Raid: The Blacksmith-Chapter 91: This Is The End: Part One

I’m currently laying on my back on the Emerald Beach, enjoying a sun bath in my shirtless form.

Dawn’s doing the same right next to me, in a swim suit of her own making, sighing in relief every now and then, of which I don’t understand why or how, given her Spirit physiology, but whatever.

Ignoring the weird, questionably insane girl I’ve been ’’blessed’’ to call my honourary daughter, I simply allow myself to lose myself in my thoughts, discreetly cutting off the Soul Bond so this one doesn’t invade said-thoughts.

"It’s been seven days or so since I killed Taipan and cleared that B-Rank Dungeon. I haven’t explored a single Dungeon since then. I haven’t even gone outside the Warriors Association’s building since then. Instead, I’ve been focusing on more ’Blacksmith’ related stuff. I even got into building the smithy. Still haven’t opened it yet, but I’ve created a lot of weapons in the past week. I’m planning to officially open the smithy once I have, at the very least, six hundred weapons. As for Dungeons. I’ve been looking into the internet lately. The press is going nuts. Some people have even started some ’we want the Blacksmith’ online movement or whatever. I mean, jeez, people, I’ve only been silent for a week, c’mon. Chill."

I let out a sigh of pure exhaustion even in my relaxed form, from the mere thought of these headaches. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Besides. It’s not like I can go out even if I wanted to. I’m basically grounded. Perks of having an overprotective uncle."

Uncle Chadwick has made it especially clear this time that he isn’t going to tolerate any more shenanigans. I get why he’s acting this way though. I can’t be going around killing every Twelve Guardian Shadow member I meet. Not when he seems to want to deal with this matter in a way that involves a lot less chaos, a lot less bloodshed and a lot less headaches, if at all possible.

"He may be my uncle, and may have already basically declared which side he’s on in this whole mess, but at the end of the day, he’s still a Warriors Association Branch Manager, and as such, has strict protocols he has to follow. There’s already a lot he’s sacrificed in helping me, breaking certain rules, what with the whole single person clearance and Disciplinary Committee thing. ’Least I can do is adhere to his. Plus, there’s also the fact that I’m scared shitless of that guy. The stories Peyton and Melissa told me about the things he does to punish disciples who don’t behave, well... let’s not even go there."

I sit up straight then get up with a small grunt, relinking my Soul Bond with Dawn as I do, then I look into the horizon of the ocean in front of me.

"All in all. Untill this Reinhardt Family mess is sorted, I doubt I’ll be exploring any Dungeons, any time soon, so the ’’fans’’ will have to wait." I say out loud, while Dawn sits up straight and just looks at me from my right with a bit of a confused expression. Makes sense, she didn’t hear a single thing before this random statement. I make a simple gesture with my right hand as if to say; ’’don’t mind me’’. She just smiles a bit then goes back to laying down on the sand.

"On that note, I doubt I’ll be leaving the Warriors Association, or even my Item Space for that matter, anytime soon." I add internally. Then, as if to say; "are you sure about that?’’, something unexpected happens.

Maybe ’unexpected’ is a weak word.

Random? Weird? Unsettling? That about sums it up.

Out of nowhere, a dark shadow forms under my feet, it spreads out and envelopes my body, in the form of multiple snakes spiralling and rising up to cover my entire body.

My vision is immediately updated. From witnessing the wide ocean of my Item Space and its clear blue sky, my vision is met with a dark night sky and a seemingly endless desert plane as replacements.

"What the hell?" Is my first reaction.

"Greetings, Raid."

"... And who might you be?" I say after a pause, noticing the person standing a few metres in front of me. But I can tell from the attire alone who this person might be. "Hah... what a pain... another Shadow." Only, it’s a woman this time.

"Hm... Aren’t you acting a little too nonchalant for someone in your current position?" She says resting her right hand on the hilt of the katana that’s hanging from her right hip.

"Believe me, I’m surprised. I’m just... still trying to figure out just what the hell is going on." But what happens next really catches me off guard.

From behind her, another figure steps out. Another woman. And another Shadow, judging by the attire.

"I see... so that’s what it is." I say as another Shadow steps out. This time a man.

Then another one, and another. Up until a total of nine Shadows are standing right in front of me. Five of which are women, and four of which are men. All with the dark shadow that transported me here, still enveloping my body, as if snakes, drawn and wrapped around my skin like sloppily placed bandages, preventing me from moving a single muscles from the neck down. Something I’ve been trying to do for a while now.

