Hello there, author here. So I am once again late in releasing the chapter. Sorry, but it seems that I'll have to change the schedule. I'll update once every 4 days instead of 3. I tried my best to stick to one chapter every 3 days, but with other projects demanding more of my attention and some other life stuff I can't promise it. I'm kinda of disappointed with myself, but that's how it has to be.
Before we start this chapter I wanna answer a few reviews which I found to be interesting.
-A guest wrote that I didn't read the 15/16 light novels because Zesshi's character was explored further there. Spoilers: I know that during the fight against Mare, she revealed her true thoughts. She wanted to protect the Slaine Theocracy and I think there is a theory running around trying to explain that she only pretended to go after strong males to avoid being pestered by people. She doesn't actually think the way she talked in the other volumes. With that being said, it might be just me misreading something, but I think our boy, Kugune Maruyama, decided to change Zesshi's character. I'm not saying that changing it was a bad decision, but since it is a new development on the newer volumes and I'm writing this based on the older ones, I decided to go for how she showed up to that point. It might be a dumb decision though.
-Another comment spoke about the baki-style interviews. Thanks, man, I have been trying to find a good spot for it ever since I started the story lol.
-I also saw a review saying that the story was very unpleasant, but he said I told the story well. Fair criticism. I'm happy that you found something that you enjoyed at least a little bit. Thanks for the compliment.
-And finally, for the guest who wrote a huge review about the story and the other readers. Don't worry about the negative comments, man. I don't think too deeply about them unless they have something that catches my eye and even then I only keep them in mind if they make good points. As for your opinion on the Overlord fans and the Overlord story, I think you are spot-on about both of them. The fans can't conceive or accept Nazarick as anything but the summit of absolute power and they are not wrong in the context of the Overlord. As for the OVerlord story, I'm concerned about the final 2 volumes of Overlord. I think they should have introduced some other PVP guild, descendants of some players or powerful New World races, but that's not what the writer had in mind. I'm still invested enough to read it all though lol.
One final thing, I'm gonna say this just so you guys know what's going on in my head as I write. This fanfic is just about having fun while telling a (hopefully) interesting story. It's a hobby/practice for me and a small and fun distraction for you guys. Nothing more and nothing less. Thanks for reading the massive block of text, let's get on with the chapter.
"...As for you 6 or 7... get ready. Even without a sword I'm not gonna be brought down by Mithril adventures. I'm much stronger than that." Borchu said as he immediately kicked the table in front of him toward Kayleigh. This was completely useless as she just tanked the hit and then grabbed the table with her left hand before throwing it to the side.
The rogue, Amanda, immediately threw one needle laced with poison. Borchu had his back toward her but was still able to feel something coming toward him. He immediately threw himself to the floor as he watched one of the armored warriors swinging at him. The blade barely missed his neck as Borchu quickly rolled to the side while lifting his arm to protect himself.
[Focus Battle Aura]
All of the four warriors shouted. Kayleigh jumped toward Borchu only to be kicked backward as the man tried to get up.
[Front Cut]
The guildmaster screamed as he dodged Kayleigh's body. The old man targeted Borchu's leg and successfully slashed through his right calf. "Argggg! " The twin warriors rushed toward him and were ready to strike.
[Ability Boost + Sense Weakness]
Borchu screamed as he performed a handstand with one arm and spun around forcing them to take a step backward. 'They got a good hit in... what an embarrassment. I can't believe I let it happen. ' Borchu thought as he watched someone new appear in the room.
[Lighting]
Borchu was hit by a bolt of lightning and fell on his back. The rogue quickly pounced on him as she tried to stab him with her daggers. Borchu struggled to hold her blades away and to get the woman off of his belly. The paralysis effect from lighting magic didn't last for too long, but since he was caught off guard, it was a critical hit. 'There it is. The rat mage makes his appearance. ' Borchu thought as he lay on the floor.
[Shukuchi Kai]
Borchu used his favorite martial arts to propel himself backward. "What?! " Kayleigh said as her thrust hit the wooden floor. Both Borchu and the rogue slid across the floor for a few meters and slammed against the wall. The impact forced the rouge girl to drop her strength for a few seconds and Borchu immediately grabbed onto her right arm, spun her away from him, and threw her at the floor. The rouge bounced upwards before trying to get up with a dislocated shoulder and only a single dagger in her left hand.
Borchu immediately felt a sharp pain in his chest. "You didn't bother defending and prioritized poising me? It was a nice decision on paper, but now I have a weapon. " Borchu said as he pulled the dagger off of his chest.
