Chapter 45: Just Take One Hit, You Little Punk (5)

To Luke, it looked like Hans disappeared with an afterimage. He was nowhere to be seen, neither ahead nor to either side. Hans moved faster than the arrows Keter had shot.

The moment Hans disappeared from Luke's sight, the battle was already over—or so Luke thought.

“Keter!”

It was obvious that Hans was targeting Keter, so Luke threw himself forward to protect him. However, Luke ended up leaping into empty air, as Keter had also vanished.

“Huh?”

Luke searched for Keter. Suddenly, a fierce wind swirled around him, whipping his hair and clothes. Hans had barely brushed past Luke.

Hans turned to look up behind him, and when Luke followed his gaze, he saw Keter, who had already leaped to the opposite side. Keter was now hovering in midair, drawing his bowstring toward Hans.

“That's... Cancer Archery?!”

Cancer Archery was the fourth technique of Zodiac Archery. It was a skill that allowed archers to shoot even while suspended in the air. Luke could only learn it in theory, but even the Order of the Galaxy, Sefira’s most elite, could only manage to use it on their best days. Luke had never seen anyone actually use Cancer Archery before.

Yet Keter was using this technique not in training, but in the middle of a real battle.

Twang!

The sound of Keter releasing the bowstring was sharp and crisp, reverberating in the air. Hans twisted his body to the left; it was the safest way to avoid arrows, which could only fly in a straight line.

Squelch!

It was the sound of the arrow piercing into flesh. The arrowhead was lodged deep into Hans' shoulder.

“The arrow curved!?” Luke shouted in disbelief.

That was the same thought running through Hans' mind. The arrow had curved—the projectile, which had been flying straight toward him, bent at an impossible angle, ultimately hitting his shoulder.

Strong winds could cause arrows to curve, but there was no wind in this enclosed space. There was no natural explanation as to how Keter made the arrow curve. However, the answer was soon revealed.

Keter leaped over Hans, who was bracing himself for an attack, expecting Keter to strike down from above. But instead, Keter simply passed over him, leaving Hans confused.

Then, at that moment...

“Ugh!”

...Hans clutched his neck, where blood was flowing from a fresh wound. A nearly invisible thin wire was tightening around his throat. The wire was tied to the end of Keter’s arrow, and it only became apparent once it was drawn taut.

Where did Keter even get the wire, and when did he tie it to the arrow?

Hans had no time to think about it, as Keter was already nocking another arrow on his bowstring.

Twang!

At the sound of the string releasing, Hans jumped high into the air, aiming to use the barn's crossbeam as cover. But this was his first mistake. Keter hadn’t fired the arrow; he had only drawn the string and let it go without releasing the arrow. However, the next sound was real.

Whistle.

An arrow flew from Keter’s hand, soaring through the air. Hans, suspended in mid-air, had no way to avoid it. His only option was to cover his vital organs—his heart and head—with his arms. But the arrow didn’t strike his vital organs. Instead, it was embedded deep into Hans’ thick thigh.

”...!?”

A sharp pain spread through Hans’ leg, causing him to grimace in agony.

Because of this, Hans barely managed to hang onto the crossbeam with his left arm, let alone use it as a shield.

Looking down, he retraced the battle in his head.

Initially, Keter only had three arrows. He already fired all three, so I should have some room to breathe now.

That was his second mistake.

Whoosh.

An arrow pierced his left arm, the one gripping the beam. It must have hit a tendon, as his arm instantly lost strength, and Hans fell to the ground. As he plummeted, he wondered where the fourth arrow had come from.

The answer was right before his eyes: there were arrows embedded all over the walls of the barn. They hadn’t just been stuck there for no reason. Keter had been retrieving them as he moved around.

Meanwhile, the thin wire around his neck continued to dig deeper. It had tightened so much that there was no space for Hans to slip his fingers between his neck and the wire. The wire was connected to both the arrow embedded in his shoulder and the bracelet Keter wore. What Luke had thought was just an accessory was, in fact, a bundle of wire, thinner than a strand of hair, coiled into bracelet form.