Then, out of nowhere, Dawn calls out to me via telepathy. "Master...! Master! Can you hear me!?"

"Dawn? Yeah, I’m here. Where are you?"

"I’m still in the Item Space!" She quickly answers. "You just disappeared out of nowhere! I’ve been try to get to you ever since!"

"What?" I exclaim internally. "Ever since? Then why’s the Soul Bond only connecting now?" I ask with a confused tone, knowing very well that I had relinked our Soul Bond way before being forcibly teleported into this desert, so why the hell couldn’t she connect with me immediately?

"That’s only because I was finally able to penetrate through the barrier." Dawn answers me.

"Barrier?" I echo.

"Master, you’re not in the outside world right now. You’re currently in another Isolated Space, much like the Item Space." She explains.

"What!?" I start to look around after Dawn says that, almost instinctively activating Soul-Piercing Eyes.

Then almost immediately, I can tell. Though it’s nigh indistinguishable, this isn’t the reality, but an isolated reality. It seems much bigger than my Item Space as well. And it’s not a Skill, but...

"A Spell." I mutter to myself.

"I’m sorry Master!" Dawn laments. "I’m afraid I’m only able to go this far in terms of helping you. Because, as it stands right now, the Item Space is essentially within this other space so I can’t get out!" Well that sucks. "I’m really sorry! It seems that Taipan was able to leave some sort of mark on you that allowed the remaining Shadows to use some sort of sealing Spell to track and capture you."

"It’s okay Dawn, relax. This is my fault, not yours." I try to reassure Dawn. She really does worry too much for my safety. But all in all, this is the bed I made and have to lay on, now. I’m the one who cut off our Soul Bond when I fought Taipan and only relinked it after I had killed him. Furthermore, I’m the idiot who decided that I wouldn’t use any Skills to fight him. If I had, if I had activated Soul-Piercing Eyes, there’s no way I would’ve missed that ’mark’.

The Shadows start to approach while I simply stand there, unable to move.

"This... this isn’t good."

*******

In the Shadow Space, where there used to be twelve individuals in twelve seats, there is now only nine. Nine, confused inividuals. Nine, anxious individuals. Nine, frightened individuals.

The remainder of the Twelve Guardian Shadows.

Sidewinder, also known as number two, the second strongest of them all. Pygmy, the fourth strongest, number four. Asp, the fifth strongest, number five. And Rattler, Boa, Cobra, Krait, Mamba, and finally Viper, numbers, six, all the way up to eleven, respectively, each one weaker than the last.

Immediately. Immediately after Taipan, whom they used to know as number one, their strongest, breathed his last, they all sensed it. When his Shadow Link got severed, they knew what it meant. The cessation of their comrade. No, he was more than. He was their guide, their leader, unofficially so, yes, but that’s what he was. That’s what he represented. And now, he’s gone. He’s gone. They can’t believe it. They don’t want to believe it. They don’t want to, but they know they have to. They know they have no choice. Denial of reality never got anyone anywhere far. This holds especially true for assassins. A world such as theirs, is no place for naivete.

Silence now clouds the room. However it’s hard to tell what drives that silence. The respect they all shared for the one they lost? The fear they share at the thought of what a certain intolerant Great Knight, who shall not be named, might do to them in response to their failure? Or maybe, maybe, just maybe, it’s because of what they’re all currently witnessing.

In the middle of the table situated in the centre of their twelve seat arrangement, above the table, by about half a metre or so, is a holographic screen. It’s color, though almost transparent, indistinguishably red. It shows a video, seemingly recorded as if through the eyes of someone else.

In the video, there is a man. A young man. Seemingly around twenty years old or so. Maybe even a tad younger. His face is undeniably young, it’s his build that’s striking. Toned to damn near perfection. His muscles aren’t heavy. They aren’t big in a sense. Rather, they’re just right. Like a demigod’s. Built for balance, in all physical aspects. In fact, they wouldn’t be visible if it wasn’t for his ruined formal clothing. That white tie, cut in half. Those uncountable slashes all over his stylish black and white coat. Those half pieces of his trousers and sleeves, hanging on as if they could fall out of his feet and hands at any given moment. As if his arms and legs might have been cut off. But his arms and legs are fine. So what gives? The Shadows wonder.

