Chapter 83: Yabuto Jinzadashi
Many years ago:
'Life is so...empty...'
A young boy with green hair thought to himself as his adopted father was training him to be elegant. Before being trained by his adopted father, this same person had saved his life from what would've been a death that nobody would've cared for.
The young Yabuto had been living underneath a blanket for a few months, being the only thing keeping him from dying of cold. He would've probably have died if it wasn't for a man that happen to be going through a horrible winter storm.
"Hm? What are you doing out here? You'll die!"
"..."
"Come on then."
That was the day Yabuto had a last name given to him, Jinzadashi.
After being saved by this nobleman from being left to die in the harsh winters of Gusteko, he was given a new purpose in life, to serve his newly adopted father and become a part of the nobles like he had.
("Don't worry my boy, you will become the best noble.")
("Yes, Father.")
The young boy took his training seriously and with pride, wanting to repay the debt he had with his adopted father. He worked extremely hard to make him proud, to be a great successful noble and yet he didn't feel happy.
He constantly felt like something was amiss, a problem. Well, the problem lied on himself, since deep down within him he felt nothing but apathy while he lived his life, trying to be like the other nobles' children. Despite his best efforts, Yabuto was just unable to be like the other children of the nobles. He felt like an outcast from them all.
'Why? Why do I feel...so lost? So empty...'
These thoughts plagued him for many years though despite this issue, he had met an interesting individual during one of his group ups with the other nobles' children when they were ten years old. This boy happens to be the son of Rickert Hoffman.
"Rachins Hoffman."
"Yabuto Jinzadashi."
"Seems like we encounter each other once again."
"Yes...now then, shall we do something more productive than just sitting around doing nothing."
"Sure."
The two boys seem to have a good friendly relationship, both knowing that the other doesn't seem to be enjoying their current life. Yabuto is aware of Rachins being distant from nobility, wishing to do more.
On the other hand, Rachins is aware of Yabuto's lack of purpose and how he's basically just following the motions of his adopted father. As the two go outside one of the lord's mansions and began running around.
"You still have no idea what you want?" Rachins says this as he was being chased by Yabuto since they were playing a game of catch.
"Not really..." Yabuto responded as he continued to chase around Rachins.
"...well you could always do what I'm planning on doing."
"What's that?"
"I'm going to abandon this nobility life."
"Abandon it?" This caused him to pause for a moment, surprised by what he was hearing. Rachins noticed this which also caused him to stop on his tracks.
"Yeah. I'm going to leave soon."
"But why?"
"I just...don't enjoy being this nobility. Not because I despise it, but I just don't see this has my future."
"Then what will you be doing that isn't nobility?" Yabuto questioned, thinking that perhaps he was looking for other things like blacksmiths, knights, etc. Rachins smiled as he looked up at the sky while saying confidently,
"I'll go to the slums and live there."
"The slums?" Yabuto was taken aback by this, not expecting someone born from nobility to go towards the slums.
"Yeah, they are completely free there. Not tied to these politics or set of rules."
"I mean...that's one way of viewing things..."
Yabuto crossed his arms as he found this view a tad bit extreme. He did feel that his purpose might lie elsewhere but he wouldn't just abandon his adopted family to find that purpose either.
Despite this, he respected Rachins choice to go off and leave nobility for the slums. As he kept thinking on what he could do, his mind had suddenly given him a question to ask Rachins:
"What name would you go under when you leave?"
"...hm, I hadn't thought about it." Rachins said as he was so busy getting ready for the adventure of a lifetime only to stop to think of going under a new name. This name was something that would set him as his own person from his father, Rickert Hoffman.
"Hm...I can't think of anything right now, what do you—?"
"Gotcha!"
Yabuto tackled Rachins to the ground which caught the noble boy off guard. As the two fell to the ground, Yabuto started to laugh first before Rachins laughed as well.
"You really got me! I'll get you back."
"Bring it!"
The two continued to play for a bit with Rachins chasing Yabuto, being his turn to chase his friend.
They continued to have fun until Rickert Hoffman and Bakari Jinzadashi had both noticed their sons missing.
This prompted the two to head outside to find Rachins chasing Yabuto around, having managed to catch the green haired boy.
"Rachins Hoffman! What in the blazes are you doing?!"
"F-Father!"
Rachins and Yabuto both stopped in place, the voice of Rickert intimidating the two. Rickert approached his son and Yabuto to scold the two.
"Don't you know this isn't noble! This is just pure childish!"
"B-But we are children—" Yabuto attempted to rebuttal only to be shut down immediately.
"Silence! You both represent the next generation of nobility. Similar to those reckless knights, your actions reflect everyone. Running around like vermin from the slums harms all of nobility." After he finished speaking, he turned towards Bakari with a stern look. "I understand that your son isn't...normal like the rest but get him under control before someone else does."
Once he finished saying this, he grabbed his son's arm as he dragged him away from the two Jinzadashi members. Once the two Hoffman members left the area, Bakari couldn't help but close his eyes as he was a bit frustrated.
Not because of Yabuto acting like, well a kid, but the responsibility he had thrown the boy from Gusteko. Yabuto tilted his head as he was puzzled by the interaction with the intimidating noble.
"Did I do something wrong, father?"
"...no, it's not your fault. It is in your nature to be a child...it's just these nobles really do take this stuff seriously."
"And you don't?" Yabuto questioned with an innocent voice, being genuine when asking this question.
"I do. I'm just different from them. But he makes a point. You are the next generation of the Jinzadashi family."
"But how...I'm not your real son..." The boy spoke in an emotionless tone which caused for concern in Bakari's part.
"Who told you this?"
"...the other children. They say that I'm not a true Jinzadashi since we don't share any features..."
Bakari was a bit annoyed by this, knowing full well that the other nobles told their children of Yabuto's status.
"*Sigh* Don't listen to them. They are just jealous of your potential."
"Yeah..." Yabuto couldn't help but feel apathy when saying this, viewing that his potential has a great noble like his father is nonexistent. Bakari looked around for a moment, seeing that the gathering of nobles has ended with many of the other noblemen and their children starting to leave. This prompted him to pat his son on the head while saying,
"Come on, my son. We shall head back home. There you can do whatever you want."
"Okay."
Yabuto smiled when he heard this, finding this more interesting than attending the nobles gathering. Although this was the last time he had interacted with Rachins, it wouldn't be the last time he would interact with Rickert.
A couple of days after the gathering of nobles, Rickert had visited the Jinzadashi mansion to speak with Bakari himself, angered by what his son had done.
"I would wish to speak with the owner of this mansion, maid."
"Y-Yes sir."
The maid nodded as she quickly went to fetch her master. As she did this, Yabuto was walking around the area with a book, wanting to learn more of the sage, the dragon, and the sword saint.
Just as he passed by Rickert, the man hadn't noticed him at first until he had looked to his left side to see him.
"You there! Boy!"
"Huh?!" Yabuto was caught off guard by the sudden interruption, instantly being in fear as the noble was approaching him in a threatening manner. "Wh-What's going on?!"
"What did you told my son?!"
"H-How?"
"Rachins, You little shit! What did you told him?!"
"What do you mean?" The young green haired boy tilted his head, uncertain on what the noble was asking him.
"My boy had left with no say of the matter. The only reason would be because of something you said, now tell me what did you told my boy?!"
"...I said nothing." Yabuto spoke in a timid manner, feeling overwhelmingly weak when approached and spoken in such a manner. Rickert found his answer unsatisfying, prompting him to raise his voice.
"I don't believe you! Tell me what you told him the other night!"
"I said nothing!"
"What's going on?!"
Bakari arrived at the scene with his maid standing behind him, intimidated by Rickert's presence. Rickert took a moment to regain his composure before responding to Bakari's question with:
"I need to speak with you, in private."
"..."
