This will become a fighting game for a bit.

Chapter 295: Sibling Fight

“Onii-sama! I will be fighting with you!” (Atlas)

“Not happening!” (Fohl)

Ever since Fohl returned, Atlas has been constantly berating him.

Though, she didn’t suddenly attack him to silence him or anything.

Well, if she did something like that, I definitely wouldn’t let her participate in it.

I would never be able to trust someone like that.

Atlas…

She treats my orders as absolute and agrees with whatever I say.

And whenever my life is concerned, she will stay by me until the end.

I am her absolute doctrine.

There was a time when I wanted a girl to be blindly obedient to me, but when I actually meet someone like that, I can do nothing but worry for her.

I’m a villain, I laugh when misfortune befalls others. I’ve long forfeited my qualifications to be followed like that.

I’ve raised an army of slaves who would happily run forwards towards their deaths. For me to make a happy family would be… impossible, right?

That’s why I silently watch over Atlas and Fohl’s bout.

I have a promise with Fohl, and under its terms, he will fight for me.

That’s why the one who needs to persuade Atlas is Fohl himself.

“Even when I’m pleading this much, you won’t move?” (Atlas)

“Yes, Atlas. I can’t bring you with me to such a dangerous place.” (Fohl)

“Onii-sama, there is no place without danger. You don’t know when something will happen, and I could die. It doesn’t matter where I am.” (Atlas)

“Wrong. At least, if you stay here, you’ll be safe.” (Fohl)

“… Is that really the case? There’s no saying when someone may poison our water again when Naofumi-sama is out. I may die from a sudden plague. A group jealous of Naofumi-sama’s work may attack the village, and I may have the bad luck of being drawn into their conflict.” (Atlas)

She’s bringing out some extreme hypotheticals.

… Though all of them have happened already.

The poison, and Gaelion’s plague, and what happened here before I was summoned…

“Quit it with your sophistry!” (Fohl)

“I’m merely saying the concept of safety is but an illusion, Onii-sama. I merely wish to protect Naofumi-sama from unhappiness! Those countless possibilities may befall Naofumi-sama, you know. When I’m not there, a stray arrow may strike his heart.” (Atlas)

Eh? Now she’s bringing me in?

What logic.

This is a parallel world, you know. Something as simple as a stray arrow won’t kill the Hero of the Shield.

“I don’t want to be someone who’s only protected anymore! Please let me go into battle.” (Atlas)

“And I’m telling you that isn’t happening!” (Fohl)

“I’m no longer the weak girl I was before!” (Atlas)

“Your new-found pride will only lead you to misfortune.” (Fohl)

Ah, for the love of… Their dialogue continues.

But if I intrude here, I can’t see a good ending. What should I do?

Even if I tell her she’s too young, I have plenty of young children fighting, and if I tell her she just got over her illness, I have other treated slaves fighting as well.

… This may be late, but I’m quite a brute, aren’t I?

“… We’ve each said our part, right, Atlas?” (Fohl)

“Yes.” (Atlas)

“Then as one who carries the blood of the Hakukos, you know what we must do, right?” (Fohl)

Fohl and Atlas raise their fists. They begin releasing bloodlust.

What do you guys plan on starting?

“Yes, if my will isn’t enough to pierce your resolve… I just have to prove my strength to you first hand!” (Atlas)

“If you lose to me, you have to honor my promise.” (Fohl)

“I won’t go back on my words.” (Atlas)

How did it come to this.

And I get the feeling that these two are constantly fighting regardless.

What’s more, I get the feeling that Atlas is the one winning those fights.

I reflect on their record.

After I became strange, it seems that Fohl has been on a winning streak.

He stopped acting as a tumor on her side and started fighting her seriously.

The reason he didn’t buy any weapons from the weapon store was that he couldn’t hold back, and that he may end up killing her.

But even if you call those wins, he always had comrades. I wonder what will happen if they go one on one.

According to Ren and the others, Atlas’s growth is higher, but if you consider willpower and stats, Fohl is at an advantage.

Whenever the genius Atlas feels at a disadvantage, she retreats and adjusts her position.

By that logic, Fohl’s advantage lies in the first blow.

Since Fohl’s been fighting long before I met him, perhaps he’ll display their difference in battle experience.

“Then Onii-sama, I challenge you to a duel.” (Atlas)

“Yeah.” (Fohl)

Atlas points her hand at Fohl.

Their ways of fighting are quite different.

Fohl uses his fist to break down defenses and damage opponents. Atlas thrusts through them. Instead of hitting them straight on, she goes for the vital points and uses chi.

