The name Bloodrune alone was enough to send shivers down the spine of any warrior. It was a house built on pure swordsmanship and battle glory.
A family whose bloodline birthed the finest bladesmen the empire had ever known. Among them, the patriarch, Somes Bloodrune, stood above all. He was a man said to have never lost a single battle in his lifetime.
But within that house of legends, there was a disgrace. A bastard and a failure. A boy who was once a prodigy... now discarded as trash.
Ran Bloodrune.
"I was looking for you everywhere. I didn't realize you were handing yourself a death sentence so early, brother. Shouting like that when everyone is lusting for blood? How reckless can you be?"
A blond young man stood in front of me. He had messy hair, a black suit, a sword at his hip, and blood-red eyes that looked ready to consume anything in their sights.
Ah... what a fantastic bliss. I leaned back against the mountain wall and laughed, mocking him.
"Did you wet yourself, little brother? Why don't you attack me?"
"You...!"
He dashed toward me with incredible speed. I didn't even have the will to fight. In one fluid motion, he decapitated me.
Did you think I would try to resist?
I have no intention to live even trashier life here. I would rather die than live as a bastard in this god-forsaken world.
If you really insist on this, then you might want to erase my memory.
Whoever is watching me—take my big 'fuck you'!
My last conscious thought in that life was the nonchalant face of this kid's younger brother. Or so I thought.
Please complete the story. Resurrection imminent.
I saw weird, floating text when I returned to the abyss. What do you mean, "story"? Is this some crappy game?
Suddenly, a bright light hit me, and I was shoved back into the body. I breathed rapidly, unable to comprehend what was happening.
I am fucked. What do I do? What "story" did that text mean? How do I complete it?
Think, think, think... If I can't figure this out, those shits are going to revive me again and again. I've played games, I've read novels... come on, think of a trope. Is there anything I've read that contradicts this?
Shit, I can't think of anything.
"I was looking for you everywhere. I didn't realize you were handing yourself a death sentence so early, brother? Shouting like that when everyone is lusting for blood? How reckless can you be?"
The voice returned. It was that same blondie again.
"Karl..."
"Could you not speak my name with your bastard mouth? It makes me puke."
If I remember correctly, the Bloodrune household conducts graduation exams when the children turn eighteen.
You become an official "hound" of the family after this trial. Even bastards like me can have a place in the household if I could pass the exam.
But there is a heavy price to pay. It is essentially a deathmatch against your own siblings.
You and your competitors are sent into the forest for one purpose: to kill each other.
The household expects absolute loyalty, void of any emotion, to carry out flawless missions and assassinations. For that reason, this ritual is a crucial tradition.
But it doesn't seem like I can pass this.
This body is also afflicted by a disease called 'Mana Drain.' It's a rare condition that signals imminent death; it's only a matter of time before the body drains all its life force and expires.
This poor bastard, the original Ran, believed they would supply him with more mana in hopes of helping him survive longer.
Tch. What a naive kid. He was insta-killed by one of his sibling in this forest.
"There are over thirty siblings in our generation, Karl. There are plenty of other bastards out there. Why are you so insistent on killing me?"
"Fufu... what an amusing question, brother. It's simply because... I fucking hate you specifically."
"Huh?"
"Look at you. Once a prodigy—despite being a bastard—you earned your rank faster than anyone. Do you know how jealous I was when our father favored you?
It's so nice to see you like this. Not only do I get the opportunity to kill you, but I get to do it so effortlessly. Oh heavens, how do I thank you for this blessing?"
The guy was crazy. Looking at his maniacal smile, I could tell he hated Ran to his core. If nothing else, he would surely like to kill me.
From what I've gathered, I've inherited some of Ran's techniques. I suppose I can try one.
Taking a stance , I get ready to try one.
'Bloodrune Sword Style; First Form: Shadow Rush—'
"Bufll!!"
I spat out a mouthful of blood the moment I tried to execute the same technique Karl decapitated me from.
It felt as though Ran had already exhausted the maximum of his strength before I possessed his body. There was nothing I could do with this depleted body.
"Ahahaha! How pathetic, brother. You can't even perform a basic technique. Could you not embarrass our family further?"
He leaped into the air and, with a clean cut, decapitated me once again. I died instantly. At least it was painless this time.
Please complete the story. Resurrection imminent.
Once again, you piece of shit!
At least tell me what I should do! I have no grasp of the story! I have no idea how to get out of this situation. Tell me something, or I'm going to be stuck in a loop forever!
Tip: Please break the wall behind you.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, I was thrown back into the world again. The text I saw before leaving said to destroy the wall behind me.
I looked at the wall I was leaning against. It was muddy and looked pretty hard.
How do you expect me to break this? I'm already this weak.
Sigh. If I want to get out of the situation, I have no choice but to use every last drop of strength I have. I'll believe you... whoever you are.
Use all your strength for this one, Ran.
'Bloodrune Sword Style; Third Technique: Hammer Break!'
BOOM!!
With a massive explosion of dust and stone, the wall split open. What lay before me was an entrance.
So, it was a secret cave after all.