Bakari was giving him a death like stare and yet he nodded at this request before leading him to his office.
Rickert entered with Bakari closing the door, keeping his anger within him as he wanted to know what had happened.
As the two nobles spoke behind close doors, the maid took this opportunity to regain her composure before turning towards Yabuto's direction.
"A-Are you okay, Lord Yabuto?"
"..."
The young green haired boy had this curiosity inside his mind and heart, wanting to know what Rickert could be telling his adopted father.
Without hesitation he ran at the door and started to listen in much to the maid's shock.
As he gently placed his left ear on the door, he could hear his father say something.
"What the hell are you doing, Rickert?"
"That boy had an influence in my son."
"What are you talking about?" Bakari questioned.
"He just ran away. Choosing to abandon his birthright for whatever the hell he thinks freedom is."
"And how is this related to my son?"
"Because he was the last person my son spoke to."
"Look Rickert..." Bakari said as he was losing his patience, "I do respect you but lay off my boy. You have no real evidence that he persuaded your son to run off."
"That may be so but let me remind you that he's a street rat. You are well respected because of your bloodline but let me remind you that the only reason we are all in power is because we have actual successors with our blood with them. That boy of yours won't amount to anything so long as his blood is from street rats."
"..." Bakari was in full anger now when he heard this, tempted to punch Rickert yet he knew this wouldn't solve anything. The turned towards the window from his room while saying, "Get out, Rickert. I don't want you here anymore."
"Hm. This doesn't change what I said, Bakari. I'm not speaking because I'm some asshole, I'm speaking because I know what'll happen to that boy if he continues this path. All of us would hate to see your name burn down."
As Rickert said this, he opened the door and just made his way out. Yabuto had managed to not be in the way before Rickert opened the door. As the noble was leaving, the green haired boy entered the office.
"Are you okay, father?"
"...yeah, I'll be fine."
Bakari spoke in a calm manner yet Yabuto knew that he was lying. The room was left in silence momentarily before Bakari asked his son a simple question:
"Are you okay with this?"
"What do you mean?" Yabuto tilted his head.
"Are you fine with being a noble despite the possible issues that would rise from it?"
"..." This was quite the question. Yabuto knows the implication of either answer he gives. He was tempted to say yes since he felt indebted to his adopted father yet...
"I'm sorry father...I don't want to let you down but...I just don't feel anything when doing this..."
"..."
"I don't wish to disappoint you, especially since you've given so much—"
Before he could even finish his sentence, Bakari gave him a hug. Yabuto was silent since he didn't know what to do here.
"It's okay, son. I won't force you to do this anymore."
"..."
Yabuto had a few tears in his eyes as he heard this, feeling comfort from his father's kind words before returning the hug.
'Thanks father.'
As the two were hugging, the maid looked from a distance with a smile, finding this moment so wholesome.
A couple of years later, Yabuto had traveled around the capital multiple times alongside Ella, the timid maid from his childhood.
He assisted Ella in getting food for the mansion by heading towards the capital. During their walk around the streets of the capital, Ella looked at Yabuto for a moment before giggling.
"Hm? What?" Yabuto asked calmly.
"Nothing. It's just that you look like a proper noble right now."
"..." Yabuto remained silent though he chuckled when he heard this, being respectful. "To be honest, I haven't worn this since I stop meeting up with those nobles two years ago."
"You didn't had to continue after telling Bakari-sama that you weren't happy being a noble."
"I know. But I did it because I respect father. I wanted to represent the Jinzadashi household for a bit more before feeling like I can search for my true purpose."
"Well...have you found that purpose?" She asked with a curious cute tone, something that caught Yabuto's attention. He rubbed the back of his head with his face turning a bright red for a few seconds before he responded with:
"Not yet...but I'll find it. I'm still young."
"That is true but don't let that youth be wasted."
As Ella said this, the two put their conversation on paused as they started getting the food for the mansion. During this food shopping, Yabuto and Ella were buying a couple of Appas only for some demi human to shove Yabuto to the ground while stealing a bag of food from the maid.
"Hey!"
Yabuto regained his balance before chasing after the thief.
"Bastard! Get back here!"
The green haired teen used every ounce of strength to catch up to the thief. The moment he caught up, he did not hesitate to punch the back of the head. This attack caused the thief to not only drop the bag of food he stole but also fell to the ground.
Yabuto didn't hesitate to grab the bag in order to run back to Ella, having realized that he just left the maid behind. Before he could go back, three people blocked his pathway.
"Hand over those goods, lord scum."
"..."
Yabuto remained silent as he saw a blue haired young man, a large young man with purple hair, and a small looking boy with brown mushroom hair.
"You better hand that bag over if you wish to live." The large young man spoke, trying to sound as reasonable as possible...during a burglary.
"..."
"...? Why aren't you saying anything? Are you stupid?" The short one of the three spoke.
"..."
Yabuto remained silent, his eyes sort of blanking out since he didn't like thieves.
Although there weren't as many memories of Gusteko, the ones that he has were of older male and female thieves stealing his food in order to survive themselves.
So, seeing three thieves approaching him to steal food that doesn't belong to them angers him.
Though he was temporarily confused by the odd kindness from the large young man for a second before the anger returning.
"You know, it's rude to steal from people. So, I'll give you one chance to walk away."
The one with blue haired looked at Yabuto with an annoyed facial expression before pulling out his two blades.
"Ya think we're gonna let that slide?"
"...Okay then." Yabuto set the bag down as he prepared to beat the crap out of the three thieves only for his mind to suddenly recognize the one with blue hair.
"...hm? Rachins, is that you?"
"..."
"Rachins? Who the hell is that?"
"..."
The blue haired young man lowered his weapons has he realized who was standing in front of him.
"Yabuto."
"Rachins."
"Chin."
"Hm?"
"The name's Chin now. Get used to it."
Yabuto chuckled when he heard this, seeing that his friend hasn't change fundamentally. Just as he was about to grab his bag, the demi human thief tried to slice his back with his beast form arm only for Yabuto to just barely dodge the attack.
As the green haired teen was able to dodge this attack, his eyes had suddenly shifted from a calm and friendly look into a more calculated and cold look. He observed all possible ways to attack, having kept in mind of the self defense training his father had given him.
Once he saw a clear path, he didn't hesitate to charge straight towards the thief and knock him out with a single punch.
Seeing Yabuto knock out the demi human with one blow caused Chin's two companions to start hesitating in stealing from the noble, learning just how dangerous he could be.
Yabuto remained in his serious mode before managing to return into a more friendly manner.
"Sorry about that, seems like he still wanted a fight."
"..."
Chin and his two companions were silent when they saw this, afraid that he could snap at them at any moment. Before anything could be said, a couple of knights started to make their way towards the area.
"Shit! It's the knights."
"Let's get out of here."
Chin's two companions start making a run for it with Chin preparing to run as well.
"W-Wait, Rachins! We didn't get the chance to talk—!"
"...It was good seeing you again, Yabuto. Hope ya doing well!"
Those were the last words he would hear from Rachins for a long time since he wouldn't interact with his old friend in a long while.
Yabuto did felt sad at first since he didn't get the chance to talk with Rachins yet he was happy he got the chance to see him again, seeing that he's truly doing what he wants...despite the fact that it's on the wrong path.
Before he could think more into it, a couple of knights approached him.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes...that thief right there stole from me." Yabuto responded in a cold tone, wanting the thief to be punished. The two knights nodded before approaching the thief to send him to prison. As they picked up the thief, the green haired teen couldn't help but ask one of the knights:
"Can I ask, why are you a knight? Does it fulfil your purpose?"
"...huh..." The knights were both unsure how to take this answer since its rare for anybody to ask this.
"Well in my case, I felt it was right path for me."
"And for me, I wanted to follow the footsteps of my brother."