[Cure Wounds]
The priest finally saw an opportunity to be useful. Borchu held the dagger as if he were holding a one-handed long sword and took a deep breath. 'Alright, the poison isn't so bad. There's barely any pain and I don't feel any fatigue... still, I don't have my antidotes with me. Well, now that I have a weapon, it shouldn't take long' Borchu thought as he began to walk towards them slowly. He still had a cut in his right leg so he couldn't do big wide moves, but he didn't have to.
[Dull Pain]
The air completely changed and now Kayleigh was the one under pressure. "Sorry. I messed up. " The rouge said as she immediately moved to flank Borchu.
"Don't mind it, Amanda. Just focus on support. Mage, why haven't you sued Slow yet?! " Kayleigh screamed as she walked forward.
"I can't use many 3rd tier spells. " The mage responded quickly.
"It's sad when the teamwork starts to crack, but it happens a lot when someone simply can't perform. " Borchu said causing even more anxiety in the Mage.
"Wait! Gildmaster! " Amanda screamed as the old man immediately jumped toward Borchu. The rouge quickly reached into her pocket trying to grab something useful.
"Bad move! Keep your guard up, old man. This one is gonna be fast. I doubt you have ever seen something like this." Borchu said as he pointed the small dagger toward the retired adventure.
[Shukuchi Kai + Thrust]
Borchu's attack landed like a snake strike and the dagger pierced through the old man's neck instantly. He had closed a two-meter gap in less than a second causing everyone to freeze for a second. "Guildmaster! " The twin warriors said as they both ran toward Borchu.
"Arggg Argg arggggg! " The old man screamed as he swung his blade toward Borchu who immediately pulled back his dagger.
'He's combining Martial Arts a lot. This just got a little bit troublesome, but he's already poisoned. We just have to wait a few more seconds before it kicks in. ' The priest thought as he immediately turned to the guildmaster and buffed him.
[Lesser Strengh]
'As expected from adventures. He's relentless. It's good. Now I can finally get a decent weapon. ' Borchu thought as his dagger began glowing.
'Damn it. That dagger is laced with paralysis poison. Why hasn't he stopped moving yet?! ' Kayleigh thought as she watched the guild master's attack stop completely as soon as it hit Borchu's dagger.
[Immovable Fortress]
The attack from the Guildmaster stopped as soon as the blade touched the dagger. Borchu quickly moved his free hand to grab the sword, but the twin warriors quickly retaliated.
[Shield Bash]
The attack was expertly timed but unfortunately aimed. They both came rushing from the same direction which allowed Borchu to just turn slightly to the side while he spun the old man in the air. Borchu quickly grabbed the sword's hand over the old man's hand.
[Immovable Fortress]
Borchu forced the blade to strike both of the warriors. He also made sure that the hit was simultaneous which forced both of them to stop in their track. The mage immediately moved to the side and screamed. "Incoming! "
[Flash]
The white light filled the room forcing Borchu to close his eyes while looking away. "Old man! Let go of the sword already! The poison is hitting you so bad you can barely even lift a finger. " Borchu said as he slashed the guildmaster's back. The second strike from the poison dagger finally forced the paralysis poison to kick in fully and Borchu was able to pull the blade off of the guildmaster's hand. He then kicked the man toward the two warriors and threw the dagger toward the priest.
Kayleigh quickly threw herself in front of the priest and tanked the hit. 'He's good. Much better than I thought. If he was an adventure, he would be at least Olrchalcum, but... we finally got him. Nice timing, Amanda! ' Kayleigh said as she watched a small potion bottle fly across the room.
Borchu's vision was slowly returning to him, but it would still take a good while before he could actually use it to fight. He took a deep breath and took a defensive stance. 'They are good for Mithril. I shouldn't have fought them as just Mithrill adventures. My chest is feeling a bit numb... the poison is starting to kick in. Alright, it took a bit too long, but I'll show you my swordsmanship. ' Borchu thought as he suddenly vanished from where he was standing.
[Flow Accelaration + Shukuchi Kai]
The rouge saw an outline flash in front of him. 'He's coming! ' The rouge thought as her bottle exploded in mid-air creating a small mist of green gas and then she felt a hot liquid running down her neck.
The others didn't see Borchu moving. They only saw the gas following after him and the blood rushing out the rouge's neck. Her head began to separate from her neck, but the cut was not deep enough for a complete decapitation. "So you were on my six at all times, huh? Being too good makes you predictable and throwing bottles like that only works if I breathe the gas. Fast warriors can just run through it in an instant. " Borchu said as he jumped toward the window.
