novelStrength, the Time It Should be Shown (5)
| ← Ch.085 | Ch.087 → |
"It's foul play! Stop the match..."
"Please wait!" Towards Liz Liza, who was going to stop the match with her authority as the referee, a man leaped out from the staff member's tent― it was Board Chariman Takasugi.
"For what kind of reason do you stop me? We have to stop them immediately, it's dangerous."
Liz Liza glared at Board Chairman Takasugi from inside the grounds. From the start, Liz Liza and Headmaster Amasaki planned to use Kazuki as bait and bait these guys into using illegal summoning in public, proving the suspicions about them. In addition, it was not stopping at just Kazuki surviving, if he could defeat these guys and drive them into magic intoxication then they could catch them with more certainty.
But right now, to aim for those complete victories...was too dangerous with how much Hayashizaki Kazuki and his team's magic power had been reduced to. Kazuki's life was at risk. Liz Liza judged that it was enough to preserve their victory for the moment.
"Certainly there are rule violations, but..." Board Chairman Takasugi talked with a calm tone.
"It's not to the degree that you need to stop the match, is it?"
...What on earth is this guy saying!?
"Although the swordsmen are totally using Summoning Magic, there is no danger for the opposing team. If their magic power fall into a dangerous level, all you have to do is make them leave the stage as the referee to protect them, right?"
Board Chairman Takasugi shrugged his shoulders. With an expression as if what he was saying was something really obvious.
But that was a story that left behind the fact that those two, Katsura Karin and Hayashi Shizuka possessed a mysterious technique that ignored defensive magic power and stopped the heart.
Those girls intermingled Summoning Magic together too and were going to aim for Kazuki's life in the middle of the battle.
"This match is already Hayashizaki Kazuki's team victory on the record, but isn't it fine to continue the match? The objective of this battle election is to witness what the candidates are going to show in the middle of battle...to ascertain that with one's own eyes. Katsura Karin and Hayashi Shizuka, the both of them, when they were at their wit's end and were going to lose, continued to fight even if they perpetrated a violation of the rules. They chose to show something by means of the fight. The students' last tenacity while resolving themselves for defeat, we as educators should watch it with our own eyes, right!?"
What last tenacity...what those guys were aiming for was an assassination in the middle of the chaos!
"...Using Divas outside Solomon's 72 Pillars whose safety hasn't been confirmed yet in this battle election, that's the first problem before the matter of their tenacity."
"Let's stop regarding forming a contract with Divas that are, until now, treated as illegal as [absolute evil]...didn't our school just change such policies recently? If those girls are treated indiscriminately, then Hayashizaki Kazuki, Charlotte Liebenfrau and Tsukahara Kazuha, won't those three people also have to be seen as illegal magicians too?"
So that kind of logic is coming? So that the match wouldn't be stopped by rule violations even if Katsura Karin and Hayashi Shizuka used Summoning Magic, they really had prepared a rebuttal beforehand.
Liz Liza looked up to Headmaster Amasaki as if to surmise his opinion.
"Let the match continue." Headmaster Amasaki informed with a grave voice.
It won't do if the power of the King isn't demonstrated to this guy. Headmaster Amasaki whispered inside his mouth.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
Kazuha, who guessed the situation performed Access even before she heard Kazuki's voice.
"My bare hand grasps the red hot ore. Ridge in the sky, blade in the earth, merging in a flash become namely a single sword. Thy inscription is ~Futsunushi no Kami~! O god of steel and fire, show that forging!"
Her hair lengthened with a flap, transforming into the figure of a divine red and white miko. Mibu Akira opened her eyes wide.
"Yo, you bastaa―rd! You 're going to break the rules even though you all are honor students!! Ain't that the privilege of delinquents!?"
"I'm thought as one of the student council and its pleasant company but...I'm the dunce of the whole school! Don't lump me together with them!"
Receiving an unjustified disparagement, Kazuha-senpai retorted back. Kohaku who was fighting in the side tilted her head deep inside thinking whether that was the real problem, but she circled back in order to earn the time for Kazuha's chanting.
"Anekii―! Sheet, what cowardice for a swordsman to suddenly use Summoning Magic! ...O soul gathering by the calling voice of the god of death, armor my body, make this body into hell's tormenting devil...the trump card against the heavens right here! Black Titan!!"
