This chapter was brought to you by the collaboration between PolterGlast and Saekano Translations.
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Volume 1 Chapter 4.6
The Realization of the Escapism, and
the First Step Part 6
Translator : PolterGlast
Despite feeling sorry,
Shino launched her attacks on Nozomu.
I'm sorry for doing
this out of the blue. I'm sorry for hurting you like this.
But this will be the
last time, this is my last selfishness.
As death loomed before
her due to the Sleeping Death Syndrome, her remaining concern was that her
disciple, who had become a Dragonslayer, would be crushed by his own power.
In order to remove
this fear, it was necessary for her disciple to release the power of his own
volition once. It was necessary for her disciple to face the power of the giant
dragon that he had absorbed.
However, although
Shino was able to teach her apprentice the techniques, she was unable to
strengthen his heart due to his own escapism.
The time she had left
was short, and she could no longer help the weakened heart of her disciple to
fully recover.
Cursing her own
failure as a master to teach him how to train his mind, and her inability to
express her feelings with anything other than the way of the sword, Shino
exerted all her strength.
Even if she could not
save him, she would at least try to leave a "light" to guide her
beloved disciple, who was still suffering from his own doubts.
Then, the expression
of her beloved disciple suddenly flashed into her eyes.
Nozomu's eyes did not
have the strong will to "live" as they did when he defeated the
Dragon King, but rather, they looked like the eyes of an old man who has come
to accept the death that awaits him.
In the face of
Nozomu's expression, Shino burst into tears.
No, not like this! I
don't want you to have that look in your eyes!
I had something I
wanted to tell you. I had a feeling that I wanted you to accept.
But the thoughts she
sincerely wished for could not be conveyed.
"......~!"
She gritted her teeth
so hard she thought they would shatter, and squeezed out a hoarse voice.
"Nozomu, I am
going to die soon. It won't be long."
The disciple in front
of her opened his eyes wide.
◆
Hearing those words,
Nozomu's thoughts stopped.
Forgetting the pain
from the wound running across his chest and the dull ache that was supposed to
be echoing throughout his body, he simply stared up at the face of his master,
who had spoken those unexpected words to him.
Die? Who? Why? As if
to answer Nozomu's question, Shino opened her mouth.
"Sleeping Death
Syndrome. It is a condition in which the Qi gradually drains out of one's body,
and eventually, one runs out of Qi and dies."
Nozomu also knew about
the Sleeping Death Syndrome itself. As a Qi practitioner, he had to keep it in
mind.
"Perhaps it was
due to the battle against Tiamat. It was the time when I suffered from this
condition. Maybe one more night is my limit."
Excessive use of Qi
was said to be the cause of the Sleeping Death Syndrome.
Regardless of the fact
whether one is young and full of vitality or not. However, Shino has already
reached old age.
If it were a matter of
skill in controlling one's Qi, she would be fine. However, since the fundamental
vitality of her body itself is declining, she could not control her Qi that
well.
"If I had kept
and maintained my Qi a little longer, perhaps I might still be able to live a
little longer."
"Then why don't
you do that! Perhaps if we had a little more time, we could do something-
......"
"I am-
....."
"Shisho!"
Ignoring Nozomu's
desperate pleas, Shino proceeded to tell her story.
Nozomu was furious at
his master's refusal to listen to him, but the next words out of her mouth
completely silenced Nozomu, whose voice had been raised.
"I came here
because my family betrayed me ............"
"Eh? ......"
"I was framed by
my own older sister, abandoned by my parents, and spat upon by everyone around
me, so I fled to this continent."
What followed was a
personal story about Shino that Nozomu had never heard before.
Nozomu could not hide
his shock at what she told him.
When Shino had talked
about her family in the past, she had never mentioned anything so serious. She
just talked happily about her family and how much she loved them.
"You and I are
surprisingly similar. We were betrayed, ridiculed by those around us, and we
escaped."
Shino's words fell
effortlessly and naturally into Nozomu's heart.
Nozomu had been using
training as a way to escape from the reality of being dumped by Lisa, and Shino
had actually fled the country.
