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Beast Tamer Who Got Kicked Out From the Hero’s Party Chapter 172

CHAPTER 172: OVERCOMING YOURSELF

How long has it been since I started fighting against the Shadow?

Was it one minute?

Was it ten minutes?

Maybe thirty minutes?

For some reason, my sense of time was heavily blurred here.

The battle was that much more intense and severe than what I was used to.

「“Material Creation!”」

With the power I received from signing a contract with Nina, I created a huge mass of gunpowder in front of me.

I then threw that mass right at the charging Shadow, and……

「“Fireball Multi-Shot!”」

I ignited it with the use of magic.

Red flames and shock waves raged across the entire stage in the very next moment.

How about this? At least that’s what I would want to say here, but……

「Huh!?」

The Shadow rushed out from behind the dark dust cloud.

Although it was all sooty here and there, there didn’t appear to be any fatal damage across its body.

I have tried all sorts of attacks here, but none of them seemed to be all that effective……

I wonder if this thing is actually immortal?

Can I really win against an opponent like that?

I couldn’t really help it but to let some of my worries and anxieties to surface on top of my face.

And that was when it happened.

「Rein, keep up the good work!」

「You’ve got this!」

I could hear Sora and Luna’s loud cheering from beside the stage.

That was all.

Those were just some typical words of encouragement, but for some reason I could feel all of my tension and doubts disappearing without a trace.

It was the cheer and support of my dear friends that was now giving me strength.

That’s right.

I’m the one who chose this exact path……

So I can’t exactly give up here without at least putting up a decent fight, can I?

I have so many people watching me right now, so it would be completely lame if I ended up doing something to make me look uncool in front of all of them.

「Fuh!」

With that, I was able to pull myself back together, and……

This time around, it would be me who would charge right at the Shadow, and not the other way around.

Just like that, we collided head-on.

At this point, this battle was more of a contest of strength, with both of us pushing at our opponent, trying to overpower them with raw physical prowess.

「Guh…… Why you little…… Give it a rest already!」

I then aimed a leg swipe at the Shadow’s legs in hopes of knocking it over once it would be thrown off-balance.

「“Fireball multi-shot!”」

I then followed it up with another magic attack.

Creating three fireballs and shooting them towards the Shadow……

Out of those three, one shot managed to hit its mark.

But still, it was not nearly enough to bring the Shadow down to its knees, but……

For a short moment, its movements stopped completely. That was more than enough.

Wasting no time, I approached the Shadow and slammed my elbow right into its abdomen.

And while it was still stunned, I used that opportunity to hit it with a flurry of fast fist strikes.

I then also kicked it up its chin, causing the Shadow to be thrown in mid-air.

Getting back up and wobbling, the Shadow was visibly shaking and staggering.

The damage was definitely accumulated onto it.

「How could this be!?」

I heard the Village Elder’s surprised voice.

Well, I could actually kind of understand where the Village Elder was coming from with that reaction.

I mean, up until now I was largely on the defense……

But that actually ends right here and right now.

From here on out, I’m going to take the initiative.

「“Gravity Manipulation!”」

The movement that the Shadow charged right into me but tried to turn at the last possible moment was when I used my Gravity Manipulation in order to stop it in its tracks.

The Shadow, which was subjected to five times the normal weight of gravitational pressure, was visibly slowed down in an instant.

Now was my chance to strike!

「”Fireball Multi-Shot!”」

First of all, I put some distance between us and fired a series of fireballs at the Shadow.

One after another, explosions occurred, and the Shadow was consumed by the raging flames.

But it was not yet the moment for me to feel relieved.

If the Shadow was even a little bit stubborn like I was, there was no way that an attack of that scale would be enough to take it down.

And sure enough, in the very next moment the veil of smoke of flames was pushed aside and the Shadow flew from the inside of it, charging straight at me once again.

It looked battered and burned all over, but even so, its movements showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

It was not a human being, so it surely did not feel any pain, and its movements did not slow down, which was not starting to get old.

It was quite a nasty opponent to be dealing with.

But still ………

I am going to get over this opponent and emerge victorious!

「“Boost!”」

I strengthened my physical abilities and closed the gap between us in an instant.

Here, for the first time, the Shadow showed the kind of movement that could have very well been a sign of hesitation.

Following my example, it tried to do something that might have been the equivalent of me using my “Boost” ability, but……

「Too late for that!」

I was not dumb enough to allow something like that to happen.

I kicked the Shadow in the face and interrupted its supposed chanting.

I also grabbed its arm and twisted it to the extreme, and then applied even more weight onto it.

I could hear a dull sound and an unpleasant response following right after that.

「Even though it’s a Shadow, hearing that noise and feeling that sensation is not pleasant at all!」

However, I couldn’t take it easy just yet.

