5 years ago...
CLASH!
A sound of swords clashing was echoing. It was the training ground for swordsman in Izlude. In there, two swordsmen are fighting against each other, watched by all other swordsmen.
"Heaaaah!"
"..."
CLASH!
A swordsman with a big build was attacking another swordsman with his two-handed sword. It was a giant. Indeed, with his big build, a two-handed sword is light enough for him to swing it around.
"Hehehe, to think that you would ask a chance to spar with me. Should I be honoured, guildmaster?" the giant said while swinging his sword.
But his opponent didn't say anything. He just stays silent, parrying the attacks. The giant feels that he was being ridiculed by his opponent, and then…
"Take this! Bash!" The giant's shout as he swings his big sword with full might!
But the white haired youth in front of him parried the attack effortlessly, even though his hand is just holding a simple one-handed sword.
"…Weak. I told you to focus your strength to your sword's edge when using Bash. If you don't, then you're wasting your energy because the power was running away from the other part of the sword. Didn't the instructor also told you that?" the white haired swordsman said.
"S-Shut up! I didn't ask for your advice!"
With his strongest attack being blocked easily, he continues to attack blindly. But his opponent just simply dodged all of his attack, and counters his attack occasionally.
"...hmm, your swinging is like a child's play. Even the juniors can do better than you if they have trained the same amount of time as you."
"Kuh, you bastard!" the giant's cursing.
"But, you think so too, right? After all, you ask some of them a spar with you, right?"
…
The giant stopped for a while, His face became pale for some reason.
"…what? what are you saying…?" the giant murmurs.
"Yes. Well, I only knew 4 of them. Though it's too bad, really"
"...!"
"They all met with an unfortunate fate as they finished sparring with you."
"Aaah, aaah..."
It's too bad, don't you think?"
"Aaarrgh!" the giant shouts as he stabbed his sword to the ground.
He started a chant...
"Call the earth, call the wind, call the water, call the fire! Reinforce my body, hasten my legs, clear my mind, and strengthen my arms! Warlord's Power!"
An aura was enveloping the giant. He looks far stronger than before. The aura around him was feels so intense, that it can crush weak people in an instant. He howls like a wild beast towards the sky.
The crowds becoming restless.
"Wait, isn't Phantasm Trigger is not allowed in training?"
"But that guy just used it? Is it really okay?"
"What is going on?"
The youth just stand silently, watching his opponent carefully. The giant, finished his howling, then turned his attention towards the youth...
"Muhahaha! This is it, Erkard! I shall crush you, now!" he said as he charged towards the white haired youth.
The white haired youth is readying his sword. It seems he was wary with his opponent's Phantasm Trigger.
"Hah! A fool without a Phantasm Trigger like you should never become the guildmaster, in the first place! It should be I, the great Gandor, who became the guildmaster! Die, Erkard!" he shouts toward his opponent as he swings his sword.
But, his opponent evaded his attacks, parried, and sometimes counter his attack. The giant Gandor are started to be pushed back.
"Damn, this is insane! For a mere human, to be this strong and fast! And he didn't even use a Phantasm Trigger! This is should not be possible!"
"..."
The youth just evade, parry, and counter his attack.
"…Is that all?"
"Urgh!"
"Warlord's Power, a Phantasm Trigger that reinforce all of your body. It hardens your body, empowers your legs, increase your mind, and even strengthen the power of your arms. But it seems that the effect caused on your head is miniscule."
"S-Shut up!"
"That power is wasted on your current self…"
"Silence! You shall taste my true power now!" Gandor twirled his sword in a strange motion, and created a shockwave from it.
The youth, realizing the danger, stepped back, but Gandor was catching him up.
"Magnum Break!" Gandor shouts, creating an explosion in front of him.
The youth defending himself against the blast, but Gandor didn't stop in there.
"Hell Blast!" Gandor shouts, as his sword caused another explosion in front of him.
The explosion was a trail-like blast!
The explosion was greater with the Phantasm Trigger and expanding towards the youth! The white haired youth was engulfed in the explosion and seems disappeared with the explosion flames. Seeing that, Gandor feels satisfied.