"I didn't want to
see anyone anymore. I would have preferred to die. That's why I decided to hide
away in a place like this."
Shino just honestly
revealed her thoughts and feelings to Nozomu.
Nozomu listened
silently to her honest confession.
"I have nothing
left. I have spent many years in the forest, doing nothing. But then I met you.
At first, I was irritated because I saw my own reflection in you, but you,
unlike me, did not give up living in the end. I felt something in you that I
did not have."
After a pause, Shino
drew her katana and silently lowered her gaze.
"Nozomu, this is
my last selfishness ...... I, who have been running away, have one last thing
to convey. Because it is you, I have something I want to convey to you."
She pleaded to Nozomu
with a teary expression on her face as she said so.
"Please, this is
my last wish. Will you accept it?"
◆
Nozomu came to his
senses upon hearing Shino's words.
With her own end in
sight, she had already made her decision.
It would be possible
to convince her to live.
But wouldn't that mean
twisting her very will? She said she had something she wanted to convey, even
if it meant shaving off the final seconds of her life.
(...... I'll admit it,
I've been running away all this time. From everything that was around me at
that academy.)
Running away, running away,
even from the fact that he was running away.
(...... But.)
Nozomu gazed straight
into his master's face head-on. She looked like a lost child, her eyes welling
up with tears.
Nozomu put his hands
on the chains that bound him. He believed that if he were to release his
[Ability Suppression], he would be devoured by the jet-black dragon.
(If I run away from my
master's wish, I will never be able to face her again. More than anything else,
I don't want her to make such a face on me!)
Nozomu exerted all his
strength into his arms and tore off the invisible chains that bound him with
all his might.
The shattered chain
rings danced in the air and faded away as a remnant of lights.
At this moment, Nozomu
finally released his true self with determination.
The next moment, his
consciousness darkened and he disappeared into pitch black darkness.
◆
Nozomu found himself
standing by the lakeside he had seen in his dream. In front of his eyes, a huge
black figure, which should have been at the bottom of the lake, was glaring at
him with eyes filled with seething hatred.
Tiamat, the Dragon
King of Destruction.
With a vindictive
roar, Tiamat raised its foreleg in an attempt to trample the puny mortal who
had imprisoned her.
Nozomu quickly jumped
backward and avoided the swung-down foreleg.
He was able to avoid
the shockwave that was released along with a thunderous sound by getting down
on the ground, but soon after, Tiamat's tail, which was swept sideways, approached
right in front of him, scraping the ground.
Unable to dodge, the
huge tail struck Nozomu directly, blowing his body away like a pebble.
"Gahah!"
He was thrown into the
air, and knocked down to the ground with intense pain, without being able to
properly take defensive action.
The shock brought him
back to his senses, but he could not feel anything, as if his entire body's
sense of pain had been paralyzed.
Looking closely, he
could see that the right side of his body was covered in blood, and broken bones
had penetrated through his body, leaving him looking like a sea urchin.
With a single blow,
Nozomu's body became utterly crippled.
With all of his senses
numbed, he somehow managed to stand up, exerting his battered muscles.
In front of Nozomu,
who was standing there while dragging his rag-like body, Tiamat opened its huge
mouth and generated an immense flame dyed in a chaotic color.
Unlike when they met
by chance in the sealed world, the giant dragon had come to kill Nozomu from
the start.
"Aaaaaaaa!"
Nozomu charged toward
Tiamat while shouting a loud cry.
Considering the
difference in ability between the giant dragon and himself, he couldn't afford
to waste more time. Above all, .......
"I'm not
interested in you!"
The current Nozomu had
no interest in Tiamat.
A huge breath of fire
was released from Tiamat's mouth.
The right half of
Nozomu's body was obliterated by the flames.
Even so, he leaped
with his left foot. He plunged into Tiamat with the sound of the explosion and
the shockwave resounding behind him, only to find the mouth of the giant dragon
opened at the end of his leap.
Nozomu dove in and the
mouth instantly closed, and fangs reminiscent of steel greatswords tore his
body apart.
