Chapter 37: Speak Honest Words

AN: Sorry for the delay today. Laptop issues.

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The Giant crossed the distance between them in an eyeblink. 

That statement was not metaphorical. In the span of less than a second, the Giant was standing before Axel. There was no physical way a creature of his size and bulk could have moved so fast. It was as if the concept of inertia had ceased to matter.

Ymir swung his weapon — without a word, without even the faintest sign of effort — as his muscles coiled like ship ropes and the iron pillar was brought around one-handed in a wide, diagonal arc. 

Even before impact, the sound rushing in Axel’s ears was thunderous. The air screeched, drawn into a howling vortex. The rusted iron sang its song as it cut the wind and made a noise somewhere between a collapsing tower and a tempest slowed to a groan.

Axel’s speed was exceptional; superhuman reflexes married to the alien boons of the System.

Even then, he almost died in the first second of the duel, eyes wide and teeth gritted as he barely moved in time to dodge the pulverising blow.

The pillar hit the ground beside him with a deafening, wet-metal BOOM. The sound cracked the air like a siege engine hitting stone, followed by a rising squelch-grind as it sheared through earth and rock. The shockwave rippled outward, flinging dust and gravel into the air like shrapnel.

The weapon was now entrenched in the ground. Axel shook off his stupor, recognising the opportunity. He moved in as fast as he could, halberd swinging for the Giant’s fingers upon the iron pillar.

A blinding motion to his left. Survival instincts won over his bloodlust, and Axel reared back in time just as the Giant’s leg swept past where his head had been in a kick.

Frustrated, Axel backed off, leaping until some distance was made between them, futile as the effort might be.

“You are fast, for your level,” the Giant commented nonchalantly. He heaved, and the iron pillar groaned as it tore free from the sundered earth. “More than twice as fast as my initial predictions, and this is with me accounting for your abnormal growth.”

The Giant was Level 55, almost 20 levels higher than Axel. But the casual speed Ymir just showed…

It was too fast. Even 20 Levels of difference could not account for that blinding display of swiftness.

“No,” the Giant chuckled.

Axel frowned.

“I can see it all over your face,” the Giant continued. “It is a common mistake for those new to the Great Game to treat the Levels as the primary defining factor of power. It is not. Think about it: each Level up grants you only one skill point — a pitiful amount. Recall where the majority of your Skill Points come from.”

“... Achievements. Classes. The System rewards for feats.” Axel breathed out, steadying himself as the Giant faced him in full again, iron pillar readied. “They were the ones that gave the most Skill Points.”

The Giant nodded. “Correct.” 

Ymir moved.

This time, Axel was more prepared. The lightning movements of the Giant were met with a blend of expert prediction and luck. Axel dove to the side, boots skidding across loose gravel as the iron slammed into the earth where he'd stood, exploding the ground into a fountain of shattered rock and dirt. His halberd was already in motion — its crimson blade whistling up in a sweeping arc to catch the Giant’s forearm.

Ymir slapped the blade aside with such force that the weapon was blown to the side, leaving Axel wide open.

“The Levels are merely reflective of a person’s experience!” Ymir roared as he swung a meaty fist. Axel released his weapon and forced himself to fall backwards, letting the fist fly past his head as his back hit the ground. “It is not a measure of one’s capability! Do not let arrogance blind you; the difference between us is beyond your means to overcome.”

Axel rolled as the Giant’s foot came down and cratered his original position. Leaping up, the man pulled forth his handgun and fired upon the Giant. 

The bullets simply deflected off his bare hide, as if they struck metal rather than flesh.

“Even so, to reach Level 29 within a single day is unheard of. It is a growth so absurd, it cannot even be treated as a joke.” Ymir's voice was clear, even as the iron pillar was swung once more, tearing the air apart with screams. “My power is one collected over decades — skill points gained through the clearing of quests, the eradication of Zones, or the fulfilment of feats that mark me beyond the rest of my peers. But you… With but one single day, you have harnessed more power than what others might see in a hundred Zones!”

The Giant, impossibly, began to move faster.

Axel’s eyes could no longer keep up. He gave his body completely over to instinct, dodging reflexively based on the pricking of winds upon his skin.

Three seconds passed. The grounds around them were filled with at least a dozen craters from missed swings.

The Giant finally stopped. Axel panted heavily, nerves strained to breaking point.

During their exchange, he had given up entirely on counterattacks. It simply was not possible.

Ymir was simply too bloody fast.

Even now, after all those swings with a raw iron beam that must have weighed at least twenty tons, the Giant barely looked winded.

He had known the Giant would be strong. It was why he opted for the trade of his Health for the trait ‘Last Stand’ to activate. A single hit from that iron pillar would kill him, no matter how high his Endurance was.

He had hoped his speed might prove superior enough to compensate, but it was not enough. Nowhere near enough.

He’s… toying with me. Axel suspected the Giant had not even brought a full half of his strength to bear yet. The difference between them was clear.

It was not a remotely fair fight. If Ymir wanted, he could have likely ended the battle within the first swing.

And yet, instead, the Giant was holding back.

