Volume 2
Chapter 8 Part
1
The Sun Sets,
Bare Your Fangs, Wolf! 1
Translator : PolterGlast
Their legs,
strengthened by [Aragamioroshi], weaved through the night air, leaving the
stone steps they kicked off behind them.
Ahead of them in the
distance was the gate leading to the Gennaji Temple.
―After half an hour of sprinting while maintaining
[Aragamioroshi].
Akira and the others,
who had just passed through the swarm of dogs, were running toward the Gennaji
Temple, which is said to be located halfway up the mountain.
"Damn it. I've
used up all my Qi recovery talismans!"
"Don't fret.
There is probably no
chance of using them in the middle of a battle, so let's just think of it as
lessening our baggage."
The burnt-out
talismans melted and scattered in the night darkness, and Ryota's swearing
echoed through the mountains while his body's Qi was healed by the white glow
generated by the talismans.
Saki's consoling voice
was also imbued with a hint of fatigue, but her gaze was sharp and full of
caution as she looked ahead to the stone stairway.
―The crevice of the mountain ridge, which should have
been submerged in the darkness of the night, was illuminated with a faint
light.
It was the light of
torches flickering in an orange hue.
"That's the
temple, right? Any monks there?"
"Seems like there
are quite a few people in there, but there's no reason for them to burn
firewood so extravagantly unless it's a festival.
―As much as it pains me to admit it, someone is
definitely doing something there."
"Then our plan
remains the same. Let's proceed as we discussed earlier!"
""Understood!!""
――――――――――
"........................
They arrived."
Benedetta raised her
gaze upon sensing the oncoming fighting spirits.
The moment her
mutterings triggered the two guards to assume combat stance, a vast amount of
vermilion-gold radiance erupted from beyond the mountain gate.
The [Enga, which was
released by Akira, came at them from beyond the gate, slicing through the
rising spiritual power.
The target was
Salvatore Torliani, the burly man standing to the left.
"If you think you
can defeat me with a mere projectile, sorry, I might disappoint you!"
With a loud, wild cry
of laughter, his fighting spirit fired up. Salvatore's great sword slashed
vertically through the blazing slash.
It was only a
preliminary strike. Akira, who stepped into Gennaji Temple from the front gate
without worrying about being easily blown away, stepped on the cobblestone
pavement one more step to get closer to Salvatore.
―I need speed. Like a falcon soaring high in the sky.
The speed that Saki
usually demonstrated came back to Akira's memory.
He had already seen it
twice. It should be possible, Akira kneaded his spiritual power with
conviction.
Kihoin-style
Spirit Technique, Chuden――
"――Hayabusa-gake!!"
In that instant, the
cobblestone pavement he had stepped on shattered in place of his footprints.
With flames trailing
like a lingering echo, Akira slashed deep into Salvatore's chest using the Hassō-no-kamae stance.
"Chiiii~!!"
*Clash*. The two's
swords collided, their spiritual forces fiercely fighting against each other,
and the shockwaves swept wildly through the air.
Salvatore barely
caught the blade of Rakuyou Zakuro with the hilt of his great sword and held
himself from clicking his tongue.
It was not that he
could not follow Akira's movements. If he were to be asked how skillful it was,
it was a blow that still left some rough edges.
However, Salvatore's
expression was distorted by the heavy slash, which could not be imagined to
have been delivered from the physique of a small fighter.
"Akira, was it? I
acknowledge you.
For a brat, you're
pretty good at swordsmanship."
―But it's not beyond my endurance.
"Nn, ugh,
oooooo~!!"
Akira's blow, which
was delivered as a slash, was gradually pushed back from superiority to rivalry
and then to inferiority.
Eventually, impatience
caused his back to straighten up and his shoulders to rise.
Without missing such
an obvious opportunity, the opponent's greatsword coiled up as if to entangle
Rakuyou Zakuro.
Following his
instincts, Akira chose to leap backward,
―A moment later, Salvatore's kick pierced into Akira's
exposed solar plexus.
"G-Gahah!!"
Although Akira was
able to avoid a direct hit, it was not enough to deflect the kick of a burly
man who was sufficiently strengthened.
He stomped his foot on
the ground and endured the nausea that crawled up from his shaken gut.
"What a surprise,
you endured kneeling down in front of me!"
"Tch."
With no time to pause,
Salvatore gave pursuit without a moment's pause, but Akira was able to keep his
distance while blocking the onslaught.
