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Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue

2014-02-26T21:12:28Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=30}}

==Epilogue==

There was a lot of wandering.

The strong emotions that got carried along weren’t meant for the current Orba.

This was not the road he himself had expected to walk, but if he expected to obtain something after all this wandering, for someone who’d been forcefully manipulated this way, wasn’t it the means to take revenge with his own hands?

''I…''

Can’t you take up the sword for your own purposes if you didn’t hate someone? With those feelings in his heart, dressed in brass armour, he got down on his knees on top of the bright red carpet.

The imperial capital Solon - at the audience hall.

“You’ve decorated your first campaign with a brilliant victory, we are more pleased than anybody else, Gil.”

Courtiers sitting in a row to his left and right, the man sitting on the throne before him was the emperor of the Imperial Dynasty of Mephius, Guhl Mephius. His white hair and beard were both long and full of waves. Although he had deep wrinkles on his face, and deep eye sockets as if they were hollowed out, he was still fully shining with vitality.

“Gladly.”

“It seems you’ve used various ideas. But I’m truly pleased that Ryucown’s head has been severed by Mephian hands. This is more a victory than we expected.”

“This was all because of Duke Fedom’s wisdom. General Oubary has also been of great assistance during my first campaign. It was also thanks to the soldiers and retainers by your guidance, father. I merely borrowed their strength.”

“Oh?”

The expression on Guhl’s face was unusually calm as he nodded. It looked like His Majesty was definitely pleased, and the senior statesmen made eye contact with each other showing satisfied looks. Earlier, although it seemed like he showed a much more severe attitude towards his true son, all he wished for was his own child’s growth. There wasn’t a parent that didn’t love his child.

“As a result from our conference with Garbera, it’s decided we should once again put our attention your marriage with Princess Vileena. Until then, she is a special guest of ours. But we can understand passionate feelings, so keep your lovemaking to a low so there won’t cause any trouble.”

His smile showed he was making a joke.

Embarrassed, Gil bowed his head and said, “I will.” It invited the audience lined up in rows to have a laugh.

Princess Vileena had been given a private room in the inner palace. Together with her attendant Theresia, she could expect a well-established way of life for now. Moreover, when they decided upon a new date for the marriage, it was expected Garbera would no doubt return the captured territory of Apta in the form of a ‘gift’. The Kingdom of Garbera wouldn’t be able to face Mephius properly anymore if they didn’t.

For many different reasons, Prince Gil’s accomplishments were grand.

The atmosphere in the hall had been calm from the beginning to the end, but at the final moment Guhl spoke these words,

“Even Ende won’t be able to make a move so easily. However, if this happened in Garbera, it could’ve happened anywhere else. From now on, to keep the authority and strength within the Mephian Imperial Family, we will have to protect the peace within our country. Gil, you also bear this responsibility.”

He hadn’t forgotten to give the anti-imperial groups their fair warning.

"Onii-Chan." Ineli suddenly appeared in front of the departing Obra, and offered her congratulations. The princess lift her skirts in a bow, but Obra only responded perfunctorily, and quickly turned away. The beautiful girl frowned (?)

"You are so heartless. I have been counting the days until the day onii-chan comes home. Because I have been worried about your health, I couldn't even eat properly. Yet Onii-chan couldn't even reward me?"

"Ah," Obra's face squeezed out what look like a false smile.

"Can we stop for now? I will definitely accompany you next time. I am a bit exhausted today."

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| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Afterword|Afterword]]
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Rakuin no Monshou

2013-08-30T18:16:30Z

ArchmageXin: /* Volume 1: The Dragon Roars at the Star of Twilight */

[[File:Rakuin no Monshou v01 cover.jpg|thumb|300px|The cover art of volume 1]]
Rakuin no Monshou (烙印の紋章), "Emblem of the Branded", is a light novel series written by Tomonori Sugihara (杉原智則) and illustrated by 3. The series is published by ASCII Media Works under the Dengeki Bunko label and is completed with 12 volumes.

The Rakuin no Monshou series is also available in the following languages:
*[[Rakuin_no_Monshou_~Russian_Version~|Русский (Russian)]]

==Story Synopsis==
The countries of Mephius and Garbera have been waging a war for ten years and are trying to put an end to this long fight through a political marriage between the two royal families. Orba, who was driven from his home because of the war and was forced to become a gladiator, looks exactly like the crown prince of Mephius, and it has been decided he will be substituting him during the wedding ceremony. On the other hand, Vileena, the princess of Garbera, has secretly decided to ensnare the crown prince for her own country’s interests.

=== Other Information Sources ===

Warning: This may contain spoilers.
[http://www.baka-tsuki.org/blog/?p=373 BT Blog]

==Translation==

=== [[Rakuin no Monshou:Registration Page|Registration]] ===
Translators are asked to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Registration Page|register]] for chapters they want to work on.

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Rakuin no Monshou:Guidelines|Project-Specific Guidelines: Format, Names, and Terminology]]

=== Feedback ===
If you enjoyed the translation, why don't you tell us in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5101&p=173234#p173234 Feedback Thread]

== Updates ==
* Aug 21, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 5 completed
* Aug 17, 2013 - Volume 2 Chapter 1 completed
* Jun 28, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 4 completed
* Apr 24, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 3 completed
* Mar 14, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 2 completed
* Feb 12, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 1 completed
* Jan 24, 2013 - Volume 1 Prologue completed
* Jan 24, 2013 - Initiated as Teaser Project

==Rakuin no Monshou==

===Volume 1: The Dragon Roars at the Star of Twilight===
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Prologue|Prologue]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Iron and Blood]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Two Boys]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3: A New Mask]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4: At Seirin Valley]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Princess Vileena]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6: Battle of Zaim Fortress]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter7|Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom]] (60%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Epilogue|Epilogue]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]] (0%)

===Volume 2: The Dragon Advances on the Capital of Intrigue===
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Endless Battle]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Days at the Imperial Capital]] (69%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter7|Chapter 7]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Afterword|Afterword]]

===Volume 3===
===Volume 4===
===Volume 5===
===Volume 6===
===Volume 7===
===Short Story===
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:The Little Fugitive|The Little Fugitive]] (Part 1 done)

===Volume 8===
===Volume 9===
===Volume 10===
===Volume 11===
===Volume 12===

==Project Staff==
* Project Administrator:
* Project Supervisor: [[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

==== Translators ====
:*[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]
:*[[user:ArchmageXin|ArchmageXin]]
:*[[User:Detalz|Detalz]]

==== Editors ====

Editors are requested to seek permission from respective translators/ project supervisor before enrolling.

:*[[user:Tasear|Tasear]]
:*[[User:Kiydon|Kiydon]]
:*[[user:Shirofune|Shirofune]]
:*[[user:Detalz|Detalz]]

==Series Overview==
烙印の紋章たそがれの星に竜は吠える (10-05-2008, ISBN 978-4-04-867063-0) 
烙印の紋章II 陰謀の都を竜は駆ける (10-11-2008,ISBN 978-4-04-867347-1) 
烙印の紋章III 竜の翼に天は翳ろう (10-04-2009,ISBN 978-40-4-867767-7) 
烙印の紋章IV 竜よ、復讐の爪牙を振るえ (10-08-2009,ISBN 978-40-4-867942-8) 
烙印の紋章V そして竜は荒野に降り立つ (10-03-2010,ISBN 978-40-4-868398-2) 
烙印の紋章VI いにしえの宮に竜はめざめる (10-07-2010,ISBN 978-40-4-868653-2) 
烙印の紋章 VII　愚者たちの挽歌よ、竜に届け (10-12-2010,ISBN 978-4-04-870135-8) 
烙印の紋章 VIII　竜は獅子を喰らいて転生す (10-04-2011,ISBN 978-4-04-870424-3) 
烙印の紋章 IX 征野に竜の慟哭吹きすさぶ (10-09-2011,ISBN 978-4-04-870808-1) 
烙印の紋章 X 竜の雌伏を風は嘆いて (07-01-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886248-6) 
烙印の紋章 XI あかつきの空を竜は翔ける（上） (08-06-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886248-6) 
烙印の紋章 XII あかつきの空を竜は翔ける（下） (10-10-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886983-6) 

[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-08-30T18:16:07Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=60}}

== Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom ==
=== Part 1 ===
“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general at full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?"

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across from the two burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to do battle in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Syan could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, thus personally let his troops on the front line. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volleys after volleys of shots were fired.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was quickly spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, strafed past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the ship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers fought on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel forces, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches short-sword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward; with all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Orba's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There was no way to change the outcome then. Orba managed to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these areas he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this was his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this meant the vengeance his heart beat for would die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Mephian, I would have loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepared to dismember his foe....

"Stop!!"

Vileena's scream rang clearly within the Great Hall. Ryucown did not pay attention.

"Stop now!!"

Feeling the second scream carried the force of life and death, the rebel general glanced at her direction. Only to see the princess pointing her gun at his direction. The soldier behind her had a defeated look, so she must stole the gun from him. Ryucown couldn't help but smile.

"What are you going to do now? Open fire? On me?"

"No."

Princess Vileena shook her head.

Her face bloomed into a lovely smile. Everyone wandered what she is thinking, only to see her...

"I am going to shoot myself."

Pointing it toward her own solar plexus. Ryucown frowned, and the soldiers shook.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have the guts to tell your loyal troops those heart felt words you said earlier? As a heroic knight, to deliver a blow (against?) ones own belief. All your thoughts, do you wish to have them to bear it as well?"

Vibrant light returned to those pair of eyes that once held despair, even if she held a gun to her head.

Ryucown became silent. The princess is betting her life, which brought him this problem. As the 14 years old speculated, the rebel could not allow her to die in front of his troops. To return Garbera to its knightly ideals are the hope and dreams of every soldier there, but princess Vileena's noble blood formed the foundation of that claim. If they lost her as a symbol, his support will collapse. For someone like him, who is willing to do everything to change his country, in certain point of view, this is a innovative situation that can be taken advantage of, in other ways, her death could be the beginning to the end.

As Vileena and Ryucown began their silent battle, a certain defeated foe squatted aside,desperately trying to calm his breathe. But by no means Orba has accepted his end.

From the inside of his mask, stared at the blade that defeated his earlier attack.

"That is..."

Engraved on the blade were several unmistakable letters,

"O,R,B,A"

It is non other than his name. Orba's heart grew calmer by the second.

===Part 2===

"Princess."

"You highness, please put down the gun!"

The soldiers begged, while Princess Vileena's eyes met Ryucown's. Perhaps due to determination, there is no trace of emotion on her snow-white face.

"Princess, You really have a temperament meant for a military commander," Ryucown sighed, "if...If I decide to say what is in my mind in front of the crowd, what are you going to do? If we stick to the old ways, we would never reach the future (3). Even if the battle before us become a rout, the results will be the same. Don't you think it would be best for us to challenge our fate?"

"Then speak quickly. I am already prepared."

"You highness!"

"Don't come any closer!"

As she notice the soldiers were trying to get closer to her, Vileena backed away. But to everyone's amazement, her trigger finger did not waver. Although she is still surrounded.

"Please look, You highness."

Ryucown turned around and pointed toward the flame-filled window.

"Look at those mindless Melphian, Garberan armies with overwhelming numbers, and our courageous soldiers. What does this represent, you highness should understand. Ignoring the cowardly Melphians, the Garberan army have also fallen into confusion. Correct, for no other reason than its soldiers could not decide if they should follow me or not. They do not blindly follow the royal family, those who follow my path is the true way to protect this country, this is what the Garberan people have concluded."

Ryucown continued, and his troops did the same.

"Princess, please understand us."

"This is the battle that will decide Garberan dignity, please understand us."

Vileena brought her sight to meet theirs, no one had a drop of hostility, only compassion. She could never bear any enmity or hatred against them, for everyone in their hearts love Garbera, and love the flower of Garbera, the princess Vileena.

"I DON'T WANT TO!"

The princess cried again, but for what reason? She knotted her brows, full of tears, with the gun still pointing at her head, and screamed like a child throwing a tantrum,

"I DON'T WANT TO! I DON'T WANT TO I DON'T WANT TO!"

"Vileena-sama!"

"This is the Garbera grandfather loved, and father nurtured!" Tears fell freely from her eyes, "Why, Why do such..."

"Stop uttering idiocy.."

As if summoned by a voice from the abyss, Ryucown and the princess look toward ''that'' direction. Ryucown threw out a look from someone who totally forgot about Obra, and coolly added "don't move," while pointing his sword at the Gladiator. But...

"That Sword, Return it to me."

"Return it to you? What are you talking about? This is..."

"Six years ago."

Orba continued. For some reason, the rebel general hissed, completely swallowed his remaining words. His gaze met the Gladiator who is getting up from the ground, while listening to Orba's every word.

"....six years ago, you were not even a knight, but you were more knightly. But it is different now. To fulfill your ideals, you decided to raise your sword against your liege, and threaten her with death. Why are you gambling your life??? And deaf to the words of the very lord who is also gambling hers? Are you intoxicated?? Ryucown, you are not a knight anymore."

Ryucown was about to bring his blade up for a strike, and everyone's attention were focused on the princess, which gave Shique the chance to breakout his encirclement. At the same time,

"Take it!"

The Gladiator flung his sword as if he and Obra planned it together, and Obra caught it square on. Then he used the confusion to move behind the princess, snatched the gun in her hand, and pushed the weapon against her head.

"Princess!"

"You highness!"

"Don't move!"

As if he didn't hear Shique's words, Ryucown charged toward Orba with a piercing strike, then slashed the sword slave with his long sword.

"What are you standing still for?" Using this opening, the Rebel Knight roared. "We will not let a melphian harm her highness. Capture him!"

Shique sucked his tongue. The faces on those soldiers were intertwined with confusion and bloodlust while starting back at each other. If he want to act he have to do it now.If he wait until the enemy reach a decision, then it is back to a outnumbered desperate situation again.

If we have to act....to which direction?

"Gladiator-san."

"Ha?"

Shique was shocked, he is being ordered around by Princess/hostage.

"This way."

Whispering under her breathe, and moved her jaw toward a nearby parked Airship. Shique's mind instantly clicked,

"I understand, please excuse my roughness."

"I am used to it."

As soon as she replied, Shique coldly fired a shot in front them. Before its fearsome roar fade away, he grabbed on to the princess's thin shoulders and begin to run. Vileena leaped on to the Skyship's cockpit, while Shique sat in the passenger seat. She immediately gun the engines and the skyship begin to float away.

"I will bring enforcements! Wait for me!"

Shique called out. But at this instant, the princess hesitated. Within the great hall, there are still brave Melphian troops, and loyal followers of Garbera who want to restore it to their ideals. The princess could not just watch these people throwing away their lives.

"You highness!"

Ryucown's face paled, and headed straight for the Airship. He was only a step away before he was cut off by the flash of a steel blade. The rebel general spit at the ground, then turned to welcome Obra and his sword.

"GO!!"

Obra roared. Blocking the strike that would had sliced his head off, twice, three times, and followed by a barrage of strikes. Then he yelled out again,

"Vileena, MOVE!"

The princess stared at him as if she was struck by lightning, then the airship threw off its pursuers and flew into the night. Then it melded with the darkness and vanished.

"Since it come to this..."

Both men refused to back off, and Ryucown bared his teeth,

"I guess I might as well bury the princess along side with the Melphian army."

"What?!"

Orba swallowed a mouthful of air. He is almost completely exhausted. The source of strength is still flowing, it is his boiling black blood (3). He don't know what he should do, his could not achieve his goals, (4) only could watch what is his been taken away, again and again. During that time.

But, Orba has a sword. A tool to turn that boiling blood into reality.

"How could somebody like you---"

"I will never let someone like you go."

The two duelist shouted while their blades screamed. Although their views are different, but what is in their hearts are the same.

''(I will not let you stop me!)
''
(Orba) Blocked Ryucrown's blow, adjusted his own stance, then struck from both directions, but his attacks still were blocked.

''(Maybe all I need is just another burst of strength, it is the only choice left)''

If something is preventing him from succeeding, even if it is lofty principles, ideals, Gods or Dragon Gods--Orba will challenge it with a sword in hand.

But at this moment, the gladiator is falling into his old habits again. As soon as he perceived what is a opening, he would struck with overwhelming force. In this instant Ryucrown dodged the attack by spinning his body around, then used the inertia for a counterstrike---

As if it is six years ago, it is the same scene Orba saw...

DONG! (SFX: Steel on steel)

Showers of Sparks flew,

"Ugh"

the sound of a wail mingled freely with fresh blood.

Ryucrown's blade was bounced off Orba's. He was the one who fell for the trap. The rebel general was waiting for the opportunity to deliver a counterstrike, but his strike rebounded and he lost his balance. Orba's sword struck his chest, fatally.

Although he (Obra) still paid a price. The left side of his mask cracked open with a snap.

"amazing."

Ryucrown remarked as he collapsed, coughing blood with every breathe.

"Until a few moments ago, I can see can see a nation of knights... but I am now...is this the end? Tell me your name. I, Ryucown would not wish to be laid low by a nameless man."

"Orba."

Other than Ryucrown, no one could hear those words.

Uncertain if he (Ryucrown) heard that final word, Ryucwrown did not utter another word, then closed his eyes. Orba could only silently stare at him.

=== References and Translation Notes ===
<references/>

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) I have no idea what this is about.

(4) Chinese translator's saying is difficult to understand, is either he achieved his goals...or he couldn't.

如果非要被古老的体制所束缚，以至于无法实现理想的话--This seem to say "If we are bound by our old ways, we would never achieve our dreams" ?

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-08-30T18:15:50Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=50}}

== Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom ==
=== Part 1 ===
“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general at full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?"

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across from the two burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to do battle in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Syan could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, thus personally let his troops on the front line. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volleys after volleys of shots were fired.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was quickly spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, strafed past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the ship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers fought on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel forces, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches short-sword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward; with all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Orba's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There was no way to change the outcome then. Orba managed to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these areas he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this was his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this meant the vengeance his heart beat for would die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Mephian, I would have loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepared to dismember his foe....

"Stop!!"

Vileena's scream rang clearly within the Great Hall. Ryucown did not pay attention.

"Stop now!!"

Feeling the second scream carried the force of life and death, the rebel general glanced at her direction. Only to see the princess pointing her gun at his direction. The soldier behind her had a defeated look, so she must stole the gun from him. Ryucown couldn't help but smile.

"What are you going to do now? Open fire? On me?"

"No."

Princess Vileena shook her head.

Her face bloomed into a lovely smile. Everyone wandered what she is thinking, only to see her...

"I am going to shoot myself."

Pointing it toward her own solar plexus. Ryucown frowned, and the soldiers shook.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have the guts to tell your loyal troops those heart felt words you said earlier? As a heroic knight, to deliver a blow (against?) ones own belief. All your thoughts, do you wish to have them to bear it as well?"

Vibrant light returned to those pair of eyes that once held despair, even if she held a gun to her head.

Ryucown became silent. The princess is betting her life, which brought him this problem. As the 14 years old speculated, the rebel could not allow her to die in front of his troops. To return Garbera to its knightly ideals are the hope and dreams of every soldier there, but princess Vileena's noble blood formed the foundation of that claim. If they lost her as a symbol, his support will collapse. For someone like him, who is willing to do everything to change his country, in certain point of view, this is a innovative situation that can be taken advantage of, in other ways, her death could be the beginning to the end.

As Vileena and Ryucown began their silent battle, a certain defeated foe squatted aside,desperately trying to calm his breathe. But by no means Orba has accepted his end.

From the inside of his mask, stared at the blade that defeated his earlier attack.

"That is..."

Engraved on the blade were several unmistakable letters,

"O,R,B,A"

It is non other than his name. Orba's heart grew calmer by the second.

===Part 2===

"Princess."

"You highness, please put down the gun!"

The soldiers begged, while Princess Vileena's eyes met Ryucown's. Perhaps due to determination, there is no trace of emotion on her snow-white face.

"Princess, You really have a temperament meant for a military commander," Ryucown sighed, "if...If I decide to say what is in my mind in front of the crowd, what are you going to do? If we stick to the old ways, we would never reach the future (3). Even if the battle before us become a rout, the results will be the same. Don't you think it would be best for us to challenge our fate?"

"Then speak quickly. I am already prepared."

"You highness!"

"Don't come any closer!"

As she notice the soldiers were trying to get closer to her, Vileena backed away. But to everyone's amazement, her trigger finger did not waver. Although she is still surrounded.

"Please look, You highness."

Ryucown turned around and pointed toward the flame-filled window.

"Look at those mindless Melphian, Garberan armies with overwhelming numbers, and our courageous soldiers. What does this represent, you highness should understand. Ignoring the cowardly Melphians, the Garberan army have also fallen into confusion. Correct, for no other reason than its soldiers could not decide if they should follow me or not. They do not blindly follow the royal family, those who follow my path is the true way to protect this country, this is what the Garberan people have concluded."

Ryucown continued, and his troops did the same.

"Princess, please understand us."

"This is the battle that will decide Garberan dignity, please understand us."

Vileena brought her sight to meet theirs, no one had a drop of hostility, only compassion. She could never bear any enmity or hatred against them, for everyone in their hearts love Garbera, and love the flower of Garbera, the princess Vileena.

"I DON'T WANT TO!"

The princess cried again, but for what reason? She knotted her brows, full of tears, with the gun still pointing at her head, and screamed like a child throwing a tantrum,

"I DON'T WANT TO! I DON'T WANT TO I DON'T WANT TO!"

"Vileena-sama!"

"This is the Garbera grandfather loved, and father nurtured!" Tears fell freely from her eyes, "Why, Why do such..."

"Stop uttering idiocy.."

As if summoned by a voice from the abyss, Ryucown and the princess look toward ''that'' direction. Ryucown threw out a look from someone who totally forgot about Obra, and coolly added "don't move," while pointing his sword at the Gladiator. But...

"That Sword, Return it to me."

"Return it to you? What are you talking about? This is..."

"Six years ago."

Orba continued. For some reason, the rebel general hissed, completely swallowed his remaining words. His gaze met the Gladiator who is getting up from the ground, while listening to Orba's every word.

"....six years ago, you were not even a knight, but you were more knightly. But it is different now. To fulfill your ideals, you decided to raise your sword against your liege, and threaten her with death. Why are you gambling your life??? And deaf to the words of the very lord who is also gambling hers? Are you intoxicated?? Ryucown, you are not a knight anymore."

Ryucown was about to bring his blade up for a strike, and everyone's attention were focused on the princess, which gave Shique the chance to breakout his encirclement. At the same time,

"Take it!"

The Gladiator flung his sword as if he and Obra planned it together, and Obra caught it square on. Then he used the confusion to move behind the princess, snatched the gun in her hand, and pushed the weapon against her head.

"Princess!"

"You highness!"

"Don't move!"

As if he didn't hear Shique's words, Ryucown charged toward Orba with a piercing strike, then slashed the sword slave with his long sword.

"What are you standing still for?" Using this opening, the Rebel Knight roared. "We will not let a melphian harm her highness. Capture him!"

Shique sucked his tongue. The faces on those soldiers were intertwined with confusion and bloodlust while starting back at each other. If he want to act he have to do it now.If he wait until the enemy reach a decision, then it is back to a outnumbered desperate situation again.

If we have to act....to which direction?

"Gladiator-san."

"Ha?"

Shique was shocked, he is being ordered around by Princess/hostage.

"This way."

Whispering under her breathe, and moved her jaw toward a nearby parked Airship. Shique's mind instantly clicked,

"I understand, please excuse my roughness."

"I am used to it."

As soon as she replied, Shique coldly fired a shot in front them. Before its fearsome roar fade away, he grabbed on to the princess's thin shoulders and begin to run. Vileena leaped on to the Skyship's cockpit, while Shique sat in the passenger seat. She immediately gun the engines and the skyship begin to float away.

"I will bring enforcements! Wait for me!"

Shique called out. But at this instant, the princess hesitated. Within the great hall, there are still brave Melphian troops, and loyal followers of Garbera who want to restore it to their ideals. The princess could not just watch these people throwing away their lives.

"You highness!"

Ryucown's face paled, and headed straight for the Airship. He was only a step away before he was cut off by the flash of a steel blade. The rebel general spit at the ground, then turned to welcome Obra and his sword.

"GO!!"

Obra roared. Blocking the strike that would had sliced his head off, twice, three times, and followed by a barrage of strikes. Then he yelled out again,

"Vileena, MOVE!"

The princess stared at him as if she was struck by lightning, then the airship threw off its pursuers and flew into the night. Then it melded with the darkness and vanished.

"Since it come to this..."

Both men refused to back off, and Ryucown bared his teeth,

"I guess I might as well bury the princess along side with the Melphian army."

"What?!"

Orba swallowed a mouthful of air. He is almost completely exhausted. The source of strength is still flowing, it is his boiling black blood (3). He don't know what he should do, his could not achieve his goals, (4) only could watch what is his been taken away, again and again. During that time.

But, Orba has a sword. A tool to turn that boiling blood into reality.

"How could somebody like you---"

"I will never let someone like you go."

The two duelist shouted while their blades screamed. Although their views are different, but what is in their hearts are the same.

''(I will not let you stop me!)
''
(Orba) Blocked Ryucrown's blow, adjusted his own stance, then struck from both directions, but his attacks still were blocked.

''(Maybe all I need is just another burst of strength, it is the only choice left)''

If something is preventing him from succeeding, even if it is lofty principles, ideals, Gods or Dragon Gods--Orba will challenge it with a sword in hand.

But at this moment, the gladiator is falling into his old habits again. As soon as he perceived what is a opening, he would struck with overwhelming force. In this instant Ryucrown dodged the attack by spinning his body around, then used the inertia for a counterstrike---

As if it is six years ago, it is the same scene Orba saw...

DONG! (SFX: Steel on steel)

Showers of Sparks flew,

"Ugh"

the sound of a wail mingled freely with fresh blood.

Ryucrown's blade was bounced off Orba's. He was the one who fell for the trap. The rebel general was waiting for the opportunity to deliver a counterstrike, but his strike rebounded and he lost his balance. Orba's sword struck his chest, fatally.

Although he (Obra) still paid a price. The left side of his mask cracked open with a snap.

"amazing."

Ryucrown remarked as he collapsed, coughing blood with every breathe.

"Until a few moments ago, I can see can see a nation of knights... but I am now...is this the end? Tell me your name. I, Ryucown would not wish to be laid low by a nameless man."

"Orba."

Other than Ryucrown, no one could hear those words.

Uncertain if he (Ryucrown) heard that final word, Ryucwrown did not utter another word, then closed his eyes. Orba could only silently stare at him.

=== References and Translation Notes ===
<references/>

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) I have no idea what this is about.

(4) Chinese translator's saying is difficult to understand, is either he achieved his goals...or he couldn't.

如果非要被古老的体制所束缚，以至于无法实现理想的话--This seem to say "If we are bound by our old ways, we would never achieve our dreams" ?

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-08-30T17:46:52Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=50}}

== Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom ==
=== Part 1 ===
“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general at full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?"

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across from the two burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to do battle in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Syan could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, thus personally let his troops on the front line. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volleys after volleys of shots were fired.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was quickly spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, strafed past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the ship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers fought on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel forces, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches short-sword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward; with all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Orba's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There was no way to change the outcome then. Orba managed to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these areas he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this was his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this meant the vengeance his heart beat for would die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Mephian, I would have loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepared to dismember his foe....

"Stop!!"

Vileena's scream rang clearly within the Great Hall. Ryucown did not pay attention.

"Stop now!!"

Feeling the second scream carried the force of life and death, the rebel general glanced at her direction. Only to see the princess pointing her gun at his direction. The soldier behind her had a defeated look, so she must stole the gun from him. Ryucown couldn't help but smile.

"What are you going to do now? Open fire? On me?"

"No."

Princess Vileena shook her head.

Her face bloomed into a lovely smile. Everyone wandered what she is thinking, only to see her...

