BBYW Vol. 2 Interlude Part 6 (WN)
Interlude – Dietrich Maxwell’s Adventure
Part 6 – Calamity VS Insanity
I carefully observed the young woman before me.
Well-formed double eyelids, roughly cut yet soft-looking white hair, eyes the color of the ocean brimming with a fearless light.
(She’s beautiful…but…)
“Gahaha!! Now this is fun!! You feel the same too, don’t you!”
“Hah, damn straight!”
I sidestepped the woman’s punches and sliced her from the side. I meant to cut off her delicate neck, but she moved it just enough to dodge.
No matter how beautiful she could be, I doubt any man alive would praise her looks in a situation like this.
Her white dress was stained with the blood and guts of the men she killed. Her gruesome appearance was more fitting for a man-eating demon than a human being.
“GAHAHAHA!! HAHAHAHA!!”
Laughing madly, the woman leaped into the air, with agile movements resembling a feline predator, like a tiger or lioness.
“Tch!”
“What’s wrong? You can’t keep up anymore!!”
Right, left, up, down — the woman used the back alley’s fences and walls as footholds to move freely in the air. She moved 360 degrees through space, in a way even a contortionist would pale at. Little by little, I was losing track of her.
“What’s with those jumps? Are you a real monster or what!?”
The woman jumped at me from behind, but I — barely — managed to dodge. I growled at her, baring my teeth.
There was nothing reminiscent of established martial arts in her fighting style. I doubted she had ever studied under someone: she had to be completely self-taught.
Thanks to my experience in the art of the sword, I could see how sloppy and rough her movements were. Her power and speed, however, were both far superior to mine.
Once she gained enough momentum and took control of the pace of the fight, she could surely corner me.
“I’m not letting you move as you please!! Lancelot!!”
“Ooooh!?”
My sword extended like a whip. Now as long as a fishing pole, the sword cleaved in half the wall the woman was going to use as a foothold.
My trusted partner, Lancelot, was a magic sword capable of changing length at will. If I wished, it could stretch as far as 100 meters.
The longer it was, however, the heavier it became, and the length did not affect its sharpness either.
With enough practice, I could cut through a ship even dozens of meters away, but it was not a shrew you could easily tame.
“Oooh!! That surprised me!!”
“The surprises aren’t over, you’re gonna die now!!”
I returned Lancelot to its regular length and swung it towards the woman’s head.
“Gahaha, I’m not dying so easily!”
“Tch…!”
My slash was definitely powerful enough to slice her in two, from her head to her crotch, but she stopped it between her palms. The “naked blade catch” taught by martial artists in the far east.
“Nice, nice!! I bet you taste really good!!”
“Idiot!! Eat this for now!!”
The woman really tried to bite me, so I planted a high kick on her face. I forced the heel of my boot in her mouth, breaking several teeth.
“Gweh…!”
“Haha, now you look even prettier!! You better thank me!!”
“Ghah, haha! Arn’t you cwte!”* (Note: This part is spelled wrong on purpose, to show that she can’t speak properly, so it’s hard to tell what she really means)
Even after losing several teeth, the woman kept smiling. She chomped on my shoe with her remaining teeth, grinning happily.
“So fun!! I could do this forever! Gaha, gahahaha!!”
“Too bad, monster. This ends now.”
“Ghah!?”
I reduced the length of my sword and removed it from her grip. I then quickly thrust the now 30 cm long blade, pushing the tip against her throat.
“Gh..gah…”
“You were pretty good. See you in hell!”
Lancelot stretched again and cut off the woman’s throat — this time for real.
A fountain of blood painted the nearby walls red.
“Hah! So monsters have red blood too?”
The victory over the toughest enemy I ever fought put the widest smile on my face.
It had been ten years since I started studying the blade, but I had never enjoyed a fight so much as this. I did not know how thrilling it could be to face an opponent with a strength equal to mine.
“I have to thank the fates for letting me meet you. It was fun.”
“Me too. Thanks for the meal.”
“Whaat!?”
It was too late for her to reply. Yet she did. At the same time, a terrifying impact shook my body.
The woman had kicked deep into my stomach, sending me flying.
“You really taste good!! I have to thank the fates too!!”
“You…how…”
Smashed against the wall, I crumbled on the stone pavement. Before my eyes, the woman’s headless body caught her head in midair.
Even if the head was separated from the rest of her body, her blue eyes still glowed fiercely, and her smile still showed her fangs.
“I see…so you really…were a monster…damn…it…”
“You’re pretty much a monster yourself, though! Tell me your name!”
The woman put her head back in place, and it connected again with her neck. As if she hadn’t just sprayed blood everywhere — as if nothing had happened.
Witnessing something so unnatural, I smiled in defeat.
“I’m Dietrich. Just a wandering swordsman.”
“I see! I’m Grace Draco Omari, a pirate!”
Despite the obviously late timing for self-introductions, the woman — Grace returned the favor, then raised her fist in the air.
A fist that landed on my defenseless stomach and promptly knocked me out.