Four years ago, somewhere in the far outskirts of the Land of Hinkon, a certain memorable incident took place.
At the time, rumors of a young boy wandering the land with nothing but a long sword—challenging every swordsman he encountered to a battle to the death and emerging victorious in every one of those battles—had begun spreading across the land.
It was becoming a huge controversy.
Many believed the rumors were false, as it was difficult to imagine such a young boy defeating seasoned swordsmen.
But one day, the rumors were proven to be true…
It all began when a nobleman from one of the Royal Families of the Land of Fuyu visited Hinkon with a small defense squad to find so-called laborers to work on his farm.
In reality, he intended to enslave them once they arrived in Fuyu.
He was a swordsman, and a Commander—the second in command of Unit 8 at the time.
Perhaps by fate, or even an odd stroke of luck, he happened to encounter this strange boy.
The nobleman confidently accepted his challenge to a death battle.
However, he did not survive the fight… and failed to accomplish his goal.
The boy was ultimately labeled a fugitive and was hunted.
One day, Sailou encountered the child wandering the barren lands with nothing but a blade, starved and wounded as he fled from FADA.
He decided to rescue the boy and give him purpose.
That child was Kutcher.
To this day, no one knows why or what drove Kutcher to obsessively battle and defeat stronger enemies when he was younger.
But one thing is certain—
He was a far more advanced swordsman than any other in Hinkon at the time.
Back in the forest with Tuziku—
"Kutcher!!! Wake up, we have to run!"
"He's over there!" a soldier shouted as he chased after Tuziku.
"Hurry up! We can't let him escape!"
Rustle… rustle…
The soldiers ran through bushes and trees chasing Tuziku, but one soldier managed to catch up before Tuziku could wake Kutcher.
Rustle…
As the other soldiers struggled to catch up, a single soldier burst through the bushes, finally coming into contact with Tuziku who was attempting to wake Kutcher.
"Kutcher! We have to get out of here and warn the others!" he shouted.
"Stop right there, kid!" the soldier yelled as he closed the distance.
"Come in, General Hinomo! This is the advance squad that was sent to the center," the soldier reported through his communicator.
Tuziku panted for air as he finally reached Kutcher, who was only a few feet away.
"Come in, soldier… what have you got?" Hinomo replied.
"Kutcher! Get up, damn it!"
"Sir, we've made contact with two male individuals near the center. They appear to be teenagers!"
"Is the Acid user among them?" Hinomo asked.
"I'm not sure. We're engaging the duo and will confirm shortly, sir," he panted as he slowly walked toward Tuziku.
"Keep me updated. We're heading your way right now."
"Attention all soldiers… targets have been spotted near the center of the forest."
"Everyone move toward the center!"
"This is Ishimi. Understood."
Meanwhile, the other three soldiers following behind Tuziku were closing in on their partner who already had Tuziku in sight.
"Damn it, he's going to escape at this rate!"
The soldier armed himself and cranked his gun, preparing to fire.
Boom… boom.
"Kutcher!!!"
The soldier fired two shots straight at Tuziku as he reached to shake Kutcher awake.
Just as the bullets were about to hit him—
Kutcher's eyes snapped open.
He stepped into the line of fire.
His blade flashed from its scabbard.
Ting! Ting…!
The bullets fell to the ground.
Tuziku collapsed to the floor in shock, panting heavily.
"What the—" the soldier muttered.
Kutcher dashed toward him.
In response, the soldier fired another shot.
Boom…
Kutcher slipped past the bullet.
Before the soldier could react—
A flash of steel swung by at incredible speeds.
The blade cut across his stomach.
Thud…
His body collapsed as blood poured from the wound.
"What's going on here, Tuziku?"
"Soldiers are in the forest… I think they've come after me!"
At that moment, the three remaining soldiers from the advance squad finally caught up.
"Over there! I see them!" one soldier shouted.
"Crap, there's more of them?!" Kutcher said as he gripped his blade and helped Tuziku to his feet.
As the soldiers approached, the sight of their fallen comrade—his internal organs spilling onto the forest floor—made them halt suddenly.
"Wh-what the hell?!" one soldier shouted.
"He's dead!"
His stomach was cut open…!
"Request backup immediately!" he yelled while aiming his rifle at Kutcher.
"Let's get out of here, now!" Kutcher shouted as he started running.
"Ho—hold on!" Tuziku ran behind him.
"Come in, General Hinomo! This is the advance squad," one soldier reported.
"What's the update?" Hinomo asked.
"Sir, we've lost a soldier! The enemies are strong. I believe we've encountered the swordsman of the Casoltins crew!"
"What about the Acid user?"
"He might be the one with the swordsman, but I'm not certain… he hasn't attacked yet."
"Where are you now?"
"We're almost at the center of the forest. General Ishimi should be able to intercept them if he advances from the south."
"Good. Stay in pursuit!"
"Yes, sir!!" He replied
"Ishimi, come in!" Hinomo called.
"This is Ishimi. I've heard everything… We're advancing to the center as we speak."
"We should encounter the enemy shortly."
"Alright. Good luck out there," Hinomo replied.
Meanwhile, Tuziku and Kutcher desperately ran through the forest.
"Kutcher, what do we do?!" Tuziku gasped.
"We have to warn the rest of the crew… and focus on escaping," Kutcher replied, running beside him.
Boom! Boom!
Gunfire erupted behind them.
"Shit…! Try not to get shot, Tuziku!"
At the same time, General Ishimi's squad advanced directly toward them.
Boom! Boom!
"Just keep moving, Tuziku! We have to get away!"
Suddenly—
"Tuziku, wait!"
They both came to an abrupt stop.
Gungī Hanopi, the Commander and second in command of Unit 6, stepped forward from the group of soldiers.
"We finally found you."
"General Ishimi, this is Gungi. I've made contact with the targets. About to engage."
"Eliminate them at once."
"They are definitely members of the Casoltins," Ishimi replied calmly
Kutcher stepped in front of Tuziku.
But at that moment, the three soldiers from Hinomo's advance squad had finally caught up behind them.
"Sh—shit! They've got us surrounded, Kutcher!" Tuziku panicked, his face filled with fear.
"There you are!. How dare you kill one of our men!" a soldier from the advance squad shouted.
Commander Gungi raised his hand.
"All soldiers—prepare to fire!"
"We're eliminating these criminals right here and now… before the General arrives!"
CHAPTER 18 END