Word count: 2700 word
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*Brain Unglaus POV*
The underground passage was dimly lit, the flickering torchlight casting long shadows on the stone walls. Brain Unglaus sat on a wooden crate, his sword resting across his knees.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. 'This is getting ridiculous,' he thought, his frustration bubbling to the surface. 'Guarding some noble's secret stash? This isn't what I signed up for.'
He had taken this job thinking it would be a challenge, a chance to test his skills against powerful enemies. But no one dared to attack a noble's estate, especially one as well-guarded as this one.
The days had turned into weeks, and the weeks into months, with nothing but mind-numbing boredom to show for it. 'I might as well be a glorified babysitter,' He thought bitterly.
His mind wandered to his goals... To fight strong opponents, to gain experience, and especially to become the strongest. But how could he achieve any of that here, stuck in this damp cave, surrounded by mercenaries who couldn't even hold a candle to him?
'Maybe it's time to quit,' he thought, his grip tightening on the hilt of his sword. 'This isn't getting me anywhere.'
Bringing him out of his thoughts, a sound broke the silence. It was faint at first, a distant scream, followed by the clanging of metal and the unmistakable screech of something… unnatural.
Brain's head snapped up, his senses sharpening. 'What the hell is that?'
Before he could investigate, six of his men came running into the chamber, their armor splattered with blood, their faces pale with terror. "Boss! Boss, you gotta help us!" one of them shouted, his voice trembling. "There's something down here! Something… something monstrous!"
Brain stood up, his sword in hand, a grin spreading across his face.
'Finally, some action.' He stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as he looked past his men. Further down the passage, he saw them, grotesque humanoid creatures with twisted limbs and unnatural movements. They looked like something out of a nightmare, their bodies warped and deformed, their eyes glowing with a malevolent light.
"What the hell are those things?" Brain muttered, his grin widening. "New species? Demons? Doesn't matter. They look like they can put up a fight."
The soldiers scrambled behind him, their weapons shaking in their hands. "Boss, please! You have to save us!" one of them begged.
Brain didn't respond. He was already moving, his sword flashing in the torchlight. The first creature lunged at him, its twisted arm swinging like a club. Brain sidestepped with ease, his blade slicing through the creature's neck with a clean, precise strike. It let out a guttural screech before collapsing to the ground.
But there were more, ten of them, closing in from all sides. Brain's grin never faltered. 'This is more like it,' he thought, his blood pumping with excitement.
He moved quickly, his sword cutting through the air with deadly precision. The creatures were fast, but Brain was faster. They were strong, but Brain was stronger.
One monster lunged at him from behind, but Brain spun around, his sword slicing through its neck before it could even touch him. Another came at him from the side, its jagged claws slashing through the air. Brain ducked under the attack, his blade piercing the creature's chest. It let out a final, gurgling cry before falling to the ground.
The fight was quick and unexpected, but Brain was in his element. His movements were a blur, his sword a deadly extension of his will. By the time the last creature fell, Brain was breathing heavily, a thin droplet of sweat rolled down his brow. 'Not bad,' he thought, a satisfied smile on his face. 'They actually were a good warm up.'
He turned to his men, who were staring at him with a mix of awe and fear. "You're welcome," he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Now, someone tell me what the hell is going on. Where did those things come from?"
Before anyone could answer, the sound of footsteps echoed through the cave. Brain placed his sword on his shoulder as he turned to face the newcomers. "No need to answer, I might get my answers now." Brain smiled.
"Haha, you took good care of my men, didn't you? Good thing you made it here, working for a noble is quite boring you know?" Brain said as three figures emerged out of the darkness. The first was a young man with a confident smirk, his hands casually tucked into his pockets.
Behind him stood two others, one with a calm, almost serene expression, and the other with a twisted annoying grin.
The young man stepped forward, his purple eyes locking onto Brain's. "Good thing you got bored here because I've been looking for you, Brain Unglaus."
Brain raised an eyebrow, his grin never faltering. "Well, you found me. And you know my name. Should I be flattered or worried?"
The young man chuckled. "A bit of both, maybe. You're quite popular in the kingdoms, after all. I'd be surprised if you weren't used to people recognizing you. Ah, I almost forgot, the name is Meliodas."
Brain shrugged, his tone light but his guard still up. "Guess I'm a celebrity now. What can I say? Fame has its perks. So, what do you need me for, Meliodas."
The young man's smirk widened. "I'm sure it does. But I'm not here to talk about your reputation. I'm here to make you an offer."
