The Golden Apple (5)
The moment Renzo struck Aster with his bare fist.
“?!”
Both Renzo and Aster were taken aback.
For different reasons, of course.
‘Monstrous strength…!’
Aster's assessment was simple and accurate.
Aster blocked Renzo's fist with his sword.
However, the force sent him spinning through the air.
Even though Aster had minimized the damage, it was an absurd display of power.
‘What is this guy?’
Renzo was equally surprised.
His attack was strong enough to send Aster flying,
Yet Aster landed gracefully, completely unfazed.
‘Did he predict my attack? The timing, the strength, all in that split second? Or is it pure reflex?’
Renzo's eyes gleamed.
‘I have to test him.’
Renzo pulled both fists back.
Immediately after,
Thud! Thud!
“Huff!”
Aster staggered back, having blocked two consecutive blows.
‘This man, he has no intention of using feints!’
Renzo's attacks were straightforward. He pulled back both fists, so he threw a one-two punch. It was simple logic.
However, the speed was so fast that it was impossible to dodge, and the power behind it forced Aster back even when he blocked.
Even basic attacks worked in Renzo's favor.
Aster regained his defensive stance and spoke.
“As expected, you intend to attack Frondier.”
“No, I'm going to kill him.”
He couldn't stay silent after hearing such a response. Aster's eyes flashed.
“I won't allow that. Frondier is not your plaything.”
“Right, he's not.”
“……?”
Thump
Renzo brought his fist and palm together.
“I'm not killing him for fun. It’s personal.”
“Personal?”
“Yeah. He tricked me.”
Renzo said with murderous intent. He truly seemed enraged by Frondier.
“Tricked you how?”
“That bastard, he promised me a fight against God! I cooperated with him on that condition!”
“……You mean during the Manggot War?”
“Exactly!”
Renzo nodded vigorously as if Aster had hit the nail on the head.
“But when he dropped me off, there were only small fries! Neither the Zodiac nor the Shepherd of Manggot paid me any attention! I wiped out all the insignificant beings in the area out of frustration, but then it hit me, that was exactly what Frondier wanted!”
……Well, that made sense.
Aster had heard the story too.
‘Frondier said he dropped Renzo off at the most dangerous place.’
If that was true, then Renzo wasn't satisfied even after being dropped into the most dangerous part of the war.
In other words, it wasn't fun.
‘What a chilling story he tells.’
Aster swallowed his thoughts and asked,
“You wanted to fight God?”
“Not really.”
“……Why do I feel like we’re not on the same page?”
Aster was starting to understand how everyone else felt around Renzo.
Of course, Aster would never consider himself to be the same.
“Fighting God is not important! What's important is that Frondier deceived me!”
Indeed.
Whether a fight with God was fun or not, Frondier should have kept his promise. Then Renzo might have been satisfied.
Frondier broke his promise, and Renzo was furious.
‘……This time, I can't help but feel a little sorry for Frondier.’
As Aster pondered, Renzo continued with a murderous glint in his eyes.
“I despise liars who deceive me. Tricks in battle can be overlooked as strategy and tactics, but there's no excuse outside of it. I've torn apart and killed every single one who dared to deceive me. Frondier will be no different.”
“Frondier, a liar? That's a bit much, don't you think?”
“Oh, so you're saying Frondier is honest?”
“…….”
Aster blinked at Renzo's question, then averted his gaze.
Seeing this, Renzo shouted.
“See! You feel the same way!”
“Th-that's not to say he deserves to die! Frondier is a good person, except for that part.”
“If you take away lying from Frondier, all that's left is laziness, deceit, threats, and mockery! How can such a person be good! Did all the good people die while I was in the Red Land?”
……Well.
Was Renzo always this logical?
There was no refuting that.
“Whatever, it doesn't matter. Whether Frondier is a good person or not. I haven't killed people based on such distinctions.”
“……!”
Aster's expression hardened.
A red haze, like a heatwave, rose around Renzo.
‘Divine power!’
Aster tensed at the sight, but he still had questions.
‘Ares is undoubtedly a god of Olympus. But he hasn't possessed Renzo. Whether he can't or won't is beside the point, but in either case, shouldn't he at least lend his power?’