"I am going to shoot myself."

Pointing it toward her own solar plexus. Ryucown frowned, and the soldiers shook.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have the guts to tell your loyal troops those heart felt words you said earlier? As a heroic knight, to deliver a blow (against?) ones own belief. All your thoughts, do you wish to have them to bear it as well?"

Vibrant light returned to those pair of eyes that once held despair, even if she held a gun to her head.

Ryucown became silent. The princess is betting her life, which brought him this problem. As the 14 years old speculated, the rebel could not allow her to die in front of his troops. To return Garbera to its knightly ideals are the hope and dreams of every soldier there, but princess Vileena's noble blood formed the foundation of that claim. If they lost her as a symbol, his support will collapse. For someone like him, who is willing to do everything to change his country, in certain point of view, this is a innovative situation that can be taken advantage of, in other ways, her death could be the beginning to the end.

As Vileena and Ryucown began their silent battle, a certain defeated foe squatted aside,desperately trying to calm his breathe. But by no means Orba has accepted his end.

From the inside of his mask, stared at the blade that defeated his earlier attack.

"That is..."

Engraved on the blade were several unmistakable letters,

"O,R,B,A"

It is non other than his name. Orba's heart grew calmer by the second.

===Part 2===

"Princess."

"You highness, please put down the gun!"

The soldiers begged, while Princess Vileena's eyes met Ryucown's. Perhaps due to determination, there is no trace of emotion on her snow-white face.

"Princess, You really have a temperament meant for a military commander," Ryucown sighed, "if...If I decide to say what is in my mind in front of the crowd, what are you going to do? If we stick to the old ways, we would never reach the future (3). Even if the battle before us become a rout, the results will be the same. Don't you think it would be best for us to challenge our fate?"

"Then speak quickly. I am already prepared."

"You highness!"

"Don't come any closer!"

As she notice the soldiers were trying to get closer to her, Vileena backed away. But to everyone's amazement, her trigger finger did not waver. Although she is still surrounded.

"Please look, You highness."

Ryucown turned around and pointed toward the flame-filled window.

"Look at those mindless Melphian, Garberan armies with overwhelming numbers, and our courageous soldiers. What does this represent, you highness should understand. Ignoring the cowardly Melphians, the Garberan army have also fallen into confusion. Correct, for no other reason than its soldiers could not decide if they should follow me or not. They do not blindly follow the royal family, those who follow my path is the true way to protect this country, this is what the Garberan people have concluded."

Ryucown continued, and his troops did the same.

"Princess, please understand us."

"This is the battle that will decide Garberan dignity, please understand us."

Vileena brought her sight to meet theirs, no one had a drop of hostility, only compassion. She could never bear any enmity or hatred against them, for everyone in their hearts love Garbera, and love the flower of Garbera, the princess Vileena.

"I DON'T WANT TO!"

The princess cried again, but for what reason? She knotted her brows, full of tears, with the gun still pointing at her head, and screamed like a child throwing a tantrum,

"I DON'T WANT TO! I DON'T WANT TO I DON'T WANT TO!"

"Vileena-sama!"

"This is the Garbera grandfather loved, and father nurtured!" Tears fell freely from her eyes, "Why, Why do such..."

"Stop uttering idiocy.."

As if summoned by a voice from the abyss, Ryucown and the princess look toward ''that'' direction. Ryucown threw out a look from someone who totally forgot about Obra, and coolly added "don't move," while pointing his sword at the Gladiator. But...

"That Sword, Return it to me."

"Return it to you? What are you talking about? This is..."

"Six years ago."

Orba continued. For some reason, the rebel general hissed, completely swallowed his remaining words. His gaze met the Gladiator who is getting up from the ground, while listening to Orba's every word.

"....six years ago, you were not even a knight, but you were more knightly. But it is different now. To fulfill your ideals, you decided to raise your sword against your liege, and threaten her with death. Why are you gambling your life??? And deaf to the words of the very lord who is also gambling hers? Are you intoxicated?? Ryucown, you are not a knight anymore."

Ryucown was about to bring his blade up for a strike, and everyone's attention were focused on the princess, which gave Shique the chance to breakout his encirclement. At the same time,

"Take it!"

The Gladiator flung his sword as if he and Obra planned it together, and Obra caught it square on. Then he used the confusion to move behind the princess, snatched the gun in her hand, and pushed the weapon against her head.

"Princess!"

"You highness!"

"Don't move!"

As if he didn't hear Shique's words, Ryucown charged toward Orba with a piercing strike, then slashed the sword slave with his long sword.

"What are you standing still for?" Using this opening, the Rebel Knight roared. "We will not let a melphian harm her highness. Capture him!"

Shique sucked his tongue. The faces on those soldiers were intertwined with confusion and bloodlust while starting back at each other. If he want to act he have to do it now.If he wait until the enemy reach a decision, then it is back to a outnumbered desperate situation again.

If we have to act....to which direction?

"Gladiator-san."

"Ha?"

Shique was shocked, he is being ordered around by Princess/hostage.

"This way."

Whispering under her breathe, and moved her jaw toward a nearby parked Airship. Shique's mind instantly clicked,

"I understand, please excuse my roughness."

"I am used to it."

As soon as she replied, Shique coldly fired a shot in front them. Before its fearsome roar fade away, he grabbed on to the princess's thin shoulders and begin to run. Vileena leaped on to the Skyship's cockpit, while Shique sat in the passenger seat. She immediately gun the engines and the skyship begin to float away.

"I will bring enforcements! Wait for me!"

Shique called out. But at this instant, the princess hesitated. Within the great hall, there are still brave Melphian troops, and loyal followers of Garbera who want to restore it to their ideals. The princess could not just watch these people throwing away their lives.

"You highness!"

Ryucown's face paled, and headed straight for the Airship. He was only a step away before he was cut off by the flash of a steel blade. The rebel general spit at the ground, then turned to welcome Obra and his sword.

"GO!!"

Obra roared. Blocking the strike that would had sliced his head off, twice, three times, and followed by a barrage of strikes. Then he yelled out again,

"Vileena, MOVE!"

The princess stared at him as if she was struck by lightning, then the airship threw off its pursuers and flew into the night. Then it melded with the darkness and vanished.

"Since it come to this..."

Both men refused to back off, and Ryucown bared his teeth,

"I guess I might as well bury the princess along side with the Melphian army."

"What?!"

Orba swallowed a mouthful of air. He is almost completely exhausted. The source of strength is still flowing, it is his boiling black blood (3). He don't know what he should do, his could not achieve his goals, (4) only could watch what is his been taken away, again and again. During that time.

But, Orba has a sword. A tool to turn that boiling blood into reality.

"How could somebody like you---"

"I will never let someone like you go."

The two duelist shouted while their blades screamed. Although their views are different, but what is in their hearts are the same.

''(I will not let you stop me!)
''
(Orba) Blocked Ryucrown's blow, adjusted his own stance, then struck from both directions, but his attacks still were blocked.

''(Maybe all I need is just another burst of strength, it is the only choice left)''

If something is preventing him from succeeding, even if it is lofty principles, ideals, Gods or Dragon Gods--Orba will challenge it with a sword in hand.

But at this moment, the gladiator is falling into his old habits again. As soon as he perceived what is a opening, he would struck with overwhelming force. In this instant Ryucrown dodged the attack by spinning his body around, then used the inertia for a counterstrike---

As if it is six years ago, it is the same scene Orba saw...

DONG! (SFX: Steel on steel)

Showers of Sparks flew,

"Ugh"

the sound of a wail mingled freely with fresh blood.

Ryucrown's blade was bounced off Orba's. He was the one who fell for the trap.

=== References and Translation Notes ===
<references/>

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) I have no idea what this is about.

(4) Chinese translator's saying is difficult to understand, is either he achieved his goals...or he couldn't.

如果非要被古老的体制所束缚，以至于无法实现理想的话--This seem to say "If we are bound by our old ways, we would never achieve our dreams" ?

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
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</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-08-29T20:29:52Z

ArchmageXin: /* Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom */

{{Incomplete|percentage=50}}

== Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom ==
=== Part 1 ===
“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general at full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?"

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across from the two burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to do battle in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Syan could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, thus personally let his troops on the front line. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volleys after volleys of shots were fired.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was quickly spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, strafed past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the ship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers fought on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel forces, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches short-sword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward; with all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Orba's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There was no way to change the outcome then. Orba managed to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these areas he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this was his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this meant the vengeance his heart beat for would die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Mephian, I would have loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepared to dismember his foe....

"Stop!!"

Vileena's scream rang clearly within the Great Hall. Ryucown did not pay attention.

"Stop now!!"

Feeling the second scream carried the force of life and death, the rebel general glanced at her direction. Only to see the princess pointing her gun at his direction. The soldier behind her had a defeated look, so she must stole the gun from him. Ryucown couldn't help but smile.

"What are you going to do now? Open fire? On me?"

"No."

Princess Vileena shook her head.

Her face bloomed into a lovely smile. Everyone wandered what she is thinking, only to see her...

"I am going to shoot myself."

Pointing it toward her own solar plexus. Ryucown frowned, and the soldiers shook.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have the guts to tell your loyal troops those heart felt words you said earlier? As a heroic knight, to deliver a blow (against?) ones own belief. All your thoughts, do you wish to have them to bear it as well?"

Vibrant light returned to those pair of eyes that once held despair, even if she held a gun to her head.

Ryucown became silent. The princess is betting her life, which brought him this problem. As the 14 years old speculated, the rebel could not allow her to die in front of his troops. To return Garbera to its knightly ideals are the hope and dreams of every soldier there, but princess Vileena's noble blood formed the foundation of that claim. If they lost her as a symbol, his support will collapse. For someone like him, who is willing to do everything to change his country, in certain point of view, this is a innovative situation that can be taken advantage of, in other ways, her death could be the beginning to the end.

As Vileena and Ryucown began their silent battle, a certain defeated foe squatted aside,desperately trying to calm his breathe. But by no means Orba has accepted his end.

From the inside of his mask, stared at the blade that defeated his earlier attack.

"That is..."

Engraved on the blade were several unmistakable letters,

"O,R,B,A"

It is non other than his name. Orba's heart grew calmer by the second.

===Part 2===

"Princess."

"You highness, please put down the gun!"

The soldiers begged, while Princess Vileena's eyes met Ryucown's. Perhaps due to determination, there is no trace of emotion on her snow-white face.

"Princess, You really have a temperament meant for a military commander," Ryucown sighed, "if...If I decide to say what is in my mind in front of the crowd, what are you going to do? If we stick to the old ways, we would never reach the future (3). Even if the battle before us become a rout, the results will be the same. Don't you think it would be best for us to challenge our fate?"

"Then speak quickly. I am already prepared."

"You highness!"

"Don't come any closer!"

As she notice the soldiers were trying to get closer to her, Vileena backed away. But to everyone's amazement, her trigger finger did not waver. Although she is still surrounded.

"Please look, You highness."

Ryucown turned around and pointed toward the flame-filled window.

"Look at those mindless Melphian, Garberan armies with overwhelming numbers, and our courageous soldiers. What does this represent, you highness should understand. Ignoring the cowardly Melphians, the Garberan army have also fallen into confusion. Correct, for no other reason than its soldiers could not decide if they should follow me or not. They do not blindly follow the royal family, those who follow my path is the true way to protect this country, this is what the Garberan people have concluded."

Ryucown continued, and his troops did the same.

"Princess, please understand us."

"This is the battle that will decide Garberan dignity, please understand us."

Vileena brought her sight to meet theirs, no one had a drop of hostility, only compassion. She could never bear any enmity or hatred against them, for everyone in their hearts love Garbera, and love the flower of Garbera, the princess Vileena.

"I DON'T WANT TO!"

The princess cried again, but for what reason? She knotted her brows, full of tears, with the gun still pointing at her head, and screamed like a child throwing a tantrum,

"I DON'T WANT TO! I DON'T WANT TO I DON'T WANT TO!"

"Vileena-sama!"

"This is the Garbera grandfather loved, and father nurtured!" Tears fell freely from her eyes, "Why, Why do such..."

"Stop uttering idiocy.."

As if summoned by a voice from the abyss, Ryucown and the princess look toward ''that'' direction. Ryucown threw out a look from someone who totally forgot about Obra, and coolly added "don't move," while pointing his sword at the Gladiator. But...

"That Sword, Return it to me."

"Return it to you? What are you talking about? This is..."

"Six years ago."

Orba continued. For some reason, the rebel general hissed, completely swallowed his remaining words. His gaze met the Gladiator who is getting up from the ground, while listening to Orba's every word.

"....six years ago, you were not even a knight, but you were more knightly. But it is different now. To fulfill your ideals, you decided to raise your sword against your liege, and threaten her with death. Why are you gambling your life??? And deaf to the words of the very lord who is also gambling hers? Are you intoxicated?? Ryucown, you are not a knight anymore."

Ryucown was about to bring his blade up for a strike, and everyone's attention were focused on the princess, which gave Shique the chance to breakout his encirclement. At the same time,

"Take it!"

The Gladiator flung his sword as if he and Obra planned it together, and Obra caught it square on. Then he used the confusion to move behind the princess, snatched the gun in her hand, and pushed the weapon against her head.

"Princess!"

"You highness!"

"Don't move!"

As if he didn't hear Shique's words, Ryucown charged toward Orba with a piercing strike, then slashed the sword slave with his long sword.

"What are you standing still for?" Using this opening, the Rebel Knight roared. "We will not let a melphian harm her highness. Capture him!"

Shique sucked his tongue. The faces on those soldiers were intertwined with confusion and bloodlust while starting back at each other. If he want to act he have to do it now.If he wait until the enemy reach a decision, then it is back to a outnumbered desperate situation again.

If we have to act....to which direction?

"Gladiator-san."

"Ha?"

Shique was shocked, he is being ordered around by Princess/hostage.

"This way."

Whispering under her breathe, and moved her jaw toward a nearby parked Airship. Shique's mind instantly clicked,

"I understand, please excuse my roughness."

"I am used to it."

As soon as she replied, Shique coldly fired a shot in front them. Before its fearsome roar fade away, he grabbed on to the princess's thin shoulders and begin to run. Vileena leaped on to the Skyship's cockpit, while Shique sat in the passenger seat. She immediately gun the engines and the skyship begin to float away.

"I will bring enforcements! Wait for me!"

Shique called out. But at this instant, the princess hesitated. Within the great hall, there are still brave Melphian troops, and loyal followers of Garbera who want to restore it to their ideals. The princess could not just watch these people throwing away their lives.

"You highness!"

Ryucown's face paled, and headed straight for the Airship. He was only a step away before he was cut off by the flash of a steel blade. The rebel general spit at the ground, then turned to welcome Obra and his sword.

"GO!!"

Obra roared. Blocking the strike that would had sliced his head off, twice, three times, and followed by a barrage of strikes. Then he yelled out again,

"Vileena, MOVE!"

The princess stared at him as if she was struck by lightning, then the airship threw off its pursuers and flew into the night. Then it melded with the darkness and vanished.

"Since it come to this..."

Both men refused to back off, and Ryucown bared his teeth,

"I guess I might as well bury the princess along side with the Melphian army."

"What?!"

Orba swallowed a mouthful of air. He is almost completely exhausted. The south of strength that is still flowing, it is his boiling black blood (3). He don't know what he should do, his could not achieve his goals, (4) only could watch what is his been taken away, again and again. During that time.

But, Orba has a sword. A tool to turn that boiling blood into reality.

"How could somebody like you---"

"I will never let someone like you go."

The two duelist shouted while their blades screamed. Although their views are different, but what is in their hearts are the same.

(I will not let you stop me!)

Blocking Ryucrown's blow, adjusting his own stance, striking from both directions, but his attacks still was blocked.

=== References and Translation Notes ===
<references/>

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) I have no idea what this is about.

(4) Chinese translator's saying is difficult to understand, is either he achieved his goals...or he couldn't.

如果非要被古老的体制所束缚，以至于无法实现理想的话--This seem to say "If we are bound by our old ways, we would never achieve our dreams" ?

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-08-25T19:07:31Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=50}}

== Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom ==
=== Part 1 ===
“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general at full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?"

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across from the two burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to do battle in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Syan could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, thus personally let his troops on the front line. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volleys after volleys of shots were fired.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was quickly spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, strafed past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the ship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers fought on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel forces, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches short-sword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward; with all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Orba's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There was no way to change the outcome then. Orba managed to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these areas he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this was his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this meant the vengeance his heart beat for would die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Mephian, I would have loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepared to dismember his foe....

"Stop!!"

Vileena's scream rang clearly within the Great Hall. Ryucown did not pay attention.

"Stop now!!"

Feeling the second scream carried the force of life and death, the rebel general glanced at her direction. Only to see the princess pointing her gun at his direction. The soldier behind her had a defeated look, so she must stole the gun from him. Ryucown couldn't help but smile.

"What are you going to do now? Open fire? On me?"

"No."

Princess Vileena shook her head.

Her face bloomed into a lovely smile. Everyone wandered what she is thinking, only to see her...

"I am going to shoot myself."

Pointing it toward her own solar plexus. Ryucown frowned, and the soldiers shook.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have the guts to tell your loyal troops those heart felt words you said earlier? As a heroic knight, to deliver a blow (against?) ones own belief. All your thoughts, do you wish to have them to bear it as well?"

Vibrant light returned to those pair of eyes that once held despair, even if she held a gun to her head.

Ryucown became silent. The princess is betting her life, which brought him this problem. As the 14 years old speculated, the rebel could not allow her to die in front of his troops. To return Garbera to its knightly ideals are the hope and dreams of every soldier there, but princess Vileena's noble blood formed the foundation of that claim. If they lost her as a symbol, his support will collapse. For someone like him, who is willing to do everything to change his country, in certain point of view, this is a innovative situation that can be taken advantage of, in other ways, her death could be the beginning to the end.

As Vileena and Ryucown began their silent battle, a certain defeated foe squatted aside,desperately trying to calm his breathe. But by no means Orba has accepted his end.

From the inside of his mask, stared at the blade that defeated his earlier attack.

"That is..."

Engraved on the blade were several unmistakable letters,

"O,R,B,A"

It is non other than his name. Orba's heart grew calmer by the second.

===Part 2===

"Princess."

"You highness, please put down the gun!"

The soldiers begged, while Princess Vileena's eyes met Ryucown's. Perhaps due to determination, there is no trace of emotion on her snow-white face.

"Princess, You really have a temperament meant for a military commander," Ryucown sighed, "if...If I decide to say what is in my mind in front of the crowd, what are you going to do? If we stick to the old ways, we would never reach the future (3). Even if the battle before us become a rout, the results will be the same. Don't you think it would be best for us to challenge our fate?"

"Then speak quickly. I am already prepared."

"You highness!"

"Don't come any closer!"

As she notice the soldiers were trying to get closer to her, Vileena backed away. But to everyone's amazement, her trigger finger did not waver. Although she is still surrounded.

"Please look, You highness."

Ryucown turned around and pointed toward the flame-filled window.

"Look at those mindless Melphian, Garberan armies with overwhelming numbers, and our courageous soldiers. What does this represent, you highness should understand. Ignoring the cowardly Melphians, the Garberan army have also fallen into confusion. Correct, for no other reason than its soldiers could not decide if they should follow me or not. They do not blindly follow the royal family, those who follow my path is the true way to protect this country, this is what the Garberan people have concluded."

Ryucown continued, and his troops did the same.

"Princess, please understand us."

"This is the battle that will decide Garberan dignity, please understand us."

Vileena brought her sight to meet theirs, no one had a drop of hostility, only compassion. She could never bear any enmity or hatred against them, for everyone in their hearts love Garbera, and love the flower of Garbera, the princess Vileena.

"I DON'T WANT TO!"

The princess cried again, but for what reason? She knotted her brows, full of tears, with the gun still pointing at her head, and screamed like a child throwing a tantrum,

"I DON'T WANT TO! I DON'T WANT TO I DON'T WANT TO!"

"Vileena-sama!"

"This is the Garbera grandfather loved, and father nurtured!" Tears fell freely from her eyes, "Why, Why do such..."

"Stop uttering idiocy.."

As if summoned by a voice from the abyss, Ryucown and the princess look toward ''that'' direction. Ryucown threw out a look from someone who totally forgot about Obra, and coolly added "don't move," while pointing his sword at the Gladiator. But...

"That Sword, Return it to me."

"Return it to you? What are you talking about? This is..."

"Six years ago."

Orba continued. For some reason, the rebel general hissed, completely swallowed his remaining words. His gaze met the Gladiator who is getting up from the ground, while listening to Orba's every word.

"....six years ago, you were not even a knight, but you were more knightly. But it is different now. To fulfill your ideals, you decided to raise your sword against your liege, and threaten her with death. Why are you gambling your life??? And deaf to the words of the very lord who is also gambling hers? Are you intoxicated?? Ryucown, you are not a knight anymore."

Ryucown was about to bring his blade up for a strike, and everyone's attention were focused on the princess, which gave Shique the chance to breakout his encirclement. At the same time,

"Take it!"

The Gladiator flung his sword as if he and Obra planned it together, and Obra caught it square on. Then he used the confusion to move behind the princess, snatched the gun in her hand, and pushed the weapon against her head.

"Princess!"

"You highness!"

"Don't move!"

As if he didn't hear Shique's words, Ryucown charged toward Orba with a piercing strike, then slashed the sword slave with his long sword.

"What are you standing still for?" Using this opening, the Rebel Knight roared. "We will not let a melphian harm her highness. Capture him!"

Shique sucked his tongue. The faces on those soldiers were intertwined with confusion and bloodlust while starting back at each other. If he want to act he have to do it now.If he wait until the enemy reach a decision, then it is back to a outnumbered desperate situation again.

If we have to act....to which direction?

"Gladiator-san."

"Ha?"

Shique was shocked, he is being ordered around by Princess/hostage.

"This way."

Whispering under her breathe, and moved her jaw toward a nearby parked Airship. Shique's mind instantly clicked,

"I understand, please excuse my roughness."

"I am used to it."

As soon as she replied, Shique coldly fired a shot in front them. Before its fearsome roar fade away, he grabbed on to the princess's thin shoulders and begin to run. Vileena leaped on to the Skyship's cockpit, while Shique sat in the passenger seat. She immediately gun the engines and the skyship begin to float away.

"I will bring enforcements! Wait for me!"

Shique called out. But at this instant, the princess hesitated. Within the great hall, there are still brave Melphian troops, and loyal followers of Garbera who want to restore it to their ideals. The princess could not just watch these people throwing away their lives.

"You highness!"

Ryucown's face paled, and headed straight for the Airship. He was only a step away before he was cut off by the flash of a steel blade. The rebel general spit at the ground, then turned to welcome Obra and his sword.

"GO!!"

Obra roared. Blocking the strike that would had sliced his head off, twice, three times, and followed by a barrage of strikes. Then he yelled out again,

"Vileena, MOVE!"

The princess stared at him as if she was struck by lightning, then the airship threw off its pursuers and flew into the night. Then it melded with the darkness and vanished.

"Since it come to this..."

Both men refused to back off, and Ryucown bared his teeth,

"I guess I might as well bury the princess along side with the Melphian army."

"What?!"

Orba swallowed a mouthful of air. He is almost completely exhausted. The south of strength that is still flowing, it is his boiling black blood (3). He don't know what he should do, his could not achieve his goals, (4) only could watch what is his been taken away, again and again. During that time.

But, Orba has a sword. A tool to turn that boiling blood into reality.

"How could somebody like you---"

"I will never let someone like you go."

The two duelist yelled while their blades screamed. Although their views are different, but what is in their hearts are the same.

=== References and Translation Notes ===
<references/>

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) I have no idea what this is about.

(4) Chinese translator's saying is diffcult to understand, is either he achieved his goals...or he couldn't.

如果非要被古老的体制所束缚，以至于无法实现理想的话--This seem to say "If we are bound by our old ways, we would never achieve our dreams" ?

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Talk:Silver Cross and Draculea:Volume04 Prologue

2013-08-20T02:46:18Z

ArchmageXin:

(Seeing that name, her face instantly turned gloomy.) -

Can someone check the Japanese text? When did Reina meet the ghost girl? I am not questioning ZZHK since I read off the same thing...but it struck a bit out of context.

曇る
読み方：くもる
(1)
文法情報（動詞ラ行五段活用、自動詞）
対訳 to get cloudy; to cloud over; to become overcast
(2)
対訳 to cloud up; to fog up; to mist up; to become dim
(3)
対訳 to be gloomy; to be clouded (expression); to be downcast

-I was referring to who "her" was. It struck me kind of odd that Reina would turn gloomy seeing the ghost girl's name, even though the two were never introduced. I was not questioning the gloom part.

Talk:Silver Cross and Draculea:Volume04 Prologue

2013-08-19T19:11:11Z

ArchmageXin: Created page with "(Seeing that name, her face instantly turned gloomy.) - Can someone check the Japanese text? When did Reina meet the ghost girl? I am not questioning ZZHK since I read off th..."

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-08-19T18:49:07Z

ArchmageXin: /* Part 2 */

{{Incomplete|percentage=33}}

== Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom ==
=== Part 1 ===
“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general at full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?"

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across from the two burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to do battle in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Syan could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, thus personally let his troops on the front line. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volleys after volleys of shots were fired.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was quickly spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, strafed past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the ship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers fought on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel forces, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches short-sword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward; with all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Orba's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There was no way to change the outcome then. Orba managed to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these areas he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this was his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this meant the vengeance his heart beat for would die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Mephian, I would have loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepared to dismember his foe....

"Stop!!"

Vileena's scream rang clearly within the Great Hall. Ryucown did not pay attention.

"Stop now!!"

Feeling the second scream carried the force of life and death, the rebel general glanced at her direction. Only to see the princess pointing her gun at his direction. The soldier behind her had a defeated look, so she must stole the gun from him. Ryucown couldn't help but smile.

"What are you going to do now? Open fire? On me?"

"No."

Princess Vileena shook her head.

Her face bloomed into a lovely smile. Everyone wandered what she is thinking, only to see her...

"I am going to shoot myself."

Pointing it toward her own solar plexus. Ryucown frowned, and the soldiers shook.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have the guts to tell your loyal troops those heart felt words you said earlier? As a heroic knight, to deliver a blow (against?) ones own belief. All your thoughts, do you wish to have them to bear it as well?"

Vibrant light returned to those pair of eyes that once held despair, even if she held a gun to her head.

Ryucown became silent. The princess is betting her life, which brought him this problem. As the 14 years old speculated, the rebel could not allow her to die in front of his troops. To return Garbera to its knightly ideals are the hope and dreams of every soldier there, but princess Vileena's noble blood formed the foundation of that claim. If they lost her as a symbol, his support will collapse. For someone like him, who is willing to do everything to change his country, in certain point of view, this is a innovative situation that can be taken advantage of, in other ways, her death could be the beginning to the end.

As Vileena and Ryucown began their silent battle, a certain defeated foe squatted aside,desperately trying to calm his breathe. But by no means Orba has accepted his end.

From the inside of his mask, stared at the blade that defeated his earlier attack.

"That is..."

Engraved on the blade were several unmistakable letters,

"O,R,B,A"

It is non other than his name. Orba's heart grew calmer by the second.

===Part 2===

"Princess."

"You highness, please put down the gun!"

The soldiers begged, while Princess Vileena's eyes met Ryucown's. Perhaps due to determination, there is no trace of emotion on her snow-white face.

"Princess, You really have a temperament meant for a military commander," Ryucown sighed, "if...If I decide to say what is in my mind in front of the crowd, what are you going to do? If we stick to the old ways, we would never reach the future (3). Even if the battle before us become a rout, the results will be the same. Don't you think it would be best for us to challenge our fate?"

"Then speak quickly. I am already prepared."

"You highness!"

"Don't come any closer!"

