Wait! I'm not a Demigod, I'm a Gamer!

Chapter 29: Clarity

"Let the duel begin!" At the sound of the bell, Hawkcolt rushes forward in a blur with his sword pointed straight at Yuuya's chest. The disguised beast-man barely manages to block the attack, the sudden strike catching him off guard. It didn't just stop there, the experienced swordsman kept throwing attacks left and right in a flash that could rival the very Guildmaster's lightning magic. Yuuya grunts in effort as he blocks just in time at each strike. Hawkcolt keeps slicing at his opponent, his attacks act as a distraction as he quietly chants under his breath. Yuuya barely picks up on the quiet chants a tad bit too late as a vine wraps around his leg and pulls. He yelps in surprise and falls on his butt. He finds the vine wrapped tightly around his ankle, he moves to get it off, but his skin grows goosebumps as he feels the air changed. He looks up and gasps and blocks Hawkcolt's sword, grunting as he struggles to keep the sword away from his neck. Hawkcolt, using gravity as an advantage, pushes down harder to force Yuuya to lean back. Yuuya yells out as he pushes upward and raises one hand to summon his wind magic to force the man off of him. While Hawkcolt gets back to his feet on the other side of the arena, not expecting a wind attack, especially since he didn't hear the disguised beast-man chanting, Yuuya used his fire magic to burn away the vine around his ankle. Just as he got back onto his feet, Hawkcolt rushes forward. Yuuya expects the man to strike at his chest again and moves to defend, unfortunately Hawkcolt side steps and slashes his arm and back, eliciting a shout of pain from the man. Yuuya turns quickly to slash the man away, Hawkcolt dodges easily and makes another cut on the man's leg. Yuuya yells and stumbles for a second before finding his footing again. For a minute straight, Hawkcolt cuts and slashes at Yuuya's body in several places, managing to avoid all the vitals points, but still leaves the man in a bloody state.
Yuuya uses his wind magic to push the man far away again to gain his breath. He pants as he feels all his wounds burn and bleed. Hawkcolt simply fixes his shirt, not a single scratch on his pristine form, and slowly walks towards him. Yuuya can't help but feel discouraged as he sees no sign of fatigue coming off of his opponent while he's exhausted. "Why did I think I could beat him? I don't even know how to wield a sword...I'm just using Yuuya's skill, all I did was max it out. I didn't even think I could beat all those bandits or Mr. Gunter, I just...went with the flow..." The thought gives him an idea as he looks up and sees Damian and Sam in the crowd, their worried expressions could be seen. Memories of his adventures with his friends cross through his mind, firing him up once more as he takes a deep breath, calming his nerves. "That's right, I'm not Sakura anymore. I'm Yuuya now." He looks back at Hawkcolt and smirks in a confident manner while holding his sword back up and states, "Is that all you got?" Hawkcolt narrows his eyes while he holds up his own sword and positions himself. Both men stare at each other before rushing forward. Their swords clash loudly as they hold their ground while pushing against each other. Yuuya, trusting his instincts, pushes forward with great effort before suddenly pulling back, catching his opponent off guard, and uses one hand to punch the man right in the face. Hawkcolt stumbles backwards stunned, giving Yuuya the opportunity to strike. He slashed and sliced at the man, Hawkcolt going on the defense this time. This kept going until Yuuya mustered enough strength and skill to knock his opponent's sword out of his hands. "Yes!" He thinks excitedly while bringing his sword up, but before he could bring it down to slash across the man's chest something halts his movements. "What?" He looks over in confusion and sees a vine wrapped around the blade of his sword, stopping his attack. "Shit!" He looks up in time to see a foot collide into