The lower half of his
body was severed and half of his head was ripped off.
Nozomu's entire body
was pierced by the fangs, and his body was reduced to a bloody mass of flesh.
However, perhaps
because it was his spiritual world, even though he was injured and should have
been dead, his consciousness remained intact, though it was faint and fragile.
His entire body was
disfigured, and his vision was stained with the red color of blood. However, he
saw a small light.
It was a small but
powerful ball of light, colored black, red, blue, green, and yellow.
The moment Nozomu saw
the ball of light, he had a hunch. This was Tiamat's power.
He reached out to
touch the light. The lower half of his body was already gone, and his internal
organs were hanging down.
His right arm was
gone, and his left arm had been gouged out by fangs and shredded in half. His
consciousness dimmed, his mouth flooded with blood, and all he could do was
groan.
Despite all that, he
still reached out to touch it. When his battered hand touches the light, the
light flashed out, and Nozomu's vision turned dark once again.
◆
When the light
subsided, Nozomu's consciousness returned from the black lakeside where he had
confronted Tiamat to the garden of Shino's hut.
"Ugh!"
Power overflowed from
his entire body. The power was so great that it began to chip away not only at
Nozomu's mind but also at his body as if he were being ground with a coarse
file.
As his mind and body
were being chipped away, Nozomu realized that he had no time to waste. Tiamat's
power was too strong to be drawn out for an extended period of time. If he
prolonged it, he would be consumed by its power and die, or worse, it would
tear his body apart and Tiamat would be resurrected.
Meanwhile, his
master's face broke into a happy smile as she faced her disciple, who had
removed his shackles.
Nozomu took a stance
with his katana once more. Blood was still flowing from the wound on his chest
where he had been cut, but he didn't care.
I will accept
everything from her. With this determination, Nozomu faced his master once
again.
"Here I
come!"
"Come, you
foolish disciple!"
Releasing more Qi than
ever before, Shino also took a stance with his katana.
"Haaaa!"
"Zeeeii!
Nozomu and Shino once
again activated their [Flash Step・Curved Movement], drawing intricate curves in the dark night, and began
to make their fencing flashes gleam in the moonlight.
The sparks from their
clashing blades flashed like shooting stars.
The speed of the two
had reached a realm that even the best swordsmen could no longer follow with
their eyes.
The scene of them
striking each other in an entwining manner was the same as before. However, the
dominance between them was clearly different.
Nozomu's blow numbed
Shino's arm, and her slashes were intercepted and parried by Nozomu.
Although Shino had the
advantage in terms of skills, Nozomu was clearly superior to Shino in terms of
powers. Powers he had gained by becoming a Dragonslayer and by releasing his
[Ability Suppression].
Shino
was gradually getting fall behind. Then, she complained.
"Kuh,
why can't you be a little gentler towards a girl, you foolish disciple!"
"What
are you talking about? At least there is no weak girl in front of me that I
have to be gentle with! Please think about your age and strength!"
"A
girl is a girl no matter how old she is! That's why your girlfriend abandoned
you, you pathetic loser!"
"Wha-,
what a thing to say! I don't want to be told by a shut-in who hides deep in the
forest like this! You're just as much of a pathetic loser as I am, you ignorant
old hag!"
"What
a brazen thing to say! How dare you speak to your master like that! Stand right
there! I'll teach you a lesson!"
"Oh,
that's great! I've been fed up with your tantrums! Just one little joke and you
start throwing Qi-jutsu at me! Do you know how many times I've almost
died!?"
"I
made sure to go easy on you so you wouldn't die! Just barely enough to make it
back from Sanzu River!"
"That's
not the fucking point ~~! Why should I be dying just because of a joke!?'
"Who
cares about such a little thing!? You made it back, that's all that
matters!"
"That's
not appropriate!"
They
clashed blades while arguing and talking nonsense with each other. An extremely
high-level exchange of techniques and extremely silly verbal warfare were going
on at the same time.
"Seeeii!"
"Phew!"
Shino's
expression was distorted in frustration as she repelled a powerful thrust with
all of her might.