As she notice the soldiers were trying to get closer to her, Vileena backed away. But to everyone's amazement, her trigger finger did not waver. Although she is still surrounded.

"Please look, You highness."

Ryucown turned around and pointed toward the flame-filled window.

"Look at those mindless Melphian, Garberan armies with overwhelming numbers, and our courageous soldiers. What does this represent, you highness should understand. Ignoring the cowardly Melphians, the Garberan army have also fallen into confusion. Correct, for no other reason than its soldiers could not decide if they should follow me or not. They do not blindly follow the royal family, those who follow my path is the true way to protect this country, this is what the Garberan people have concluded."

Ryucown continued, and his troops did the same.

"Princess, please understand us."

"This is the battle that will decide Garberan dignity, please understand us."

Vileena brought her sight to meet theirs, no one had a drop of hostility, only compassion. She could never bear any enmity or hatred against them, for everyone in their hearts love Garbera, and love the flower of Garbera, the princess Vileena.

"I DON'T WANT TO!"

The princess cried again, but for what reason? She knotted her brows, full of tears, with the gun still pointing at her head, and screamed like a child throwing a tantrum,

"I DON'T WANT TO! I DON'T WANT TO I DON'T WANT TO!"

"Vileena-sama!"

"This is the Garbera grandfather loved, and father nurtured!" Tears fell freely from her eyes, "Why, Why do such..."

"Stop uttering idiocy.."

As if summoned by a voice from the abyss, Ryucown and the princess look toward ''that'' direction. Ryucown threw out a look from someone who totally forgot about Obra, and coolly added "don't move," while pointing his sword at the Gladiator. But...

"That Sword, Return it to me."

"Return it to you? What are you talking about? This is..."

"Six years ago."

Orba continued. For some reason, the rebel general hissed, completely swallowed his remaining words. His gaze met the Gladiator who is getting up from the ground, while listening to Orba's every word.

"....six years ago, you were not even a knight, but you were more knightly. But it is different now. To fulfill your ideals, you decided to raise your sword against your liege, and threaten her with death. Why are you gambling your life??? And deaf to the words of the very lord who is also gambling hers? Are you intoxicated?? Ryucown, you are not a knight anymore."

Ryucown was about to bring his blade up for a strike, and everyone's attention were focused on the princess, which gave Shique the chance to breakout his encirclement. At the same time,

"Take it!"

The Gladiator flung his sword as if he and Obra planned it together, and Obra caught it square on. Then he used the confusion to move behind the princess, snatched the gun in her hand, and pushed the weapon against her head.

"Princess!"

"You highness!"

"Don't move!"

As if he didn't hear Shique's words, Ryucown charged toward Orba with a piercing strike, then slashed the sword slave with his long sword.

"What are you standing still for?" Using this opening, the Rebel Knight roared. "We will not let a melphian harm her highness. Capture him!"

Shique sucked his tongue. The faces on those soldiers were intertwined with confusion and bloodlust while starting back at each other. If he want to act he have to do it now.If he wait until the enemy reach a decision, then it is back to a outnumbered desperate situation again.

If we have to act....to which direction?

"Gladiator-san."

"Ha?"

Shique was shocked, he is being ordered around by Princess/hostage.

"This way."

Whispering under her breathe, and moved her jaw toward a nearby parked Airship. Shique's mind instantly clicked,

"I understand, please excuse my roughness."

"I am used to it."

As soon as she replied, Shique coldly fired a shot in front them. Before its fearsome roar fade away, he grabbed on to the princess's thin shoulders and begin to run. Vileena leaped on to the Skyship's cockpit, while Shique sat in the passenger seat. She immediately gun the engines and the skyship begin to float away.

"I will bring enforcements! Wait for me!"

Shique called out. But at this instant, the princess hesitated. Within the great hall, there are still brave Melphian troops, and loyal followers of Garbera who want to restore it to their ideals. The princess could not just watch these people throwing away their lives.

"You highness!"

Ryucown's face paled, and headed straight for the Airship. He was only a step away before he was cut off by the flash of a steel blade. The rebel general spit at the ground, then turned to welcome Obra and his sword.

"GO!!"

Obra roared. Blocking the strike that would had sliced his head off, twice, three times, and followed by a barrage of strikes. Then he yelled out again,

"Vileena, MOVE!"

The princess stared at him as if she was struck by lightning, then the airship threw off its pursuers and flew into the night. Then it melded with the darkness and vanished.

"Since it come to this..."

Both men refused to back off, and Ryucown bared his teeth,

"I guess I might as well bury the princess along side with the Melphian army."

=== References and Translation Notes ===
<references/>

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in. -- JP: ローグ・サイアン 'Logue/Rogue/Roeg (whatever looks best) Saian'.

如果非要被古老的体制所束缚，以至于无法实现理想的话--This seem to say "If we are bound by our old ways, we would never achieve our dreams" ?

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-08-16T19:21:28Z

ArchmageXin: /* Part 2 */

{{Incomplete|percentage=33}}

== Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom ==
=== Part 1 ===
“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general at full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?"

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across from the two burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to do battle in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Syan could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, thus personally let his troops on the front line. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volleys after volleys of shots were fired.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was quickly spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, strafed past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the ship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers fought on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel forces, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches short-sword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward; with all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Orba's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There was no way to change the outcome then. Orba managed to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these areas he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this was his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this meant the vengeance his heart beat for would die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Mephian, I would have loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepared to dismember his foe....

"Stop!!"

Vileena's scream rang clearly within the Great Hall. Ryucown did not pay attention.

"Stop now!!"

Feeling the second scream carried the force of life and death, the rebel general glanced at her direction. Only to see the princess pointing her gun at his direction. The soldier behind her had a defeated look, so she must stole the gun from him. Ryucown couldn't help but smile.

"What are you going to do now? Open fire? On me?"

"No."

Princess Vileena shook her head.

Her face bloomed into a lovely smile. Everyone wandered what she is thinking, only to see her...

"I am going to shoot myself."

Pointing it toward her own solar plexus. Ryucown frowned, and the soldiers shook.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have the guts to tell your loyal troops those heart felt words you said earlier? As a heroic knight, to deliver a blow (against?) ones own belief. All your thoughts, do you wish to have them to bear it as well?"

Vibrant light returned to those pair of eyes that once held despair, even if she held a gun to her head.

Ryucown became silent. The princess is betting her life, which brought him this problem. As the 14 years old speculated, the rebel could not allow her to die in front of his troops. To return Garbera to its knightly ideals are the hope and dreams of every soldier there, but princess Vileena's noble blood formed the foundation of that claim. If they lost her as a symbol, his support will collapse. For someone like him, who is willing to do everything to change his country, in certain point of view, this is a innovative situation that can be taken advantage of, in other ways, her death could be the beginning to the end.

As Vileena and Ryucown began their silent battle, a certain defeated foe squatted aside,desperately trying to calm his breathe. But by no means Orba has accepted his end.

From the inside of his mask, stared at the blade that defeated his earlier attack.

"That is..."

Engraved on the blade were several unmistakable letters,

"O,R,B,A"

It is non other than his name. Orba's heart grew calmer by the second.

===Part 2===

"Princess."

"Princess, please put down the gun!"

The soldiers begged, while Princess Vileena's eyes met Ryucown's. Perhaps due to determination, there is no trace of emotion on her snow-white face.

"Princess, You really have a temperament meant for a military commander," Ryucown sighed, "if...If I decide to say what is in my mind in front of the crowd, what are you going to do? If we stick to the old ways, we would never reach the future (3). Even if the battle before us become a rout, the results will be the same. Don't you think it would be best for us to challenge our fate?"

"Then speak quickly. I am already prepared."

"Princess!"

"Don't come any closer!"

As she notice the soldiers were trying to get closer to her, Vileena backed away. But to everyone's amazement, her trigger finger did not waver. Although she is still surrounded.

"Please look, You highness."

Ryucown turned around and pointed toward the flame-filled window.

"Look at those mindless Melphian, Garberan armies with overwhelming numbers, and our courageous soldiers. What does this represent, you highness should understand. Ignoring the cowardly Melphians, the Garberan army have also fallen into confusion. Correct, for no other reason than its soldiers could not decide if they should follow me or not. They do not blindly follow the royal family, those who follow my path is the true way to protect this country, this is what the Garberan people have concluded."

Ryucown continued, and his troops did the same.

"Princess, please understand us."

"This is the battle that will decide Garberan dignity, please understand us."

Vileena brought her sight to meet theirs, no one had a drop of hostility, only compassion. She could never bear any enmity or hatred against them, for everyone in their hearts love Garbera, and love the flower of Garbera, the princess Vileena.

"I DON'T WANT TO!"

The princess cried again, but for what reason? She knotted her brows, full of tears, with the gun still pointing at her head, and screamed like a child throwing a tantrum,

"I DON'T WANT TO! I DON'T WANT TO I DON'T WANT TO!"

"Vileena-sama!"

"This is the Garbera grandfather loved, and father nurtured!" Tears fell freely from her eyes, "Why, Why do such..."

"Stop uttering idiocy.."

As if summoned by a voice from the abyss, Ryucown and the princess look toward ''that'' direction. Ryucown threw out a look from someone who totally forgot about Obra, and coolly added "don't move," while pointing his sword at the Gladiator. But...

"That Sword, Return it to me."

"Return it to you? What are you talking about? This is..."

"Six years ago."

Orba continued. For some reason, the rebel general hissed, completely swallowed his remaining words. His gaze met the Gladiator who is getting up from the ground, while listening to Orba's every word.

"....six years ago, you were not even a knight, but you were more knightly. But it is different now. To fulfill your ideals, you decided to raise your sword against your liege, and threaten her with death. Why are you gambling your life??? And deaf to the words of the very lord who is also gambling hers? Are you intoxicated?? Ryucown, you are not a knight anymore."

Ryucown was about to bring his blade up for a strike, and everyone's attention were focused on the princess, which gave Shique the chance to breakout his encirclement. At the same time,

"Take it!"

The Gladiator flung his sword as if he and Obra planned it together, and Obra caught it square on. Then he used the confusion to move behind the princess, snatched the gun in her hand, and pushed the weapon against her head.

"Princess!"

"You highness!"

"Don't move!"

As if he didn't hear Shique's words, Ryucown charged toward Orba with a piercing strike, then slashed the sword slave with his long sword.

"What are you standing still for?" Using this opening, the Rebel Knight roared. "We will not let a melphian harm her highness. Capture him!"

Shique sucked his tongue. The faces on those soldiers were intertwined with confusion and bloodlust while starting back at each other. If he want to act he have to do it now.If he wait until the enemy reach a decision, then it is back to a outnumbered desperate situation again.

If we have to act....to which direction?

"Gladiator-san."

"Ha?"

Shique was shocked, he is being ordered around by Princess/hostage.

"This way."

Whispering under her breathe, and moved her jaw toward a nearby parked Airship. Shique's mind instantly clicked,

"I understand, please excuse my roughness."

"I am used to it."

As soon as she replied, Shique coldly fired a shot in front them. Before its fearsome roar fade away, he grabbed on to the princess's thin shoulders and begin to run. Vileena leaped on to the Skyship's cockpit, while Shique sat in the passenger seat. She immediately gun the engines and the skyship begin to float away.

"I will bring enforcements! Wait for me!"

Shique called out. But at this instant, the princess hesitated. Within the great hall, there are still brave Melphian troops, and loyal followers of Garbera who want to restore its ways. Right now the princess could not just watch these people throwing away their lives.

=== References and Translation Notes ===
<references/>

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in. -- JP: ローグ・サイアン 'Logue/Rogue/Roeg (whatever looks best) Saian'.

如果非要被古老的体制所束缚，以至于无法实现理想的话--This seem to say "If we are bound by our old ways, we would never achieve our dreams" ?

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| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou

2013-08-13T18:27:21Z

ArchmageXin: /* Volume 1: The Dragon Roars at the Star of Twilight */

[[File:Rakuin no Monshou v01 cover.jpg|thumb|300px|The cover art of volume 1]]
Rakuin no Monshou (烙印の紋章), "Emblem of the Branded", is a light novel series written by Tomonori Sugihara (杉原智則) and illustrated by 3. The series is published by ASCII Media Works under the Dengeki Bunko label and is completed with 12 volumes.

==Story Synopsis==
The countries of Mephius and Garbera have been waging a war for ten years and are trying to put an end to this long fight through a political marriage between the two royal families. Orba, who was driven from his home because of the war and was forced to become a gladiator, looks exactly like the crown prince of Mephius, and it has been decided he will be substituting him during the wedding ceremony. On the other hand, Vileena, the princess of Garbera, has secretly decided to ensnare the crown prince for her own country’s interests.

=== Other Information Sources ===

Warning: This may contain spoilers.
[http://www.baka-tsuki.org/blog/?p=373 BT Blog]

==Translation==

=== [[Rakuin no Monshou:Registration Page|Registration]] ===
Translators are asked to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Registration Page|register]] for chapters they want to work on.

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Rakuin no Monshou:Guidelines|Project-Specific Guidelines: Format, Names, and Terminology]]

=== Feedback ===
If you enjoyed the translation, why don't you tell us in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5101&p=173234#p173234 Feedback Thread]

== Updates ==
* Jun 28, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 4 completed
* Apr 24, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 3 completed
* Mar 14, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 2 completed
* Feb 12, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 1 completed
* Jan 24, 2013 - Volume 1 Prologue completed
* Jan 24, 2013 - Initiated as Teaser Project

==Rakuin no Monshou==

===Volume 1: The Dragon Roars at the Star of Twilight===
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Prologue|Prologue]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Iron and Blood]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Two Boys]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3: A New Mask]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4: At Seirin Valley]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Princess Vileena]] (73%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6:]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter7|Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom]] (45%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Epilogue|Epilogue]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]] (0%)

===Volume 2: The Dragon Advances on the Capital of Intrigue===
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Endless Battle]] (55%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter7|Chapter 7]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Afterword|Afterword]]

===Volume 3===
===Volume 4===
===Volume 5===
===Volume 6===
===Volume 7===
===Short Story===
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:The Little Fugitive|The Little Fugitive]] (Part 1 done)

===Volume 8===
===Volume 9===
===Volume 10===
===Volume 11===
===Volume 12===

==Project Staff==
* Project Administrator:
* Project Supervisor: [[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

==== Translators ====
:*[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]
:*[[user:ArchmageXin|ArchmageXin]]
:*[[User:Detalz|Detalz]]

==== Editors ====

Editors are requested to seek permission from respective translators/ project supervisor before enrolling.

:*[[user:Tasear|Tasear]]
:*[[User:Kiydon|Kiydon]]
:*[[user:Shirofune|Shirofune]]
:*[[user:Detalz|Detalz]]

==Series Overview==
烙印の紋章たそがれの星に竜は吠える (10-05-2008, ISBN 978-4-04-867063-0) 
烙印の紋章II 陰謀の都を竜は駆ける (10-11-2008,ISBN 978-4-04-867347-1) 
烙印の紋章III 竜の翼に天は翳ろう (10-04-2009,ISBN 978-40-4-867767-7) 
烙印の紋章IV 竜よ、復讐の爪牙を振るえ (10-08-2009,ISBN 978-40-4-867942-8) 
烙印の紋章V そして竜は荒野に降り立つ (10-03-2010,ISBN 978-40-4-868398-2) 
烙印の紋章VI いにしえの宮に竜はめざめる (10-07-2010,ISBN 978-40-4-868653-2) 
烙印の紋章 VII　愚者たちの挽歌よ、竜に届け (10-12-2010,ISBN 978-4-04-870135-8) 
烙印の紋章 VIII　竜は獅子を喰らいて転生す (10-04-2011,ISBN 978-4-04-870424-3) 
烙印の紋章 IX 征野に竜の慟哭吹きすさぶ (10-09-2011,ISBN 978-4-04-870808-1) 
烙印の紋章 X 竜の雌伏を風は嘆いて (07-01-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886248-6) 
烙印の紋章 XI あかつきの空を竜は翔ける（上） (08-06-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886248-6) 
烙印の紋章 XII あかつきの空を竜は翔ける（下） (10-10-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886983-6) 

[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-08-13T18:26:53Z

ArchmageXin: /* Part 2 */

{{Incomplete|percentage=33}}

== Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom ==
=== Part 1 ===
“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general at full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?"

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across from the two burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to do battle in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Syan could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, thus personally let his troops on the front line. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volleys after volleys of shots were fired.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was quickly spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, strafed past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the ship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers fought on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel forces, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches short-sword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward; with all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Orba's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There was no way to change the outcome then. Orba managed to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these areas he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this was his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this meant the vengeance his heart beat for would die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Mephian, I would have loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepared to dismember his foe....

"Stop!!"

Vileena's scream rang clearly within the Great Hall. Ryucown did not pay attention.

"Stop now!!"

Feeling the second scream carried the force of life and death, the rebel general glanced at her direction. Only to see the princess pointing her gun at his direction. The soldier behind her had a defeated look, so she must stole the gun from him. Ryucown couldn't help but smile.

"What are you going to do now? Open fire? On me?"

"No."

Princess Vileena shook her head.

Her face bloomed into a lovely smile. Everyone wandered what she is thinking, only to see her...

"I am going to shoot myself."

Pointing it toward her own solar plexus. Ryucown frowned, and the soldiers shook.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have the guts to tell your loyal troops those heart felt words you said earlier? As a heroic knight, to deliver a blow (against?) ones own belief. All your thoughts, do you wish to have them to bear it as well?"

Vibrant light returned to those pair of eyes that once held despair, even if she held a gun to her head.

Ryucown became silent. The princess is betting her life, which brought him this problem. As the 14 years old speculated, the rebel could not allow her to die in front of his troops. To return Garbera to its knightly ideals are the hope and dreams of every soldier there, but princess Vileena's noble blood formed the foundation of that claim. If they lost her as a symbol, his support will collapse. For someone like him, who is willing to do everything to change his country, in certain point of view, this is a innovative situation that can be taken advantage of, in other ways, her death could be the beginning to the end.

As Vileena and Ryucown began their silent battle, a certain defeated foe squatted aside,desperately trying to calm his breathe. But by no means Orba has accepted his end.

From the inside of his mask, stared at the blade that defeated his earlier attack.

"That is..."

Engraved on the blade were several unmistakable letters,

"O,R,B,A"

It is non other than his name. Orba's heart grew calmer by the second.

===Part 2===

"Princess."

"Princess, please put down the gun!"

The soldiers begged, while Princess Vileena's eyes met Ryucown's. Perhaps due to determination, there is no trace of emotion on her snow-white face.

"Princess, You really have a temperament meant for a military commander," Ryucown sighed, "if...If I decide to say what is in my mind in front of the crowd, what are you going to do? If we stick to the old ways, we would never reach the future (3). Even if the battle before us become a rout, the results will be the same. Don't you think it would be best for us to challenge our fate?"

"Then speak quickly. I am already prepared."

"Princess!"

"Don't come any closer!"

As she notice the soldiers were trying to get closer to her, Vileena backed away. But to everyone's amazement, her trigger finger did not waver. Although she is still surrounded.

"Please look, You highness."

Ryucown turned around and pointed toward the flame-filled window.

"Look at those mindless Melphian, Garberan armies with overwhelming numbers, and our courageous soldiers. What does this represent, you highness should understand. Ignoring the cowardly Melphians, the Garberan army have also fallen into confusion. Correct, for no other reason than its soldiers could not decide if they should follow me or not. They do not blindly follow the royal family, those who follow my path is the true way to protect this country, this is what the Garberan people have concluded."

Ryucown continued, and his troops did the same.

"Princess, please understand us."

"This is the battle that will decide Garberan dignity, please understand us."

Vileena brought her sight to meet theirs, no one had a drop of hostility, only compassion. She could never bear any enmity or hatred against them, for everyone in their hearts love Garbera, and love the flower of Garbera, the princess Vileena.

"I DON'T WANT TO!"

The princess cried again, but for what reason? She knotted her brows, full of tears, with the gun still pointing at her head, and screamed like a child throwing a tantrum,

"I DON'T WANT TO! I DON'T WANT TO I DON'T WANT TO!"

"Vileena-sama!"

"This is the Garbera grandfather loved, and father nurtured!" Tears fell freely from her eyes, "Why, Why do such..."

"Stop uttering idiocy.."

As if summoned by a voice from the abyss, Ryucown and the princess look toward ''that'' direction. Ryucown threw out a look from someone who totally forgot about Obra, and coolly added "don't move," while pointing his sword at the Gladiator. But...

"That Sword, Return it to me."

"Return it to you? What are you talking about? This is..."

"Six years ago."

Orba continued. For some reason, the rebel general hissed, completely swallowed his remaining words. His gaze met the Gladiator who is getting up from the ground, while listening to Orba's every word.

"....six years ago, you were not even a knight, but you were more knightly. But it is different now. To fulfill your ideals, you decided to raise your sword against your liege, and threaten her with death. Why are you gambling your life??? And deaf to the words of the very lord who is also gambling hers? Are you intoxicated?? Ryucown, you are not a knight anymore."

Ryucown was about to bring his blade up for a strike, and everyone's attention were focused on the princess, which gave Shique the chance to breakout his encirclement. At the same time,

"Take it!"

The Gladiator flung his sword as if he and Obra planned it together, and Obra caught it square on. Then he used the confusion to move behind the princess, snatched the gun in her hand, and pushed the weapon against her head.

"Princess!"

"You highness!"

"Don't move!"

As if he didn't hear Shique's words, Ryucown charged toward Orba with a piercing strike, then slashed the sword slave with his long sword.

"What are you standing still for?" Using this opening, the Rebel Knight roared. "We will not let a melphian harm her highness. Capture him!"

Shique sucked his tongue. The faces on those soldiers were intertwined with confusion and bloodlust while starting back at each other. If he want to act he have to do it now.If he wait until the enemy reach a decision, then it is back to a outnumbered desperate situation again.

If we have to act....to which direction?

"Gladiator-san."

"Ha?"

Shique was shocked, he is being ordered around by Princess/hostage.

"This way."

Whispering under her breathe, and moved her jaw toward a nearby parked Airship. Shique's mind instantly clicked,

"I understand, please excuse my roughness."

"I am used to it."

=== References and Translation Notes ===
<references/>

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in. -- JP: ローグ・サイアン 'Logue/Rogue/Roeg (whatever looks best) Saian'.

如果非要被古老的体制所束缚，以至于无法实现理想的话--This seem to say "If we are bound by our old ways, we would never achieve our dreams" ?

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-08-13T16:48:16Z

ArchmageXin: /* Part 2 */

{{Incomplete|percentage=33}}

== Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom ==
=== Part 1 ===
“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general at full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?"

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across from the two burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to do battle in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Syan could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, thus personally let his troops on the front line. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volleys after volleys of shots were fired.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was quickly spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, strafed past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the ship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers fought on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel forces, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches short-sword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward; with all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Orba's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There was no way to change the outcome then. Orba managed to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these areas he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this was his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this meant the vengeance his heart beat for would die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Mephian, I would have loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepared to dismember his foe....

"Stop!!"

Vileena's scream rang clearly within the Great Hall. Ryucown did not pay attention.

"Stop now!!"

Feeling the second scream carried the force of life and death, the rebel general glanced at her direction. Only to see the princess pointing her gun at his direction. The soldier behind her had a defeated look, so she must stole the gun from him. Ryucown couldn't help but smile.

"What are you going to do now? Open fire? On me?"

"No."

Princess Vileena shook her head.

Her face bloomed into a lovely smile. Everyone wandered what she is thinking, only to see her...

"I am going to shoot myself."

Pointing it toward her own solar plexus. Ryucown frowned, and the soldiers shook.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have the guts to tell your loyal troops those heart felt words you said earlier? As a heroic knight, to deliver a blow (against?) ones own belief. All your thoughts, do you wish to have them to bear it as well?"

Vibrant light returned to those pair of eyes that once held despair, even if she held a gun to her head.

Ryucown became silent. The princess is betting her life, which brought him this problem. As the 14 years old speculated, the rebel could not allow her to die in front of his troops. To return Garbera to its knightly ideals are the hope and dreams of every soldier there, but princess Vileena's noble blood formed the foundation of that claim. If they lost her as a symbol, his support will collapse. For someone like him, who is willing to do everything to change his country, in certain point of view, this is a innovative situation that can be taken advantage of, in other ways, her death could be the beginning to the end.

As Vileena and Ryucown began their silent battle, a certain defeated foe squatted aside,desperately trying to calm his breathe. But by no means Orba has accepted his end.

From the inside of his mask, stared at the blade that defeated his earlier attack.

"That is..."

Engraved on the blade were several unmistakable letters,

"O,R,B,A"

It is non other than his name. Orba's heart grew calmer by the second.

===Part 2===

"Princess."

"Princess, please put down the gun!"

The soldiers begged, while Princess Vileena's eyes met Ryucown's. Perhaps due to determination, there is no trace of emotion on her snow-white face.

"Princess, You really have a temperament meant for a military commander," Ryucown sighed, "if...If I decide to say what is in my mind in front of the crowd, what are you going to do? If we stick to the old ways, we would never reach the future (3). Even if the battle before us become a rout, the results will be the same. Don't you think it would be best for us to challenge our fate?"

"Then speak quickly. I am already prepared."

"Princess!"

"Don't come any closer!"

As she notice the soldiers were trying to get closer to her, Vileena backed away. But to everyone's amazement, her trigger finger did not waver. Although she is still surrounded.

"Please look, You highness."

Ryucown turned around and pointed toward the flame-filled window.

"Look at those mindless Melphian, Garberan armies with overwhelming numbers, and our courageous soldiers. What does this represent, you highness should understand. Ignoring the cowardly Melphians, the Garberan army have also fallen into confusion. Correct, for no other reason than its soldiers could not decide if they should follow me or not. They do not blindly follow the royal family, those who follow my path is the true way to protect this country, this is what the Garberan people have concluded."

Ryucown continued, and his troops did the same.

"Princess, please understand us."

"This is the battle that will decide Garberan dignity, please understand us."

Vileena brought her sight to meet theirs, no one had a drop of hostility, only compassion. She could never bear any enmity or hatred against them, for everyone in their hearts love Garbera, and love the flower of Garbera, the princess Vileena.

"I DON'T WANT TO!"

The princess cried again, but for what reason? She knotted her brows, full of tears, with the gun still pointing at her head, and screamed like a child throwing a tantrum,

"I DON'T WANT TO! I DON'T WANT TO I DON'T WANT TO!"

"Vileena-sama!"

"This is the Garbera grandfather loved, and father nurtured!" Tears fell freely from her eyes, "Why, Why do such..."

"Stop uttering idiocy.."

As if summoned by a voice from the abyss, Ryucown and the princess look toward ''that'' direction. Ryucown threw out a look from someone who totally forgot about Obra, and coolly added "don't move," while pointing his sword at the Gladiator. But...

"That Sword, Return it to me."

"Return it to you? What are you talking about? This is..."

"Six years ago."

Orba continued. For some reason, the rebel general hissed, completely swallowed his remaining words. His gaze met the Gladiator who is getting up from the ground, while listening to Orba's every word.

"....six years ago, you were not even a knight, but you were more knightly. But it is different now. To fulfill your ideals, you decided to raise your sword against your liege, and threaten her with death. Why are you gambling your life??? And deaf to the words of the very lord who is also gambling hers? Are you intoxicated?? Ryucown, you are not a knight anymore."

Ryucown was about to bring his blade up for a strike, and everyone's attention were focused on the princess, which gave Shique the chance to breakout his encirclement. At the same time,

"Take it!"

The Gladiator flung his sword as if he and Obra planned it together, and Obra caught it square on. Then he used the confusion to move behind the princess, snatched the gun in her hand, and pushed the weapon against her head.

"Princess!"

"You highness!"

"Don't move!"

As if he didn't hear Shique's words, Ryucown charged toward Orba with a piercing strike, then slashed the sword slave with his long sword.