Once there was enough
distance, Akira regulated his rough breathing and readjusted his Rakuyou
Zakuro.
"Are you done
running away?"
"......I don't
remember running away though?"
"For someone who
talks so much, you're a bit of a coward, you know."
Having caught him on
the mark, Akira gnashed his back teeth.
It was a fact, that
although his opponent pounced on him in a flurry of attacks, Akira conceded a
counterattack almost without a second thought.
"It's good that
you're determined not to run away.
―But it's not good that you don't pay attention to your
back."
After Salvatore
pointed this out, Akira noticed a towering presence approaching from the other
side of his back.
Alessandro Trovato.
The quiet knight, who boasts of a stature greater than Salvatore's, swung a
hammer filled with raging spiritual power down on Akira's back.
"―Because I don't
have to."
"!?"
Akira's cold
mutterings brought a chill to Alessandro's back.
Before Alessandro
could even comprehend the meaning of this, an [Enga] flew in from the other
side of the gate and stopped Alessandro's attack.
The reason why there
was no pursuit by Salvatore against Akira, who had maintained his distance, was
to avoid getting caught by Alessandro's unleashed attack.
At that moment, only
Akira remained in their awareness.
The two men's
awareness was focused solely on Akira's slash, triggering an opening in
Alessandro's mind.
"Do you think you
can break through with just this level of―!!"
"Break
through~!!"
[Enga] released by
Saki devoured the spiritual power protecting Alessandro, causing the space to
wail and creak.
Blending in with
[Enga]'s shadow, Nonoka swung her katana at Alessandro's exposed flank.
Nonoka's slash,
boosted by the repeated application of physical reinforcement, easily sliced
through Alessandro's barrier, which had thinned as he devoted all his focus to
the offensive.
I can do it. As the
tip of her spirit vessel approached Alessandro, Nonoka was convinced of this.
Hariin-school (Wood
Element) has an outstanding affinity for physical strengthening or, to be more
precise, for spirit techniques classified as Internal Techniques (Neigong).
At the same time,
however, it has long been considered unfavorable among the Five Elements
because of its poor compatibility with the external spiritual techniques, which
are considered the star of the spiritual techniques.
At any rate, body
strengthening is a spiritual technique that can be exercised by anyone who
possesses a medium-ranked spirit.
Even if its accuracy
and usability were slightly improved, there would be no way to drastically
change its usability.
It was not
unreasonable that the more visible and flashy external techniques would be more
popular.
―However, the more one becomes proficient in spirit
techniques, the more the importance of internal techniques becomes.
Moreover, the time it
takes to activate internal techniques, including but not limited to
Hariin-school, is generally short.
In the extreme, spirit
techniques are an extension of one's attack range.
Whether it is in terms
of distance, range, or the profundity of the strike. The absolute basic
principle of extending something will never change.
As long as the idea of
extension cannot be changed, it is also true that the foundation, the human
body, becomes increasingly important.
The foundation itself
must be strengthened. This is the fact that in close combat, the absolute
advantage is dominant.
Once allowed to slip
into one's exposed chest, there is no way anyone can match the mastery of wood
elements.
―Hariin-school, who never retreats.
Even though she
married into another province, Tatewaki Nonoka's way of thinking is absolutely
based on Hariin-school.
There was not much
distance left between them, and the tip of the katana was about to hit her
opponent's flank, which would be difficult to avoid.
Just half a step away,
――!
"Certe,
illic――ＥＮＫＩ!!"
*Clang!* Along with
Alessandro's voice, hard feedback blocked Nonoka's strike and victory.
Faster than she could
comprehend what it was, Nonoka took a half step forward steadily, roaring and
burning up her spiritual power.
Hariin-style
Spirit Technique, Shoden―
"―Sazankadachi!!"
Without losing any
momentum from the blocked blow, she replaced her stance and slashed downward
vertically.
The blade imbued with
immense spiritual power drew a trajectory downward from overhead, creating a
shockwave.
Her target was the
faint remnants of [Enga] that were dispersing.
The trajectory of the
blade greedily devoured the dispersing spiritual power of the fire element,
transforming it into an enormous flame.
Fire over wood. By
using the spiritual power of the wood element as fuel, fire element's
techniques are able to drastically increase their power.
The shockwave, clad in
flames, struck Alessandro with its full force.
―With a roaring sound, an explosion of flames blossomed
between the two.
