Side Story: Fran and Kune 12 (End)

After jogging away from town for about ten minutes, Fran and Kune faced off against each other in the open wilderness.

「Thanks for accepting the mock battle, nya.」

「Nn.」

「Fran, I’m not dumb enough to think I can beat you. But that doesn’t mean I can just laugh it off as a loss, nya.」

Even her instincts were telling her that Fran was stronger, yet the lifetime’s worth of pride in her abilities would not accept that. Or perhaps, she simply wanted to see Fran’s strength firsthand.

「Kune of the Black Cats. Here I come, nya.」

「Fran of the Black Cats. I accept your challenge.」

「Nya-nya!」

「Hah!」

The match began without warning, ignoring the usual standards such as rule confirmation or starting signal, as both went straight for a clash of blades.

Though this was only a basic test of strength, Fran won the initial clash easily. Such was only natural, as Fran’s level and skills were far superior to Kune’s.

Kune frowned, yet calmly made some distance. Despite her frustrated expression, her eyes were gleaming. Perhaps witnessing the potential of the black cat race lit a flame in her heart.

This was the realm that she might reach one day. Or rather, the goal that she had resolved herself to accomplish. And it seemed that Kune possessed the strength and talent to back up her desire.

「Nya-nya! Nya!」

「!」

Kune had been circling us at a leisurely pace before suddenly accelerating to deliver a blow at blinding speed, taking even Fran by surprise.

Fran managed to dodge due to the difference in stats, but she might have taken the hit if Kune matched us in level. The movement she pulled off was that impressive.

Setting her speed aside, her ability to accelerate so quickly left me in awe. It reminded me of the techniques used by Colbert and other users of the Dimitris Style.

「To think you could dodge that, nya!」

「That was a bit close.」

「Then how about this, nya!」

After displaying a combination of skill and speed in her previous attack, Kune ran straight at us, slamming down her sword with all her might. Though this was a rough display of brute force, it wasn’t half bad.

After all, landing it would be a surefire win against most people. A swing backed with such power and speed was challenging to parry, and you’d likely lose your footing even if you managed to dodge.

Well, we weren’t “most people” though.

「Hah!」

「Nyaa? Nya-nya!」

Fran swung me upwards, effortlessly deflecting Kune’s full force swing. Then once she passed us, Fran delivered a kick to her exposed back.

This wasn’t a serious kick, but Kune got blown away all the same, having lost her balance when her blade got parried.

Kune rolled across the ground and landed on her feet, having jumped backwards to minimize the impact.

Despite being covered with dirt, Kune had sustained practically zero damage, both physically and mentally. I could tell because of the unmistakable smile on her face after having her best attack countered so casually.

「A-Amazing! That move was so cool, nya!」

「Heheh.」

「I must be blessed to have a mock battle with someone so strong, nya!」

Kune was almost overflowing with joy. Simultaneously, her aura grew even more intense, despite already going all out. As with most battle maniacs, her performance held a deep correlation to her mental state.

It seems her enjoyment of the mock battle sharpened her concentration to new heights.

「Fran. Can I get serious, nya?」

「Nn. Come at me with everything you’ve got.」

「Nyahahaha! Here I go, nya!」

Killing intent radiated from Kune’s entire body. Not because she wanted to kill Fran, but because she understood that fighting to kill was the only way she would stand a chance.

「Nya-fuh!」

Now, that was a genuine surprise! Kune had been about 20 meters away before she appeared before Fran in an instant. Her speed was incredible, and I couldn’t even read the startup!

That said, I already knew the trick behind it. She was accelerating herself with Moonlight Magic, the same as when she fought the giant fish Largemouth.

Kune was very good at mana concealment, so I only managed to sense her spell at the moment of activation. If she ever levels up and perfects her stealth abilities, she might be able to take us off guard.

She may not be there yet, but I see the potential.

「Moonlight Slash, nya!」

「I’ve already seen that one.」

「Nya-nya…!」

This was the technique that had taken down the Largemouth, and Fran remembered it well. After perfectly reading the blade’s trajectory, Fran dodged it by a hair’s breadth.

She was sending Kune a message: “it will take more than that to hit me.”

「Ugh…nya! Then how about this! Moonlight Triple, nya!」

「!」

As the name suggested, this technique involved deploying multiple physical reflection shields, then jumping between them while delivering three high-speed slashes in succession.

Unless her target could keep up with her speed, they would get torn apart without even realizing they had been cut. Just how many unevolved beastmen could manage that?

Fran gave a nod of approval, as the blade managed to trim off a bit of her bangs. However, that was as far as Kune could go.

I’ve already detected a significant drop in her mana. Casting multiple moonlight spells at the same time must have resulted in quite the strain. I doubt she has any more tricks up her sleeve, so Fran’s victory was certain.

That said, Fran wasn’t going to settle for an anticlimactic conclusion.

「…Awakening. Brilliant Lightning Rush.」

「Nya!」

「Here I come, Kune.」

「Nyahaha! Thank you for this, Fran!」

Now cloaked in black lightning, Fran circled behind Kune at super human speed. Kune turned around right as the black lightning slammed into her body.

Her face displayed a complicated mixture of emotions: surprise at her complete inability to react, frustration at being no match for Fran despite going all out, and finally, her desire for evolution. This was the result of all her emotions surging forth at once.

The two black cats locked eyes for a moment, before Kune’s consciousness sank into darkness.


「Fran, I’ll have evolved by the next time we meet! And when that happens, I want a rematch, nya.」

「Anytime.」

「And when I win, I’ll be the strongest! You’d better believe it, nya!」

「Nn. I won’t lose.」

「Neither will I, nya!」

Kune has great potential. Perhaps she will even serve as a good rival to Fran one day. And most importantly, her assistance will be indispensable for when we dispel the curse over the black cats…

「Master and Urushi, until we meet again, nya!」

『Take care! Make sure you don’t cause too much trouble.』

「Woof.」

「What are you talking about? I never cause trouble, nya.」

『…Well, whatever, I guess.』

After all, it won’t be our job to clean up the mess.

「Kune, bye-bye.」

「Fran, see you later, nya!」

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