Brain crossed his arms, his sword still in hand. "An offer, huh? Let me guess, money, power, and all the glory I could ever want? Sounds familiar. The noble who hired me said the same thing, and look where that got me." He gestured to the cave around them, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Stuck in a hole, babysitting his secrets."
Meliodas's expression didn't change. "I'm not a noble. And my offer isn't empty promises. I can give you more than money and reputation. I can make you stronger."
Brain's grin faltered for a moment, his interest piqued. 'Stronger, huh?' he thought. 'That's a bold claim.' But he quickly masked his curiosity with a smirk. "Sorry, but I don't trust strangers who show up out of nowhere with grand promises. Besides, I'm still under contract with the noble. I have principles, you know. Especially after what happened to my men."
Meliodas nodded, his smile never wavering. "I expected you to say that. That's why I brought him with me." He gestured to the calm, serene man standing behind him. "This is Yoriichi. He's my best swordsman. No, actually scratch that. He's the best swordsman in the world."
Brain's eyes flicked to Yoriichi, studying him carefully. The man's aura was… unusual. It wasn't intimidating or overwhelming like he expected. Instead, it was tranquil, almost peaceful. But there was something about it that made Brain's instincts tingle. But his pride as a warrior would never let him back down.
"The best swordsman in the world?" Brain said, his tone skeptical. "I seriously doubt that." A certain man's image flashed in Brain's mind.
Meliodas's smile widened, his purple eyes gleaming with amusement. "Then let's make a bet. If you can land even a single scratch or hit on Yoriichi, I'll personally apologize to you and give you 500 gold coins for wasting your time and for the lives of your men. But if Yoriichi beats you, you'll work under me. What do you say?"
Brain's eyes widened at the mention of 500 gold coins. 'That's an absurd amount of money,' he thought, he even doubted if this young man had the money, yet they were the ones attacking, he was going to fight anyways.
His confidence quickly overshadowed his surprise. He was one of the strongest swordsmen in the kingdom, after all. How hard could it be to land a single hit?
"You've got yourself a deal," Brain said, his grin returning. "But don't come crying to me when I win."
Meliodas chuckled, stepping back to give them space. "Oh, I won't. Yoriichi don't kill him."
Yoriichi stepped forward, his expression calm and his hand resting on the hilt of his blade. Brain tightened his grip on his sword, his heart racing with anticipation.
The tension in the cave was palpable as Brain and Yoriichi prepared to face off. Brain tightened his grip on his sword, his eyes locked on Yoriichi's calm expression.
But before the fight could begin, Meliodas's voice cut through the silence.
"Oh, one more thing," Meliodas said, his tone casual but his glowing purple eyes gleaming with menace. "There are some people here who might get… annoying." He glanced at the six men standing behind Brain, his smirk widening. "Yoriichi."
Brain stared at Yoriichi trying to understand what he was going to do, he saw him place his hand on the hilt of his sword, and when he took his hand off it, a gust of wind swept through the cave, blowing Brain's hair back.
He barely had time to process what was happening before he heard a serie of dull thuds.
His eyes widened as he turned to look behind him.
The six men were still standing, their bodies rigid and unmoving. But their heads… their heads were gone. Brain's breath caught in his throat as he watched their heads roll across the ground, their expressions frozen in place as if they hadn't even realized they were dead yet.
The sight was surreal, almost like a nightmare.
Brain's heart pounded in his chest as he turned back to Yoriichi, his grip on his sword tightening until his knuckles turned white. 'What the hell just happened?' he thought, his mind racing. 'I didn't even see him move.'
The realization hit him like a punch to the gut. This wasn't just a fight, it was a test. And if he didn't give it everything he had, he wouldn't just lose. He'd die.
'I can't afford to hold back,' Brain thought, his jaw tightening. 'I have to give more than my everything. This is it, the moment I've been waiting for. The perfect chance to test my new technique on someone actually strong.'
He took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing as he focused on Yoriichi. 'Let's see if you can handle this.'
Yoriichi stood calmly, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his blade. Brain tightened his grip on his sword, his heart pounding in his chest.
The pressure radiating from Yoriichi was immense, like a mountain pressing down on him, but Brain held his ground. 'I can't afford to falter,' he thought, his jaw clenched. 'This is my chance to prove myself.'
But Yoriichi didn't move. He simply stood there, his expression serene, his eyes calm. Brain realized what was happening. 'He's waiting for me to make the first move,' he thought, a mix of frustration and determination surging through him. 'Fine. If that's how he wants it, I'll give him everything I've got.'
