Ash rested on the floor as she watched Raiden.
"I’m not sure what it is you see, Ash, but when everything’s on the line, I’ll need to know you’re just as committed."
Rising from his meditation on Ash’s profound act of entrusting her soul to him, Raiden’s words carried weight.
He grasped his sword’s hilt firmly with both hands, shutting his eyes as he inhaled slowly and deliberately. The familiar words of his ritual flowed from his lips as his training commenced.
His body trembled with more than just the sword’s resonance; anticipation of the coming day’s trial sent fear coursing through him. Whatever power his ritual words possessed, they offered no comfort against an opponent like Levi.
How he’d measure against Levi in pure combat, stripped of magical enhancement, was anyone’s guess, but that question haunted him above all else.
Levi’s self-assurance was intimidating, yet what truly chilled him was the thought that he might seize up during the fight if he realized his own strength exceeded his opponent’s.
His practice resumed with an intensity that surpassed all prior sessions, extending far beyond his typical duration.
He drove himself relentlessly until his palms ran red with blood and his body shook from exhaustion. Only when complete darkness surrounded him did he finally acknowledge the late hour.
PHYSICAL STRENGTH +15]
Returning to the library with barely a glance at those around him, he concentrated on nothing but relaxation and sharpening the enhanced perception Ash had granted him.
He wouldn’t allow the malevolent energy radiating from the book, nor his anxiety about facing Levi, to overshadow his preparation; steadily restoring the resolve that had sustained him before every mission. Sleep finally overtook him.
The sun rose before he’d fully registered the night’s passage, Ash taking her place on his shoulder as he issued orders to the assembled guards.
Security around the library needed strengthening, he told them, with at least three of their finest warriors positioned inside. Projecting his characteristic confidence, he made his exit from the palace.
In the past, missions began with comprehensive briefings: the target’s assets, attendants, defenses, and exploitable flaws were all mapped out beforehand.
This preparation hadn’t made his enemies less dangerous, but it offered him strategic insight to work with as he closed in. Against even the most formidable foes, advanced knowledge had leveled the field. This time, he’d be going in completely blind.
The moment the palace was behind him, his fingers wrapped tightly around his odachi’s black sheath, his gaze settling on the fountain at the heart of the three-way intersection. He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs completely, then proceeded along the forward route before hailing a red carriage and settling into it.
His pulse hammered as the carriage departed, rolling straight ahead without deviation while pedestrians bustled along the roadway. Soon they’d passed beyond the city proper into an area that required no introduction, the trenches.
Unlike the well-dressed children he’d observed in the uptown district, complete with proper clothing and hats, these youngsters appeared gaunt and ashen.
They approached the moving carriage with hands pointing to their mouths, but what struck him most was their complete lack of family crests.
Beyond their dusty robes and the rags bound around their waists, heavy bundles weighing down their backs, the surrounding structures told their own story—brick houses built low compared to the towering cityscapes, yet still proper dwellings for those wandering the streets.
This meant the buildings belonged to minor nobility, while the homeless had likely drifted in from distant settlements.
Yet their desperate faces failed to move Raiden in the slightest. The glass window alone stood between him and striking one of them for having the audacity to come so close to the carriage.
The carriage came to a stop before long. "Here we are, 20 Persa," the driver announced.
Without a word, Raiden passed him the smallest bill he carried, 50 Persa, and exited onto a thin walkway flanked by lush greenery on either side. The planted areas were unmistakably private farms tended by the locals.
He moved forward cautiously yet consistently, heading toward a wooded area backed by mountain ranges. When he’d covered considerable ground and reached the forest’s threshold, he halted and pivoted to his left. Instantly, Levi appeared in his line of sight.
The instant Levi appeared, Raiden’s eyes went wide with astonishment.
His presence is so weak... hardly stronger than the palace guards—he realized, and a smirk slowly spread across his face.
[Yes...] came Ash’s response as she leaped down from Raiden’s shoulder, walked a short distance, and lowered herself to the earth.
Raiden’s smirk deepened further, interpreting Ash’s withdrawal as confirmation that this should be swift work.