Then there’s that mysterious aura that surrounds his whole body. A pure white glow. They should think nothing of it, white Mana was seen as the weakest of all Mana. The Mana of an F-Rank. And yet... the aura surrounding the young man, feels... different somehow. Even through the video, they can sense some unexplainable oddity about it. They can’t explain it. They don’t even understand just what exactly it is they feel. But they know, sure enough, or at least, they gather, that it isn’t something to be taken lightly.

They watch the video with great intent, making sure not to miss a single moment, the Shadow Space still basically bathed in unmistakable silence. With the only sound being the one generated from the video itself.

"It’s about time we really finished this!" A familiar voice they know very well says through the video.

Though it’s strange. The person they know this voice to belong to, has never sounded so... strained, so unnecessarily loud, so desperate.

This isn’t the usual number one they know and revere. It doesn’t... It doesn’t sound like him at all. Calm, cool and collected number one. Reduced to some bozzo yelling unnecessarily as if he has something to prove? It can’t be.

Their view of the young man in black and white formal clothing then narrows, as if he’s becoming smaller, or as if the person recording the video through his own eyes, whom they’ve now somewhat gathered to be none other than number one, somehow, is moving back to create distance. This distance is then immediately covered by the appearance of... number one himself? It throws them off a bit. Then another number one appears from the corner of the video. It’s his Shadow Clone Spell, they realize.

The two clones then turn to five. The five to eight. And the eight to eleven. The limit of how many clones he can conjure while keeping the Shadow Space in tact. It perplexes them why the number one that they know, nigh unbeatable as they know him to be, would see the need to go through such measures just to defeat the young man shown in the video, especially, considering who he is, what his Class is and what his Rank is. But none of them say it out loud. And it’s a good thing they don’t, because if they did, then they’d look incredibly stupid, considering what they’re all about to witness.

The clones attack the young man in formal wear. And with a mutter; "This is really getting tiresome." He disappears before their very eyes, only to reappear behind the first clone to attack. Before they can all even register what just happened, the clone’s head flies off his body with a single swing of the young man’s dagger, both body and head dissipating behind him as he continues his assault on the remaining clones, doing the same thing, over and over again. Teleporting behind a clone and beheading it.

Eleven number ones turn to eight. Eight turn to five. Five turn to one, until finally, there are no more clones, and only the young man remains in the video’s view once again.

He waves his daggers, chains dangling from them until they clash at their ends and join to become one longer chain, then he lets go of his right dagger, ultimately turning his weapons into a makeshift whip of sorts, with a dagger at its end.

After that, he draws closer at a great speed, making his body seem as if its growing bigger in the video, and then disappears again, only to reappear much closer than before, his dagger-made whip-like weapon in tow, as if ready cut down the person recording all of this through his eyes.

Then...

"You fell for it." The Shadows hear number one’s voice again, smug, confident and almost condescending. A view of his arm stretched out from the corner of the screen, with his dagger in tow, pointing straight at the young man in formal clothing, appearing, as he adds; "Venomous Redemption." His most powerful Special Attack. The words, uttered with a tone of unyielding purpose.

Even though they know. Deep down, even though all of the remaining Shadows know, that they would not be watching this video right now if number one had actually won this battle, a small sliver of hope and pride rises from within all of their hearts, at the mere sound of their unofficial leader using his biggest trump card, his words uttered with confidence as if to say; ’’This is the end.’’, all for that very same hope to be trampled on almost immediately.

"That’s my line." The video reveals the young man in formal wear smirk as he says that...

No...

That’s no simple smirk...

That right there is an evil grin. A pure and maliciously evil grin. The smile of a devil. Basically reaching from ear to ear.

"Took you long enough." The young man adds as he snaps his fingers with his free right hand... then utters; "Domain of The Frozen Void." A Spell. A great and powerful Spell. The words, uttered with a tone of inarguable dominance.

In an instant, number one’s attack, Venomous Redemption, dissipates before even reaching the young man, as if erased completely.

The sunny brightness of day immediately turns dark as the moon appears in an instant. Almost like a simple switch was flicked to turn day into night. The sun disappears as its replaced by the moon, which then shines a dark light on the entire land below. A dark light that’s only battled by the brightness of the countless bits of white light in the sky, and of course, the pure white snow forming over the entirety of the surface. A cold wind begins blowing with purpose.

In an instant, the environment is turned into a frozen paradise

"It’s over Taipan." Says the young man in formal wear, slowly plunging his dagger through number one’s stomach. However, he only looks like he’s moving slowly through the perspective of number one himself, due to his increased perception.