"What are you standing still for?" Using this opening, the Rebel Knight roared. "We will not let a melphian harm her highness. Capture him!"

Shique sucked his tongue. The faces on those soldiers were intertwined with confusion and bloodlust while starting back at each other. If he want to act he have to do it now.

=== References and Translation Notes ===
<references/>

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in. -- JP: ローグ・サイアン 'Logue/Rogue/Roeg (whatever looks best) Saian'.

如果非要被古老的体制所束缚，以至于无法实现理想的话--This seem to say "If we are bound by our old ways, we would never achieve our dreams" ?

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-08-13T16:17:53Z

ArchmageXin: /* Part 2 */ Quality of life edit.

{{Incomplete|percentage=33}}

== Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom ==
=== Part 1 ===
“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general at full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?"

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across from the two burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to do battle in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Syan could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, thus personally let his troops on the front line. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volleys after volleys of shots were fired.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was quickly spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, strafed past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the ship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers fought on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel forces, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches short-sword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward; with all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Orba's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There was no way to change the outcome then. Orba managed to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these areas he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this was his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this meant the vengeance his heart beat for would die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Mephian, I would have loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepared to dismember his foe....

"Stop!!"

Vileena's scream rang clearly within the Great Hall. Ryucown did not pay attention.

"Stop now!!"

Feeling the second scream carried the force of life and death, the rebel general glanced at her direction. Only to see the princess pointing her gun at his direction. The soldier behind her had a defeated look, so she must stole the gun from him. Ryucown couldn't help but smile.

"What are you going to do now? Open fire? On me?"

"No."

Princess Vileena shook her head.

Her face bloomed into a lovely smile. Everyone wandered what she is thinking, only to see her...

"I am going to shoot myself."

Pointing it toward her own solar plexus. Ryucown frowned, and the soldiers shook.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have the guts to tell your loyal troops those heart felt words you said earlier? As a heroic knight, to deliver a blow (against?) ones own belief. All your thoughts, do you wish to have them to bear it as well?"

Vibrant light returned to those pair of eyes that once held despair, even if she held a gun to her head.

Ryucown became silent. The princess is betting her life, which brought him this problem. As the 14 years old speculated, the rebel could not allow her to die in front of his troops. To return Garbera to its knightly ideals are the hope and dreams of every soldier there, but princess Vileena's noble blood formed the foundation of that claim. If they lost her as a symbol, his support will collapse. For someone like him, who is willing to do everything to change his country, in certain point of view, this is a innovative situation that can be taken advantage of, in other ways, her death could be the beginning to the end.

As Vileena and Ryucown began their silent battle, a certain defeated foe squatted aside,desperately trying to calm his breathe. But by no means Orba has accepted his end.

From the inside of his mask, stared at the blade that defeated his earlier attack.

"That is..."

Engraved on the blade were several unmistakable letters,

"O,R,B,A"

It is non other than his name. Orba's heart grew calmer by the second.

===Part 2===

"Princess."

"Princess, please put down the gun!"

The soldiers begged, while Princess Vileena's eyes met Ryucown's. Perhaps due to determination, there is no trace of emotion on her snow-white face.

"Princess, You really have a temperament meant for a military commander," Ryucown sighed, "if...If I decide to say what is in my mind in front of the crowd, what are you going to do? If we stick to the old ways, we would never reach the future (3). Even if the battle before us become a rout, the results will be the same. Don't you think it would be best for us to challenge our fate?"

"Then speak quickly. I am already prepared."

"Princess!"

"Don't come any closer!"

As she notice the soldiers were trying to get closer to her, Vileena backed away. But to everyone's amazement, her trigger finger did not waver. Although she is still surrounded.

"Please look, You highness."

Ryucown turned around and pointed toward the flame-filled window.

"Look at those mindless Melphian, Garberan armies with overwhelming numbers, and our courageous soldiers. What does this represent, you highness should understand. Ignoring the cowardly Melphians, the Garberan army have also fallen into confusion. Correct, for no other reason than its soldiers could not decide if they should follow me or not. They do not blindly follow the royal family, those who follow my path is the true way to protect this country, this is what the Garberan people have concluded."

Ryucown continued, and his troops did the same.

"Princess, please understand us."

"This is the battle that will decide Garberan dignity, please understand us."

Vileena brought her sight to meet theirs, no one had a drop of hostility, only compassion. She could never bear any enmity or hatred against them, for everyone in their hearts love Garbera, and love the flower of Garbera, the princess Vileena.

"I DON'T WANT TO!"

The princess cried again, but for what reason? She knotted her brows, full of tears, with the gun still pointing at her head, and screamed like a child throwing a tantrum,

"I DON'T WANT TO! I DON'T WANT TO I DON'T WANT TO!"

"Vileena-sama!"

"This is the Garbera grandfather loved, and father nurtured!" Tears fell freely from her eyes, "Why, Why do such..."

"Stop uttering idiocy.."

As if summoned by a voice from the abyss, Ryucown and the princess look toward ''that'' direction. Ryucown threw out a look from someone who totally forgot about Obra, and coolly added "don't move," while pointing his sword at the Gladiator. But...

"That Sword, Return it to me."

"Return it to you? What are you talking about? This is..."

"Six years ago."

Orba continued. For some reason, the rebel general hissed, completely swallowed his remaining words. His gaze met the Gladiator who is getting up from the ground, while listening to Orba's every word.

"....six years ago, you were not even a knight, but you were more knightly. But it is different now. To fulfill your ideals, you decided to raise your sword against your liege, and threaten her with death. Why are you gambling your life??? And deaf to the words of the very lord who is also gambling hers? Are you intoxicated?? Ryucown, you are not a knight anymore."

Ryucown was about to bring his blade up for a strike, and everyone's attention were focused on the princess, which gave Shique the chance to breakout his encirclement. At the same time,

"Take it!"

The Gladiator flung his sword as if he and Obra planned it together, and Obra caught it square on. Then he used the confusion to move behind the princess, snatched the gun in her hand, and pushed the weapon against her head.

"Princess!"

"You highness!"

"Don't move!"

As if he didn't hear Shique's words, Ryucown charged toward Orba with a piercing strike, then slashed the sword slave with his long sword.

"What are you standing still for?" Using this opening, the Rebel Knight roared. "We will not let a melphian harm her highness. Capture him!"

=== References and Translation Notes ===
<references/>

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in. -- JP: ローグ・サイアン 'Logue/Rogue/Roeg (whatever looks best) Saian'.

如果非要被古老的体制所束缚，以至于无法实现理想的话--This seem to say "If we are bound by our old ways, we would never achieve our dreams" ?

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-08-13T00:07:59Z

ArchmageXin: /* Part 1 */

{{Incomplete|percentage=33}}

== Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom ==
=== Part 1 ===
“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general at full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?"

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across from the two burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to do battle in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Syan could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, thus personally let his troops on the front line. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volleys after volleys of shots were fired.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was quickly spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, strafed past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the ship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers fought on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel forces, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches short-sword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward; with all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Orba's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There was no way to change the outcome then. Orba managed to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these areas he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this was his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this meant the vengeance his heart beat for would die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Mephian, I would have loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepared to dismember his foe....

"Stop!!"

Vileena's scream rang clearly within the Great Hall. Ryucown did not pay attention.

"Stop now!!"

Feeling the second scream carried the force of life and death, the rebel general glanced at her direction. Only to see the princess pointing her gun at his direction. The soldier behind her had a defeated look, so she must stole the gun from him. Ryucown couldn't help but smile.

"What are you going to do now? Open fire? On me?"

"No."

Princess Vileena shook her head.

Her face bloomed into a lovely smile. Everyone wandered what she is thinking, only to see her...

"I am going to shoot myself."

Pointing it toward her own solar plexus. Ryucown frowned, and the soldiers shook.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have the guts to tell your loyal troops those heart felt words you said earlier? As a heroic knight, to deliver a blow (against?) ones own belief. All your thoughts, do you wish to have them to bear it as well?"

Vibrant light returned to those pair of eyes that once held despair, even if she held a gun to her head.

Ryucown became silent. The princess is betting her life, which brought him this problem. As the 14 years old speculated, the rebel could not allow her to die in front of his troops. To return Garbera to its knightly ideals are the hope and dreams of every soldier there, but princess Vileena's noble blood formed the foundation of that claim. If they lost her as a symbol, his support will collapse. For someone like him, who is willing to do everything to change his country, in certain point of view, this is a innovative situation that can be taken advantage of, in other ways, her death could be the beginning to the end.

As Vileena and Ryucown began their silent battle, a certain defeated foe squatted aside,desperately trying to calm his breathe. But by no means Orba has accepted his end.

From the inside of his mask, stared at the blade that defeated his earlier attack.

"That is..."

Engraved on the blade were several unmistakable letters,

"O,R,B,A"

It is non other than his name. Orba's heart grew calmer by the second.

===Part 2===

"Princess."

"Princess, please put down the gun!"

The soldiers screamed, while Princess Vileena's eyes met Ryucown's. Perhaps due to determination, there is no trace of emotion on her snow-white face.

"Princess, You really have a temperament meant for a military commander," Ryucown took a short sigh, "if...If I decide to say what is in my mind in front of the crowd, what are you going to do? If we stick to the old ways, we would never reach the future. Even if the battle before us become a defeat, the results will be the same. Don't you think it would be best for us to challenge our fate?"

"Then speak quickly. I am already prepared."

"Princess!"

"Don't come any closer!"

As she notice the soldiers were trying to get closer to her, Vileena backed away. But to everyone's amazement, her trigger finger never moved a bit. Although she is still trapped.

"Please look, You highness."

Ryucown turned around and pointed toward the flame-filled window.

"Look at these mindless Melphian, Garberan armies with overwhelming numbers, and our courageous soldiers. What does this represent, you highness should understand. Ignoring the cowardly Melphians, the Garberan army are also fallen into confusion. Correct, for no other reason than its soldiers could decide if they should follow me or not. They do not blindly follow the royal family, those who follow my path the true path to protect this country, this is what the Garberan people have concluded."

Ryucown continued, and his troops did the same.

"Princess, please understand us."

"This is the battle that will decide Garberan dignity, please understand us."

Vileena brought her sight to meet theirs, no one had a drop of hostility, only compassion. She could never bear any enmity or hatred against them, for everyone in their hearts love Garbera, and love the flower of Garbera, the princess Vileena.

"I DON'T WANT TO!"

The princess cried again, but for what reason? She knotted her brows, full of tears, with the gun still pointing at her head, and yelled like a child throwing a tantrum,

"I DON'T WANT TO! I DON'T WANT TO I DON'T WANT TO!"

"Vileena-sama!"

"This is what grandfather loved, and father nurtured Garbera!" Tears fell freely from her eyes, "Why, Why do such..."

"Stop uttering idiocy.."

As if called by a voice from the abyss, which made Ryucown and the princess look toward that direction. Ryucown threw a look from someone who totally forgot about Obra, and coolly added "don't move," and pointed his sword at the Gladiator. But...

"That Sword, Return it to me."

"Return it to you? What are you talking about? This is..."

"Six years ago."

Obra contiued. For some reason, the rebel general hissed, completely swallowed his remaining words. His gaze met the Gladiator who is getting up from the ground, listening to Orba's every word.

"....six years ago, you were not even a knight, but you were more knightly. But it is different now. To fulfill your ideals, you decided to raise your sword against your liege, and threaten her with death. Why are you gambling your life??? And deaf to the words of the very lord who is also gambling hers? Are you drunk?? Ryucown, you are not a knight anymore."

Ryucown was about to bring his blade up for a strike, and everyone were originally focused on the princess, which gave Shique the chance to breakout his encirclement. At the same time,

"Take it!"

The Gladiator flung his sword as if he and Obra planned it together, and Obra caught it square on. Then he used the confusion to move behind the princess, snatched the gun in her hand, and pushed the weapon against her head.

"Princess!"

"You highness!"

"Don't move!"

As if he didn't hear Shique's words, Ryucown charged toward Orba with a piercing strike, then slashed the sword slave with his long sword.

"What are you standing still for?" Using this opening, the Rebel Knight roared. "We will not let a melphian harm her highness. Capture him!"

=== References and Translation Notes ===
<references/>

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in. -- JP: ローグ・サイアン 'Logue/Rogue/Roeg (whatever looks best) Saian'.

如果非要被古老的体制所束缚，以至于无法实现理想的话--This seem to say "If we are bound by our old ways, we would never achieve our dreams" ?

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-08-12T17:45:06Z

ArchmageXin: /* Part 2 */

{{Incomplete|percentage=33}}

== Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom ==
=== Part 1 ===
“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general at full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?"

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across from the two burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to do battle in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Saian could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, and personally let his troops on the frontlines. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volley after volley were released.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, strafed past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the ship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers fought on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel fleet, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches short-sword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward; with all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Orba's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There was no way to change the outcome then. Orba managed to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these areas he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this was his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this meant the vengeance his heart beat for would die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Mephian, I would have loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepared to dismember his foe....

"Stop!!"

Vileena's scream rang clearly within the Great Hall. Ryucown did not pay attention.

"Stop now!!"

Feeling the second scream had the feeling of life and death, the rebel general glanced at her direction. Only to see the princess pointing her gun at his direction. The soldier behind her had a defeated look, so she must stole the gun from him. Ryucown couldn't help but smile.

"What are you going to do now? Open fire? On me?"

"No."

Princess Vileena shook her head.

Her face bloomed into a lovely smile. Everyone wandered what she is thinking, only to see her...

"I am going to shoot myself."

Pointing it toward her own solar plexus. Ryucown frowned, and the soldiers shook.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have the guts to tell your loyal troops those heart felt words you said earlier? As a heroic knight, to deliver a blow (against?) ones own belief. All your thoughts, do you wish to have them to bear it as well?"

Vibrant light returned to those pair of eyes that once held despair, even if she held a gun to her head.

Ryucown became silent. The princess is betting her life, which brought him this problem. As the 14 years old speculated, the rebel could not allow her to die in front of his troops. To return Garbera to its knightly ideals are the hope of every soldier there, but princess Vileena's noble blood formed the foundation of that claim. If they lost her as a symbol, his support will collapse. For someone like him, who is willing to do everything to change his country, in certain point of view, this is a innovative situation that can be taken advantage of, in other ways, her death could be the beginning to the end.

As Vileena and Ryucown began their silent battle, a certain defeated foe squatted aside,desperately trying to calm his breathe. But by no means Orba has accepted his death.

From the inside of his mask, stared at the blade that defeated his earlier attack.

"That is..."

On the body of the blade there were several engraved letters, he cannot make a mistake, they were

"O,R,B,A"

It is non other than his name. Orba's heart steadied and slowly returned to his normal rhythm.

===Part 2===

"Princess."

"Princess, please put down the gun!"

The soldiers screamed, while Princess Vileena's eyes met Ryucown's. Perhaps due to determination, there is no trace of emotion on her snow-white face.

"Princess, You really have a temperament meant for a military commander," Ryucown took a short sigh, "if...If I decide to say what is in my mind in front of the crowd, what are you going to do? If we stick to the old ways, we would never reach the future. Even if the battle before us become a defeat, the results will be the same. Don't you think it would be best for us to challenge our fate?"

"Then speak quickly. I am already prepared."

"Princess!"

"Don't come any closer!"

As she notice the soldiers were trying to get closer to her, Vileena backed away. But to everyone's amazement, her trigger finger never moved a bit. Although she is still trapped.

"Please look, You highness."

Ryucown turned around and pointed toward the flame-filled window.

"Look at these mindless Melphian, Garberan armies with overwhelming numbers, and our courageous soldiers. What does this represent, you highness should understand. Ignoring the cowardly Melphians, the Garberan army are also fallen into confusion. Correct, for no other reason than its soldiers could decide if they should follow me or not. They do not blindly follow the royal family, those who follow my path the true path to protect this country, this is what the Garberan people have concluded."

Ryucown continued, and his troops did the same.

"Princess, please understand us."

"This is the battle that will decide Garberan dignity, please understand us."

Vileena brought her sight to meet theirs, no one had a drop of hostility, only compassion. She could never bear any enmity or hatred against them, for everyone in their hearts love Garbera, and love the flower of Garbera, the princess Vileena.

"I DON'T WANT TO!"

The princess cried again, but for what reason? She knotted her brows, full of tears, with the gun still pointing at her head, and yelled like a child throwing a tantrum,

"I DON'T WANT TO! I DON'T WANT TO I DON'T WANT TO!"

"Vileena-sama!"

"This is what grandfather loved, and father nurtured Garbera!" Tears fell freely from her eyes, "Why, Why do such..."

"Stop uttering idiocy.."

As if called by a voice from the abyss, which made Ryucown and the princess look toward that direction. Ryucown threw a look from someone who totally forgot about Obra, and coolly added "don't move," and pointed his sword at the Gladiator. But...

"That Sword, Return it to me."

"Return it to you? What are you talking about? This is..."

"Six years ago."

Obra contiued. For some reason, the rebel general hissed, completely swallowed his remaining words. His gaze met the Gladiator who is getting up from the ground, listening to Orba's every word.

"....six years ago, you were not even a knight, but you were more knightly. But it is different now. To fulfill your ideals, you decided to raise your sword against your liege, and threaten her with death. Why are you gambling your life??? And deaf to the words of the very lord who is also gambling hers? Are you drunk?? Ryucown, you are not a knight anymore."

Ryucown was about to bring his blade up for a strike, and everyone were originally focused on the princess, which gave Shique the chance to breakout his encirclement. At the same time,

"Take it!"

The Gladiator flung his sword as if he and Obra planned it together, and Obra caught it square on. Then he used the confusion to move behind the princess, snatched the gun in her hand, and pushed the weapon against her head.

"Princess!"

"You highness!"

"Don't move!"

As if he didn't hear Shique's words, Ryucown charged toward Orba with a piercing strike, then slashed the sword slave with his long sword.

"What are you standing still for?" Using this opening, the Rebel Knight roared. "We will not let a melphian harm her highness. Capture him!"

=== References and Translation Notes ===
<references/>

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in. -- JP: ローグ・サイアン 'Logue/Rogue/Roeg (whatever looks best) Saian'.

如果非要被古老的体制所束缚，以至于无法实现理想的话--This seem to say "If we are bound by our old ways, we would never achieve our dreams" ?

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| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
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</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-08-06T18:29:19Z

ArchmageXin: /* Part 1 */

{{Incomplete|percentage=33}}

== Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom ==
=== Part 1 ===
“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general at full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?"

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across from the two burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to do battle in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Saian could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, and personally let his troops on the frontlines. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volley after volley were released.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, strafed past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the ship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers fought on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel fleet, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches short-sword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward; with all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Orba's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There was no way to change the outcome then. Orba managed to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these areas he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this was his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this meant the vengeance his heart beat for would die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Mephian, I would have loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepared to dismember his foe....

"Stop!!"

Vileena's scream rang clearly within the Great Hall. Ryucown did not pay attention.

"Stop now!!"

Feeling the second scream had the feeling of life and death, the rebel general glanced at her direction. Only to see the princess pointing her gun at his direction. The soldier behind her had a defeated look, so she must stole the gun from him. Ryucown couldn't help but smile.

"What are you going to do now? Open fire? On me?"

"No."

Princess Vileena shook her head.

Her face bloomed into a lovely smile. Everyone wandered what she is thinking, only to see her...

"I am going to shoot myself."

Pointing it toward her own solar plexus. Ryucown frowned, and the soldiers shook.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have the guts to tell your loyal troops those heart felt words you said earlier? As a heroic knight, to deliver a blow (against?) ones own belief. All your thoughts, do you wish to have them to bear it as well?"

Vibrant light returned to those pair of eyes that once held despair, even if she held a gun to her head.

Ryucown became silent. The princess is betting her life, which brought him this problem. As the 14 years old speculated, the rebel could not allow her to die in front of his troops. To return Garbera to its knightly ideals are the hope of every soldier there, but princess Vileena's noble blood formed the foundation of that claim. If they lost her as a symbol, his support will collapse. For someone like him, who is willing to do everything to change his country, in certain point of view, this is a innovative situation that can be taken advantage of, in other ways, her death could be the beginning to the end.

As Vileena and Ryucown began their silent battle, a certain defeated foe squatted aside,desperately trying to calm his breathe. But by no means Orba has accepted his death.

From the inside of his mask, stared at the blade that defeated his earlier attack.

"That is..."

On the body of the blade there were several engraved letters, he cannot make a mistake, they were

"O,R,B,A"

It is non other than his name. Orba's heart steadied and slowly returned to his normal rhythm.

===Part 2===

"Princess."

"Princess, please put down the gun!"

The soldiers screamed, while Princess Vileena's eyes met Ryucown's. Perhaps due to determination, there is no trace of emotion on her snow-white face.

"Princess, You really have a temperament meant for a military commander," Ryucown took a short sigh, "if...If I decide to say what is in my mind in front of the crowd, what are you going to do? If we stick to the old ways, we would never reach the future. Even if the battle before us become a defeat, the results will be the same. Don't you think it would be best for us to challenge our fate?"

"Then speak quickly. I am already prepared."

"Princess!"

"Don't come any closer!"

As she notice the soldiers were trying to get closer to her, Vileena backed away. But to everyone's amazement, her trigger finger never moved a bit. Although she is still trapped.

"Please look, You highness."

Ryucown turned around and pointed toward the flame-filled window.

"Look at these mindless Melphian, Garberan armies with overwhelming numbers, and our courageous soldiers. What does this represent, you highness should understand. Ignoring the cowardly Melphians, the Garberan army are also fallen into confusion. Correct, for no other reason than its soldiers could decide if they should follow me or not. They do not blindly follow the royal family, those who follow my path the true path to protect this country, this is what the Garberan people have concluded."

Ryucown continued, and his troops did the same.

"Princess, please understand us."

"This is the battle that will decide Garberan dignity, please understand us."

Vileena brought her sight to meet theirs, no one had a drop of hostility, only compassion. She could never bear any enmity or hatred against them, for everyone in their hearts love Garbera, and love the flower of Garbera, the princess Vileena.

"I DON'T WANT TO!"

The princess cried again, but for what reason? She knotted her brows, full of tears, with the gun still pointing at her head, and yelled like a child throwing a tantrum,

"I DON'T WANT TO! I DON'T WANT TO I DON'T WANT TO!"

"Vileena-sama!"

"This is what grandfather loved, and father nurtured Garbera!" Tears fell freely from her eyes, "Why, Why do such..."

"Stop uttering idiocy.."

As if called by a voice from the abyss, which made Ryucown and the princess look toward that direction. Ryucown threw a look from someone who totally forgot about Obra, and coolly added "don't move," and pointed his sword at the Gladiator. But...

"That Sword, Return it to me."

"Return it to you? What are you talking about? This is..."

"Six years ago."

Obra contiued. For some reason, the rebel general hissed, completely swallowed his remaining words. His gaze met the Gladiator who is getting up from the ground, listening to Orba's every word.

"....six years ago, you were not even a knight, but you were more knightly. But it is different now. To fulfill your ideals, you decided to raise your sword against your liege, and threaten her with death. Why are you gambling your life??? And deaf to the words of the very lord who is also gambling hers? Are you drunk?? Ryucown, you are not a knight anymore."

=== References and Translation Notes ===
<references/>

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in. -- JP: ローグ・サイアン 'Logue/Rogue/Roeg (whatever looks best) Saian'.

如果非要被古老的体制所束缚，以至于无法实现理想的话--This seem to say "If we are bound by our old ways, we would never achieve our dreams" ?

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou

2013-08-06T03:12:13Z

ArchmageXin: /* Volume 1: The Dragon Roars at the Star of Twilight */

[[File:Rakuin no Monshou v01 cover.jpg|thumb|300px|The cover art of volume 1]]
Rakuin no Monshou (烙印の紋章), "Emblem of the Branded", is a light novel series written by Tomonori Sugihara (杉原智則) and illustrated by 3. The series is published by ASCII Media Works under the Dengeki Bunko label and is completed with 12 volumes.

==Story Synopsis==
The countries of Mephius and Garbera have been waging a war for ten years and are trying to put an end to this long fight through a political marriage between the two royal families. Orba, who was driven from his home because of the war and was forced to become a gladiator, looks exactly like the crown prince of Mephius, and it has been decided he will be substituting him during the wedding ceremony. On the other hand, Vileena, the princess of Garbera, has secretly decided to ensnare the crown prince for her own country’s interests.

=== Other Information Sources ===

Warning: This may contain spoilers.
[http://www.baka-tsuki.org/blog/?p=373 BT Blog]

==Translation==

=== [[Rakuin no Monshou:Registration Page|Registration]] ===
Translators are asked to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Registration Page|register]] for chapters they want to work on.

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Rakuin no Monshou:Guidelines|Project-Specific Guidelines: Format, Names, and Terminology]]

=== Feedback ===
If you enjoyed the translation, why don't you tell us in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5101&p=173234#p173234 Feedback Thread]

== Updates ==
* Jun 28, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 4 completed
* Apr 24, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 3 completed
* Mar 14, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 2 completed
* Feb 12, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 1 completed
* Jan 24, 2013 - Volume 1 Prologue completed
* Jan 24, 2013 - Initiated as Teaser Project

==Rakuin no Monshou==

===Volume 1: The Dragon Roars at the Star of Twilight===
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Prologue|Prologue]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Iron and Blood]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Two Boys]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3: A New Mask]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4: At Seirin Valley]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Princess Vileena]] (50%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6:]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter7|Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom]] (40%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Epilogue|Epilogue]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]] (0%)

===Volume 2: The Dragon Advances on the Capital of Intrigue===
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Endless Battle]] (33%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter7|Chapter 7]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Afterword|Afterword]]

===Volume 3===
===Volume 4===
===Volume 5===
===Volume 6===
===Volume 7===
===Short Story===
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:The Little Fugitive|The Little Fugitive]] (Part 1 done)

===Volume 8===
===Volume 9===
===Volume 10===
===Volume 11===
===Volume 12===

==Project Staff==
* Project Administrator:
* Project Supervisor: [[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

==== Translators ====
:*[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]
:*[[user:ArchmageXin|ArchmageXin]]
:*[[User:Detalz|Detalz]]

==== Editors ====

Editors are requested to seek permission from respective translators/ project supervisor before enrolling.

:*[[user:Tasear|Tasear]]
:*[[User:Kiydon|Kiydon]]
:*[[user:Shirofune|Shirofune]]
:*[[user:Detalz|Detalz]]

==Series Overview==
烙印の紋章たそがれの星に竜は吠える (10-05-2008, ISBN 978-4-04-867063-0) 
烙印の紋章II 陰謀の都を竜は駆ける (10-11-2008,ISBN 978-4-04-867347-1) 
烙印の紋章III 竜の翼に天は翳ろう (10-04-2009,ISBN 978-40-4-867767-7) 
烙印の紋章IV 竜よ、復讐の爪牙を振るえ (10-08-2009,ISBN 978-40-4-867942-8) 
烙印の紋章V そして竜は荒野に降り立つ (10-03-2010,ISBN 978-40-4-868398-2) 
烙印の紋章VI いにしえの宮に竜はめざめる (10-07-2010,ISBN 978-40-4-868653-2) 
烙印の紋章 VII　愚者たちの挽歌よ、竜に届け (10-12-2010,ISBN 978-4-04-870135-8) 
烙印の紋章 VIII　竜は獅子を喰らいて転生す (10-04-2011,ISBN 978-4-04-870424-3) 
烙印の紋章 IX 征野に竜の慟哭吹きすさぶ (10-09-2011,ISBN 978-4-04-870808-1) 
烙印の紋章 X 竜の雌伏を風は嘆いて (07-01-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886248-6) 
烙印の紋章 XI あかつきの空を竜は翔ける（上） (08-06-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886248-6) 
烙印の紋章 XII あかつきの空を竜は翔ける（下） (10-10-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886983-6) 

[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-08-06T03:11:37Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=33}}

== Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom ==
=== Part 1 ===
“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general with full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?” 