his stomach. He lets out an "oof!" And crashes to the ground, his sword slipping out of his grasp and sliding to the side. He moves to retrieve it, ignoring the pain in his abdomen, but more vines encase in shadows wrap around his body. His wrists, ankles, and neck were held in place by black vines, forcing him to kneel and pull his arms out away from his chest. Yuuya blinks in surprise, the entire action only took seconds, and he moves his eyes left and right to confirm his predicament. "Wow...that was quick." Hawkcolt walks in front of him, his face neutral as he claims in tone that revealed some pride "I believe I win, you can't escape." Yuuya glares and rolls his eyes, "We'll see about that!" He summons his fire magic and encase his entire body in flames. Sadly, unlike last time the vines remained in place, slightly confusing the disguised beast-man. Hawkcolt reveals a tiny smug grin as he walks around him. "Setting those vines on fire won't work. They are encased in dark magic, making them fire resistant. Your magic has no effect on them." Yuuya thinks for a second before a thought crosses his mind and smiles, "So they're encased in dark magic huh. Well then, guess that means I need light magic to counteract his dark magic and still need to get rid of the vines as well. Hmm this means I'm gonna have to do a little fusion work." "You're not the only one that can combine two different magic types." This statement halts the commander's movements and he looks at Yuuya's smirk. Yuuya closes and focuses on his magic, imagining his fire magic growing brighter and brighter, almost as bright as the sun. He opens his eyes and shouts out, "Holy flames!" The fire surrounding his body suddenly turns white, the dark vines slowly disappearing and snapping, granting the disguised beast-man freedom. The adventurers in the stands cheer as Yuuya reaches out, silently calling for his sword as it returns into his hand. Sam and Damian breathe out in relief, unknowingly had held their breath when they saw Yuuya immobilized. Gunter continues to stare, feeling dread crawling down his back.
Yuuya once again takes a stance and holds his sword up, ready for another round. Hawkcolt doesn't seem disturbed and holds his sword out with one hand, thinking, "So the boy can cast spells without chanting huh. He can even merge different magic types together. Stupid commoner boy, as if that will stop me." He closes his eyes and begins to chant while thinking, "I'll make him regret for ever coming in between me and my son. I will put him in his place." "Darkness beyond twilight. Crimson beyond blood that flows. Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows. I call upon thee power to conquer all thy foes. Let the fools who stand before me be cast in eternal darkness by your essence. Barbed Prey!" Yuuya feels the ground shake beneath him and jumps back as a large bundle of black vines covered in thorns erupt from the spot he was just standing on. His eyes grow wide as he continues to jump back and dodge as the vines chased after him. Yuuya's form was a blur as he evades each swing from the vines, using his sword to cut them away. Yuuya kept this up for a couple of minutes before a vine wraps itself around his ankle hard, evoking a shout of pain, the barbs digging into his flesh. With the man stunned, the other vines make quick work and wrap themselves around more of his body parts. Yuuya could do nothing but scream as the barbs cut into his skin, droplets of blood scatter across the ground. His sword falls to the ground and pushed away. Yuuya struggles as hard as he can, but the loss of blood soon works against him, draining all his strength. A barbed vine wraps around his throat, choking him in the process. Everyone in the stands gasp as they watch Yuuya falls to his knees once again, the vines holding him in place. Sam and Damian scream out, "Yuuya!" Fearfully watching as Yuuya chokes and bleeds all over the ground. Gunter grits his teeth, clenching his fists so hard he draws blood from his palms.