"Hahahaha! I did it! He must become nothing but charcoals now! How does it feels! ? The power of the great Gandor! ? Take that, you fool! That is your punishment for taking the righteous place of the great Gandor!" he laughs maniacally.
One of the swordsmen was coming up front and start to shouts at him. It was a girl with a big round glasses.
"Gandor! What are you think you're doing! ? That was clearly a violation of rules! The rules stated that you must absolutely never kill your opponent!" she shouts.
The crowds are also become noisy. They're criticizing Gandor too. But Gandor didn't care. He just smirked at his victory.
"Hmph, so it was you, Levia. What are you thinking you're doing? Barking to me like that?"
"That is my question! You actually dare to kill guildmaster! ? That was…!"
"Hah, what of it? He was a fool! It was truly a mistake of the previous guildmaster for that weakling without any Phantasm Trigger to be chosen as his successor. Ooh, I see. You like him, don't you? Yeah, I do hear about it from the others, hahahahaha!"
"W-what are you talking about! ?"
"Hah, the story of the nerdy glasses girl who fall in love with the weak guildmaster! Truly amusing! Especially with how it ends! Hahahaha!"
The girl named Levia became enraged. She unsheathed her sword and swings it towards Gandor who's still laughing hard!
SWOOOSH!
"Gandor! You shall pay for your crimes!" Levia shouts.
TRIING!
But Gandor parried her attack with his big sword. With his Phantasm Trigger activated, it was nothing for him.
"That was the great guildmaster Gandor for you, nerd! For I have become the guildmaster in this guild!" he shouts, and swing his sword heavily.
"Kyaaa!"
BRAAAK!
Levia was thrown away from the force of the attack. She crashed to the crowds and lose her consciousness.
"Hahahahaha! This is the new turning page of the Swordsman Guild! If any of you don't like it, then come at me!"
The crowds, realizing the danger that Gandor holds, steps back. They were scared because of Gandor's threat. Seeing that, Gandor was laughing happily.
"Hahahahaha! Hahahahaha…."
But, he can't laugh for long, because in front of him, from behind the smokes of the explosion, stands the white haired youth.
"...is this it? What a dissappointment." the white haired youth said. One of his eyes looks shining from behind the smokes. The red-colored eye.
As he saw all of that, Gandor feels something strange. His body trembling. Sweat drips from his hand, as he can't hold his sword properly. Cold wind feels blowing in his face.
At that moment, he didn't really understand how, but he knows what fear is.
"What…What are you! ? You should have died with that attack!"
"Gandor, do you even remember the rules? This is just training. Not a duel to death. And even so, are you really planning to kill me?"
"What…? No-no…of course I don't." Gandor steps back, he feels afraid.
But the white-haired youth just continues…
"Hmph… But no matter, you're about to be judged, anyway. We have found about your training session a month ago, that 4 of the juniors died after sparring with you."
"W-What! ?"
"You killed them because they have a potential of becoming stronger than you. By using a reason of sparring, you deal the finishing blow when they think that you will stop from giving the finishing blow."
"...! You! So you're planning to do this from the beginning!"
The crowds becoming restless. Gandor couldn't talk anymore, his vision becames blurry. Every word that the youth said are making his surroundings feels darker.
The youth in front of him knew about his crime…
"It seems that you somehow make it to looks like an accident. But too bad, it seems that there is a witness at the moment. And even without him, we found many marks of blood on 4 set of your clothes that you threw away." the youth continues.
At that time, Gandor already didn't hear anything anymore. He feels anxious, scared of his own crime.
"You're actually planning to become a guildmaster with that kind of mindset? But then again, without it, all of this mess wouldn't happen, though."
Gandor feels desperate when he hears that. He's charging towards the youth suddenly! His sword is filled with an intense hatred, eager to slash the youth in front of him!
"Eeerkaaaaaaaaaarrrddddd!"
SLASH!
The sword is swinged towards the youth! It was aimed at his neck!
TRING!
But the youth parried it! He retracted his sword, twirling in a motion, causing Gandor's sword thrown away. The sword stabbed the ground as it landed.
"Gandor, The instructor and I have told you to put a better hold of your sword, right?"
"Ah-aaah…"
"You swinged it wildly, without even holding it properly. It would cause the enemy to easily disarm you when they realize the trail of your attack."
