The Sword and The Shadow

“Big One! Big One!”

Innilis knocked on Kreighdon’s door.

“Oh, by the gods!, what are you doing here this late?”

Kreighdon stared at the little girl. The Blood-colored Wargod didn’t fear heaven or earth but the pipsqueak made him shiver. The world’s hierarchy was weird.

“Come out and help me!” yelled the girl.

“Why? Stop tugging! I’m coming!”

The girl barely half his height dragged the noble saint along. She clutched his trousers, tugging so hard it nearly tore off. They ultimately arrived at the arena. It was packed with orcs during the day, but dead empty at night. Tonight, however, there stood a single slender figure. Kreighdon knew of only one that fit that description: Leguna.

The kid stared at him, his mouth agape.

“You look like you haven’t slept in days!” he chortled.

The orc glanced at the little girl oddly.

“What do you want?”

“Train with Big Bro Leguna!” she ordered.

“Innie, Innie!—” Leguna pulled the girl to his side, his eyes twitching. “—He’s the training partner you mentioned?!”

She winked at him with her enormous eyes.

“Yes. Didn’t you say Big One was strong? He’ll train with you! Pummel him as hard as you can!”

“I can hear you!” muttered Kreighdon.

Leguna glanced at the 2.5 meters tall war god and shuddered. He had been training non-stop for two days to improve himself, but he didn’t have a sparring partner. His trump cards couldn’t be revealed, so he couldn’t use them to spar with the other orcs. He couldn’t spar with his Vera and Kurdak either. Harsh as it may sound, he was far beyond their level. Gahrona’s legacy only aggravated that disparity. He could also not control them well yet and couldn’t risk hurting his friends.

He was left with only basic solo training. While it honed his moves, it didn’t improve his abilities in combat.

Innilis, being the attentive little fly she was, noticed his frustration. She eventually got the truth out of him after questioning him incessantly. Leguna didn’t think she could be of any help, but she insisted she had the perfect sparring partner for him. He was still dazed when the war god came to a standstill in front of him.

“Oh? You’ve been looking for a sparring partner?” asked Kreighdon, finally realizing why he was dragged over.

“Uhm…” Leguna smiled and shrugged. “—I’ve been itching to test my new gifts before heading to Chino but there’s no one I can spar with. So I don’t know how effective my gifts are in real combat. I would be honored to have you as a sparring partner, Mister Kreighdon, but I will also understand if you don’t want to.”

“Fine, I’ll go back and sleep.”

Kreighdon didn’t want to spar with the brat. Whilst the kid was stronger than many, he was nowhere near strong enough to entertain a war god.

“Big One!” Innilis cried, jumping, “No! You must train with Big Bro! You promised me!”

Innilis overreacted. She was just a normal girl. She didn’t have a special ability or skill so she always felt she owed Leguna and had no way to pay him back. Now she had finally found a way, she would not let it slip by.

“Spare me, Little Madam!” Kreighdon rolled his eyes. The little girl forced him to talk so much over the last couple of days he’d become fluent in the common tongue. “Our strength is too different. He’s not my match!”

“I don’t believe you! Big Bro is strong! He can beat you!”

“Innie… I’m no match for Mister Kreighdon,” Leguna confessed awkwardly.

“No! I said I would find you a sparring partner so I will!” the little menace turned to the orc, “Big One, if you don’t train with Big Bro tonight, I will throw a tantrum!”

“I must have a debt from my previous life!”

The prestigious saint’s shoulders drooped. He could not resist the girl.

“Fine, fine, fine. I’ll spar with him,” he surrendered, shaking his head.

“That’s more like it!” Innilis nodded.

Her eyes wandered to her big bro.

Show Innie how strong Big Bro is!

Leguna’s feet moved heavily. The oppressive presence Kreighdon radiated when they first met was still fresh in his memory. He wished he didn’t have to fight the orc. “I don’t dare fight Mister Kreighdon.” Sweat dripped down his forehead.

“Come on kid! I don’t want to be here all night! I’ll hold back so I don’t kill you. It’d be humiliating if I had to use all my power against you.”

