Volume 6 Chapter 13 – The One-Flash | Destiny <Determined>

-That day-

Liam had announced that he would be going out to play, and he decided to have Ellen, who was training, tag along on a whim.

(I’ll be shopping with Master today!)

Ellen was delighted that she could spend time with Liam, her Master.

The luxury car that they were on was shaped like a limousine.

Although it had tires, they were rarely used as the car came with the function to fly.

Of course, as it was a custom-made luxury car, its interior design was rather grand.

The car was sliding along the road, levitating half a meter above it.

Ellen glanced at the katana that was next to Liam.

Even among Liam’s favorites, this one had a special place in his heart.

The katana that Ellen had received was also from Liam’s collection, and it had been engraved with the drawing of a golden tiger.

Her sword was a fine specimen in its own right, but there was a mysterious power dwelling in Liam’s nameless katana.

(Master has been carrying that sword around these days.)

As it was his most prized katana, it wasn’t often that he carried it around.

It was as if he was being wary of something.

Liam was sitting down on a seat and drinking from a glass that Tia had poured liquor into.

“Daytime drinking is the best.”

“Lord Liam, that was a wonderful way of drinking. People would be head over heels for you.”

Tia’s words sounded like flattery, but Ellen somehow knew that she was serious.

After all, there was so much passion reflected in Tia’s eyes that they almost looked like hearts.

If she had tails, she would probably wag it like an excited dog.

On a separate note, Ellen had been sensing a strange presence since a while ago, so she inquired Liam about it.

“Master?”

“Yes? If you want a stuffed animal, I’ll buy one for you.”

“I-it’s not about that! Um, I’ve been getting this restless feeling.”

She described it as a “restless feeling”, but it was more along the lines of “getting the chills”.

A shiver was running down her spine.

It shouldn’t have been cold, but she was having the chills.

It was as though someone was observing them.

Ellen looked outside the window for clues, and Liam seemed somewhat happy about this development.

“So you’ve come to understand a bit.”

Liam remained relaxed.

On the other hand, Tia, who had been chirping happily until now, became serious.

She was confirming something with the guards outside through a terminal.

“Is anything off?”

She received a report from her subordinates.

“Nothing unusual has been—wait. There are some people ahead of us on the road. Two, from what I see?”

When she heard this, Tia’s eyes shot open, and she yelled out an order.

“All members are to be on the lookout!”

The car suddenly swerved, and everything inside naturally shook.

Liam downed the glass of liquor and muttered,

“—You were too late on the uptake. We won’t be able to escape.”

Ellen had been looking up at the car’s ceiling when she was blown away by Liam without a word of warning.

The car was chopped in half before she could process what had happened, and the seat that she was sitting on just a moment ago suffered a similar fate.

The car which had been split into two fell to the ground before skidding to a stop.

“W-what?”

Ellen looked around and saw a woman standing there, her beautiful dark blue hair waving with the wind.

“Huh? Is she perhaps—”

The woman stared at her with a smile on her face.

The smile reeked of madness.

Someone else jumped down next to Ellen.

The newcomer’s voice sounded rather rough.

“Ya didn’t die from that, right? Show yerself, Liam!”

Her orange hair was tied to the back; however, it still looked like a lion’s mane, probably reflecting the woman’s strong personality.

Ellen noticed something.

(These people are strong.)

They both had katanas on their waists.

With a rapier in hand, Tia shot out from one side of the bisected car.

“You bastards! Who do you think you’re pointing your weapons at!”

Despite facing Tia’s wrath, the two women simply grinned.

“Not weak, I guess? But, ya know~”

“Yeah. She’s better than most, but that’s all there is to her.”

Their abilities were clearly a cut above Tia’s.

Perhaps realizing this, Tia did not rush forward carelessly and stood in a position where she could protect Liam.

“Lord Liam, please leave this to us.”

Liam stood up slowly, put his hand on his nape, and cracked his neck.

When the knights gathered around him to serve as his guards, he made a hand gesture and shooed them away.

“Don’t be stubborn. You guys are in the way, so back off.”

“B-but!”

The orange-haired woman next to Ellen turned her attention to the two katanas on her waist.

Tia noticed this and put herself in front of Liam.

As a result, her left hand was cut off.

Two huge scars had appeared on the ground.

Even with her left hand gone, Tia remained standing in front of Liam.

Seeing this, the orange-haired woman clicked her tongue.

“The hell? Was planning on showing ya the difference in our abilities by having both yer arms sliced off.”

Then, the woman with dark blue hair laughed mockingly at her companion.

“You suck~”

“Ang? Ya want me to come at ya when I’m done with Liam?”

Just as sparks began to fly between the two, Liam stepped forward.

He picked up Tia’s hand and returned it to its owner before telling her to step back.

“You’ve done well to shield me. What you did this time is worthy of praise.”

“Lord Liam!?”

Tia was standing there, stunned, so he pushed her to the other knights and left her with them.

With Liam stepping forward, the air around them completely changed.

