Chapter 270: Tough Shit
Hercules released a deep gruff at what Miyamoto Musashi said before he looked down at the cup of steaming green liquid. He just pushed it away and crossed his arms.
"So what is it you called us here for? I\'m not really interested in talking, but I decided to come due to the circumstances. None of us here can attack the other without revoking our nonaggression agreement, therefore leaving you open to attacks from the others. If you waste my time, then this truce is over."
Musashi smiled.
"I hold no authority over your conscious interpretation of what I say. But before we begin, since we are not having any more attending, I believe introductions are in order. My name is Miyamoto Musashi. I am a samurai and the last remaining Ronin from my clan. Behind me is Miyamoto Otsu, my companion."
Eh…?
Luna felt her eyes widen as she heard the man introduce himself. She looked at Mark in shock, but she was surprised when Mark did not show any form of reaction to Miyamoto Musashi\'s introduction! Did Mark not just hear him!? This man was the Miyamoto Musashi! The legend!
Miyamoto Otsu bowed respectfully to everyone in greeting.
"I am Miyamoto Otsu."
"I am Hercules, son of Zeus."
"Hah~?"
Luna released a silent sigh that no one else heard except for Mark once she heard Hercules\' introduction. It was only her natural elegance that prevented her mouth from dropping open in shock! She was already shocked enough by the whole Miyamoto thing, and now this guy was saying he was the son of Zeus!? What the hell did they get involved in!? Why are there so many legends in a simple game!?
Merlin, Joan of Arc, Miyamoto Musashi, and now Hercules!?
"Mark Vanitas, servant pawn."
Mark seemed unfazed by it and Luna did not understand why, but she also tried her best to not act too surprised as she introduced herself calmly.
"I am Luna, master of pawn."
Once the introductions were done, Miyamoto got right down to business.
"I called on this meeting because of my own selfishness, and you both answered because of your selfishness. That is all there is to it."
Miyamoto took another sip of his tea calmly.
"I love this land, these people, these sights. They are new and unfathomable to me, but they still possess the same spirit I left behind more than five centuries ago. I do not want to destroy my own people\'s land over a squabble without meaning. I wish to understand what your intentions are in this battle, what is it that you wish to gain from going through with this?"
Hercules grunted at Miyamoto before speaking.
"So you are just afraid of what our battle will do to your people\'s land? How come you did not have the same reservation when fighting against the Queen and her master?"
Musashi frowned in annoyance as he was reminded of Cleopatra and Caesar and he almost seemed to spit his next words out in distaste.
"That woman and her master do not know the meaning of the word honor. They were scum and it was my duty to eradicate such beings before they could corrupt the very land I strive to protect."
Mark wondered what the hell happened for Musashi to hate those two so much, but he was not going to think about it too much. All that mattered was that Musashi was strong enough to handle both the Queen and her master with minimal injuries to himself or his master. That showed that Musashi was strong.
Musashi Miyamoto continued.
"But, do not misunderstand. I surely do not want any damage to come upon this land, but that does not mean I will stay my sword-arm. I am willing to go to the extreme regardless of collateral damage. My people have been through worse and they will recover. But if I am going to hurt the land so, I wish for it to be meaningful.
As we are now, a battle will be no different from squabbling women screaming meaninglessly. I shall only point my sword towards an honorable opponent."
Luna looked slightly irritated by what Miyamoto Musashi said about women, but she could not really be angry since he was only saying what was natural to him. She understood that there was a wide cultural difference between his time and the current time, so she could not hold it against him. In Miyamoto\'s time, it was only natural for him to say what he just said because it was true.
Hercules continued.
"I see no reason why I have to explain myself to you. I have something worth fighting for and that is enough reason for me to fight. What more is there to it?"
"Is it so shameful that you cannot speak of it? I intend to use my wish to bring myself back to life. I shall live in this world, with these people. They shall become my subject and I their sword. That is what I wish to retain from this battle."
Hercules scoffed at Musashi before he went silent for a few moments. After a short while, Hercules finally spoke up.
"I wish to have the same. I am... bored of the afterlife. Sex, stale wine, and boring women, that is all there is over there. There is nothing more worth doing on the other side of the veil, so I shall bring myself back to life again and live here. They have good wine."
Mark threw his tea back and dropped the empty cup back on the table and the other two turned to him. There was a small smile on his face as he chuckled slightly.
"Bullshit."
Luna had been silent all this time as she listened to what Hercules and Miyamoto were saying. When Mark spoke, she thought that he was going to also give his reason for fighting. She was genuinely interested to know what his reasons would be. But she never thought that he would say something like that! Luna\'s eyes widened as she turned to look at Mark in surprise.
Mark looked up and stared the two men down.
"You want to live again? Just how greedy can you get? Just how dissatisfied with your life were you that you would want to live it all over again? Where I come from, your stories are told as legends. You were both strong during your lives. No one could challenge you.
I am sure you could have done whatever you wanted with that strength. It\'s no one\'s fault but your own if you didn\'t do just that. That wish belongs to us. You want to live again? Tough shit. You already had your chance and you\'re not getting a second one."
Slap!
Luna facepalmed so hard that it echoed through the entire dome!
\'Mark, what the hell are you thinking!?\'
Luna knew that Mark was fearless, but this was just suicide! Did he not hear the names that they called during their introductions!? These guys are legends! People that lived through hundreds of fights and came out on top! Why would he insult their resolve like that!?
And he was not just insulting their resolve, he was calling it stupid!