Awakening the Great Chapter 12

Ch.12: One Who Does Not Yield

Euhahaha!

Bandit leader Takam burst into delighted laughter as he surveyed the surrounding scenery.

Wareureureureuk, poolsseok!

As the livestock shed roof engulfed in flas collapsed with a thunderous roar, countless sparks shot up into the air and fluttered about like fireflies. The rookie rcenaries trapped in the corner were paralyzed with terror, not even realizing they had been separated from the main force.

To make matters worse, Zahira, Basim, Marik, and other strong mbers of the rcenary group were trying to break through belatedly, but due to nurical disadvantage, they couldn't easily approach.

So how could he not smile?

"Beautiful. Beautiful."

As his destructive instincts were satisfied, his reddened eyes were thoroughly filled with satisfaction.

"Boss!"

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, an irritating scene caught his eye.

An old man with a shield and a youngster with a single sword had cut down one of his subordinates and burst forward.

Teoeong! Saak-

"Aaaak! Damn it!"

Matching the enemy's attack timing, he deflected with his shield, then slashed the wrist area with his one-handed sword. Then they imdiately switched positions and cut down another in the sa manner.

A clean finish.

One side had no weapon, the other had no shield, but when they combined, they looked like a perfect whole at first glance.

At this, Takam walked toward them with a twisted smile.

"Well, well, what knights have graced us with their presence? You've jumped in as a pair to save your comrades?"

He intended to personally deal with those who would spoil his fun.

***

Calix catches his breath while surveying his surroundings.

About a dozen bandits were closing in from all directions, but since he had half-achieved his goal, it wasn't bad.

The strongest among the bandits.

A middle-aged man emitting blue light from his nape was approaching on his own.

"This is what comradeship is. Very touching. A hundred tis better than those old fools just watching from afar. But do you know why it's touching?"

"......"

"Because the ones who do such things die nine tis out of ten. That's why it's rare to encounter them directly."

Even without crossing swords, he could tell.

If it were Vice-Captain Marik, he could overwhelm him alone, but otherwise, at least one of Zahira or Basim would be needed to face such a person.

"Ah, my heart aches. Just looking, it's an old man waiting only for his death and a youngster who doesn't know better. If I kill such people, I'd seem like too much of a bad guy. Right?"

"Boss, that's a complint for bandits like us."

"That's right, isn't it?"

Kkilkkilkkil.

Fortunately, their mockery and jokes gave him ti to relay information.

"......Gregor."

"Keep it short and to the point, comrade."

"That guy is the boss."

"You an the one with the slashed eye? The one holding a long sword, with a hand axe at his waist and a dagger strapped to his chest?"

"Yes."

"Ugh, he's terribly ugly indeed. But be careful, comrade. Having many short weapons ans excellent close combat ability. Usually, that is, unless he's a fool."

"......Yes."

Unfortunately, there was no sign that Gregor had co to his senses. Rather than drawing a weapon, he huddled even more while keeping his shield close to his body.

However—

"That damn old man...... Running his tongue carelessly. Those are mine. You guys just surround them so they can't escape."

"Play with them moderately."

"Won't take long. Just watch the others."

Thanks to his frank, almost blunt speaking style, a 1-on-1, no, 1-on-2 confrontation structure naturally ford.

And soon, bandit leader Takam approached, dragging his sword on the ground. He humd while not hiding his excited mood.

And for good reason—in the previous battle, only the rcenary side had over ten casualties. Most of the victims were newcors, but even that alone made the bandits' nurical advantage clear.

Therefore, this was rely a brief entertainnt.

Until the first exchange, he thought so.

Ka-ang, deudeudeudeudeuk!

"......You blocked it?"

When the blade aid at his shoulder was blocked, Takam's eyes contorted greatly.

Had he been careless?

Right, he had looked down on Calix.

Since his opponent was clearly a youngster, no matter how you looked at it, he had planned to play with him a bit and break his right shoulder first.

But that youngster had followed his movent.