Asamiya Anna put a black mist on her body, transforming her own form into a jet black giant.
And then she assaulted Kazuha that began her spell chant!
"...In the middle of fighting with me, it's unacceptable to avert your eyes!"
Mio, who spread out wings of flame and flew in the sky, was overlooking that situation and shouted.
"O bird of paradise where the light of heaven resides in that body, burn away the sin on earth following my accusation! Israel Judgment!!"
Phoenix's avatar floated up on Mio's back as if a halo was shining behind her. Brightness as if all the light in the world was condensing became an ultra heat laser, pouring on the defenseless back of the giant. The black mist melted in the blink of an eye inside the light, it thoroughly burned even up to Asamiya Anna.
"Flaming bird is not flame, but light!? Ain't that the element that darkness element is poor against oii―!?"
With that one attack Asamiya Anna's magic power was mostly used up.
"Ugu..." Leaking a voice, the girl fell to one knee with a violent shaking.
But―even so, new magic power was welling up from the depths of the girl's mind!
"Sti...still not yETTTTTTT! Are we going to lose against the brightness of honor students huh, Anekii―!!"
"Son of a b*tch―! I ain't gonna get deceived by that handsome bastard's bluff again―! That guy already had zero mood to chant things like that tsunami magic ain't― it―!!"
Mibu Akira finally shouted in a burst of anger. From the trauma of having her poison magic nullified by Kazuki in the opening of the match, she had been hesitating in chanting poison magic for quite a while.
"We make sure of human nature. Thy bowels are hell's crucible, the spouted slanders become indictment toward the sons of heaven and man. Fill the surface of earth with the anguish of the end! Apocalypse Venom!"
Astaroth that straddled a poisonous monitor lizard materialized her figure in the sky. From the mouth of that monitor lizard pitch black vomit was spewed out, pouring down on all of the match venue.
Kazuki was protected by the wind that arose from Ayamur, but Kazuha, Kohaku, and Mio were helplessly afflicted by poison. At the same time, Mibu Akira's magic power dried up and she staggered.
"No, nooo, still not yet, it's starting from now...! They're ravaged by poison, as long as we don' get beaten, from now on we gonna beat 'em up slowly in a long battle for surEEEEEEEEEE!"
Mibu Akira's magic power, too, was restored by the Divine Protection of resurrection from Joka. There would be no end to this if it keeps like this.
Kazuha, while being afflicted by poison finally finished chanting the spell they had long-awaited for.
"I become the miko of sword. Rock cleaved, root torn, sin severed, that virtuous sword of crushing evil right now in this hand! Draw sword, Futsu no Mitama!!"
A light shined inside Kazuha's hand, inside it an ancient sword that looked as if Futsunushi no Kami itself materialized was created. What Kazuha first did was slash herself as if purifying her body that was ravaged by poison.
[Futsu no Mitama] that possessed the power to sever magic effects destroyed the poison with a single stroke.
""Kazuha-senpai!"" Kohaku and Mio who saw that state of affairs were scrambling to reach Kazuha first.
Kazuha slashed the two in turn, extinguishing that poison immediately.
"Do, don't screw with meeeeeeeeeee! You bastaa―rds from the start 'till the end keep screwing around making a mess outta my poison eehhhhhhh!!"
"That evil clinging on all of you too...will be severed by this sword!"
After deciding with the strict decision of a miko, Kazuha-senpai first slashed at Asamiya Anna. When the shining blade tore apart her defensive magic power, white light overflowed from the opening of the cut.
"Tha, that sword...are you seriously saying it can destroy our Divine Protection!?"
Asamiya Anna, guessing the change that happened in her own body, screamed out.
"...Joka's Divine Protection can't be severed with just one strike!? Then, one more strike!"
Asamiya Anna turned her back while raising a scream. She was trying to escape from Kazuha-senpai.
"Stop, if you do that I'm going to go back to just a mere delinquent, stop! C'mon stop, save me AnekiiIIIIIIIIII!!"
"Barrett!"
That back was shot out by Mio's bullet, Asamiya Anna's movement was stopped. Right there Kazuha dealt the final blow with one more stroke of her sword. This time for sure she felt the reaction that all the magic power's effects had died out at her hand.