Renzo was freely using Ares' divine power.
It was as if Ares was fully supporting Renzo without actually possessing him.
‘What in the world,’
Renzo's fist appeared before his eyes.
Thwang!
Aster retreated once more, deflecting the blow with his sword.
‘It felt like hitting a lump of iron!’
Aster swung with the intention of cutting Renzo's hand. But he questioned if that was truly the sound of flesh and blade clashing.
Renzo was completely unfazed by Aster's attacks. Aster had been repeatedly pushed back.
Yet it was Renzo whose expression contorted in frustration.
‘It feels the same as before. What is this guy?’
Renzo had used divine power just now. The power, the speed, were in a different dimension compared to before.
Yet the result of the attack was almost identical.
He had the upper hand, without a doubt. Aster couldn't switch from defense to offense.
It was just strange that nothing changed, even with his increased speed and power.
“You, you're pissing me off.”
“The feeling’s mutual…!”
“You crazy bastard!”
Bang! Crash! Boom!!
Aster's sword and Renzo's fist clashed. Though the sound defied such a description.
Aster was pushed back by Renzo's strength. His body staggered, his legs moved in a quick retreat.
But Renzo's finishing blow never landed.
Whether he attacked with more power or less.
‘It's like we're dancing to a pre-determined choreography.’
Renzo felt like he was on a stage. As if they had promised beforehand how they would attack and defend, and were now simply carrying it out.
Of course, there was no such promise. It was just Aster's perfect defense that created that illusion.
‘Against me, how dare he!’
Whee!
Renzo's fist shot out horizontally, and Aster ducked low to avoid it.
Enraged by the stalemate, Renzo's posture had grown larger, creating an opening.
‘Now!’
Seizing the opportunity, Aster thrust his sword forward-
Clang!
“?!”
Aster instantly changed his mind, twisting the angle of his sword to block Renzo's sudden kick.
Renzo's foot was faster than his sword.
‘Faster than me even after showing an opening?’
Screech!
Aster's feet carved long grooves into the ground.
Both of their expressions twisted into similar grimaces.
To Aster, Renzo was:
‘No feints, no distance management, no mind games, just pure physical strength. He’s not doing this on purpose. This is Renzo's essence. He’s simply not interested in anything else.’
All of Renzo's attacks were easy to read. There was no need to read his aura or observe his muscle movements.
A fighting style that disregarded the fundamentals of combat. And yet, it worked.
On the other hand, Renzo was annoyed that his kick had been blocked.
From Renzo's perspective, Aster was:
‘Prepared for every attack, every situation. Like a walking combat manual. He’s not the type to feel passion or exhilaration from battle. He probably doesn’t even care about winning.’
Their lips parted, their expressions mirroring each other in mutual disgust.
Their thoughts were almost identical.
‘How boring.’
Shhk!
Renzo finally drew the spear from his back.
“Is that how you have fun fighting? Aster.”
“……Why do you seek fun in battle?”
Their words revealed their true natures.
And at the same time, drew a clear line between them.
“……Your very existence is boring. Do you really think you can face me with such a textbook style?”
“The textbook is the history of mankind. I have no intention of losing to someone who disregards it all.”
Renzo pulled back his spear.
Watching this unfold, Aster spoke.
“Oh, and it's hard to find fun in mere existence.”
“Too late, punk!”
Whoosh!
The spear shot towards Aster.
Aster tilted his head to dodge, taking a step towards Renzo.
And then he saw it. The spear, still clutched in Renzo's hand.
“?!”
Clang!
This time, he misjudged his block. He deflected it with his sword, but his hand and shoulder throbbed with pain.
He wasn't injured, but the impact felt like internal damage.
‘The thrown spear returned to his hand. It didn’t just fly back after being thrown, it’s like it was never thrown in the first place!’
But the spear he had just blocked didn’t do that.
Renzo swiftly closed the distance, grabbing the spear and swinging it through the air.
“Ha!”
The spear’s trajectory aimed to take Aster’s head. With minimal movement, Aster dodged, only his head moving out of the way. A feat of defensive skill that kept his balance perfectly intact.