"Tch, at this
rate I won't be able to purge this brat!"
"Wha! So you're
really trying to kill me, you old hag!"
"Of course,
Didn't I tell you so at the beginning!? May you reflect upon your sins for
having wounded a maiden's heart, in hell!"
Shino compressed her
Qi with both of her hands on her hips. As she thrust out her hands, the
compressed Qi was released forward at once.
[Qi-jutsu・Shock Cannon]
This is a Qi-jutsu in
which the compressed Qi is released in one direction and blows the opponent
away.
Nozomu was blown away
by the [Shock Cannon], and Shino gave a follow-up attack.
"Eat this, you
enemy of maidens!"
With a hoarse tone far
from that of a maiden, Shino unleashed the technique she had been preparing.
[Qi-jutsu・Phantom]
The extremely
compressed Qi was released toward Nozomu, who had already prepared himself to
intercept it.
"That should be
my line, you fraudster! Age-fraud and violence are crimes!"
What was unleashed was
the same Qi-jutsu, [Phantom]. Their techniques collided in between and canceled
each other out.
It was an extreme
degree of concentration that enabled Nozomu to cancel out [Phantom] with
another [Phantom], just as Shino had done before.
Right at this moment,
Nozomu was beginning to undergo rapid growth.
By nature, he had a
good aptitude for Katana-jutsu. He had been able to master Shino's katana-jutsu
in less than two years, and he had overcome the hellish training she had given
him, regardless of the reason.
And then there were
Tiamat and Shino. He had to fight against absolute powerhouses that no one in
this world would ever fight against.
Above all,
"breaking his own chains of his own volition" had stimulated his
rapid growth, and his skills had evolved all at once to the same level as
Shino's.
The two of them once
again created an extremely compressed Qi-blade on their respective katana as
they pushed through the residue of Qi that danced in the air around them.
"I'll remind you
of your master's greatness!"
"Go ahead, you
born criminal!"
The [Qi-jutsu・Phantom] was released again in the interval between
the blades striking each other.
The extremely
compressed Qi-charged returning blades collided, once again creating a spark of
Qi that bloomed in the surrounding area.
Nozomu and Shino
linked their next techniques in the midst of the dancing sparks.
They utilized the
momentum of the returning blade to rotate their bodies. While sheathing their
katana, they pointed the butt of the sheath at one another and simultaneously
slammed the sheath into one another.
[Qi-jutsu・Breaking Strike]
This is an internal
destruction technique in which the Qi and shockwave are simultaneously launched
into the opponent's body, destroying their internal organs. If one were to take
a serious hit, no matter how hard one's armor is, one's internal organs would
be crushed by this extremely lethal Qi-jutsu.
*Boom!* Explosions and
shockwaves reverberated in their gut, and they were separated slightly from
each other.
Feeling the recoil in
their hands as their techniques were being canceled out, the two turned
themselves around and sent Qi into the hand that was not holding the katana.
The amount of Qi was
so enormous that it could not be compared to the Qi-jutsu they had performed
until now.
They slammed their
fists, which had been infused with a large amount of Qi, into their respective
ground. The ground between them exploded, and a pillar of light erupted.
[Qi-jutsu・Light of Destruction]
A Qi-jutsu that
releases Qi that was launched into the ground under the feet of the enemy,
lifting the opponent into the air and destroying them with a torrent of light
generated by the Qi.
This Qi-jutsu, which
has the greatest area of effect and the strongest destructive power among all
the techniques they possess, collided violently and surged upward through the
ground. Just like lava spewing from a volcano, the Qi-jutsu was pushed out of
the ground.
"Not good
enough!"
"Obviously!"
Even after they had
finished unleashing their Qi-jutsu, which could be called an extreme technique,
the two did not stop. Both of them rushed toward each other with their katana
still in the state of being sheathed, and they engaged in close quarters combat
using all of their limbs.
Using their fists,
legs, elbows, and every other part of their bodies, they struck blows at their
opponents as if they were dancing. Their forms were like mirror images of each
other.