Yabuto nodded at what the two were saying, appreciating a response from them. He bowed in respect while saying:
"Thanks for your response. I won't bother you any longer. Please enjoy the rest of your day."
The knights both smiled at Yabuto, seeing a noble being respectful to them and didn't look down on them.
They nodded back at the noble with respect before taking the thief away. While the two knights left, Ella ran towards Yabuto after finally having caught up with him.
"Yabuto-sama!"
"Hm?"
Yabuto turned around to see the maid reaching him, taking the moment to catch her breath. He smiled at her as he began to say:
"Hey Ella, you manage to catch up."
"...W-Well...you went off...on your own...are you...okay at least?" Ella asked as she was still trying to catch her breath.
"Yeah. That thief had no chance against me." Yabuto smiled as he said this. Ella took a minute before being able to stand back up.
"Well then, let's get back to the mansion before anymore thieves come out."
Yabuto nodded to this statement before sticking close to Ella, wanting to protect her while also thinking about what the two knights said.
'Hm. Could it be possible that knighthood is my purpose.'
This was something that remained on the teen's mind for a while before choosing to try his skills at knighthood. With assistance from his father, he was able to participate in the knight exam.
During the exam, Yabuto closed his eyes and focused his mind on every move his father and a trained swordsman had taught him within the two weeks he had to train.
While he was calming his mind, he was curious on a boy with red hair, seeing how enthusiastic he was in taking the exam.
He paid close attention to that fight specifically, watching the red haired teen doing his best against Marcos only to eventually get overwhelmed.
Although the fight was probably not as long as Yabuto thinks, he was paying close attention to each movement the red haired teen and Marcos were making.
He was observing and trying to think why each of them made a specific movement.
After the red haired teen's fight, he was next to take on Marcos.
He had been impressed by the fight that he wants to do better on his turn. Marcos pointed his sword towards Yabuto.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes." The green haired teen spoke as his eyes turned cold, putting his mindset in the "do or die" mentality.
"Then begin."
The second Marcos said this, Yabuto did not hesitate to start going on the offense with a more kill intent, using the painful memories of his time in Gusteko to have an aggressive offense.
Marcos was impressed by this since he didn't expect the son of a lord having this amount of potential as a swordsman since he was being pushed back a bit.
This made him curious if the young man's defense was also as good as his offense.
He waited for the right time before starting to switch the tide of the fight around, having found the moment Yabuto left himself opened for an attack.
Just as Marcos switched from defense to offense, Yabuto was forced to block off the attacks.
At first, he was able to keep up only for Marcos to disarm him suddenly and easily out of nowhere.
'What?!' The green haired teen was shocked by this, not thinking that he would just lose so easily, causing those cold eyes to switch back into his regular self.
"That is the end of this test. Step outside now."
"...Understood."
Yabuto went to grab his sword before leaving off to wait for the results, dumbfounded by the way it ended.
'That was...unexpected.'
Yabuto noticed the red haired young man siting all on his own, looking as if he had observed his fight.
Wanting to speak with him, he approached him and sat down right next to him.
Although he wanting to speak with him, he also wanted to rest for a bit too.
The moment he sat down, the two look at each other before looking forward.
"Hey, what's your name?" The red haired teen had asked first, prompting Yabuto to respond in a friendly manner.
"Yabuto Jinzadashi. What's your name?"
"Kishida Hisafumi."
"Neat name."
"Same with you."
There was a moment of silence before Kishida asked:
"How did you think you did?" Kishida asked with enthusiasm, curious to know what Yabuto thought of his fight.
"Hm...well my offense was pretty good but I guess my defense might be what costs me in the end."
Yabuto spoke in a carefree manner, understanding that although his offense was pretty good, he probably should've worked more on defense even with the limited time he had. He looked up at the sky while asking,
"What about you? What do you think?"
Kishida took a moment of silence, reflecting on his match.
After a few seconds, he responded with,
"Well, I don't know. I think I did alright...well I hope I did. My offense wasn't too bad and I put up a bit of defense before I was overpowered but overall, I hope I did fine."
Yabuto looked at Kishida and just patted him in the back, liking his optimism.
The two stayed there for a bit before deciding that they should join the others who finished the test.
Just as that was going to happen, they noticed someone with brown hair passing by them to go do his test.
'Those eyes...'
Yabuto turned towards the boy's direction, having found those eyes very familiar to him. This prompted him to say while in a concerned tone of voice,
"He doesn't seem like a bad person but..."
"...he does look like a villain." Kishida says as he found this observation.
"I wouldn't say villain." Yabuto responded to Kishida's observation, viewing it more than just a villain.
Both Kishida and Yabuto observe the boy's test, viewing how this individual will do in his test.
Once Marcos said that the battle could commence, Waraki did not hesitate to start fighting.
Yabuto saw how this boy's offense was incredibly violent compared to his; where his was more or less aggressive, this one was a lot more violent and with more killing intent than his.
Although him and Kishida were amazed, they were also horrified by this since they are aware that one who fights like the boy with brown hair tends to mean that they are fighting with vengeance in their mind.
They watched as this boy was forcing Marcos to slightly try harder than Yabuto before being forced into defense.
This boy was able to keep up, yet he eventually was overpowered.
The moment the boy was disarmed, he looked at Marcos for a moment before being dismissed.
The young boy grabbed his sword and started to walk away, still having a cold facial expression.
Kishida and Yabuto looked at each other before turning towards the boy, wanting to talk to him yet he passed by the two.
"Hm. Something must've pissed him off today."
"Maybe but it isn't our place to ask." Yabuto said, knowing that he wouldn't want to talk about things such as his childhood in Gusteko.
"You might be right Kishida. We should probably start heading back."
"Agreed."
The two boys started to follow the boy to meet up with the other qualifiers.
As they were all waiting for a bit, Marcos with three generals approached them and started a speech of how it was an honor to evaluate everyone.
The qualifiers all noticed that those whose names were called should stay while the others can return home.
After a few names had been called out, Yabuto and Kishida both heard their names be called which caused the two to fist bump since that signified that they made it.
As they fist bump, they hear an interesting name,
"Waraki Seimoto."
As they heard this, they notice the boy look up for a moment with a hint of hope before returning to a cold facial expression.
Yabuto analyzed this and knew that there's a possible way to reach the light inside Waraki's darkened heart.
'I see...something in you has hardened you...I'll help make you feel welcomed.'
With this in his thoughts, for the next few years, Yabuto with Kishida's help went out of their way to soften Waraki up, trying to get him to stop being on his own and to help make him be a part of the team.
He was slowly warming up to the two knights, having trained with the two and doing some small jobs with them and yet he would still have some sort of wall keeping them from being friends.
This would all change when they all participated in a tournament, one to determine who is the strongest of the knights aside from Reinhard van Astrea but also who is the finest knight.
"Do you believe you can get through him?" Kishida questioned as they were on the semi finals of this tournament, with Yabuto being put against Waraki.
"It has been a few years at this point, I believe that this is my final chance to get through to him before we are all sent out on different assignments."
"...yeah, you are right about that."
Kishida understood the type of pressure Yabuto was in since Waraki's fights with the other knights have been...quite brutal.
"Will you truly be okay facing him? We saw how he fights and...he might be a bit much even for you."
"I understand the concern. I know his offense is...well overwhelming, especially when he's in a berserk like state, but I have a feeling that I'm best suited for this task."
"How so?" Kishida respectfully questioned, not trying to discourage Yabuto but more out of concern for his well-being. The green haired knight understood this and yet he continued to have a carefree attitude.
"I know that pain myself...I never told you but I'm not originally from Lugnica."
"Okay..." Kishida spoke in a soft voice, wanting to show that he's listening to what his friend has to say. Yabuto continued:
"I was saved from Father when he visited Gusteko. I don't really like thinking about the few memories I have there since all it leads is...well darkness but that's what I see in Waraki. A darkness that has been taken hold of his heart for who knows how long."