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Saian could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, and personally let his troops on the frontlines. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volley after volley were released.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, dove past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the Skyship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers marched on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel fleet, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches shortsword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward; with all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Orba's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There was no way to change the outcome then. Orba managed to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these areas he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this was his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this meant the vengeance his heart beat for would die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Mephian, I would have loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepared to dismember his foe....

"Stop!!"

Vileena's scream rang clearly within the Great Hall. Ryucown did not pay attention.

"Stop now!!"

Feeling the second scream had the feeling of life and death, the rebel general glanced at her direction. Only to see the princess pointing her gun at his direction. The soldier behind her had a defeated look, so she must stole the gun from him. Ryucown couldn't help but smile.

"What are you going to do now? Open fire? On me?"

"No"

Princess Vileena shook her head.

Her face bloomed into a lovely smile. Everyone wandered what she is thinking, only to see her...

"I am going to shoot myself."

Pointing it toward her own solar plexus. Ryucown frowned, and the soldiers shook.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have the guts to tell your loyal troops those heart felt words you said earlier? As a heroic knight, to deliver a blow (against?) ones own belief. All your thoughts, do you wish to have them to bear it as well?"

Vibrant light returned to those pair of eyes that once held despair, even if she held a gun to her head.

Ryucown became silent. The princess is betting her life, which brought him this problem. As the 14 years old speculated, the rebel could not allow her to die in front of his troops. To return Garbera to its knightly ideals are the hope of every soldier there, but princess Vileena's noble blood formed the foundation of that claim. If they lost her as a symbol, his support will collapse. For someone like him, who is willing to do everything to change his country, in certain point of view, this is a innovative situation that can be taken advantage of, in other ways, her death could be the beginning to the end.

As Vileena and Ryucown began their silent battle, a certain defeated foe squatted aside,desperately trying to calm his breathe. But by no means Orba has accepted his death.

From the inside of his mask, stared at the blade that defeated his earlier attack.

"That is..."

On the body of the blade there were several engraved letters, he cannot make a mistake, they were

"O,R,B,A"

It is non other than his name. Orba's heart steadied and slowly returned to his normal rhythm.

===Part 2===

"Princess."

"Princess, please put down the gun!"

The soldiers screamed, while Princess Vileena's eyes met Ryucown's. Perhaps due to determination, there is no trace of emotion on her snow-white face.

"Princess, You really have a temperament meant for a military commander," Ryucown took a short sigh, "if...If I decide to say what is in my mind in front of the crowd, what are you going to do? If we stick to the old ways, we would never reach the future. Even if the battle before us become a defeat, the results will be the same. Don't you think it would be best for us to challenge our fate?"

"Then speak quickly. I am already prepared."

"Princess!"

"Don't come any closer!"

As she notice the soldiers were trying to get closer to her, Vileena backed away. But to everyone's amazement, her trigger finger never moved a bit. Although she is still trapped.

"Please look, You highness."

Ryucown turned around and pointed toward the flame-filled window.

"Look at these mindless Melphian, Garberan armies with overwhelming numbers, and our courageous soldiers. What does this represent, you highness should understand. Ignoring the cowardly Melphians, the Garberan army are also fallen into confusion. Correct, for no other reason than its soldiers could decide if they should follow me or not. They do not blindly follow the royal family, those who follow my path the true path to protect this country, this is what the Garberan people have concluded."

Ryucown continued, and his troops did the same.

"Princess, please understand us."

"This is the battle that will decide Garberan dignity, please understand us."

Vileena brought her sight to meet theirs, no one had a drop of hostility, only compassion. She could never bear any enmity or hatred against them, for everyone in their hearts love Garbera, and love the flower of Garbera, the princess Vileena.

"I DON'T WANT TO!"

The princess cried again, but for what reason? She knotted her brows, full of tears, with the gun still pointing at her head, and yelled like a child throwing a tantrum,

"I DON'T WANT TO! I DON'T WANT TO I DON'T WANT TO!"

"Vileena-sama!"

"This is what grandfather loved, and father nurtured Garbera!" Tears fell freely from her eyes, "Why, Why do such..."

"Stop uttering idiocy.."

As if called by a voice from the abyss, which made Ryucown and the princess look toward that direction. Ryucown threw a look from someone who totally forgot about Obra, and coolly added "don't move," and pointed his sword at the Gladiator. But...

"That Sword, Return it to me."

"Return it to you? What are you talking about? This is..."

"Six years ago."

Obra contiued. For some reason, the rebel general hissed, completely swallowed his remaining words. His gaze met the Gladiator who is getting up from the ground, listening to Orba's every word.

"....six years ago, you were not even a knight, but you were more knightly. But it is different now. To fulfill your ideals, you decided to raise your sword against your liege, and threaten her with death. Why are you gambling your life??? And deaf to the words of the very lord who is also gambling hers? Are you drunk?? Ryucown, you are not a knight anymore."

=== References and Translation Notes ===
<references/>

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in. -- JP: ローグ・サイアン 'Logue/Rogue/Roeg (whatever looks best) Saian'.

如果非要被古老的体制所束缚，以至于无法实现理想的话--This seem to say "If we are bound by our old ways, we would never achieve our dreams" ?

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-08-05T23:40:21Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=33}}

== Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom ==
=== Part 1 ===
“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general with full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?” 

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Saian could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, and personally let his troops on the frontlines. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volley after volley were released.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, dove past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the Skyship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers marched on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel fleet, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches shortsword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward; with all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Orba's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There was no way to change the outcome then. Orba managed to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these areas he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this was his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this meant the vengeance his heart beat for would die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Mephian, I would have loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepared to dismember his foe....

"Stop!!"

Vileena's scream rang clearly within the Great Hall. Ryucown did not pay attention.

"Stop now!!"

Feeling the second scream had the feeling of life and death, the rebel general glanced at her direction. Only to see the princess pointing her gun at his direction. The soldier behind her had a defeated look, so she must stole the gun from him. Ryucown couldn't help but smile.

"What are you going to do now? Open fire? On me?"

"No"

Princess Vileena shook her head.

Her face bloomed into a lovely smile. Everyone wandered what she is thinking, only to see her...

"I am going to shoot myself."

Pointing it toward her own solar plexus. Ryucown frowned, and the soldiers shook.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have the guts to tell your loyal troops those heart felt words you said earlier? As a heroic knight, to deliver a blow (against?) ones own belief. All your thoughts, do you wish to have them to bear it as well?"

Vibrant light returned to those pair of eyes that once held despair, even if she held a gun to her head.

Ryucown became silent. The princess is betting her life, which brought him this problem. As the 14 years old speculated, the rebel could not allow her to die in front of his troops. To return Garbera to its knightly ideals are the hope of every soldier there, but princess Vileena's noble blood formed the foundation of that claim. If they lost her as a symbol, his support will collapse. For someone like him, who is willing to do everything to change his country, in certain point of view, this is a innovative situation that can be taken advantage of, in other ways, her death could be the beginning to the end.

As Vileena and Ryucown began their silent battle, a certain defeated foe squatted aside,desperately trying to calm his breathe. But by no means Orba has accepted his death.

From the inside of his mask, stared at the blade that defeated his earlier attack.

"That is..."

On the body of the blade there were several engraved letters, he cannot make a mistake, they were

"O,R,B,A"

It is non other than his name. Orba's heart steadied and slowly returned to his normal rhythm.

===Part 2===

"Princess."

"Princess, please put down the gun!"

The soldiers screamed, while Princess Vileena's eyes met Ryucown's. Perhaps due to determination, there is no trace of emotion on her snow-white face.

"Princess, You really have a temperament meant for a military commander," Ryucown took a short sigh, "if...If I decide to say what is in my mind in front of the crowd, what are you going to do? If we stick to the old ways, we would never reach the future. Even if the battle before us become a defeat, the results will be the same. Don't you think it would be best for us to challenge our fate?"

"Then speak quickly. I am already prepared."

"Princess!"

"Don't come any closer!"

As she notice the soldiers were trying to get closer to her, Vileena backed away. But to everyone's amazement, her trigger finger never moved a bit. Although she is still trapped.

"Please look, You highness."

Ryucown turned around and pointed toward the flame-filled window.

"Look at these mindless Melphian, Garberan armies with overwhelming numbers, and our courageous soldiers. What does this represent, you highness should understand. Ignoring the cowardly Melphians, the Garberan army are also fallen into confusion. Correct, for no other reason than its soldiers could decide if they should follow me or not. They do not blindly follow the royal family, those who follow my path the true path to protect this country, this is what the Garberan people have concluded."

Ryucown continued, and his troops did the same.

"Princess, please understand us."

"This is the battle that will decide Garberan dignity, please understand us."

Vileena brought her sight to meet theirs, no one had a drop of hostility, only compassion. She could never bear any enmity or hatred against them, for everyone in their hearts love Garbera, and love the flower of Garbera, the princess Vileena.

"I DON'T WANT TO!"

The princess cried again, but for what reason? She knotted her brows, full of tears, with the gun still pointing at her head, and yelled like a child throwing a tantrum,

"I DON'T WANT TO! I DON'T WANT TO I DON'T WANT TO!"

"Vileena-sama!"

"This is what grandfather loved, and father nurtured Garbera!" Tears fell freely from her eyes, "Why, Why do such..."

"Stop uttering idiocy.."

As if called by a voice from the abyss, which made Ryucown and the princess look toward that direction. Ryucown threw a look from someone who totally forgot Obra, and coolly added "don't move," and pointed his sword at the Gladiator. But...

"That Sword, Return it to me."

"Return it to you? What are you talking about? This is..."

"Six years ago."

=== References and Translation Notes ===
<references/>

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in. -- JP: ローグ・サイアン 'Logue/Rogue/Roeg (whatever looks best) Saian'.

如果非要被古老的体制所束缚，以至于无法实现理想的话--This seem to say "If we are bound by our old ways, we would never achieve our dreams" ?

<noinclude>
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|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-31T19:32:35Z

ArchmageXin: /* Part 2 */

{{Incomplete|percentage=33}}

== Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom ==
=== Part 1 ===
“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general with full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?” 

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Saian could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, and personally let his troops on the frontlines. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volley after volley were released.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, dove past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the Skyship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers marched on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel fleet, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches shortsword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward; with all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Orba's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There was no way to change the outcome then. Orba managed to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these areas he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this was his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this meant the vengeance his heart beat for would die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Mephian, I would have loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepared to dismember his foe....

"Stop!!"

Vileena's scream rang clearly within the Great Hall. Ryucown did not pay attention.

"Stop now!!"

Feeling the second scream had the feeling of life and death, the rebel general glanced at her direction. Only to see the princess pointing her gun at his direction. The soldier behind her had a defeated look, so she must stole the gun from him. Ryucown couldn't help but smile.

"What are you going to do now? Open fire? On me?"

"No"

Princess Vileena shook her head.

Her face bloomed into a lovely smile. Everyone wandered what she is thinking, only to see her...

"I am going to shoot myself."

Pointing it toward her own solar plexus. Ryucown frowned, and the soldiers shook.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have the guts to tell your loyal troops those heart felt words you said earlier? As a heroic knight, to deliver a blow (against?) ones own belief. All your thoughts, do you wish to have them to bear it as well?"

Vibrant light returned to those pair of eyes that once held despair, even if she held a gun to her head.

Ryucown became silent. The princess is betting her life, which brought him this problem. As the 14 years old speculated, the rebel could not allow her to die in front of his troops. To return Garbera to its knightly ideals are the hope of every soldier there, but princess Vileena's noble blood formed the foundation of that claim. If they lost her as a symbol, his support will collapse. For someone like him, who is willing to do everything to change his country, in certain point of view, this is a innovative situation that can be taken advantage of, in other ways, her death could be the beginning to the end.

As Vileena and Ryucown began their silent battle, a certain defeated foe squatted aside,desperately trying to calm his breathe. But by no means Orba has accepted his death.

From the inside of his mask, stared at the blade that defeated his earlier attack.

"That is..."

On the body of the blade there were several engraved letters, he cannot make a mistake, they were

"O,R,B,A"

It is non other than his name. Orba's heart steadied and slowly returned to his normal rhythm.

===Part 2===

"Princess."

"Princess, please put down the gun!"

The soldiers screamed, while Princess Vileena's eyes met Ryucown's. Perhaps due to determination, there is no trace of emotion on her snow-white face.

"Princess, You really have a temperament meant for a military commander," Ryucown took a short sigh, "if...If I decide to say what is in my mind in front of the crowd, what are you going to do? If we stick to the old ways, we would never reach the future. Even if the battle before us become a defeat, the results will be the same. Don't you think it would be best for us to challenge our fate?"

"Then speak quickly. I am already prepared."

"Princess!"

"Don't come any closer!"

As she notice the soldiers were trying to get closer to her, Vileena backed away. But to everyone's amazement, her trigger finger never moved a bit. Although she is still trapped.

"Please look, You highness."

Ryucown turned around and pointed toward the flame-filled window.

"Look at these mindless Melphian, Garberan armies with overwhelming numbers, and our courageous soldiers. What does this represent, you highness should understand. Ignoring the cowardly Melphians, the Garberan army are also fallen into confusion. Correct, for no other reason than its soldiers could decide if they should follow me or not. They do not blindly follow the royal family, those who follow my path the true path to protect this country, this is what the Garberan people have concluded."

Ryucown continued, and his troops did the same.

"Princess, please understand us."

"This is the battle that will decide Garberan dignity, please understand us."

Vileena brought her sight to meet theirs, no one had a drop of hostility, only compassion. She could never bear any enmity or hatred against them, for everyone in their hearts love Garbera, and love the flower of Garbera, the princess Vileena.

"I DONT WANT TO!"

=== References and Translation Notes ===
<references/>

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in. -- JP: ローグ・サイアン 'Logue/Rogue/Roeg (whatever looks best) Saian'.

如果非要被古老的体制所束缚，以至于无法实现理想的话--This seem to say "If we are bound by our old ways, we would never achieve our dreams" ?

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-31T19:16:40Z

ArchmageXin: /* Part 2 */

{{Incomplete|percentage=33}}

== Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom ==
=== Part 1 ===
“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general with full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?” 

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Saian could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, and personally let his troops on the frontlines. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volley after volley were released.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, dove past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the Skyship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers marched on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel fleet, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches shortsword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward; with all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Orba's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There was no way to change the outcome then. Orba managed to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these areas he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this was his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this meant the vengeance his heart beat for would die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Mephian, I would have loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepared to dismember his foe....

"Stop!!"

Vileena's scream rang clearly within the Great Hall. Ryucown did not pay attention.

"Stop now!!"

Feeling the second scream had the feeling of life and death, the rebel general glanced at her direction. Only to see the princess pointing her gun at his direction. The soldier behind her had a defeated look, so she must stole the gun from him. Ryucown couldn't help but smile.

"What are you going to do now? Open fire? On me?"

"No"

Princess Vileena shook her head.

Her face bloomed into a lovely smile. Everyone wandered what she is thinking, only to see her...

"I am going to shoot myself."

Pointing it toward her own solar plexus. Ryucown frowned, and the soldiers shook.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have the guts to tell your loyal troops those heart felt words you said earlier? As a heroic knight, to deliver a blow (against?) ones own belief. All your thoughts, do you wish to have them to bear it as well?"

Vibrant light returned to those pair of eyes that once held despair, even if she held a gun to her head.

Ryucown became silent. The princess is betting her life, which brought him this problem. As the 14 years old speculated, the rebel could not allow her to die in front of his troops. To return Garbera to its knightly ideals are the hope of every soldier there, but princess Vileena's noble blood formed the foundation of that claim. If they lost her as a symbol, his support will collapse. For someone like him, who is willing to do everything to change his country, in certain point of view, this is a innovative situation that can be taken advantage of, in other ways, her death could be the beginning to the end.

As Vileena and Ryucown began their silent battle, a certain defeated foe squatted aside,desperately trying to calm his breathe. But by no means Orba has accepted his death.

From the inside of his mask, stared at the blade that defeated his earlier attack.

"That is..."

On the body of the blade there were several engraved letters, he cannot make a mistake, they were

"O,R,B,A"

It is non other than his name. Orba's heart steadied and slowly returned to his normal rhythm.

===Part 2===

"Princess."

"Princess, please put down the gun!"

The soldiers screamed, while Princess Vileena's eyes met Ryucown's. Perhaps due to determination, there is no trace of emotion on her snow-white face.

"Princess, You really have a temperament meant for a military commander," Ryucown took a short sigh, "if...If I decide to say what is in my mind in front of the crowd, what are you going to do? If we stick to the old ways, we would never reach the future. Even if the battle before us become a defeat, the results will be the same. Don't you think it would be best for us to challenge our fate?"

"Then speak quickly. I am already prepared."

"Princess!"

"Don't come any closer!"

As she notice the soldiers were trying to get closer to her, Vileena backed away. But to everyone's amazement, her trigger finger never moved a bit. Although she is still trapped.

"Please look, You highness."

Ryucown turned around and pointed toward the flame-filled window.

=== References and Translation Notes ===
<references/>

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in. -- JP: ローグ・サイアン 'Logue/Rogue/Roeg (whatever looks best) Saian'.

如果非要被古老的体制所束缚，以至于无法实现理想的话--This seem to say "If we are bound by our old ways, we would never achieve our dreams" ?

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-31T03:03:26Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=33}}

== Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom ==
=== Part 1 ===
“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general with full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?” 

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Saian could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, and personally let his troops on the frontlines. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volley after volley were released.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, dove past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the Skyship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers marched on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel fleet, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches shortsword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward; with all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Orba's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There was no way to change the outcome then. Orba managed to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these areas he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this was his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this meant the vengeance his heart beat for would die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Mephian, I would have loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepared to dismember his foe....

"Stop!!"

Vileena's scream rang clearly within the Great Hall. Ryucown did not pay attention.

"Stop now!!"

Feeling the second scream had the feeling of life and death, the rebel general glanced at her direction. Only to see the princess pointing her gun at his direction. The soldier behind her had a defeated look, so she must stole the gun from him. Ryucown couldn't help but smile.

"What are you going to do now? Open fire? On me?"

"No"

Princess Vileena shook her head.

Her face bloomed into a lovely smile. Everyone wandered what she is thinking, only to see her...

"I am going to shoot myself."

Pointing it toward her own solar plexus. Ryucown frowned, and the soldiers shook.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have the guts to tell your loyal troops those heart felt words you said earlier? As a heroic knight, to deliver a blow (against?) ones own belief. All your thoughts, do you wish to have them to bear it as well?"

Vibrant light returned to those pair of eyes that once held despair, even if she held a gun to her head.

Ryucown became silent. The princess is betting her life, which brought him this problem. As the 14 years old speculated, the rebel could not allow her to die in front of his troops. To return Garbera to its knightly ideals are the hope of every soldier there, but princess Vileena's noble blood formed the foundation of that claim. If they lost her as a symbol, his support will collapse. For someone like him, who is willing to do everything to change his country, in certain point of view, this is a innovative situation that can be taken advantage of, in other ways, her death could be the beginning to the end.

As Vileena and Ryucown began their silent battle, a certain defeated foe squatted aside,desperately trying to calm his breathe. But by no means Orba has accepted his death.

From the inside of his mask, stared at the blade that defeated his earlier attack.

"That is..."

On the body of the blade there were several engraved letters, he cannot make a mistake, they were

"O,R,B,A"

It is non other than his name. Orba's heart steadied and slowly returned to his normal rhythm.

===Part 2===

"Princess."

"Princess, please put down the gun!"

The soldiers screamed, while Princess Vileena's eyes met Ryucown's. Perhaps due to determination, there is no trace of emotion on her snow-white face.

"Princess, You really too have temperament meant for a military commander," Ryucown took a short sigh, "if...If I decide to say what is in my mind in front of the crowd, what are you going to do? 如果非要被古老的体制所束缚，以至于无法实现理想的话。Even if the battle before us become a crisis, the results will be the same. Don't you think it would be best for us to challenge our fate?"

"Then speak quickly. I am already prepared."

"Princess!"

"Don't come any closer!"

As she notice the soldiers were trying to get closer to her, Vileena backed away. But to everyone's amazement, her trigger finger never moved a bit. Although she is still trapped.

"Please look, You highness."

Ryucown turned around and pointed toward the war-fire filled window.

=== References and Translation Notes ===
<references/>

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in. -- JP: ローグ・サイアン 'Logue/Rogue/Roeg (whatever looks best) Saian'.

如果非要被古老的体制所束缚，以至于无法实现理想的话--This seem to say "If we are bound by our old ways, we would never achieve our dreams" ?

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-31T03:01:30Z

ArchmageXin: /* Part 2 */

{{Incomplete|percentage=33}}

== Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom ==
=== Part 1 ===
“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general with full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?” 

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Saian could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, and personally let his troops on the frontlines. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volley after volley were released.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, dove past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the Skyship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers marched on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel fleet, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches shortsword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward; with all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Orba's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There was no way to change the outcome then. Orba managed to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these areas he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this was his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this meant the vengeance his heart beat for would die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Mephian, I would have loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepared to dismember his foe....

"Stop!!"

Vileena's scream rang clearly within the Great Hall. Ryucown did not pay attention.

"Stop now!!"

Feeling the second scream had the feeling of life and death, the rebel general glanced at her direction. Only to see the princess pointing her gun at his direction. The soldier behind her had a defeated look, so she must stole the gun from him. Ryucown couldn't help but smile.

"What are you going to do now? Open fire? On me?"

"No"

Princess Vileena shook her head.

Her face bloomed into a lovely smile. Everyone wandered what she is thinking, only to see her...

"I am going to shoot myself."

Pointing it toward her own solar plexus. Ryucown frowned, and the soldiers shook.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have the guts to tell your loyal troops those heart felt words you said earlier? As a heroic knight, to deliver a blow (against?) ones own belief. All your thoughts, do you wish to have them to bear it as well?"

Vibrant light returned to those pair of eyes that once held despair, even if she held a gun to her head.

Ryucown became silent. The princess is betting her life, which brought him this problem. As the 14 years old speculated, the rebel could not allow her to die in front of his troops. To return Garbera to its knightly ideals are the hope of every soldier there, but princess Vileena's noble blood formed the foundation of that claim. If they lost her as a symbol, his support will collapse. For someone like him, who is willing to do everything to change his country, in certain point of view, this is a innovative situation that can be taken advantage of, in other ways, her death could be the beginning to the end.

As Vileena and Ryucown began their silent battle, a certain defeated foe squatted aside,desperately trying to calm his breathe. But by no means Orba has accepted his death.

From the inside of his mask, stared at the blade that defeated his earlier attack.

"That is..."

On the body of the blade there were several engraved letters, he cannot make a mistake, they were

"O,R,B,A"

It is non other than his name. Orba's heart steadied and slowly returned to his normal rhythm.

===Part 2===

"Princess."

"Princess, please put down the gun!"

The soldiers screamed, while Princess Vileena's eyes met Ryucown's. Perhaps due to determination, there is no trace of emotion on her snow-white face.

"Princess, You really too have temperament meant for a military commander," Ryucown took a short sigh, "if...If I decide to say what is in my mind in front of the crowd, what are you going to do? 如果非要被古老的体制所束缚，以至于无法实现理想的话。Even if the battle before us become a crisis, the results will be the same. Don't you think it would be best for us to challenge our fate?"

"Then speak quickly. I am already prepared."

"Princess!"

"Don't come any closer!"

As she notice the soldiers were trying to get closer to her, Vileena backed away. But to everyone's amazement, her trigger finger never moved a bit. Although she is still trapped.

"Please look, You highness."

Ryucown turned around and pointed toward the war-fire filled window.

=== References and Translation Notes ===
<references/>

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in. -- JP: ローグ・サイアン 'Logue/Rogue/Roeg (whatever looks best) Saian'.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-28T18:07:35Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=33}}

== Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom ==
=== Part 1 ===
“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general with full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?” 

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Saian could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, and personally let his troops on the frontlines. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volley after volley were released.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, dove past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the Skyship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers marched on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel fleet, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches shortsword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward; with all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Orba's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There was no way to change the outcome then. Orba managed to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these areas he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this was his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this meant the vengeance his heart beat for would die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Mephian, I would have loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepared to dismember his foe....

"Stop!!"

Vileena's scream rang clearly within the Great Hall. Ryucown did not pay attention.

"Stop now!!"

Feeling the second scream had the feeling of life and death, the rebel general glanced at her direction. Only to see the princess pointing her gun at his direction. The soldier behind her had a defeated look, so she must stole the gun from him. Ryucown couldn't help but smile.

"What are you going to do now? Open fire? On me?"

"No"

Princess Vileena shook her head.

Her face bloomed into a lovely smile. Everyone wandered what she is thinking, only to see her...

"I am going to shoot myself."

Pointing it toward her own solar plexus. Ryucown frowned, and the soldiers shook.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have the guts to tell your loyal troops those heart felt words you said earlier? As a heroic knight, to deliver a blow (against?) ones own belief. All your thoughts, do you wish to have them to bear it as well?"

Vibrant light returned to those pair of eyes that once held despair, even if she held a gun to her head.

Ryucown became silent. The princess is betting her life, which brought him this problem. As the 14 years old speculated, the rebel could not allow her to die in front of his troops. To return Garbera to its knightly ideals are the hope of every soldier there, but princess Vileena's noble blood formed the foundation of that claim. If they lost her as a symbol, his support will collapse. For someone like him, who is willing to do everything to change his country, in certain point of view, this is a innovative situation that can be taken advantage of, in other ways, her death could be the beginning to the end.

As Vileena and Ryucown began their silent battle, a certain defeated foe squatted aside,desperately trying to calm his breathe. But by no means Orba has accepted his death.

From the inside of his mask, stared at the blade that defeated his earlier attack.

"That is..."

On the body of the blade there were several engraved letters, he cannot make a mistake, they were

"O,R,B,A"

It is non other than his name. Orba's heart steadied and slowly returned to his normal rhythm.

2.

"PRINCESS!"

"Princess, please put down the gun!"

The soldiers screamed, while Princess Vileena's eyes met Ryucown's. Perhaps due to determination, there is no trace of emotion on her snow-white face.

"Princess, You really too have temperament meant for a military commander," Ryucown sighed, "if...If

=== References and Translation Notes ===
<references/>

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in. -- JP: ローグ・サイアン 'Logue/Rogue/Roeg (whatever looks best) Saian'.

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:The Little Fugitive

2013-07-28T17:54:13Z

ArchmageXin: /* Part 1 */ It is not founding of the name, is Founder's day fest. And I also decided to re-word the sentence to make sure it reference to Melpuis.

{{Incomplete|parts=2/14}}
==The Little Fugitive==

=== Part 1 ===

“Your Highness Gil.”

As the sound of shouting receded, standing there was a young man with a lean face——no, calling it juvenile would be more appropriate.

His name is Orba.

Born in a certain nameless village. But several months prior, he was still just a famous gladiator, being a slave and risking his life in a fight to entertain the guests.

Even so, being called ‘Gil’; another person name, he turned his head around. Located at the Solon Palace in the imperial capital of Mephius.

Originally, with Orba’s status let alone treading foot into this place, even approaching the gate is impossible.

Gil Mephius——the only son of Emperor Guhl of Mephius, the crown prince next in line of the throne. Orba though a slave, but due to a twist of fate, he possessed the same identical look as the crown prince. But several months before, under the command of a noble, he became a substitute for Prince Gil to live in the palace.

On the surface a standin for the prince, but in reality, he was secretly concocting a plan to usurp all the power from the nobles. Besides, Orba had his own thoughts, but was set aside for the time being.

On the other hand, a person with flickering golden hair came running over, calling Orba with the name ‘Gil Mephius’, is a girl named Vileena Owell. Fourteen of age. She came from the neighbouring country Garbera to Mephius some months ago. To become the crown prince Gil’s wife.

