Power in the Shadows 10-20

Aah, as expected of Group 1. Just by taking a quick glance around, I see super important people here and there. That ikemen over there is the second son of a Duke’s family, that beauty is the daughter of the current leader of the Magic Swordsman Knight Order, and even the class instructor is our country’s Swordsmanship Instructor. He is even a blond ikemen and merely 28 years of age.
[ZENON IS THE COUNTRIES TOP SWORDSMANSHIP INSTRUCTOR]
- Chapter 11
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As I am now only in my underwear, I pick up my clothes and shoes and put them on right there and then. Because I no longer have fingernails on either hand, it takes a bit longer than usual.

After I finish arranging myself, I heave a sigh then walk off.

The pedestrians going to and fro that I pass all stare at my ‘scratches’ and bloody appearance.

I heave another sigh.

“Stay calm, me. Stay calm. What’s the point of flipping out over a few small potatoes?”

I try my best to not remember the face of the knight who interrogated me while maintaining calm.

“They were merely doing their job.”

My wounds are all only superficial, and I can grow my fingernails back whenever I want.

The only reason why I don’t is to fully act out my mob character.
[SID HAS MINOR REGENERATION - CAN GROW BACK HIS FINGERNAILS WHENEVER HE WANTS (NAILS WERE REMOVED DURING TORTURE)]
- Chapter 14
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“Yes, I am the very definition of calm.”

Tranquility.

I take a deep breath. My vision widens back up.

Probing with my senses, I notice some supicious presences.

“They put two tails on me, huh.”

The kidnapper is yet to be found. Naturally, Alexia’s safety is still unconfirmed.

My head is not so full of daisies that I think I have been acquitted. They didn’t have enough evidence, but my name is definitely still on the list of suspects.

I keep my face down and pretend to be haggard and exhausted while making my way back to my dorm.

[SENSES PEOPLE TAILING HIM]
- CHAPTER 14
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The two unsheath their swords, then immediately charge towards him without warning.

How foolish…… Beta finds herself struck dumb at the foolishness of these two.

“Well then, Sid Kagenou. We need to detain you on suspicion of kidnapping the princess.”

“Don’t bother resisting, there’d be no point.”

One of them is laughing while thrusting his sword towards Sid.

At that moment.

“O?”

Sid stops the sword with two fingers, after which there is a flash of light.

Sid’s left leg had just barely touched the man’s neck.

But blood spurts out from that neck.

And there is now a jet black blade dripping with blood extending from Sid’s left foot.

“Ah…… ah…………h……!!”

The man collapses while clasping his neck. It won’t be long till he dies.

[SID FODDERISES A TRAINED KNIGHT WITH SLIME SWORD AND STOPS HIS THRUST WITH TWO FINGERS]
- Chapter 16
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The other man slashes at Sid in a fluster.

But his attacks are too simple, too crude.

Sid evades by merely tilting his head, then kicks the man’s leg in exchange.

Everything below the man’s knee is suddenly gone.

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!”

The man screams while clutching onto the knee that is fountaining blood.

“My l-, MY LEEGGGG!!”

Then he begins crawling on the ground, desperately trying to distance himself from Sid.

[SID BOOTS OFF A KNIGHTS LEG]
- CHAPTER 16
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“Wh-, who are you, what have we ever done to you?!?!”

Sea of blood.

So shouts a man in a place truly fitting of that phrase.

‘That’ had come all too suddenly.

Without prior notice, without any explanation, suddenly busting a hole through the wall and beginning to massacre everyone.

Just now, one more fell to that jet black blade.

Not a single person has anymore intention of fighting ‘That.’ The only thing in their hearts is the thought of escape.

But the sole exit is behind ‘That.’

“What the hell did we ever do to you guys?! Nothing, we did nothing!”

‘That’ turns towards the man…… and sneers.

“Hiii……!”

Even though the face of ‘That’ is hidden behind a jet black mask, the man can almost palpitably feel its complete disregard for his life.

“Please s-, save me……!”

The man’s body vertically splits into two.

Bisected from the crown of his head to his crotch, spraying blood everywhere while falling down.

‘That’ stands unmoving, blissfully bathing in the shower of blood.