"H...how...? Kark!" Number one wails, coughing out blood.

"This is a very special Spell I got from the Dungeon Boss of this Dungeon. It’s called Domain of The Frozen Void." The young man explains without hesitation.

He then pulls back his dagger, and the video’s view shifts, now showing only the young man’s lower body, a soft thump being heard briefly all the while, as if number one has dropped to his knees.

"Hah." The Shadows watch quietly as they’re forced to hear the painful pants of their unofficial leader.

The video’s view shifts again, to show the young man’s full upper body. A result of number one titling his head up to look at the young man, no doubt.

The young man in formal wear just stands there, looking at number one, however, from the Shadows’ perspective, it’s as if he’s staring directly at them. Directly into their souls.

"What... hah.... what are you waiting for...? Go ahead... finish it... you won... so get this over with already..." The Shadows hear number one’s voice, strained as it may be.

"You’re not gonna plead? Try to beg for your life like number three did?" The young man replies with a question.

"... Number three did that...?" Number one asks. "Pitiful..." Then hurls. Even as the Shadows hear him insult a fellow member who has recently died, they don’t change their view of him. In fact, they silently agree wholeheartedly with his remark as they listen to him continue. "This fight had only two possible outcomes. Either you dying by my hands, or me dying by yours. Begging to be spared just because a fight to the death didn’t turn out the way you wanted to is... well... I don’t even know how one can still call himself a Warrior after doing something like that." He manages to finish. Even in his death, their respect for him doesn’t falter in the slightest. Rather, it’s intensified at the mere sound of how even now, as he’s about to die, his resolve isn’t so easily broken.

"Well... I’ll be honest. This might be the first time I found myself respecting one of you Shadows. I mean I had some respect for the pride Sonoran had in being associated with your Family, but that was pretty much it. You on the other hand, are very different." The Shadows hear the young man in formal wear praise.

"S...Sonoran?" Number one echoes, the question resonating with the Shadows as well.

"Oh... right... you don’t know. See, believe it or not, the Warriors Association knows all about the Twelve Guardian Shadows. Have for a long time actually, so much so that they even have nicknames for all of you since you yourselves, go by just numbers. Well, they’re more like codenames, really, and number three was codenamed Sonoran." The young man readily explains. It strikes the Shadows as odd how easily he’s so prone to just giving away information normal folk would attempt to keep secret, like that. Yet, it makes sense why he wouldn’t care, considering, he’s about to end number one’s life.

"... I see." Says number one after a pause, the video’s view shifting once more to show the snowy ground as he does. "So they knew about us all along. And we thought we were the ones who were steps ahead. How humbling..." The Shadows find themselves all internally agreeing with number one’s words. They didn’t expect the Warriors Association to know about them. Which is... arrogant, all considering. They continue to listen to number one, sighing as he keeps going. "Names, huh? Then... what’s mine?"

"Hm?"

"My name... given to me by the Warriors Association. What is it?" The video’s view shifts back up to show the young man’s upper body once more.

"It’s... Taipan. Your name is Taipan." Answers the young man in formal wear.

"Taipan." Number one. No... Taipan, echoes. "I don’t... I don’t hate it. Taipan. Heh, yeah... thank you, F-Rank-no... thank you... Raid." He adds, his tone genuine.

"You’re welcome." The young man replies with an equally genuine tone.

After a long silence, the video’s view shifts again, as if Taipan has lifted his head slight upwards.

The Shadows immediately realize what it means. Taipan has offered himself, wholely and completely. It’s not surrender. They all realize that. It’s simply an acceptance of reality. In this moment, the respect they have for him is great, too great. It’s basically immeasurable. Far greater than the respect-slash-fear they have for Andrew Reinhardt even.

With that, the last sound they hear come out of the video, is a whisper.

"Sunset Slash."

Then, in an instant, the video blacks out.

However, it’s what happens immediately after that, that really turns the Shadows’ heads. As the video shuts down, before the holographic screen dissipates, it gets sliced in half by some invisible force.

~Swing~

The silent sound of a semi-transparent slash. But the slash doesn’t stop there, it goes on and runs through the air then slashes right through the walls in the room, spreading out like a growing circle as it misses each of the Shadows heads, passing just inches above them. Then it goes on and cuts the entirety of the building they’re in, horizontally, in half.