"If, if the Divine Protection disappears so suddenly, the recoil will...nn giiIIIIIIIII!!"
The girl having obtained empowerment surpassing her original true strength forcibly abused her physical body.
Furthermore, having already resurrected multiple times repeatedly, the girl's soul was distorted. That distortion was corrected by [Futsu no Mitama] in one stretch. What resulted from that was...recoil.
Who knows how much pain was surging inside her all at once. Asamiya Anna raised a scream so loud it was as if her throat would be torn apart. She writhed around on that spot and then lost consciousness.
Looking at that appearance, Kazuha shuddered once more at [the absurdity perpetrated by Joka].
"So, sorry! But even though that looks like it really hurt, you are sure to get back to normal!"
Believing in Kazuki's tactic, this time Kazuha slashed at Mibu Akira.
"Sto, stop! Don' steal this power from mee―!!"
Kazuha's [Futsu no Mitama] severed Mibu Akira's strengthening halfway. Just one more slash...!
"Sto, stooOOP! Crawl out from the crack of the earth that's besmeared by sunshine, ugly beast with lips smeared by gore! Liberate the pig of earthly worry with that big mouth! Dragon Bite!!"
Mibu Akira counterattacked with offensive magic. A giant dragon's head was summoned in the presence of Kazuha who let her guard down. That big mouth lined with vicious fangs was opened....She was going to be bitten!
"It's dangerous, Kazuha-senpai!!"
Kohaku who predicted the danger forced her way through right there, pushing Kazuha away.
'GUSHA!' The dragon's large jaw crunched Kohaku, the blue light of defensive magic power scattered.
"Hikita Kohaku, that's the end! Get back already!!" a voice ordering to leave came from Liz Liza-sensei.
"Ko, Kohaku!" Kazuha rushed to Kohaku who was kneeling on the ground even though she was still in the middle of the match.
"This one is fine so...slash her and remove her from this match!"
"...Got it! With this it's the end!!"
Liz Liza lent her shoulder to Kohaku and brought her off the grounds. Taking a glance back, Kazuha drew closer to Mibu Akira and swung down the second slash of [Futsu no Mitama].
White light flashed in the path of the slash. From the body of Mibu Akira, all the Divine Protection was extinguished.
"The, the power of resurrection is...! Stop, don' steal that from us! We're gonna keep standin' no matter how many times and keep fighting! Whatever pain that hit us we will keep standing to show our guts, if you steal that from us...! ...uugYAAAAAAAAAA!"
Similar with Asamiya Anna, Mibu Akira too was attacked by the recoil and raising a scream while writhing around.
While feeling pity toward that figure, Kazuha looked up at the direction of Kazuki who was flying in the sky.
"Hayashizaki, this side is finished!"
―Kazuki run through the sky using the thruster system of Deep striker.
"Kazuha-senpai, please lend Futsu no Mitama to me! Katsura Karin too...I'm going to release her from Hayashi Shizuka's curse!"
Not merely winning, he was going to save Katsura Karin too. Toward Kazuki, who was saying such a thing, Kazuha felt a faith that couldn't be expressed by words. This guy is seriously kind, that was what she completely felt once again.
"Right! I'll entrust this to you!!" Kazuha presented Futsu no Mitama to Kazuki.
Hayashi Shizuka immediately inferred the aim of Kazuki, who was heading to Kazuha.
"...O pitiful pit viper sipping the muddy water. Disturb the flow of Yin and Yang, bring about the three thousand years of spirit essence to thee...Now, thy name is Yinglong! Show that power of thee that had become the king of dragons running in the sky!! Yinglong Invitation!!"
Making the avatar of Joka waiting upon her side, Shizuka invoked Demon Beast summoning magic.
The sky was covered with deep black dark clouds. With a flash of light as if the rift between the clouds was torn apart, from there a gigantic dragon clad with lightning came flying. Yinlong―the dragon king that matured after the passing of three thousand years.
Looking at the flying Kazuki who was going to get [Futsu no Mitama], Shizuka directed the dragon king.
"I won't let you!"