Mephius had been in war with Gabera for tens of years. Owing to their mutual feeling of loathing the war, a truce and an alliance was formed as a consequence, by the marriage of these two young people.

But today——after having breakfast in his respective seat.

After giving his regards to the royal family who attended the engagement party, hastily fled to the palace’s corridor.

After all, the current schedule was tight. Two weeks later, he needed to led an army out of the capital, and quickly reache Apta Fortress at the west of Mephius. To suppress the uprising force in the west——Ackles Bazgan. Arranging of the force, preparing the equipments, preparing for battle——the works kept piling up like a mountain.

His mind thinking various sort of things, having only walked into the corridor, Princess Vileena followed suit.

(Really)

Could it be I had done something lacking courtesy, Orba secretly grumbled in his mind. Looking back, until several months ago, he was just a mere slave. Unaccustomed to the royal family’s etiquette, and practices. Quietly endured in his heart, as he prepared to receive the scolding of the fourteen year old girl. In other words, this is how their relationship is.

“About her royal highness Flora, did you hear about it?”

“Flora?”

Hearing this unexpected name, Orba crooked his head.

Flora is the late queen’s daughter, a sister who has no blood relationships with Gil whatsoever. Her age, from his memory it should be eleven, or twelve years old. An introvert person, aside from the social niceties, Orba himself haven’t seen her speak even once. She should also be present at the meal a moment ago, but when he racked his brain he couldn’t recall it no matter what, she gave people the impression of a frail girl.

Inquiring about Flora, this princess of a neighboring country is becoming more and more hard to understand.

“During the founder's day festival, as a congratulatory gift, Melphius received a Schiapa kitten. Those who were close with her highness Flora saw that she wanted this, setting their minds, they stealthily sent people out to make various preparations. In short her highness Flora became very happy.

“cat”

Speaking of Solon, this is a rarely seen creature, moreover a Schiapa cat, he had heard that it is of the western side of the continent’s breed, raising it requires a lot of manpower.

“Just for a while, setting it to play in the Princess Flora’s courtyard, having lost attention of it for a split second, it had fled.”

“oh”

“Due to losing it, Princess Flora who was once cheerful became an introvert person. Your highness must have seen it a moment ago. She barely ate any food. If this goes on, she will collapse one of these days.”

“I see.”

It seems like she didn’t come to lecture him, hearing Orba this just one sentence, however,

“This is your sister. What do you mean by ‘I see’!”

Vileena narrowed the corner of her eyes.

(Crap)

Orba realized that, this he had done wrong. This princess, is totally unlike her cute and petite appearance, in case she recognized someone as the [enemy], she would relentlessly press on the matter. This also applied to if he were to use a sword or gun.

Orba could not help but feel that, he had fallen into the enemy’s trap.

“I am sure lots of people have been sent to search for it in the palace already, it would be found sooner or later, please rest assured princess.”

“I am not talking about this. I having recently arrived from another country, have no right to say in your internal affairs, but that person——her highness Flora appears to be lonely.)

Vileena withdraw her attack temporarily, trying to convey something through her eyes.

This problem doesn’t just involve the cat, Orba felt so. Like Vileena, being in his country recently, until not a long time ago, Mephius and the princess’ country were old nemesis, being through countless blood bath and slaughter.

Vileena felt her loneliness overlapped with Flora’s circumstance. Therefore she wished he, who is her elder brother to comfort her, wanting to be able to care about Flora.

But,

(Though the relationship between Gil and Ineri Mephius is good, according to the chamberlain, almost nobody saw him have a conversation with Flora.)

The relationships between Gil and those close to him, this Orba had been told beforehand. That is to say, to not let the others suspect——to not let them know Gil had been swapped with a sword slave——this is required.

Originally viewed by others as [the idiot]; that is Prince Gil, due to the recent heroic deeds, he had received admiration from everyone, but because the change was too abrupt, he was met with a lot of skepticism.

At present he needed to pose as Prince Gil, there was a thought like this in Orba’s mind.

“So what.” Using a somewhat impatient tone to answer. “As long as we find the cat, Flora would naturally liven up. No big deal. Ah right, compared to this matter, princess, have you prepared for the marching to Apta fortress. I am currently thinking of a way——”

“Right, your highness is busied with royal affairs. I am fully aware of this, still I bothered you with such trivial matters, I am extremely sorry!”

(Yawn)

Orba inwardly soliloquized to himself. As Vileena bowed her head down differentially, in her eyes raging flame was smoldering inside.

(Why is woman such a creature.)

In the afternoon of the same day, the sun had set about an hour ago, Orba walked out of his room at the center of the palace.

Coincidentally, his right hand was still wrapped in bandages, that is due to the war not long ago, he suffered damage to his collarbone cracking it open.

(This must be what everyone felt, your problems are of top priority.)

Vileena’s worries were irrelevant, Orba originally hold a not so good impression of the aristocrats. Ignoring the good impression part, up until now, somewhere in the depth of his heart he got the urge to behead those Mephius nobles with his own sword out of deep hatred.

Orba’s family, and those he knows in his home village, all were snatched away by the Mephian army. There is only sole reason for him to continue endure this harsh life as the prince’s substitute, that is to take hold of the power and enact his revenge.

(The kitten missing? Don’t feel like eating anything, so you want me to find a solution for it?)

This is pure nonsense. If you don’t want to eat then don’t eat. Sooner or later you will get hungry, when the time comes would she spare time for the kitten.

“Oh, your highness, you seem to be in a bad mood.”

His close bodyguard Shique laughed.

He was a renowned sword slave of this era. He also understood the whole circumstances about Orba posing as the crown prince of Mephius. That’s why he deliberately called Orba [Your highness] since there are people nearby in the vicinity.

The two inspected the guard training while preparing the troops.

“What happened?”

“Nothing.”

“Just a little quarrel with the princess.”

“Nothing at all.”

Possessing a keen intuition. As Orba thought about turning his head around, he was met with two hands forcefully pressing against his cheeks.

“Well well, don’t make that kind of face, the soldiers will get all worried. Smile a bit.”

“Come on, let go.”

Despite Shique lean appearance, he was originally a gladiator, his hand strength was considerably strong.

“Hahaha, your highness is acting all shy.”

“You, please give me a break——.”

“Look, here we go again.” Shique’s face suddenly drew in closer, and whispered near his ear in a low voice. “You frequently let out your true nature. You need to keep calm on the battlefield, you are normally not good at controlling your emotions. It’s pretty severe when the situation involved you meeting the princess. You need to keep your nerves down, Orba. If not, it wouldn’t be surprising for you to get chopped down at the head from the back. After all, compared to the coliseum the place is more dangerous.”

Orba suddenly went silent.

Afterwards, using force to shake off Shique’s hand.

“Anyways, if you want to relax, you can come to my room anytime. I will hear you out.”

“That’s like jumping into a dragon’s lair.”

“You dare say that. But compared to these, oh, they have arrived.”

Shique pointed to the front——there at the corner of the training ground, is the resting place with roof attached, a couple of human’s shadows could be spotted.

Orba closed in, the people there saluted him respectfully. These people are the same as Shique, they were well renowned gladiator of the era, however they aren’t exactly alike, no acting here. In his time as a gladiator, Orba for some reason had worn a mask all the time, thus they didn’t know of Orba’s true appearance. They were convinced that the person in front of them, is the genuine crown prince of Mephius; Gil.

Gil is their benefactor. It was when Tarkas gladiator troupe was falsely accused of assassinating the crown prince, a little longer and they would be sentenced, not knowing whether it is from a sudden impulse or what, the crown prince unexpectedly to all of them——putting all of the gladiators under his line of command.

Originally due to Gil’s discrepancy as the crown prince, the people around him addressed him as an [idiot]. Completely ignoring his position as the next in line to the throne, fooling around, and paying no heed to either martial arts or learning.

Yet in the past few months, from the assigning of the guards, his talents began to sprout. Adding to that with the incident of Garbera’s General Ryucown uprising against Mephius, using only a few of his personal guards he suppressed the enemy. At the celebration of the founding of Mephius, Zadeh Cox’s plan of raising the flag of rebellion against the king was stopped beforehand. Now ignoring the title [idiot], Prince Gil was hailed throughout the country as Mephius’ new hero.

But his true identity, unexpectedly was the same as those affiliated with the Tarkas gladiator troupe, having already experienced the life of needing to stand in front of mass fighting in close quarter combat. Of course, the guards have no way of knowing it.

“Report it.”

Orba, with his eyes narrowed, said while looking at the group of men.

“By the way, I shan’t permit anymore [Nothing] situation like the previous time. It is I who decide whether there is something or not, my order is for you guys to gather information and report it to me.”

“Yes sir.”

Shique couldn’t help laughing up his sleeve, attentively watching his bowing companions.

Formerly a sword slave, now under the ranks of bodyguard, estimately sixty men in total. Apart from this there are plenty of volunteers, but Orba deliberately selected a few and stationed them outside the squad, having them deployed in the Imperial Capital Solon.

To gather intelligence.

They were given wages approximately on the same amount as normal guards and have them lived as normal residents. Needless to say why go through all these special circumstances. It is for the villagers not to suspect them and going out to work. Daily normal occurrences were reported to Orba——No, it is their job to report to Prince Gil.

They all know how to write, thus they need to file a written report once every five days. Of course, none of those make sense to Orba. A neighbor house’s mom getting pregnant although there are a lot of kids already, the vegetables price in the market rose, drunkards fighting today; those sort of things.

Orba loves learning, especially by means of reading books, to expose himself to the unknown world’s knowledge, system values. After the rebellion of Zadeh, Orba craved even more for fresh new knowledge.

“This is?”

Orba picked out a few piece of paper from the file, demanding the group of men to give a detailed explanation. However today Orba seemed to show some interest, it is about a complaint from some random guy in the tavern.

“Once a month, every time the workers at the mine near Solon received their payment, on that day they are bounded to visit this tavern. Last month also, so does this month, they were suddenly gone. The man grumbled about whether do they found a new tavern to their liking or not.”

“Um.”

Orba pretentiously nodded, not really paying attention to the report presented, rather than obtaining information from their fuzzy memories, it felt like you couldn’t grasp the details of the place. Orba firmly believed that this is sufficient enough for him to broaden his whole perspective.

“Well, this time is a bit so-so.”

Orba put down the reports in his hand as the group of men breathed out sigh of relieve.

“It must have troubled you guys. If there is anything you want, I could arrange it for you.”

While they are turning their back to leave.

“Wait a moment.”

Orba loudly shouted for them to stop. The men once again appeared to be trembling with fear, believing that something is going to happen.

However Gil Mephius was silent for a long time.

“Your Highness?”

Shique inquired.

“The cat.”

“Cat?”

“You guys......do you know about cats? Especially the Schiapa cat, the type rarely seen in Solon.”

“Ha......”
“I hope you guys would lend me a hand in finding the cat. Pristine white fur, heterochromatic eyes. Do you understand, one gold and one silver. The tail is tied with a bow, but I don’t know whether it is still there or not. The name is Nair, still it is unknown that will it respond to the name.”

Orba quickly explained the details.

After the clueless group of men left, Orba stood up, and spoke to Shique who wanted to say something earlier.

“Gowen is looking for you. He wants to talk about those sword slaves that applied for a position after the rebellion.”
“Hur.”

“Really, there are a lot of things that need done.”

“True.” Shique replied while trying his best to reel in the smile, to the extent that the corner of his eyes twitched.

“Really, Your Highness sure is busy.”

=== Part 2 ===

Rakuin no Monshou

2013-07-26T18:02:24Z

ArchmageXin: /* Volume 1: The Dragon Roars at the Star of Twilight */

[[File:Rakuin no Monshou v01 cover.jpg|thumb|300px|The cover art of volume 1]]
Rakuin no Monshou (烙印の紋章), "Emblem of the Branded", is a light novel series written by Tomonori Sugihara (杉原智則) and illustrated by 3. The series is published by ASCII Media Works under the Dengeki Bunko label and is completed with 12 volumes.

==Story Synopsis==
The countries of Mephius and Garbera have been waging a war for ten years and are trying to put an end to this long fight through a political marriage between the two royal families. Orba, who was driven from his home because of the war and was forced to become a gladiator, looks exactly like the crown prince of Mephius, and it has been decided he will be substituting him during the wedding ceremony. On the other hand, Vileena, the princess of Garbera, has secretly decided to ensnare the crown prince for her own country’s interests.

=== Other Information Sources ===

Warning: This may contain spoilers.
[http://www.baka-tsuki.org/blog/?p=373 BT Blog]

==Translation==

=== [[Rakuin no Monshou:Registration Page|Registration]] ===
Translators are asked to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Registration Page|register]] for chapters they want to work on.

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Rakuin no Monshou:Guidelines|Project-Specific Guidelines: Format, Names, and Terminology]]

=== Feedback ===
If you enjoyed the translation, why don't you tell us in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5101&p=173234#p173234 Feedback Thread]

== Updates ==
* Jun 28, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 4 completed
* Apr 24, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 3 completed
* Mar 14, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 2 completed
* Feb 12, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 1 completed
* Jan 24, 2013 - Volume 1 Prologue completed
* Jan 24, 2013 - Initiated as Teaser Project

==Rakuin no Monshou==

===Volume 1: The Dragon Roars at the Star of Twilight===
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Prologue|Prologue]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Iron and Blood]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Two Boys]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3: A New Mask]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4: At Seirin Valley]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Princess Vileena]] (23%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6:]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter7|Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom]] (33%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Epilogue|Epilogue]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]] (0%)

===Volume 2: The Dragon Advances on the Capital of Intrigue===
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Endless Battle]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter7|Chapter 7]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Afterword|Afterword]]

===Volume 3===
===Volume 4===
===Volume 5===
===Volume 6===
===Volume 7===
===Volume 8===
===Volume 9===
===Volume 10===
===Volume 11-1===
===Volume 11-2===

==Project Staff==
* Project Administrator:
* Project Supervisor: [[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

==== Translators ====
:*[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]
:*[[user:ArchmageXin|ArchmageXin]]
:*[[User:Detalz|Detalz]]

==== Editors ====

Editors are requested to seek permission from respective translators/ project supervisor before enrolling.

:*[[user:Tasear|Tasear]]
:*[[User:Kiydon|Kiydon]]
:*[[user:Shirofune|Shirofune]]
:*[[user:Detalz|Detalz]]

==Series Overview==
烙印の紋章たそがれの星に竜は吠える (10-05-2008, ISBN 978-4-04-867063-0) 
烙印の紋章II 陰謀の都を竜は駆ける (10-11-2008,ISBN 978-4-04-867347-1) 
烙印の紋章III 竜の翼に天は翳ろう (10-04-2009,ISBN 978-40-4-867767-7) 
烙印の紋章IV 竜よ、復讐の爪牙を振るえ (10-08-2009,ISBN 978-40-4-867942-8) 
烙印の紋章V そして竜は荒野に降り立つ (10-03-2010,ISBN 978-40-4-868398-2) 
烙印の紋章VI いにしえの宮に竜はめざめる (10-07-2010,ISBN 978-40-4-868653-2) 
烙印の紋章 VII　愚者たちの挽歌よ、竜に届け (10-12-2010,ISBN 978-4-04-870135-8) 
烙印の紋章 VIII　竜は獅子を喰らいて転生す (10-04-2011,ISBN 978-4-04-870424-3) 
烙印の紋章 IX 征野に竜の慟哭吹きすさぶ (10-09-2011,ISBN 978-4-04-870808-1) 
烙印の紋章 X 竜の雌伏を風は嘆いて (07-01-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886248-6) 
烙印の紋章 XI あかつきの空を竜は翔ける（上） (08-06-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886248-6) 
烙印の紋章 XI あかつきの空を竜は翔ける（下） (10-10-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886983-6) 

[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-26T18:02:10Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=33}}

== Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom ==
=== Part 1 ===
“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general with full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?” 

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Saian could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, and personally let his troops on the frontlines. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volley after volley were released.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, dove past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the Skyship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers marched on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel fleet, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches shortsword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward; with all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Orba's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There was no way to change the outcome then. Orba managed to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these areas he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this was his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this meant the vengeance his heart beat for would die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Mephian, I would have loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepared to dismember his foe....

"STOP!"

Vileena's scream rang clearly within the Great Hall. Ryucown did not pay attention.

"STOP NOW!"

Feeling the second scream had the feeling of life and death, the rebel general glanced at her direction. Only to see the princess pointing her gun at his direction. The soldier behind her had a defeated look, so she must stole the gun from him. Ryucown couldn't help but smile.

"What are you going to do now? Open fire? On me?"

"No"

Princess Vileena shook her head.

Her face bloomed into a lovely smile. Everyone wandered what she is thinking, only to see her...

"I am going to shoot myself."

Pointing it toward her own solar plexus. Ryucown frowned, and the soldiers shook.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have the guts to tell your loyal troops those heart felt words you said earlier? As a heroic knight, to deliver a blow (against?) ones own belief. All your thoughts, do you wish to have them to bear it as well?"

Vibrant light returned to those pair of eyes that once held despair, even if she held a gun to her head.

Ryucown became silent. The princess is betting her life, which brought him this problem. As the 14 years old speculated, the rebel could not allow her to die in front of his troops. To return Garbera to its knightly ideals are the hope of every soldier there, but princess Vileena's noble blood formed the foundation of that claim. If they lost her as a symbol, his support will collapse. For someone like him, who is willing to do everything to change his country, in certain point of view, this is a innovative situation that can be taken advantage of, in other ways, her death could be the beginning to the end.

As Vileena and Ryucown began their silent battle, a certain defeated foe squatted aside,desperately trying to calm his breathe. But by no means Orba has accepted his death.

From the inside of his mask, stared at the blade that defeated his earlier attack.

"That is..."

On the body of the blade there were several engraved letters, he cannot make a mistake, they were

"O,R,B,A"

It is no other than his name. Orba's heart steadied and slowly returned to his normal rhythm.

=== References and Translation Notes ===
<references/>

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in. -- JP: ローグ・サイアン 'Logue/Rogue/Roeg (whatever looks best) Saian'.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-26T18:01:45Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=15}}

== Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom ==
=== Part 1 ===
“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general with full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?” 

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Saian could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, and personally let his troops on the frontlines. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volley after volley were released.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, dove past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the Skyship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers marched on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel fleet, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches shortsword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward; with all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Orba's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There was no way to change the outcome then. Orba managed to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these areas he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this was his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this meant the vengeance his heart beat for would die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Mephian, I would have loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepared to dismember his foe....

"STOP!"

Vileena's scream rang clearly within the Great Hall. Ryucown did not pay attention.

"STOP NOW!"

Feeling the second scream had the feeling of life and death, the rebel general glanced at her direction. Only to see the princess pointing her gun at his direction. The soldier behind her had a defeated look, so she must stole the gun from him. Ryucown couldn't help but smile.

"What are you going to do now? Open fire? On me?"

"No"

Princess Vileena shook her head.

Her face bloomed into a lovely smile. Everyone wandered what she is thinking, only to see her...

"I am going to shoot myself."

Pointing it toward her own solar plexus. Ryucown frowned, and the soldiers shook.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have the guts to tell your loyal troops those heart felt words you said earlier? As a heroic knight, to deliver a blow (against?) ones own belief. All your thoughts, do you wish to have them to bear it as well?"

Vibrant light returned to those pair of eyes that once held despair, even if she held a gun to her head.

Ryucown became silent. The princess is betting her life, which brought him this problem. As the 14 years old speculated, the rebel could not allow her to die in front of his troops. To return Garbera to its knightly ideals are the hope of every soldier there, but princess Vileena's noble blood formed the foundation of that claim. If they lost her as a symbol, his support will collapse. For someone like him, who is willing to do everything to change his country, in certain point of view, this is a innovative situation that can be taken advantage of, in other ways, her death could be the beginning to the end.

As Vileena and Ryucown began their silent battle, a certain defeated foe squatted aside,desperately trying to calm his breathe. But by no means Orba has accepted his death.

From the inside of his mask, stared at the blade that defeated his earlier attack.

"That is..."

On the body of the blade there were several engraved letters, he cannot make a mistake, they were

"O,R,B,A"

It is no other than his name. Orba's heart steadied and slowly returned to his normal rhythm.

=== References and Translation Notes ===
<references/>

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in. -- JP: ローグ・サイアン 'Logue/Rogue/Roeg (whatever looks best) Saian'.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-26T17:23:58Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=15}}

== Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom ==
=== Part 1 ===
“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general with full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?” 

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Saian could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, and personally let his troops on the frontlines. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volley after volley were released.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, dove past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the Skyship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers marched on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel fleet, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches shortsword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward; with all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Orba's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There was no way to change the outcome then. Orba managed to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these areas he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this was his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this meant the vengeance his heart beat for would die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Mephian, I would have loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepared to dismember his foe....

"STOP!"

Vileena's scream rang clearly within the Great Hall. Ryucown did not pay attention.

"STOP NOW!"

Feeling the second scream had the feeling of life and death, the rebel general glanced at her direction. Only to see the princess pointing her gun at his direction. The soldier behind her had a defeated look, so she must stole the gun from him. Ryucown couldn't help but smile.

"What are you going to do now? Open fire? On me?"

"No"

Princess Vileena shook her head.

Her face bloomed into a lovely smile. Everyone wandered what she is thinking, only to see her...

"I am going to shoot myself."

Pointing it toward her own solar plexus. Ryucown frowned, and the soldiers shook.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have the guts to tell your loyal troops those heart felt words you said earlier? As a heroic knight, to deliver a blow (against?) ones own belief. All your thoughts, do you wish to have them to bear it as well?"

Vibrant light returned to those pair of eyes that once held despair, even if she held a gun to her head.

Ryucown

=== References and Translation Notes ===
<references/>

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in. -- JP: ローグ・サイアン 'Logue/Rogue/Roeg (whatever looks best) Saian'.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-24T20:58:11Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=15}}

“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general with full speed, wielding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?” 

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Every member of this group was an elite fighter, handpicked for the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his axe left and right, crushing foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-stepped the blow, then brought his sword down in a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steadying his center of gravity. He then immediately used the rebound effect, the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back , to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

“Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous.”

“Who knows.” Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Orba launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Orba spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge was Princess Vileena. He believed there were traitors within the Garberan camp; and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (the Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Orba launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Orba and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan to be a success, and even escorted them into the Fortress.

Orba's heart brimmed with excitement, he was becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything was moving according to his plan, and now he was facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

''Dammit'',

4th strike, 5th strike; the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills far exceeded Orba's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appeared to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes came from left and right with daring aggression, he never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat began to roll off Orba's back. Since he could not waste time there. The longer this lasted, more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it was difficult for a newbie like Orba to predict how long that would take.

What he can do then, was to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he could do was strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfolded. Of course she could not recognize that the Mephian Prince and the masked duelist were the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Orba's techniques from the very start. The skills were there, nor was his strength lacking, but within his technique there was a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there was a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This was because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Orba fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face just by an inch. When Orba's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, he lifted up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

“Ugh.”

Orba suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Orba could not bring his body back into position, so all he could do was block. And within a few seconds it was all but a checkmate.

“Your infiltration plan is amazing.” While his face was covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe.

“But in order to achieve victory, If you do not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are an amazing fighter, but the instant you were not able to finish me off, you already lost..”

Orba did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--wasn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceeded his own. Compared to Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly); some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged in the main hall. The gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

“Damn it.”

Gilliam groaned, and raised his axe again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent.

Knocking a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, “I don't want to say this, but it would have been great if Orba was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?”

“No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Orba. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here.”

Covered in blood of enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the gladiators around them; one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle was over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Orba, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing was aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Orba's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

“What.”

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Orba pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

''Got it!''

Orba collided with Ryucown (in confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield had turned into a every-man for himself fight. Mephius' and Ryucown's troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

“Fire! Fire!!”

The old General Rogue Saian could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, and personally let his troops on the frontlines. Aiming for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, volley after volley were released.

While the Mephian troops had superior resources and numbers, it was their enemy who currently possessed the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position was spotted by a patrolling Airship.

“Get down!”

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In an instant, ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, dove past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the Skyship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go; other gladiators saw it, swarmed the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers marched on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It looked like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched a devastating attack on the Mephian Army. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Mephian army, but inflicting ~20%-30% casualties should be sufficient. Because then Mephian Army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it was a perfect opportunity; for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Orba predicted. Thus Orba's plan was to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel fleet, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress.

Thus was the original plan--

According to Orba's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think his own predictions were realistic.

The enemy's morale was extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone would step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Mephius troops were not aware of their prince---although only a double--to be within the castle along with the princess.

''The Mephians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break''

Every second was precious, Gowen thought, as he selected a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots was the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-Ship began to converge toward his position.

“Retreat!!”

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen could do was to abandon the artillery support and flee quickly.

“Orba!”

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown quickly and for the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupted all over while shrapnel bounced off his armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squinted his eyes again.

Orba lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches shortsword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Orba still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, but unfortunately, Ryucown had already made a semi-circle and moved out of the range, and all he could do was fall forward. With all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade on his face.

''Lost''

Obra's body went cold as steel pricked his skin. There is no way to change the outcome now. Obra manage to outwit his foe, but regarding Ryucown's swordsmanship, as well as the Garberan maneuver, in these area he critically fell short.

For a veteran of countless battles, this is his first time tasting the fruit of defeat. And this means the vengeance his heart beat for will die abruptly without hope.

"Your bravery deserve praise. If you were not a Melphian, I would loved to fight on your side."

As Ryucown prepare to dismember his foe....

===Translator's Notes and References===

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in. -- JP: ローグ・サイアン 'Logue/Rogue/Roeg (whatever looks best) Saian'.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-23T18:52:08Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=15}}

“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general with full speed, holding a sword with both hands. 

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?” 

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Each members of this group is a elite fighter, handpicked with the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his ax left and right, crushed foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-step the blow, then brought his sword down with a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steady his center of gravity. He then immediately use the rebound effect, in the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back, to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

"Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous."

"Who knows." Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Obra launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Obra spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge　 is princess Vileena. He believed there are traitors within the Garberan camp, and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spies within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Obra launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Obra and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a Battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan was a success, even escorted them into the Fortress.

Obra's heart brimmed with excitement, he is becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything is moving according to his plan, and now he is facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

(Dammit),

4th strike, 5th strike, the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills were far exceed Obra's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appear to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes appear to come from left and right with daring aggression, his never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat begin to roll off Obra's back. Since he cannot waste time here. The longer this lasts, the more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it is difficult for a newbie like Obra to predict how long that would take.

What he can do now, is to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he can do is strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfold. Of course she could not recognize the Mephius prince and the masked duelist are the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Obra's techniques from the very start. The skills are there, nor is his strength lacking, but within his technique there is a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there is a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This is because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Obra fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face by a inch. When Obra's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, lift up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

"Ugh."

Obra suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Obra could not return his body back into position, so all he could do is block. And within a few seconds it was all but checkmate.

"Your infiltration plan is amazing." While his face is covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe. "But in order to achieve victory, If you did not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are a amazing fighter, but in the instant you could not finish me off, you are already lost."

Obra did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--isn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceed his own. Compared Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly), some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged on the main hall. The Gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

"Damn it."

Gilliam groaned, and raised his ax again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent, Knocked a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, "I don't want to say this, but it would been great if Obra was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?"

"No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Obra. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here."

Covered with blood from enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the Gladiators around them, one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, and fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle is over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Obra, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Obra's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

"What."

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Obra pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

(GOT IT!)

Obra collided with Ryucown (with confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield has turned into a every-man for himself fight. Melphius and Ryucown troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

"FIRE! FIRE!"

The old General Rogue Saian could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, and personally let his troops on the frontlines. Aimed for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, and released volley after volley.

