One More Time: Rebirth

Chapter 57: Story

Tsukiyomi's POV:

I see... I finally understand why he was like that. He reincarnated with his past life's memories intact. A hero of another world. A hero who did not seek salvation but only the destruction of his enemies. A hero who lived his life for vengeance. So that's why his hatred had reached such peaks. This must look like a repeat of the time his village was destroyed by demons. I see I understand now I can't let this madness take me. The madness of a human who lived such a short life can't compare to me.

"Kukuku, this time let me save you Edge."

Edge's POV:

I've done it I was able to kill all of my enemies. So what was next, I felt hostility from behind. One of the women from the village was glaring at me. Was she an enemy too? No use thinking about it I must kill all of my enemies.

As I was about to swing my longsword, somebody arrived before me. Someone caught my sword using two fingers. There was only one person in the vicinity that could accomplish such a feat. I look at the one in front and just as I suspected my partner Tsukiyomi was the one who blocked my strike.

"Kukuku, what were you planning to do Edge?" She asked me. Was she an enemy as well? She protected one of the enemies so does that mean Tsukiyomi betrayed me? Arrrgh my head hurts, it doesn't matter who it is as long as she's an enemy she must die.

Tsukiyomi's POV:

Edge was about to attack me, but before he could strike I took hold of his body and jumped. I jumped into the forest where I first met him.

"This way no one would get hurt from our fight." Several [fireballs] were heading toward me I evaded them all while closing in on Edge. I waved my hand downward trying to hit Edge's left arm. He did a sideward dodge that was the first time that Edge evaded one of my attacks so perfectly.

Yet there was no time to be shocked Edge used [wind slice] from the right side. As I thought of doing a back step Edge used [crescent moon]. While I try to evade I felt the mana supply was severed. Not only did his power increased as well as his skills, but he even became quite ruthless.

"Kukuku, how interesting! The condition to win for you is by killing me. On the other hand, the conditions for me to win are to beat you without killing you. To top it off there's now a time limit until my mana supply is depleted. Kukuku, even with all these handicaps do you honestly think you can win?!"

Though I shouted this with bravado, based on how strong Edge was getting by the second, this could actually be my last dance. Well, if it is with him then so be it.

Edge's POV:

Tsukiyomi was at an extreme disadvantage. Yet even with that, she was still smiling. Why was that? Why was she smiling so happily?

"You don't even know that boy?" I heard a familiar voice. A voice that once before belonged to a man who wished only for vengeance? When I looked at the direction of the voice. There stood a man without face nor body simply saying he was only a shadow.

"Do you know why she's smiling?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Of course I know brat" This nostalgic way of talking reminded me of the past. It was a year after I started my journey, at that time I finally understood how ugly the world truly was. Wait why was I thinking like this?... I do not know...

"Hey brat is this truly what you want?"

"What I want is to kill the enemy."

"Then is that girly over there really an enemy? Wasn't she the one you promise to never betray?" While I was thinking about what the shadow of my past said. I heard her voice, as she started talking while evading my attacks.

"Hey, Edge let me tell you a story!" She shouted at me while dodging my attacks. She didn't counterattack she just kept on talking.

"Long ago in a world different from this one. A boy just barely fourteen years of age started a journey of revenge. This boy before starting his journey was a normal boy you could see anywhere. He had a family that loved him, friends that cherish him. Every day for him was bright and cheerful."

"So why do you ask did this boy start his journey for revenge? Because everything was taken from him. His friends slaughtered as they call for help. His family butchered as they protected him. Call it luck or a miracle, the boy was missed by the demons that attacked the village. As the boy looked at his village that was no more, he asked a question. "Why was I the only one who survived?" No matter how many times he cried and asked no one was there to answer him. So, in the end, he came to his own conclusion. "Maybe I survived to take revenge on those who did these things. To give them what they deserve." With those feelings, the boy started his journey of revenge and atonement."

"In the first year of his journey, the boy came to understand one truth that he never wished to know. The world was ugly, the demons who attacked his village were evil, but the humans were not necessarily the embodiment of good. They were no less evil than the demons they purge. Yet even witnessing this truth the boy continued his journey of revenge. He killed all the demons he met no exceptions. Women, children, no matter who as long as they were a demon he killed them. As he continued his journey his name became famous and he was hailed as a hero of the human race. He didn't bother with those nicknames given to him as long as he gets to wipe out all the demons from the face of the planet. On the height of his journey, the young hero met a girl that will change everything."

Tsukiyomi's POV:

While I kept on dodging I continued my story. It was when I reached that part about the girl, Edge's movement dulled. I was right! So with that confirmation, I continued the story.

Edge's POV:

When I heard her tell my story a great sense of nostalgia came to me. It was enough to dull my movements for a second. Even with that opening Tsukiyomi didn't attack and simply continued her story.

"So the young hero who could not trust anyone allowed this one girl to accompany him. How was that possible? Well, the young hero did try to drive her off. But she kept on coming back so the young hero reluctantly gave up. She followed the young hero watching him battle and sometimes aiding him in battle. She would ask a lot of questions, until one day she asked why he started his journey. Upon hearing the whole story the girl looked at the hero and said, "have you ever questioned, why the demons attacked?"

"What reason is there, other than they just want to kill and conquer?... Well, it doesn't matter what their reasons are. The main point is that they killed my family my friends and everyone in the village. That alone warrants their deaths." The girl looked at the young hero with sorrowful eyes.

"I see..." That was all she said and the conversation ended. The following day the girl was nowhere to be seen. After meeting the girl the hero allowed others to be his companions. They weren't really friends or anything close to that, they were simply companions who shared the same goal. With the combined force of his companions and the human army. The hero stormed the demon king's castle. Many died along the way and once he reached the throne room only he survived. He opened the doors to the throne room. What awaited him there was his most hated enemy the demon lord. He and the demon lord fought their level of skill was similar, no actually the demon lord was not going all out. The hero using that opening attacked the helmet of the demon lord. What he saw shook the very core of his soul." With hearing what came next, tears started flowing from my eyes.

Tsukiyomi's POV:

Edge stopped attacking he simply stood there crying. His face was emotionless as a doll yet he was crying. With this, I continue my story while sitting down. I swung my arm at a nearby tree and made a chair. Well, a stump can't really be called a chair but it will do. With that, I sat down and continued my story. "Behind the helmet was the face of a girl the hero knew. It was the face of the girl who accompanied him the longest."