Leguna’s eyebrows twitched. His opponent was the Blood-colored Wargod, sure, but he didn’t like it when others looked down on him. He suppressed his fear, shattered his respect, and prepared for combat.

The orc stared at him.

“Use your gifts. Didn’t you want to train them?”

“I…” Leguna hesitated.

While Kreighdon knew about his Enhanced Stealth and Host of Darkness, he wasn’t sure if it would it be right to reveal his other two.

The orc glanced at Innilis.

“Fine, I promise I won’t tell anyone about your gifts. Either start now or I’ll go back to sleep.”

“Thank you, Mister Kreighdon.”

Leguna put his worries to bed and activated Host of Darkness to the second level. It raised his power to the high-order.

“Not bad—” the orc nodded, “—It’s strong. 15th-stratum, huh? Don’t hold back. You’ll only get a hit in of you attack intending to kill.”

“This one understands. I apologize for any pain I may cause.”

Leguna bowed before veiling himself in darkness.

“I can’t suppress my senses, so I’ll make it easier for you.”

Kreighdon waved his hand and snuffed all the torches in the arena. Everything was pitch black.

Innilis did her best to make something, anything out of the black. She didn’t fear the darkness like most girls, not out of principles, but because she knew her big bro and the big one were nearby.

Kreighdon didn’t budge. It wasn’t hard to mistake him for a statue in the darkness. Orcs had no night vision, they saw even less than humans in the dark. Unfortunately for Leguna, sight wasn’t the only sense at his opponent’s disposal.

Leguna’s Lighteater stretched, silent as the night. His height limited his options, so he targeted the orc’s hip from the rear. It was a perfect strike, it would not disturb the air or make a sound until it landed. Normal people would not know it was coming until the sword was stuck in their flesh.

But Kreighdon did. He used his fingers, fingers the size of Innilis’s wrists, to stop Lighteater, pinching it between two. Normally, he would clamp down on it and make it impossible for his opponent to move the lump of metal. However, he had agreed to limit his strength, so he didn’t. He deflected the attack and yanked the blade forward. Leguna put everything into the attack, so he had no leverage to resist the sudden pull. He crashed into the ground.

{You must be able to release and withdraw your force quickly and precisely. How can you fight anyone if you can’t keep your footing?} rang Gahrona’s voice in his head.

Kreighdon said nothing, he took up his position again lazily. Leguna could make out the mocking smile on his face. He calmed his breathing and rushed in again. This time he was prepared to exchange multiple blows.

Kreighdon crossed his arms and dodged the flurry of strikes. Even after near two dozen attacks Leguna’s sword had yet to connect even once. He became increasingly frustrated. Finally unable to bear it anymore, he grit his teeth and took two steps back. Just as Kreighdon wondered what the kid was up to, black smoke rushed out of his body and he disappeared.

Behind me!

Kreighdon realized the kid had suddenly appeared behind him with a start. He stretched out his hand and caught the kid’s fist. He twisted his hand. A scream echoed out of the darkness, followed by a metallic clatter.

{You see what he just did? You don’t always have to use everything you’ve got. Attack the right spot in the right way and you can win any fight.}

The sword wasn’t in his hands anymore, but he didn’t need to be in physical contact to speak with Gahrona anymore. The two had formed a mental link so they could communicate as long as they were nearby.

Kreighdon flicked the sword with his foot and caught it. The sword looked like a dagger in his hands.

“I have your dagger. How will you fight now?”

The orc laughed as he played with the needle.

“Do your best, Big Bro!”

Innilis only barely made out something was happening. She had to admit it looked like her big bro’s ability really weren’t a match for Big One.

Leguna smiled at Innilis before rubbing his wrist.

So strong! He’s only matching me, but he’s still way too strong for me. He overpowered me last time with his strength, but this time he only used technique. I know he normally fights like a berserker, but he has a refined technique as well… It’s like an art!

If I train hard enough, maybe one day I can be like this as well.

Leguna smiled.

“Mister Kreighdon is the Blood-colored Wargod, all right. I am humbled.”

“Giving up so quickly?”

Kreighdon’s brow furrowed. The brat was being respectful, but if he gave up so easily, he would look down on him even more.

“Of course not! I just tried out one of my two new gifts. Here’s the other!”