[Play: [1 hour]Battle at the Big Bridge]
It was war.
That was the only way to describe what I was going through.
Although the games and anime... well, media in general made it look like a single man fighting against an army was simple, it most DEFINITELY was not.
"Fire! Arrows, arrows! Pin him down!"
That Hyakinthos continued to shout orders from the back as he sent waves of enemy towards me on the bridge.
"But Captain, we might hit-"
"Do it anyway! If we lose, the Apollo Familia ceases to exist! Lord Apollo will be sent back to Heaven! So fire!"
'So that's what Tia demanded, huh?'
I grabbed the closest adventurers and chucked them into the air, using them as a makeshift arrow shield.
They screamed, pierced through by arrows.
But they were also immediately whisked away by a magic sigil. Likely warped out by whoever was supervising this thing.
'Well, Miach is on deck, so they'll be fine.'
I knew that guy was around, and this was the perfect opportunity to extort-
I mean, get 'proper compensation' for services rendered. So I didn't hold back at all when they attacked me with lethal force.
After that, I jumped back, landing at the starting spot of the bridge. Where this whole battle began.
I swept my gaze across the battlefield and did a quick survey of the damage.
'Roughly... an hour? Forces on their end down a few hundred men. Still a ton. But their morale's next to nothing.'
Meanwhile, I was still in perfect condition.
Sure, I was a bit sweaty. But in terms of fatigue and energy, I didn't just feel good, I felt better than when I started.
You see, by the simple nature of the fact that I had incorporated my Falna into my own core of being due to having Energy Manipulation, even though the blessing itself was gone, the effects weren't because my body had long memorized them.
If I had to compare it, then I was definitely on the level of the Heroes of Yore that the gods esteemed before they descended from heaven.
Or, you know. Average Servant/Heroic Spirit from the Nasuverse.
That, when coupled with the fact that I had started off this whole adventurer shebang by focusing on strengthening my actual physical body and techniques instead of just acquiring exilia... unlike all of these sad bastards in front of me...
A wolf caged inside a garden of bunnies. That was the situation... and I wasn't a bunny.
Resting Excalipur on my shoulder, I ran my hand through my hair, staining it a bit red from the blood that had dripped down onto the hilt from all the wounds (paper cuts) I'd inflicted on my enemies. "Is that all you have?" I let out a dark laugh and said, "I was expecting more."
An immediate response.
A few adventurers actually broke rank and retreated, either sprinting backwards across the bridge or jumping off it in sheer panic.
"You...!" Hyakinthos gnashed his teeth, his hands clenched around the Crozzo magic sword.
Seeing that, I smiled at him and said, "What's the matter? Afraid you'll hurt yourself?"
Hyakinthos glared at me with pure venom, but he didn't deny it.
...Of course.
It was the equivalent of having an RPG launcher inside a bunker. He could definitely 'end' the fight by using it. But he would likely kill himself in the process due to the backlash of the thing exploding.
That sword wasn't one that Welf made, after all. And Crozzo magic swords were notorious for going 'boom' if you weren't careful.
And Hyakinthos DEFINITELY had trauma from the last time he used one.
I'd made it blow up in his face, after all.
"So." I laughed. "Are we just going to just stand around here until sunset then? Or are you going to give up? I've already taken care of hundreds of your friends."
I deliberately said 'taken care of' like I'd offed them.
I hadn't, but they didn't know that~
At that time, one of the Apollo familia members stepped forward. A beuatiul young woman with a strong aura. Someone who didn't falter in front of the arrogant villain persona I'd put on.
Her medium length dark hair shifted in the breeze as she looked at me with sharp yellow eyes. Then, with a firm voice, she said, "Bell Kranel. I have one question for you."
I laughed. "Go ahead. I have time."
"Cassie. Did you steal her?"
I paused. "Cassie? Oh, you mean Cassandra? Of course not. She was being crushed under severe anxiety and came to me to be free from all of it."
Not quite the truth, but definitely NOT a lie.
Hearing that, the woman nodded. "I thought so. Then." She drew her a rapier at her side and said, "My name is Daphne Lauros! Bell Kranos! For the sake of the Apollo familia-"
I closed the gap in a single bound and swung my sword.
Daphne's yellow eyes widened and she raised hers to parry it.
