WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 29: Resistance - 4

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Delta had a large spike embedded in his head and could not even change his expression. His face twitched, and only his lips moved as he desperately forced out a few words.

Delta struggled to speak.

"Wh, at, is, thi..."

"Huh? Where did the card go? Ta-da! It was right here!"

Squelch.

I pulled the spike from his head. Once the stopper was removed, the blood that had been held back poured out like a burst dam.

Bleeding from the head, Delta creaked like a broken machine as he tried to grab his gun again. Yet his hand could only grasp uselessly at empty space. Each time he reached for the trigger, his arm veered to the right. His trembling fingers were pitiful.

I flipped the spike I had pulled out. The spike that had just gone through someone's head was gone, replaced by a bloodstained card. I shook the blood off it, then gave Delta a deep bow.

"Thank you for watching. You were quite a good audience, but I'm a magician. I can't die in a place like this."

"Ugh... m-me..."

"Whether a magician is chained up and thrown into a river or trapped somewhere packed with burning explosives, they have to escape alive in the end. So I can't take part in the greatest bomb-suicide show of the age. Sorry! I've decided to put on an escape act with Tantalus as my stage and all of you as my audience!"

Delta's body crumpled to the ground. His damaged brain could no longer make him respond. Only the occasional broken thought showed that he was still alive.

But that would not last long.

I crouched down and met his eyes.

'You... knew... our goal... from the start...'

"Of course I did. How could I not? You people were prepared to die. There was no way you'd attack while thinking about what came afterward."

'Even knowing... you tried... to deceive me...'

"Deceive you? I wonder. Who deceived whom first? Your leader, who promised an escape he never intended to arrange? Or you, who hid behind a pretense of nobility and concern and stood by that lie in silence? Can you really say you never deceived anyone?"

'No... I...'

"I don't care how noble you wanted to be. Justice that isn't expressed through action is like undigested vomit. No matter how much you cherish your own feelings or dress them up as a greater cause, your justice is only an expression of self-love."

'You're... reading... my thoughts...'

His thoughts gradually grew dimmer. Blood drained from the hole in his head while pooling elsewhere. The resulting imbalance created pressure that crushed his brain from within. As his brain broke down, so did his consciousness.

His final thought dragged on. Like the final word at the end of a book stretched out for effect, his lingering attachment continued by sheer inertia.

A book was nearing its conclusion.

Once I had read enough of his thoughts, I met his eyes and whispered.

"Rest in peace, Elci Clark. You're a failed terrorist. No matter what your past was like or what excuses you make, that won't change who you are."

'Ah... ah... ah...'

"But I'll remember you. I'll remember your end."

'Ah.'

"Goodbye."

His thoughts stopped.

A book ended with that final period.

What had been the body of Delta, whose real name was Elci Clark, now lay sprawled across the ground as a corpse.

I brushed my hand over the corpse's eyes. Its wide-open eyes closed.

That was the end. An ordinary, short life had come to an end.

"Phew."

Thankfully, I did not need to wipe away the blood. The blood flowing from the corpse rolled toward the underground armory as though it were simply the natural order of the world. As long as a vampire was around, there was no need to bother cleaning up spilled blood.

I rolled my stiff shoulders and muttered.

"All right. One job done."

Next was the leader. Until I caught the one who had taken the bomb, this would not be over.

All right, leader. Let's see where you are and what you're doing. Time to read your thoughts.

I closed my eyes and spread out my mind-reading. In the field of vision that widened like mist seeping through the air, I followed the faint thoughts I could sense.

.

..

...

"Nine thousand nine hundred ninety. Nine thousand nine hundred ninety-one. Nine thousand nine hundred ninety-two..."

Whoosh. Whoosh.

An invisible sword cut through the air. It was Skywarbler, a sword without weight or thickness. The sound of wind being cut by a sword without thickness came because Shei laid the blade flat and swung it, giving it the faintest sense of weight. Even so, sharp gusts of sword wind spread out as though they would tear apart everything around her.

"...Ten thousand."

The ten-thousandth swing ended. Sweat ran down in drops. Her loose trousers were made of breathable fabric, but they were nowhere near enough to cool her heated body. Shei wiped at the short hair hanging near her ears. Beads of sweat clinging to the ends fell to the ground.

Without thinking, on impulse, she cut the falling drops of sweat.

Once, twice, five times, ten times.

Overlapping slashes.

A single falling drop became three hundred and ninety-two tiny collisions. The fragmented droplets scattered in every direction when they struck the floor.

"Phew."

Shei took up her stance again. It was a completed stance, a clean middle guard she had developed through her own consideration over thirteen regressions.

It was a fitting stance for wielding Skywarbler, the weightless sword. Because Skywarbler had no weight, there was no need to store strength in advance. With the middle guard in place, she could create endless variations with nothing more than a turn of her wrist.

Of course, as with all things in the world, there were only two directions to either side, left and right. Not being able to store strength beforehand was a weakness in itself. Each strike lacked weight.