Soon after, strange
phenomena began to appear around them as they threw their blows in a dancing
manner. Particles of light began to soar, spiraling and gathering around Nozomu
and Shino.
These particles of
light were fragments of magical power, called magic elements, floating in the
air around them.
[Ritual Body Technique・Rebirth Revolution]
There is a type of
magic called ritual magic. As the name suggests, it is magic that is activated
by interfering with the magic elements of the outside world through rituals.
As Caskell Matthiart
said in his classes regarding magic, the origin of ritual magic is the Shinto
ritual in which prayers and offerings are offered to the gods and spirits.
And in those rituals,
dances were also offered as well as prayers.
The Ritual Body
Technique was created by combining "dance" and "martial
arts" based on this.
While attacking an
opponent with a certain form of movement, it is offered up as a
"dance" to establish a ritual and interfere with the surrounding
magical elements. It is the deployment of ritual magic.
This [Rebirth
Revolution] absorbs the surrounding magical elements and strengthens the user's
body over and over again, and the more one dances, the more powerful one
becomes.
What is most
astonishing, more than anything else, however, is the combination of Qi-jutsu
and magic, two techniques that are inherently opposing each other.
The controlling power
of magic depended on the mind of the caster and his/her spells. And the spell
of [Rebirth Revolution] is, in other words, the dance itself.
Originally, Nozomu
lacked a sufficient aptitude for magic and would never have been able to
combine Qi-jutsu and magic.
However, the synergy
effect of the outstanding control of Qi through training, and the control of
magical power brought about by his stable mind and perfect dance, made it
possible for him to combine magic and Qi-jutsu at this very moment.
The two clashed with
each other while their bodies were strengthened by multiple magical
reinforcements to the point that the shockwave shook the trees around them.
The dance went on
without interruption, and the light of magic elements gathered around them as
if in praise of the dance. Dazzling magical power gathered around them.
However, in contrast
to the dazzling magical light, Shino's vision rapidly lost its color and light.
(Ah, this is ......
seems like my end is nigh ......)
In order to compete
with Nozomu, who had become significantly stronger, Shino also had to use all
of her strength and accumulated skills to push past her limits.
In spite of this, she
still barely managed to compete with him on even terms.
The loss of Qi beyond
the limit caused the Sleeping Death Syndrome to progress at a rapid pace. The
amount of Qi recovered and the amount of Qi lost reached a reversal and would
be completely depleted in just a few more hours.
(Well, ...... this is
fine.)
She glanced at her
disciple, thinking that her time had only been somewhat hastened before her
death became certain.
(He has grown strong.
She has truly become stronger. There are probably only a few people on the
continent who can defeat this boy with his chains undone.)
Shino was truly
pleased with Nozomu's growth as if in some cases even those few people might be
defeated by him.
But more than that,
the fact that he was willing to face the power of the giant dragon for the sake
of an old woman's last request touched her heart.
A force so powerful
that it could easily crush a puny human being. Normally, one would have been
consumed by its power and would have gone insane out of fear. But he managed to
overcome his fear and moved forward.
(Although this will be
the last time ...... Thank you. Nozomu)
She had lost
everything and was empty, yet she had one last thing left to offer. Thinking of
her beloved disciple, she took the final step into the last moment of her life.
◆
The dance finally came
to an end. Nozomu and Shino's kicks, both strengthened to their limits,
collided.
The ground around them
caved in and was blown away by the shockwave.
The trees were bent
and creaked
Utilizing the impact
of the collision, the two rotated their bodies like a spinning top.
Nozomu caught sight of
Shino, who has sheathed her katana at her waist, just as Nozomu did. Beads of
sweat danced in the air, and with a face devoid of blood, she was releasing an
enormous amount of Qi.
It was, without a
doubt, a hint of his master's final blow.
"Shi-sho
......"
Nozomu gritted his
teeth and endured the force that could have made him explode. He could not hold
it any longer. His reason was being chipped away, and his body was being
crushed by a force too strong for the current him to handle.
Before delivering the
final blow, Nozomu's mind flashed back to the time when he first met her.