Not simply dodging, but deflecting with the sword's flat side. When his subordinates burst into laughter at this, his face reddened with embarrassnt. He had been humiliated while trying to toy with his opponent.

"You, did you swap out your accelerator? Or did you get shot with enhancent drugs? You're quite fast for soone of your stature."

"......"

"Right, a rcenary company of this scale is different after all, eh? This body has committed a discourtesy. Then from now on, I won't go easy."

However, Calix had no energy to respond.

[Output declining, '3.4', '2.6', '1.9'...... '1.7']

[Montary amplification ceased]

[Combat enhancent activating, maintaining '1.7'x]

[Warning: maintaining excessive output state for extended periods may cause fatal damage to the body]

[Please be cautious]

Even at his current maximum output of '1.7', he couldn't perfectly follow his opponent's speed, so he had no choice but to fight while stopping ti. Only after breaking down and analyzing his opponent's movents step by step did he barely succeed in defending.

'I can do it. My body is holding up better than before. I endured against Captain Royce, too. This opponent is one level below that.'

Though he encouraged himself with self-talk, the fact that the skill difference was greater than expected didn't change.

Calix saw his neural network flashing signals, predicted the movent, and, due to the slightest possibility, cut through that process piece by piece...... Yet he barely managed to block.

But more than anything, the problem was that he couldn't expect Gregor's help.

"Ugh, the level is higher than I thought. I can't win with just a shield. You fool, that's why you should use your sword. But if I use my sword, I have to kill people. Should I kill? Do I have to kill? No, that won't do."

"......Gregor."

For so reason, the old rcenary who had beco half-complete again sat down on the ground, only muttering to himself.

'I can't bla him. This was within the expected range.'

Therefore, the first plan of 'Gregor's awakening' was abandoned. Calix imdiately moved to the second plan.

'Endure. If I can hold out until the Captain returns, we can win.'

Hoo, hoo, hooook, hoo.

But even at this mont, his breathing was gradually becoming more labored. It was the body's natural response to assist the excessive output state.

Hwieek!

Just then, without ti to catch his breath, a second attack flew in. The attack direction was frontal, a thrust coming toward the solar plexus area.

Pahaak-cheut!

"......Keup!"

The second defense failed.

His opponent skillfully twisted his wrist to turn the sword tip and only lightly grazed his left forearm before withdrawing.

He had been hit despite reading the preliminary movent.

"That makes one. Seeing your incredibly fast reaction...... Whether you swapped accelerators or got enhancent drugs, you did sothing anyway. But your inexperience shows. You haven't been holding a sword long, have you?"

"......"

"Then here's a question. What would happen if I got faster?"

To make matters worse, he could see his opponent's upper body trembling—pareureuk.

It wasn't winter, so he wasn't shivering from the cold. As the movent speed changed, to the slower side, it appeared as if he was vibrating in place.

He was falling ridiculously behind in speed.

"Kid, can you see?"

"......"

"If it weren't for the smoke, I'd be twice as fast as this. So struggle as much as you can. You have to entertain

for this brief ti, got it?"

And then, his opponent's third attack.

Peoeong!

The extrely accelerated body left a mark on the ground just by shooting forward. In addition, scattered sand and sparks, flas fluttering in the opposite direction.

Therefore, the blade striking from top to bottom also contained extraordinary power.

Suaaaaa-chaak!

Like avoiding a mud clump in a pit, he bent his upper body back as much as possible to dodge the blade, but with one swing, the front of his chest was cut, and light blood seeped out.

And again one, two, three. Under the relentless barrage of sword strikes...... The wounded areas quickly multiplied.

While it was true that Calix dodged surprisingly well despite the output difference in their neural accelerators, in reality, it was due to his opponent's malicious intent.

Boss Takam was deliberately choosing only minor wounds to inflict.

"Heuheuheu, I'm really about to cry here. Not retreating even one step. You'll die like that. Don't tell

you're doing this to protect that old man? What is that old guy to you anyway?"

"......"

"Cook comrade......"

His mocking advice had rit.