The mage quickly pointed his staff to where he calculated Borchu was going to land only for Borchu to kick off the wall and change direction. He moved straight toward the mage while holding his sword sideways. "I know you can't use a lot of magic in a closed space full of people, but where the hell are the buffs? " Borchu asked with a small smug smile on his face.
The twin warriors moved to intercept Borchu forcing the mage to stop his cast.
[Fortress]
[Cutting Edge]
One of them positioned himself in front of Borchu while the other prepared to strike him as soon as passed by. "It's a good idea. " Borchu said as he let go of his blade for a single second before gripping it with all of his strength. "If only you two were a little bit better. I'm sure this exchange would be very painful for me. "
[Flash]
Instead of buffing his allies, the mage decided to go for another blind on Borchu who immediately started laughing. "Getting better, mage. But you should have blinded me a few moments ago. " Borchu said as he contorted himself in mid-air.
[Strenghten Perception + Greater Ability Boost + Instant Counter + Strong Assault ]
'Again. Another combination. He's activating four martial arts this time. This must be his trump card. ' The priest thought as he finished healing the gildmaster. He then immediately ran over to the rouge while both Kayleigh and the old man rushed after Borchu.
"This is gonna be a big hit. He's gonna have to take a moment to rest afterwards so I'll rush him when he's done. Remember that you don't have a weapon anymore, guildmaster, so most of your martial arts are useless. Don't go too deep. " Kayleigh said as she ran alongside the old man. The guildmaster shook his head in shame as he was the one responsible for giving a master swordsman a sword.
The warrior prepared to receive a powerful slashing attack but instead, he got hit with a simple kick. The Fortress activated as he planned and Borchu stopped in mid-air. His brother quickly attacked from what he believed was Borchu's blind stop.
Borchu had all of his senses on the lookout for attacks coming from his right side and even though he couldn't see, he knew what the "correct" timing was. Just as he expected, Borchu felt the blade hitting his right shoulder. He gently pushed off the shield his feet had just collided with and twisted his body around. This made small adjustment was enough to make the blade slash through the outer layer of his skin and move past without cutting much of anything.
That was when he used his left foot as an anchor. He pushed it into the ground before spinning like a top. Borchu turned the blade around and slammed the back side of the sword at the warrior's head forcing his opponent to the ground.
Kayleigh immediately pointed her sword forward and entered a defensive stance. She planned on attacking as soon as possible while taking advantage of Borchu's stamina, but once he looked into his eyes, it was obvious that he was not gonna stop. 'What?! He's not even sweating! How?! He's not only poisoned, but he's also combining multiple martial arts. How much stamina does- ' Kayleigh couldn't finish her thoughts as Borchu suddenly closed the distance between them.
[Shukuchi Kai + Flow Acceleration]
Kayleigh could barely see the flashing of Borchu's sword before she felt the cold touch of the steal on her neck. "Cure poison and get rid of the paralysis effect. Do it now or she loses her head. " Borchu said as he began to draw blood.
"Lady Kayleigh! " The guildmaster said as he took a step backward.
"Don't do it. If he's taking me hostage for it, it means that the poison is affecting him. As long as that happens, we can—-"
[Cure Poison]
[Cleansing]
The priest immediately used his spell without letting her finish her sentence. "Don't be an idiot, Lady Kayleigh. He's not worth your life. There you go, now let her go. " The priest said.
As soon as Borchu confirmed his numbness had disappeared he kicked Kayleigh away from him. "Good, now let's start round two. This time, however, I will give you guys a few seconds to recover." Borchu said as he turned his head toward the mage. "Go ahead and start buffing already you idiot. "
The mage immediately began casting every type of buff he knew. The priest also did the same while the rouge quickly ran to pick up her other weapon. "Recover?! You're giving us time to recover?! " Kayleigh said as she pointed her sword to Borchu. "Isn't that just some excuse for you to recover? Isn't that right? "
Borchu lifted one of his eyebrows before asking, "What? This is for your sake. Now that I have a weapon and you're no longer surrounding me, it's no longer a fair match. Not that it was from the beginning, but I don't get the chance to fight coordinated teams like this often, so use the time I'm giving you well."
"You're lying. " The guildmaster said. "After using so many martial arts like that you must be extremely exhausted. Everyone surrounds him at once. "
Kayleigh bit her lip as she watched Borchu massage his neck muscles. "It's up to you guys. I'll start as soon as you do. " Borchu said as he took a deep breath.