Still, that was a problem she could solve once she obtained the Earth Sword Jizan.

Until then, she needed to train. Before obtaining Jizan, before a powerful treasured sword concealed her own strength, she needed to shed another layer of herself.

That was why she had come to Tantalus, and why she had learned bloodcraft.

Shei took up her stance again.

It was complete. There was nothing to criticize. Yet to advance further, she needed to break down that completion and find flaws even where none existed. Only by breaking one shell could she see a greater world.

Long ago, in the early regressions she barely remembered, she had swung a wanderer's swordsmanship desperately to survive. Now that she had half transcended it, it only held her back. It was time to discard the swordsmanship that had supported her for so long and died alongside her.

She had to destroy it completely and build something new.

Shei gripped Skywarbler again.

"Phew. Phew."

She had gained quite a lot in Tantalus. She had witnessed the prison break she had only heard about in stories, and met both a vampire and the King of Dogs. There was also an unexpected variable.

...A variable.

Her sword faltered. Its trajectory twisted. Shei stopped swinging and clenched her teeth.

He had a peaceful, laid-back air about him. Yet whenever she thought of him, she felt as though something was out of place. He was someone who did not exist in the future Shei knew. Still, he lived here with an unmistakable presence. He was closer to Azzy than anyone else, and even Tyrkanzyaka quietly paid attention to him. Even if he vanished now, his presence would remain firmly etched in everyone's memories.

Most of all, Shei herself was paying too much attention to him.

"Tch. If I hadn't gotten caught there..."

Whenever they became involved, she felt herself getting swept along. It annoyed her, though it was not as if the man had actually done anything wrong. He was simply strangely unpleasant whenever he did something.

He was also hiding something. Otherwise, there was no way he could have instantly seen through Shei's concealment technique and anticipated that she would listen in.

If she fought with everything she had, she could win. Still, he showed no sign of hostility, so she saw no need to spend everything she had on a fight to the death. Her conclusion was to watch for now. Unless he picked a fight, she would not attack him.

It would be troublesome if he ambushed her while she let her guard down...

"Troublesome? It would be better. I'd know he was someone I couldn't trust."

If she died, she could move on to the next regression. From then on, the moment that man became involved with Shei, he would be questioned with all four limbs severed.

Her thoughts had wandered. Shei swung her sword as if shaking them away.

She had swung it two thousand times. Sweat dampened the ground, and her breathing was gradually growing heavier, yet she was still not satisfied. If she put strength into it with the bloodcraft she had newly learned, the balance fell apart. If she cut cleanly without waste, it felt like she was returning to her old swordsmanship.

Blood. She had thought something might change if she fully understood blood and felt the weight flowing through her body.

Was her talent insufficient? Could she not find a stance capable of holding all her power?

If only she had a sparring partner who could help at times like this. For instance, a man whose depths she could not fathom...

"Huh!"

Had she been too focused? She had not even sensed someone approaching. Shei stopped swinging her sword, drew a deep breath, and glared at the intruder.

The intruder wore heavy armor. Shei immediately recognized the model. Military-state equipment, military gear. Judging by its outdated design and signs of poor maintenance, someone appeared to have stolen a model that was meant to be discarded due to age.

Shei wiped her face with her sleeve and muttered.

"Resistance?"

"W-what? How did you know?"

The young man looked startled.

The logic was simple. Though it was an outdated model, the military state would never leave military armor, the pinnacle of its military technology, unattended. It would all be collected and scrapped, or dismantled and used to make new armor.

Anyone wearing such a model must have stolen or seized armor meant for disposal.

That left only the Resistance.

The intruder recovered from his brief panic and laughed off his discomfort.

"Ha ha. Looks like the Resistance's reputation has spread far and wide. Even a young boy like you knows us... Boy, are you a laborer too?"

"No. I'm a prisoner."

Shei's reply was short. She had no desire to continue the conversation.

Then she noticed something strange in the young man's words. What did he mean, she was one too? There should not have been any laborers here.

Before she could point that out, the young man made a great fuss.

"To lock such a young boy up in Tantalus! The military state really is a cold-blooded country without a shred of mercy! What crime could a child like you possibly have committed?"

"I sat in the middle of the city and said I'd give anyone who beat me a gold coin. People came swarming in, and I knocked them down one by one. The army showed up later, so I knocked all of them down too. Then some general came and arrested me."

"What?"

Sweat began pouring down the young man's face. Shei's answer had been so different from what he expected that he finally took a proper look at Shei.

His body was slender and frail, perhaps from not eating properly. Though he appeared to be a man, his bones looked naturally thin. The narrow ankles visible beneath the loose trouser legs seemed as though they might snap from a light blow. It was not a body suited for fighting.

Yet there was not a trace of fear in his bright, intense eyes. His upright posture was as sharp as a well-honed blade.

