Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 2 Read online

  “Come on! That all you got!? Pathetic!”

  “Ahahahaha! That’s right, scream like the worthless pigs you are!”

  “You guys are fucking trash! Hyahahaha!”

  The Haulia’s raucous laughter echoed through the clearing, and countless knives glinted in the dim sunlight. Their original gentle, peaceful expressions were nowhere to be found. The bearmen were clearly shaken at the unexpected ferocity the rabbitmen displayed.

  “Dammit! The hell’s going on!? What kind of monsters are these guys!?”

  “There’s no way these guys are rabbitmen!”

  “Uwaaaaah! Get away from me! Get away from meeeee!”

  The ambushers had suddenly found themselves on the receiving end of an ambush. Worse, the supposedly weak rabbitmen had displayed a strength beyond what anyone had thought possible of them. Arrows and rocks rained down on the bearmen, who had no way to retaliate. Not only did the rabbitmen skillfully hide their presence in the fog, their coordination was perfect. But worst of all were those bloodthirsty howls of laughter. All of those factors combined were what led the bearmen, who possessed superior stats, to be pushed back.

  Had the bearmen actually fought the rabbitmen one by one, they would have won easily. However, thanks to the beyond hellish training they had received, the Haulia had the advantage when it came to combat experience and group tactics.

  Normally, the rabbitmen were far weaker than the other beastmen races. But because of that innate weakness, they had perfected their ability to sense danger and hide themselves. Those were the tools they had polished to survive.

  Used as a weapon, those same skills were perfect for ambushing foes. One could even say that they were the race most suited for assassination. But because of their pacifist nature, those skills had never been used as such.

  Until Hajime had stripped away their aversion to fighting during their training that is. He’d driven them into a corner, pushing them so hard that they had needed to overcome their distaste for fighting just to survive. As a result of his spartan training, their hearts had been reforged into something hard and unforgiving in just ten days. Hajime might have overdone it just a little bit, however... After all, not only did they not have any hesitation to fight, they eagerly sought out conflict. And their bonds had already been strong to begin with, so they had no problem coordinating their attacks perfectly, which multiplied their strength. Combine that with their ability to swiftly analyze a foe’s strengths and weaknesses and they became a force to be reckoned with.

  Of course, one of the big reasons they’d grown so powerful so fast was also because of the specialized weapons Hajime had crafted for them.

  Each of them had two shortswords, crafted by Hajime to be ultra-thin, ultra-light, and ultra-sharp. And because they were made of taur, they were ultra-durable as well. They also had a brace of throwing knives made in the same fashion.

  Long ranged weapons were part of their arsenal too. Using thread he’d harvested from a spider-like monster down in the abyss, Hajime had crafted them slingshots and crossbows stronger than anything one could find on the surface. Many of the Haulia children weren’t suited to close combat at all, but thanks to their excellent senses they made great snipers even in the thick fog.

  Par... or rather, Baltfeld the Executioner, along with the other children, had taken to the crossbows instantly.

  “One shot one kill! I’ll blow all these bastards’ heads off! I swear it on my title of Executioner!”

  Par... or rather, Baltfeld the Executioner, had gotten pretty foulmouthed over the past few days. By the way, his “title” was something self-proclaimed. Originally he’d been fond of saying “Bang!” every time he shot down an enemy, but Hajime had put a stop to that. Mostly because it creeped him out. Regardless, it was thanks to the hellish training that the bearmen were being pushed back by the Haulia. Unable to mount any resistance, they’d already lost half of their forces.

  “Regin-dono! We won’t last much longer!”

  “Please order a retreat!”

  “Allow me to take up the rear gua— Guaah!?”

  “Tonto!?”

  Though his men all urged him to retreat, Regin hesitated. Logic warred with rage, as not only had Jin been crippled, but now Regin had lost his precious subordinates as well. But that hesitation only led him to lose more men. The bearman who had volunteered to take up the rearguard now had an arrow sprouting through his forehead.

  Shaken by the rabbitmen’s unerring accuracy, the bearmen’s formation was thrown into disarray. Sensing their opportunity, Cam and the others decided to finish it in one final push.