She did not believe in
the slightest that she could defeat Alessandro with just this much. Turning
toward the foreign man on the other side of the blazing fire, Nonoka was about
to make a follow-up attack,
"―Consuendi、nocte、librum!!!"
A cluster of shining
blue houjutsu rushed toward Nonoka from overhead, piercing the swirling
firestorm with multiple penetrations.
Nonoka was completely
delayed in responding to the attacks from above her head, which even she was
not alert to,
Saki, who let [Enga]'s
residual spiritual power dissipate, slipped past Nonoka's side and stood ahead
of her.
"―Higasane."
The tip of the
naginata drew a torrent of highly concentrated flames that engulfed the
Houjutsu along with the roiling flames of the explosion.
The momentum of the
dancing naginata was so strong that it was able to exceed the Houjutsu's power
and made them dissipate in the void.
"......
Excellent.
Although the
coordination seems to be impromptu, it's well coordinated."
Benedetta's mouth
leaked out an unintentional admiration.
But Saki and Nonoka
did not respond to that muttering, instead, they charged at Alessandro, who had
appeared from behind the flames of the explosion.
"Zei
i~i~i~i~!!"
"I see, so you're
planning to keep me and Salvatore at bay? That's a good decision, but...
―Too naive."
Saki's and Nonoka's
slash, which was split by a time lag, was easily knocked away by the large
shield in Alessandro's hand.
Saki's eyes widened in
astonishment at this sight.
The shield, which
appeared to be nothing more than a few thin steel plates stacked on top of each
other, looked just like an ordinary shield, only slightly distorted.
However, the shield,
which did not contain any spiritual power, was able to withstand the slash of
the strengthened spiritual weapon.
"A shield-type
spirit vessel!?"
"No, Saki-sama.
That man pulled the
shield out of his own body.
―It is probably a sacred treasure."
"―Wha!!"
A sacred treasure. It
is a tool forged in the divine realm, and it is by the divine pillar itself.
This meant that it
possessed indestructible characteristics as the manifestation of the divine
pillar.
A shield that can
never be broken, that alone would make Alessandro's even more troublesome.
"Yes,
exactly."
Benedetta, carrying a
book as big as a girl's thin arm, came out from the back of the main shrine and
answered Saki's astonishment with a smile.
"It is not for
nothing that the [Sacred Church of Ariadne], which has bestowed 119 divine
pillars standing on the Western Tomoe Continent, has been proclaimed the
champion of the continent.
The sacred treasures
offered by the various subordinate deities are, so to speak, a symbol of
loyalty dedicated to Ariadne.
The Church Knights are
the representatives of the vassal gods, and as proof of that, they are allowed
to carry the sacred treasures."
"In other words,
they are only allowed to carry the sacred treasures.
―Nonoka-san, there is nothing to be afraid of.
Just think of them as
having only sturdy spirit vessels. They are troublesome, but there must be an
opening."
"Understood."
Upon hearing
Benedetta's declaration, Saki forcefully surmised a possible way to make a
breakthrough.
Even if one was
allowed to carry a sacred artifact, there was no way that one who did not
worship the divine pillar who forged the sacred artifact would be able to
unleash the divine attributes symbolized by the sacred artifact.
As the mere holder, they
would not even be able to make a formal contract.
At best, it would only
become a quasi-divine artifact.
Saki and Nonoka nodded
to each other in mutual agreement, and then fiercely closed in on Alessandro.
"Phew. Young
ladies.
―I don't think you quite understand how terrifying an
unbreakable shield can be."
"We understand
well enough.
Even if it's merely
unable to release its divine attributes, the danger it poses to us has
diminished significantly!!"
Alessandro smiled as
he fought back the onslaught of the two pretty girls with his shield and
sometimes counterattacked with his war hammer.
Despite gritting her
teeth, Saki retorted not to be defeated.
Glancing sideways,
Saki checked on Akira.
Akira, too, seemed to
be unable to find a way out of the confrontation with Salvatore.
Benedetta started
chanting Houjutsu while the confrontations were getting tense and fierce.
...... It took 3 of
them to hold off the church knight in front of them. If the Houjutsu earlier
were to be added now, there would be no way to handle it.
―We must obstruct it!!
What Benedetta was
going to do was something that even Saki could easily imagine.
Saki had no way of
expecting that they could defeat Alessandro and Salvatore, who had already
exchanged offensive and defensive maneuvers.
"Nonoka-san!"
"Yes!"
In response to Saki's
call, Nonoka raised her blade.
Shimotsuke Hazumi.
