Volume 2
Chapter 8 Part
3
The Sun Sets,
Bare Your Fangs, Wolf! 3
Translator : PolterGlast
"Sir
Trovato!" "Gokōnakamado!!"
With Benedetta's cry
of fear over Alessandro's safety, Houjutsu shot through the air toward the two
girls, who fell to their knees due to exhaustion.
Nonoka stood in front
of Saki to protect her, but because she forced herself to exert her
insufficient spiritual power, the strength of her spirit technique was not
enough for her to defend against the attack.
I won't be able to
make it! A moment after she had prepared herself for what was to come, Ryota's
shadow appeared in Nonoka's vision.
"I won't let
you!!"
Having shaken off the
restraints and regained his freedom, Ryota's sword caught up with the Houjutsu
that was closing in on Nonoka.
"Nonoka, you're
in the way, back off!"
"...... I'm
alright."
As the remnants of the
spiritual power shattered by the swing of Ryota's sword, Nonoka shook her head
in response to Ryota's instruction, and activated a regeneration talisman.
"I see.
―Then, I want you to handle that woman together with
Saki."
"Okay."
In fact, Ryota and his
team did not have the luxury of being able to allocate their forces.
"Youuu~,
baaassstaaards~!!"
"Tch!"
Salvatore, perhaps out
of anger over Alessandro's defeat, broke through the darkness and closed in on
Ryota.
With a single click of
the tongue, Ryota stood in front of Saki and Nonoka to block Salvatore's
advance.
Two of Ryota's
offensive-type talismans fly through the air right on Salvatore's line of fire,
and after a blink of an eye, they burst into flames, scattering powerful
shockwaves.
Heat waves that could
burn and scorch the lungs engulfed Salvatore, but no amount of effect could be
expected from the flames produced by such a meager amount of spiritual power.
Still, with the
momentary advantage earned by the talismans, Ryota intercepted the approaching
Salvatore with his right leg drawn back in Hassō-no-kamae
stance.
An enormous blast of
spiritual power, no less than that of the eight families, scattered flames, and
Salvatore dashed out in a straight line from the other side with his great
sword raised in the air.
"Haaa!"
"Fast!!"
A blow was delivered
from Daijōdan stance. Combined with
Salvatore's large stature, the attack was so intimidating that it nearly
crushed him.
If it were
Takamagahara, this would be considered a poor move or a forbidden move, but the
slash, which was fired from outside the attack range due to the obvious
difference in stature, undeniably reduced Ryota's options for response.
Even so, Ryota,
unfazed by the enemy's intimidation, with a sharp exhale, delivered a twisting
blow,
―Clash.
A sword and a great
sword were clashing with each other, and the impact from the clanging blades
was tinged with reverberations.
However, the slashes
did not overlap each other, and Ryota's sword was unilaterally overpowered.
*Screech*. Ryota's
sword, strengthened with spiritual power, scattered sparks and raised a
metallic scream along with a shockwave.
"Wha!?"
The way the surface of
the sword blade unilaterally scraped away without even affecting Salvatore's
spiritual power, caused a gasp to leak out from Ryota's throat.
"You
underestimated me because I could not use my divine attributes.
What a fool! Even if
the divine attributes cannot be unleashed, the use of authority is still
possible!"
A sacred artifact is
an object forged from the myth of the divine pillar. In short, it is the
essence of the mythology that leads to the divine pillar.
Salvatore is confident
that he can recreate the myth, even if he cannot achieve the divine attributes.
Salvatore's
Huitzilopochtli, which he carried on his left hand, was said to have once
pierced the defensive barrier of an opposing war hero.
The fact that Akira's
blessing was greatly reduced, and in exchange for the enormous spiritual power,
this great sword could scrape away the essence of every blessing.
"Damn it!"
Even so, he is still
the heir to one of the eight families. Ryota, who instantly realized the nature
of the sacred artifact, responded to the ensuing slash by pouring an excessive
amount of spiritual power into his own spirit vessel.
In between the clash
of wills, the diminishing spiritual power sparked and dispersed.
The huge amount of
spiritual power that dissipated every time they clashed maintained the
antagonism between them, but the current situation also told the fact that
Ryota was only stalling for time, which would eventually lead to his defeat.
"Kuuu~!"
On the other hand,
Saki and Nonoka were also struggling against Benedetta's protection.
The defense was not
only too strong, but the Houjutsu that poured down incessantly did not allow
them to even get close.
It was obvious that if
she tried to attack her, she would end up in the same situation as Ryota, and
that was something that Saki should avoid.
"Nonoka-san, do
you have any spiritual power left?"
"My apologies,
not that many......"