While the Melphius troops has superior resources and numbers, it is their enemy who currently possess the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position were spotted by an patrolling Airship.

"GET DOWN!"

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In a instant, Ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, dove past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the Skyship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go, other Gladiators saw it, swarm the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers marched on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It look like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched an devastating attack on the Melphius Army. They don't need to completely anniliate the Melphius army, but inflict ~20% 30% causalities should be sufficient. Because then Melphius army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it is an perfect opportunity, for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Obra predicted. Thus Obra's plan is to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel fleet, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress. Thus was the original plan--

According to Obra's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think is own predictions were realistic.

the enemy's morale were extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone will step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Melphius troops were not aware their prince---although only a double--is within the castle along with the princess.

(The Melphians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break)

Every second is precious, Gowen thought,he select a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots is the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-ship began to converge toward his position.

"RETREAT!!!"

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen can do is to abandon the artillery piece and flee quickly.

"OBRA!"

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown off quickly and the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupt all over while shrapnel bounced off his (Gowen?) armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squint his eyes again.

Obra lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches shortsword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Obra still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, unfortunately, Ryucown already made a semi-circle and moved out the range, and all he could do is fall forward. With all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade in his face.

(Lost)

The feeling of steel pierced his skin, and all his organs went cold.

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in. -- JP: ローグ・サイアン 'Logue/Rogue/Roeg (whatever looks best) Saian'.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-23T16:59:58Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=15}}

“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general with full speed, holding a sword with both hands. 

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?” 

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Each members of this group is a elite fighter, handpicked with the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his ax left and right, crushed foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-step the blow, then brought his sword down with a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steady his center of gravity. He then immediately use the rebound effect, in the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back, to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

"Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous."

"Who knows." Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Obra launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Obra spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge　 is princess Vileena. He believed there are traitors within the Garberan camp, and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spy (2) within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Obra launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Obra and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a Battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan was a success, even escorted them into the Fortress.

Obra's heart brimmed with excitement, he is becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything is moving according to his plan, and now he is facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

(Dammit),

4th strike, 5th strike, the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills were far exceed Obra's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appear to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes appear to come from left and right with daring aggression, his never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat begin to roll off Obra's back. Since he cannot waste time here. The longer this lasts, the more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it is difficult for a newbie like Obra to predict how long that would take.

What he can do now, is to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he can do is strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfold. Of course she could not recognize the Mephius prince and the masked duelist are the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Obra's techniques from the very start. The skills are there, nor is his strength lacking, but within his technique there is a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there is a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This is because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Obra fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face by a inch. When Obra's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, lift up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

"Ugh."

Obra suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Obra could not return his body back into position, so all he could do is block. And within a few seconds it was all but checkmate.

"Your infiltration plan is amazing." While his face is covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe. "But in order to achieve victory, If you did not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are a amazing fighter, but in the instant you could not finish me off, you are already lost."

Obra did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--isn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceed his own. Compared Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly), some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged on the main hall. The Gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

"Damn it."

Gilliam groaned, and raised his ax again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent, Knocked a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, "I don't want to say this, but it would been great if Obra was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?"

"No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Obra. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here."

Covered with blood from enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the Gladiators around them, one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, and fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle is over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Obra, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Obra's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

"What."

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Obra pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

(GOT IT!)

Obra collided with Ryucown (with confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield has turned into a every-man for himself fight. Melphius and Ryucown troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

"FIRE! FIRE!"

The old General Rogue Saian could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, and personally let his troops on the frontlines. Aimed for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, and released volley after volley.

While the Melphius troops has superior resources and numbers, it is their enemy who currently possess the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position were spotted by an patrolling Airship.

"GET DOWN!"

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In a instant, Ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, dove past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the Skyship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go, other Gladiators saw it, swarm the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers marched on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It look like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched an devastating attack on the Melphius Army. They don't need to completely anniliate the Melphius army, but inflict ~20% 30% causalities should be sufficient. Because then Melphius army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it is an perfect opportunity, for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Obra predicted. Thus Obra's plan is to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel fleet, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress. Thus was the original plan--

According to Obra's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think is own predictions were realistic.

the enemy's morale were extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone will step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Melphius troops were not aware their prince---although only a double--is within the castle along with the princess.

(The Melphians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break)

Every second is precious, Gowen thought,he select a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots is the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-ship began to converge toward his position.

"RETREAT!!!"

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen can do is to abandon the artillery piece and flee quickly.

"OBRA!"

At this point, they could only rely on the gladiator to finish off Ryucown off quickly and the rebels will lose their will to fight. The sound of gun/cannon fire erupt all over while shrapnel bounced off his (Gowen?) armor.

Ryucown opened his eyes....then squint his eyes again.

Obra lied entangled on top of him. No sign of blood, but the gladiator's final desperate attack was blocked by an act of fate. Ryucown still carried a 16 inches shortsword with him, something he pulled out earlier for defense.

Obra still tried to use his strength to deliver another blow, unfortunately, Ryucown already made a semi-circle and moved out the range, and all he could do is fall forward. With all four limbs on the ground, and a sharp blade in his face.

(Lost)

The feeling of steel pierced his skin, and all his organs went cold.

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in. -- JP: ローグ・サイアン 'Logue/Rogue/Roeg (whatever looks best) Saian'.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-23T16:25:17Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=15}}

“Who are you?” Ryucown asked again.

“A gladiator.”

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general with full speed, holding a sword with both hands. 

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

“A Mephian? How did you sneak in here?” 

“Who knows?”

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Each members of this group is a elite fighter, handpicked with the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his ax left and right, crushed foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-step the blow, then brought his sword down with a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steady his center of gravity. He then immediately use the rebound effect, in the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back, to launch a vicious attack.

“Oh, not bad.”

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

"Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous."

"Who knows." Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Obra launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Obra spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge　 is princess Vileena. He believed there are traitors within the Garberan camp, and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spy (2) within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Obra launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Obra and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a Battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan was a success, even escorted them into the Fortress.

Obra's heart brimmed with excitement, he is becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything is moving according to his plan, and now he is facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

(Dammit),

4th strike, 5th strike, the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills were far exceed Obra's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appear to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes appear to come from left and right with daring aggression, his never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat begin to roll off Obra's back. Since he cannot waste time here. The longer this lasts, the more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it is difficult for a newbie like Obra to predict how long that would take.

What he can do now, is to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he can do is strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfold. Of course she could not recognize the Mephius prince and the masked duelist are the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Obra's techniques from the very start. The skills are there, nor is his strength lacking, but within his technique there is a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there is a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This is because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Obra fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face by a inch. When Obra's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, lift up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

"Ugh."

Obra suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Obra could not return his body back into position, so all he could do is block. And within a few seconds it was all but checkmate.

"Your infiltration plan is amazing." While his face is covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe. "But in order to achieve victory, If you did not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are a amazing fighter, but in the instant you could not finish me off, you are already lost."

Obra did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--isn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceed his own. Compared Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly), some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged on the main hall. The Gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

"Damn it."

Gilliam groaned, and raised his ax again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent, Knocked a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, "I don't want to say this, but it would been great if Obra was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?"

"No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Obra. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here."

Covered with blood from enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the Gladiators around them, one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, and fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle is over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Obra, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Obra's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

"What."

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Obra pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

(GOT IT!)

Obra collided with Ryucown (with confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield has turned into a every-man for himself fight. Melphius and Ryucown troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

"FIRE! FIRE!"

The old General 隆格·塞安 (3) could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, and personally let his troops on the frontlines. Aimed for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, and released volley after volley.

While the Melphius troops has superior resources and numbers, it is their enemy who currently possess the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position were spotted by an patrolling Airship.

"GET DOWN!"

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In a instant, Ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, dove past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the Skyship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go, other Gladiators saw it, swarm the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers marched on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It look like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched an devastating attack on the Melphius Army. They don't need to completely anniliate the Melphius army, but inflict ~20% 30% causalities should be sufficient. Because then Melphius army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it is an perfect opportunity, for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Obra predicted. Thus Obra's plan is to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel fleet, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress. Thus was the original plan--

According to Obra's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think is own predictions were realistic.

the enemy's morale were extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone will step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Melphius troops were not aware their prince---although only a double--is within the castle along with the princess.

(The Melphians don't have the same fighting spirit. If this goes on, they will break)

Every second is precious, Gowen thought,he select a good spot on the hill, and fired toward the enemy position. One shot, two shot...with each explosion, there would be a pillar of flames in the enemy camp. But three shots is the limit, as a new fleet of Sky-ship began to converge toward his position.

"RETREAT!!!"

This attack definitely inflicted some serious damage on the rebel army, but the enemy didn't collapse, and didn't even show a tiny break in their line. The only thing Gowen can do is to abandon the artillery piece and flee quickly.

"OBRA!"

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context. -- JP: 近衛兵 'imperial guard(s)'; but considering the context, they're indeed spies.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in. -- JP: ローグ・サイアン 'Logue/Rogue/Roeg (whatever looks best) Saian'.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-22T19:06:27Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=15}}

"Who are you?" Ryucown asked again.

"Gladiator."

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general with full speed, holding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

"A Mephius? How did you sneak in here?"

"Who knows?"

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Each members of this group is a elite fighter, handpicked with the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his ax left and right, crushed foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-step the blow, then brought his sword down with a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steady his center of gravity. He then immediately use the rebound effect, in the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back, to launch a vicious attack.

"Oh, not bad."

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

"Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous."

"Who knows." Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Obra launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Obra spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge is princess Vileena. He believed there are traitors within the Garberan camp, and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spy (2) within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Obra launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Obra and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a Battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan was a success, even escorted them into the Fortress.

Obra's heart brimmed with excitement, he is becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything is moving according to his plan, and now he is facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

(Dammit),

4th strike, 5th strike, the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills were far exceed Obra's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appear to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes appear to come from left and right with daring aggression, his never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat begin to roll off Obra's back. Since he cannot waste time here. The longer this lasts, the more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it is difficult for a newbie like Obra to predict how long that would take.

What he can do now, is to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he can do is strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfold. Of course she could not recognize the Mephius prince and the masked duelist are the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Obra's techniques from the very start. The skills are there, nor is his strength lacking, but within his technique there is a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there is a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This is because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Obra fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face by a inch. When Obra's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, lift up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

"Ugh."

Obra suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Obra could not return his body back into position, so all he could do is block. And within a few seconds it was all but checkmate.

"Your infiltration plan is amazing." While his face is covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe. "But in order to achieve victory, If you did not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are a amazing fighter, but in the instant you could not finish me off, you are already lost."

Obra did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--isn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceed his own. Compared Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly), some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged on the main hall. The Gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

"Damn it."

Gilliam groaned, and raised his ax again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent, Knocked a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, "I don't want to say this, but it would been great if Obra was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?"

"No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Obra. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here."

Covered with blood from enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the Gladiators around them, one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, and fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle is over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Obra, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Obra's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

"What."

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Obra pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

(GOT IT!)

Obra collided with Ryucown (with confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield has turned into a every-man for himself fight. Melphius and Ryucown troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

"FIRE! FIRE!"

The old General 隆格·塞安 (3) could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, and personally let his troops on the frontlines. Aimed for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, and released volley after volley.

While the Melphius troops has superior resources and numbers, it is their enemy who currently possess the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position were spotted by an patrolling Airship.

"GET DOWN!"

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In a instant, Ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, dove past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the Skyship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go, other Gladiators saw it, swarm the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers marched on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It look like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched an devastating attack on the Melphius Army. They don't need to completely anniliate the Melphius army, but inflict ~20% 30% causalities should be sufficient. Because then Melphius army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

Thus, one could say it is an perfect opportunity, for someone like Ryucown who would never consider escaping, he would never need conserve his strength. He will go all out-As Obra predicted. Thus Obra's plan is to infiltrate the fortress to directly challenge Ryucown. And once the main force defeat the rebel fleet, they will converge on the Rebel Fortress. Thus was the original plan--

According to Obra's thoughts, Garberan forces should immediately link up with the Melphius one. At that moment, even if something unexpected happened to his forces, there should be enough force to push the enemy into a rout.

But the Garberan force didn't move, then combined with the chaos on the battlefield, even messages became garbled. It would be a total lie if he said he didn't think is own predictions were realistic.

the enemy's morale were extraordinarily high. Even if one of them fell, someone will step over the body, or use the corpse as a shield. Step-by-step pushing toward this direction. The Melphius troops were not aware their prince---although only a double--is within the castle along with the princess.

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-22T14:54:12Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=15}}

"Who are you?" Ryucown asked again.

"Gladiator."

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general with full speed, holding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

"A Mephius? How did you sneak in here?"

"Who knows?"

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Each members of this group is a elite fighter, handpicked with the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his ax left and right, crushed foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-step the blow, then brought his sword down with a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steady his center of gravity. He then immediately use the rebound effect, in the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back, to launch a vicious attack.

"Oh, not bad."

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

"Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous."

"Who knows." Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Obra launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Obra spoke of at the Sky Ship Bridge is princess Vileena. He believed there are traitors within the Garberan camp, and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spy (2) within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Obra launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Obra and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a Battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan was a success, even escorted them into the Fortress.

Obra's heart brimmed with excitement, he is becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything is moving according to his plan, and now he is facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

(Dammit),

4th strike, 5th strike, the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills were far exceed Obra's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appear to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes appear to come from left and right with daring aggression, his never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat begin to roll off Obra's back. Since he cannot waste time here. The longer this lasts, the more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it is difficult for a newbie like Obra to predict how long that would take.

What he can do now, is to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he can do is strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfold. Of course she could not recognize the Mephius prince and the masked duelist are the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Obra's techniques from the very start. The skills are there, nor is his strength lacking, but within his technique there is a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there is a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This is because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Obra fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face by a inch. When Obra's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, lift up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

"Ugh."

Obra suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Obra could not return his body back into position, so all he could do is block. And within a few seconds it was all but checkmate.

"Your infiltration plan is amazing." While his face is covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe. "But in order to achieve victory, If you did not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are a amazing fighter, but in the instant you could not finish me off, you are already lost."

Obra did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--isn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceed his own. Compared Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly), some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged on the main hall. The Gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

"Damn it."

Gilliam groaned, and raised his ax again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent, Knocked a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, "I don't want to say this, but it would been great if Obra was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?"

"No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Obra. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here."

Covered with blood from enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the Gladiators around them, one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, and fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle is over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Obra, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Obra's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

"What."

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Obra pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

(GOT IT!)

Obra collided with Ryucown (with confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield has turned into a every-man for himself fight. Melphius and Ryucown troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

"FIRE! FIRE!"

The old General 隆格·塞安 (3) could not contain his excitement and blood-lust, and personally let his troops on the frontlines. Aimed for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, and released volley after volley.

While the Melphius troops has superior resources and numbers, it is their enemy who currently possess the upper-hand.

At the same time, Gowen let a ten man team to flank the enemy from the right side. The team dragged two cannons, hoped to use them to bombard the rebels, but their position were spotted by an patrolling Airship.

"GET DOWN!"

Gowen roared as he hit the ground. In a instant, Ricocheting bullets struck where he was a second ago. An Airship flew by almost at ground level, dove past him, then pulled up back toward the sky. But at that moment, the Skyship suddenly lost control. One of the gladiators grabbed on to the Fuselage and refuse to let go, other Gladiators saw it, swarm the Skyship and dragged the pilot off.

As his soldiers marched on, Gowen's heart beat faster and faster.

To the Rebels, this assault had exquisite timing. It look like there were traitors within the Garberan camp, even several commanders become part of the conspiracy, and launched an devastating attack on the Melphius Army. They don't need to completely anniliate the Melphius army, but inflict ~20% 30% causalities should be sufficient. Because then Melphius army wouldn't see the value of fighting for another nation's territory and withdraw.

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context.

(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou

2013-07-22T02:33:24Z

ArchmageXin: /* Volume 1: The Dragon Roars at the Star of Twilight */

[[File:Rakuin no Monshou v01 cover.jpg|thumb|300px|The cover art of volume 1]]
Rakuin no Monshou (烙印の紋章), "Emblem of the Branded", is a light novel series written by Tomonori Sugihara (杉原智則) and illustrated by 3. The series is published by ASCII Media Works under the Dengeki Bunko label and is completed with 12 volumes.

==Story Synopsis==
The countries of Mephius and Garbera have been waging a war for ten years and are trying to put an end to this long fight through a political marriage between the two royal families. Orba, who was driven from his home because of the war and was forced to become a gladiator, looks exactly like the crown prince of Mephius, and it has been decided he will be substituting him during the wedding ceremony. On the other hand, Vileena, the princess of Garbera, has secretly decided to ensnare the crown prince for her own country’s interests.

=== Other Information Sources ===

Warning: This may contain spoilers.
[http://www.baka-tsuki.org/blog/?p=373 BT Blog]

==Translation==

=== [[Rakuin no Monshou:Registration Page|Registration]] ===
Translators are asked to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Registration Page|register]] for chapters they want to work on.

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Rakuin no Monshou:Guidelines|Project-Specific Guidelines: Format, Names, and Terminology]]

=== Feedback ===
If you enjoyed the translation, why don't you tell us in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5101&p=173234#p173234 Feedback Thread]

== Updates ==
* Jun 28, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 4 completed
* Apr 24, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 3 completed
* Mar 14, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 2 completed
* Feb 12, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 1 completed
* Jan 24, 2013 - Volume 1 Prologue completed
* Jan 24, 2013 - Initiated as Teaser Project

==Rakuin no Monshou==

===Volume 1: The Dragon Roars at the Star of Twilight===
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Prologue|Prologue]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Iron and Blood]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Two Boys]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3: A New Mask]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4: At Seirin Valley]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Princess Vileena]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6:]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter7|Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom]] (15%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Epilogue|Epilogue]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]] (0%)

===Volume 2===
===Volume 3===
===Volume 4===
===Volume 5===
===Volume 6===
===Volume 7===
===Volume 8===
===Volume 9===
===Volume 10===
===Volume 11-1===
===Volume 11-2===

==Project Staff==
* Project Administrator:
* Project Supervisor:

==== Translators ====
:*[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]
:*[[user:ArchmageXin|ArchmageXin]]

==== Editors ====
:*[[user:Tasear|Tasear]]
:*[[User:Kiydon|Kiydon]]
:*[[user:Shirofune|Shirofune]]
:*[[user:Detalz|Detalz]]

==Series Overview==
烙印の紋章たそがれの星に竜は吠える (10-05-2008, ISBN 978-4-04-867063-0) 
烙印の紋章II 陰謀の都を竜は駆ける (10-11-2008,ISBN 978-4-04-867347-1) 
烙印の紋章III 竜の翼に天は翳ろう (10-04-2009,ISBN 978-40-4-867767-7) 
烙印の紋章IV 竜よ、復讐の爪牙を振るえ (10-08-2009,ISBN 978-40-4-867942-8) 
烙印の紋章V そして竜は荒野に降り立つ (10-03-2010,ISBN 978-40-4-868398-2) 
烙印の紋章VI いにしえの宮に竜はめざめる (10-07-2010,ISBN 978-40-4-868653-2) 
烙印の紋章 VII　愚者たちの挽歌よ、竜に届け (10-12-2010,ISBN 978-4-04-870135-8) 
烙印の紋章 VIII　竜は獅子を喰らいて転生す (10-04-2011,ISBN 978-4-04-870424-3) 
烙印の紋章 IX 征野に竜の慟哭吹きすさぶ (10-09-2011,ISBN 978-4-04-870808-1) 
烙印の紋章 X 竜の雌伏を風は嘆いて (07-01-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886248-6) 
烙印の紋章 XI あかつきの空を竜は翔ける（上） (08-06-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886248-6) 
烙印の紋章 XI あかつきの空を竜は翔ける（下） (10-10-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886983-6) 

[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-22T02:33:01Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=15}}

"Who are you?" Ryucown asked again.

"Gladiator."

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general with full speed, holding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

"A Mephius? How did you sneak in here?"

"Who knows?"

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Each members of this group is a elite fighter, handpicked with the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his ax left and right, crushed foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-step the blow, then brought his sword down with a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steady his center of gravity. He then immediately use the rebound effect, in the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back, to launch a vicious attack.

"Oh, not bad."

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

"Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous."

"Who knows." Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Obra launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Obra spoke of at the Sky Ship bridge is princess Vileena. He believed there are traitors within the Garberan camp, and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spy (2) within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Obra launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Obra and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a Battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan was a success, even escorted them into the Fortress.

Obra's heart brimmed with excitement, he is becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything is moving according to his plan, and now he is facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

(Dammit),

4th strike, 5th strike, the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills were far exceed Obra's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appear to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes appear to come from left and right with daring aggression, his never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat begin to roll off Obra's back. Since he cannot waste time here. The longer this lasts, the more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it is difficult for a newbie like Obra to predict how long that would take.

What he can do now, is to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he can do is strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfold. Of course she could not recognize the Mephius prince and the masked duelist are the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Obra's techniques from the very start. The skills are there, nor is his strength lacking, but within his technique there is a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there is a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This is because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Obra fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face by a inch. When Obra's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, lift up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

"Ugh."

Obra suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Obra could not return his body back into position, so all he could do is block. And within a few seconds it was all but checkmate.

"Your infiltration plan is amazing." While his face is covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe. "But in order to achieve victory, If you did not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are a amazing fighter, but in the instant you could not finish me off, you are already lost."

Obra did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--isn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceed his own. Compared Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly), some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged on the main hall. The Gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

"Damn it."

Gilliam groaned, and raised his ax again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent, Knocked a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, "I don't want to say this, but it would been great if Obra was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?"

"No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Obra. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here."

Covered with blood from enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the Gladiators around them, one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, and fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle is over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Obra, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Obra's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

"What."

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Obra pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

(GOT IT!)

Obra collided with Ryucown (with confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield has turned into a every-man for himself fight. Melphius and Ryucown troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

"FIRE! FIRE!"

The old General 隆格·塞安 (3) could not contain his excitement and bloodlust, personally let his troops on the frontlines. Aimed for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, and released shots after shots.

While the Melphius troops has superior resources, it is their enemy who currently possess the upper-hand.

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context.
(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-22T02:31:40Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=0}}

"Who are you?" Ryucown asked again.

"Gladiator."

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general with full speed, holding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

"A Mephius? How did you sneak in here?"

"Who knows?"

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Each members of this group is a elite fighter, handpicked with the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his ax left and right, crushed foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-step the blow, then brought his sword down with a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steady his center of gravity. He then immediately use the rebound effect, in the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back, to launch a vicious attack.

"Oh, not bad."

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

"Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous."

"Who knows." Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Obra launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Obra spoke of at the Sky Ship bridge is princess Vileena. He believed there are traitors within the Garberan camp, and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spy (2) within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Obra launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Obra and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a Battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan was a success, even escorted them into the Fortress.

Obra's heart brimmed with excitement, he is becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything is moving according to his plan, and now he is facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

(Dammit),

4th strike, 5th strike, the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills were far exceed Obra's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appear to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes appear to come from left and right with daring aggression, his never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat begin to roll off Obra's back. Since he cannot waste time here. The longer this lasts, the more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it is difficult for a newbie like Obra to predict how long that would take.

What he can do now, is to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he can do is strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfold. Of course she could not recognize the Mephius prince and the masked duelist are the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Obra's techniques from the very start. The skills are there, nor is his strength lacking, but within his technique there is a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there is a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This is because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Obra fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face by a inch. When Obra's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, lift up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

"Ugh."

Obra suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Obra could not return his body back into position, so all he could do is block. And within a few seconds it was all but checkmate.

"Your infiltration plan is amazing." While his face is covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe. "But in order to achieve victory, If you did not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are a amazing fighter, but in the instant you could not finish me off, you are already lost."

Obra did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--isn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceed his own. Compared Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly), some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged on the main hall. The Gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

"Damn it."

Gilliam groaned, and raised his ax again. Shique mirrored his stance. The two men were filled with killing intent, Knocked a spear tossed by an enemy soldier, the giant lamented, "I don't want to say this, but it would been great if Obra was here. The guy is so annoying, but in a fight, his icy cold strength is quite reliable--what, what is so strange, Shique?"

"No, no, you are right. Although that masked guy is pretty strong, he is far from Obra. Haha, truly, if we knew it would come to this, we should had been more forceful in getting him here."

Covered with blood from enemies and themselves, in such desperate straits, the duo still joked away. But the Gladiators around them, one was speared by the enemy, another had his leg cut off, and fell down one by one.

Ryucown believed this battle is over. He lightly slashed at the air next to Obra, but the masked duelist did not block nor dodge. The next swing aimed straight at the gladiator. The two swords met once more, and Obra's longsword fell from his nerveless fingers.

"What."

The Knight yelled. Confident of his victory, the rebel general relaxed his stance. And in that instance, Obra pulled out a short sword and attacked. The boy choose to gamble away his weapon for one desperate attack.

(GOT IT!)

Obra collided with Ryucown (with confidence?). The rebel troops screamed, and suddenly the main hall was filled with sound of metal colliding.

Converged on a southern hill, both side's artillery shelled away at each other. And now the battlefield has turned into a every-man for himself fight. Melphius and Ryucown troops mixed with each other in a chaotic melee, and a scarlet barrage illuminated the sky.

"FIRE! FIRE!"

The old General 隆格·塞安 (3) could not contain his excitement and bloodlust, personally let his troops on the frontlines. Aimed for the enemy emplacement behind the hill, and released shots after shots.

While the Melphius troops has superior resources, it is their enemy who currently possess the upper-hand.

(2) 劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context.
(3) His name first appear in Chapter 5, which is untranslated at the moment. Leaving it untranslated until someone fill it in.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-22T01:55:32Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=0}}

"Who are you?" Ryucown asked again.

"Gladiator."

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general with full speed, holding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

"A Mephius? How did you sneak in here?"

"Who knows?"

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's troops. Each members of this group is a elite fighter, handpicked with the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his ax left and right, crushed foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-step the blow, then brought his sword down with a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steady his center of gravity. He then immediately use the rebound effect, in the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back, to launch a vicious attack.

"Oh, not bad."

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

"Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous."

"Who knows." Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Obra launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Obra spoke of at the Sky Ship bridge is princess Vileena. He believed there are traitors within the Garberan camp, and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spy (2) within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Obra launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Obra and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a Battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan was a success, even escorted them into the Fortress.

Obra's heart brimmed with excitement, he is becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything is moving according to his plan, and now he is facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

(Dammit),

4th strike, 5th strike, the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills were far exceed Obra's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appear to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes appear to come from left and right with daring aggression, his never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat begin to roll off Obra's back. Since he cannot waste time here. The longer this lasts, the more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it is difficult for a newbie like Obra to predict how long that would take.

What he can do now, is to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he can do is strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfold. Of course she could not recognize the Mephius prince and the masked duelist are the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Obra's techniques from the very start. The skills are there, nor is his strength lacking, but within his technique there is a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there is a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This is because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Obra fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face by a inch. When Obra's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, lift up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

"Ugh."

Obra suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Obra could not return his body back into position, so all he could do is block. And within a few seconds it was all but checkmate.

"Your infiltration plan is amazing." While his face is covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe. "But in order to achieve victory, If you did not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are a amazing fighter, but in the instant you could not finish me off, you are already lost."

Obra did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--isn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceed his own. Compared Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly), some of his armor broke off, he became completely out of breath, and he could barely held on to his sword.

In that moment, the rebel troops converged on the main hall. The Gladiators were not able to hold them back, unable to defend the door, and driven to the center of the hall and surrounded by enemy troops.

"Damn it."

Gilliam groaned, and raised his ax again.