The coincidental
encounter in the forest and the hellish training.
The fact that she had
confronted him with a fact that he had turned a blind eye to, and inspired him
to overcome it.
And then she said,
"Welcome back."
Her presence was
definitely a "place to return to" for Nozomu.
It is about to
disappear.
This fact saddened him
so much that he felt as if his heart would burst from the pain.
But there was no
turning back. Therefore, Nozomu put his sorrow behind him, knowing that he
could not show his pathetic appearance in front of her.
(For the last time,
thank you very much. Shisho ......)
Fully releasing his
Qi, he stepped forward with Qi circulating around his katana and his whole
body.
At the same time, he
concentrated his Qi on the leg on which he had stepped and strengthened it to
the extreme. From the foot to the knee, the waist, and the shoulder, the
muscles move as if they moved in a fluid motion, and were synchronized without
the slightest deviation.
A technique that
simply releases a blade with an extremely powerful Qi-blade at the fastest
speed possible. It is a single strike that contains all of his thoughts and
feelings.
[Phantom・Flash]
A momentary flash of
light flashed across the moonlit garden, two Qi blades crossed. A sound similar
to a gentle chime echoed through the air, and silence returned.
Nozomu and Shino stood
like statues with their katanas drawn.
Nozomu's katana had
only the hilt left.
The moment the two Qi
blades collided, Nozomu's katana was shattered.
Shino's attack was
also completely overwhelmed by Nozomu's attack, and her katana was blown away
into the distance.
Immediately after,
Shino's body collapsed on the spot.
"Shisho!"
Nozomu rushed over to
Shino and held her in his arms. Her face, which had turned pale, was now
completely white, and her body was as cold as ice.
"Nozomu, you've
grown so strong, huh? It seems there's nothing I can teach you
anymore......"
"Shisho
......"
With lips that could
no longer do anything but tremble, Shino spoke her last words.
The fact that she was
going to die here became an intense reality that pierced Nozomu's heart.
As if to etch this
moment into his memory, his eyes began to become hot, and Nozomu could no
longer hold back his tears.
"I am glad, you
know. You accepted this old woman's last request ...... You took my feelings
into consideration."
Nozomu's face
contorted in sorrow and his eyes filled with tears.
Uncontrollable tears
trickled down his cheeks and onto Shino's pale face.
She smiled softly at
the feel of the hot tears on her cheeks.
"Nozomu, just
remember this. You may run away. You may stop. But don't forget the fact that
you ran away and that you are standing still. If you forget that, you will be
trapped like me and not be able to really move forward."
She was probably no
longer able to see. Her eyes wandered through the air, and her voice, which
sounded as if it were fading, gradually became muffled and inaudible.
"Even if you run
away, even if you stop, if you don't forget that, you'll be able to move
forward one day, no matter how long it takes ......"
"~, Yes.
Shisho."
Shino let out a relieved
breath as she heard Nozomu's words.
The last bit of life
she had left was fading away.
"Good, I am
satisfied with this."
Shino looked up at the
moon. Following her line of sight, Nozomu also raised his gaze to the sky. The
sky was filled with a quiet, gentle light that seemed to be watching over them.
"Nozomu, I'm
tired, so I'm going to ...... sleep for a bit ....... I'll see you again
someday."
"...... Yes,
Shisho. Good night."
Satisfied, she slowly
closed her eyes and fell into a deep, deep sleep.
A very deep sleep from
which she would never awaken.
All that remained was
the sound of someone’s stifled sobbing.
◆
The next morning,
Nozomu buried Shino.
He built a grave next
to the hut where she had spent many years and adorned it with flowers. At his
waist lay Shino's katana, which had become a memento of her.
In front of his
master's grave, Nozomu pondered,
He knew that he was
still standing still. About Lisa, about the school, about himself.
He might run away
again. He might remain standing still.
But he has decided to
end the act of turning his back on the fact that he ran away.
With his master's
teachings, his memento, and the bud of a new determination in his heart, Nozomu
stepped forward with his master's grave at his back.
The dark night was
over, and the rising sun was illuminating his path.