Brain took a deep breath, his muscles coiling like a spring. He focused all his energy, all his strength, into one single move his newly acquired skill, but before that, he boosted his abilities using his martial arts.
"Focus Battle Aura!"
"Superhuman Strength!"
"Ability Boost!"
"Sense Weakness!" He used the ability, but couldn't see a single weak point, but it didn't stop him. He had no doubt he would injure him heavily with this one...
"Sixfold Slash of Light!"
With a roar, he swung his sword, the blade cutting through the air with blinding speed, six slashes were sent.
*BOOM!*
The impact was devastating, the force creating deep gashes in the cave walls and kicking up a massive dust cloud that filled the air.
Mahito, standing beside Meliodas, raised a hand to shield him from the debris. "Well, that was flashy," Mahito said, his grin widening. "Think he actually landed a hit?"
Meliodas didn't respond, his glowing purple eyes fixed on the dust cloud. "Wait and see," he said, his voice calm but laced with anticipation.
As the dust began to settle, Brain's eyes widened in disbelief. Yoriichi was still standing in the exact same spot, his hand still resting lightly on the hilt of his blade. His expression hadn't changed, not even a flicker of emotion.
It was as if Brain's attack had never happened.
"Impossible…" Brain muttered, his voice trembling. But then he noticed something odd. His sword felt lighter. He looked down and his heart sank.
His blade, once a finely crafted weapon, was now cleanly cut in half, the edges slightly molten as if they had been exposed to extreme heat.
Brain's strength left him in an instant. His sword slipped from his hand, clattering to the ground as his shoulders slumped. His eyes once filled with determination, now looked dull and defeated. 'This… this can't be real,' he thought, his mind reeling. 'How… how is this possible?'
He looked up at Yoriichi, his voice shaking as he spoke. "You… you're not human. There's no way. No human could do what you just did. You're a monster."
Yoriichi didn't respond. His calm demeanor only deepened Brain's despair. Memories flooded Brain's mind, his past battles, his rivalry with Gazef Stronoff, the tournament where Gazef had defeated him.
He had trained relentlessly, pushing himself to the limit, just to prove he was the strongest. But now… It was all meaningless when people like him roam freely in the world... Now he felt like a child playing with a wooden sword.
I was his strongest attack, reinforced with martial arts he applied to himself. He knew for a fact that the epitome of swordmanship, Gazef, wouldn't come out of thsi attack uharmed, yet, this stranger not only was he untouched by the attack and stopped it without even changing his stance, he took his sweet time to toy with him and cut his sword.
'Gazef…' Brain thought, his inner monologue filled with bitterness and resignation. 'Turns out there are heights we can never reach. We're nothing but worms compared to people like... him.'
Meliodas stepped forward, his voice cutting through the silence. "Yoriichi is human," he said, his tone calm but firm. "What you just witnessed was less than 50%% of his power, but I can guarantee you that he is 100% human. Do you know what this means?"
Brain could only look to the ground, his soul broken. But Meliodas didn't wait for his answer.
"This means that you too can reach levels comparable to him, and if you swear your loyalty to me, I'll make you stronger. Stronger than Gazef. Stronger than you ever thought possible."
Brain's head snapped up, his eyes wide with shock. "You… you know about Gazef?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He couldn't believe this man knew about his rivalry with Gazef.
Meliodas smirked. "Of course. Someone like you doesn't stay under the radar for long. But that's not important. What's important is this, do you want to stay an insignificant worm, or do you want to reach heights you never thought possible?"
Brain's mind raced. He was an ambitious man, driven by the desire to become stronger and to prove himself. And now, standing before him was an opportunity, a chance to surpass even his own limits.
He looked at Yoriichi, then at Meliodas, and finally at the broken remains of his sword.
"If it's true…" Brain said, his voice steady now, filled with determination. "If it's true that I can reach that level as a human… then I'll swear my loyalty to you."
Without hesitation, Brain dropped to one knee, his head bowed. "I, Brain Unglaus, swear my loyalty to you, Meliodas... No, Meliodas-sama. Make me stronger. Please!"
Meliodas's smirk widened, his glowing purple eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Good choice. Welcome to the team, Brain."
TO BE CONTINUED --->
Hey everyone! Author here.
If you've got an anime character you'd love to see summoned into the story, feel free to drop your suggestions, including which character you'd like to see and what rank you think they deserve. Your input might just shape the next events in the story!