During the month of training at the dojo, life felt fulfilling enough—but no matter how hard Eric worked, he couldn't keep up with those two little monsters: Kuina and Zoro. They were both human, so why did it seem like they had unlimited stamina? It wasn't that they never got tired—Eric had seen them panting—but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't match their training volume.
"During our duels, I clearly had more stamina!" Eric gritted his teeth. It felt like the world had handed them cheat codes—no fatigue loss during training!
October 1st
[Ding... You have a new message]
[Monthly Quest #2: Swordsmanship Training]
Content: Complete 1000 downward slashes every day during the 31 days of October.
Reward: 2 million Berries / 1 Achievement Point
October 3rd
[Achievement Unlocked: "Survived one month with your first companion" — 1 Achievement Point, 1 Bond Point]
[You've spent one month with Akame — 1 Bond Point earned]
"What kind of ridiculous achievement is that..." Eric muttered the moment he saw the email.
"Still, the system loves me, huh? Easy win. I wonder if just doing monthly missions will be enough to make me the strongest..." For a moment, Eric felt like becoming a total slacker.
"Kuina! I challenge you to our 2,001st duel! This will be the final duel between us!" Zoro shouted, holding two real swords. "Let's settle this! With real blades! You have one too, right?"
"Here it comes!" Eric, who was eavesdropping, perked up with excitement.
"Wait, wasn't this duel supposed to happen at night?" Something felt off. "Whatever. I'll grab Akame and we'll watch it together." He turned to find her.
"Against me?" Kuina was surprised, then smiled with determination. "Sure."
They went to the storehouse. In the center of the room lay a katana with a white sheath. Kuina slowly drew a portion of the blade.
"Wado Ichimonji…"
On an open field, the two faced each other five or six meters apart.
"Real swords? This is too dangerous for kids!" Akame was about to intervene.
"Wait! Let them fight first. We'll step in if things get out of hand. With your speed, you'll make it in time, right?" Eric stopped her.
"…Okay," Akame reluctantly agreed.
A breeze blew. Zoro shouted, "Aaahh!"—and the duel began. He lowered his stance and rushed forward. His left-hand sword came down hard at Kuina.
Clang!
Kuina blocked it effortlessly. Zoro's right-hand sword swept in next. Kuina dodged with a slight backward motion. A few strands of her hair fluttered to the ground.
She countered with a horizontal slash. But Zoro, now well-trained, was no pushover. He raised his blades and blocked. Their swords clashed together as they began to test each other's strength.
Clang! They separated again. Zoro's blade had several notches. The Wado Ichimonji held strong—it was a Grade 21 Great Sword, after all.
Clang! Clink! Clang! Clink!
They exchanged blows like a storm, far beyond what you'd expect from two kids. After several minutes, their stamina differences showed. Zoro was gasping heavily, while Kuina, drenched in sweat, said:
"Two swords are heavy, huh? Looks like your stamina still needs work."
"Shut up!" Zoro shouted, visibly straining.
Kuina suddenly closed the distance. With a loud CLANG, she knocked both of Zoro's swords into the air. Zoro was flung back and hit the ground.
"Hah!" Kuina reversed her blade and thrust it toward the fallen Zoro—CLINK!—it struck the ground next to his head.
She declared in a calm voice:
"My 2,001st victory."
"Why didn't you jump in?" Eric asked Akame. She had planned to stop the duel—why not when Kuina was about to strike an unarmed Zoro?
"She had no killing intent," Akame replied.
"Oh…" Eric had never experienced the kind of bloodlust that could freeze someone in place. He was curious: Could strong killing intent really paralyze someone with fear?
"Akame, what is killing intent? Can you show me yours?"
"…Sure. Let's spar in a bit," Akame agreed, happy to help Eric improve his swordsmanship.
"Dammit… so frustrating…" Zoro sobbed, unable to even speak clearly.
"You're two years younger than me. Give it another year, and your stamina might catch up," Kuina comforted him as they walked back to the dojo.
"Something's wrong. The duel didn't happen at night. The dialogue changed too. Did I mess up the timeline? Will Kuina's 'fated accident' still happen?" Eric was unsettled.
"They're gone. Come on out," Akame said, preparing to spar.
"Whatever. I'll just keep a close eye on Kuina these next few days," Eric thought. "Alright—show me your swordsmanship and that killing intent!"
Ten meters apart, even though it was daytime, Eric couldn't make out Akame's facial features. Her face seemed engulfed in shadows.
"Is it her bangs…?" Then, she lifted her head slightly. Amid the darkness of her face, two glowing red eyes emerged.
That image seared itself into Eric's eyes—and heart. In that instant, it felt like centuries passed before him. Death took form, and Muramasa's blade was already resting on his neck.
"Gah!" The icy chill of the blade and the crushing killing intent snapped him back.
"This is the one-hit-kill Muramasa! If it hit my arm, I could toss the arm away—but if it hits my neck, I can't toss my neck! What am I, a frog?!"
"S-s-steady hands, Akame! Don't slip!" Eric stammered.
Akame sheathed her blade. "Did you feel it? Killing intent."
"…Yeah. I was so terrified, I couldn't move," Eric admitted, holding his chest.
'Felt it? I thought you were going to murder me!'
"Do you think I can catch up to you someday?"
"If you keep working hard, you'll surpass me," Akame said gently.
Eric gripped his sword tighter. Moments ago, he hadn't even drawn it out of fear. That was shameful for a warrior—no, for a man. If he couldn't protect the ones he cared about, what was the point?
He realized his hardships were nothing compared to Akame's.
He clenched his fists. I must get stronger—to protect what matters to me!
He struck a pose, ready to shout something cool—only to glance down and notice… his fly was open.
"CRAP!!" He turned away quickly and zipped up.
"Please tell me Akame didn't see that…" he begged internally.
"I thought you left it open as a fashion statement," Akame said flatly. "That's why I didn't say anything. Sorry—I should've told you sooner."
His pride shattered.
"…I wanna die."
"Let's go back to the dojo," Eric mumbled. He hadn't forgotten—Kuina might still be in danger.
"Mm." Akame nodded and followed.
After five days of taking turns watching over Kuina, Eric finally relaxed. Her fate had changed, he believed. It was time to resume training and make up for lost days.
That evening, the sky glowed orange-red, dyeing everything below in the same hue. Eric and Akame returned to the dojo after training—only to find a crowd of disciples gathered outside.
"Oh no… did something happen to Kuina?!" Eric panicked.
"What's going on?" Akame asked a nearby disciple.
"Kuina went to grab a whetstone. The ladder wasn't steady… she fell," he replied, voice low, eyes full of worry.
"Damn it!" Eric's heart sank. If only I'd watched her for a couple more days!
"Luckily, Zoro was right below. Kuina fell on him. Now she's unconscious, but stable," another disciple added.
"…Huh?" Eric was stunned.
Unconscious? Not dead?
(End of Chapter)