Songs in the Void

Arifureta Universe, Tortus, Haultina Sea of Trees.

"*Sigh* I really don't wanna deal with this." Tatsuo muttered as he tilted his head out of the way of a dagger that was aimed at his throat. He then spun to his right to avoid a stab aimed at his heart from behind before throwing a roundhouse kick that floored the one who tried to stab him. "I mean, if I wanted to deal with the Elders of Verbergen, I wouldn't have hidden us from the beginning. *Sigh* I don't know why I didn't expect them to send someone to keep an eye on the shameless rabbit tribe, though."

Meanwhile, despite the fact that Tatsuo was talking to himself, the members of the Haulia tribe he had taken it upon himself to train, continued to attack him relentlessly. And despite the fact that it had only been seven days since Tatsuo started training them, their natural endowments for stealth really made them quite good material for assassins or thieves.

However, seven days was nowhere near enough time to make them passible assassins or fighters when you consider the tribe's normal disposition. However, Tatsuo did manage to get rid of the mentality to not hurt anyone or anything, imparting that protecting their tribe and their own lives should come first in a world as cruel as this one.

*Clap!*

"Alright, let's take a break!" Tatsuo said after clapping his hands around a dagger that was aimed at his left eye. "We've got guests. ON top of that, they found out about Shea and the rest of us."

As Tatsuo's words ended, he flipped the dagger stuck between his palms and caught it by the handle. Then, he threw it back from whence it came before it was snatched out of the air by Cam, who had hidden himself among the leaves of a tree.

"*Sigh* I guess we should have known that they would send someone to watch over us." Cam said, a lot of the meekness in his expression gone, only to be replaced with resolve. If one looked closely, they could even tell that he was growing out more of a beard instead of just the goatee that grew on his chin in the beginning. He was more muscular, as well.

"Yeah, I kind of overlooked that." Tatsuo replied with a nod in an exasperated tone. "Anyway, let's get the girls and go meet our guests."

With that, Tatsuo led the entire Haulia tribe to the place where Sumire and Aletia were training Shea.

'Hmm… It's been awhile since I checked my status.' Tatsuo thought to himself while he walked towards the other side of the settlement. 'I wonder how much I've grown since the last time.'

{[Status]

[Personal Information]

Name: Soramoto Tatsuo

Age: 15

Race: Human/Void Dragon

Title: Prince of the Void

Coins: 453,515

[Physical Attributes]

Comprehensive Physical Evaluation: B-

Strength: B-

Agility: B

Dexterity: B-

Endurance: B-

Intelligence: B-

Perception: B

Energy: B+

Charm: A-

[Skills]

Language: E+

Pianist: D

Singing: E+

Vale Tudo: C-

Weapon Mastery: D+

Dagger Master: C+

Firearms Mastery: C-

Cooking: F+

First Aid: E+

Hacking: D

Stealth: B-

Blacksmithing: C+

Leatherworking: C-

Tailoring: C-

Programming: E+

Blink: C

Spatial Slash: C

Spatial Rend: C

Return: S-

Back Stab: D+

Enchanting: C+

Light Speed: B-

Acting: D-

Alchemy – B+

Lightning Clad – B-

Air Walk – B-

Air Claw – C+

[Abilities]

Mana Reactor: A+

Dragon Fear: S+

The End – SS+

Half Dragon Transformation – A+

[Affinities]

Space – S

Lightning - B

Fire – A+

[Resistances]

Space - S

Time – C+

Light – C+

Dark – C+

Earth – C+

Wind – C+

Fire – A+

Water – D+

Lightning – B-

Physical B

Petrification – B-

Poison – B-

Paralysis – B-

[Note: The average values of an average adult are F+. Trained Athletes have values of E-. Those at the peak of their field have values of E. Those at the peak of humanity have values of E+. Anything D- or higher is considered supernatural, usually requiring the infusion of mana or an equivalent energy to achieve.]}

'Not bad.' Tatsuo mused. 'I guess, if I really went all out, these parameters mean that I could obliterate a small city. But I don't really have any massive AOE skills. So, at most, I could cut a small city in half with a [Spctial Rend].'

*Boom!*

Drawing near to the area where the three ladies trained, the sound of a hard impact mixed with the shaking of the ground let the group know they were close to the training trio.