But to prevent the obstruction of the exchange, Mio stood in the way of the dragon king. The dragon swung down its three claws at Mio. It was Mio who was poor at close-quarters combat, but she blocked with the wings of flame.
An even defense and offense―it was not. The claws of Yinlong were not blocked but as if to say it [wouldn't let her get away] the claws grappled Mio. Its mouth opened widely in a flash and radiating electricity was shot out.
"Self Burning!!" Mio instantly summoned an armor of flame.
However―even though the flame armor absorbed the electric heat, it didn't defend the electric shock that flowed through her whole body. Along with all the damage that tormented Mio throughout this protracted battle, her consciousness felt far away.
It's no good...I'm also going to protect Kazu-nii! I won't allow this guy to become a hindrance to Kazu-nii!
"Kazu-nii, take [Futsu no Mitama]..."
Mio looked down at the ground from the air. If that sword was handed over to Kazuki, this fight would...!
"Dragon Biteee!" ―From behind Kazuha, a voice that should not be possible came.
Without even time to turn back, a gigantic large jaw of a dragon was created at her back, the perfectly off-guard Kazuha was crunched with a 'GUSHA!". Her defensive magic power was scraped off to the utmost limit.
"Tsukahara Kazuha, that's the end, leave the battle!!" Liz Liza ordered her to leave the stage.
Kazuha turned back with unbelieving eyes.
"Li, lies...why, even though you are supposed to have been freed already from the brainwashing..."
Even while in agony Mibu Akira was just barely getting up on her knees, with fire lighting in her eyes and a bloodcurdling expression, she carried out her spell chant.
"No way we're fightin' in this under brainwashing zeee―... We're fightin' to prove that even useless trash has their own spirit! ...We're fightin' to make Karin-chan win!"
The girl raised her head, she shouted facing at Katsura Karin.
"Karin-chan, don' lose! If you win against that Hayashizaki Kazuki, you're gonna get recognized by that always cold Nee-chan right!? Don' lose okay, Karin-chan you're not somethin' like a pup...pet...!"
After shouting only that at the end, she crumbled down and fainted.
"So, sorry Hayashizaki...my magic power won't last much longer..."
[Futsu no Mitama] vanished from Kazuha's hand. Kazuki and Mio looked on with astonishment.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
"Yosh, Karin. Use Dakki's magic."
"But if I use this magic now, even those three people that can't fight already will..."
Karin hesitated to carry out the spell that she had already chanted halfway, but Shizuka commanded coldly.
"It doesn't matter. Do it, puppet. Kill that guy!"
{Again with the command for cruel things...how pitiful. }
Beside Karin who was nodding powerlessly, Dakki's avatar sneered at this transient world's affair.
"...O goblin flower, bloom with glossy pride! What unfolds tonight is the banquet of brutes, tilt the cup, sake of dosa. The five hundred years of heaven's torture right here...Great Toad Lantern Thought HellDaitai Bonsou Jigoku!!"
Pitch black shadow spread from under the feet of Dakki and Karin, covering the whole surface of the fountain plaza. Even up to the bottom of the crater that Kazuki gouged out in the ground was swallowed by the magic shadow. From the depth of that shadow, innumerable poisonous serpents and scorpions were creeping up disgustingly.
It was as if the match venue had been transformed into a pit that was blanketed all over with vicious creatures.
"...!? You're using large scale offensive magic even though the defeated still haven't left the area!"
The referee Liz Liza-sensei shouted while escaping to the staff tent outside the grounds with Kohaku borrowing her shoulder.
"Your teammates are fainting too you know!!"
"I'll save them!"
Mio ran from Yinlong, she fluttered her wings heading under the fainting Mibu-senpai and Asamiya-senpai.
"Bas, bastard―...No way I'll get saved by the enemy...you bastards are still enemy right now..."
Mibu-senpai, who was caught in one of Mio's arms, let out abusive language. The other arm also held Asamiya-senpai. Although Mio was using Enchant Aura, was strained to the limit by the weight of two people got irritated.
