Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 85 (Part 2):
Helmut agreed. Sabbat, at that moment, saw Helmut smile for the first time.
It wasn’t a pleasant smile. When he saw the black pupils flashing between the twisted eye sockets and the lips curving beneath them, a sinister feeling overwhelmed him.
Sabbat could soon confirm the nature of that feeling.
The moment Alan signaled, Sabbat bent down to attack. No, he intended to.
However, before his eyes, there was a flash of light. When he regained his senses, he was lying on the ground, holding his head. He felt immense pain in his throat.
“Kuh!”
Sabbat groaned, clutching his neck. His voice didn’t come out as if his vocal cords were torn.
“Because I thought you might be a coward and run away, I let you keep your promise.”
Helmut spoke kindly, smiling. It was a chilling smile, enough to freeze the other guys who had been watching that side.
Sabbat gritted his teeth and got up. His eyes were bloodshot.
‘This commoner… What kind of trick did he pull off?’
He must have pulled off some trick. He wouldn’t fall for it again if he didn’t let his guard down.
Sabbat resolved his will. His determination was also directed towards Helmut.
The duel resumed immediately. No, it was a one-sided beating.
Sabbat had to admit that he had been forced to the ground by the first attack, not by chance.
Forcibly. It felt like something invisible was hitting him. He couldn’t react or even twitch.
‘This can’t be!’
Sharp raindrop-like attacks relentlessly pounded him one after another. Each hit caused pain as if it set him on fire.
It wasn’t a massively powerful blow, so Sabbat wasn’t even allowed to fall down.
He could either run away or crouch down and protect himself on the ground to get out of there.
If he kept striking, his bones would break and his flesh would be torn.
Helmut hoped Sabbat would suffer as much as possible, provided that he could withstand it.
The method was simple. It had to be an intensity that didn’t damage the muscles.
Sabbat’s movements were slow, like a worm. Helmut cut off localized areas in short, precise strikes, like driving arrows into a wooden log.
Thump! Thump! Thump! The sound of impact was weak.
It would take time for the condensed blows to reveal bruising.
But inside, where it tore and burst blood vessels, tremendous pain would surge.
Sabbat’s face, which had been staggering from the blows, contorted in agony.
“Ughhh!”
Sabbat opened his mouth, but from his convulsing lips, no proper groan emerged.
His enlarged pupils were the only response he could muster.
Despite his convulsions, he clung to his weapon desperately.
Helmut casually parried Sabbat’s frenzied attacks and asked, “I have one question. Do you always believe your lineage can protect you?”
It was a genuinely curious question. If Helmut had encountered Sabbat in some secluded place without witnesses, he would have disposed of him. No one would have stopped him.
“Oh, right. You can’t speak.”
‘This can’t go on. I, Sabbat Rugal, can’t be dominated like this…’
The confusion he felt surpassed the pain.
Foam dribbled from the corners of Sabbat’s mouth as he glared at Helmut with an incredulous look. Although his internal organs were likely unharmed, it seemed as if the blood vessels inside his throat had burst.
“Remember this. If this weren’t the academy, I would have killed you and buried you in the woods.”
A sinister aura emanated from Helmut’s cold eyes. He had executed that threat before.
Sabbat moved his lips, but his damaged vocal cords couldn’t utter the word “surrender.”
Skillfully avoiding only the hand holding the wooden sword, Helmut quietly continued to deal with Sabbat.
His senses were numb, and he couldn’t feel the pain.
Sabbat swung the wooden sword towards empty space. An irrational fear overcame him, knowing that it was the only means of resistance. He couldn’t even consider running away.
Bruises gradually surfaced on his skin, swollen and reddened.
Sabbat’s entire body turned a deep shade of red, and his appearance was hard to look at.
When sensation returned, Sabbat would experience excruciating pain as if his flesh was being torn apart.
The mercilessness of it drew everyone’s attention. Everyone watched the one-sided duel with pale faces.
“Kuhhh…”
Sabbat staggered while still standing. It was clear to anyone that he was in a dangerous state. At that moment, Alan, the instructor, shouted, “Helmut!”
Ignoring Alan’s call as if he hadn’t heard it, Helmut thrust the wooden sword forward.
Thunk! Sabbat was struck in the back, and he vomited blood as he staggered backward.
“Kwahhh!”
It was his first time hitting with such force. No, calling it “force” would be an understatement.
If he had truly exerted his full strength, Sabbat’s spine would have been pierced, and the wooden sword would have jutted out from his back.
Maybe it would be acceptable to break one of his arms or legs to finish it off. He seemed to be feeling a creeping fear. Helmut contemplated.
And in that moment of contemplation, Alan, the instructor, swiftly arrived.
“Helmut, stop! What on earth are you doing?”
His tone conveyed, “What’s the problem?” Helmut gazed casually at Alan. His expression didn’t suggest any guilt or awareness of wrongdoing.
“The purpose of the duel isn’t to beat an opponent to the point of incapacity.”
“Well, that’s true. But that guy still has his wits about him.”
And as long as he didn’t lose consciousness, he wasn’t incapacitated in Helmut’s book.
Alan realized it. This seemingly quiet guy had a temper just like Asuka. Another troublemaker in the making! It was a headache for an instructor.
The first sparring session was completely ruined. They couldn’t continue the class like this.
“Someone guide Sabbat to the infirmary. And both of you, come with me right now!”
Asuka, who had been sticking his tongue out and examining Sabbat’s battered body, quickly followed with a cheerful expression.
Feeling much better after venting his frustration, he approached Helmut and whispered, “You’re quite the hot-tempered one, too. You’re really well-prepared, aren’t you? I might have to learn a thing or two from you.”
Suddenly, a thunderous shout rang out.
“Stop chatting and come along!”
Asuka pouted but followed. Helmut clenched and unclenched his fist. It wasn’t exactly refreshing, but he felt somewhat better.
Behind them, the students of the Swordsmanship Department continued their chaotic conversation.
“Hey, seriously. Did that guy just turn Sabbat into that mess?”
“That guy’s no joke either, huh?”
“Is he stronger than Asuka?”