The Shadow would not give up, even if its arm got broken in half. It was still trying to come right at me, like some sort of a zombie.

I’m not a fan of this, but I need to press the attack.

If I was to simply wait here to see what happens, I would have gotten hit for sure.

But in that case…… I guess that the only thing left for me right now was to simply deal the final blow.

「Fuh!」

As if going for a swiping motion, I hooked both of the Shadow’s legs at the same time.

And since there was no way that the Shadow would be able to support itself in this state, it basically tripped over to the ground.

I quickly closed the distance between us and climbed right on top of the Shadow.

I stomped on one of its hands as well as on one of its feet to block the Shadow from escaping or making any sort of sudden movements out of desperation.

And then……

I pulled out Kamui from behind my belt and stabbed it right into the Shadow’s back.

Giving the creature a deep, fatal wound, the dagger sunk deep enough in its “flesh” to be buried alongside the blade’s entire length.

SPASM!

THe Shadow twitched strongly.

But right after that…… I completely stopped moving, just laying there, motionless.

Eventually, it started to disappear like some sort of sludge or melting solid substance.

「…… Fuh.」

Just to be on the safe side, I was keeping a close eye on the place where the Shadow dissolved, but it did not seem as if it was going to revive itself anytime soon.

So, I placed Kamui safely back behind my belt and quietly stood up.

Then, I turned towards the Village Elder who was watching the entire match closely.

「It’s my win…… Right?」

「F-Fumuh……」

The Village Elder nodded his head slowly, visibly shaken and surprised.

「Yes, that’s right. I will not be someone who goes back on their word. Human, we hereby acknowledge that you have won, as well as the power that you wield.」

「Alright!」

In response, I gave a small fist pump.

「Nyaaahhh!!! Yey! We won! We won!」

「That’s our Rein for you.」

「Congratulations!」

「I always knew that you would win.」

「You’re not…… hurt, aren’t you……?」

「What a crazy strength!」

Everyone congratulated me with warm words.

I responded to everyone with a light wave of my hand.

「…… How? How did that human actually manage to win?」

The Village Elder Elder asked quietly.

「That thing was supposed to have the exact kind of power that you had. It was never inferior in performance! And you were upset and driven into a corner from the very beginning! And yet…… And yet!」

「Well, that’s certainly true but I have gotten used to its movements after some time.」

「You have gotten used to it……?」

「As we fought, I started to see its attack patterns and I was able to predict its next movements…… or at least something like that.」

「……………」

「I mean, sure, that Shadow might have been as powerful as me. But I can also ‘grow up’ through the duration of the fight. I grew up alongside our fight and that’s how I was able to surpass that Shadow. When you think about it that way, don’t you think that’s a satisfying way of achieving victory?」

Well, I mean…… Yes, I guess so.」

The Village Elder’s eyes widened considerably……

Then, with a look of satisfaction, he said quietly:

「…… Human. Tell me your name again.」

「Rein Shroud.」

「Hmm…….」

I wonder why?

For some reason, the Village Elder looked as if he was lost deep in his own thoughts, but……

「But anyways, this means that I have successfully finished your trial, right? Now then, about the Legendary Item fit to be the seal vessel……」

「…… Yes, that’s right. Don’t worry, the Spirit Tribe is always keeping up on their promises. I shall send the word to get the suitable item ready for you. As for you, you can start heading back for now.」

「I understand.」

I bowed my head and got off the stage.

***

Rain and his companions then walked away.

As he looked behind them, the Village Elder thought back to the earlier battle.

「He grew up while fighting……?」

That’s impossible.

Any creature can become stronger by learning and experiencing the battle.

That’s for sure.

But this growth is based on AFTER the battle. There is no way you can grow WHILE fighting.

It’s not possible to have such a growth rate.

If he was an ordinary human being, such a thing would not be possible.

But if such a thing indeed took place……

That would already place that child beyond the confines of the term “human”.

「No…… This cannot be.」

The Village Elder then realized that he had missed a certain possibility.

There was a way for someone to be able to grow in mid-battle.

The Village Elder knew of a human who had such an incredible growth rate.

A long time ago, there was a certain clan of humans who had been given a certain power by the Gods themselves.

A clan that could grow many times and dozens of times faster than others and there was seemingly no limit to their growth.

And the collective title for that clan was that of…… The Heroes.

「But that human was certainly not a Hero…… No, wait?」

The Village Elder managed to dredge up some forgotten memories from the dusty corners of his mind.

「That human…… He said that his name was “Shroud”, right? If I recall correctly, that family lineage is……」

The words that followed were never heard by anyone and never reached anyone other than the Village Elder.

It was a secret hidden away inside of the Village Elder’s heart.