But Excalipur slipped past her blade and cut towards her neck. "What-?"
I stopped it just as it bit into her neck, giving the impression I was showing her mercy... when in reality I couldn't do any more damage than this.
That was Excalipur for you. The blade looked impressive, but it was cursed to only deal papercuts.
Great for showboating, terrible for real combat.
But I was definitely showboating right now.
So...
"Daphne Lauros, my enemy. For the record, it's Bell Kranel. And also..."
A test, something I wanted to check.
It hadn't worked yet despite me 'defeating' all these Apollo familia adventurers.
But maybe I had to be explicit with it and both declare someone and enemy and make them admit defeat. So...
"You lost. Admit defeat."
Daphne stared at my blade. She looked at me. Her yellow eyes flitted down to the crimson blood dripping along my golden blade. Then, after a few moments, she gave a curt nod. "...I admit defeat."
The moment she said those words...
> Spirit Magic activates!
> You have automatically used the Auto-Magic spell 'O, Live' from your daughter Meteria's spell list!
> Daphne Lauros has joined your Familia!
Crimson light bloomed along Daphne's back. And as it did, it slowly shifted before taking the form of Hestia's insignia: a flaming hearth.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
Mine ALMOST did. But I kept a poker face. Instead, to go on with my bluff, I nodded and said, "The contract is fulfilled. Daphne Lauros." I sheathed my blade and pulled her to my side. "Welcome to the Hestia Familia. Now... shall we deal with these people?"
Hyakinthos' pointed his blade and screamed. "DAPHNE! YOU TRAITOR! YOU AND CASSANDRA!"
Daphne reached up to rub her neck, wiping away the thin line of blood. Then she looked at me, a contemplative expression on her face. After that, she laughed and drew her sword. "I see. So this is why Cassie didn't come back... Fine. I'll play along."
"Good. Then you go guard the temple. Since someone from our familia's holding up the spot, I can finally cut loose."
Daphne blinked, confused. Then she gasped in realization and burst out laughing. "Of course! You had to worry about someone sneaking in... Now..."
[Play: Those Who Fight Further - FF VII]
I reached into my pocket and switched the song over to FF VII's battle theme. Then I sprinted forward, for the first time advancing across the bridge. "Now... FOR THOSE WHO FIGHT FURTHER!"
Screams filled the air. Adventurers broke rank and actively retreated, creating a clear pathway towards Hyakinthos.
"You...!" He glared at me and instinctively pointed the Crozzo sword at me before hesitating.
I laughed and then swung Excalipur at it.
Hyakinthos decided to not take the risk and let me disarm him, sending the Crozzo sword flying into the air.
The moment it did, I chucked Excalipur after it.
Excalipur was a cursed weapon, yes. No matter how much force you put into a slash, thrust, or attack while wielding it, the most you could ever do for damage was a papercut.
...But that didn't mean it stopped being a masterwork weapon.
The moment Excalipur clashed against the Crozzo sword in the air, the latter blade was slashed through, causing an eruption of flames to fill the sky, turning the blue sky a pure crimson from fire.
Heat spread across the surroundings, distorting everything with a haze.
Hyakinthos's eyes widened. But when he saw I was unarmed, he laughed and stepped forward, eyes sharp with renewed determination. "You dare confront me without a blade?"
I laughed and then slowly lowered my left hand while raising my right. At the same time, I lifted up my left knee and lunged forward.
Hyakinthos swung his leg around in roundhouse kick, aiming for my knee. "Fool! Your balance is ruined-"
"Die a thousand deaths!"
Roiling killing intent. Enough to erupt as a crimson haze.
"Wh-What?!"
I slid forward and jabbed his chest.
"Usurp the heavens..."
A flurry of blows to his chin, head, gut...
"Embrace the sorrow..."
Leaping into the air and then kicking off it to attack with a meteoric impact.
"BECOME THE DEMON!"
A thousand strikes dealt in a single moment, fast enough that my shirt was shredded from the sheer speed.
And when it was done, I turned my back on the Apollo Familia, looming over Hyakinthos's unconscious and battered body. Meanwhile, the roiling killing intent I'd roused gathered and flowed to my Falna, forming a crimson kanji glowing on my back: Heaven.
"I am... the true master of the fist."