"..." Kishida remained silent, understanding where his friend was getting at.
"Hopefully I can reach him before he gets himself killed in the actual field."
"...Well then, I'll be rooting for you."
Kishida lifted his fist up while giving a warm smile, showing that despite this new information, nothing will change between the two knights. Yabuto smiled as he fist bumped Kishida before leaving off to face Waraki. As he entered the arena with all the confidence in the world, he looked at Waraki as he was entering the arena around the same time as him.
'Well...seems like I have found a purpose here. I have to help Waraki.'
Yabuto and Waraki both looked at each other with the green haired knight have a confident smile while the brown haired knight had a more serious look.
"..."
"..."
The two were silent before pulling out their swords, causing most of the knights that were eliminated to cheer for either knight, some wishing Yabuto to beat Waraki after the way he was acting throughout the tournament while others cheered for Waraki as they placed their bets in him winning.
"Whenever you are ready, start your match." Marcos said as he was overseeing this tournament, knowing that if he's not there, things could go violent especially with someone like Waraki. Yabuto and Waraki both heard this, prompting the two to take a moment to come up with a strategy. As they were getting ready for a fight, Waraki spoke with a serious tone,
"I recommend you walk away now if you wish to remain in good shape."
"I know but I will get through you, Waraki. I'll break that darkness that has a hold on you."
"Is that so? Well then bring it on!"
The two knights charged at each other and clashed swords.
Present time:
Yabuto looks at Todd with a serious facial expression, knowing how dangerous this Vollachian warrior is.
All he needed to do was to look at Todd's eyes to see that he has a mix of darkness of his and Waraki's.
As he noticed this, he turned towards Waraki and Kishida's respective fights, watching how Waraki was using aggression to keep up with Jamal's strength while Kishida kept himself on the defensive to avoid getting hit by the arrows from Larkin.
Yabuto returned his focus to Todd as he started to change his eyes from their usual calm and more friendly into a cold stare with killing intent.
"I have to ask, why does one like you truly kill?"
"..." Todd remained silent, not caring to answer this question to a knight from Lugnica. Yabuto had noticed this, prompting him to continue to push for information.
"You think yourself as judge, jury, executioner?"
"..."
"Do you actually care for anybody? Or do you just enjoy the satisfaction of being alone?"
Todd's eyes gave a momentary fire like look before charging at the knight with great speed, realizing that he was trying to gain information.
He swung his axe with enough strength to slice a person's head clean off with little to no difficult.
Yabuto noticed this and quickly used his sword to counter the attack, viewing this as the start of their match.
Both fighters looked each other with cold stares, Yabuto has a knight trying to find something on his opponent to use in order to get them to stand down or find some advantage over him, while Todd was analyzing the many ways he could kill the knight since he does view him as a threat.
The two waited before pulling their weapons back before swinging at each other, both of them somehow ending up back in clashing weapons.
Their way of thinking is different and yet their movements are similar, something the two fighters realized.
'This one's a problem.' Both simultaneously had the same thoughts, viewing the other as an equal and a threat.
They jumped away from each other to think carefully on their next course of action.
Todd understood that he should be more calculative than aggressive towards Yabuto, seeing that he isn't a novice of a warrior.
Yabuto on the other hand felt that he should prioritize on some mind games, knowing that having his opponent fight with emotion can leave them vulnerable of making a mistake.
The only thing he got out of his questions was that whether he had someone he cared for.
This was something he can work with. He lowered his guard down while pointing his sword towards the Vollachian warrior.
"State your name. Mine's Yabuto Jinzadashi, proud son of Lord Bakari Jinzadashi."
"..." Todd remained silent, not wanting to speak since he was not stupid. He knew that his opponent needs information. Yabuto took note of this, which prompted him to say,
"You do have someone you care about, no? Perhaps a family member like a parent or sibling. Or maybe a close friend or ally you've grown a strong bond with like me and those two that are fighting your fellow brethren. Kishida, Waraki, and I have gone through so much together, making our bonds strong."
Todd remained silent still while charging at Yabuto, realizing that he must keep the knight from trying to use mind games on him.
The green haired knight waited before blocking each attack thrown his way, knowing full well that this isn't it either.
'His movements didn't give a hint of emotions...except the desire of killing me but not like the last time he charged.'
As he was analyzing for more possible things, Todd threw a barrage of attacks while saying to his dangerous opponent:
"You remind me of someone with ugly eyes and a scary stentch."
"What? A mabeast? Are you seriously comparing me to that?" Yabuto sounded annoyed, causing him to almost get killed since he lost focused for a split second.
He barely dodged the axe directed towards his chest area before managing to land a kick on Todd, pushing the Vollachian soldier back.
'Shit, that was too close.'
As Yabuto had some distance, he went back to those horrible memories of Gusteko, getting himself back into his "do or die" mentality before re-analyzing the situation.
Todd remained still as he felt the kick to the gut and yet wasn't in any real pain.
He looked up and noticed that his opponent isn't as strong as he thought...though he knows that Yabuto is a lot more devious than he seems.
"For a knight, you are fragile."
"I know." Yabuto spoke with a sharp tone. "If you wished to fight the strongest of the three of us, then Waraki's the best chance though he would rather test himself with a brute than someone with intelligence...unless your with the witch cult."
"...?" Todd's eyebrow slightly tilted when he heard this, intrigued by this knowledge yet for the current moment, it isn't useful. This prompted him to return the same questions he had been asked by the knight, "You speak of caring for your friends, so why give me the information of your friend? Did you lie about caring for your friends?"
"I do." Yabuto spoke with confidence, changing his tone into his usual friendly one. "They gave me a purpose. They gave me a place where I once felt that I didn't have. As much as I owe my father for everything, Waraki and Kishida are the two that gave me a purpose in my life. That's why I care for them like family."
Todd couldn't help but hate Yabuto, seeing a fraction of Natsuki Subaru in him by the way he spoke.
Despite this, he saw that he wasn't lying to him about caring for his friends, prompting him to turn his attention towards Waraki.
As he did this, he saw that somehow Waraki was on equal terms with Jamal despite Jamal using both his swords and both his eyes.
Yabuto realized that his opponent was looking at Waraki, prompting him to lower his guard as he said,
"Do it. Try to attack him. Watch what would happen."
"..."
Todd Fang looked back at Yabuto Jinzadashi, a bit taken aback from this since he isn't sure if this is a bluff.
'What could that knight do? Block an attack from a second opponent? Or will this knight do something?'
As the Vollachian soldier was analyzing his next move, Yabuto put away his sword as he stood standing tall.
"I will once again ask you, what is your name?"
"..."
"For a warrior, you really like being silent."
"I'm nothing more than a soldier. One following orders."
As Todd said this, he threw his axe towards Kishida's direction, having remembered that he was wielding a sword in his left hand while having a hook on his missing right hand.
Yabuto was surprised by this, prompting him to quickly warn Kishida of the attack.
"Kishida, duck now!"
Kishida heard this and quickly listened to his friend's warning.
As he ducked, Larkin saw this as the best chance to land a hit of his own.
As he fired the arrow, he managed to land a hit on Kishida's left shoulder.
"Tsk!"
The red haired knight felt a jolt of pain which prompted Yabuto to quickly go to his friend's position to protect him from both Todd Fang and Larkin Barron. As he was in front of his friend, he shouts with determination:
"Waraki! Come quick!"
The brown haired knight heard this and quickly left his fight with Jamal to help protect Kishida.
As the two knights were covering their injured ally, Yabuto looked at both Larkin and Todd with determination while Waraki saw Jamal looking angrily at him.
"How dare you leave our fight!"
"I'm not one to run away, just adjusting our fight to a different location."
