#31 – Beyond Admiration
It’s done.
Everyone would have thought so. Spectators, announcers. Even Emily.
However…
At that moment, a silver flash cracked through the air.
So fast, that no one could see the blade being unsheathed. As if frames were missing from an animation.
And the result of it was dramatic.
The knives in the air were all shattered in an instant.
Cutting Form. Thousand Nights—Connect, Cutting Thread.
A sword barrier that was capable of handling numerous bullets. In front of that, knives were meaningless.
“Well dodged.”
Emily had escaped by changing direction in the air, though, blood was streaking down her cheek.
“Is this a joke… They weren’t exaggerating at all… Quite the opposite…”
She must have heard from someone at the guild then.
Ms. Emily sweated from her forehead as she raised her twin blades…
“There’s no need for a warm up.”
I held up my sword.
I knew after one attack. She had not shown her full power yet.
“I will…end it with the next one.”
“That’s the spirit…!”
My declaration was met with a blast of wind.
But it was as powerful as a dragon’s breath.
The multiple attacks shattered the ground, causing clouds of dust to rise.
However, with one slash, a wind rose and blew it all away.
And I emerged, unharmed.
However…
I could not help but be surprised when I saw Emily.
She was flying.
Not running. She was actually flying in the air.
◆ ◇ ◆
Emily knew from the start that there would be a gap in ability. And while it was frustrating, Hunters who could not measure that gap were the ones who died quickly.
However, you would not die during the tournament, even if you took a mortal wound. And as a warrior, she did not want to waste this opportunity.
And so she used one of her trump cards.
The sky was her field. No one could reach her there.
“Wha…!”
Emily’s eyes widened with shock.
Yukito was flying in the air.
No… He was running through the sky, using something as a platform.
(How is this possible…!?)
Once her opponent was announced, Emily had done what research she could about him.
Not just the preliminaries, but everything about his fighting style.
Of course, she did think he would have some hidden tricks, but…
“But… I cannot lose so easily!”
She unleashed her knives at once.
Even though she knew he would block them. And so…
(Here it comes!)
By instinct alone, she thrust her swords forward.
A high-pitched ring. The feeling of blades shattering—but it wasn’t hers. It was Yukito’s blade.
“Hahh…!!”
There would be no other chance.
She enveloped herself in wind and accelerated.
Faster. Just faster. Exceeding anything she had experienced before.
…While Emily was young, she was an A-Rank Hunter. A genius.
However, she had only been able to reach that position because of continued survival.
As a Hunter, the most important thing was not to defeat enemies with power.
It was to survive in any situation. It was foolish to fight recklessly. If you didn’t have enough men, you called for backup. It wasn’t about showing your strength, but completing requests.
And Emily was a fine example of that.
And so…
She sometimes felt a gap.
With Grafios, the Behemoth. Also an A-Rank Hunter.
No matter the difficulty, that man would always use strength to break through barriers. Even if it puts him in danger.
As a Hunter, Emily was in the right. The nickname ‘Behemoth’ was not meant as a compliment… However, Emily knew that amidst the exasperation people felt towards him, there was a little admiration as well.
Everyone wanted to be like that.
—Unfairness, despair, if you break all of it and move forward.
(Even me.)
The shattered blade flew in the wind as magical shards
And then her eyes met Yukito’s.
She had only met him a few times.
And it was painfully obvious.
He was the embodiment of power.
Someone who could break everything and advance.
…Unlike her, who was always uncertain.
(I want to be like that as well…!)
An A-Rank Hunter? So what?
That was not what she really wanted.
She wanted power that could break everything.
“AAaaaahhhhhh!!”
And so let it all out. The anger and admiration.
The air cracked. Wind swirled.
Her one chance. She knew it had to be now. She would wager everything on this blow.
And then…
“Well done.”
There was a quiet ring.
Between the wind.
Just one strike…cut through everything.
The swirling wind and creaking air dispersed just from that.
After using everything, Emily’s body fell, and Yukito caught her.
“It was a good attack. You would have had me, if I wasn’t on my guard.”
(Ah…)
She had lost.
So completely.
And so even hackneyed praise sounded fine to her.
The sky above was so far away.
She smiled, not knowing why.
As her vision closed, she only felt the gentle breeze against her cheek.