Chapter 7: The Man Called the Grim Reaper

Chapter 7:
The Man Called the Grim Reaper

 

WHILE WE WALKED through Astarte, keeping a wary eye out, the scent of blood became stronger with each step. However, there was one thing I was concerned about: Filia. Ever since we started tracking the Grim Reaper, Filia hadn’t uttered a single word. She might’ve been quiet to let me concentrate, but even still, her expression was all doom and gloom.

But no matter how hard I tried, I never understood other people’s thoughts on my own. I had to ask Filia straight out. “Hey, something’s clearly bothering you. What’s up?”

Filia’s eyes darted about, her gaze shifting here and there, but eventually, finally, she spoke. “Don’t you think I’ll just be in your way?”

In my way? I didn’t understand what she was talking about. How could I ever think my unbelievable magician companion, Filia Windia, was in my way?

“I’m more than confident in my magic,” she continued, “but shall we be honest? When it comes to battle, Yuri, I’m…weak, compared to you. I’m afraid that if I tag along in a situation like this, I’ll just be a burden.”

A burden, huh? I guess I understood that as a valid concern Filia might have, but…

“It’s fine. We’re partners, okay? You’re never a burden, not ever. Besides, Filia, you’re incredibly strong! As long as this Grim Reaper fella isn’t just ridiculously hardcore, I doubt you’ll be any kind of concern—more like you’re going to concern him. Okay?”

“Heh. That’s nice, Yuri. What, did you hit your head or something?” she asked, lightly smacking herself on the pate.

At least it looked like she was done brooding.

“Those are just my honest thoughts,” I said with a shrug.

“Hm. Well, then, I understand your feelings. I still don’t know what exactly I’m supposed to do while your muscle-trained nose roots out a serial killer by smelling the victim’s blood, so I’ll stay a bit behind and keep watch. How does that sound?”

“Are you okay with that?” I asked tentatively. Did she really not want to be in the fight?

“Yes. Or, hmm, perhaps you’d rather I keep you company?” she asked with a giggle (“tee hee!”) and a teasing smile.

I responded with a simple snort. I couldn’t even begin to fathom not wanting to face a worthy opponent, but I wasn’t about to criticize her. If Filia didn’t join the fight, that was more fight for me.

The lingering scent of the Grim Reaper grew ever stronger. No, not this road. What about that way? Hmm. The distance between us shrank, little by little.

“This way. Follow me.”

“Understood.”

Once the scent became strong enough that my nose was practically throbbing, I came to a halt. The scent trail led into a desolate building on the edge of town, some kind of abandoned ruin of cobwebs and rotting wood.

“Looks like the Grim Reaper is in there. Filia, will you wait for me out here?”

Keeping her outside the place really would be the best option—she could get a read on what was going on inside without risking getting dragged into the battle.

Filia nodded. “I understand. Please…be careful, Yuri.”

“Yeah.” I nodded, turned, and ducked under a fallen piece of timber to enter the abandoned building.

Everything inside the place was coated with a thick layer of dust, and every breath pulled the foul stuff into my lungs. I scanned the area for any hint of movement. A solitary spider lurked in a crevice in the corner, and on the dust-covered floor…I detected a thin trace of a footstep.

No one lived here, of that I had no doubt. In all likelihood, it was a temporary hideout. I moved through the front room carefully, keeping my footsteps silent. Through the remains of a doorway, I arrived in a wide-open room.

As I crossed the threshold, I felt some kind of pressure—like an electric tingle—run through me. No, sharper than that, almost as if the tip of a blade were being pressed to my throat. Whew, I could sense it—I couldn’t let my guard down around this opponent, not for a split-second.

Just as I had that thought, I spied him, almost as if he’d manifested from the gloom. I glared at the man now standing in the center of the room.

He was clad in black, head-to-toe, but the clothes were strange to me—I think it was called a kimono or something, if I remembered right. I’d seen that kind of robe in an illustration in a book; it was said to be worn by foreign warriors called samurai.

Black kimono, black hair, black heart. He was a Grim Reaper through and through. A terrifying presence hung about him, but it had an ephemeral quality, too. Like the moment you took your eyes off of him, he’d vanish. That was how it felt, finally meeting him.

“Are you the Grim Reaper?”

The man stared into my eyes unblinking. Though he looked scrawny at first glance, he was actually lean and toned. Together with his pale face, he really was eerie as hell.

“Indeed, I am. I never deigned to name myself that, but the people of this town have deemed me so, and so I shall be. And what shall I call you?” asked the Grim Reaper, in a low, hoarse voice.

“I’m Yuri. I wanna fight strong people. You ready to face me?”

“As you wish. I never refuse a duel. I will grant you the death you so clearly desire, the same gift I generously bestowed upon those criminals.”

As he said that, the Grim Reaper took his sheathed sword in hand with one smooth, relaxed motion. The pressure emanating from his body sharpened. He was even better than I’d expected!