Wen they finally got close enough, the could see Shea swinging a large, oversized hammer at Sumire, who instead of blocking with her shield, backed away to avoid the heavy impact. However, before the head of the hammer struck the ground, Shea operated a mechanism on the hammer's shaft.

*Swoosh!*

With that, the head of the hammer separated from the shaft, connected by a chain, and flew towards Sumire.

*Boom!*

Having expected such a tactic, Sumire only hopped backwards once again. As a result, the hammer head, which was now the end of a morning star, slammed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of debris.

However, before Shea could recover the head of her hammer, Sumire burst through the cloud of debris at high speed. Luckily, after seven days of almost nonstop training with the two powerful women, Shea's reflexes had improved immensely. On top of that, her [Future Sight Magic] aided her in avoiding dangerous situations.

With a mixture of [Future Sight] and her improved reflexes, Shea was able to parry Sumire's spear thrust while simultaneously pressing the mechanism to retract the head of her hammer.

*Clang!*

However, thanks to her combat experience, Sumire was quick to turn around and parry the hammer head before letting the momentum of her spin turn her back towards Shea, swinging the butt end of her spear to sweep Shea's legs out from under her.

Then, just as Shea's back hit the ground, the tip of Sumire's spear came to a stop on her neck.

"*Pant* *Pant* I lost again." Shea said in a tired tone while pouting in frustration. "and I still couldn't hit you."

"Although that's true, You've improved by a lot in just seven days." Sumire said with a smile as she pulled her spear back. "You should be proud."

"Even if I've improved, if I can't hit you and Miss Aletia by the time you you're ready to leave, I'll have to stay here." Shea said, the frustration in her tone bubbling more and more to the surface.

"So, that's the agreement you all made, huh?" Tatsuo asked while he and the rest of the Haulia tribe approached.

"Eek!" Shea squeaked in surprise as she hopped up to her feet like she was not fatigued at all. "Wha-Wha-Wha? What are you talking about, Tatsuo? There's no agreement between us for me to come with you when you leave."

*Smack!*

"You basically just told him exactly that, Shea-San." Sumire said after face palming.

"Worthless Rabbit." Aletia added coldly while approaching from where she was watching the spar between Sumire and Shea.

Shea could only lower her head in embarrassment. Even so, she was determined to leave the rest of her tribe with Tatsuo, Sumire, and Aletia when they left. So, she vowed to herself that she would train even harder from now on.

"Anyway, what's going on, Tatsuo-Kun?" Sumire asked curiously. "You don't' usually come here while we're training."

"Well, we have some guests." Tatsuo replied while smiling wryly. "And I'm sure they know about all of us. So, I wanted all of you to come along to meet them."

"Oh, okay." Sumire replied while nodding her head. "Do you think we have the time to get cleaned up before we meet them?"

Before Tatsuo could respond, an alert notification rung out in Tatsuo's, Sumire's, Aletia's, and all the members of the Haulia Tribe's heads.

"I don't think so." Tatsuo replied while shaking his head. "It looks like they've already stepped into the range of my magic circle."

With that said, Tatsu turned his head in the direction the visitors came from. However, he was surprised that they had only stepped just inside the range of his [Detection Magic Circle] and stopped.

"It looks like they have some manners." Tatsuo muttered to himself with a grin on his face. He then shook his head and wiped the grin away as he continued. "Anyway, let's not keep our guests waiting."

Like that, Tatsu led Sumire, Aletia, and the Haulia Tribe towards where he felt the disturbance in the [Detection Magic]. Before long, the group stood before the guard squad they ran into when they first arrived in the Sea of Trees, as well as two unfamiliar faces, one a wolf beast man, and the other an Elf.

When the leader of the guard squad saw Tatsuo, Sumire, Aletia, and Shea, his eyes opened so wide that no one would have been surprised if they popped out of his head. At the same time, he, Gil, gritted his teeth so hard that Tatsuo and his group could hear them grinding before they were even in speaking range.

Yet, despite his apparent shock and anger, Gil did not say anything. Instead, he just glared daggers at Cam. However, Cam's reaction surprised him even more, as he did not cower under his glare. Instead, he only glanced at him for a second and looked away before whispering into the young man who led the group's ear.