"You're annoying, I've seen with my own eyes your spirit or perhaps I should say I'm tired of looking at it. Just rest already!" Mio carelessly threw the both of them into the staff tent. And then one more person, Kazuha-senpai was―
"Kazuha-senpai, watch out!" Kazuki, who was rushing with a plan of taking [Futsu no Mitama] just barely rescued Kazuha-senpai from a dangerous spot. With the girl in his arms, he made the thruster system of [Deep striker] spout fire and flew to the sky, away from the hell of serpents and scorpions.
He saved Kazuha-senpai but...he still couldn't say that all's well that ends well. Kazuki felt impatience and distorted his expression. [Futsu no Mitama] had vanished completely.
Despite his intention to also liberate Katsura Karin from Joka's power.
If by some chance Karin was not brainwashed, perhaps nothing would change even if she was slashed by [Futsu no Mitama]. Was the current Karin fighting by her own will, it couldn't be judged at all looking from the outside.
But...Kazuki didn't want to think that the distortion in Karin's mind was all the effect of undergoing abnormal education. He wanted to believe that her mind was overwritten by brainwashing magic and that was why she was made to obey so abnormally like a puppet. He wanted to believe that if the brainwashing magic was negated in this place and she was pulled away from Hayashi Shizuka, the girl would also be able to turn back into a normal girl for sure. And yet...!!
"Sorry, I weighed you down again... Because I'm too half-baked and weak..."
Surmising Kazuki's color of impatience, inside Kazuki's arms Kazuha-senpai's eyes slowly became blurred with tears.
"That's not it, senpai has no need to apologize for anything."
"But...to save that girl Karin, the power of [Futsu no Mitama] is absolutely needed right? Even while I'm fighting I too had heard the cries of that child many times over....That's just too pitiful. Even though you are trying to save her...I, I can't do anything to help..."
Kazuha-senpai, who could sympathize with a complete stranger that much, was truly a really kind person.
"Hey, don't you have any other way!? You can use magic of so many types, right!?"
Finally, with a single line of tears going through her face, senpai raised a pleading voice to Kazuki.
However, among the magic that Kazuki could use, there was no purge magic....I'm still inadequate as a King. If only I had made my bond with Kazuha-senpai too as something definite...
Severing all the magic power of the technique user Hayashi Shizuka was also one way to extinguish the power of brainwashing.
But Kazuki realized inside his heart that it was a difficult undertaking because at the time when he was attacked on top of the hill in the public park, he had seen Shizuka escape with Joka's [space transfer magic].
Space transfer―if some kind of countermeasure was not arranged for that magic, he wouldn't be able to defeat Hayashi Shizuka. Precisely because her way to escape was ensured, Shizuka could display the use of her trump card so readily like this.
Other than hitting her with purge magic before she made her escape, there was no other way to save Karin.
Things like another method... No... Kazuha-senpai was removed from the stage but, right now she was still inside Kazuki's arms. If that was the case then there was still one thing left that he could still do. Right, just one...
"Oi, that face of yours, that's a face that just thought up some kind of method huh!"
Kazuha-senpai guessed from the change in Kazuki's expression, she rocked Kazuki's shoulder strongly.
"If there is some kind of way, then let's save that girl! You are...not a brutish harem guy but a kind person right!? Please!!"
However, if I do that kind of thing, I...
"Hayashizaki Kazuki! It's dangerous for your companion that doesn't have magic power left, so drag her here to the staff tent!"
As if cornering the hesitating Kazuki, Liz Liza-sensei's warning from the ground came.
"Yinlong, knock him down!"
Receiving Shizuka's command, Yinlong too headed to Kazuki and flew.
"Coming from Ken'en tomb cave, one of Chūou Teishin's three apparition princesses, O Dakki's truly cruel next younger sister! Nine headed pheasant spirit ~Kokibi~!!"
Karin too invoked even more Summoning Magic―from the far off sky, an unknown strange bird was flying.
A gigantic beast possessing many heads; a nine headed bird spirit. Possessing mystic power from living a long time, an apparition of a pheasant.
Its speed even surpassed Yinlong, this strange giant bird too was heading at Kazuki.
"I told you already...I won't let anything near Kazuki!!"
In front of Yinlong and the nine headed bird, flapping her wings of flame Mio cut between them and Kazuki. Mio struck the strange bird as if pushing with her wings of flame, the scream of the eerie bird rang out in the sky of the battlefield.