Yuuya tries to remain still so as not to have the thorns cut at him and calms himself to think of a plan. Hawkcolt huffs and strides over to the bound man and grabs his chin, making the thorns cut at his neck that draws out a pained groan from the disguised beast-man. "How pathetic. Did you really believe that a mere commoner such as yourself could defeat me. I have fought and killed hundreds of monsters and imprisoned dozens of criminals. You are just a child, what could you possibly know?" He releases his grip on the man's chin, his head lolling down as exhaustion courses through him. The commander walks around him as he explains his spell, "Those vines are much stronger than the last ones. The thorns dig deeper into your flesh the more you struggle and if you try to use your magic. You won't be able to escape from this spell, not without bleeding to death." Yuuya's eyes widen in panic at the thought of no escape. The man ignores the look and continues to criticize, "My family has had the most sacred duty of protecting the Royal family, this kingdom. Who are you to meddle in with my family's affairs? Damian is my son and I will decide what is best for him and this country." He leans in close to his ear to whisper, "You are nothing more than a filthy vermin that needs to be stepped on. A nobody pretending to be something he will never be: special...Stay away from my son."  He stands to his full height and fixes his shirt while stepping away, "You can stay here for all I care. This guild is meaningless and useless, just like you." The man walks away, leaving Yuuya in his bloody bonds. Hushed whispers could be heard, but three people remain quiet. "Yuuya..." Sam whispers, tears forming in his eyes at the tragic state his friend is in. Yuuya sinks on the spot, tears forming in his eyes at the feeling of failure. "I couldn't do it. I'm not...strong enough..." Yuuya stares at the ground as his vision grows more blurry, tears start to fall down his face. Memories back as Sakura flashes through his mind, as much as he hates it, he can't help but recall all those helpless moments. "Look at her! She's so weird!" "Yeah, she doesn't have a mommy or a daddy." "She has no talent, such a useless waste of space." "All she does is cause her siblings trouble." "Poor Ren, if only she wasn't born then he could've had a better life." "Must be hard having to raise such a disappointing child." "You can't do anything right!" He silently sobs and prays for the harsh words to stop when suddenly a warm voice cuts through all the negativity. "That's enough!" Yuuya's eyes widen as he recalls the times her siblings stood up for her. "Sakura is amazing!" "You have such a beautiful voice." "Yeah, can you sing me a song please?" "You're the only one that listens, thank you." "Don't pay them any attention, they just don't understand how awesome you are." "Those assholes don't deserve to be your friend." "You don't have to listen to them anymore, be who you want to be, do what you want to do." "You are a blessing to this family, I am so happy you were born." "We love you Sakura!" The vines grip tighter as his mana starts to leak out of him, his head slowly looking up. "Sakura, if you can't stand up for yourself, then we will. You got us, all of us." A picture of his siblings smiling at him crosses his mind, giving him the strength to yell out, "You fucking bastard!"
Hawkcolt halts in spot, just before exiting the arena. He turns, staring in disbelief as he watches Yuuya struggle against his spell, blooding pouring out of his wounds and spilling onto the ground. Yuuya fights through the pain and loudly yells out, "What kind of a father abandons his only child and soon after blames him for the death of his mother!? He was only eight! What could've he had done to save her!?" He pants harshly as he moves his hand to grip onto the vine strangling him, the thorns dig dipper into his wrist as he does this. Yuuya ignores the pain and continues, "You may think you have an important duty, protecting the rulers of this country, but that shit means nothing when you lose your only family!" Yuuya begins to pull on the vine around his neck, the thorns digging into one side while allowing to breathe just a tiny bit better. "You can call me pathetic, useless, a nobody, but I won't let you control your son anymore. Damian is his own person and deserves to make his own choices. This place has allowed him to grow and become the person he wants to be." He snaps his eyes at the commander, vaguely seeing a look of fear as Yuuya yells at the top of his lungs, the vine snapping in the process, "I won't let you disrespect everyone here anymore, so fuck off!" The vines falls to the ground as Yuuya manages to bring his leg forward so that now he was in a half kneeling state, summoning his magic to create holy flames engulfing his entire body once more. As soon as his spell was casted, the vines started to grip even harder, forcing more blood to fall to the ground as he yells out in agony. Everyone in the stands gasp, his friends yelling out to him, "Kid stop! You'll kill yourself!" "You're losing too much blood, let it go!" "Yuuya, please! You'll die!" "Yuuya stop this