(2)劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou

2013-07-21T22:07:46Z

ArchmageXin: /* Translators */

[[File:Rakuin no Monshou v01 cover.jpg|thumb|300px|The cover art of volume 1]]
Rakuin no Monshou (烙印の紋章), "Emblem of the Branded", is a light novel series written by Tomonori Sugihara (杉原智則) and illustrated by 3. The series is published by ASCII Media Works under the Dengeki Bunko label and is completed with 12 volumes.

==Story Synopsis==
The countries of Mephius and Garbera have been waging a war for ten years and are trying to put an end to this long fight through a political marriage between the two royal families. Orba, who was driven from his home because of the war and was forced to become a gladiator, looks exactly like the crown prince of Mephius, and it has been decided he will be substituting him during the wedding ceremony. On the other hand, Vileena, the princess of Garbera, has secretly decided to ensnare the crown prince for her own country’s interests.

=== Other Information Sources ===

Warning: This may contain spoilers.
[http://www.baka-tsuki.org/blog/?p=373 BT Blog]

==Translation==

=== [[Rakuin no Monshou:Registration Page|Registration]] ===
Translators are asked to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Registration Page|register]] for chapters they want to work on.

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Rakuin no Monshou:Guidelines|Project-Specific Guidelines: Format, Names, and Terminology]]

=== Feedback ===
If you enjoyed the translation, why don't you tell us in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5101&p=173234#p173234 Feedback Thread]

== Updates ==
* Jun 28, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 4 completed
* Apr 24, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 3 completed
* Mar 14, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 2 completed
* Feb 12, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 1 completed
* Jan 24, 2013 - Volume 1 Prologue completed
* Jan 24, 2013 - Initiated as Teaser Project

==Rakuin no Monshou==

===Volume 1: The Dragon Roars at the Star of Twilight===
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Prologue|Prologue]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Iron and Blood]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Two Boys]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3: A New Mask]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4: At Seirin Valley]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Princess Vileena]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6:]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter7|Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Epilogue|Epilogue]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]] (0%)

===Volume 2===
===Volume 3===
===Volume 4===
===Volume 5===
===Volume 6===
===Volume 7===
===Volume 8===
===Volume 9===
===Volume 10===
===Volume 11-1===
===Volume 11-2===

==Project Staff==
* Project Administrator:
* Project Supervisor:

==== Translators ====
:*[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]
:*[[user:ArchmageXin|ArchmageXin]]

==== Editors ====
:*[[user:Tasear|Tasear]]
:*[[User:Kiydon|Kiydon]]
:*[[user:Shirofune|Shirofune]]
:*[[user:Detalz|Detalz]]

==Series Overview==
烙印の紋章たそがれの星に竜は吠える (10-05-2008, ISBN 978-4-04-867063-0) 
烙印の紋章II 陰謀の都を竜は駆ける (10-11-2008,ISBN 978-4-04-867347-1) 
烙印の紋章III 竜の翼に天は翳ろう (10-04-2009,ISBN 978-40-4-867767-7) 
烙印の紋章IV 竜よ、復讐の爪牙を振るえ (10-08-2009,ISBN 978-40-4-867942-8) 
烙印の紋章V そして竜は荒野に降り立つ (10-03-2010,ISBN 978-40-4-868398-2) 
烙印の紋章VI いにしえの宮に竜はめざめる (10-07-2010,ISBN 978-40-4-868653-2) 
烙印の紋章 VII　愚者たちの挽歌よ、竜に届け (10-12-2010,ISBN 978-4-04-870135-8) 
烙印の紋章 VIII　竜は獅子を喰らいて転生す (10-04-2011,ISBN 978-4-04-870424-3) 
烙印の紋章 IX 征野に竜の慟哭吹きすさぶ (10-09-2011,ISBN 978-4-04-870808-1) 
烙印の紋章 X 竜の雌伏を風は嘆いて (07-01-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886248-6) 
烙印の紋章 XI あかつきの空を竜は翔ける（上） (08-06-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886248-6) 
烙印の紋章 XI あかつきの空を竜は翔ける（下） (10-10-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886983-6) 

[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]

Rakuin no Monshou

2013-07-21T22:07:14Z

ArchmageXin: /* Editors */

[[File:Rakuin no Monshou v01 cover.jpg|thumb|300px|The cover art of volume 1]]
Rakuin no Monshou (烙印の紋章), "Emblem of the Branded", is a light novel series written by Tomonori Sugihara (杉原智則) and illustrated by 3. The series is published by ASCII Media Works under the Dengeki Bunko label and is completed with 12 volumes.

==Story Synopsis==
The countries of Mephius and Garbera have been waging a war for ten years and are trying to put an end to this long fight through a political marriage between the two royal families. Orba, who was driven from his home because of the war and was forced to become a gladiator, looks exactly like the crown prince of Mephius, and it has been decided he will be substituting him during the wedding ceremony. On the other hand, Vileena, the princess of Garbera, has secretly decided to ensnare the crown prince for her own country’s interests.

=== Other Information Sources ===

Warning: This may contain spoilers.
[http://www.baka-tsuki.org/blog/?p=373 BT Blog]

==Translation==

=== [[Rakuin no Monshou:Registration Page|Registration]] ===
Translators are asked to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Registration Page|register]] for chapters they want to work on.

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Rakuin no Monshou:Guidelines|Project-Specific Guidelines: Format, Names, and Terminology]]

=== Feedback ===
If you enjoyed the translation, why don't you tell us in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5101&p=173234#p173234 Feedback Thread]

== Updates ==
* Jun 28, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 4 completed
* Apr 24, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 3 completed
* Mar 14, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 2 completed
* Feb 12, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 1 completed
* Jan 24, 2013 - Volume 1 Prologue completed
* Jan 24, 2013 - Initiated as Teaser Project

==Rakuin no Monshou==

===Volume 1: The Dragon Roars at the Star of Twilight===
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Prologue|Prologue]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Iron and Blood]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Two Boys]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3: A New Mask]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4: At Seirin Valley]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Princess Vileena]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6:]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter7|Chapter 7: Mirage Kingdom]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Epilogue|Epilogue]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]] (0%)

===Volume 2===
===Volume 3===
===Volume 4===
===Volume 5===
===Volume 6===
===Volume 7===
===Volume 8===
===Volume 9===
===Volume 10===
===Volume 11-1===
===Volume 11-2===

==Project Staff==
* Project Administrator:
* Project Supervisor:

==== Translators ====
:*[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

==== Editors ====
:*[[user:Tasear|Tasear]]
:*[[User:Kiydon|Kiydon]]
:*[[user:Shirofune|Shirofune]]
:*[[user:Detalz|Detalz]]

==Series Overview==
烙印の紋章たそがれの星に竜は吠える (10-05-2008, ISBN 978-4-04-867063-0) 
烙印の紋章II 陰謀の都を竜は駆ける (10-11-2008,ISBN 978-4-04-867347-1) 
烙印の紋章III 竜の翼に天は翳ろう (10-04-2009,ISBN 978-40-4-867767-7) 
烙印の紋章IV 竜よ、復讐の爪牙を振るえ (10-08-2009,ISBN 978-40-4-867942-8) 
烙印の紋章V そして竜は荒野に降り立つ (10-03-2010,ISBN 978-40-4-868398-2) 
烙印の紋章VI いにしえの宮に竜はめざめる (10-07-2010,ISBN 978-40-4-868653-2) 
烙印の紋章 VII　愚者たちの挽歌よ、竜に届け (10-12-2010,ISBN 978-4-04-870135-8) 
烙印の紋章 VIII　竜は獅子を喰らいて転生す (10-04-2011,ISBN 978-4-04-870424-3) 
烙印の紋章 IX 征野に竜の慟哭吹きすさぶ (10-09-2011,ISBN 978-4-04-870808-1) 
烙印の紋章 X 竜の雌伏を風は嘆いて (07-01-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886248-6) 
烙印の紋章 XI あかつきの空を竜は翔ける（上） (08-06-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886248-6) 
烙印の紋章 XI あかつきの空を竜は翔ける（下） (10-10-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886983-6) 

[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-21T22:01:25Z

ArchmageXin: Quality of life re-edit.

{{Incomplete|percentage=0}}

"Who are you?" Ryucown asked again.

"Gladiator."

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at the rebel general with full speed, holding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed exchange raised a whirlwind between the the two duelists.

"A Mephius? How did you sneak in here?"

"Who knows?"

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's stroops. Each members of this group is a elite fighter, handpicked with the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his ax left and right, crushed foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-step the blow, then brought his sword down with a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steady his center of gravity. He then immediately use the rebound effect, in the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back, to launch a vicious attack.

"Oh, not bad."

Twice, three times, then numerous blows, with the two locked in a stalemate.

"Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous."

"Who knows." Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Obra launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Obra spoke of at the Sky Ship bridge is princess Vileena. He believed there are traitors within the Garberan camp, and as soon as his forces launched their attack, they (Garberan traitors) would coordinate with Ryucown's for a counterattack.

And the spy (2) within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they took the princess off her ship, Obra launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Obra and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Ship, then led a Battalion of veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that were part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan was a success, even escorted them into the Fortress.

Obra's heart brimmed with excitement, he is becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything is moving according to his plan, and now he is facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

(Dammit),

4th strike, 5th strike, the two warriors struck on, and sparks flew with every blow.

Ryucown's skills were far exceed Obra's expectations. Easily predicting the young man's moves, the knight's swords appear to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes appear to come from left and right with daring aggression, his never left any opening to exploit.

Pearls of sweat begin to roll off Obra's back. Since he cannot waste time here. The longer this lasts, the more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, Numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it is difficult for a newbie like Obra to predict how long that would take.

What he can do now, is to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he can do is strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena held her breathe as the battle unfold. Of course she could not recognize the Mephius prince and the masked duelist are the same person. But in a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Obra's techniques from the very start. The skills are there, nor is his strength lacking, but within his technique there is a personal quirk, especially during a long distance strike, there is a great opening from the left side of his opponent's body. This is because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Obra fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face by a inch. When Obra's feet landed again, he landed next to his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, lift up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

"Ugh."

Obra suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Obra could not return his body back into position, so all he could do is block. And within a few seconds it was all but checkmate.

"Your infiltration plan is amazing." While his face is covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe. "But in order to achieve victory, If you did not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are a amazing fighter, but in the instant you could not finish me off, you are already lost."

Obra did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--isn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceed his own. Compared Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly), some of his armor were knocked off, completely out of breath, and barely held on to his sword.

Note 1, there may be names I left untranslated until I can figure it out who they are based on the Chinese translation - Archmage

Note 2, I am also considering a few liberties with the text. Especially with the combat scenes. In the Chinese translation some of the words are condensed to 4 letter adages, so I have to expand a few sentences to make sense. Also, I might try to slightly deviate from the text, such as the repeat use of character's name during a string of action, replacing Obra with "gladiator" or Ryucown as "the knight" so the sentence flow would be easier.

(2)劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-21T21:49:47Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=0}}

"Who are you?" Ryucown asked again.

"Gladiator."

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at him with full speed, holding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed blows between the two raised a little whirlwind.

"A Mephius? How did you sneak in here?"

"Who knows?"

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's stroops. Each members of this group is a elite fighter, handpicked with the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his ax left and right, crushed foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-step the blow, then brought his sword down with a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steady his center of gravity. He then immediately use the rebound effect, in the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back, to launch a vicious attack.

"Oh, not bad."

Twice, three times, then numerous exchange, with the two locked in a stalemate.

"Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous."

"Who knows." Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Obra launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Obra spoke of at the Air Carrier bridge is princess Vileena. Believing there are traitors within the Garberan camp, as soon as his forces attacked, they (Garberan traitors) forces would coordinate with Ryucown's to counter the move.

And the spy (2) within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they take the princess off the ship, Obra launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Obra and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Sky Ship, then led numerous veteran soldiers toward Fortress Zaim. Ryucown's forces that was part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan was a success, even escorting them into the Fortress.

Obra's heart brimmed with excitement, he is becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything is moving according to his plan, and now he is facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

(Dammit),

4th strike, 5th strike, the two warriors exchanged blows, sparks flew with every exchange.

Ryucown's skills were far greater than Obra estimated. Easily predicting his moves, the man's swords same to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes appear to come from left and right with daring aggression, his never left any opening.

Pearls of sweat begin to roll off Obra's back. Since he cannot waste time here. The longer this lasts, the more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, Numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it is difficult for a newbie like Obra to predict how long that would take.

What he can do now, is to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he can do is strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena watched the battle holding her breathe. Of course she could not recognize the Mephius prince and the masked duelist are the same person. In a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Obra's techniques from the very start. The skills are there, nor is his strength lacking, but within his technique there is a personal quirk, especially during long distance strike, there is a great opening from the left side of his body. This is because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Obra fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face by a inch. When Obra's feet landed again, he landed into his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, lift up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

"Ugh."

Obra suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Obra could not return his body back into position, so all he could do is block. And within a few seconds it was checkmate.

"Your plan to infiltration plan is amazing." While his face is covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe. "But in order to achieve victory, If you did not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are a amazing fighter, but in the instant you could not finish me off, you are already lost."

Obra did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--isn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceed his own. Compared Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly), some of his armor were knocked off, completely out of breath, and barely held on to his sword.

Note 1, there may be names I left untranslated until I can figure it out who they are based on the Chinese translation - Archmage

Note 2, I am also considering a few liberties with the text. Especially with the combat scenes. In the Chinese translation some of the words are condensed to 4 letter adages, so I have to expand a few sentences to make sense. Also, I might try to slightly deviate from the text, such as the repeat use of character's name during a string of action, replacing Obra with "gladiator" or Ryucown as "the knight" so the sentence flow would be easier.

(2)劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-21T16:13:05Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=0}}

"Who are you?" Ryucown asked again.

"Gladiator."

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at him with full speed, holding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed blows between the two raised a little whirlwind.

"A Mephius? How did you sneak in here?"

"Who knows?"

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's stroops. Each members of this group is a elite fighter, handpicked with the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his ax left and right, crushed foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-step the blow, then brought his sword down with a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steady his center of gravity. He then immediately use the rebound effect, in the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back, to launch a vicious attack.

"Oh, not bad."

Twice, three times, then numerous exchange, with the two locked in a stalemate.

"Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous."

"Who knows." Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Obra launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Obra spoke of at the Air Carrier bridge is princess Vileena. Believing there are traitors within the Garberan camp, as soon as his forces attacked, they (Garberan traitors) forces would coordinate with Ryucown's to counter the move.

And the spy (2) within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they take the princess off the ship, Obra launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Obra and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Sky Ship, then led numerous veteran soldiers toward Fortress (伊姆堡). Ryucown's forces that was part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan was a success, even escorting them into the Fortress.

Obra's heart brimmed with excitement, he is becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything is moving according to his plan, and now he is facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

(Dammit),

4th strike, 5th strike, the two warriors exchanged blows, sparks flew with every exchange.

Ryucown's skills were far greater than Obra estimated. Easily predicting his moves, the man's swords same to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes appear to come from left and right with daring aggression, his never left any opening.

Pearls of sweat begin to roll off Obra's back. Since he cannot waste time here. The longer this lasts, the more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, Numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it is difficult for a newbie like Obra to predict how long that would take.

What he can do now, is to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he can do is strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena watched the battle holding her breathe. Of course she could not recognize the Mephius prince and the masked duelist are the same person. In a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Obra's techniques from the very start. The skills are there, nor is his strength lacking, but within his technique there is a personal quirk, especially during long distance strike, there is a great opening from the left side of his body. This is because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Obra fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face by a inch. When Obra's feet landed again, he landed into his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, lift up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

"Ugh."

Obra suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Obra could not return his body back into position, so all he could do is block. And within a few seconds it was checkmate.

"Your plan to infiltration plan is amazing." While his face is covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe. "But in order to achieve victory, If you did not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are a amazing fighter, but in the instant you could not finish me off, you are already lost."

Obra did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--isn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceed his own. Compared Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly), some of his armor were knocked off, completely out of breath, and barely held on to his sword.

Note 1, there may be names I left untranslated until I can figure it out who they are based on the Chinese translation - Archmage

Note 2, I am also considering a few liberties with the text. Especially with the combat scenes. In the Chinese translation some of the words are condensed to 4 letter adages, so I have to expand a few sentences to make sense. Also, I might try to slightly deviate from the text, such as the repeat use of character's name during a string of action, replacing Obra with "gladiator" or Ryucown as "the knight" so the sentence flow would be easier.

(2)劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-21T16:12:43Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=0}}

"Who are you?" Ryucown asked again.

"Gladiator."

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at him with full speed, holding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed blows between the two raised a little whirlwind.

"A Mephius? How did you sneak in here?"

"Who knows?"

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's stroops. Each members of this group is a elite fighter, handpicked with the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his ax left and right, crushed foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-step the blow, then brought his sword down with a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steady his center of gravity. He then immediately use the rebound effect, in the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back, to launch a vicious attack.

"Oh, not bad."

Twice, three times, then numerous exchange, with the two locked in a stalemate.

"Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous."

"Who knows." Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Obra launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Obra spoke of at the Air Carrier bridge is princess Vileena. Believing there are traitors within the Garberan camp, as soon as his forces attacked, they (Garberan traitors) forces would coordinate with Ryucown's to counter the move.

And the spy (2) within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they take the princess off the ship, Obra launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Obra and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Sky Ship, then led numerous veteran soldiers toward Fortress (伊姆堡). Ryucown's forces that was part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan was a success, even escorting them into the Fortress.

Obra's heart brimmed with excitement, he is becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything is moving according to his plan, and now he is facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

(Dammit),

4th strike, 5th strike, the two warriors exchanged blows, sparks flew with every exchange.

Ryucown's skills were far greater than Obra estimated. Easily predicting his moves, the man's swords same to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes appear to come from left and right with daring aggression, his never left any opening.

Pearls of sweat begin to roll off Obra's back. Since he cannot waste time here. The longer this lasts, the more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, Numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it is difficult for a newbie like Obra to predict how long that would take.

What he can do now, is to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he can do is strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena watched the battle holding her breathe. Of course she could not recognize the Mephius prince and the masked duelist are the same person. In a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Obra's techniques from the very start. The skills are there, nor is his strength lacking, but within his technique there is a personal quirk, especially during long distance strike, there is a great opening from the left side of his body. This is because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Obra fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face by a inch. When Obra's feet landed again, he landed into his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, lift up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

"Ugh."

Obra suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Obra could not return his body back into position, so all he could do is block. And within a few seconds it was checkmate.

"Your plan to infiltration plan is amazing." While his face is covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe. "But in order to achieve victory, If you did not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are a amazing fighter, but in the instant you could not finish me off, you are already lost."

Obra did not have the luxury to reply. He finally realized the truth. Being strong--isn't that simple. The knight's swordsmanship, strength, technique and even experience far exceed his own. Compared Ryucown, who was not even scratched during the fight, Orba's side and legs were injured (slightly), some of his armor were knocked off, completely out of breath, and barely held on to his sword.

Note 1, there may be names I left untranslated until I can figure it out who they are based on the Chinese translation - Archmage
Note 2, I am also considering a few liberties with the text. Especially with the combat scenes. In the Chinese translation some of the words are condensed to 4 letter adages, so I have to expand a few sentences to make sense. Also, I might try to slightly deviate from the text, such as the repeat use of character's name during a string of action, replacing Obra with "gladiator" or Ryucown as "the knight" so the sentence flow would be easier.

(2)劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-21T16:01:57Z

ArchmageXin: /* == */

{{Incomplete|percentage=0}}

Note, there may be names I left untranslated until I can figure it out who they are based on the Chinese translation - Archmage
====

"Who are you?" Ryucown asked again.

"Gladiator."

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at him with full speed, holding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed blows between the two raised a little whirlwind.

"A Mephius? How did you sneak in here?"

"Who knows?"

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's stroops. Each members of this group is a elite fighter, handpicked with the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his ax left and right, crushed foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-step the blow, then brought his sword down with a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steady his center of gravity. He then immediately use the rebound effect, in the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back, to launch a vicious attack.

"Oh, not bad."

Twice, three times, then numerous exchange, with the two locked in a stalemate.

"Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous."

"Who knows." Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Obra launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Obra spoke of at the Air Carrier bridge is princess Vileena. Believing there are traitors within the Garberan camp, as soon as his forces attacked, they (Garberan traitors) forces would coordinate with Ryucown's to counter the move.

And the spy (2) within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they take the princess off the ship, Obra launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Obra and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Sky Ship, then led numerous veteran soldiers toward Fortress (伊姆堡). Ryucown's forces that was part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan was a success, even escorting them into the Fortress.

Obra's heart brimmed with excitement, he is becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything is moving according to his plan, and now he is facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

(Dammit),

4th strike, 5th strike, the two warriors exchanged blows, sparks flew with every exchange.

Ryucown's skills were far greater than Obra estimated. Easily predicting his moves, the man's swords same to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes appear to come from left and right with daring aggression, his never left any opening.

Pearls of sweat begin to roll off Obra's back. Since he cannot waste time here. The longer this lasts, the more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, Numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it is difficult for a newbie like Obra to predict how long that would take.

What he can do now, is to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he can do is strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena watched the battle holding her breathe. Of course she could not recognize the Mephius prince and the masked duelist are the same person. In a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Obra's techniques from the very start. The skills are there, nor is his strength lacking, but within his technique there is a personal quirk, especially during long distance strike, there is a great opening from the left side of his body. This is because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Obra fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face by a inch. When Obra's feet landed again, he landed into his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, lift up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

"Ugh."

Obra suddenly put all his strength into his rear feet, and dodged upwards. Ryucown continued to press in. Obra could not return his body back into position, so all he could do is block. And within a few seconds it was checkmate.

"Your ability to infiltrate the ship was amazing." While his face is covered in sweat, the rebel general still held regular breathe. "But in order to reach the objective, If you did not finish me off quickly you cannot win. Even though you are a amazing fighter, but in the instant you could not finish me off, you are already lost."

(2)劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-21T03:57:17Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=0}}

Note, there may be names I left untranslated until I can figure it out who they are based on the Chinese translation - Archmage
====

"Who are you?" Ryucown asked again.

"Gladiator."

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at him with full speed, holding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed blows between the two raised a little whirlwind.

"A Mephius? How did you sneak in here?"

"Who knows?"

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's stroops. Each members of this group is a elite fighter, handpicked with the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his ax left and right, crushed foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-step the blow, then brought his sword down with a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steady his center of gravity. He then immediately use the rebound effect, in the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back, to launch a vicious attack.

"Oh, not bad."

Twice, three times, then numerous exchange, with the two locked in a stalemate.

"Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous."

"Who knows." Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Obra launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Obra spoke of at the Air Carrier bridge is princess Vileena. Believing there are traitors within the Garberan camp, as soon as his forces attacked, they (Garberan traitors) forces would coordinate with Ryucown's to counter the move.

And the spy (2) within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers guarding the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they take the princess off the ship, Obra launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Obra and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Sky Ship, then led numerous veteran soldiers toward Fortress (伊姆堡). Ryucown's forces that was part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan was a success, even escorting them into the Fortress.

Obra's heart brimmed with excitement, he is becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything is moving according to his plan, and now he is facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

(Dammit),

4th strike, 5th strike, the two warriors exchanged blows, sparks flew with every exchange.

Ryucown's skills were far greater than Obra estimated. Easily predicting his moves, the man's swords same to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes appear to come from left and right with daring aggression, his never left any opening.

Pearls of sweat begin to roll off Obra's back. Since he cannot waste time here. The longer this lasts, the more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, Numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it is difficult for a newbie like Obra to predict how long that would take.

What he can do now, is to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he can do is strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena watched the battle holding her breathe. Of course she could not recognize the Mephius prince and the masked duelist are the same person. In a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Obra's techniques from the very start. The skills are there, nor is his strength lacking, but within his technique there is a personal quirk, especially during long distance strike, there is a great opening from the left side of his body. This is because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Obra fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face by a inch. When Obra's feet landed again, he landed into his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, lift up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

(2)劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7

2013-07-21T03:47:05Z

ArchmageXin:

{{Incomplete|percentage=0}}

Note, there may be names I left untranslated until I can figure it out who they are based on the Chinese translation - Archmage
====

"Who are you?" Ryucown asked again.

"Gladiator."

With that simple reply, the swordsman charged at him with full speed, holding a sword with both hands.

The blow came within a inch of Ryucown's face, and he responded with a head-strike of his own. The masked Gladiator quickly distanced himself.

The wind from the high speed blows between the two raised a little whirlwind.

"A Mephius? How did you sneak in here?"

"Who knows?"

In that instant question-and-answer, the hall across them burst into chaos. Warriors garbed in the same gear as the Gladiator clashed with Ryucown's stroops. Each members of this group is a elite fighter, handpicked with the ability to fight in a chaotic situation.

Sparks flew and curses were exchanged. Shique dual-wielded twin blades, decapitated one foe after another, while the gigantic Gilliam swung his ax left and right, crushed foes even if they were in full armor.

The masked Gladiator struck again. Ryucown side-step the blow, then brought his sword down with a vertical slash.

The Gladiator deflected the blow by splitting his legs and steady his center of gravity. He then immediately use the rebound effect, in the instant Ryucown was pushed a step back, to launch a vicious attack.

"Oh, not bad."

Twice, three times, then numerous exchange, with the two locked in a stalemate.

"Tell me your name. With such skill, you must be famous."

"Who knows." Repeating the words he spoke earlier, the masked swordsman--Obra launched into a swinging strike.

The [GIFT] Obra spoke of at the Air Carrier bridge is princess Vileena. Believing there are traitors within the Garberan camp, as soon as his forces attacked, they (Garberan traitors) forces would coordinate with Ryucown's to counter the move.

And the spy (2) within the Garberan camp did precisely as expected. Getting close to the soldiers monitoring the princess. Thus, he was able to monitor the enemy movement. Before they take the princess off the ship, Obra launched a surprise attack to save the princess.

Soon after, in the confusion caused by Ryucown's surprise attack, Obra and his forces wore Garberan armor and took the unconscious princess off the Sky Ship, then led numerous veteran soldiers toward Fortress (伊姆堡). Ryucown's forces that was part of the surprise attack saw them coming, automatically thought their plan was a success, even escorting them into the Fortress.

Obra's heart brimmed with excitement, he is becoming the main character of the novels he read about. Everything is moving according to his plan, and now he is facing the enemy general one-on-one.

But,

(Dammit),

4th strike, 5th strike, the two warriors exchanged blows, sparks flew with every exchange.

Ryucown's skills were far greater than Obra estimated. Easily predicting his moves, the man's swords same to come from every direction. And while Ryucown's strikes appear to come from left and right with daring aggression, his never left any opening.

Pearls of sweat begin to roll off Obra's back. Since he cannot waste time here. The longer this lasts, the more enemies would be able to reach the upper floor. If following the original plan, Numerous ships should be heading toward the fortress after finishing off the main rebel force. But it is difficult for a newbie like Obra to predict how long that would take.

What he can do now, is to utilize every second available to him to dispatch Ryucown. So all he can do is strike, dodge and feint.

Vileena watched the battle holding her breathe. Of course she could not recognize the Mephius prince and the masked duelist are the same person. In a short moment, she was able to recognize even the tiniest difference between the two.

During the numerous exchanges, Ryucown observed Obra's techniques from the very start. The skills are there, nor is his strength lacking, but within his technique there is a personal quirk, especially during long distance strike, there is a great opening from the left side of his body. This is because his footsteps cannot catch up.

Ryucown let out a tiny smirk. Then backed off.

Obra fell for the feint and followed. In that instant, Ryucown reversed himself, and the point of the blade missed his face by a inch. When Obra's feet landed again, he landed into his opponent's side. When both of his feet hit the ground, lift up his sword, only to find the sharp end of Ryucown's blade against his mask.

(2)劝诱人-Seducer? spy? will have to wait for context.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>