The two women that had been exchanging flippant remarks readied their stance.

Liam stood provocatively before them and said, “What’s wrong? Aren’t you guys here to kill me?—Based on how much hesitation I’m seeing, I doubt that you guys are real disciples of the School of One-Flash.”

Upon seeing how they wielded their swords, Liam arrived at the conclusion that they were from the School of One-Flash.

Ellen was also convinced of this.

(So they’re from the same school of swordsmanship!)

The first to react was the woman with dark blue hair.

“Nice to meet you, Senior Brother. I’m Satsuki Rinho—the legitimate successor of the School of One-Flash.”

Although she was polite, her eyes that were on Liam contained killing intent.

As for the other woman, she didn’t even bother hiding her hostility.

“My name’s Shishigami Fuuka! By taking your life, I’ll become the true successor of the School of One-Flash!”

Fuuka drew her katanas and charged at Liam.

This was an unusual move as the School of One-Flash specialized in shooting out invisible blades.

From what Ellen could tell, Fuuka had rapidly launched thousands of slashes with her swords.

Despite her rough appearance, she was a dexterous swordswoman.

“Master!”

Ellen screamed at Liam.

Liam, however, did not even pull out his katana.

“Ellen, make sure you observe closely.”

He then proceeded to block all of Fuuka’s slashes with slashes of his own.

He did not forget to instruct Ellen even as he confronted Fuuka.

“It’s my first time fighting against someone from the same school. This might be my only opportunity as well.”

Liam acknowledged that they were from the School of One-Flash.

Believing that she had just been played, Fuuka felt infuriated.

“Don’t be so cocky! One-Flash!”

Fuuka was about to swing her katanas at a speed which the human eye could not follow, but Liam stomped on both her blades before that happened.

“Huh!?”

Liam had stomped on them just as she had crossed her swords.

“I’ll tell you something good—I’m stronger than both of you.”

He then kicked Fuuka to the sides, making Rinho extremely cautious.

“How troublesome.”

She launched waves upon waves of slashes, but they were all blocked when Liam unsheathed his katana.

With every exchange, more and more cracks were appearing on the ground.

None of Liam’s knights were able to interfere in this confrontation between disciples of the School of One-Flash.

It was only the three people on the stage, and from time to time, they teleported to different locations.

They were exchanging strikes at such a high speed that only the sounds of metals clashing could be heard.

The wind around them gradually began to blow like a storm, sending the knights into disarray.

“What in the world is happening?”

“Don’t move forward! You’ll die!”

“We can’t even provide assistance like this!”

Contrary to their expectations, the two women’s conditions were slowly becoming worse and worse.

They were receiving minor wounds as well.

Although they weren’t anything serious, injuries were piling up on them bodies.

Both women were surprised by that.

Liam let out a sigh.

He had enough leeway to do so in front of the two women.

In contrast, the women were riddle with wounds and breathing roughly.

(Master is so strong!)

Ellen’s mind was blown away by Liam’s strength.

She had known that her Master was powerful, but she didn’t know exactly how strong he was.

Through this battle where people from the same school fought, she was able to ascertain his strength.

“—What’s up with you two? Are you so frightened that you can’t take this seriously? If that’s the case, do your worst and attack me together.”

Liam sheathed his katana and spread his arms out, triggering the two swordswomen.

Rinho even forgot to filter her words.

“To have the audacity to show me an opening—Die, you lil’ sh*t!”

The blood vessels on Fuuka’s forehead were bulging.

“I’ll kill ya… I’ll kill ya! I’ve never been humiliated like this! I’ll chop ya until nothing but dust remains!”

Rinho lowered her posture and disappeared from her spot, reappearing right next to Liam.

The ground beneath her had cracked.

She was expressionless as she tried to reap Liam’s life.

With God speed, she shot out a powerful blow.

“One-Flash—Disappear.”

Fuuka, on the other hand, jumped up, twisting herself so that she would spin in the air.

“One-Flash! Go to hell!”

Fuuka fired an unprecedented number of slashes that came down like a storm.

It was a storm that could cut down anything in its path.

The natures of their attacks were completely different.

On the one hand, there was Rinho’s attack, which was simple yet powerful.

It followed the normal path of the School of One-Flash, which was to put an end to the battle with a single swing of the sword.

On the other hand, Fuuka’s attacks weren’t as powerful as Rinho’s, but she made up for it through the sheer number of slashes.

Although it deviated from the normal path of the School of One-Flash, it was more efficient in a sense to shoot out multiple blows with optimal power than to crush everything with a strike that could be deemed as overkill.

They had both learned under the same master (Yasushi), yet they were treading on completely different paths.

(Then what about Master?)

Ellen looked over at Liam.

Liam was smiling as he faced the duo’s One-Flash.

“Both of you are second-rate at best. Come back after training yourselves.”

Liam blocked Rinho’s strike and cancelled out Fuuka’s flurry of slashes with a single slash of his own.

Thereafter, he blew the two women away.

When they showed signs of getting back up, Liam readied his stance.