"Tsk." Jamal looked disgusted at his opponent. Despite him being strong, he hates the weakness the knight has. "Protecting a weakling will get you killed. You should just leave him for dead."
"Don't underestimate Kishida! He survived a lot of hell on his own. He survived a sin archbishop's attack, he took on a person named Reid Astrea, and he managed to learn how to fight all over again to adjust with his missing hand! He's a lot stronger than you think." Waraki shouted with pride, causing Yabuto to smile since he knows that this Waraki is very different to the one he first met.
Kishida smiled as well when he heard this, managing to get back up despite the pain his arm was in.
"Thanks Waraki...I'll make sure to live up to your expectations of me."
As Kishida said this, he quickly charged at Jamal with all of his strength and speed.
"What the—?!"
"Switch!"
Kishida requested this switch, confident that he'll do much better against someone in close quarters, wanting to use his training from Reid Astrea against a strong opponent.
"The hell?! You're not my opponent, one armed weakling!"
"Then this should be an easy fight, no?"
As Kishida said this, he started to move his sword in a way that forced Jamal to go on the defense, annoying the Vollachian warrior.
Yabuto and Waraki both chuckled as they saw their friend show off his skills before changing opponent themselves, with Yabuto taking on Larkin while Waraki took on Todd.
Waraki looked at Todd with a glare while saying to him,
"You're my opponent now. Get ready to lose."
"...It doesn't matter to me if I win or lose."
"...?" Waraki was a bit dumbfounded by this comment yet he was still ready for a tough fight, knowing that Todd isn't someone to take lightly.
Yabuto looked at Larkin and could see a small reflection of himself in him.
While Todd Fang was the more analytic of the trio, Larkin was the more survival of the three, having a constant desire to survive.
The two stared each other down for a moment before beginning their fight.
Larkin rapidly started to fire arrows at Yabuto, wanting to eliminate him as fast as possible while Yabuto did his best to either dodge or block the attacks while also trying to close the gap between the two of them.
As he did this, he started to evaluate how Larkin is compared to Todd.
He made a note that Todd was very calculative yet Larkin fights differently.
He's more of a survivor rather than a warrior, someone that'll do anything in their physical capabilities to survive.
'I'll beat this archer! For the sake of my friends!'
Yabuto continues to block off a few arrows shot towards him while dodging others before finally reaching Larkin.
As he closed in on the archer, he swung his sword towards Larkin's direction only for the archer to use his bow staff as a shield of sorts, managing to block off the attack with relative ease.
"Hm!"
"Your overconfidence will be your downfall, you damn Lugnica scum."
"Tsk."
Yabuto looked at Larkin annoyed before proceeding to throw a barrage of attacks at him, trying to get the upper hand.
Larkin with some effort began to block all of the attacks, using his bow and a few arrows to accomplish this task.
While Yabuto was on the offense and Larkin on the defense, Kishida continued to go on the offense against Jamal, managing to force the Vollachian warrior to finally start fighting serious.
He jumped back to gain some distance from the knight, prompting him to ask,
"What? Still disappointed that I'm doing better than I look?"
"Tsk. I'll wipe that fucking cocky attitude of yours, fucking prick."
Jamal finally starts going all out with everything he has, wanting to show the cocky red haired knight that he's nowhere near his skillset.
Kishida didn't think much of this but the second they continued their fight, he was suddenly overwhelmed with the speed and precision of his opponent's attacks.
As he was barely hanging on to his defense, Jamal looked at him with disgust while also enjoying this, knowing full well that the beginning of this fight was nothing more than child's luck.
"Looks like your all but talk now, scum."
"D-Don't count me out just yet!"
Despite the current fight being in Jamal's favor, Kishida knows very well that if he wishes to win this fight, he'll need to really use every single skill he had acquired from Reid Astrea.
He watches as Jamal swings his blades towards his neck's direction, prompting the knight to react by dropping his sword and using his hook as close quarters defense.
Exactly like how Reid told him, he was able to not only avoid the attacks thrown towards him but also manages to land a few scratches on the Vollachian soldier.
'This is progress...but I better land a definite blow, eventually before it's too late.' Kishida is aware that the injury he had received from Larkin can be ignored but not forever since the pain from moving his body, more specifically his left arm, will overwhelm him at some point soon.
While Kishida continued to push for an opening, Waraki and Todd stared each other down for a moment.
The two having different vibes coming from each other, Waraki's filled with confidence while Todd filled with motivation.
Unlike with Yabuto, Todd knew that Waraki was more of a fighter similar to Jamal.
The two shared a strong desire of winning though in Waraki's case, he had a desire to win over a particular group.
"I didn't think I would encounter a fragile knight." Todd stated. "Someone who only fights for vengeance, that's a weak motivator."
"Yeah and so what? It had kept me alive for many years on my own." The knight spoke with a bit of anger in his voice, disliking how his opponent was judging him. He pointed his sword towards his opponent while continuing to speak:
"Don't look down on me! You don't know me at all!"
"And I wouldn't care to."
Todd immediately charged towards his opponent, have his knife out and ready to land the killing blow.
Waraki was surprised by the soldier's movements yet he was able to barely dodge the attack, seeing that he was aiming for one of his eyes.
'Fuck! That was too close.'
Waraki knew that this one is as dangerous as a witch cultist, if not just below a Sin Archbishop.
He thinks this since he knows how Witch cultist act, without any morals or care for life which are things Todd's showing.
With this information, he jumped back to try and keep his distance only for Todd to continue on a restless barrage of attacks, wanting to leave some permanent injury on him.
'This bastard is truly dangerous!'
Despite knowing full well that he isn't a witch cultist, Waraki felt that he must fight like he is fighting one, seeing that it usually helps when he takes this fight into that direction.
Before he could have such a mindset, he attempted to block one of Todd's punches with his arm only to feel it fracture by the impact.
"F-Fuck!"
Waraki backed off for a moment, having felt his left arm be damaged though not broken at least.
Todd continued his attacks on the brown haired knight, forcing him to go on the defensive and to dodge everything.
'This guy's strong...he's for sure much more of a challenge than that other Vollachian guy.'
As Waraki's more battle instincts were excited of this, he also felt the survival part of him was screaming to run.
"For your kingdom to praise knights, it is pathetic. All I see are three fragile men trying to prove that they are strong when in reality, they are weak."
"You mother—"
Before he could finish this sentence, he received a kick to the gut, sending him flying a few feet away.
"You are much weaker than I had originally thought."
Todd spoke with a calmer demeanor, as if he had gained the upper hand.
Yabuto noticed this, prompting every fiber of his being to go help Waraki out.
Before he could focus on that or on his current fight, Larkin landed a hit to the knight's face with his bow staff.
This caused Yabuto to be disoriented for a few seconds, allowing Larkin to quickly pull out an arrow and to land a successful hit on the green haired knight.
The arrow pierced through the green haired knight's chest and just barely missed his heart.
Although this did kept him alive longer than what Larkin wanted, the arrow went through the knight and left a hole in his chest area.
"Wha—"
"...pathetic."
Larkin expected more of a decent fight when he saw that he was facing a knight with both their arms intact only to see that it wasn't really much of a challenge.
This only serves to leave him more annoyed than anything.
Yabuto coughed out some blood as he looked with disbelief, not knowing how this ended up as an outcome.
'What? But how?...N-No, it can't end like this...'
As Yabuto was trying to get the motivation to keep on fighting, he suddenly started to remember a conversation he had prior to the events on the Watergate city.
Some time back:
"Sora, Subaru, mind if I speak with you two for a moment?" Yabuto asked in a calm manner. The two keyblade wielders didn't mind speaking with the green haired knight, especially after having had a tough training session.
"Sure...just give us a moment." Natsuki Subaru said as he was extremely tired.