Thud!

Hans crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. Keter, standing on the beam Hans had tried to reach, pulled out an arrow lodged nearby and shot it into the dust cloud below. As if perfectly timed, Hans emerged from the dust just then.

Hans blocked the arrow headed for his forehead with his thick forearm, then yanked out the arrow lodged in his shoulder—the one connected to Keter’s wire.

Voosh!

However, Keter was even faster to lunge toward Hans, gaining momentum from Hans’ pull.

Crack!

Keter then kicked the arrow in Hans’ arm.

”...!”

Hans' eyes widened like those of a wild beast. The arrow hadn’t been deeply embedded in his arm, to begin with, but Keter’s brutal strike drove it in further, causing the wound to tear open and become a deep gash.

At that instant, Hans' body swelled slightly, and his fingernails extended into sharp claws.

Voosh!

Hans finally launched an attack on Keter. It was nothing more than a swing of his arm, but it was extremely fast and powerful. Keter flattened himself on the ground, which seemed too exaggerated and dramatic for dodging an attack. However, there was an arrow in his hand when he stood back up.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

As he stood up, Keter jabbed the arrow into Hans' side a couple of times.

“Stop!” Hans shouted ferociously, swinging his fists.

It was a simple punch with no visible technique, but when there was enough power and speed, technique was irrelevant.

Whoosh!

Even Luke, standing some ten meters away, felt the force of Hans’ punch as his hair was swept back by the wind. His face was already drenched in sweat as he watched the fight unfold.

Even a graze would kill me.

There was no need to actually be hit to understand it. Hans’ punches had the same force as an ogre’s. An ogre’s fists were massive, but Hans’ were still the size of a human's, so perhaps he was even stronger.

But the true monster was Keter. He narrowly dodged each of Hans’ punches, despite being well within the danger zone. Keter’s face was covered in blood, streaming from the wounds inflicted by the force of the winds created by Hans’ swings. It was hard to believe he could still see.

Of course, Hans was in an even worse state, as his entire body was drenched in blood. Yet, strangely, there was no sign of him collapsing. If anything, it seemed like Keter's attacks were enraging him further.

“I like that you’re tough! Don’t fall now!” Keter shouted.

Keter's attacks grew wilder and faster. He swung his bow like a staff and used his arrows like daggers.

Smack!

Right then, Hans's fist directly hit Keter's chest. The punch was capable of creating gusts of wind; if it landed cleanly, even rocks would crumble to dust. No human could withstand such force.

“Keter!”

Luke, who had been watching in horror, was about to rush in.

Thud!

Keter’s kick struck Hans between the legs.

Hans, who wasn’t affected by any of Keter’s previous attacks, dropped to his knees. As he knelt, Keter looked down at him with a smirk.

“Smaller than me,” he said mockingly.

Crack!

Keter followed up with a powerful uppercut to Hans' jaw, sending his head snapping back.

* * *

It was entertaining; Keter found it exciting to give his all with the sole intention of killing the opponent. It was a bit of a shame that his opponent wasn’t trying to kill him, but still, his resilience made it worthwhile.

The outcome was clear now. Keter didn’t kill Hans, but Hans surely realized he couldn’t defeat Keter, not in his human form.

Hans, who had fallen backward after taking a hit to his jaw, suddenly jumped to his feet.

“That hurt.”

Crack!

Hans flexed his neck and snapped the wire that had been wrapped around his neck.

Keter nocked an arrow onto his bowstring, aimed it at Hans’s face, and said, “I told you that you'd want to talk to me eventually.”

“I admit it. But first, tell me, why didn’t you go all out?”

Hans was asking why Keter didn’t use aura.

But isn’t that obvious?

“Like you, killing isn’t my goal,” Keter replied.

“Heh. What kind of conversation do you think you can have with me? I just have to take you, that’s all.”

“I know. It’s an order from Elder Reganon, isn’t it?”

