A Former Child Soldier Who Uses a Magic Sword Wants to Live with an Older Sister of a Former Enemy Executive - CH 48

[GYAH…!] (Lizardman)

The lizardman who served as the enemy general abruptly fell to Seto’s blade.

But soon after, he met the one who would become his greatest enemy.

The strongest magic sword soldier of the Demon King’s army, also known as Sebek.

By the time he noticed his presence, the man was already just one step away from him.

[So… It’s you…!] (Seto)

Seto held his sword in front of him and glared at Sebek, who was beyond the top of his blade.

In contrast, Sebek did not even take any fighting stance, and gave Seto a look of interest while resting the top of his magic sword on his shoulder instead.

[Ohh? …So you know who I am.] (Seto)

At first glance, he was a gloomy-looking man who seemed to be in his 20s or 30s.

The upper half of his body, naked and well-trained, was painted with lines of various colors, and the countless sword scars on him proved that he was a fearless warrior who had fought countless battles.

His head was devoid of any hair, and his wide-open eyes were unfocused. In fact, he never blinked at all.

With only a subtle smile on his face, Sebek observed Seto from head to toe.

[Say, what’s your name? Did you come here on your own? That’s impressive for a kid. Reminds me of my time as a boy soldier. I was as reckless as you are.] (Sebek)

[What…?] (Seto)

[So, what’s your name? I’d really love to hear it. Mine is Sebek. Although, it’s not even my real name, and I’ve never even had one to begin with.] (Sebek)

While narrowing his eyes and remaining alert in response to Sebek’s suspicious behavior, Seto introduced himself for the time being.

[I’m Seto. Just a traveler. …I owe a debt of gratitude to that city, that’s why I’m fighting on this battlefield.] (Seto)

[Seto…! Setocchi, then! I see, that’s a nice name. …Who ordered you to come here?] (Sebek)

[I’m acting of my own free will, not on anyone’s order.] (Seto)

Sebek approached Seto one step at a time while the boy kept scowling at him sharply.

With every step he took, Seto took one backwards while rubbing the soles of his shoes on the ground to open up the gap between them.

The unusual air around Sebek made his skin tingle.

[Don’t be so on edge… Let’s chat some more, would ya?] (Sebek)

Right after Sebek said that while approaching him nonchalantly, Seto made his move.

Holding his magic sword at his side in a flowing motion, he laid his blade horizontally to perform a lateral sweep.

With an instantaneous high speed movement, he had the man within his attacking range.

Just as the tip of his sword was about to gouge out Sebek’s stomach, the latter instantly stepped backwards to dodge the lateral sweep, and unleashed a downward slash from above.

[Ngh!] (Seto)

Seto gasped for a second, and twisted his head and body to avoid the blow.

By stepping hard with his right foot, Seto unleashed a diagonal sword slash from below, and Sebek responded in kind.

He shifted the trajectory of Seto’s sword slash by having his blade slide on his own, and followed up with a lateral sweep by spinning like a water wheel.

Although Seto ended up getting his cheek grazed by the tip of his foe’s sword, he threw himself backward into the air and landed on his feet.

Before they put distance between each other again, the tremendous gale caused by their sword swings howled repeatedly, and their blades sparked like lightning as they crossed over and over.

Every time they stepped on the ground, clouds of dust flew up, and the pressure from swinging their swords sliced the few petals that had been carried their way by the wind.

Then, between the two exceedingly fierce swordsmen, a silent pause was created by their killing intents.

Seto had made the first move, but Sebek’s ability to parry it without difficulty like he did was already beyond the capacities of ordinary humans.

[*Sniff*… *Sniff*… *SNIIIIIFF*…!] (Sebek)

Suddenly, Sebek started smelling Seto’s blood on his blade.

[Smells so good… I can smell you on my blade, Setocchi. The thick scent of someone who has killed so many times in his life…] (Sebek)

This guy…! (Seto)

As Sebek muttered quietly, he adopted a new stance.

He casually held his sword sideways and pointed downwards, spread his legs with one foot in front of the other, and kept his back hunched.

Seto felt a chill down his spine as Sebek prepared to attack him with a sword technique that would defy the boy’s expectations.

At the same time, he tried to figure out what sort of swordsman Sebek was.

As a human-demon hybrid, he thought he would be the type to overwhelm his opponents with superhuman strength and speed, but in fact, he fought in no such way.

What was truly terrifying about him was his skill and proficiency with a sword.

Human beings were tied to many things.

Experience, talent, effort, and so on came with a lot.

In the case of swordsmanship, it became more evident as you mastered it.

However, Sebek’s swordsmanship had reached a whole different level.

This skill he developed in his continuous and single-minded pursuit of killing made it possible for him to achieve an unrestrained and deadly swordsmanship that was not bound by any human thought.

Whether he was up against a sword prodigy, a swordsman who had risen to greatness through hard work, or a seasoned master, Sebek’s swordplay had reached a level that allowed him to fight back against all of them.

As he repositioned his own sword by pointing it downward in front of him, Seto suddenly wondered just how many foes did he have to kill to master the sword like so.

[Your swordsmanship is so unique, Setocchi. Just like mine, it’s the type that you can exhibit at full power only on the battlefield.] (Sebek)

[What about it?] (Seto)

[Still, there’s a crucial difference between you and me. Something you can only realize by crossing swords, that is. …The thing about you is, you may appreciate other people, but you don’t appreciate yourself, right?] (Sebek)

[My… self…?] (Seto)

[You’re aware that you’re a lowly guy, and that your hands are tainted. You respect and try to love others, but you have a low opinion of yourself. That’s what your swordsmanship tells me. …And that’s no good. It’s such a waste. When you wanna live as yourself, you gotta love yourself.] (Sebek)

Seto almost lost his will to fight due to the sudden topic, but he managed to regain his resolve.

However, Sebek’s words did cause a stir somewhere in Seto’s heart.

[You said you were just a traveler, right? Don’t you wanna join the battlefield? Why not join me so we can get out there and kill everyone in sight? You’re a battle maniac, just like me. If you come to love the battlefield, you’ll surely come to love yourself too. No matter how long or short it is, a life where you love others but don’t love yourself is an empty one, y’know?] (Sebek)

Sebek’s indifferent tone belied a violent impulse that looked like ecstasy.

Was it the joy of meeting a kindred spirit, or the madness of meeting an even stronger foe?

The boy failed to get a read on Sebek, who was looking practically emotionless.

[Are you done talking yet? …Try and throw me off all you want, but it won’t work, you goddamn freak.] (Seto)

[Sorry. But you see… When a tough kid like you calls me a freak… I just love it!] (Sebek)

Seto stared daggers at Sebek as he took a stance, and faced him.

As for the latter, he gleefully smiled and prepared his next attack.

The clash of their killing intents was stronger than before.

As if to say that their previous altercation was just to try each other out, they infused their purest killing intent into their swords.

[────Let’s go…!!] (Seto)

As he shouted a battle cry, Seto kept a low stance and slashed at Sebek.