Yabuto chuckled when he heard this, always enjoying the company of his fellow knight.
He went to sit down in the main room in order to wait.
As he waited, he closed his eyes to rest for a moment only to sense someone close by.
He opened his eyes to look at his right side to see that it was Frederica.
She was starting to clean the main room that he was in.
"Oh. Hello there, Frederica."
"Hm?" Frederica was spooked by this, not expecting anybody in the room. She turned towards her back side to see the green haired knight. "Yabuto-sama? Apologies, I didn't think anyone would be here at this time."
"It's alright. I'm just waiting on Subaru and his master to come here."
"Oh. Shall I get you some tea while you wait?"
"That's..." Not necessary was something Yabuto's next words yet for some reason, he changed his mind. "...would be nice. Get some for yourself as well, I'd like to chat with you for a bit."
"Um...sure thing. I'll be right back."
Frederica bows with respect before heading off to the kitchen.
As she does this, Yabuto thinks to himself,
'I wasn't planning on talking with Garfiel's sister but considering that there's not much to do...why not?'
He hadn't really thought much of a simple conversation with Frederica. He waited for five minutes before Frederica returned with tea for the two of them.
"I've brought you your tea, Yabuto-sama."
"No need to add sama, just call me by my name."
"You are too modest, knight." Frederica spoke as she smiled at how nice Yabuto was.
The green haired knight just had a calm smile, trying to keep things professional and friendly only for his smile to go away for a second when he noticed Waraki and Kishida spying on him from a window.
'...this isn't going to end well...'
As tradition between the three, when one talks to a woman one on one, the other two must not only stay out of sight but also listen in and help out whenever they can.
They are each their very own wingmen though...this usually ends badly for him specifically since Waraki and Kishida have an odd sense of helping.
"What do you wish to talk about?" The maid asked as she sat down and starting to take a few sips from her tea.
"N-Nothing to particular, just wanted to check how are you and Petra holding up?"
"Ah. We are doing much fine."
"That's good to hear." Yabuto said with a calm tone, happy that the two maids were okay in the end. "Sorry that we couldn't do much to protect you all. The fact that we needed the two keyblade wielders show just how weak we've become."
"There's no need to look down on yourself. You three together did manage to protect us. Petra-san and I are still very much alive thanks to your efforts." Frederica may have not fully known Yabuto, Kishida, and Waraki but with the few interactions they had, she can tell the trio are much stronger than they perceive.
"I suppose...all of this for sure seems surreal to me."
"How so?" The maid asked with curiosity.
"It feels like...destiny has been shifted. I don't know why but it just feels like...something's shifting the course of history."
Frederica couldn't help but be intrigued by Yabuto's words.
Waraki and Kishida were a bit dumbfounded by what their friend was saying since it's somehow keeping Frederica's attention from the looks of it.
"What do you believe is the cause of this course of history?" She asked with an intrigued voice, having a feeling that she knows the answer. Yabuto took a moment to reflect back in his entire life, having a feeling that he wouldn't be where he was without two certain people that have made an impact in not only one candidate camp but all five of them.
"Natsuki Subaru, the knight of the silver haired half elf, and Sora, the Keyblade Master. Those two have this aura that presents change for the better."
"I'd have to agree." Frederica commented as the two took a sip from their respective tea cups. "Subaru-sama and Sora-sama have quite the influence."
"They indeed do. Honestly, they have opened up my purpose to something more."
"Your purpose?" Frederica asked, finding this word a bit interesting, especially when a knight like Yabuto uses it.
"Yeah. As a kid, I've always looked for a purpose. So when I met Kishida and Waraki, I had found my purpose with them...but then when meeting Natsuki Subaru and Sora, I feel like my purpose has extended to something bigger than usual."
The two noticed Sora and Subaru approaching, having overheard their voices from a hallway leading into the main room.
"Well then. I should get back to work. Naoko-san will need my assistance later with dinner."
"Understood. Thanks for the tea...and for having a conversation with me. I know I might've cut some of your work time."
"It's no problem." Frederica responded while having a warm smile. Before she left, she wanted to leave some words of encouragement. "When it comes down to having a purpose, one should strive for the people one cares about. That'll help fill your soul with life, never feeling like you're wasting your time."
"...I'll make sure to remember that, Frederica." He said this with a newfound perspective on the matter while also nodding with high respects to the maid. She just smiled as she went off to finish her remaining duties for the day. As she left, Sora and Subaru took the chance to sit down and join a conversation with the green haired knight.
"I see you were chatting with Frederica." Sora said as he noticed this. "What did you two talked about?"
"Nothing to important really. Just some normal conversation." Yabuto responded calmly.
"...well if you have a crush on Frederica, I mean she is single from what I can tell." Subaru said as he began to tease his friend. Yabuto's calm manner had shaken.
"Don't you start. I have no romantic interest in Frederica-san. She's someone I highly respect but not in that manner." Yabuto said as he remained with his respectful manner. "Besides, I feel like Otto and Frederica would make a better pairing."
"Ha! Tell that to Garfiel, he'll either have a laugh at that statement or punch you for it."
"Aside from that conversation..." Sora interjected himself, "Was there something on your mind?"
"Oh, yes actually." Yabuto adjusted himself as he sat up, looking with a serious facial expression at the Keyblade Master and the Knight of Emilia. "I've been meaning to ask, what drives you two?"
"Drives?" Subaru questioned.
"As in how do you push yourselves when cornered? Even when the odds are against you, how do you just keep moving forward."
This was a loaded question for the two keyblade wielders since their motivations are similar but for drastically different reasons.
"You can say that my friends, all of you, are my motivation." Sora said first, confident in his answer. "You all are what keep me moving forward."
"I'll have to agree. I care about all of you so much that I'd die for you all if it meant saving your lives." Natsuki Subaru spoke proudly, having grown such deep bonds with everyone in the Miload Manor.
"I-I don't think you need to go that far, Subaru. But I understand. The bonds of friendship can serve more than just a purpose but also a motivator to live."
"What? You didn't know that, Yabuto?" Subaru questioned, a bit teasing but also concerned.
"Of course I do. After all, I placed my absolute faith in you, newbie. During the events of Roswaal's mansion, I always believed that you'd somehow save us. So I'm no stranger to this being a hell of a motivator but...I guess it's rare for me to show my appreciation to it."
Yabuto closed his eyes as he doesn't remember the last time he had appreciated life for leading him to quite the adventure to meet amazing people.
'I'll have to thank them when I get the chance.'
Yabuto made himself a promise to thank his friends for being...well, his friends. The first that would be thanked is the two keyblade wielders right in front of him before thanking his two best friends.
"Waraki...Kishida..."
Yabuto shouted despite it hurting his body and having blood on his mouth, having coughed up more in the past twenty seconds.
Although muffled a bit, the two knights heard their friends voice, prompting the two to listen in carefully while also attempting to keep up their respective defense from Todd and Jamal's advances.
Larkin looked at his opponent with disgust though a bit intrigued, wondering what Yabuto's last words will be before he kills him.
"What pathetic last words do you have, Lugnica Scum?"
Yabuto heard Larkin's words yet he did not care for them since these next words were from the bottom of his heart towards his friends.
"I know we are on the losing side of this fight...and that we are each injured...but regardless we can't give up! We survived the battle against the White Whale, we each survived an encounter with a Sin Archbishop, and we even survived the margrave's mansion attack! So long as there's life within us, so long as we have the people we care about, goals we wish to accomplish on our mind, we will keep standing! So I ask you two, will you give up?!"
Larkin pulled his bow back as he prepared to kill Yabuto, Todd was about to land a killing blow, and Jamal was preparing to stab Kishida in the throat.
As the three vollachian warriors were ready to win their respective fights, Waraki suddenly punched the orange haired soldier in the face with the fractured arm.