“...”

Thunk!

Keter shot the arrow straight up into the ceiling. It pierced through and disappeared somewhere far beyond.

“Relax. I was testing you.”

“Testing me?”

“Luke, handkerchief.”

Keter gestured at Luke. He didn’t carry things like handkerchiefs, but Keter knew Luke surely would. As expected, Luke, who had been standing by watching the whole time, approached and handed one over. Keter gave it to Hans.

Hans accepted it in silence and wiped the blood off his face. He had quite a lot of wounds on his face as well, but once the blood was wiped away, his face was clean.

I thought he was just strong, but his regenerative abilities are almost as good as a troll. All those wounds I inflicted on his body must already be healed.

Beastfolk were naturally gifted with regeneration, but Hans was something special.

“What exactly were you testing?” Hans asked.

“Many things. You passed with flying colors.”

“I don’t understand.”

Of course, you don’t understand. I’m just saying whatever comes to mind right now.

In situations like this, it was always convenient to create a common enemy.

“I don’t have time to explain. The people looking for you have arrived at the village,” Keter said.

“I know that.”

Hans probably knew that the Bydent knights were searching for beastfolk from the village chief Keter spared. But the fact that Hans still came to find Keter meant that he had a fair amount of loyalty or at least some sense of duty toward Reganon.

If Hans trusted Reganon, then all Keter had to do was side with Reganon. Keter could just figure out how to use that later.

Keter was also curious why the Bydent family was after the beastfolk. If he figured out the reason, he might be able to manipulate the Bydent family. Keter didn’t want to know it because they were enemies of Sefira, but simply because it was fun to hold someone’s weakness.

“If you know all that, get ready to move. We’re heading to a new hideout. They haven’t noticed yet.”

“No, I’m going back to the village to assess the situation myself.”

Contrary to his appearance, Hans was pretty cautious.

Well, those who weren’t careful were probably all captured or killed by now.

But just because Hans was smart didn’t mean he couldn’t be tricked. In fact, sometimes it was easier to deceive the clever ones if one could create a convincing enough scenario.

“Wait. I haven’t heard your name yet.”

Keter stopped Hans before he could leave.

I can’t let him go just yet. The main player hasn’t arrived yet.

Though Hans was suspicious of Keter, he still answered, thinking that Keter was most likely not an enemy.

“Karon.”

Ah, not the full name yet, huh?

“Karon, I understand that you don’t trust me. But how about this?”

Everything existed in Liqueur, even when it came to different species. Elves and dwarves were common, and beastfolk, of course, were no exception. Keter figured he would just drop the name of the most disposable beastfolk he knew.

“I’m already protecting a beastfolk named Alioli. Ever heard of him?”

”...What?”

Hans' attitude shifted in an instant.

Oh, does he know him?

It was perfect. If they were enemies, Keter could offer to take care of Alioli for him, and if they were friends, he could set up a meeting.

“How do you know that bastard?!”

Judging from Hans’ reaction, they probably had some serious bad blood.

Typical for those stuck in Liqueur.

“Well, you said you don’t trust me, right? Let go of my arm already.”

So much force. You’re going to crush my bones, man.

Just then, Luke, who was keeping watch outside, called out in perfect timing.

“Keter, someone’s coming! I’m not sure if they’re headed this way, but we should either hide or leave!”

Finally, the supporting cast arrives. Now the stage is set. How could I leave?

“It’s probably just a farmer. It’ll be a hassle if we run into them, so let’s just stay put,” Keter replied.

“W-wait, no! They’re headed this... Spear! I see a spear! Oh! It’s Jo-Jordic!” Luke exclaimed in a panic.

I’ve been waiting for you, man. You took your sweet time getting here.

As Keter shot Karon a look, his expression twisted in frustration.

Yeah, you get it. Jordic, the Bydent family’s hound—the villain looking for beastfolk—somehow tracked you down here.

There was no time to consult anyone. Right now, the only person Karon could trust was Keter, the one standing right in front of him.