“Don’t boast before me ever again. Having said that, since we’re from the same school, I’ll show you what my serious attack looks like as a gesture of good will.—If you can’t block it, just die.”

Ellen shivered when she heard Liam declare that there was no place for the weak in the School of One-Flash.

In other words, if she turned out to be weak, she’d eventually be killed by Liam as well.

Rinho managed to stand back up, and Fuuka readied her weapons while spitting out blood.

Both of them were trembling.

Rinho laughed half-heartedly.

“—This, might be bad.”

Fuuka glared at Liam.

“No wonder Master ordered us to challenge him together.”

Liam narrowed his eyes upon seeing the two come closer as if to help each other.

“One-Flash.”

The moment Liam finished saying the name of the technique, the two women spurted out blood and collapsed onto the ground.

Ellen hadn’t been able to see anything.

Compared to all the commotion caused by the two women’s One-Flash, Liam’s had been much quieter.

Unlike the women’s flashy techniques, Liam’s was quiet, caused no wind, and left no traces.

(It’s actually as if he hadn’t done anything.)

Ellen had confidence in her eyes, but she hadn’t been able to see anything at all.

The two women had fallen to the ground with their limbs cut off.

So much blood was flowing out that it wouldn’t have been strange if they had died from blood loss.

They were so strong, yet they had been powerless before Liam.

Ellen shuddered as she looked at Liam.

(Master is amazing!)

She was shaking from joy.

Liam undid his stance and walked up to the two women.

Realizing that the battle was over, Tia also began to move.

The shape of her rapier had transformed into a terrifying chainsaw, and she was dragging it on the ground.

Sparks flew everywhere.

Her eyes revealed her murderous intent.

“Death. I’ll make them suffer a fate worse than death for their sin of aiming for Lord Liam’s life. Eternal torture and damnation—”

Liam looked back at Tia, who was raring to kill the two women despite having lost an arm to them.

“Tia, have them treated.”

“Pardon? N-no, but!”

“They’re my cute junior disciples. Hmm, would it be more apt to call them my Junior Sisters? Anyway, arrange a doctor to treat them. If it’s too late to do that, use an Elixir.”

“B-but these people were aiming for Lord Liam’s life!”

Liam chuckled.

“My Junior Sisters were just messing with me.”

“S-still, to treat them—”

“That aside, Tia, you did well standing in front of me and shielding me. My evaluation of you has gone up considerably. You’ve led the expeditionary force to victory, but that achievement pales in comparison to what you did this time. I’m proud to have you as my subordinate.”

“Lord Liam!”

Moved, Tia took out her terminal and said, “One more time! Please say that one more time! Please say that again so that I could record it at the highest video quality!”

As Liam was feeling pretty good, he praised Tia again and said, “There’s really no helping you~”.

It was then.

Rinho moved her mouth ever so slightly, trying to convey some message.

Liam leaned in to listen.

Then, he searched Rinho’s pockets and took out a letter.

Ellen was surprised to see that someone had written a letter in this day and age.

When Liam read the letter, his eyes popped open.

With a strong tone, he gave Tia, who was still in a daze, an order.

“What are you doing? Have you not heard my command?”

“E-excuse me! I’ll arrange a doctor immediately!”

Tia let go of her weapon and begrudgingly follow Liam’s order.

◇

I’ve read Master’s letter.

“How do you do, Liam-dono? I am still wandering between planets to attain the pinnacle of One-Flash. During my travels, I found two talented children.”

It’s written in the letter that he has permitted fights between disciples of the same school.

This, he says, is normally forbidden, but he has given them permission to do so in order for the School of One-Flash to reach new heights.

This could have been dangerous.

I didn’t know that we needed Master’s permission to fight people from the same school.

Does this mean that Master thinks it’s alright for his disciples to fight one another?

There’s more to the letter.

“You must be confused by their sudden appearance. However, since you are reading this letter, it must mean that you have easily won. If they’re still alive, please take care of them, for I don’t have the ability to raise them further.”

Master has entrusted those two to me.

He must have wanted to show me their abilities.

They were quite serious about killing me, but this must be all part of Master’s plan.

We’re talking about Master after all!

Hmm, but the fact that Master is saying he wouldn’t be able to raise them further bothers me.

Those two have already learned everything that there is to learn as swordswomen.

The rest would depend on the amount of effort that they put in from now.

Could something have happened to Master?

Thinking about it here won’t solve anything.

All I know is that Master has entrusted those two to me, so I’ll be taking good care of my Junior Sisters.

“Leave it to me, Master. I’ll take care of them.”

Although my Junior Sisters seem a little naughty, I’ve vowed to take everything that has to do with the School of One-Flash seriously.

I would normally execute anyone that tries to take my life, but my Junior Sisters are an exception since we’re from the same school.

That is that and this is this.

“I wonder why Master said he couldn’t raise them further. Also, where could he be, and what could he be doing?”

Only one thing is for sure: Master must be aiming for the pinnacle by polishing his One-Flash.