at once!" "Damnit Yuuya, stop! It's not worth it!" Hawkcolt could only stare and watch at the display of pure determination as the man fought against the vines, using both his strength and magic to weaken the vines. Yuuya stares intensely at the commander as he yells, "I'm not backing down! No matter what! As long as I am an adventurer, as long as I am captain of Orion's Pax, as long as Damian and Sam are a part of my party..." He pulls one last time as he releases more magic onto the vines, "Then they are under my care and I will protect them with my life!" The vines finally gives out and falls to the ground, allowing him to move his arms. He reaches down and pulls on the vines around his ankles, the thorns dig into his palms and ankles before breaking away. Yuuya stands to his full height, dizziness swarms his head that makes him stumble a bit, but he manages to remain standing. He continues to glare, his violet eyes shining brightly, "You may be a great commander, but you are no father. I will never let you near my friends ever again." He closes his eyes and focuses his light magic onto healing his wounds, sealing them before finally disappearing, taking the pain away as well. He quietly sighs in relief before focusing back on track. The commander remained in his spot, his face showing unrestrained shock. "How...how did he get out of my spell? No one has ever escaped from that spell. This is impossible!" Hawkcolt grits his teeth in rage and grips his sword tighter as he yells back, "What gives you the right to keep me away from my son!?" Yuuya glares harder at the man before bringing his hands together, "No one, I'm just protecting a friend. And I don't like you." He summons his fire magic and stretches his arms out, creating a makeshift sword made of flames. The sword looks like it was made out of red metal, the blade a bright red as the hilt looks to be made out pure gold. A single ruby sitting at the top of the hilt near the bottom of the blade. The entire sword is emitting flames as he grabs onto its hilt and points it straight at his opponent. "I am an adventurer, captain of Orion's Pax, and I am proud of who I am and what I do. No one, not even you or the Queen herself, can tell me otherwise." All the adventurers cheer from the stands, Gunter, Sam, and Damian remain silent as they continue to watch anxiously. Hawkcolt gawks at the man's new weapon and statement, feeling his magic grow out of control as his anger reaches critical point. "I won't have some nobody adventurer best me!" The black haired man raises his sword, coating it in dark smoke as he flashes forward, yelling in anguish. Yuuya stands his ground and blocks the attack, his eyes focused on his opponent. The pair exchanged a flurry of blows, Yuuya's fire sword seems to be holding while Hawkcolt's own weapon seems to disintegrating at each clash until it finally shatters into several pieces. Hawkcolt stumbles back, his form growing panicked while Yuuya remains calm. "How!? How are you so strong!? I have trained all my life to be the strongest knight in all of the country, it doesn't make sense! Who are you!?" Yuuya makes his sword disappear, flames engulf the sword before it ceases from existence. Yuuya stalks closer to the man, his care for his friends overriding his fear of the man. "I am Yuuya." His hands glow a bright white as he summons his light magic, "And I'm winning this duel."
Tentacles of light wrap around the commander's limbs, forcing him to his knees and his arms behind his back. Before the man could speak, a tendril of light covers his mouth, thus silencing him. Yuuya walks away from the restrained man as he reaches for his original sword. He lifts up his weapon and stares at the blade as he speaks, "I understand that you're a noble and you have duties, but none of that matters when you push away your loved ones. I never met your wife and I never will, but I thank her for her sacrifice. For bringing a wonderful son and friend into this world, for raising him to be a good man, for teaching him about the positive aspects of life. I was very sad when I learned of her death." He looks away from his blade to stare at the angered man. "I know what it's like to lose family." This surprises the man, but he remains on guard while struggling against his bonds. Yuuya rolls his eyes walks over to him. "You can forget about escaping from those. They're forged entirely by my light magic. My mana is seeping into your body through skin contact, preventing your own mana from manifesting. I know you rely on chanting so you won't be able to cast any spells." He stands before the man, raising his sword up above his head. Hawkcolt stares in fear and flicks his eyes between Yuuya's face and his sword. Yuuya stares at him with a neutral expression. "I win." And brings his weapon down. The commander shuts his eyes tight, expecting pain and blood to spill out, but nothing happens. He cautiously opens his eyes and stare in disbelief, the sword millimeters from his head, Yuuya standing perfectly still as he smirks at the man. "Don't worry, I have no interest in killing you or anyone for that matter. Just wanted to scare you and remind you that mercy