The Making Of A Broken Character Part 9

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TLN: How could I leave you guys hanging? Here’s a double release. No release tomorrow, though.

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Suddenly, Yuuki tumbled down on the spot.

“Ugh…guh…at such a time…”

Along with Higure, Ruri, who was just a bystander, was at a loss for words.

After all, Yuuki, who had turned this into an overwhelmingly one-sided game―suddenly fell down.

“What happened…?”

Higure, getting up, nervously observed Yuuki’s condition.

‘No way…’ thought Ruri.

 

―The side effects of Soul Eater?

 

‘In that case…’ thought Ruri.

The skill Soul Eater put a load on the soul and body.

Having him draw out that much power…just kind of pain and suffering did he have to pay in exchange for it?

While Ruri was thinking about it, Higure quickly burst into laughter in front of her.

“I see, I see. That reminds me, this person’s a user of Soul Eater, isn’t he? It seems as though he’s reached his limit.”

With all of his strength, Higure kicked Yuuki away.

“Hold…on…Higure…*cough*”

“My, oh my, did you take damage? I don’t know whether it’s your HP or defense, but your stat-doping seems to have ended here.”

Certainly, Yuuki suffered large damage.

However, it was not due to Higure’s attack―or rather, it was exactly because of Higure’s attack that his posture had now relaxed.

An unnatural posture―had placed a burden on his back.

“Guh…ugh…”

“Hey now, what happened to that power from a while ago?”

Without stopping, Higure trampled on Yuuki’s head many times.

“The tables have turned, have they not?”

Every time Higure attacked, Yuuki distorted his face in pain, breaking into a cold sweat.

While watching…Ruri clenched her fist.

―He said…that he would help me.

In fact, he had managed to overwhelm Higure.

To have gotten that worn out…he must have extensively used the Soul Eater skill to far surpass the imposed limits.

Perhaps in that condition…regardless of whether or not he’d win, he would certainly have to bear with the pain.

And, she did not know the reason―for why he was doing this.

From the beginning, he had resolved himself to bearing through pain…yet she didn’t even know the name of this person who fought for her.

Yes, he went that far to fight against Higure.

She remembered the words he said.

‘Did you truly try and go against your fate to the bitter end? Can you say with pride that you tried to resist it? In the face of one or two challenges, did you just simply end up telling yourself it would be impossible?’

Towards Higure’s injustice, she had not seriously tried to oppose him up until this point.

She had simply let herself get swept up by the tide of events.

As a result, 79 heroes died, and only she survived.

No, more accurately, her sister had saved her.

After her death, her sister had been reduced into an undead, a plaything for Higure.

Furthermore, she had been made to hunt ‘rabbits.’

She couldn’t do a single good thing…just by being swept up by circumstances.

Sounds of beatings continued echoing throughout the room.

Higure continued beating him as he pleased. It seemed that the pain had caused him to faint.

At this rate, it was clear he was going to be killed. The one whose name she didn’t know…the samaritan who tried to help her…he was going to be killed.

She sent a glance to her older sister.

Her sister had become a corpse by trying to help her.

Her eyeballs were protruding out and her head was smashed open, causing fluid to start draining out.

In an incoherent mutter, her murmuring continued.

Again, she sent her gaze at him.

In trying to assist her, he was burning out his own lifespan.

Knowing Higure’s character, it was easy to image him becoming another undead plaything.

 

―I don’t want to cross the same course twice.

 

However, remembering the final words of her sister, her chest ached.

―Ruri, you must live.

What she was about to do right now, was practically an act of suicide.

However, her sister also said something else.

―Ruri, you need to keep smiling.

Indeed.

Not letting herself iron her will, admitting defeat before actually fighting against an unreasonable force, simply letting the course of events carry her away―In face of that, she can’t say that she had been living.

With Higure in control of her future…she did not believe that there would be a day where she could smile.

While clenching her fist, Ruri muttered where she stood.

She muttered and persuaded herself…to take that a step forward.

