Retired

I was just like you all. A human. Someone who had been reincarnated into this world.

I was lost, but did what I knew best.

From before I was reincarnated and after, I was a ninja.

But it didn’t matter which world I came from.

I was still despised.

Too creepy…

Too strong…

Who wants a killer in our party?

Kouki did.

I finally found somewhere I belonged, but then it happened.

I was cursed.

I was turned into this abomination. Was it some type of joke?

It limited my ability to use and learn skills, forcing me into another role I didn’t want to play.

So this is what you want me to be?

Some freak who can’t have happiness?

If that’s the case, then I’ll oblige.

I’ll be a freak… who takes happiness.

*            *            *

“HAhAHahA!!” Kaede continued to laugh maniacally. “Are you happy now!? You wanted my sob backstory to confirm your oh so smart deduction!?”

Rina looked at Kaede uncomfortably. She was completely losing it.

“So what if I can’t use many skills!?” Kaede continued. “So what if I can’t use Infinity properly!? It doesn’t change the fact that you’re all going to die right now!”

Kaede dashed at Rina, and Rina did the same. The two jousted through each other, trading positions.

The two slowly turned to face each other to see who won the exchange. A slash appeared on Rina’s face, and blood started to surface from it. Kaede, in turn, licked her hand, which was slightly dripped with said blood. Suddenly, Iori, Hein, and Zinnia were all freed from their web bindings.

Kaede looked annoyed. “You’re no fun.”

“We’re not here to have fun,” Rina stated as everyone readied for action.

Kaede swiftly backed into the webbed forest. Her game plan to stall Rina out stayed true. Rina knew this and pursued Kaede. It was a high-speed chase, but Kaede successfully kept her distance.

“What’s wrong, Rina dear!” Kaede taunted. “I don’t have many skills; you should be able to catch me, right?”

Rina took the bait and used Quick Slash to close the distance, but Kaede leaped way above the forest to dodge it. Landing back on one of her stationed webs to face Rina, Kaede continued to laugh.

Suddenly, all of Kaede’s webs began to freeze. Kaede looked around nervously to find the source until she noticed Zinnia running amok, freezing everything.

Kaede pounced to stop her, but Rina intercepted. Rina finally got a good hit, cracking the shell of one of Kaede’s back legs.

“I think you'd better keep running,” Rina taunted.

Kaede fell for the taunt this time and pounced towards Rina, but she was halted by a fire spell from Iori in the distance. Kaede took the initiative and bundled a ball of webs to catch fire. She then used the flaming webs to melt the rest of her frozen webs. The webs in the forest all dripped from being thawed out.

“I think your allies are stupid,” Kaede spoke to Rina. “They’re undoing their own work.”

“I’d beg to differ,” Rina stated.

Rina slashed towards Kaede to create an air projectile. Kaede swiftly pivoted to the side and witnessed Rina rushing towards her. Rina wound up an attack for a big hit, and Kaede set up a thick strand of webs to defend herself.

“That won’t work!” Rina announced as she swung her blade with great force to cut through Kaede and her webs, but the webs deflected her.

Rina was set off balance, and Kaede capitalized. She used a web to take Rina’s special weapon from her and more webs to bind Rina in the air.

“HAHAHA!! Did you really think I had no discrepancies in my webs?” Keade said haughtily as she threw Rina’s weapon to the floor. She approached Rina’s face and whispered, “How do you like my steel webs? Because of them, there’ll be no more web breaking for you, or any of your other allies.”

“That actually works in our favor,” Rina announced.

Kaede backed off, alarmed by Rina’s confidence.

“How many times in this battle alone have you failed to keep track of everyone?” Rina taunted.

Kaede turned around and saw Hein standing on a tree branch with his blade tipped to touch one of Kaede’s webs perfectly.

The web dripped.

Hein’s blade electrified.

Kaede pieced everything together, but it was too late. Hein activated his magic and electrified the damp webs throughout the forest. Hein was unaffected by his own magic, and Rina stayed protruding in the air by Kaede’s recent dry webs. Iori floated with Zinnia in her arms in the distance to avoid friendly fire.

On the other hand, Kaede was continuously electrified for what felt like minutes, but it was only a moment. Kaede collapsed to the ground after the shocking was done, but the group wasn’t going to let her recover.

Hein tossed one of his blades to Rina, and she caught it. Rina swiftly used Cutting Edge to free herself from her bindings and ran to pick up her special weapon.

Kaede finally gained some consciousness, but she was greeted by Rina unleashing a fully charged strike to her stomach, sending her flying into the tree Hein stood on.

Kaede was defeated.