An already disadvantageous situation.

Being pushed back in skill, yet trying to look after Gregor's safety, the fight couldn't be established. But precisely because of that, Calix's options were also determined.

Everything he could do. That is, he had to attack.

However—

'Can my body endure it?'

He finally pondered two facts. Though he was better now than before, what side effects the output of '1.7' had brought to his body.

Also, the words of the mad, magical engineer Nilo, who had implanted the neural accelerator in him.

'The output is fucking amazing, but it burns the entire neural network. Even the Empire's cream of the crop died with their tongues hanging out, so after that, production itself was strictly prohibited. If my guess is right, it's probably the only remaining early model.'

The neural accelerator's warning about 'potentially causing fatal damage' was surely related to that.

"Kid, shall I spare you?"

"......"

Nevertheless, his choice was determined.

[Output rising]

[Reality acceleration 1.9x]

[Beyond physical tolerance range. Beware of permanent bodily damage]

Then suddenly, he felt his chest being squeezed, along with his breathing becoming choppy.

Keuheuk, heup, heup, heuup.

Additionally, a montary dizziness and balance sense that swayed minutely due to the change in speed sensation.

How to put it.

This ti, too, he had no choice but to compare it to his diver days. If the output of '1.7' was like going down 8-10 levels into the pit, '1.9' was exactly around the 11th level.

A place he dared not enter, but where he could survive if he escaped quickly.

Instead of the sensation of underwater pressure pressing his entire body, he felt as if being drawn entirely downward, into the abyss. Exactly like that ti.

And in exchange, the flas surrounding the clearing. The fire demon (Hwama), full of malice, swayed even more slowly.

"Don't talk nonsense. From now on, I won't go easy either."

"You bastard......"

What followed was intentional provocation.

Since his opponent's body was no longer visible in fragnts, but ti wasn't on Calix's side, he deliberately touched his nerves.

Hwieek, chareureureuk!

Swaaaaak!

At this, bandit boss Takam threw the hand axe from his waist while simultaneously approaching right in front of him. His face was filled with rage, and he intended to end this attack.

This matched Calix's thinking, too.

'The best defense is...... Attack alone!'

His left foot pointed toward his opponent as a rudder while stepping, with the center of gravity on his right foot. He leaned his upper body forward, then montarily put power into it to kick off the ground.

Peoeong!

anwhile, he raised his palm to deflect the hand axe flying toward him. It unfortunately ricocheted wrong toward Gregor, making a kwang- sound as it hit the shield, but he quickly erased it from his mind.

One lethal strike.

If he couldn't kill, he would die, so he imdiately raised the sword hilt to his right shoulder, switching to a thrusting stance.

He put his bold choice into action.

'Blocking won't work anyway. So if you want to kill ...... Be prepared to die too!'

Indeed, bandit boss Takam was quite flustered.

At Calix's movent, faster than before, he pulled his accelerator to maximum output and took a defensive stance.

Victory and defeat were decided by the unreasonable gap in ability between the two.

Chaeaeng!

Jureureureuk.

'Ah......!'

The thrust with body weight behind it pushed forward about one and a half steps before being blocked by his opponent's long sword.

It was a defeat in a pure strength contest. While the output difference of their neural accelerators was minimal, there was an overwhelming gap in physical condition.

Jureureureuk.

"Keup!"

And then, conversely, Calix's body was pushed back. When swords t swords with similar acceleration levels from their neural accelerators, the stronger side gained the advantage.

Hwieek!

"Die, brat!"

Boss Takam twisted only his sword's hilt to swing the blade tip toward his opponent's nape, and the tide of battle tilted sharply to one side.

Hooook, chaeng!

Deugeureuruk!

All Calix could do was bend his waist to avoid by a hair's breadth, step back, and thrust his sword at attacks he absolutely couldn't dodge to barely deflect their trajectory.

'Purple light has been approaching from outside the village. The Captain is returning. Just a little, just a little more endurance. To do that, I need to resist my opponent......'

Peoeok!