“So, sister…doing this is fine, right?”

Before her eyes, Higure had lifted the boy, flinging him with all his might against the wall.

The impact causes a crack to run through the wall and his body falls to the floor.

Higure began to walk towards him who fell along the wall.

There, Ruri forced her away in between Yuuki and Higure.

“Higure…stop this already. I will not allow you to injure him any further.”

“Don’t tell me that you’re…trying to oppose me? What kind of a joke is that?”

“This is no joke. I’ll protect him from the likes of you.”

Higure let out an unbearable smile.

“It seems like the small fry has gotten conceited, huh? Your attack won’t phase me, don’t you know that?”

“Perhaps you need to get your ears checked? I never said I was going to knock you down.”

“Huh? Just what are you saying?”

She thrust her finger towards Higure.

“―The rules are simple. Very simple.”

“Rules…you say?”

“From now on…I’ll take on all of your attacks in his place. If he regains consciousness and stands up again―you lose. If your attacks cause me to go down before that―you win.”

After thinking for a while, Higure whistled.

“I see…but, looking at it, this guy has taken some serious damage…Just how much time would it take for him to be battle-ready again? Until then, do you really plan to endure my blows fueled by an attack power of 65535?”

“Even with the same attack power…aren’t you getting cocky for an amateur at hand-to-hand combat? I can handle all of your attacks, tens of them, even hundreds of them…I won’t even let your attacks graze me.”

Contrary to her words, Ruri’s knees were trembling.

Honestly, she didn’t know how far she could last against Higure.

After seeing the battle between Yuuki and Higure, she believed in herself.

Higure’s could not only use defense skills, but also attack skills―he had learned almost everything there was.

However…she thought.

Before she can seriously go against her imposed fate, she has to accomplish what had been deemed impossible.

She took breaths to clam her heart that was clamoring in fear.

This breathing method was the first thing her father taught her at the ancient martial arts dojo.

‘Ruri. Even if people hold a mighty power…if they’re filled with fear and their heart gives in, they not be able to deal even a millionth of that power. The foundation to maintaining one’s mental fortitude is breathing.’

With those words her father used to say, her mind soon cleared up.

She tossed away the battleaxe she held in her hand right then and there and clenched her fists.

She had used it several times to try it out―but an axe didn’t really suit her.

―After all, I can skillfully use a sword or both of my fists…I can only work with the Yagami School of Shinkage-Ryu Arts.

She remembered the words her father said the first time he took her to the dojo.

‘To write ‘martial arts’, you write the ‘stopping of a weapon’. From this point on, the techniques that I will teach you are so that you have the power to confront senseless violence and put an end to it.’ (TLN: The Japanese character for the name martial arts [武] contains the characters for weapon [戈] and stop[止] within it, hence ‘the stopping of a weapon.’)

Ruri nodded as if in agreement.

Yielding to the senseless violence in front of her without attempting to confront it went against the way of martial arts.

From the age of three, her kind and strict father had always been giving her hell everyday.

Right, this power that she and her sister had thrown away much of their youth to acquire…was not weak enough for the likes of Higure to easily shut down.

―I will not run away anymore. The life that my sister entrusted to me―is not one that is fit for fleeing.

―That’s why, I will fight.

She had made her resolve.

So…when Higure’s body keeps moving to attack, she will dodge them for as long as she lives.

She will make full use of the ability she had polished from childhood and up.

“Now then, Higure…the game begins!”

Taking deep, deep breaths, and yet more breaths, she announced herself.

“Yagami School of Shinkage-Ryu Arts: Takane Ruri…Now―you shall be defeated!”

Spreading his hands wide, Higure responded by also announcing himself, all while humming a tune,

“Unbreakable, absolute defense: Higure Takeshi…I’ll crush open your skull, so let’s dance!”

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Author’s Note:

I plan to end the battle against Higure next time…and since the dialogue for the script is roughly done…all I have to do is write out the descriptive sentences…which can take a while…

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