Adopted Soldier

Lyner who was now fully pumped up started to get a feel of Rika's attacks. The current Rika was indeed a couple of times stronger than Lyner. Just to get a feel of how much stronger she was, if this was a game, Rika's stats would be that of a true final boss, while Lyner's was that of a simple final boss. The difference in strength was large, but Rika's way of fighting was like that of a beast, it had no technique and relied more on her abnormal physical abilities.

Normally that would be enough to handle most opponents, but Lyner wasn't your typical opponent. Unlike Rika who solely relied on her strength due to being strong from birth, Lyner was of a different breed , he was one who was weak at the beginning and slowly strengthened himself with astounding technique. He was one who accumulated his strength through hard work.

...

Rika whose attacks were being negated, continued attacking even harder as her strength seemed to increase as time went by. The more she attacked the faster and stronger her attacks got. Lyner, on the other hand, compensated the power gap with sheer skill.

It was also worth noting that as Lyner continued to fight he was gaining a better understanding of the RELEASE state. Once he got a better feel of it, Lyner was able to figure out some of its flaws and rectify them. He couldn't help but smile as he went toe to toe with an opponent such as Rika. The enemy forces might have called him a monster, but the woman in front of him was a true deviant of the human race. She deserves the title of monster more so than Lyner.

...

In the distance the Soldiers of the Grando Empire were watching the fight between the two SS rank mercs, using drones. On the other side, the Berdonian soldiers were doing the exact same thing. Each side were cheering their merc on, but when the battle got even more intense, both sides got a bit scared.

Most of the Soldiers present on both sides have seen numerous S rank mercs, but the disparity in strength between those mercs and the two SS rank mercs was huge. It was like comparing a pistol to a tank, the difference was that huge.

The buildings that were all over the city were being destroyed by those flesh and blood humans, using nothing but swords and wires. They weren't even really aiming at the buildings, just the shock waves from their fight was able to make cracks on the surrounding buildings. Some that were hit directly had crumbled after a few strikes.

Now at this moment both sides had the same thought in their heads.

'Are those two really human?' The sight of the two SS rank mercs made the people watching question, if the two were really part of the same human race as them.

...

Lyner who had finally gotten used to Rika's attacks was now able to gain the upper hand. The path to gain that upper hand came with a price, as some of Lyner's bones have been broken, and he was also bleeding in a lot of different places.

Still for him the trade off was satisfactory. Rika was bleeding all over more so than Lyner, the amount she bled was enough to kill a normal person; but of course Rika Saunter was anything but normal. In her berserker state she was unable to perceive the damage she had accumulated, and was forced to keep on going. She would only get the backlash from the damage she has taken once she gets out of her berserker state.

Lyner didn't mind that the battle wasn't ending as he continued to fight with a smile on his face.

...

After a few more minutes of battle, Lyner noticed a problem. Though his body could still keep on fighting the same can't be said of his weapons. The blade of his sword had been chipped away, the wires that were hidden within his gloves have been lessened greatly, finally he had no more bullets so his gun was pretty much useless. Not like it was useful in the first place.

On the other hand, Rika's arsenal proved superior to Lyner's. Her armor had been broken down with only bits of it left. Still her sword had withstood most of everything as it didn't look any more damaged than before.

Still even in this disadvantageous situation Lyner continued to smile that vicious smile of his. He no longer cared about victory or death, as he was now fully immersed in the fight. He could no longer feel the injuries in his body as adrenaline pumped through his veins.

"Hahahahaha! This is so much fun!" The smile on Lyner's face was similar to that of a child that was having the time of his life, playing with his friends. Still even in this state, Lyner noticed a lot of things about his opponent Rika Saunter.

There was a lot of hesitation in her swordplay, and even in her berserker state Lyner noticed that some tears were falling down her cheeks. This person didn't really want to fight, but was still doing so for some higher purpose.

She was the total opposite of the current Lyner who was only fighting to fulfill his own self interests.

...

As the two mercs headed deeper into town, Lyner and even the bersker Rika noticed something. They weren't the only ones in the city. Lyner saw a little girl at the distance, she seemed to be looking for someone.