“You fight well. The killing of the Prince and his dragon was no fluke,” the Giant said. “There is no denying your strength; the moniker of Demon suits you well. Should I allow you to live as you are and bring your murderous potential outside this Zone, you will bring ruin to the worlds beyond. Logic and reasons compels me to kill you. And yet, I have not done so yet. I risk everything — my freedom, my revenge, a mountain of treasure that guilds would kill for — to exchange these words with you. Do you know why?”

“Enough of this sanctimonious dialogue!” Axel snarled. “Fight me! KILL ME!”

This time, the soldier charged. 

His halberd was still lost to the shattered grounds, but he did have another weapon he could use — one that was quite recently looted. 

Within his hands, the heavy silver lance of the Fae Prince manifested. 

[‘Moonlight Lance’ Equipped!]

The Giant swung again, though this time Ymir dug his pillar into the earth before violently swinging outwards. Shards of stone came flying towards Axel, pushing him back.

Axel willed the lance to power, and a killing beam of concentrated moonlight fired from the weapon’s tip. It struck the Giant right in the torso, exploding with a brilliant bloom.

He wanted to aim for the head, but the flung debris made it impossible. Nonetheless, the first blow was struck — a point in Axel's favour.

It mattered little.

The smoke cleared. Upon the Giant’s chest was a slight burn mark, and nothing more.

The beam had sliced Axel’s hand off when the Prince had used it. Either the weapon had been stronger in the Eldarin Noble’s hand, or the Giant was possessed of immaculate Endurance on top of his speed and strength.

Ymir’s eyes sought his with piercing disappointment.

“Were your years of murder so light, so meaningful, that you have nought else within you but the seeking of bloodshed?” the Giant asked pressingly. “Has your pain made you an addict to self-destruction, that you would seek your own death with such lust and zeal?”

Light?

Something in Axel cracked. He giggled. 

“Light… Of course, it was light,” the soldier grinned madly. “I was good at it. I was not allowed to be anything but the best. Built for slaughter and a murderer from the moment of my birth. Yes… My whole life was smooth sailing. Everything went my way. Because all I do IS KILL!”

Axel summoned and threw his last flashbang. The Giant swung for the projectile, but the grenade detonated before contact.

The flash and thunder caught Ymir off guard, and for that precious second, Axel had his opening.

His lance sought the Giant’s heart. Blazing silver, the thrust caught upon the Ymir’s chest, pierced his skin—

—then halt, as the Giant leapt back.

The wound was too shallow. Axel had been a split-second too slow. Before he could think to pursue or retreat, a massive knee came up and hammered him in his chest.

His breath was knocked out of his lungs, and the soldier was sent flying.

Axel slammed into the canyon wall, fifteen metres in the air. The rock caved in upon impact, sending dirt raining down below.

He coughed, spitting blood. The soldier was so deep into the wall that he didn’t even fall from his spot.

The winds spoke once more.

“You speak with your mask still. I have yet to hear your sincerity,” the Giant said. “Show me that truth you let loose when you killed the Prince, when you wailed and lamented against your living. Give voice to those words you have buried for so long, trapped without breath or reprieve.”

Axel gritted his teeth, then sighed.

“Fine, asshole,” he coughed and chuckled, leaning back against the wall. His head tilted back, staring at the sky. “You want to hear what I think before you kill me? I suppose I owe you something for entertaining this charade.”

The Giant said nothing. Axel took a moment to gather his thoughts. His mind was still spinning from the impact. 

“This circus we call ‘living’ only has two types of creatures,” Axel began. “The audience in power who watch in comfort from above, and the animals crawling in the dirt for their amusement. Pretentious virtues like ‘kindness’ or ‘compassion’ mean nothing to the latter; those who starve, steal, and struggle at the command of instincts or their handlers, just to earn the right to live one more day. We have no care left to give to such meaningless words. So no. Whatever it is you are looking for in this walking corpse of mine, it isn’t a thing that pisses sunshine and rainbows. Now do your fucking job, and end this already.” 

“… Those are not your words,” Ymir sighed.

For some reason, that statement genuinely infuriated Axel.

“For fuck’s sake, you heard them come from my mouth!” he shouted.

“No. Those are the tongues of others you carry,” Ymir said softly. “I had suspected, but now I know… There were others walking beside you in your journey of slaughter. Those who shared in your darkness of thoughts, and so you, in turn, sought to protect them from the burden of their own minds. You carried their fears for them, crafted this empty philosophy for their sake, and in doing so alleviated the pain they suffered through the comforting balm of suicidal nihilism.”

At those words, Axel could not think of a single reply. Something burned within him, beyond anger or bloodlust.

It was shame, because the Giant’s words were true.

There was nothing else I could do… The 76th… We were all made broken…

“It is not a sin to protect,” Ymir continued. “But to speak in their tongues when the moment comes for your voice is to hide your truth still! You have not shown me your worth!”

At that final proclamation, the gales in the air whipped into solid gusts, grabbing Axel whole and pulling his yelling body back down to the ground.

“I shall not give you a moment to formulate your lies or craft your mask of madness.” The wind was howling. A shadow fell over Axel. “If that knot refuses to come unravelled, then you will leave me no choice but to kill you. Dishonourable and distasteful as your execution might be, I am resolved in this. The Great Game has enough Demons. It shall not suffer another.

“Prepare yourself.”

The shadow moved. Axel looked up and saw the iron pillar raised.

Fuck me, the soldier tiredly cursed as he forced his body to motion once more.