  Arrows and rocks struck with pinpoint accuracy at the ankles, wrists, and other vital areas of the bearmen. While their attention was occupied by the rain of projectiles, the other Haulia snuck up on the beastmen, slicing and thrusting with their wickedly sharp swords.

  Finally, when the bearmen had their hands full fending off attacks from various directions, a Haulia would sneak behind each one and deal the finishing blow. Using the advantage of numbers, the Haulia ran circles around the bearmen. Soon enough, Regin and the others were trembling in fear. Are those guys seriously the same stupid, gutless rabbitmen we saw before!?

  Though they held out for an impressive amount of time, before long even Regin was covered from head to toe in wounds, and he had to use his axe as a crutch just to keep himself standing. The Haulia had switched off attacking in waves, leaving the bearmen no time to rest. Currently, Regin and the others were all panting heavily, with their backs to a large tree as the rabbitmen surrounded them.

  “Come on, you worthless bastards! This can’t be all you’ve got! Or are you all just a bunch of spineless losers!?”

  “You’re bringing shame to your name as the strongest race, you know that, you fuckups!? Where’d your balls go, you cowards!?”

  “Come on, pick up your weapons! You bunch of pussies!”

  Their insults were so crude that no one expected any race, least of all the rabbitmen, to be hurling them. Something crazy must have happened to these guys to make them like this! The bearmen had all lost the will to fight. Burly, macho bearmen were all crying as they begged for mercy... It was an odd sight, to be sure.

  “Kukuku, any last words? Mr. ‘I’m part of the strongest race’?” Sarcasm dripped from Cam’s voice. Now that he’d awoken to his battle instincts, it seemed he wanted to get back at being looked down on all his life. The old Cam would never have been so cruel.

  “Ngh...” Regin only grunted in frustration. After they’d regrouped from their initial confusion, Regin had finally returned to his senses. Witnessing the overwhelming might of the Haulia had been like having a bucket of cold water splashed onto his face. The flames of resentment at what had happened to Jin still smoldered within Regin’s breast, but he knew that his current responsibility was to save as many of his men’s lives as he could. He was well aware that it was his fault so many of his comrades were caught in this predicament.

  “I don’t care what you do with me. Torture me, kill me, do whatever you want. But everyone else is only here because I forced them to come. So please, let them go.”

  “Wha— Regin-dono!?”

  “Regin-dono! You can’t...”

  His subordinates all started talking at once. They couldn’t stand the fact that he was trying to sacrifice himself for their sake. But he simply silenced them all with a booming voice.

  “Shut up! I’m the one who got blinded by anger and led you guys into a death trap! The rabbitmen’s... I mean the Haulia’s chief. I understand I’m asking a lot of you. But please, spare their lives! I’m begging you!”

  Regin tossed aside his weapon and knelt before Cam. His men all knew just how much pride he took in his abilities, so they also knew just how much it took out of him to prostrate himself before the enemy. When they saw how deep his resolve ran they couldn’t bring themselves to fight back.

  Cam, too, saw the determination in Regin’s eyes. Thus, his rep
ly was...

  “I refuse.” He threw one of his knives as he said that.

  “Uwooh!?” Regin just barely managed to twist out of the way. But Cam’s knife was nothing more than a signal. Seconds later, a storm of rocks and arrows rained down on the helpless bearmen. The Haulia roared with laughter as they watched Regin and the others desperately defend themselves with their broadaxes.

  “Why!?” Regin barely managed to groan that one word out.

  “Why? Isn’t it obvious? You guys are our enemies. What other reason do we need?”

  The logic in Cam’s answer was simple.

  “Guh, but—!”

  “And besides... it’s fun seeing you arrogant bastards brought low, and crawling along the dirt like the scum you are! Hahaha!”

  “What!? You monsters! How could you!?”

  The glee in Cam’s voice was unmistakable. His tribe were all firing their slingshots and crossbows from a safe distance as they tormented the bearmen. They were all exhibiting the telltale signs of people who’ve gone mad due to their first taste of power. The rush of victory against one of the strongest subspecies of their race had caused them to take leave of their senses. They were completely out of control.

  The ferocity of their attacks increased until Regin and the others were all huddled together in a pitiful heap, barely holding on. But even that wouldn’t last for much longer. Though none of them had been fatally injured yet, they were all covered in wounds both minor and major. The next barrage would finish them.