is always an option." Yuuya sticks his sword into the ground and takes a knee. His eyes furrow sadly, "I am who I am thanks to my siblings. My older siblings helped raised me and teach me about the world. They were always by my side." He looks down, willing the tears to go away as he focuses back on the man in front of him. "I would give anything to see them again, and thank them for everything they have done for me. I got to make friends and fight for what I love and believe in...I will always remember them." He wills the light tendril over the man's mouth to move, allowing the man to speak. "What do you remember of your wife? Her death or how she lived?" Hawkcolt moves to chant before he thinks over the disguised beast-man's question. Strangely, the man thinks back to how he met his late wife, they had first met a friend's party and had bonded over the flowers in the garden. Their connection grew deeper the more times they met up with each other. He had always admired her beauty, her long white hair pulled back in a braid each time they met. He had always questioned her over her fond of braids, "I just love how they look, and it's the easiest style I can do by myself." His life grew brighter when he had proposed and married her. How thrilled he was when she shared news of her pregnancy, how concerned he was when their son was born. When he held him in his arms for the very first time, he had shed a few tears, the happy feeling overwhelming his heart. She was the one who had came up with the name, "Let's call him Damian." He had adored the name and couldn't wait for their son to grow up. As time passed, his work became more stressful, people were being attacked regularly and the queen had ordered the Royal Guards' and Adventurer's Guild's full cooperation, forcing him to leave his family to handle the situation. The last time he saw her was the day he left for the capital, "Please be careful. Damian and I will come to visit you someday. I love you." If only he had stayed behind or had warned her to not come. A couple of weeks after he left, he had received a letter indicating his wife and child had left for the capital, but haven't heard word back from them in days. Hawkcolt remembers the feeling of dread and how he had rushed off into the forest to look for his family. He had screamed in sorrow when he had found his wife's cold corpse lying near the broken carriage. One of his men caught his attention when they have discovered his son hidden in the secret compartment in the carriage's seat. How relieved he was to at least have one part of his life still alive. The relief was short lived when had to bury his wife, how angry he felt at the fact his wife was gone, but he was still here. That anger somehow transfers over to his son, forcing to train nonstop, believing his sword skill was always lacking. Memories of his loving wife disappearing over the years...until now. Hawkcolt could only stare as tears form in his eyes. Years worth of guilt and shame crash down on him as he lowers his head. Yuuya sees the man's depressed state, signifying to him that he understood his question. "It's hard to focus on the positive side of things when things go wrong in life. But it's important to remember why we are still here, why we keep pushing forward." He looks over at his friends, seeing them look hopeful, missing the curious gaze from the commander. "I had thought I lost my purpose, but I've learned now that I have new one. And I will protect it." He stares back at the man with a small smile, "Because they are worth it. I treasure all of my friends, no matter what their background or history is. I care about them." He stands back up to his full height and grabs his sword again, placing the blade on Hawkcolt's shoulder, right next to his neck. "Do you surrender?" Everyone holds their breath as they wait for his answer. Hawkcolt test his bonds again, sensing no weakness nor any indication that it would release him anytime soon. He eyes the blade and could tell that the man would have no problem to slice his throat open, but wouldn't as he had stated that he wasn't the type to kill, the distance between the blade and his neck was a clear sign, a mere display of dominance. Hawkcolt sighs and lowers his head as he whispers, "I surrender..."
All the adventurers cheer and rush to the disguised beast-man. The man barely had enough time to release the commander before he was suddenly lifted in the air as several people hold him above their heads. Hawkcolt slowly stands back up as he watches them, his knights coming to his side, "Sir! Are you alright?" "What happened?" Before he could answer two voices cut through. "Yuuya!" Hawkcolt watches as Sam and Damian rush to said man as the adventurers gently place him down to be tackled. "Don't ever scare us like that again!" Sam exclaims while holding onto Yuuya's neck, his eyes watering with tears of relief. Damian holds his face as he yells, "You could've died! What happened to not risking your life!? We stand together right?" Yuuya blinks as he sees tears forming in his friend's eyes. Guilt starts to eat at his heart has he frowns sadly, "Sorry..." Damian simply huffs and pulls him