Harem Sync: Divine Edition-Chapter 5: Seven Days to the Peak

The assassin lunged forward with his sword, aiming straight for Haru’s forehead.

Haru jerked his head to the left. The blade whizzed past, just inches from his face. He took advantage of the opening and punched the assassin in the nose.

The punch landed squarely. The nose cracked. Blood spurted out.

The assassin staggered backward but did not fall. He planted his feet firmly on the ground and dashed forward, regaining his posture in an instant. He began attacking Haru with consecutive sword strikes.

Horizontal, vertical, diagonal cuts. Fast. Precise.

Haru dodged them all. He leaned his body, stepped back, spun. Without apparent effort.

He had seen this more than three hundred times before.

The assassin was visibly furious. His eyes narrowed. His breathing became heavier. "A manure cleaner with such ability..." he muttered, his voice full of indignation.

Haru picked up a hollow piece of wood from the stable floor. An old, broken broomstick. He twirled it in his hand, testing its weight.

He smiled.

"Come on, sensei! You’re very predictable today... huh?"

"Son of a bitch," growled the assassin.

He dashed toward Haru, explosive, his body almost disappearing so fast.

But Haru stood still, watching. Waiting.

"Which technique from his arsenal will he use?"

The assassin raised his sword above his head, preparing a downward strike.

"Technique number one hundred and fifty-eight!" Haru shouted mentally.

He took a few steps back. Then he threw himself to the ground, crawling to the side before the section even began.

The assassin brought his sword down with full force.

It hit the ground. The blade buried itself in the dirt, Haru was already out of reach.

The assassin stumbled from his own movement, off balance.

He fell to his knees when Haru tried to step on him, taking advantage of the fall, but the assassin stretched out his free hand and a fireball appeared in his palm and shot straight at Haru.

Haru leaned back at the last moment, arching his back. The fireball grazed his chest. He felt the heat burning his skin.

The ball rose and pierced the ceiling of the stable. Wood exploded. Straw began to burn.

"Shit..." Haru muttered, looking up. "He started using mana. This is that part of video games where the boss enters the second stage..."

The horses were already agitated. They whinnied loudly, kicking their hooves against the walls of their stalls. One of them kicked the wooden door, cracking the board.

The assassin stood up slowly. He wiped his nose with the back of his hand, smearing blood across his face.

"We need to end this now," he said, his voice lower. Controlled. "It was supposed to be very calm..."

His sword caught fire, flames rising up the blade, enveloping the steel in a bright orange light.

He advanced again. This time, at twice the speed.

Haru began to dodge faster and faster, using the stable to his advantage. He jumped over a bucket. He rolled behind a bale of hay. He dodged using the wall as support, pushing his body to the side.

The flaming sword cut through everything it touched. Wood. Straw. Rope.

The stable began to catch fire.

"I can only hold him off for a moment while he uses mana..." thought Haru, retreating further. "But the plan was always to hold him off until he didn’t have much mana left."

But now he had mana too.

Haru jumped back and stretched out his hand, opening his palm toward the assassin.

"Ice ball!" he shouted.

The assassin’s eyes widened. He stopped his advance, preparing to dodge, but nothing happened, no ball. No ice. Nothing.

Haru blinked. "Wait... what!?"

The assassin realized it immediately and advanced with brutal speed.

He delivered fifty rapid punches to Haru’s stomach. The punches came so fast they seemed like one. Consecutive. Heavy.

Haru spat blood. All the air was knocked out of his lungs.

Without giving him time to breathe, the killer plunged his sword into Haru’s shoulder. The blade went through flesh, bone, and came out the other side.

The killer didn’t stop. He kept pushing. He took Haru with him, dragging his body to the stable wall. The sword went through the wooden wall. Haru was stuck there, nailed, his feet barely touching the ground.

The killer stopped in front of him. He stared at Haru closely, taking a deep breath.

The sword began to incinerate his shoulder. The flames rose up the blade, burning the flesh around the wound. The smell of burning flesh filled the air.

Haru screamed in pain, but he didn’t give up.

Tired of dying at the hands of that killer, Haru grabbed the sword with his right hand. He gripped it tightly, ignoring the heat burning his palm.

[Touch of the Goddess]: ACTIVATED

[IGNITION - Isabela’s Skill]

Haru’s right arm caught fire, but it wasn’t the same orange fire as the assassin’s. It was red. Brighter. More intense.

Haru pulled the sword with brutal force and broke the blade in half. The metal shattered, turning into sparks in the air.

The assassin’s eyes widened.

"What fire... from Valtherion!?" he muttered, shocked.

[150/1200] MANA

Haru bent his right fist, still on fire, and punched the assassin in the stomach. The impact was devastating. The assassin’s body bent forward.

[100/1200] MANA

Without stopping, Haru threw another punch, this time to the face. The assassin’s head turned to the side. His body flew backward and crashed into the opposite wall of the stable, breaking boards.

