"Absolutely not!!"

Daru was taken aback by the rather overenergetic response from both Lesha and Ascalon.

"What…do you mean?" he asked in utter puzzlement.

Do they not want him to represent his class in the competition? Or perhaps they wanted to prepare for a few days before attacking again?

"You are not allowed to go with us to the cemetery, is what we mean." the young female, S-ranker Veshari clarified, with Ascalon scrambling to add more details.

"You're an S-ranker, so I'm pretty sure you're strong to a degree, brother Onimaru, but look at me, I'm an SS-ranker, yet I still got buried by those abominations. We can't let anything happen to you. I can die or get buried or whatever, Lesha, too, but absolutely not you! You're Egress Haven's only hope. We can't lose you."

A deep frown appeared on Daru's face.

That…is a problem for him.

Not one to hold back in letting people know how he truly felt, Daru replied in a stubborn and simple: "No."

"What…do you mean?"

This time, it was the Damnedling duo who responded in a slightly perplexed and bewildered manner.

"I said no. I want to go and help retrieve Nando's head."

The headless old man suddenly erupted in uproarious laughter.

"BAHAHAHA! Serves you two right. In Limbo, one must always labor, so toil, wretches!"

Lesha and Ascalon, on the other hand, rubbed their temples, the latter sighing in utter exhaustion.

Why the hell were the most important members of their settlement so frustratingly stubborn?!

The leader and deputy of the Egress Damnedling Army tried to both convince and coax Daru into just staying in the haven.

"Onimaru Kunitsuna, how about you listen to us for now. In exchange, you can accompany me in my shack all you wa–"

"Damn it! Shut up, Lesha! B-Brother Onimaru, you must listen. Limbo is too dangerous…"

Unfortunately, nothing they said worked.

Even the fact that one only has one life in this god-forsaken realm didn't deter Daru.

In fact, the moment he confirmed this, he only grew more stubborn, insisting that he wouldn't hide in the Reprieve like a coward, and that he would be of tremendous help in the operation.

That they should be the ones to trust him.

Nando only watched, laughing in utter glee at the suffering of the two Damnedlings.

Lesha's rather peculiar attempt at persuasion only added to the chaos and Ascalon's problems.

"Enough!" Daru erupted, completely losing his patience. "I refuse to wait in the village like a coward while others risk their lives. Also, how many times do I have to say that I will not be a burden? In fact, I'm sure I'll be able to contribute a lot!"

"I know! Believe me, brother Onimaru…I understand, it's just that…"

The cherry blossom-haired SS-ranker suddenly halted, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists.

Then he sighed in sheer exhaustion and weariness:

"Fine, fine…it seems that we won't get anywhere like this. How about this? You will duel Lesha. If you can defeat her, then we'll take you to the Cemetery Operation. But! We will also assess your performance there before deciding whether you will be allowed to do what you want. Do we have a deal?"

Daru wore a heavy scowl in utter displeasure.

However, he liked this proposal.

While he believed that they had no right to stop him from doing everything he wanted to, he also somewhat understood their plight and desperation.

Deciding things with a duel should be an easy way to resolve things.

At least this was the case for Daru.

After all, all he needed to do was win. He believed he would be able to perform well on their cemetery assessment as well.

He just needed to be given a chance to show them what he's capable of.

So, although being doubted despite being called a savior was rather ironic and frustrating, Daru decided to go with Ascalon's suggestion.

"Ah! That is the perfect solution, isn't it?" Lesha added. "The Reprieve is the perfect location for a duel, too. Also, I'll add something in. If you win, I'll let you have a taste of my cake, how's that sound?"

Ascalon choked on his own saliva at the preposterous and unnecessary additional offer, while the headless old man was seemingly confused.

"A cake? How and where did you get a cake in this damned place?"

Daru, on the other hand, respectfully declined: "Ahh, I appreciate the generosity. However, I would have to refuse having a taste of your cake. I am not too fond of sweet things, you see."

"B-B-Brother Onimaru!! Aren't you way too young to be…ah, but on second thought, you're technically already of age, aren't you…who am I to stop a brothe–...wait, did you maybe not get what she–..."

***

After almost an entire hour of sheer chaos, two youngsters — a blonde young man wearing Reinforced Steel Armor and wielding a black tachi with golden edges, stood a fair distance away from a slightly older, black-haired female Veshari with a pair of swords that curved at the end like a sickle.

A sizable crowd of a little over a hundred individuals had gathered around the two, anticipation filling the fresh air.

Donning a unique black armor with a dull lustre, Lesha reversed her grip on one of her swords before asking:

"Are you sure you don't want my sweet offer, Onimaru Kunitsuna? Who knows? It might increase your chances."

"Yes, I'm sure. Also, fight properly and don't hold back."

The Veshari shrugged.

"Pity…"

Meanwhile, the referee was slumping in weary resignation, a blank look on his face as he glanced at both competitors.

"You both look ready, so…go, just get this damned thing over with…I don't care anymore…" Ascalon said, declaring the next moment: "Begin!"

The moment Lesha heard the signal, her pupils constricted like a predator's, and she rushed at her opponent, seemingly disappearing.

"Sorry."

Accompanied by an apology was her ruthless spinning charge at an unpredictable, curving trajectory as she spun diagonally.

At the sides, Ascalon sighed.

Lesha might be of the same rank as Daru, but she's almost the same level as him, plus she's a menace in combat.

The SS-ranker could only hope that the younger Onimaru Kunitsuna wouldn't be depressed by such a quick loss.

But...nothing of the sort happened.

The moment Lesha landed, skidding a few meters while scraping her sword on the ashen floor to stabilize her footing faster, she clicked her tongue and grinned, glancing at her right shoulder.

"Well, damn…what do you know…he's not only a pretty face, it seems…"

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