Even for the direct
lineage of the eight families, the continuous exercise of Hitotogisu would be
laborious. Even if they were to recover their spiritual power with regeneration
talismans, they would still be forced to conserve it.
"Alright. Then,
I'll step forward.
Nonoka-san, please
cover me."
"Understood."
After receiving
Nonoka's affirmation, Saki stepped forward.
As she stepped
forward, Benedetta's calm voice came to her from the front.
"If you think
that you have won after defeating Sir Trovato, you are mistaken.
The Church Knights are
all elite knights, each and every one of them is a champion comparable to a
thousand knights, and even if one of them were to fall, there would be no
reason for us to concede."
"Let's go!"
Disregarding her
opponent's remark in a single breath, Saki closed the gap between them while
activating [Hayabusa-gake] with Nonoka covering her from behind her.
The distance between
them dissolved in an instant. Saki, while clad in the lingering blaze of
[Hayabusa-gake] that could not be fully converged, thrust her naginata against
the barrier with a scooping thrust.
It was the most
powerful thrust Saki had ever mastered.
Kihoin-style
Spirit Technique, Chuden―.
"―Kitsutsukitōshi!
The tip of the
Shōjinbina, wrapped in multiple layers of flames, bit into the barrier that
protected Benedetta.
―Pierce!!
"It's futile.
...... Oh?"
The barrier swayed in
the flames of the explosion. Benedetta tried to wrap the barrier to entangle
Saki, but was surprised to see that the barrier resisting the blow was cracked.
The wave of explosions
that surged back and forth prevented Shōjinbina from being entangled.
The tip of the
naginata cracked the barrier, finally forcing its way in.
Benedetta's eyes,
slightly tinged with astonishment, and
Saki's eyes stared into each other's eyes amidst the surging fighting spirits.
It was indeed the
moment when Saki delivered a blow beyond Benedetta's expectations.
"―Hachikanse!"
The explosion
triggered the surface of the barrier to shatter into a thousand pieces.
The spiritual power
that made up the barrier danced due to the impact, and the distance between
Saki and Benedetta was once again widened.
"...... I was
surprised.
To think that you are
able to overcome my techniques. As expected of one of the descendants of the
famous Eight Families."
"Do you know
us?"
Saki could not hide
her surprise at Benedetta's honest praise. If so, it meant that she conspired
against Saki and the others and challenged them to a fight despite knowing
everything.
"Of course. The
fifth of the eight families, Saki-sama of the Rindou family.
―I think you should all pay a little more attention to
how well-known you are on the continent."
The book in
Benedetta's palm fluttered its pages greatly, and the sudden shower of stakes
gained even more momentum.
The shining stakes,
which have become more violent than they could handle, forced Saki and Nonoka
to fight a defensive battle.
Deprived of any room
to even grunt, all they could do was keep the stakes from flying toward Ryota,
who was engaged in a sword fight.
――――――――――
―Honestly, they did better than I expected.
On the other hand,
Benedetta, who seemed to have the upper hand, did not have much leeway.
This is because Saki
was too good in both literary and military arts.
...... At this
rate, we won't have time to adjust the flow of the battle.
That will not
do. An overwhelming victory would be good for this battle, but it could hasten
the doom of our future.
*Glance*. She stole a
glance to the rear, where Ambrosio was pulling out the sacred artifact.
Although the process
seemed to be going smoothly, given the degree of interference of the divine
energy, it would be necessary to maintain it for another two minutes.
It would be
great if one of the opponents could grasp the fact that we have been monotonous
in our checks and balances, but at this rate, there is little hope for that.
―As expected, the key is .......
Out of impatience,
hoping for a glimmer of hope, she turned her gaze beyond the collapsed mud
wall.
A moment later, a jet-black
shimmering divine energy billowed up from the rubble, transforming into a blue
flame of fire.
The silent presence of
a divine pillar vanished in an instant, and the blaze that burned brightly and
without a sound was unmistakably a healing flame.
Everyone present stood
dumbfounded at the release of this large-scale technique, which could not have
been possible with only a regeneration talisman, and which was unthinkable in
the face of common sense.
――――――――――
"What in the
world is this......?" "Akira-kun!?"
As the two girls'
mutterings overlapped, Akira stood up brushing through the wreckage.
Although there were
traces of wounds, his movements showed no signs of problems.
Saki breathed a deep
sigh of relief, convinced that Akira had fully recovered.
"Tch. You still
have a hidden talisman, huh!?"
With a click of his
tongue, Salvatore pointed his revolver toward Akira.
At a distance of about
4 meters, it seemed a little far for a precision shot.
A revolver lacks
accuracy in aiming, but at this distance, even Salvatore's skill can handle a
shot to one's leg.