'Huh?' Gil thought to himself in dumbfounded amazement. 'Did that coward, Cam, just shrug off my angry glare? Just what happened to him over the span of a week?'

Unfortunately, Gil's unanswered question would go unanswered.

"Elder Ulfric Heipyst, Chief Elder of Verbergen, I presume." Tatsuo said calmly after getting into speaking range. "To what do we owe the honor?"

"Before I answer your question, might I know you and your companions' names?" Ulfric replied just as calmly. "As you have me at a disadvantage, knowing my name while I don't know yours."

"Ah! Yeah, I guess that would be the proper thing to do wouldn't it?" Tatsuo replied with a smile while scratching the back of his head. He then gestured to himself, Sumire, and Aletia in turn as he continued. "Well, I'm Soramoto Tatsuo and this is Minami Violet Sumire. We were part of the group of summoned Heroes summoned by the Heiligh Kingdom. And this is Aletia, possibly the last living vampire on Tortus."

When they heard the words, "last living vampire," not only Ulfric and his entourage, but even the Haulia Tribe wore expressions of surprise.

Seeing the Haulia Tribe's surprise, Tatsuo scratched the back of his head once again before turning his gaze to Sumire and Aletia.

"Why do they look like that?" Tatsuo asked curiously. "We told them about Aletia', right?"

"Mmm." Aletia nodded her head in affirmation.

"Actually, I'm not sure." Sumire replied while tilting her head in contemplation. "Maybe we only told Shea-San?"

"Yeah, you definitely told me." Shea added, nodding her head in agreement with Sumire.

"Oh…. Hmm…" Tatsuo hummed, stopping to think back on his conversations wit the Haulia Tribesmen. "Maybe that's it. Well, whatever. They know now, right?"

As he spoke, Tatsuo shrugged off the whole situation. Meanwhile, he could see the members of the Haulia Tribe's eyebrows twitching.

'Heh! They're probably thinking something along the lines of, "How shameless."' Tatsuo thought to himself.

At the same time, Ulfric, smiling wryly, and is entourage, wearing smiles filled with schadenfreude, were having thoughts similar to Tatsuo's.

"Alright, now that you have our names, mind introducing us to the dude with the wolf ears?" Tatsuo asked while pointing at Fenris. "He's the one who found us, after all."

"Of course." Ulfric replied with a nod. He then gestured to Fenris. "This is Fenris, the leader of Verbergen's scouting squad. And you are correct. He is the one who found you. And he told me you wore a rather interesting ring."

"Oh, you mean this?" Tatsuo asked while raising the hand on which he wore the proof of conquering the True Orcus Great Labyrinth.

"Yes, that's it exactly." Ulfric replied with a nod as his eyes zeroed in on the ring. "And if I may, could you tell me where you got that ring from?"

"I'm pretty sure you already know the answer to that question, old man." Tatsuo replied as he lowered his hand. "But I'll answer your question anyway. It came from the Abode of the Liberators after the three of us completed the second half of the Orcus Great Labyrinth."

Tatsuo gestured to Sumire and Aletia as he spoke, and Ulfric nodded as if he were expecting that answer.

"So, was that all you wanted to know?' Tatsuo asked after seeing Ulfric nod.

"There are quite a few things, actually." Ulfric replied. "But I suppose the most pressing is…"

Reaching that point, Ulfric turned his gaze on to Shea, causing her to shiver before taking a step closer to Tatsuo.

"Why have you come to the Haultina Sea of Trees?" Ulfric asked, finishing his earlier sentence.

"For the Haultina Great Labyrinth." Tatsuo replied with a shrug.

"As expected." Ulfric replied with a nod. "Well, you should be able to gain access to it in three days or so."

"That's what Cam said, too." Tatsuo replied with a nod.

"Until then, how would you like to visit Verbergen?" Ulfric asked. "I can tell you hold no malice towards the beastmen. So, it shouldn't be a problem for us to welcome you to our capital."

Ulfric then turned his head towards the Haulia Tribe.

"We should be able to get your exile status revoked while we're there, as well." Ulfric continued while smiling warmly. "After all, it is our duty to support those who have cleared one of the Great Labyrinths… Provided they mean the beastmen no harm, that is."