Levi advanced with an even more arrogant grin. "I was beginning to think you’d lost your nerve... have you come to surrender?"
"Why would I feel such pity for you..." Raiden casually reached into his pocket and produced a seal.
Levi stepped closer, his grin stretching even broader as he saw this as the chance he’d been anticipating. "Like a free present." Raiden merely offered him an indifferent glance while his fist tightened in annoyance at how Levi had made him anxious over nothing.
Levi held the other half of the seal. "By the right of duel-bound fate, I stake my soul in combat. Let the victor bind the defeated under the Oath. No plea, no protest, no escape. Only will, and the weight of defeat."
Raiden exhaled deeply and echoed Levi’s words, his expression betraying every emotion coursing through him. The instant he finished speaking, the seal suddenly crumbled to ash in his hand.
Yet without either of them making the slightest motion or uttering a sound, a blade came flying straight toward Raiden’s skull and his head jerked aside on pure instinct, the weapon missing him by mere millimeters.
Before he could even register what had happened, Levi’s leg swept toward his skull, but Raiden’s block came up instantly to intercept it. Levi immediately retreated, creating space between them once more.
Raiden’s eyes grew more focused as he studied Levi intently. "Traps?... you went and set up traps?" His head moved side to side in disgust. "What kind of fool are you?"
"Let’s find out." He smirked.
In a split second, four blades came hurtling toward Raiden. He drew his sword and deflected everyone without shifting his position even slightly.
Levi then charged forward, unleashing a relentless barrage of strikes with barely a pause between each assault.
Raiden evaded the majority and deflected the remainder, though the attacks carried considerable force, his hands grew battered from the impacts, and he found himself being driven steadily backward.
Yet throughout the exchange, Raiden kept his focus on Levi’s footwork while fighting to hold his ground, determined not to position himself within range of any hidden snares.
A few minutes passed before he grinned and released his grip on his sword. Capitalizing on the opportunity, he parried a strike and focused every ounce of his strength into a single blow, slamming his thenar into Levi’s windpipe.
Levi crumpled to the earth immediately, struggling for air as he convulsed in pain, his feet kicking frantically while one hand extended outward.
Raiden remained where he stood, rubbing his aching hands with a pained grimace, his attention entirely absorbed by his own discomfort.
[Papa won!] Ash said as she finally closed in and nudged Raiden.
However, Raiden immediately shifted his attention to Levi and approached him. Tears streamed down Levi’s face, his complexion had turned deep red, and he appeared to be on the verge of death. Raiden simply dropped to one knee beside him.
"Do you admit defeat?" His voice was slightly above a whisper.
He started to mumble something, but the words came out garbled and unclear. Raiden then placed his hand over Levi’s mouth and leaned in closer. "What was that?"
He attempted to mumble again, but this time the words came out even more garbled than before. "That’s a no, then."
Without hesitation, Raiden drove his fist into Levi’s stomach, making his already dire condition even worse. Levi’s breathing became ragged and desperate, each gasp fragmenting as though his windpipe had been severed.
As the agony became unbearable for Levi, Raiden settled beside him, wondering if he’d grown soft because Jack would have simply killed him without regard for any agreement. He let out a derisive sound and delivered another blow to Levi’s stomach almost unconsciously. Then another.
[NEW CONTRACT MANAGED]
[NEW ABILITY: INVISIBILITY
[CONTRACTS: ACTIVE 2.
—Bond Type: Sealed Pact.
—Bond Type: Binding Oath.]
[CURRENT STATUS: NUMBER 8: LEVEL- 20/100 XP.]
At the system’s prompt, Raiden instantly shifted his attention to Levi, who lay motionless with blood flowing from his nostrils and lips, staining the earth below. When he glanced at Ash, she immediately grasped the situation and fled.
Raiden’s expression showed complete surprise, his lips parting slightly as he watched her disappear. He then focused back on Levi and pressed his fingers to his neck and there was still a pulse. Exhaling heavily, he struck Levi’s cheek with his palm. "Levi?!"
[CONTRACT NAME UPDATED.]
Ash came back with a leaf in her mouth, pawing at Raiden urgently to get him to take it from her.
He grinned. "I thought you’d run off..."