Its figure is female, but its appearance is truly that of a demon.

‘That’ looks around and, upon noticing that there are only very few prey left, extends its sword.

The jet black sword extended.

Not in the metaphorical sense, but literally. It even stabbed into the opposing wall.

‘That’ gives its sword a big swing.

“No, NO, N-……!”

Everything, even the building itself, was cut through.

“So it has begun.”

Atop a clock tower, a beautiful elf watches on as an entire building is severed like a joke and subsequently collapses.

[DELTA (WEAKER THAN SID) CUTS A BUILDING IN HALF WITH HER EXTENDED SLIME SWORD]
- CHAPTER 17
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The monster’s left arm misses Alexia, and instead pulverizes the pedestal under her. The shockwave still hits her though, slamming her against the far wall and leaving her groaning with the pain.

“Guh……!”

But none of her bones are broken, and none of her wounds are serious. She can still move.

[THE MONSTER ALPHA FODDERISES IS SUPERSONIC]
- CHAPTER 17
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Then with the most natural of movements, she takes one more step forward, and the monster’s body is bisected again.

No one could react.

Not Iris, not even the monster, could do anything before it was cut.

It was all too natural. There was no killing intent. The cut seemed to have simply manifested as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

The large body collapses. The rain comes into contact with its blood, raising a huge plume of white smoke. The body itself shrinks, until it reaches the size of a young girl. Then from its right hand, a short sword falls out.

[ALPHA BLITZES THE SUPERSONIC MONSTER]
- CHAPTER 18
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Zenon turns his sword towards Shadow.

“I am Zenon Griphi, the person who will soon become the 12th Seat of the Rounds. Taking your life shall become my achievement!”

Then he flies towards Shadow with the force of a hurricane.

However.

Shadow’s figure disappears, causing Zenon’s thrust to pierce through empty air.


“Wha-……?!”

Immediately afterwards, Shadow is standing behind Zenon.

In a mere moment, his back had already been compromised.

He cannot move.

As if forgetting about the flow of time, Zenon holds his sword still, and even stops breathing, concentrating every last drop of his concentration towards his back.

No one moves.

Indeed, Shadow is only standing back to back with Zenon. With his arms crossed, no less.

Then comes a single question.

“So, this core power or whatever…… where is he?”

Zenon’s face distorts with the burning humiliation. Immediately, he turns round with a sharp mowing attack.

But there is no longer anyone there.

“How cou-……?!”

The rustle of a coat flutter turns his head.

He realizes that Shadow is now standing in his original position, looking as if nothing had happened.

Even as someone looking from the outside, Alexia could not catch what had happened. If there was no trickery or contrivance involved, then that would mean this man is someone of quite some skill…… no, one could even call him an aberrance.

[SID TROLL BLITZING ZENON]
- CHAPTER 20
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The magic gathered around him is making the air vibrate. And at a scale much larger than that attack that he had used to shatter Alexia’s sword.

Shadow is certainly powerful.

However, Zenon is no pushover either. Growing up amidst the furor of being called a wonder child, having taken the championship of several tournaments, until finally climbing to the position of Swordsmanship Instructor. In this country, there is no swordsman who doesn’t know the name of Zenon Griphi.

[ZENON ISN'T A FODDER KNIGHT]
- CHAPTER 20
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“I shall show you. This is the strength of someone a mere step away from becoming a member of the Rounds.”

So fast……!

Alexia’s eyes could only barely catch up with Zenon’s sword.

The white blade cleaves the air, flying straight towards Shadow’s neck.

However.

“What a dull sword……”

With a jet black blade that he seem to have drawn out of nowhere, he easily receives Zenon’s attack.

“Kuh……!”

Zenon tries to lock their swords together into a pushing contest.

But Shadow instead lets all the strength out of his sword and uses Zenon’s momentum to fling him away.

“Fuh……!”

The last possible moment before smashing into the wall, Zenon performs an ukemi, then he recovers his stance.

But the disturbance in his heart is now clear on his face.

Neither of them move.

For Shadow, he is simply choosing not to move.

For Zenon, he cannot move.

Because he is under the illusion that every single one of his moves has been sealed.