Spiritual power spread
around her like wildflowers on the ground, and Saki kneaded her spiritual power
even further.
"―Kyūshou."
―Boom!!
Feeding on the
spiritual power of wood elements that filled the ground, Saki's spiritual
technique of fire elements filled everyone's field of vision as though
exploding.
"Kuga-kun!"
"Saki, you did
well!!"
Ryota, who had been
waiting for the right moment, kneaded his spiritual power as he went past
Saki's back.
―His target was Benedetta, who was positioned in front
of the main shrine.
From outward
appearance, she is a rear guard, and a houjutsu user at that.
Like Onmyoujutsu,
there is only one reason why these techniques have fallen into disuse in the
direct combat situation in Takamagahara.
It takes too long to
evoke them.
Once the chanting
begins, there is no room for the caster to take any other action.
The only tactic left
for Akira and the others, who had an advantage of one person in terms of
numbers, was to crush Benedetta, who was supporting the vanguard.
And Ryota's forte is
one-on-one combat against a superior opponent.
A blow that penetrates
defenses is his forte, regardless of how solid it may be.
Tsukinomiya-style
Spirit Technique, Chuden――
"―Minadzuki
Jin!!"
A spear of flame,
spiraling endlessly, was sucked toward Benedetta with flowing momentum.
Benedetta, who was
concentrating on chanting, could not respond to Ryota's attack.
....... It was
supposed to be that way.
"―Defensio."
The moment this word
was spoken from Benedetta's lips in a single breath,
a shining
multi-layered wall easily blocked Ryota's thrust.
*Clang*. Along with a
metallic clang, the burning tip of the blade pierced into the shining
multi-layered wall.
As it was, he could
neither stab nor pull it out.
"What the
heck!!"
A gasp of surprise
escaped Ryota's throat as he was convinced of his inevitable victory.
And it was the same
for Saki.
"A barrier!? In
that instant!?"
Barriers, which
require long chanting, are not so crudely constructed that a single breath of
chanting can activate them.
Ryota's timing should
be perfect.
The attack was
launched in the middle of the chanting, and even if she had anticipated it and
prepared for it, there should be no way she could respond in time.
In the first place,
even if he is just a candidate, he is still a member of the guardian of the
eight families.
Such a barrier that
was put up instantly should be easy for him to cut through.
"Sir Trovato
carries a sacred artifact, why do you think I don't?"
The answer came from
beyond the barrier.
"Scalpello che conducea Dio, the chisel
of words that engraves the heavens and the earth that Ariadne exerts.
That is the divine
artifact granted to the Casalini's lineage."
The book in
Benedetta's hand opened, the pages rolled up wide and danced.
The book is a sacred
artifact that casts a spell with a mere utterance. Saki glanced at Ryota, who
was struggling against the barrier, unfazed by the fact that the budding chance
of victory he had initially anticipated had been overturned.
"......Kuga-kun,
get back!"
"Damn, it. I
can't pull it out!!"
Ryota, who was bound
to the barrier along with his spirit vessel, groaned in anguish.
It was beyond Saki and
the others' expectations that Benedetta would possess this level of defensive
capability.
Even so, they were one
step ahead of Benedetta in terms of strength.
However, this last
advantage of Saki and the others, which was their superiority in numbers, was
lost, and they were forced into a disadvantageous situation, as if water had
been dripped on a tilted board.
...... No, that is not
the point.
Alessandro's shield
and Benedetta's book. Sacred artifacts that should rarely be seen, but now
there are two of them.
No one can guarantee
that the third one will not appear.
Ezukahime raised a
warning that resembled a scream.
A chill ran down
Saki's spine, and she looked to where Akira was standing.
―At that moment,
"―Huitzilopochtli."
With a sound similar
to the buzz of countless dancing bees, Salvatore's slash drew a moon shape
upward from below.
Takuyou Zakuro, caught
up in the slash and making a dull metallic sound, flew through the void.
Salvatore's left arm
swung widely toward Akira, who stiffened.
The dense glow of
spiritual power surged to protect Akira, but could not keep up with it.
*Bam*. A terribly
dull, dry sound created a momentary silence in the temple courtyard.
"Kahah......!!"
With barely audible
gasps of anguish, Akira's body collapsed to his knees.
"Ah......."
Gradually. Emotion
disappeared from Saki's face as a vivid red seeped into the cobblestone
pavement.
"Akira―!!"
Filled with grief,
Saki's screams scattered into the night sky.
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