But from the side, Yinlong hurled a breath of lightning attack. Mio tried to block it with the wings of flame but, she failed. The shock of the lightning attack pierced through and inflicted damage.
Mio's remaining magic power lessened, the wings of flame were shriveling down in the blink of an eye.
"The energy of the wings is exhausted...if it's exhausted, I'm going to be dropped into hell! If I fall into that kind of place in a condition of magic intoxication...I'm going to get bitten continuously by snakes and scorpions unable to escape...he, help me Kazu-niiii!!"
He could hear Mio's scream. The situation was...rapidly becoming urgent!
...As expected there is no other way than this! Without a doubt this would hurt Kazuha-senpai but...if it keeps like this then he would regret it in the end no matter what his choice!
Kazuki while still carrying Kazuha-senpai flew to the height where they couldn't be seen by other students in one go.
"Senpai, forgive me!!"
"What are you apologizing...nmuchu!?"
While accelerating and crossing the cloud, he pulled the bewildered Kazuha-senpai's face closer―and piled up their lips.
He kissed her. Inside Kazuki's chest, Kazuha-senpai was struggling with her hands and legs violently. But Kazuki kept hugging her strongly, he didn't separate their lips immediately. Reinforcing the link of bonds between their magic power, after he felt a strong circuit was tied together―Kazuki finally separated their lips.
"Wh, wh wh wh wh wh why!"
After separating their faces with a 'chuu' sound echoing, Kazuha-senpai raised a panicking voice.
"Why are you suddenly kissing! My, my first kisss, why now!?"
Kazuki too, what kind of face should he make and what should he say that is good, didn't immediately come to mind. But Kazuha-senpai immediately took notice of something unusual starting to happen inside herself, she pressed her own chest *gyuu* tightly.
"...Wha, what is, this sensation!? Something hot is linking with you, something is..."
"Senpai, I'm sorry. But there is no other way except this!"
Kazuki one-sidedly apologized like that and swooped down, he entrusted Kazuha-senpai to the staff tent.
"Wa, wait, Hayashizaki Kazuki! You, why...just explain thiss―!"
Kazuha-senpai, who was dropped on the ground, was crying with a blaming voice in a fluster. While receiving that question with his back, Kazuki silently flew up to the sky once more.
[Deep Striker]'s energy too only had a little left remaining. If he didn't decide the match immediately...! At the same time inside his head, a spell was coming to the surface.
"O god of sword from time immemorial that is extolled together with Takemikazuchi..."
Through the link with Kazuha-senpai, he called out to the true body of Futsunushi no Kami in Astrum.
"DON'T MAKE MY CUTE KAZUHA CRY"
Futsunushi no Kami floated beside Kazuki. That vision was changing from an avatar into a real entity.
"Well, there is no other way. I understand what you are doing. Anyone will judge that what you are doing is the right thing without a doubt. Kazuha too is angry, but she doesn't hate you. But I'm worried you know? ...You, something inside you that you were intending to never let twisted, is it twisted now?"
"...!" The words of Futsunushi no Kami pierced Kazuki's chest deeply.
I was...for the sake of power I kissed Kazuha-senpai!!
"It's only a worry of mine that something of you had completely wavered though. Well, your decision is not something mistaken! Right now raise your face, look at the enemy in front of your eyes! If it's my power then, in accordance to your will, you could sever every evil!! Come, chant the spell until the very end!!"
"Born from the whirl of steel and flame O god of blade that becomes pure! I'll take hold of thee with this hand receiving glory...draw sword! Futsunushi no Kami!!"
Together with the completion of Kazuki's spell chant, the presence of Futsunushi no Kami that was floating beside him was deepening thickly―accomplishing materialization in this transient world. Materializing a Diva...the ultimate Summoning Magic!
Futsunushi no Kami, who was floating in the air was moving airily to Kazuki's hand.
"...Come, wield me!!" Eyes opening with a flash, Futsunushi no Kami declared.
...no wait, that's it!? I'm just wielding you like this without anything else!!?
Kazuki made a tsukkomi inside his heart, but from the hilt that Kazuki held...a power that was without question was transmitted into both his hands....It was extremely impertinent for him to tsukkomi or the like wasn't it? Right now, the very thing in Kazuki's hand...from time immemorial the people of Japan regarded katana as something sacred. This sword in his hand was that very divinity itself.