into a hug, his head resting on his shoulder while Sam rests on the other side. Yuuya smiles and hugs them back. The adventurers coo over the group hug, making them blush and chuckle awkwardly. They pull back but still keep a hold on each other. Sam and Damian pull Yuuya to his feet, however, his vision starts to swim and he loses his balance. Sam and Damian catch him in time as he whimpers from the sick feeling. "Yuuya!" They both exclaim as they carefully sit him back down. The other adventurers chat worriedly as they try to examine the man, Sam and Damian keeping them at bay as they try to check on him too. Hawkcolt remembers how the man lost so much blood from the duel, "He may have healed the wounds, but he still lost a lot of blood." Hawkcolt makes a move to go over to the fallen man, hoping to offer some assistance, but is stopped when Gunter rushes forward. The Guildmaster kneels in front of the ill man and checks his pulse, "His heart rate is too fast. Ivory! Hand me a healing potion." Said woman provided the necessary medicine, a flask of glowing blue liquid. He takes it from her, uncorks the flask and hands it to Yuuya. "Here, drink this. You lost a lot of blood despite healing all of your injuries." Yuuya nods tiredly and takes the flask with shaky hands, Sam aids him by steadying his hand as he gulps down the medicine. Surprisingly, the medicine didn't taste bitter to the disguised beast-man, rather it tasted minty to him. He chugs the entire flask and sighs in relief when he finishes. It takes a couple of seconds before the dizziness and nausea finally went away. "You good?" Damian asks hesitantly. Yuuya nods and moves to stand again, his friends standing on either side of him as they hoist him up. The trio stand still for a second for any sign the disguised beast-man would go down again. Yuuya holds up a thumbs up before being bombarded by several people, all asking him several questions regarding the duel and his condition. Gunter clears his throat that silences everyone. He glares darkly at Yuuya as he ducks his head and hides behind his friends. "Yuuya, that was incredibly reckless. I'm disappointed in you. You have even lectured your own party about this type of behavior." Yuuya looks down in shame as Sam and Damian share a glance. "I know sir, but I didn't really have a choice." Gunter stomps forward and leans over, Sam and Damian refuses to move, "You always have a choice. I will not have anyone ever risk their lives like this ever again, even if it was to stand up for someone or something. Bet or no bet. Do you understand?" Yuuya nods and whispers, "Yes sir..." Gunter looks at everyone and shouts, "Do you all understand?" The crowd answers in unison, "Yes sir!" Gunter nods before continuing to speak in a loud voice, "We are adventurers and we do not fight alone. It's either all of us or none of us! Got it?" Again the crowd responds, "Yes sir!" Gunter nods before waving his hand, "Good, now go on. Get out of here." Most of the adventurers leave the arena, a few stayed including Hawkcolt and his knights. Damian and Sam continue to hover over their friend as the Solarclouds interrogated the disguised beast-man as they inspected the rest of his body for any other injuries. As they chat, Hawkcolt walks over to Gunter, making the man anxious and cautious. He crosses his arms and glares at the commander. "Commanders Hawkcolt, I thought you were heading out." It wasn't a question, a subtle hint towards the man. Hawkcolt clears his throat as he stands before the Guildmaster, "I am fully aware of the arrangement. You have my word that my knights and I will no longer bother the Adventurer's Guild and show it and everyone involved the respect they highly deserve." He looks over and watches as Yuuya cries out in shock as Ivory tries to lift his shirt up before Sam and Damian block her. "I see now how strong your adventurers are and how far they are willing to go to protect others." He looks back up at Gunter, his gaze soft and sad for the first time in a long time, catching the adventurer off guard, "I'm sorry...Gunter." He turns around and moves to exit out the door, "Please watch over my son for me please. He deserves a better father figure than me." Gunter's eyes widen before nodding and answering back, "You have my word." Hawkcolt continues to exit, sneaking one last glance at his son as he watches him chase a couple of adventurers when they got too close to Yuuya, smiling at his overprotectiveness. "Take care of him, Yuuya." And faces forward once more. His stops in place when he hears a familiar voice call out, "Well that was an interesting fight." Another voice, one sounding more upbeat than the last, rings out, "Agreed! It was very entertaining." Another voice that sounds annoyed speaks out loudly, "It wasn't too bad, wasn't expecting that kind of ending." Everyone turns their heads towards the source of the voices. Yuuya spins, his eyes widening in shock at seeing the three fancy dressed men from earlier coming down from the stands. Yuuya blinks as they come face to face. The one in the middle that seemed the calmest and oldest smiles at him, "Hello Yuuya. We've been dying to speak with you."