  Cam grinned cruelly and raised an arm into the air. Gleefully, the rest of the Haulia nocked their crossbows and loaded their slingshots. Realizing nothing he could do would prevent this from being his grave, Regin dropped his weapon in surrender. Inwardly, he apologized to his men for foolishly leading them to their deaths.

  Cam’s arm swung down like the scythe of the grim reaper itself as he gave the signal to fire. Everyone loosed at once. Regin stared defiantly at the barrage that was to be his death, determined to at least not give them the satisfaction of looking away. But then...

  “Cut it ouuuuuuuut!” A white silhouette darted in front of the bearmen and blew away the projectiles with a massive metal hammer.

  “Huh?” Regin’s jaw dropped open in surprise. It was only natural. Right as he was about to die, a pale-haired bunny girl had dropped from the sky along with a massive hammer. And the shockwave as it had hit the ground had blown away all the arrows and rocks heading toward him and his comrades. His shocked face was almost comical to look at. The other bearmen all had similar expressions.

  The enraged bunny girl was, of course, none other than Shea. Thanks to Hajime’s compression transmutation, the hammer was unimaginably dense. Still, Shea swung the ridiculously heavy hammer up like it was nothing, then pointed it at Cam. Even a simple motion like that caused a powerful gale.

  “I can’t believe you guys! Dad, and the rest of you too, come back to your senses already!” They were taken aback by Shea’s sudden entrance, but they quickly composed themselves and glared angrily at her.

  “Shea, I don’t know what you’re playing at, but get out of our way. We can’t kill them if you don’t.”

  “Oh no, I’m not moving. You’re the ones who need to stop!”

  Cam’s eyes narrowed angrily.

  “Stop? Don’t tell me you plan on siding with the enemy, Shea. Depending on your answer, I may have to...”

  “No, I don’t really care if these guys die or not.”

  “You don’t!?” The bearmen had all been convinced that she’d come here to stop her tribe’s murderous rampage, so they were positively stunned by her reply.

  “Of course not. I wouldn’t have survived Yue-san’s training if I was still soft enough to go easy on people trying to kill me. Even I know that’s just going to get you killed.”

  “Hmph, then why exactly are you stopping us?” Even though he was talking to his daughter, Cam’s tone was rough. The rest of his tribe all glared suspiciously at her as well.

  “Isn’t it obvious!? Because if I don’t stop you guys, you’ll break! You’ll sink into depravity!”

  “Break? Sink into depravity?” It was obvious he hadn’t understood a single word Shea had said.

  “That’s right! Don’t you see!? Hajime-san might not show any mercy to his enemies, or listen to their pleas, or ever have pity, but he never enjoys killing! He taught you how to kill your enemies, not how to torment them!”

  “W-We weren’t...”

  “Do you even know what kind of expression you were making just now, Dad?”

  “Expression? I mean, I can’t look at my own face...” At Shea’s words, the Haulia all turned to look at each other. Shea paused to take a deep breath and then quietly, but firmly, continued.

  “...You guys looked just like the imperial soldiers that attacked us.”

  “Wha—!?”

  That was a shock. A big enough one to blow away the veil of bloodlust that had clouded their thoughts thus far. They were no better than the monsters who had laughed mockingly at them while enslaving most of their tribe... It was precisely because the Haulia had seen such ugliness up close that they knew how disgusting it was. Worse than the scum who had taken their families... That was a bitter truth to swallow.

  “Sh-Shea... I...”

  “Hmph, looks like you’ve finally calmed down a little. Good. I was worried I’d have to kick all your asses first before you came to your senses.”

  Shea casually swung her hammer around a few times. Her stern expression relaxed a little as she saw the bloodthirsty smiles fade from her family’s faces.

  “Well, this was your first battle, so it’s all good as long as you realized your mistake in time. Besides, this is all really Hajime-san’s fault. I know he needed to toughen you up mentally too, but he went too far! He turned you into berserkers, not warriors!” This time her anger was directed at Hajime. She quietly added, “How on earth did I fall for a guy like that anyway?” to her monologue.

  Suddenly, a gunshot rang out throughout the clearing. One of the bearmen behind Shea let out a strangled groan and crumpled to the ground. Realizing they’d completely ignored their opponents for the past few minutes, Shea and Cam scrambled to see what they were up to. When they looked back, they saw Regin cradling his forehead and moaning in pain.

