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Last Embryo Volume 7 Chapter 2 Part 1

CHAPTER 2

The underground fortress was shaking every time when another eruption was occurring, but other than that, its construction proved to be surprisingly sturdy.

From what the residents were saying, this was a place that led to one of the most sacred sites in the entire Greek Mythology. It is one of the few blessings that the natives revered on this continent which was otherwise isolated from the Gods.

But it is unknown how long the protective Gifts of this place are going to last.

If the enemy giants were really emerging from the volcanic rocks, then their numbers should be increasing every time another eruption was talking place. And considering that their numbers are steadily increasing, it makes getting themselves organized against them that much harder.

The training ground was also hit by violent tremors, causing everyone to start shouting in disorientation.

However, the atmosphere of the group in the center of the training ground was different. The male and female warriors who were facing each other did not move while holding their weapons, trying to measure their opponent up and predict their next move.

Kudou Ayato, a girl standing in the western part of the ring, keeps her eyes on the man in front on her while holding her beloved segmented sword in her hand.
「……」

Her serene eyes stare at her opponent with utmost concentration.

The man standing in front of her is an Asian young man wearing a turban who also participated in the Gift Game organized by the natives from the village. With a cheerful smile on his face, the man stared at Ayato while holding up his spear-axe without moving even a single muscle.

If it was the regular Ayato who was fighting this man, who was a brave and resolute warrior, then she would have already moved in in order to seize the initiative. The martial arts that she specializes in are similar to shogi, where she constantly moves to control the distance between her and her opponent and strip them of every possible opportunity for them to make their own move.

She has her spear for short-range combat, segmented sword for the medium-range combat and a bow for the long-range combat. So far, her martial arts that show their true value when she was constantly attacking without letting go, have never failed her until now.

One of the first lessons that she learned from Scathach, who was her teacher of the art of combat, was that if you only wait for the enemy to attack first so that you could counterattack them, you’re going to be weak as a warrior. For someone like her, it was unthinkable to wait and counterattack unless there was a significant difference in her compatibility with her opponent. For her, taking initiative was synonymous with taking a first step towards victory.

(… Impossible. I see no openings in his stance at all.)
She started this match with a relatively light heart, but the atmosphere on the ring quickly became a far cry from relaxed.

This man in a turban… from what Ayato heard about him, he was one of the first Players to take the initiative and cooperate with the giants who have been attacked by the giants.

Hearing that he cut down giants one after another with his spear-axe, Ayato suggested that the two of them should have a sparring match so that she could measure his strength herself so that she could keep pace with him during any future operations.

In the spectator seats, Ayazato Suzuka and the Albino girl were watching the two of them in suspense.

「Is Aya-chan going to be okay?」

「I don’t know. Why are they fighting?」

「It’s not a fight. It’s training.」

「Really?」

The Albino girl nodded while tilting her head. She must have been relieved to know that it wasn’t an actual fight between the two of them.
However, even though it was just a training session, the two people involved in it were definitely serious about it.

Ayato has also overcome many battles so far, but it is actually her first time experiencing not being able to read her enemy’s strength from their stance alone.

Is he going to be fast, strong, or perhaps cunningly clever? And is he going to hide his Gifts or not?

He is a different type from all the martial artists whom she has fought so far. She felt as if her bod was rejecting him by instinct rather than her intuition.

(When I was participating in Lalah-san’s Game, I didn’t feel threatened that much, but as soon as he took that stance, I felt something I hadn’t felt before.)

It may be that he was hiding his true abilities, but in addition to that, Ayato noticed something different in comparison to the time when she was sparring against Uesugi before.

Judging by the current stance of her enemy, he is probably not taking this sparring match seriously.

Kudou Asuka and Almatea also happened to be observing this sparring match, while sitting on the other side of the fence dividing the ring from the rest of the training ground.

「…??? … Neither of them made any moves just yet.」

「The distance between them is too wide, so they can’t afford to move carelessly. But the one who is looking for an opportunity to make the first move is definitely Ayato-san, while the young man in turban intends to wait and see her abilities before he attacks himself.」

Alma said while watching over the two of them with a serious look on her face.

Since Asuka doesn’t care about martial arts all that much, she won’t be able to fully grasp the situation unless both sides finally decide to take action. Instead, she turned her gaze to the bystanders who were gathering around them rather than the two who didn’t move.

(Looks like the Players are also starting to pay attention to it. Now that the Game is over, we are collaborators who entrust our backs to each other, so I guess there’s nothing strange about it. We all want to know the extent of the abilities of our comrades in arms, after all.)

Many Players decided to leave the continent of Atlantis due to the invasion of the giants. Now that the Game is over, they probably concluded that throwing themselves into a battle that doesn’t match their abilities might not be worth the trouble.

That idea was not a wrong one per se, but the Players who decided to remain in Atlantis must have noticed another aspect of this Game.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t even consider risking their lives for the sake of the natives whom they didn’t even know.

「Everyone is staying in Atlantis for a calculated purpose, aren’t they?」

「Oh, that’s not necessarily the case. At least my master isn’t the kind of person who can ignore the villains in front of her, right? I’m pretty sure that you would be sticking around to help the natives regardless of the Game’s outcome, right?」

Asuka pouted her face in dissatisfaction.

But, just as Alma said, Kudou Asuka is exactly that kind of person. Neither the natives who were being trampled by the giants nor the Demon Lord who was about to be revived were people who could be silently overlooked I her book.

「Well, the other Players are all people who have a calculated reason for staying here, so I don’t think It’s a good idea to trust them all too much.」

「Oh my, what a rude cooperator you are. You might want to watch out for that attitude of yours though, because Iza won’t be bale to protect you at all times.」

The two who were suddenly called out by someone turned around in surprise. The person who called out to them was a woman dressed in modern clothes that they saw while looking for the inscriptions.

Her casual T-shirt had a 「Triple Crown」 pattern on it, and all it took for them was one glance at it to understand to which Community this girl belonged.

(… Master.)

(What is it, Alma?)

(Be careful, this girl is either with the Medici family or the Roman Catholic Church.)

Alma immediately hardened her gaze and focused it on the girl.

(That crown banner, also known as the「Triple Crown」 or 「Papal Crown」 is definitely the insignia of the Vatican City state. Therefore, it is more reasonable to think that she appeared as a Player belonging to the Roman Catholic Church or the Medici family.)

(I see…)

In recent years, the number of people related to Christianity who are active in Little Garden has decreased considerably. There must have been a strong shift in public opinion about it, which in turn would make it difficult to gather influential Players who would be willing to participate in The 2nd War for the Sun’s Authority on The Roman Catholic Church’s behalf.