Todd was taken aback from this as he looked at Waraki, his attitude having changed into one filled with destruction.
Kishida managed to deflect the attack while using his will power to pull out the arrow, finding it not only uncomfortable but hindering his movements.
Larkin fired the arrow with great speed only for Yabuto to swiftly catch it just as it was going to land on his forehead.
The Vollachian archer was taken aback as he saw Yabuto's determination despite being fatally wounded.
"What do you say boys? Shall we win this fight and reunite with our other member of this little group? Shall we win to reunite with Natsuki Subaru? With Sora? Reinhard? Emilia-sama? Frederica-san? Little Petra-san? Otto? Garfiel? Shall we reunite with them?!"
"Yeah!" Both Waraki and Kishida shouted, the brown-haired warrior sounded intimidating while Kishida sounded confident.
"Then let's win this fight!"
The three knights all shouted with pride, each of them more determined to win this fight no matter the cost.
As they were yelling their lungs out, Waraki was the first to start his fight with him reaching Todd's position before landing an uppercut.
"You're done for now! You piece of shit!"
"Tsk!"
Todd was a bit surprised by this, seeing that he's lost the advantage here.
This as well as hearing that they are allies with Natsuki Subaru prompting him to try to run only for Waraki managing to drag him back into a fight.
"Don't you dare fucking run! Not from me!"
He grabs the vollachian soldier's right arm before throwing him back to their battle ground.
"You aren't getting away that easily!"
"..."
Todd looked coldly towards Waraki before once again attempting to run, viewing that Yabuto's words had somehow given Waraki the strength to continue fighting.
As he was grabbed in the arm once again, he pulled out his knife and tried to stab his opponent in the face only for Waraki to swiftly dodge the impending attack.
While managing to do this, he once again threw the soldier back towards their fighting area.
"No matter how many times you try, I'll always catch you."
"..."
Todd realized that running away will be more difficult than just simply killing his opponent.
Because of this, he only spoke one word out that helped motivate him to survive:
"Katya."
"Hm?"
Waraki heard Todd mention a name but before he could even question it, Todd moved with such speed that it nearly got him killed if he hadn't moved out of the way a second later.
Waraki kept his guard up as he was around the same strength and speed as Todd.
While this was going on, Kishida in his fight managed to stab Jamal with his hook before slashing a bit of his chest area, causing some injury.
"Is that the best you got?!" Jamal shouted as he started going on the offensive. Kishida smiled as he was able to move with great speed now that he managed to pull out the arrow from his arm.
As he dodge the attacks, he waited for the right opportunity before changing the fight to his favor by managing to stab the Vollachian soldier in his hand where he was holding one of the swords.
Though to the way Kishida pushed his hook into the center of Jamal's right hand, the Vollachian warrior dropped the sword while also swinging the other one towards his opponent's head area.
The knight dodged the attack before pulling his hook out of Jamal's hand.
Once he successfully did this, he aimed for Jamal's right eye only for his opponent to block off the attack.
"Nice try! Scum!"
"I almost got you!"
The two looked at each other with determination, both determined to beat the other.
As they swing their respective weapons, they both miss as they dodged the other's attack.
The two attempted another attack only for them to dodge each other's second attack.
This pattern kept going until finally Kishida managed to land a stab wound on Jamal's left arm.
Although it wasn't deep enough to cause significant harm, it was painful enough to have the Vollachian warrior respond in kind by kicking Kishida in the chest with enough force to send him flying a few feet away.
As he kicked the red haired knight, the hook that was in his missing hand had broken off which left the knight nothing but a wooden handstick and his remaining arm to use in the fight.
Jamal smiled at this as he pulled out the hook from his arm, seeing that his opponent was unharmed now.
"End of the road for you."
"...not yet."
Kishida grabs the sword Jamal dropped and quickly pointed it towards his opponent's direction with a confident smirk.
"I won't lose to you. If someone like Natsuki Subaru could face impossible odds, if Sora is able to keep on going, if Wilhelm-sama is able to accomplish his lifelong goal, then I won't fall here."
Kishida said this as he knows those three are people he admires alongside Waraki and Yabuto.
This caused him to charge at Jamal with everything he had in him, knowing that this was the last of his energy so he had to make it count.
Yabuto looked at Larkin with a serious expression as he dropped the arrow that was fired at him to the ground. Larkin prepared to fire another arrow while saying,
"Your luck ends right here, scum."
"...Not yet."
As Larkin fired two arrows at once, Yabuto's eyes went into a cold state as he calculated the best chance in winning the fight.
The moment he found a way for him to win, he dodged the two arrows fired at him before rapidly approaching his opponent's location.
Larkin continued to fire more arrows while starting to run away, wanting to keep his distance from the green haired knight.
Yabuto noticed this and quickly moved as fast as he can, knowing that he'll eventually get hit if this keeps going.
'Even if you keep running, I'll reach you no matter what.'
He continued to dodge and dodge until finally he was within combat range of the archer.
As he swung his sword, Larkin managed to see an opening.
Without hesitation, he fired another arrow straight towards Yabuto's chest area, aiming for the heart this time.
Although Yabuto was aware of this, he saw that this was his one chance to gain the upper hand against his opponent, prompting him to gamble his life on this attack.
("Son, are you sure you'll be okay?" Bakari asked as he was told by his son that he would be heading to Vollachia Empire to save a friend in need.)
("Don't worry, father. My friends will be by my side, nothing bad will happen.")
("That's not what I'm worried about." Bakari said with a concerned voice, "...is this friend of yours worth the trouble?")
("Subaru? Yeah. He's different from the rest of us, and I don't mean in terms of the ability he possesses. I mean he's the kind of person you know you can put all your faith in.")
He swung his sword with everything he had while doing his best to avoid being killed by the archer's attack.
As he attempted to do this two things at once, he was barely able to land a hit on the archer while also receiving another arrow hit.
"Tsk."
Yabuto's attack hurt Larkin's right arm while Larkin's arrow hit just underneath the knight's heart.
This pain was excruciating and yet he did not faulter, he kept pressing forward despite how badly injured he was.
"Even with these injuries you've inflicted upon me, I won't ever give up."
"You think yourself invincible?! How pathetic of a mindset is that!"
"No! It's not because of something so trivial as that. It's because I have something to fight for, a true purpose that overshadows everything you've thrown at me."
"That's...such a fucking stupid motivator! Strength is strength! Not some dumbass motivation!"
Larkin hated this, he hated people talking about people motivating them when all his life, he's had to survive no matter what.
Larkin and Yabuto using their separate viewpoints to reach victory, Larkin grabbed an arrow to try and stab his opponent's throat while alternatively Yabuto moved his sword into position to try and stab the archer in the chest.
The two swung and with immense luck, Yabuto's stab landed with Larkin's arrow slashing a piece of the knight's neck since he managed to just barely dodge the attack.
"*Cough* Y-You bastard..."
"..."
Yabuto had finally managed to land the fatal blow he needed to change this battle in their favor, by having beaten the Archer of the opposing side.
Larkin remained stunned for a moment as he coughed a bit more blood, dumbfounded that this was the outcome.
"Y-You think...this is...the end...for me...th-then you have another thing coming!"
He swung his arm towards the top of Yabuto's head, aiming for the kill only for someone not involved in the three individual battles had suddenly arrived and grabbed his arm.
"Wha—?"
"You won't harm this knight."
Yabuto turned towards his left side while he was holding the urge to cough out blood.
He was shocked to see that Julius was there, having grabbed Larkin's hand holding an arrow that would've killed the green haired knight if allowed to be used on him.
The Vollachian archer looked angry at the purple haired knight, prompting him to try and attack only to get knocked out by the finest knight.
"He should've quit while he was ahead." Julius said with disappointment before turning his attention to Yabuto, seeing that the green haired knight was wounded while also watching him leave his sword on Larkin's chest area as the archer fell to the ground, unconscious. "You should rest."