Based on this
conviction, Salvatore took sufficient aim and pulled the trigger.
A dry burst of sound
was heard and the bullet pierced through the air at a speed that no ordinary
man could handle.
―*Ding*.
A small metallic
clanging sound resounded.
The bullet certainly
hit Akira's thigh, but immediately after, a ray of brilliance fainter than dark
red easily bounced off the small ball of lead.
"Wha."
Salvatore was
surprised by it.
In his common sense,
or rather in the Western Continent, the blessings of spirits are based solely
on the person's physical abilities.
In other words, the
blessings given by spirits alone cannot allow an ordinary person to exceed the
speed of a bullet.
In order to exceed
this common sense, the given blessing must step into the realm of miracles
......
He shot another two or
three bullets. He still couldn't believe what he just saw, but once again a
faint dark-red glow blocked the inevitable trajectory of the bullets.
Salvatore, judging
that any more bullets would be futile, aimed his divine artifact, which is a
blessing-nullifier, toward Akira.
Aiming for a repeat of
the previous moment when he had shaved off Akira's blessing to the point of
being able to drill a bullet hole into him, Salvatore shouted with great vigor.
―No matter what kind of miracle it is, there is no way
my attack can not pass through if I reduce his protection by nullifying his
blessing.
"I won't let
you!!"
"Damn it!"
However, Ryota, who
had been standing across from Akira until just before the battle, defended
Akira and blocked Salvatore's blow.
A great sword swung
down.
The myth that
nullified any blessings was contained in it, and it shaved off Ryota's
spiritual power as he fought it head-on.
Once its reinforcement
was removed, the spirit vessel was nothing more than a mere metal object.
*Screech*. Ryota's
sword, which was cut in two, let out a sad scream and flew away, exposing its
cross-section high into the night sky.
"―So what?"
Even so, Ryota did not
give up in defeat. There was no way he would.
After throwing away
his spiritual vessel, Ryota cried out his fighting spirit and grappled
Salvatore.
The spiritual light
that billowed out from his body sublimated his will to be steadfast into a
spiritual technique.
It was a spirit
technique that repeatedly strengthened one's body.
Tsukinomiya-style
Spirit Technique, Chuden―
―Henrotō.
"Ugh!"
"With this, you
can't use that sacred artifact, can you? Come join me in this endurance
contest!"
Ryota triumphantly
told Salvatore, who involuntarily grunted due to Ryota's rising strength.
What passed through
his vision was Saki's concerned look for Akira's safety.
Ryota was also
somewhat aware that it would never be directed at him.
―He did not want to admit this fact.
Saki's smile, which
bloomed into a beautiful flower when he was a child, would no longer be his
anymore.
Lowering his eyes, he
gritted his teeth.
Covering up this
burning jealousy, Ryota finally said goodbye to his childhood self.
"......Go, Akira.
I'll give you this
glory!!"
As Ryota shouted so,
several streaks of red darkness ran through his back along with enormous
spiritual power.
His spirit, which
rarely revealed his emotions, announced his victory in a loud voice, Ryota
raised his head, smiling broadly in triumph.
"Move aside, you
mutt!
I have a million
people of Vansuir on my back, I won't allow myself to be stopped by someone like
you!!"
With a body of two
heads higher than Ryota's, this man who came from a foreign country shouted at
him condescendingly.
His impatient tone of
voice sounded ridiculous more than anything else, which made Ryota head-butt
him in the face immediately.
"Did you just
diss me!? You dissed me, right!? You mere underling!
I have the land and
people of Kamotsu at my back. You are nothing more than a bellowing, selfish
bastard!"
Ryota roared out, even
the blood and numbing pain from the bruise in his forehead felt good.
"If you care so
much about Vansuir, go back to your hometown and stay in your cave!
Don't you dare go
playing around in my hometown!"
"You sure like to
bark, huh, you f*cking little shit!"
The words made
Salvatore's arms hotter, as if his anger had gotten the better of him.
At a jarring speed,
the revolver in his left hand began to point its muzzle at Ryota's forehead.
Its power had already
been proven by Akira earlier. Ryota's expression became agitated, perhaps
because he understood the threat.
"F*ck,
youu!"
"Ryota-san!"
The bullet was about
to be fired. At that moment, a dagger came from behind Ryota's back and pierced
the gun.
Ryota shouted his
gratitude to the one standing at his back with a feeling of heartfelt gratitude
for the support he needed more than anything else.
"You made it in
time, Nonoka!!"
――――――――――
Hot.
Putting aside the
battle between Saki and the others, Akira was thinking about nothing else, as
if he were overcome by a burning heat.
His body and emotions
were boiling over, and yet his mind was clear.