Its appearance was an ancient sword with the face of a middle-aged man fixed on it, it was just Futsunushi no Kami that was materialized as it was, without any change. [Futsu no Mitama] too was an ancient sword that looked just like a smaller Futsunushi no Kami, compared to that, this was just the same with a bigger size without any change in its appearance.
But the power hiding in its blade was like something completely different. If this real thing of [Futsunushi no Kami] was compared, that thing [Futsu no Mitama] was a shadow that was created by Futsunushi no Kami. He comprehended that it was nothing more than a cast-off shell.
Its appearance was, just a mere sword―but that blade hid a terribly frightening something.
"Kazu-nii! Save me quickly!!" Mio who was cornered by the dragon and pheasant raised a scream.
Kazuki opened the energy of [Deep Striker] on his back at full throttle.
While cutting apart through the clouds―he slashed at the Yinlong that he crossed paths with.
When the sword Kazuki wielded drew a line, Yinlong, which was touched by it, along with the three clawed fingers it used trying to block―'zuu―' its body became two equal parts. In Kazuki's hand, he felt the same as if he was slashing at something with no sensation of touch at all. It was not a dimension of sharpness anymore.
The root of the magic life-form which was its magic power was erased, the entity of Yinlong became countless lights and scattered apart.
Kazuki, who was dashing in the sky drew an arc and circling. This time he was heading to the nine headed pheasant spirit.
The apparition of the pheasant was not allowed any response―a flash. The nine headed pheasant spirit too became a light shower and vanished.
...What clean feedback his hand felt.
At that time the wings of flame exhausted its strength and vanished, Mio completely exhausted, freefell down into that hell. Kazuki swooped down and caught up with her just barely, taking her in his arms.
Kazuki's [Deep Striker]'s energy too was exhausted with his consecutive maneuvers. Kazuki, while holding Mio inevitably fell naturally. At their falling destination, innumerable poisonous serpents and scorpions were waiting for them in swarms. Kazuki embraced Mio with one hand, he took a reverse grip of [Futsunushi no Kami] with his other hand―he pointed the blade toward the hell simultaneously while falling. With a flash, the match venue that was covered with darkness was ran through by light. Every vicious creature disappeared, the fountain plaza returned to its original form.
"Mio, retreat to the staff tent. Those guys' ways of fighting are not straightforward."
"...It's okay to rely on the teachers and stop the match you know?"
Mio said so worriedly. She seemed to want to say what would happen if Kazuki's heart was stopped when she was not there.
"It's okay, you don't need to worry. Also...if this is stopped now then there is no meaning."
The wish of Kazuha-senpai, he would show that he was going to free Karin too here!
Sensing the obstinacy of Kazuki's determination, Mio ran to the staff tent.
"Coming from Ken'en tomb cave, one of Chūou Teishin's three apparition princesses, voice of Shinin, dance of Hokuhi, playing the comfort of Bibi, O Dakki's youngest sister! Gem and stones biwa spirit ~Oukijin~!!" Even during this interval, the opponent chanted their spell. At Karin's side, a gigantic stone biwa appeared. It moved by itself and began to play music.
What kind of ominous power did that tune possess―Kazuki had no idea.
Just by thrusting [Futsunushi no Kami] right in front of himself, all of the mystical sound waves were cut apart and dispersed.
"Tha, that...how could sound get cut!?" Against that unreasonableness, Karin's expression was taken aback.
Kazuki was naturally reminded of Prometheus' [Olympia Forger].
As the result of the mutual hailing with Kazuki's soul, Prometheus' power was embodied in the shape of a sword. But to the last its essence was a [weapon]. Its blade hid energy that would explode externally, it was a weapon that released a wave motion that would defeat countless military forces altogether with one slash.
[Futsunushi no Kami] in contrast with that, hid energy that was concentrated internally. It couldn't do something like releasing sword waves and defeating an army altogether. However the thing that was touched by that blade―whether it was a material thing or an effect of magic power― would get cut down and bisected with one stroke.
"Ride Lightning!" ―A fitting spell to wield this blade, Kazuki had already finished the chanting for it.