[SHADOW FODDERS ZENON TO THE POINT THAT ZENON FEELS LIKE EVERY MOVE HAS BEEN SEALED]
- CHAPTER 20
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“Not coming, Rounds-wannabe?”

“…..!”

Zenon’s face is dyed with rage. Anger towards his opponent, but even more than that, anger towards himself.

“DON’T YOU DARE TO BELITTLE ME!!!!!”

Along with his roar, he swings his sword.

Thrusts with the speed of a hurricane.

Continuous slashes with the fierceness of a raging fire.

But.

Not a single attack lands.

“AAAAaaaaaaaAAAAHHHHHHH!!”

His battlecry echoes around the room emptily.

It is almost like a practice session between an adult and a child.

Alexia watches this fight with enormous shock.

Has Zenon ever cut such a sorry figure before? With both his composed smile and his mask of being a person of character ripped off, but still he cannot reach. The strongest existence that Alexia knows is her sister. But even her sister would not be able to deal with Zenon so handily.

Kan. Kan. Kan.

The sword sounds ringing out are so light as to be out of place here.

It is unmistakably the sound of a practice session.

The jet black and white swords draw their arcs through the air.

Before she knew it, Alexia found herself mesmerized by the fight.

She is drawn deeper and deeper into the jet black blade, unable to tear her eyes away.

Why? Because it is……

“The commoner’s sword……”

It is the appearance of what lies beyond Alexia’s own sword.

It is the perfected state of the ideal sword that Alexia had been spending all her time thinking up. This is the sword for those without talent, without strength, without speed – a sword that can be reached solely by the accumulation of pure effort.

[SID FODDERING ZENON AGAIN WITH HIS 'COMMONER'S SWORD' STYLE OF FIGHTING]
- CHAPTER 20
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“What true strength really is…… burn it into your eyes.”

Magic gathers into the jet black blade and carves out a pattern.

It is a spiral that sucks in even more magic.

It is almost as if everything in the world is being sucked towards that spiral.

A terrifying amount of power now rests within that blade.

“This is my strongest.”

Shadow raises his sword into a stance.

It is the stance of a thrust.

It is a stance solely for the sake of a thrust.

“D-, don’t……”

What is shaking with that rattling sound?

Is it the earth?

Is it the air?

Is it Zenon?

No…… it is all of them.

Everything is shaking.

Alexia realizes that she, too, is shaking.

But she is not afraid. Rather, she is ecstatic.

For this is her final destination.

This…… is the sword of the strongest.

“Behold……”

The jet black sword clad in light is drawn back……

“Secret Technique: I AM ATOMIC.”

…… and then released.

Sound disappeared.

The torrent of light swallows Zenon, then rushes past Alexia.

It pierces through the wall, the earth, everything. It pierces, swallows, then soars into the sky.

And then…… it explodes.

A pattern of light is seared into the night sky, casting a violet shade over the entire royal capital.

From far, far away…… a violent wind reaches the capital belatedly. It instantaneously disperses all the rain clouds, shakes every house, shakes the earth, and then passes by.

The only thing left in its wake is a bright starry sky and the full moon.

Zenon was vaporized, with not even an atom left.

The hole bored through the wall continues all the way to aboveground.

And then…… With a flip of his coat, Shadow fades back into the shadows.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

Previously, there was a man who challenged the nuke.

The man trained his body, his mentality, and his techniques.

But the nuke was simply too far away, too high up.

But he did not give up.

At the end of his training of madness, he arrived at the answer.

Question: How can I not be vaporized by a nuke?

Answer: I simply have to BE a nuke.

Thus from the simple chain of inspiration was born the ultimate Secret Technique: ‘I AM ATOMIC.’

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

[SID'S ULTIMATE MAGIC TECHNIQUE IS BASICALLY TURNING HIS SWORD INTO A NUKE AND FIRING AN EXCALIBUR BLAST, ALSO DESTROYS ZANON ON THE ATOMIC LEVEL AND HAS ENOUGH CONTROL THAT SOMEONE STANDING JUST A FEW METRES AWAY IS COMPLETELY UNHARMED BY THE ATTACK]
- CHAPTER 20
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