Kayleigh raised her hand forcing both the guildmaster and the rouge to stop their advances. "Lady-"
"How?! " Kayleigh screamed forcing everyone to shut up. "How are you not tired? How come you didn't have to take even a single second to recover from all of those martial arts?! Both me and my father can't use more than two martial arts together and even then it takes a lot out of us. It was the same as the other warriors I saw. How is it different with you?! "
"Infinite Chaining, Lady Kayleigh. It's a talent I have. I can use as many martial arts as I want with no additional cost as long as I can activate them one after the other. I only have to pay for the first activation. My stamina does not diminish after that so I can freely use as many martial arts as my body can handle at once without tiring myself out." Borchu said as his smile disappeared from his face.
Everyone in the room became pale. With a proper weapon in their hands and a talent like that, even if Borchu was a fellow Mithrill adventure, it would be extremely hard to beat him, but he had shown them that this wasn't the case. Borchu was a lot stronger than a single one of them. In fact, they couldn't find a good reason that could explain why they were still alive.
"Funny thing, huh. I used to feel great when I saw people's reactions after I revealed my talent. It was supposed to be a special thing I would do to strong opponents before killing them. But now that I know stacking martial arts will only get you so far... it's embarrassing to me." Borchu said as he began to get into his stance. "I'm ready whenever you-"
Borchu stopped talking immediately after sensing a powerful shockwave moving around the earth. Suddenly, the manor began to tremble. The walls cracked, the floor moved sideways and the ceiling started falling in the room. "What is going on?! " Kayleigh asked as she began to move away from Borchu.
"Borchu! Where the hell are you?! " Borchu heard a familiar voice coming from the outside.
"Yujiro?! Oh no... did I do something? " Borchu asked himself as he started looking for the right words. He didn't have more than a few seconds before another loud bang rushed through the room. This time, however, it was inside the manor. The noise started spreading through the mansion as if something was running through the place until one of the walls finally broke.
The only thing that Mithril's adventures saw was the dust and rubble moving around in the air. Borchu was the only one who caught a small glimpse of something running into the room and stopping right in front of him.
"I'm pissed off right now. That skeleton idiot just tried to trick me. " Yujiro asked as he grabbed Borchu's shoulder. "Did you get what you came here for? "
It took a few seconds for everyone in the room to process what they were seeing. 'A huge red-haired man... it's this guy. ' Kayleigh thought as she was overwhelmed by Yujiro's presence.
"I got a lead. A master wizard named Fluder Paladine might be able to help us. He's- "
"So you don't have a solution for it yet?! Are you sure this man knows how to get to Japan?! " Yujiro didn't give him enough time and immediately asked another question.
"If that fails, I have another lead that could -"
"If that fails too?! "
"Then... " Borchu couldn't find the strength to admit he didn't know what to do if that failed too.
Yujiro took a deep breath before bringing down his bloodlust. "I see. Get you things then. We are leaving immediately. " Yujiro said as he turned to the other people in the room.
"I can see you guys were a bit busy, but I assume that won't be a problem, right? We are leaving. " Yujiro said as he began to walk away through a hole in the wall.
Borchu looked at Kayleigh who immediately took off her gauntlet while saying, "Your things are in the dungeon under the manor. Go back to the corridor and take a right, it's the second door. Tell the guards I gave you permission. " Kayleigh said as she grabbed a small ring from her hand.
None of the adventures complained. Borchu didn't say anything either as he quickly ran to the corridor and left. Yujiro stood still outside waiting for Borchu to show up.
Kayleigh didn't take her eyes away from Yujiro for a second. After a few moments to build courage, she finally got up and started walking toward him. "Lady Kayleigh, this is not a good idea. " The guild master said while holding her hand.
"Mister Borchu wasn't completely out of his mind. That story might have some truth to it. If that's the case, that man was summoned by people from this country. I can't let this chance go. " Kayleigh said as she pushed the old man's hand away.
"Amanda, you're coming with me? " Kayleigh asked while looking at the rouge.
"This is stupid and dangerous, Lady Kayleigh. I'm sure you can find other ways to figure out what you are looking for, but I will follow you. " The rouge said as she placed her daggers back into their shethes.
"Thank you, Amanda. Guildmanster, tell Arlando to take care of things while I'm gone. " Kayleigh said as she finally walked outside her manor. The place was a complete wreck, but she didn't mind it. The only thing on her mind was what she was going to say to that man.
"Hum...aaa... Yujiro Hanma. My name is Alicia Lachlan Kayleigh. I want to ask you a few questions." Kayleigh said with a strern voice as she prepared for the worst.
Yujiro turned his head toward her slowly and then said, "Be quick about it. I'm in a bad mood, woman. What the hell do you want? "