell.

“Right, I do, but also don’t…I can’t put it into words. If you want, I can give you a detailed explanation though?”

“Sounds like it’ll take long, so I’ll pass. I can’t stretch this any further than I already did.”

Listening to Zentos’ words, Kyle grinned.

“Should have expected that. I’ve been fighting this to drag it out as long as possible after all.”

Kyle’s winning condition was time. As Zentos was wasting time with Kyle here, the princess was slowly but surely moving out of his reach. Equally, the more time Kyle bought here, the faster assistance would arrive. He didn’t need to win, but merely stall time long enough. Naturally, Zentos was aware of this.

“…So I have to be the one bringing an end to this battle, huh.” Zentos original plan was to have ended this battle already.

Now that he was reminded of being the one cornered, the look in Zentos’ eyes changed. He had already fought with everything he had so far, but now the limitations were off entirely. Zentos decided to fight for real, disregarding anything that would follow. This was a battle to the death after all.

“That’s how it is, huh.” Kyle’s skin shivered in the face of this immense killing intent, and he readied himself.

“Now, I will kill you, and chase after the princess, so as a final piece, tell me your name.”

“…Kyle Lenard. That’s my name.”

“…I shall remember your name, Kyle.”

“Yeah, it’s the last one you’ll ever hear…So remember it for the last few seconds.”

That was the extent of their conversation. Now, their swords would do the talking. Zentos readied his sword in a lower position, dashing forwards. It was an attack devoid of any defence, putting everything into your strike. Realizing that any half-baked defence would be futile, Kyle instead countered with a swing of his own.

Right before they ended up in equal distance for their swords to clash, Zentos lowered his body even further, as Kyle stabbed his blade at Zentos. This attack was aimed at Zentos heart, but he instead offered his left shoulder, stepping further. Right as Kyle wanted to pull back his blade, Zentos used the pommel of his sword to fling off Kyle’s.

As a result, Kyle’s arms shot up, and although he could keep the sword in his hands, he was practically defenceless. Now, Zentos had full reign to slash at Kyle.

“This is the end!”

With a left-shifted diagonal slash upwards, Zentos would be able to bisect Kyle, together with his armor. He knew that Kyle’s sword was approaching from above his head, but he judged that he could attack faster, and used all of his strength. Right as the blade touched Kyle’s body, and Zentos felt a response in his own hands—a sharp metallic sound rang out, and his sword broke in two.

“Wha…”

Zentos’ head shot up, only to see the tip of the blade coming down at him, as well as Kyle’s saddened expression in his eyes.

“As expected, you cut right through the dragon leather armor…But, I guess this one was too much, huh.” Kyle rubbed his own stomach, opening up the cut inside the armor.

Falling out from there was a crimson-red gemstone; the ‘Heart of the Divine Dragon’. Even with Zentos’ strength, who could cut through stone or steel, the ‘Heart of the Divine Dragon’ was too much for him. However, Kyle was growing pale as well. He might have averted any fatal wound, but the impact of the attack still injured his bones and heart. As a matter of fact, pain ran all over his body.

As for Zentos, he laid on the ground, inside a pool of his own blood. He received a lethal injury, reaching from his shoulder down to his heart. The only reason he could still breathe was thanks to Zentos’ willpower.

“You…purposefully…had your sword deflected…?” While coughing up blood, he asked in a withered voice.

“No, not on purpose. I seriously thought that you’d split me in half with that attack.”

In the event of a serious battle, namely when Zentos threw away his defence, Kyle had no way of winning. That’s why, ever since the day prior to this, he tried to come up with a method that could turn around this inescapable result.

“Even after trying this out hundreds of times, fighting against my Phantasmal Enemy, there’s no guarantee it’ll actually work. I expected that flow, so it worked out in the end.”

Since Zentos was going all out, Kyle had no other option but to go along with that. Although he planned it out, practicing countless times, if Kyle had made one small mistake in their exchange, it would have cost him his life. Zentos didn’t know what he meant by Kyle’s ‘trying this out’, but he could tell that it must have cost an unfathomable amount of effort.

“Why…would you…”

“Because I know just how strong you are. I was sure that, with that attack, Zentos Oldi would be able to take my life.” Kyle’s honest words led Zentos to let out a snicker.

After that, Zentos muttered something with a voice about to disappear, and his breathing came to a halt.

“Sorry…But, there are people I have to protect, no matter who or what I need to sacrifice.” Kyle turned over his shoulder, and envisioned the faces of Lieze and the others. “…Of course, you were one of those I didn’t want to die…But, you forced me to watch your death a second time…Farewell, comrade.”

With his injured body, and wounded heart, Kyle made his way towards the others.