From this fight, we’ll see if Atlas will challenge Houou.

The wind whistles, and along with it, comes a bioplant leaf.

The moment the leaf hit the ground, it starts.

“DAAAAAAAAAAAH!” (Fohl)

Fast!

For a moment, I couldn’t follow Fohl’s movements as he instantly closes in on Atlas and swings his fist down on her.

“Tei!” (Atlas)

Using her own hands, Atlas redirects his blow and dodges Fohl’s hand with a paper-thin margin.

His fist hits the ground and gets embedded in it.

Following a bang, the earth begins rumbling. Cracks begin spreading from the area Fohl hit.

“Now!” (Atlas)

Moving to avoid the cracks, Atlas thrusts her hand towards Fohl’s back.

“Like I’d let you!” (Fohl)

Using the hand embedded into the ground as support, Fohl does a handstand, and he twists his body to meet Atlas’s hand with a kick.

“Damn!” (Atlas)

Atlas stops the blow with one hand, but has to twist her body backwards to absorb the impact of the blow. Regaining her posture, she tries for another attack, but this time, Fohl makes his body vertical and pushes off with his hands to get himself out of the ground. His hand dislodges, and his body flies quite high. He turns his body and aims a dropkick at Atlas.

By the way, this all happened in 5 seconds.

Just how militaristic are these people?

With a fed-up expression, I began calculating ways to deal with these siblings.

How to block Fohl’s fist… how to prepare for Atlas’s fist…

Is this what you call an occupational disease?

Both of them jump back and create distance. They readjust their breathing.

“As I thought, you’re stronger than when I fought you yesterday, Atlas. Nii-chan is always proud of you.” (Fohl)

“If you keep looking down on me, you’re going to lose, Onii-sama.” (Atlas)

“Three months… In just three months, you managed to reach this point. It’s something worthy of praise. For both me and you.” (Fohl)

“That’s right. Three months may seem like a short time, but it’s enough time for people to change.” (Atlas)

“And you’ve changed, Atlas. Looking at you now, I would never have believed that just months ago, you were crying over how your very existence did nothing but cause trouble for people.” (Fohl)

“… That still hasn’t changed. Just by living here, I am troubling various people. That’s why, I want to pay off the troubles I caused. One of the people I am in debt to is you, Onii-sama. I want to protect you as well.” (Atlas)

After steadying their breaths, the two continue their conversation while exchanging blows.

Good for them.

“This current me is in a place you call safe, and you won’t let anything happen to me. But that means that I am not truly living. If it’s to protect Naofumi-sama, Onii-sama or the others in the village, I will happily step on the front lines. If it’s for Naofumi-sama’s goals, then I will gladly do my part in protecting him.” (Atlas)

“Why must you continue to side with that man!?” (Fohl)

“You can’t understand, Onii-sama? Don’t you realize what lies in that man’s heart?” (Atlas)

“…” (Fohl)

Neither of them can land decisive blows, and the fistfight continues.

Both of them possess considerable speed, and all the people observing the fight can do nothing but watch.

Huh? Why has the peanut gallery increased?

Ah, the people in my place are quite perceptive, so they’ll come as soon as something happens.

How reliable.

More importantly, Fohl and Atlas.

I bet they’re reliable as well.

Ren and Itsuki are probably thinking of how to deal with those two. They’re both clenching their weapons tightly as their eyes follow the battle.

Looking at myself objectively, I’m thinking along a similar vein.

“I understand your determination. But still, I cannot accept it. It’s time to finish this!” (Fohl)

Fohl holds his hands out front and concentrates.

“UWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!”

Fohl changes to his beast form.

Doing that increases his abilities considerably in itself.

The only ones who can keep up with Fohl when he becomes like that are the heroes, when serious, Raphtalia, Firo, and the Granny.

Is Atlas included as well?

It appears they weren’t even fighting seriously yet.

“Yes… I’ll do just that. But in order to make you recognize me, I’ll fight seriously as well!” (Atlas)

Both sides activate Musou Kassei.

The air feels like it’s shaking under the pressure. And everyone present realized that different types of bloodlust existed.

The aura Fohl releases is that of a wild beast. It is sweltering and full of primal rage.

In contrast, Atlas’s aura is… cold… and ruthless. It is also something that should not have entered the hand of humans.

An aura hot enough to melt an enemy, and an aura cold enough to silence them.

As the two sides clash, the peanut gallery holds their breath and swallows their saliva.

“Hengen Musou Fist Skill! Tiger Break!”

Fohl’s Chi expands. And he points his arms and fists at Atlas, releasing a skill.