"Aaaaaaah…." Gandor was speechless. He feels only fear in his head.
"And you actually said that you're aiming for the guildmaster's position? What nonsense. The swordsman guild will only perish in your hand."
"Aaaaaah!" Gandor shouted, as he rans away.
But the youth dashed towards him, kicked his leg, making him tripped. Gandor fells with his face first on the ground.
"Guh!"
He tried to get up, and turned around, but…
STOMP!
He was pushed back to the ground. The youth stomped his body using one of his leg.
STAB!
The one-handed sword was stabbed the ground, near his face on his right side. It has even wounded his cheek. Who knows what might happen if it was shifted a little to the center of his head.
"Hiiii…" Gandor can only laying on the ground, scared.
In front of him, he saw the youth, with one of his legs on Gandor's chest. One of his hands still holding the sword that pierces the ground. The sun rays in his head. And what Gandor saw is a something he would never forget.
A demon.
A silhouette of demon under the sun. Gandor only saw a black shadow, with the eye of crimson flame, matched with the eye of cerulean crystal. It was staring at him intensely.
"… I'm angry… Gandor…"
"Ahh, ahh, forgive me…"
"…rulebreakers must be punished, don't you think? As the guildmaster, I can't let this kind of foolishness to go unpunished."
SLASH!
"Aaaaarghh!"
The youth slashed his right arm mercilessly, severing it in the process.
"Gyaaaa! My arm! My arm! Gaaaaagh…!" Gandor screamed in pain.
"Hmph! You killed your juniors mercilessly, you attacked a woman, be thankful that I only took your right arm. With this, you won't be able to use your sword anymore. I want to throw you in the Weapon smith furnace and let you burn slowly in there. But you're lucky for we are a civilized guild."
From behind the youth, there are another group of civilians, accompanied with some soldiers.
"Murderer! How dare you kill my son Dane!" one of them screaming to Gandor.
"You killed Giam! My own brother!"
"Give Aroc back to me! You murderer!"
"Don't think you could escape for killing Jorn!"
The peoples are cursing Gandor, and even trying to move towards him, wanting to kill him themselves. The soldiers are trying hard to stop them.
"Hiiii…! Haah… haah…Stay away from me…! Haah…"
Gandor was scared. He never thought of this kind of retribution would be waiting for him.
"Come on, Gandor! Where's your almighty attitude from before are gone now! ? Show us, Gandor!" the youth mock him.
But Gandor didn't hear anything. His blood loss has made him passed out. Foam has formed in his mouth. Seeing that, the youth turned to the soldiers.
"If you want him to be judged, then take him to the infirmary and stop his bleeding. I don't care anymore for this fool, as he already has been punished by our guild. All remains are his exile from the guild and the judgement from the King."
The youth walks to where Levia has fallen.
"Everyone, please make a path. You three, prepare the room in infirmary, the other would help me take her to the infirmary." he commands as he pointed to some people.
The people he pointed run inside the guild. The youth carries Levia and together with the other, taking her inside the guild.
The plains of Al De Baran are the land of eternal fall. Dead leaves are scattering everywhere. The lands are turning orange colored. And Erkard has reached this land.
"Good. If I'm fast enough, then I should have reached the town soon."
He walks. In front of him, the city is already in sight, but the journey is still about 3 more hours by walking. The sun is still high, but it light has already mostly diminished, marking that it almost dusk.
The path is circling the small plateau in the center of the river south of Al De Baran. The plateau is also having a pond located in the center of it, though it was shallow.
"(Hmm, perhaps I should just circle this pond. I'm not in the mood of water playing, right now.)"
Erkard then circling the pond and he has finally passed the plateau and is heading towards the Al De Baran's gate.
On the other place…
Behind Erkard, a shadow was looming. A big person, a giant, wielding a big axe on his left hand. But he doesn't have a right arm. It was replaced with a strange, mechanical arm. He was watching as Erkard entering the city.
"Muhuhuhuhu… Soon I shall have you suffer more than what I've been through…Erkard..." he laughed while grinning.
His eyes have already lost its shine. But one can saw from his facial expression that he was thirsty of revenge. He's look like nothing but a machine now.
Thanks for reading this chapter! As always, your review are welcomed! See you in the next chapter!