Kazuki accelerated his body and filled the distance with one breath, he parted the gem and stone biwa spirit into two.
And then with the returning slash, he cut Karin.
The power to cut all things―that was not all there was to it. This sword was able to cut only the thing the wielder wished to cut. At that time Kazuki was able to choose what he wanted to cut.
What was cut from the girl named Karin? ...Joka's Divine Protection....Everything that remained of her magic power.
And then her sense of pain and consciousness. So that there would not be anything painful for the girl from the recoil of the Divine Protection's severing.
Slowly swaying, Karin fell asleep at that spot like her battery was pulled out. Seeing that Kazuki caught her in his arms.
Kazuki softly laid the girl whose expression was only now just softened down on the ground.
"The water god of raging scarlet hair is the broken heavenly pillar, mending the chasm of destruction Joka's greatness shines! ...Distribute that light of world compilation in this hand! Five Color StoneGoshoku Seki!!"
Shizuka too invoked her magic. The tremendous magic power wave conveyed the power of the invoked magic. On the palm that Shizuka raised to the sky, a shining [sphere] was created, it emitted light of every color...!
"GUWAHHAHHA! Hey Kazuki, what that stone released is waves that overwrite and transform all existence - the world! Superficial magic power would just get rewritten magic power and all, it's a power of instant death you see! But if your skill and me are joined then there is nothing we cannot cut!! Believe in me and just slash―!!"
Kazuki with his honed swordsmanship faced the light and swung [Futsunushi no Kami]. The light was bisected right in two, as if the impact was transmitted through the light, the [Goshoku Seki] inside Shizuka's hand was smashed apart.
"Kuh...impossible, does anything go for that sword!?"
"GUWAHHAHHA! Strictly speaking it's not everything. The thing that I can cut is in proportion to the skill of the user, just so you know. That's why...putting aside Kazuha if it's Kazuki then it's possible everything really can be cut! Wielded by the supreme swordmaster, as a sword too it's supreme enjoyment! GUWAHHAHHA!!"
Kazuki's might was roused up. As a swordsman, those were words of a sword god that were really more than he deserved...!
"Che" Shizuka was clicking her tongue. The girl had noticed that [the battle was impossible to be kept on]. Even while holding up the five colored stone, she had already begun to spin an emergency spell.
"O five colors that are the shine of Joka, repaint the world! The sky I wish for is not here! To the end that compass pointed at...Kujinhen'i!"
The compass held by Joka's avatar that was floating beside Shizuka rotated fiercely. Space transfer magic!
It was that compass! With this sword of cutting evil, if he could destroy that compass...!
Kazuki accelerated with [Ride Lightning] and approached Shizuka. But in the nick of time the compass shone....Not enough, only with [Ride Lightning], the acceleration was not enough...!
Right in front of Kazuki's eyes, the space distorted like jelly. And then the figure of Hayashi Shizuka thinned out and was disappearing!
Right after, feeling a slight presence at his back Kazuki looked back.
At the back, a half transparent Shizuka was standing. That form of hers was already not a material substance but an avatar.
After the girl looked down on the unconscious Karin, she glared at Kazuki provokingly.
[I'll give that puppet to you. You, I should have met you while you were still weak... However, I'll soon come again to kill you just so you know. I too, cannot go back to the motherland empty handed...]
―Leaving behind words of ill omen, Shizuka's figure disappeared.
She wouldn't be able to show her figure anymore as a Sword Division second year of the Knight Academy.
At the conclusion of the strange final battle, the stands erupted in commotion. This match had obviously become something odd from the midway. Students who were supposed to be swordsmen were recklessly firing magic using unknown Divas, defenseless students that were in the middle of evacuating the arena were dragged into it. On top of all that, a single student's figure was vanishing to who knows where.
Liz Liza-sensei, who grasped the situation called out a blessing with a megaphone in order to gloss over the incident.
"The match is over! The Knight Academy's Chief Student Council President Tournament battle election, the champion team is...the candidate Hayashizaki Kazuki and his supporters! Give a big applause for them!!"
The students of the whole school in the stands, even with the many things they didn't understand, all at once gave applause and raised loud cheers with a great mood.
| ← Ch. 085 | Ch. 087 → |