"..."
Yabuto remained silent as he wasn't sure if he should rest, considering that there's possibly so much more obstacles ahead before finally reaching Subaru's location.
Jamal and Todd both noticed Julius arrive, making the two realize that their advantage as surely gone away since another knight would cause them problems.
Jamal wanted to finish Kishida quickly before facing the new knight while Todd wanted to run away, seeing this fight as truly hopeless.
Kishida and Jamal clashed swords with the Vollachian soldier having a slight advantage over the Lugnica knight in terms of strength yet his skills kept him in the battle.
Todd continued to throw a barrage of attacks with the goal being to kill Waraki as fast as possible.
Waraki on the other hand managed to keep up with Todd Fang at his most dangerous since his desire to kill all Witch Cultists was strong enough to prevent him from ever losing.
With the fights being on equal terms of strength, Yabuto turned towards Julius to tell him,
"Help Kishida out. I can help Waraki."
"Yabuto, you need to rest—"
"I can't. Not until we have reached Subaru and Sora."
"But what if you get yourself killed by doing this?"
Julius was genuinely worried for his fellow knight, knowing that he along with the other two are stubborn.
He only sighed to this before allowing Yabuto to assist Waraki, knowing that he isn't going to convince him to rest.
The two quickly went off to assist their respective knights, Julius to help Kishida while Yabuto went to assist Waraki.
Julius waited for the moment before getting in between the two warriors, blocking off one of Jamal's attacks with his sword just before it's strength would possibly knock out Kishida's current weapon out of his hand.
As Julius had blocked the attack, Jamal looked angrily at the finest knight.
"Ya bastard! How dare you interrupt a fight!"
"Pardon me, I just can't help but see that a fellow knight is in trouble."
"Julius? What are you doing here? I thought—"
"Emilia-sama can handle the situation without my assistance. You three for sure require some help."
"...thanks..."
Kishida was prideful but even he can tell that without Julius's interference right now would've possibly led to his death.
Julius looked at Jamal with a serious facial expression before continuing Kishida's fight, allowing the red haired knight to step back and rest.
"I shall be your opponent. Julius Juukulius, member of the Royal Guard."
"Tsk. Jamal Aurelie. The one who's going to kill you all!"
As Julius and Jamal were clashing swords, Yabuto approached the fight between Waraki and Todd, the green haired knight thinking on how he could help since he was starting to cough out blood.
'Damn...this actually hurts...'
Although he had somehow managed to keep fighting with this injury during his fight against Larkin, he can see that his body is reaching its limit.
'...just a little more...just a little more...'
Yabuto waited for a moment before charging in on the fight, just when Todd threw a punch towards Waraki's face.
The green haired knight swung his arm towards the Vollachian soldier's direction, aiming for his face only for Todd to take this opportunity to not only dodge the attack but kick the knight's leg hard enough to break it.
"F-Fuck!"
"Yabuto!"
Waraki was shocked by this, giving Todd the opening he needed to try and kill the brown haired knight.
Waraki noticed this and tried to block the attack only for Kishida to have joined the fight and use the last of his strength to punch Todd.
The Vollachian soldier looked at him with anger, seeing that somehow the three knights just refuse to die.
As Kishida was falling to the ground, he handed Waraki the sword he was holding onto before collapsing to the ground, out of energy.
Waraki looked at both Yabuto and Kishida, seeing that they are placing everything on him.
He took the chance to stop Todd from trying to get up by having the sword on his hand point closely towards the Vollachian soldier's neck.
"I suggest you stay down. Any sudden movement and I'll make sure you taste death right here and now."
Todd and Waraki looked eyes for a second, both analyzing the other.
Because he can see that the knight was speaking truthfully on his threat, he was forced to give up since he wasn't going to risk his life.
He looked angrily at the brown haired knight as he nodded as a sign to show that he gives up though his focus was mostly on Yabuto, viewing that he's the one that somehow took away their advantage.
Once Waraki saw that Todd had given up, he took the chance to knock him out with a kick to the jawline, not wanting to risk the vollachian warrior from doing something.
As he did this, he turned around to see that Julius not only managed to disarm Jamal but also managed to knock him out as well.
The finest knight felt that this was only an easy fight because Jamal was starting to reach a tired state.
He turned towards the three knights to see that Waraki was trying to help out Yabuto, having been injured by the fight.
He approached the knights to check up on them.
"You three are the bravest knights in Lugnica. You have my respect."
Yabuto and Waraki both gave a thumbs up before Yabuto slowly set his head down, finally reaching the end of his strength.
Before fully passing out, he had one request for Julius.
"Don't get yourself...killed out there."
"No need to worry. Get some rest, Yabuto."
"Thanks..."
Yabuto took this chance to rest up, knowing full well that his friend, Natsuki Subaru, is in safer hands.
As he rests up, Waraki manages to move Yabuto's leg in a more comfortable position in order to heal from Todd's vicious attack while also covering up the injuries given to him by Larkin.
"These two worked very hard...I can't leave them here on their own."
"I agree...especially considering that one of the three Vollachian warriors had escaped."
"What?"
Waraki turned towards where Larkin was once at only to see that there's a trail of blood leading towards the forest.
"I'm surprised that he's still able to get up and escape with a sword wound like that." Julius commented, a bit impressed by the archer's stubbornness for survival. Waraki looked in anger as he was tempted to go after Larkin and yet he knew that someone had to stay behind and help out the others.
"Why don't you two knights go and assist the others? I can take care of your friends."
Waraki and Julius both turned towards the voice, seeing that it was coming from Rowan. The two knights looked at Rowan as he approached the two in a calm manner, having been watching Yabuto and the others fight Todd and his group.
"...wait, have you just been watching all this time?" Waraki questioned.
"Yeah, you three had it covered."
"We could've lost if it wasn't for Julius—"
"Waraki, there's no point in fighting." Julius interrupted Waraki, having noticed the knight's anger increasing. "What's done is done. We need to help the others before it's too late."
"...do you really want to trust him with Yabuto and Kishida's lives?" Waraki asked as he was worried that his friends lives would be endangered if left alone. Julius patted Waraki's shoulder while trying to comfort him by saying,
"I understand the concern, but we have no other choice. Your strength might be needed in battle, especially if we encounter the witch perusing Subaru and Sora."
Normally this would motivate him to shift into his desires in hunting down any witch cultist yet he was conflicted. He looked at his two friends to see that they gave it their all to win, leaving him as the remainder of that strength.
"...fine, but he better not do anything to them." Waraki said as he pointed the sword handed over to him by Kishida towards Rowan's face.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen to them. I promise."
"..."
Waraki remained silent as he nodded at Julius, indicating that he's ready to keep moving forward. Julius picked up on this, prompting him to turn his attention towards the capital of Vollachia, having a feeling that there's a lot of fights going on as they speak.
"Shall we?" The finest knight asked.
"Let's do this." Waraki said with confidence.
As the two go into the city, Rowan takes a moment to look at everyone whose knocked out before turning his attention towards the fight with Xemnas, intrigued by the combined efforts of Crusch, Wilhelm, Theresia, Carol, and Grimm.
"This should be fun to watch."
Author's note:
Honestly, I can't believe I started this first fanfic story two years ago. This story has gone far and deep, which brings me into wanting to give you all the update.
I'm still going to finish this story as well as the other three but the upload time will be slow. I have a few projects outside of writing and work, meaning that my time to write is slow but I won't give up on these stories, I will see it through the end.
Now, I also want to say that we are heading towards the end of this arc. I promise, the ultimate fight is to come and you'll have a great finale to this arc.
I would also want to thank you all for reading this story. I know that it isn't the best story and my writing is all over the place at times, but I appreciate you all.