But far from counterattacking, he was consecutively hit in the abdon by Takam's sole, shaking even his body's center, bringing death right before his eyes.

It was just then.

Teoeok.

As a callused palm touched Calix's waist, his shaking body's center regained stability in an instant. Simultaneously, the other hand reached the hilt of the sword Calix had barely not dropped, pulling it toward his body to establish proper posture.

"......That's enough now. Start by controlling your breathing."

"Hmm? What's with this old man again? These guys really want to die together, don't they?"

Whether boss Takam mocked or not, Calix turned his head to et clear, bright green eyes. Below them, purple radiance was emanating from the old man's nape.

"......Gregor, you—"

"Focus. The fight isn't over yet."

"......Yes."

When he had co to his senses, it didn't matter. The key point was that conditions for surviving the battle were now in place.

However, the only problem was that Gregor seed to only be correcting Calix's posture without the intention of direct intervention.

"Rember this. Thrusting isn't simply extending your hand to thrust the sword. Your body must advance together. Set the right direction and put strength into it, but don't let your elbow turn sideways. If you're going to do that, thrust along your torso instead. That would be better."

"Understood."

"If you're ready, go. Erase my existence from your mind."

At this, Calix charged toward the bandit boss again.

Though it might seem incomprehensible, hearing his clear eyes and low, settled voice naturally inspired trust.

[Caution, maintaining 1.9x output]

[Due to side effects, muscle response speed will sequentially decrease]

Though problems burst out throughout his body during the charging process, and his posture beca disheveled accordingly—

Tak.

The beginner's clumsiness was personally corrected by Gregor, who followed behind.

For Calix, the output of '1.9' was pushing to the maximum limit, but for him, it was a comfortable level. The old man accompanied him from start to finish, giving guidance even at the final mont of thrusting the sword.

'The sword advances with the body and is thrust when reaching the peak, and the wrist...... Was only slightly twisted at the very end.'

One hilt with two hands.

The wrinkled back of his hand completely covered Calix's, guiding the path the blade would take, and at its end, it t boss Takam's weapon.

Jjeo-eoeoeong!

The clash of sword against sword.

However, this was also a eting of a point and a plane. As boss Takam thrust the back of his sword at the blade flying toward his solar plexus, Calix's sword tip struck the center powerfully, sending tal fragnts flying into the air.

Pababaak!

As broken blade pieces flew toward their faces, Calix and Takam stepped back as if by prior agreent to avoid the fragnts.

Only one person was the exception.

Gregor pushed Calix away, then stepped one more step deeper and raised the edge of his shield to swing it.

Hoooooook, kwajik!

"Uh......?"

"Bossss-!"

After hearing his subordinates' urgent voices, Takam realized a trendous impact had been applied to his right side. Trendous pain that left him unable to breathe montarily.

"Keu, keuheeu......"

Sure enough, his right arm was already broken, barely gripping the sword hilt while hanging in tatters.

Following the survival instinct, he forced his head to turn and saw the insignificant old man swinging a round shield right in front of him.

A roundish face shape with wrinkles covering his eyes and forehead, a large nose and gently curved eyebrows, a beard trimd to appropriate length by Calix held an elegance unsuited to the rcenary profession.

That was his last mory.

Kwajik!

Then, Gregor used the shield's edge to strike his chin upward, completely knocking out the bandit boss's consciousness.

Teolsseok.

Seureureuruung-

Confirming that his opponent's body went limp and knelt down, he drew his sword with his right hand, leaving a crescent-shaped sword mark in the air.

Starting from the far right, reaching toward the moon in the sky, then falling toward the bandit boss's nape to...... Finish.

Seogeok!

Tuk, tuk, degueureureu.

"Huh?"

"......"

Uwaaaaa!

At the execution that occurred in an instant, the bandits showed dumbfounded expressions, but conversely, the veteran rcenaries of the 'Mountain Rabbits' burst into cheers.

One of the two swords possessed by the rcenary company.

'Indomitable Gregor' had descended.