Chapter 24: Last Stand
“Seyaah!”
“Haaah!”
Achim brought his wooden sword down, and Bach, at the very last moment, blocked it with his gauntlet. A light metallic clang echoed, and the tide of battle shifted.
Achim was the first to move. He had probably anticipated Bach blocking his attack. He quickly withdrew his wooden sword and, this time, unleashed a thrust.
“Aaaah!?”
The wooden sword closed in on Bach’s face. While letting out a pathetic cry, Bach tilted his head at the last second and dodged it. It was a hair’s breadth evasion, likely by chance. I could see the tide of battle significantly shifting in Bach’s favor.
“Shaora!”
Bach must have realized he had gained the upper hand. Letting out a powerful war cry, different from before, he took a step towards Achim.
Against Achim’s wooden sword, Bach’s weapons were his fists. There was an inherent difference in reach. It was unavoidable that Achim, wielding a wooden sword, would get the first move.
Achim, with his wooden sword, had the advantage in reach, but only when there was distance between them. By stepping in, Bach closed Achim’s effective range, turning it into a fistfight, an extremely close-quarters battle. In this situation, Bach had the advantage.
A golden opportunity, perhaps the first time Bach might be able to defeat Achim.
That’s how it looked to me, but…
Thwack!
“Haeh!?”
In reality, Achim’s wooden sword, which should have been a thrust, nimbly flipped and struck Bach on the temple. Pushed by the force, Bach’s body swayed to the right, and he finally fell.
So Bach lost… I thought he had won, but I misjudged.
Achim probably hadn’t put much force into his thrust. That’s why he could transition so quickly from a thrust to Zangeki.
It’s one thing for Bach, his opponent, not to notice, but I, who was just watching from nearby, should have realized it.
Martial arts are truly profound, and there’s so much I don’t understand.
When I consulted Achim, he said I should first train my eyes, so I’ve been observing these mock battles, and it’s surprisingly educational.
I’m pretty sure there’s even a term like ‘migeiko,’ so watching must be an important part of training.
“Bach, you’ve improved quite a bit, but you still need to develop your mind and eyes to read your opponent’s intentions better. You should be most vigilant when things seem to be going in your favor.”
“Ussu!”
Still, Bach has become quite serious in the short time I haven’t seen him. I wondered how things would turn out at first, but human growth is truly wonderful.
“Next, let’s go, Bocchan.”
“Yeah, I’m counting on you.”
I faced Achim, a wooden sword in one hand. My stance was Hassō-no-kamae. It’s a basic form. You often see it in period dramas and such. The fact that it’s so common probably means it’s practical. The first stance Achim taught me was also this Hassō-no-kamae.
We silently stared each other down for several minutes. Achim was the first to move.
He smoothly lowered his wooden sword until it was almost scraping the ground and closed in with shuffling steps. It’s a stance called Low-Stance Seigan. And it’s also a stance that’s a killer for first-timers.
If I got scared by the approaching Achim and attacked, his wooden sword would spring up, and a thrust would decide the match.
The first time I saw it, I fell for it completely, but I had been thinking of a countermeasure for this.
“Hmph!”
I stepped forward as if making a desperate move. At the same time, Achim’s wooden sword sprang up!
Without even time to confirm it, I executed a high-speed backstep. My earlier forward step was a shallow one. What I was doing was the same as Achim’s unpowered thrust that secured his victory in the mock battle with Bach earlier.
Making it look like I was advancing, while preparing a backstep.
A feint. It sounds simple when put into words. But its effect is significant.
Achim’s wooden sword sprang up. His arm was fully extended, showing it wasn’t a feint.
All that’s left is…!
“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
I forced the leg I had used for the backstep to move forward. Lowering my stance as if to duck under Achim’s wooden sword, I launched myself forward like a bullet!
Normally, such a reckless move would result in injury. Like when I jumped to save Cornelia, it wouldn’t be surprising if my leg tendons snapped.
But I don’t dwell on such things.
Because my Gift is Healing. I can heal such injuries in an instant.
I felt the snap, snap of muscle fibers tearing. A sharp pain shot through me. But—!
“Haaah!”
“Gobaha!?”
Having paid the price, I succeeded in defeating Achim for the first time.
◇
“Ei!”
“Pogera!?”
Watching the mock battle between Cornelia and Achim in front of me, I thought.
As expected, the power that surpasses human limits, Last Stand, is useful. Achim intended to fight a human. It was a given that I’d have the advantage if I could exert power beyond human capabilities.
And my Healing Gift instantly heals my broken body, compensating for the drawbacks of Last Stand.
My Gift isn’t combat-oriented. So, if I fight normally, I’m bound to lose against opponents with combat-type Gifts.
But by using Last Stand, I might be able to catch my opponents off guard.
Cornelia will probably try to protect weak old me. But I want to protect Cornelia too.
I couldn’t let the pain of my body breaking stop me.