The assassin fell to the floor, losing consciousness. Haru had performed the same combo that Isabela had performed on him that afternoon.

[0/1200] MANA

Haru’s right arm was red, burned, the skin peeling off. But he ignored the pain.

He picked up the assassin’s broken sword from the floor. He walked over to the fallen body, laughing softly. "Heheheh..."

He climbed on top of the assassin, one knee on each side of the body. He raised the broken blade above his head and pierced the skull with force. The sword sank in. The assassin’s body shook once. Then it lay still.

Haru looked down, panting. "You... were a great sensei."

"Fuck... I did it."

And when Haru tried to get up, someone hit him on the back of the head, and everything went black.

Haru passed out on top of the dead assassin’s body....

...

[◊ XP: +450 / 1,000] [LVL: 6]

[◊ XP: 950 / 1,000] [LVL: 6]

...

SPLASH!

A bucket of cold water hit Haru in the face.

"Wake up, you little shit!"

"It can’t be... am I dead?" Haru muttered, slowly opening his eyes.

But he wasn’t in the stable. He was in the training yard. Chained to a stone pillar. His hands tied behind his back. The midday sun beat down on his head.

He looked ahead.

The assassin’s body was there, lying on the ground. Covered by a dirty sheet. Blood dripped from under the fabric, staining the earth.

A blond-haired soldier approached. Tall, wearing reinforced leather armor. He grabbed Haru by the hair and pulled his head up.

He punched him in the stomach, then again and again.

"Did you do this?" shouted the soldier, pointing to the body.

Haru spat blood.

"It was me."

The soldier threw a few more punches. Consecutive. Heavy.

"It was me," Haru repeated, his voice hoarse.

More punches. To the stomach. To the ribs. To the face.

Haru smiled. His teeth were red with blood.

"It was me!"

The soldier pulled his arm back, preparing another punch, but Haru shouted, loud enough for everyone in the courtyard to hear.

"I want to apply for the position of Miss Isabela’s guard!"

The soldier stopped. He slowly lowered his arm. He looked at Haru as if he had gone mad. Around them, other soldiers and servants stopped what they were doing. They turned to look. The courtyard fell silent.

Then, heavy footsteps echoed as Isabela’s father arrived.

A tall, imposing man with broad shoulders that filled his ceremonial armor. His red hair was short and combed back, with a few gray strands at his temples. His beard was neatly trimmed, following the line of his square jaw. His eyes were an intense green, cold and calculating. He wore a red cape over his silver armor, and at his waist he carried a broad sword with an ornate gold hilt.

He stopped in front of Haru, looking down at him.

"How did a slave kill a trained assassin?" he asked, his voice deep and controlled. He turned his head to the side. "Bring the crystal."

A soldier ran off. He returned seconds later, carrying a transparent crystal sphere the size of a bowling ball. He placed it in the baron’s hands.

Another soldier untied Haru’s hands.

Haru fell to his knees on the floor, gasping for breath. His right hand hurt. It was burned and swollen.

The blond soldier grabbed Haru by the hair again and forced him to hold out his injured hand.

"Take it," he ordered.

Haru held the crystal with his burned hand. The pain shot up his arm, but he gritted his teeth and didn’t let go.

"Speak," said the baron, looking him straight in the eye.

Haru took a deep breath.

"Who killed the murderer?" asked the baron.

"I did."

The crystal did not change color. It remained transparent.

"How did you kill him?"

"Experience."

The crystal remained the same.

The baron frowned.

"Have you ever done anything involving death before becoming a manure cleaner?"

Haru smiled wryly, despite the pain.

"Yes. I was and still am... a gamer."

"Gamer?" repeated the baron, confused.

"Gamer... gamer..." murmured some soldiers around him.

No one knew what that was.

The blond soldier stepped forward. "You see, my baron?" he said, pointing at Haru. "He’s a spy for those gamers! We must kill him!"

Haru intervened quickly, before the baron could decide.

"I assure you that I mean no harm to the baron, nor to his daughter and his people in this land," he said firmly. "I want to become a guard, specifically Miss Isabela’s personal guard."

"That’s out of the question!" replied Isabela, who was standing behind her father. Her arms were crossed, her face red with anger.

"Shut up!" retorted the baron, without looking back.

Isabela’s eyes widened in shock. But she did not respond. The baron looked back at Haru.

"What is your name, gamer?"

"Haru Mizuki."

The baron nodded slowly. He turned to the blond soldier.

"Release him."

"But, Baron!" protested the soldier. "He’s just a mere slave! He lies..."

"No one lies before the crystal," said the baron, his voice cold.

He turned back to Haru.

"You have seven days to become strong enough to compete with the others for the position of guard."

He turned his back and began walking back to the mansion.

Haru lay down on the ground horizontally, as if bowing. But he peeked under Isabella’s skirt as she and the others walked away.

"Hehehehe..." he laughed softly, just to himself.

"The harem has begun."