Hearing that, the Haulia Tribesmen's eyes lit up. No one would enjoy being exiled from their homes, after all. However, before voicing any opinions, they all turned their eyes towards Tatsuo to see his reaction. Because despite knowing that he would be leaving sometime in the near future, he had saved them, created new homes for them, and was teaching them how to defend themselves. So, even though Cam was the chief of their tribe, all the rabbit beastmen saw Tatsuo as their actual leader, even Cam.

So, when the Haulia Tribe saw Tatsuo shake his head to Ulfric's request, they all hardened their expressions and turned to stare at Ulfric and his entourage.

"Sorry, but I'll pass." Tatsuo replied. "Although I don't doubt you, Elder Ulfric. I'm sure that not every beastman in your city is as understanding as you. Because, that's just the nature of people. And I wouldn't want to have to kill someone because of their closed-mindedness. So, it's better that we stay here."

When Tatsuo mentioned killing because of someone's closed-mindedness, he unintentionally activated [Dragon Fear], terrifying everyone who he did not deem an ally. Meaning, Ulfric and his entire entourage. Meanwhile, Sumire, Aletia, and the Haulia tribe could only feel a pulse of power that emanated from Tatsuo, with Aletia licking her lips while she stared at Tatsuo like he was a juicy piece of meat.

A moment later, after recognizing his mistake, Tatsuo deactivated [Dragon Fear], and the beastmen from Verbergen visibly relaxed. However, the wariness they looked at Tatsuo with remained.

"*Sigh* I suppose I can understand that." Ulfric replied in a regrettable tone. "I know Jin, at the very least, would take issue with you all being there. Either way, I'll do my best to have the Haulia Tribe's exile status revoked. That way, even if they decide not to return to live in Verbergen, they would be able to return to, at least, resupply when necessary."

Hearing that, Tatsuo glanced at Cam, who was nodding at Ulfric's suggestion. Though, he did not seem to be too excited about it.

"Well, I guess that will do." Tatsuo replied. A moment later, he narrowed his eyes while glaring at Ulfric. "Oh, and you should let your people know, the Haulia are under my protection. So, it would be a really bad idea to try taking things into their own hands because of something stupid."

This time, instead of activating [Dragon Fear], Tatsuo flexed his [Energy] putting pressure on the surroundings. And although it was not as terrifying as [Dragon Fear], it did let the beastmen of Verbergen know how strong he was. And hopefully, it would help them in dissuading any one from taking the law into their own hands.

Meanwhile, the members of the Haulia Tribe were staring at Tatsuo as if he had just been elevated to divine status. However, Tatsuo tried his best to ignore that.

'I just hope they don't go down the chuuni route they did in the novels.' Tatsuo thought to himself while shivering minutely. 'I don't' think I would be able to handle that.'

"I understand." Ulfric replied in a solemn tone while nodding his head. "Then, I believe it is time that we returned. I need to let my fellow elders know about this meeting."

"Alright, then we'll get back to our training." Tatsuo replied with a nod of his own.

With that, Ulfric led his entourage back towards the city of Verbergen while Tatsuo and the others watched them go until they were no longer in sight.

"Do you really think he'll do what he said?" Cam asked curiously.

"Yeah, I do." Tatsuo replied. "I've been trained to read people pretty well. Plus, I could tell he was one for keeping up the ancient traditions. And since one of the Liberators, Lyutilis Haultina was an Elf, it's probably pretty important to him."

"I see." Cam replied, though he did not truly understand what Tatsuo meant.

"Anyway, let's go." Tatsuo said as he turned around. "I want you all to be at least semi-competent before I leave. So, we've still got a lot of work to do."

"Understood, Grand Master." The Haulia Tribesman chorused in unison. "We shall strive to uphold the tenets you have imparted upon us. We shall stay our blades from the flesh of the innocent. We will do our best to hide in plain sight. And we will never compromise the Brotherhood."

Hearing that, Tatsuo stumbled. He then whipped his head around to stare at the Haulia tribe in disbelief.

'When the hell did they turn into the Assassin Brotherhood?' Tatsuo asked himself dumbfoundedly. A moment later, he regained his composure and shrugged it off. 'Well, although it's still chuuni. It's better than that shit they did in the novels.'