ZynGrand

I added a bit to the end last chapter so if you already read it please read it again.

*Harem POV*

Finally, everything was coming to a close.

Our dies have been cast, and now all I can do is hope I won this game. And I should, in all honesty.

Saehl was, after all, weaker than me. As a dual wielder, I have an obvious edge while attacking, as compared to whatever he was doing.

Are you even supposed to use a rapier with a shield?

Either way he's going to die today, so it doesn’t really matter.

"…An eyesore, y'know?" I yell as I dash towards him.

In this game of ours the worst move I could make is to play defensively, so the best course of action is to attack.

Starting with a simple downward slash, I'm blocked and countered.

Twisting my body I give a side slash.

In response he ducks down and retreats, allowing us to regain our forms.

Steadying my breath, I pace around him and look for any weak points.

As a mercenary, one of the first things you're taught is how to find weaknesses and exploit them.

No matter if they're the captain of the knights or a child with a stick, they'll die if they face you just swinging around randomly.

“Do you really think you can win, Harem!?” He cried out.

“I have to,” I reply as I charge in again.

A few more exchanges play out without anything coming out from it.

“I’m going to win this fight, Harem. Unlike you, I’m not alone!”

“Are you sure about that?”

“I’m sure! Not only Xuli, but there's Quill, Phile, and so many more! Their love is what drives me forward!”

“I really hate you, y’kno—oah!!?”

Blocking a sudden blow from my left, I’m blown away and crash into the wall.

Dust floats around in the air as I quickly move back into form despite the slight numbness in my arms.

Urgh… That felt like getting hit by a train.

Did he have someone like that on his side?

As the dust begins to settle, I see a figure standing in front of Saehl.

It was the one I was trying to get to my side, Miss Azalia.

Seeing her on his side confused me greatly.

Was it already too late?!

But it shouldn’t have been!

Then what’s—?!

…No, let’s think about this later. The fact I could barely see her attacks shows how dangerous she is.

Perhaps alone I could defend against that, but if she’s fighting with him then…

Glancing as Saehl, I see a look of confusion on his face as well. And seeing how he’s backing off, it seems she wasn’t a part of his plans.

If she doesn’t understand the situation, then perhaps I can reason with her.

“What’s this about, Azalia? I don’t think you understand what you’re doing.”

“...”

“If you let me explain, I’ll still be able to salvage this. What do you say?” I plead, unnerved by her silence.

“I don’t think I like this party of yours, Harem,” She says as she takes a step towards me.

Seeing her hand slowly turn to a metal axe, I feel the blood drain from my face as I realize my fatal mistake. Quickly jumping to the right, I watch Azalia taking her blade out of the wall.

I-Is this how I die…? Because of my stupid chuuni mysterious character act?!?

***

*Azalia POV*

Pulling my hand out of the wall, I turn to Harem.

Slicing at him I once again missed my target.

Looking around in the dust, I search for his silhouette.

He can’t run.

*Thk!*

Suddenly, I feel more pain.

I scream in pain, and swing my arms towards the point of contact. 

It wasn’t a conscious act, but an instinct built from my training and senses.

Unluckily, he once again escapes.

Hm? Where did my left arm go?

Quickly rebuilding it, I swing my arms around to get rid of the dust. When it does, I quickly spot him standing a small distance away. He looked scared.

Lunging at him, I swing at him.

But once again Harem proves to be more slippery than I thought. 

Regenerating my arm again, I continue the onslaught.

***

*Harem POV*

...W-What is happening.

Miss Azalia was supposed to be weak. Sure, she may have had an ability like us, but she was just a child. She was someone that wasn’t dangerous. I might’ve tried to get her to my side, but that was so she wouldn’t go to Saehl’s.

But the current situation was not something I anticipated.

After her second attack, I noticed a lack of form. She might have been fast, but she didn’t have precision.

So looking to quickly end this, I planned to slice her arm off in the dust cloud. 

And I did.

After that she was supposed to fall in pain or something. At the very least be neutralized.

Instead of that, her arm regrew and then some. Not only was this new arm longer than her other, it had veins bulging out of it. Gross, but still relatively normal.

Thinking she was close to her limit, I tried again. That’s how things escalated to the current situation. Her second new arm was even more of a mess than the last. It barely looked human at all. Rather, it looked like something out of a horror movie.

Just as long as itself, the arm's thickness was disproportionate, with the bone and muscles showing in some areas and bulging with blood cysts in others. It didn’t even function this time. Instead of swinging it's arm as it should, it used the shoulders to lob it at me.

“Hey Harem~!” Saehl cried out as I dodged the monster's attacks, watching as I weaved up and under its arms.

Too focused on dodging, I ignore him and look for an opening.

ten seconds pass, and then a minute. I keep on jumping and moving without stopping or resting. It was difficult to even get breaths in.

Though it's flailing was quick, it was slow to react. If it was any faster, I probably would’ve died.

Finally, as I'm reaching my limits, I find an opening and rush in. Thrusting my swords into its head, I twist them and rip the head off.

***

*Azalia POV*

It hurts

It hurts

It hurts

It hurts

It hurts

It hurts

It hurts

It hurts