“Is this guy for real?”
Renzo spun the spear, bringing it down in a vertical arc.
In that moment, Aster leaped back further than before, putting distance between them.
‘It returns to his hand if he dodges, but not if he blocks it?’
He had little time to think.
Whoosh!
Kaboom!!
The spear flew once more. This time, it struck the ground where Aster had been standing.
Aster looked at Renzo.
He was still holding the spear.
‘Even the one that hit the ground returned.’
Drip
Even though he had dodged, the force of the attack left a thin trail of blood on Aster’s face from the aura and wind pressure.
He was taking damage even when the attacks didn’t land.
“Aster.”
Renzo spoke.
“You’re not only boring, but a coward too.”
Renzo glared at Aster with unconcealed displeasure.
“To think you'd try to create distance after seeing this ability.”
“……!”
“You’re just begging to be hunted!”
Whoosh!
Kaboom!!
As Aster created distance, Renzo’s attacks became more relentless.
Aster was a pure swordsman. He had no means of attacking Renzo from afar.
He had a technique, a flash that could close the distance in an instant, but using it against Renzo now was too risky.
Flash Step couldn’t be used consecutively. The strain on his body after using it was immense. If Renzo blocked it, the opening would be fatal.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Aster retreated desperately, focusing on evasion.
Renzo increased the speed of his spear throws with each toss.
‘I’ll tear that textbook apart with my own two hands!’
Renzo truly despised swordsmen like Aster. Swordsmen trained solely on textbook theories. He had always crushed those damn theories, and their adherents, together.
‘Let’s see how long you can keep this up!’
Aster, constantly retreating. Renzo’s spear, flying like a missile.
Every time the spear hit the ground, it exploded with a sound like a bomb.
Aster was finding it increasingly difficult to avoid the attacks. This was clearly different from his earlier defense.
Renzo wasn’t throwing the spear at its top speed, he was gradually increasing it. He wanted to see where that perfect defense would crumble. He wanted to see the look of despair on Aster’s face.
And then,
‘……Hmm?’
After chasing Aster for a while, he realized,
“Where are we?”
They were at a lake.
The lake closest to Aster’s residence.
‘Did he lure me here?’
But why?
Water wasn't a swordsman's friend.
It weighed down the body, made the grip slippery, and the opponent slippery too.
Furthermore, if the ground was wet, there would be puddles and slippery spots everywhere. A swordsman’s balance and posture could easily be broken in unexpected places.
‘Did he think he couldn't win, so he added an element of uncertainty?’
If that was the case, Aster had made a grave miscalculation.
The more a swordsman relied on theory, the weaker they were to chance and unexpected variables.
‘I'll make you realize how foolish it is to think you're stronger than me in dealing with the irregular,’
Renzo's thoughts stopped there.
Thud!
“Huh?”
Renzo was momentarily dumbfounded.
Aster, his back to the lake, leaped backwards once more, launching himself into the water.
‘Is this bastard trying to get himself killed?’
A warrior who jumped into the water and soaked himself. He had never seen such a foolish swordsman in his life.
Splash—
But that wasn't the case.
Aster plunged into the lake, yet his body remained dry.
Aster was.
“……So that’s how it is.”
Renzo’s expression turned grim.
He understood now.
The reason Aster had lured him here.
Wooom—
Aster was standing. On the surface of the lake.
His two feet were planted firmly, and elegantly, on the water's surface.
“……So it was there all along!”
A strange mix of awe and displeasure colored Renzo's voice.
As if in response,
“That spear.”
Aster spoke.
“It’s a divine weapon, isn’t it?”
He extended a hand.
‘Ugh!’
Renzo felt the hairs on his body stand on end.
From the bottom of the lake, something was setting off alarm bells in his senses.
……Swoosh.
With barely a sound, it rose to Aster’s outstretched hand.
It was a sword.
The sword of the hero who held dominion over the lake.
“Let’s even the odds a little.”
Aster grasped the sword.
With a boom, the lake settled, leaving Aster standing on its surface.
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ah the protagonist is dofferent after all.
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