  “Don’t you even think about trying to escape while they’re not looking. You better sit quietly until their conversation’s over.” Hajime and Yue materialized from within the fog. Apparently, Regin and the others had tried to sneak off while Shea and Cam had been arguing. For some reason, Hajime had decided to use one of his non-lethal rubber bullets.

  Despite Hajime’s words the bearmen were still carefully observing their surroundings, looking for any chance to escape. Hajime activated his Intimidation in order to keep them docile. With the pressure of his magic keeping them shivering in place, Hajime was free to walk leisurely over to Shea and the others. Hajime looked around awkwardly for a few seconds before steeling his resolve and staring apologetically at Cam.

  “Uh, well, you know, my bad. I was fine with it, but I forgot about what the shock of killing a person can do to someone. Really, I’m sorry.”

  Cam and Shea’s were stunned. No one had ever expected Hajime, of all people, to ever apologize.

  “B-Boss!? Are you alright!? Did you hit your head somewhere!?”

  “Medic! Medic! We need urgent assistance!”

  “Boss, keep it together!”

  Hence the overblown reaction. There was a familiar vein bulging on Hajime’s forehead.

  Hajime had honestly thought he was at fault, and he was sincerely apologizing. Because he’d been fine with killing people, he’d failed to take into account what the shock of it might have done to someone else. Strong as he was, Hajime had no experience teaching others. And that inexperience had nearly caused him to break the Haulia’s minds. That was why he’d given a heartfelt apology. But rather than accepting it, those stupid bunnies ha
d questioned his sanity. Though, in a way, he wasn’t sure if he should get angry, or reflect on the way he’d been acting. He decided to shelve the issue for later, and instead walked up to Regin. Then, he slowly pressed Donner against the bearman’s head.

  “Now then, would you prefer to die a manly death or live on in disgrace?” It was the Haulia who were even more surprised by his ultimatum than the bearmen. It was unthinkable that Hajime would actually offer to spare an enemy’s life. This was the same person who had mercilessly slaughtered anyone that had bared their fangs at him for as long as they’d known him.

  “He really did hit his head somewhere, didn’t he...” Cam muttered softly. Another vein joined the first, but if he let everything the rabbitmen said get to him, they’d have gotten nowhere.

  Regin looked up at Hajime in confusion. As he was undoubtedly the one who’d turned the Haulia into bloodthirsty monsters, Regin had not expected him to show any mercy.

  “What do you mean? You’re willing to let us live?”

  “Yeah, if that’s what you want. But I have a condition.”

  “A condition?” The other bearmen all began clamoring noisily at the prospect of salvation.

  “If I hit him again, maybe it’ll fix it...” Shea muttered surprisingly seriously as she looked from the back of Hajime’s head down to her hammer and back again. Cam and the others all nodded vigorously.

  I think they’ll need some very strict discipline when we get back. But for now, he ignored them.

  “Yep, a condition. When you get back to Verbergen, I want you to deliver a message to the elders.”

  “A message?” Regin had been worried he’d ask something outrageous of them, so he was a little relieved to hear they’d just be messengers. However, the contents of that message made his blood run cold.

  “You owe me.”

  “...Ah!? You don’t mean—”

  “Well? What’ll it be? Yes or no?”

  Regin couldn’t suppress his voice when he realized what Hajime intended. Hajime waited patiently for Regin’s answer.

  By delivering that message, it would mean that Verbergen would one day have to repay their debt to him. The elders had lost one of their own, and even overturned a decision of their council to keep Hajime away from their city, but if Regin delivered that message, then they’d be forced to unconditionally accept any request of his. Looking at it objectively, both Regin and Jin had been the ones to attack first, so letting Regin live would mean they’d be honor bound to agree. Ignoring that debt would make them look disgraceful. Besides, if they didn’t accept, Hajime might really attack them. In other words, if Regin chose to live he would be exposing his country to danger. Not only had they ignored the elders’ warning, they’d lost, with half of their men dead. After all that boasting they’d done about being the strongest, too... As Hajime had said, it really would mean living on in disgrace. While Regin despaired at his choices, Hajime delivered the final blow.