Peak Between Two: Mushoku Tensei

-Third-Person Perspective-

Zayd let out a slow breath before lifting his sword with one hand.

"Alright, let's end this."

And then—

WUSH!

He vanished.

Ryu remained still, his eyes tracking the faint movements around him.

He's even faster now.

Zayd reappeared on the right—faking an overhead strike!

But Ryu wasn't fooled.

In the split second before Zayd could finish his swing—

Ryu stepped forward.

Straight into his attack range.

Zayd's eyes widened. "You—!"

Too late.

Ryu's clawed hand shot out, latching onto Zayd's wrist mid-strike.

And with a brutal, fluid motion—

CRACK!

Ryu twisted Zayd's arm at an impossible angle, forcing it into a devastating break.

A scream tore through the battlefield.

The sword slipped from Zayd's grasp, clattering onto the blood-soaked ground.

But Ryu didn't stop.

With one merciless motion, he grabbed Zayd's collar and slammed his head into the ground.

DUARR!!

The earth split open from the impact, dust and blood spraying into the air.

Zayd groaned, his body trembling… yet somehow, he was still breathing.

Even now, he tried to smile.

"Hah… damn… You're really… strong…" Zayd rasped, his vision fading. "Looks like… I won't be able to report this to my superiors, huh?"

Ryu said nothing.

His cold, merciless gaze bore into the dying swordsman.

Zayd let out a weak chuckle. "Heh… if I die here, I hope you're ready… to face those far stronger than me."

Ckrek.

Ryu didn't let him speak another word.

With a swift motion, he pulled the dagger from his waist and drove it straight into Zayd's throat.

The man's eyes widened. His body tensed—

Then, finally, fell still.

Blood pooled beneath his lifeless form, soaking the already stained battlefield.

Ryu exhaled, yanking his dagger free and flicking off the excess blood.

He stared at Zayd's corpse for a moment—then discarded it like worthless trash.

Zayd was dead.

But his last words lingered in Ryu's mind.

"I hope you're ready to face those stronger than me."

###

As the chaos settled, Ryu stood amidst the ruined village.

The stench of smoke and blood still lingered in the air, but the battle was over. The slavers had been defeated, and the remaining survivors had fled into the darkness.

A group of village warriors approached. Leading them was Gyes, his uncle. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of the lifeless bodies surrounding Ryu.

"Ryu…? You took them all down!?"

Ryu turned to face him, his expression calm. Small cuts and bruises marked his body, but he stood tall, showing no signs of exhaustion.

"Yeah. Don't think too much about it. What's more important right now is the children on the other side of the forest."

Gyes snapped back to reality. "Oh, that's right! Why didn't you go there first!?"

Ryu sighed and met his uncle's gaze with a firm expression.

"Because there were two humans under my protection."

Gyes's expression darkened. His sharp eyes filled with disbelief.

"You mean those lost human children!? Ryu!"

There was reproach in his voice, but Ryu remained composed.

He understood his uncle's feelings—and the feelings of the entire village—toward humans.

But his decision had already been made.

"I know," Ryu said, locking eyes with Gyes, his voice unwavering. "But they are not our enemies. Either way, let's check the forest. The ones there were just low-ranking thugs. Meanwhile, here… they had a swordsman skilled enough to be a real threat."

Gyes still looked doubtful, but after a moment, he exhaled sharply.

"Hmph… Fine. Let's see how things turned out."

Without wasting time, they headed toward the forest.

On the Other Side of the Forest

As Ryu had expected, Rudeus and Eris had already handled the situation.

Several enemies lay lifeless on the ground, while the survivors knelt with their hands bound, faces pale with terror.

The scent of blood was thick in the air, mixing with the damp earth and the lingering smoke from the burning village.

Ryu approached, followed by Gyes and several other warriors. Their expressions were tense, even though the battle had ended.

Rudeus turned when he saw them, lowering his staff. Sweat still clung to his brow, but his stance remained composed.

"Oh, Ryu. You're back."

Eris, on the other hand, stood confidently with her sword still dripping with blood. Her breathing was slightly heavy, but her eyes still burned with the thrill of battle.

Ryu studied them for a moment. "You've cleaned up here?"

Rudeus nodded. "Yeah. Some tried to run, but Eris… handled them quite efficiently."

Eris smirked proudly. "Hmph! They were too weak. I didn't even break a sweat!"

Gyes frowned, his gaze sweeping over the bodies and prisoners. His discomfort was clear—he hadn't expected the very humans they distrusted to fight for them.

"I didn't think you two would fight for us," he finally said, his voice low but still carrying a trace of suspicion.

Eris raised an eyebrow, her expression indifferent. "Why? An enemy is an enemy. They burned the village and kidnapped children. That's more than enough reason to kill them."

Gyes hesitated, caught off guard by her blunt response.

Rudeus, who was more sensitive to these situations, tried to explain.

"We had no reason to stand by and let this happen. No matter what race someone is, we won't sit back and watch innocent people suffer."

Ryu silently observed the villagers who had started to gather.

Some were still wary.

But some… were starting to reconsider.

Gyes clicked his tongue. "Hmph… you're still humans. I can't trust you just yet."

"Trust or not, that's not my problem," Eris replied flatly.

Before the tension could rise any further—

"That's enough, Gyes."

A deep, authoritative voice cut through the air.

Elder Gustav approached the group, his heavy presence instantly calming the restless atmosphere.

Gyes looked like he wanted to argue, but under Gustav's sharp gaze, he could only grit his teeth and lower his head.

"Hmph… fine."

Rudeus let out a quiet sigh of relief, glad that things hadn't escalated further. Meanwhile, Eris stood tall, completely unbothered, as if she had expected them to be acknowledged from the start.

Gustav's piercing eyes lingered on Rudeus and Eris for a long moment before he finally spoke.

"They saved our children. It would be wrong to keep treating them with disrespect."

Some of the villagers murmured in agreement.

Up until now, humans had always been seen as threats to the Beastmen.

But now…

They saw something different.

Ryu, who had been quietly watching, finally spoke up.

"What matters is that everyone is safe. If anyone is injured, they should be treated immediately."

Gyes still looked reluctant, but he nodded after a moment. "I'll handle the children and make sure they're alright."

With that, he turned away, already barking orders to the other villagers to tend to the wounded and manage the prisoners.

Gustav returned his attention to Ryu, Rudeus, and Eris.

"You three… especially you two," he said, looking at Rudeus and Eris, "from this day forward, this village will no longer see you as outsiders."

Rudeus offered a small smile, feeling relief wash over him.

"Thank you for your trust, Elder Gustav."

Eris simply crossed her arms and lifted her chin.

"Hmph. About time."

Some villagers hesitantly stepped forward.

A few muttered words of thanks.

One of the village mothers approached Rudeus and gave a small bow.

"Thank you… for saving my child."

The tension didn't disappear completely.

But the walls of distrust were starting to crumble.

Ryu watched it all in silence.