Interesting. I could count on one hand the number of people who’d ever made me feel this way. If I didn’t come at him with my full power right from the start, it’d be bad news for ol’ Yuri.

Trembling with delight, I removed the limiter on my muscles. I billowed up into my true form and readied my fists, all the while shaking with pure excitement. The thrill of facing a strong opponent was a pleasure that surpassed everything else.

The Grim Reaper, still holding his sheathed sword at the ready, opened his mouth the slightest bit, his words passing quiet through his thin lips. “Nevertheless, to think a criminal would willingly throw himself upon my sword. Have you at last realized your sin, human?”

“You’re human too, aren’t you? What are you trying to say? I don’t get it.”

The Grim Reaper shook his head, as though disappointed. “Very well. In that case, allow me to instruct you. I will explain the nature of your misdeed.”

“Sorry, not interested.”

I kicked off the floor and closed in on the Grim Reaper—but even though I’d moved first, I could tell he was keeping flawless track of my actions. Most people got punched before they even saw me coming. It was probably way too dangerous for me to go straight at him without thinking then, huh…?

Nah, it was time to have some fun!

I aimed right at the Grim Reaper’s chest, never slowing for a second. Simultaneously, the Grim Reaper unsheathed his sword, and—in the same fluid motion—swung his blade.

I’d read about this too. It was a technique known as an iai, where you would draw your sword, cut down your opponent, and sheathe it in one perfect arc.

Me, I’d only ever fought against monsters before, so this was the first time I’d experienced something like that—a sword technique, and the fastest kind at that. Before I even realized I’d been sliced open, blood gushed from my chest. I tried to slug the Reaper and shrug off the wound, but he deftly dodged my swing. Judging from the speed of that iai, he was more agile than I was.

I dodged back to put some distance between us. The Grim Reaper glanced at his sword with a narrowed eye.

“Your body,” he said. “It’s frightfully tough.”

“Yep. Because I trained. Hey, I’m pretty shocked, too! To think there’s a swordsman out there who can cut my muscles.”

“What in the world is bewildering about that? When faced with the blade, living flesh becomes as paper. Such is the way of the world. Of course muscles would be cut easily, am I wrong?”

For some town normie, sure. But my body was much, much more durable than some lame stick of sharpened metal. Having great enough skill with a sword to cut my skin, though, now that was something genuinely worthy of praise.

“It is regrettable to end one as powerful as yourself. However, you are a criminal, and I must cut down your sins,” said the Grim Reaper in a detached voice, leveling the tip of his sword with my face.

“Sins, huh?”

He certainly did have an abnormal level of power, and that kind of person generally had abnormal thought processes, too.

“That’s right: sin. You and everyone else in this world are guilty of a grave iniquity. You have abandoned your duty.”

His hoarse voice sank deeper still. Wait…did that mean he was getting stronger? Nice. I continued to suppress the urge to burst out in smiles.

“Duty, huh? What kind of duty?”

“The duty to die.”

Duty to…die? Okay, now that didn’t make any sense. “Is that the reason you killed those ordinary townsfolk, ya weirdo?”

“Of course. I enabled them to fulfill their duty. By dying by my hand, those humans have come to realize the sin they’ve committed.”

All those elegant words, and I didn’t get him at all. His logic defied even me, an intellectual!

“I see. All right, then. Let’s go.”

Trying to figure out all his nonsense would just be a pain, so it was high time to get on with the punching. I lunged, entering within reach of his sword. The Grim Reaper’s blade was still out of his sheath, and he swung it at my left shoulder. I slid back and dodged.

In response, like a mirror image, he slid forward and slashed upward. I couldn’t dodge his speed, so I poured strength into my arms.

The sword swung straight into my forearms—and bounced off.

We both skipped back to get some distance from each other. I could see the astonishment in the Grim Reaper’s sunken eyes. “Wha…? What in the world is with your body?”

“Uh, nothing? It’s normal. I’m just swole.”

I couldn’t seem to hit him either, though. Considering his incredible dexterity with that sword, it was hard for me to get in close. Still, at least now I knew I could stop his blade if I got my timing right.

“I’m afraid I cannot die here,” said the man. “I will not, not until I’ve helped you and the rest of humanity fulfill your duty.”

Uuuugh, this again? I ignored his words and readied my stance. I couldn’t get his line of thinking whatsoever, so what was the point in listening? I angled myself toward the Grim Reaper, gathered my focus, and threw a right-arm punch. My swing sent a shockwave that broke the sound barrier—one he slashed through with ease.

“Quite the bizarre technique. Do you have some kind of firearm?”

“Nah, that was my Pistol Punch.”

“Your what…?”

“That technique. I call it the Pistol Punch.”