He looked less like a human and more like a sword. Even his breathing was unsettling, and it felt as though he could cut down an opponent while standing still.

Instinctively, the young man adjusted his military armor. With a click, the armor shifted to cover his neck and lower jaw. Shei had not even shown hostility yet, but he had already protected his vital points out of fear.

Shei looked at him with eyes sharp enough to cut.

"The reason the Resistance came to Tantalus... Don't tell me it's some absurd story about rescuing prisoners. You came here to commit terrorism, didn't you?"

As if she had hit the mark, the young man hurriedly waved his hands and shouted.

"What are you talking about? Do you think we're terrorists?"

"Yes."

Shei answered without hesitation, her voice cold.

"The Resistance... A group of losers with no vision, only vague dissatisfaction. All you do is rush in like moths to a flame and commit terrorism..."

It was disappointment and disillusionment she had personally experienced. Her voice carried a cold certainty.

The young man flinched as though he had felt her emotion.

"You've been too thoroughly indoctrinated! We are the Resistance, an organization that fights for freedom. We will defeat the military government that has unjustly seized power and bring true freedom to this country!"

"I tried it. Nothing really changed. No, it got worse."

"What are you talking about?"

"You don't need to understand. I have no intention of explaining."

Shei rested Skywarbler on her shoulder and glared at him.

"You want to bring down Tantalus? What a joke. Tantalus isn't going to fall because rats like you squeak and gnaw at it. You'll fail. Because it isn't time for it to fall yet."

"No! We will succeed! Our leader is already at work. Once he's finished, this legendary prison will fall, and we will be remembered as liberators!"

The young man shouted before he could contain his excitement. Shei snorted.

"You just said it yourself. You came here to commit terrorism."

"Ghk!"

He had said it himself, so he could not even deny it now. The young man scowled, then raised his arm threateningly.

"...You're quite clever, brat. Leading questions, was it?"

"Idiot. You've just got a loose mouth. If that counts as a leading question, the Security Bureau's profiling would be mind-reading."

The successive provocations snapped the young man's reason. Forgetting his leader's warning, he burned with hostility and shouted.

"Fine! Tantalus will vanish beyond the Abyss! We will destroy this symbol of oppression! So what are you going to do about it?"

"If Tantalus falls, you won't get out safely either."

"I don't care! We came prepared to die! The Resistance is always ready to die for the country!"

"Hmm. The country."

There was never anyone in their right mind among those who went on about the country. Shei gave a faint laugh and raised her arm.

"Well, I don't think that man will just stand by and watch."

Tantalus would collapse.

But not yet.

A little less than a year from now, 'she' would come. After that, Tantalus would collapse, and true despair would crawl out from beneath it. Pieces of the apocalypse, monsters that could have brought the world to its end by themselves if left alone.

That was why these people were bound to fail. They had not left behind even a single mention in the times when Shei had not been here. If Tantalus could be brought down by a handful of terrorists, it would not have been called the Abyss.

It was not something she needed to worry about. That man would probably handle it himself. He looked skilled at this sort of thing.

"Separate from that, I have no reason to leave you people alone either."

Shing.

A clear ring sounded as Shei drew Skywarbler and swept it through the air. Even the sword's cry carried a sharp edge as its keenness revealed itself to the world.

Shei muttered fiercely.

"A scarecrow came walking right up to me."

"A scarecrow?!"

In response, the man hurriedly operated his military armor. The helmet folded behind his head rose with a click. A sturdy helmet covered his face, and its visor lowered. Steel scales extended over weak points such as his neck and armpits.

Steel interlocked. Click, click. Regular mechanical noises enveloped him. Greaves appeared over his legs, gauntlets over his arms, a barrel on his left hand loaded with six armor-piercing rounds, and a massive greatsword on his right hand that could tear through even a blade.

Fully armed, the young man roared at Shei.

"A scarecrow? No! This is military armor! Do you think you can beat me when you're nothing but flesh and blood?"

As long as they had a bio-terminal, magical energy to support alchemy, and the strength to carry it.

Military armor was full-body alchemical equipment that let ordinary people wield power equal to a knight's.

Wrapped in that power, the young man strode toward her and shouted.

"You'll regret speaking so carelessly!"

"Hmm. Flesh and blood. Flesh and blood..."

Yet Shei was not surprised at all, even with military armor before her. Instead, she measured their respective strengths, as well as what she lacked.

"All right. I needed a close fight anyway. I'll face you with nothing but flesh and blood."

Then Shei stopped circulating her qi.

She withdrew the magical energy surrounding her blade as well.

Now, all that stood there was a frail girl holding a treasured sword far beyond her means.

With only one person's skill and experience, she had to surpass the weapon built from the military state's blood and history.

Could she do it?

That did not matter. Shei smiled.

"Let's find out."

At worst, she would die.

The girl, holding a single invisible sword, approached the military armor as it began to move. Skywarbler gave a long, thin ring in answer to the sound of interlocking metal.

Footnotes:

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