'What the f*ck! I thought they evacuated everyone already?! What the hell is a little girl doing here?! Sh*t!' Lyner shouted in his mind as he noticed that Rika's attention seemed to now be on the little girl.

Rika who was fighting with her instincts taking control, had shifted her target to the little girl. Seeing as the little girl was easier prey, her instincts made her attack the weaker one first before dealing with the stronger Lyner.

Lyner who saw Rika suddenly running towards the little girl, was now running at full speed, but Lyner was certain he wouldn't be able to save the little girl. Seeing as Rika had a head start and she was faster than him, making him unable to catch-up.

The little girl who finally noticed the speeding Rika had frozen in fear. She covered her body while screaming for her mother and father to save her. It was then Lyner saw that Rika had actually slowed down, when he noticed this gap Lyner took advantage of it by running faster than ever.

Slash! The sudden sound of flesh and bone being teared could be heard. The little girl due to her immense fear had actually passed out. The sound of flesh being cut was not coming from her body, instead it came from Lyner.

The monster of Berdonia tried his very best to block the attack or redirect it. Yet he had not time to do it properly, so he instead blocked the attack with his own body, making the blade cleave through his left shoulder actually coming near his heart. Lyner at this point was coughing up blood as he continued to smile at his opponent who had fainted due to her injuries.

The moment before the blade reached the little girl, Rika who was in her berseker state actually awoke from it, and tried to stop the strike. Yet the moment she was relieved of her berserker state the backlash of her injuries got to her making her faint. Still the force and gravity of her attack was still about to come down on the little girl. That was when Lyner was able to intervene and block the attack using his own body.

...

Lyner stood there as he pulled out the blade on his shoulder making the blood gush out even more. Now that the blade was out of the way, one could see how deep it penetrated as you could see Lyner's heart beating through the open wound on his shoulder. If it was anyone else they would have died at this moment, but Lyner still remained conscious as he stood proudly before his fallen opponent.

"Thank you for granting my final wish." Lyner spoke with all his might as his right hand clasped tightly onto his sword that he was using as his cane for him not to fall. Lyner's consciousness was now fading as he started to see a vision.

He saw all the members of the Mercenary Club, Alex, Oliver, Rachel, Sayaka, Niel, Kei, Emily and even Evangeline was there. Then he saw his wife Anita wearing the school nurse's uniform holding a child in her hand. Every one of them was relaxing in that clubroom of theirs, getting ready for another event.

Lyner who knew that this was nothing more than a daydream mumbled. "What a wonderful dream that was." When he was about to truly close his eyes, he heard the voice of his wife shouting desperately at him.

"Lyner!" Anita had arrived at Lyner's location. The first thing she saw when she got there was her husband's left shoulder gushing blood out. Seeing this almost made Anita faint from the shock, but she steeled herself as she sprinted towards her dying husband. She checked her husband's left shoulder and actually saw Lyner's now slowly beating heart, in her mind she knew that there was no hope, but her heart continued to deny it.

"Lyner wake up! Don't worry I'm here now, so don't give up! You know me I'm the best doctor there is, I'll be sure to save you from this!" Lyner who heard the desperate plea of his wife shook his head and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Don't bother, I won't make it. So instead please save the girl, since she too has lived a hard life. How about giving her a second chance, like the me of back then. Also if you can help the little girl behind me as well." Anita looked at the woman who was laying in front of Lyner. Anita knew that this person was the one who did this to her husband, but it was also this person that her husband asked her to save.

"I will do it!" Anita agreed with no hesitation on her face. This made Lyner smile weakly.

"Thanks Anita... Take care of our kid..." Those were the last words Lyner spoke before he died.

...

Lyner who died was able to open his eyes, and there right in front of him were the comrades he lost long ago. All of them were sitting on a table drinking, they looked at Lyner and one of them spoke.

"Hey Lyner, been a long time, come join us and have a drink." Lyner's friend raised his mug as he said this.

Lyner hearing the voice of his friends smiled as he answered.

"Sure, let's drink while I tell a story, cause boy, do I have a lot of stories to tell you guys."

...

Years later Lyner's tale has been recorded in history books, as the people remember him as a great hero. He also became the the final goal of most mercenaries.. There was also the greatest fighting tournament that was made in his honor but that is a story for another time.