“I…see. Well, I suppose you’re free to give it whatever name you choose, no matter what it is…”

Huh? He looked at me with this odd pity in his eyes now. I didn’t understand one bit. He let out a small sigh, and the pressure he was exerting lessened. However, at the distance we now stood at, that still didn’t give me any openings to exploit. I’m sure he realized that.

Then, slowly, he began to speak again. “With your strength, surely you understand. No humans are immortal, none whatsoever. All things pass into the night. Death is the duty shared by all living things. Some human insects prattle on about ‘the right to live,’ but a right is not a duty. A right to life must be echoed by the duty to die. All I do is teach these criminals this sacred truth, which they, and even you, have failed to realize. Surely you see that I am not a monster but a preacher, an evangelist of truth, do you not?”

“Yeah, but, if we have the right to live, that doesn’t mean you have to kill us right away, does it?”

“It is impossible to defer a debt so deep and true; you cannot postpone your duty. Can there be any better way to live than to dream of what comes in death?”

Did my words not reach him or something? It was like we weren’t even speaking the same language. This was too much; he was practically incoherent.

Except…

Something about this was tugging at my brain. Filia. Meeting her. I kind of got the feeling I was reborn, after that. Before she entered my world, I was satisfied with my narrow little life. I knew I was alive now, but maybe back then, I’d really been dead.

“Hey, Grim Reaper. Check this—I used to be dead. How do you like that?”

His face twisted. “Are you mad? Nonsense and blasphemy. I will have you fulfill your duty now.”

And here he came!

The pressure emanating from the Grim Reaper surged. Mouth shut tight, he closed the distance between us. I repelled his sword with my arm then started in with another punch. But just before my attack landed, I pulled back and latched onto his right arm—this time, I wasn’t going to let him slip away.

Using my free hand, I punched him with all of my strength. He sputtered as the wind left his body and went flying through the air. His ability with a sword was incredible, but his body lacked muscle. Which was why he no longer had a right arm.

I tossed the arm aside and raced after him. I reached him while he was still in midair and he spat bloody vomit right into my eyes. Even now he could sense my location within a split second. He really was tremendously strong.

However, it’s not like temporary blindness was a setback for me. Tracking his presence with my keen battle senses, I launched a punch into the darkness. My fist smashed bone with an awful crack.

I wiped the blood from my eyes onto my shirt, and blinked up, looking for what had come of the Grim Reaper. He’d collapsed against the far wall. A lake of blood pooled around the stump of his right shoulder. It looked like the upper and lower halves of his body had been near torn apart. Guess my follow-up punch hit his stomach. Cautiously, I approached.

“Gah…I never imagined I’d lose. But, very well. That just means that…the time has come for me to fulfill my duty.” Blood spilled from the Reaper’s mouth with every word.

“I had fun, too. It’s been a while since I let loose like that.”

The longer the fight, the more excited I got and the stronger I became. It was rare for me to find an opponent that could last so long when my excitement level was so high. Fantastically satisfying.

“I have…a final request of you. It’s not unreasonable…” he whispered through the blood. “Would you…please take my life, using my sword?”

“Sure thing.” I went to fetch his sword from his right arm, which my toss had sent clear over to the other side of the room. I knew he was a criminal who’d killed innocents, but he was so damn strong. I had to respect that.

As I returned to the mortal remains of the Grim Reaper, sprawled on the dusty ground, I asked him a question. “Got any last words?”

“No, none. I haven’t fulfilled my mission, but somehow…I feel at peace.” He sputtered in hacking coughs. “You better hurry and die, too. I’m sure you’ll understand this feeling.”

The look on his face was sincerely peaceful. After losing all that blood, he didn’t seem to even be in pain.

“Sorry,” I said. “I just don’t get it.”

I plunged the sword deep into his chest. He let out one final breath, and then, finally, died.

I made sure to confirm he’d breathed his last before I left the abandoned building. The world outside was dim and the shadows were long. The sun was setting.

Upon seeing me emerge, Filia let out a shaking sigh of relief and rushed over to me. “Did you get him?”

I nodded. “He was crazy strong. It was amazing.”

“I see…” She didn’t look too excited. Had something happened?

“Hey, you look kinda down again, you okay?”

“No, that’s not it. It’s just, well…I was worried about you,” said Filia, averting her eyes and hanging her head.

“Huh, what’s this? Filia’s cute side returns.”

“You’re damn right I’m cute! And—and if you died, Yuri, do you know how much cute, cute little old me would suffer for it? You’re my protector, Yuri, so I absolutely forbid you from dying, okay? You—you simply aren’t allowed!”

Filia, after one of her classic rounds of crocodile tears and fake-sobbing and faux-sniffling, put her hands together like she was praying and looked up at me with hopeful eyes.

Woof, she could really lay it on thick.

“I take back what I said earlier,” I mumbled.

Ignoring her cheery look, we made our way to the headquarters of Astarte’s knight order. It was time to report on the dutiful end of the Grim Reaper.