With this feeling,
Akira felt as if everything that he had been unwilling to let go of melted
away.
The Rakuyou Zakuro
given to him by Kihoin had already been blown away and was no longer with him.
There was no talisman
left, and his hands were empty, clutching nothing but empty air.
Deprived of any means
of resistance, Akira just stood there.
―No. I still have a way to fight back.
Ah, why didn't
I notice?
He let out a heated
sigh and a sneer formed around his mouth at his own stupidity.
The scene that passed
through his mind was that of Salvatore pulling out a sacred artifact from his
body.
No one pointed it out
to him, and for some reason, Akira too thought that it was a matter of course,
but in the first place, even if one were to use rare sacred steel, a spirit
vessel is still a physical object.
Until just a month
ago, he had never even heard of such a thing as pulling a metal object out of
one's body.
...... Until a month
ago, when Akira was given Jakuen Gayou.
Yes, he noticed it. It
was a simple matter of realization.
―It is a vessel that belongs to the same rank as Jakuen
Gayou.
Tsuguho's words come
back to his mind now.
It was blown away somewhere
by Salvatore's blow.
Even so, the light
burning deep in his heart clearly informed him that the blade, darker than ash,
had not been lost.
Akira reached out his
hand to the empty air.
There, only emptiness
was still held. But he surely gripped the hilt of the sword that was engraved
in his memory.
―The shadow that undermines the sun. The flame of
rebirth that wishes for the setting sun.
―The moment when the crimson lotus flower sinks is the
moment when the setting sun appears.
Grasp. With the conviction
that his sacred artifact was there, Akira simply shouted its name.
"Sink
into the setting sun――Rakuyou Zakuro!!"
The vermilion-gold
spiritual power that surged from Akira was tinged with a glow of darkness
darker than ash.
With many trails, the
red darkness weaved its way down the blade of the sword.
Akira used
[Aragamioroshi], refining the spiritual power that welled up from the depths of
his being, to the utmost limit.
The immense divine
power distorted the world around Akira, and the ground exploded under its
weight.
His petite frame
accelerated, refusing to allow even that reality to catch up with him.
"......Go, Akira.
I'll give you this
glory!!"
Ryota's somewhat
radiant roar, as he held Salvatore at bay, pushed Akira's back, urging him to
march even further ahead.
―Accelerate.
Vermillion gold
brilliance burned up so as not to leave even a speck behind, the band of
burning light extending from the Rakuyou Zakuro became even more intense.
As if to challenge it,
Benedetta's attacks surged.
A band of searing
darkness undulating in the void blocked most of the attacks, but several
shining rays of light dived through the gap and turned their fangs toward
Akira.
However, Saki
intervened into their line of fire, and the trajectory of Saki's naginata,
which was swung as fast as a falcon flies, knocked all of them down.
The seemingly erratic
dance of slashes was the signature technique of the man who formerly served as
her bodyguard.
Kihoin-style
Spirit Technique, Consecutive Technique―
―Ranguri Itoguruma.
"Saki!"
"Akira-kun,
go!!"
The girl's dance,
illuminated by the shattering spirit light, went past him, but on the other
side, Benedetta's spiritual power shone even brighter and sharpened her fangs,
ready to attack even further.
―I won't let you.
With determination in
his heart, Akira slid his Rakuyou Zakuro into a diagonally downward slash.
The distance between
him and Benedetta was about 8 meters.
The distance between
them was still far.
But in his heart, the
wolf cried out in confidence.
―This distance is nothing compared to what Akira has
achieved in the past.
Rakuyou Zakuro is a
sacred artifact that represents the shadow cast by a phoenix flying in the sky
over the sun.
The embodiment of the
flame of Yin-Qi that exists within the extreme fire of the sun.
The authority of this
myth is the ability to cut through the darkness, ignoring all protection.
It combined many
streaks of gleaming darkness, forged them into a blade, and swung it vertically
through the air.
The cutting-edge of
Rakuyou Zakuro, darker than the night sky, carved the form of a crescent moon
in the sky.
"Break!!"
Release.
Scorching darkness
rushed through the night sky.
A single shadow of the
sun cast by the phoenix, flew through the distance of eight meters, instantly
sweeping over Benedetta's flank.
There was no flash. No
sound, no impact.
But the slash
certainly slashed down the barrier that the foreign girl had constructed with
all her might.
A cluster of
Benedetta's glittering spirit light, which had been dancing in the breeze,
scattered and dissolved into the void.
No.
"Wha―!!"
A heavy, dull tremor
shot into Benedetta's ears.
She glanced behind her.
The sight of the entire main hall of Gennaji Temple being cut in half in the
distance astonished Benedetta more than anything else.
"Sir
Ambrosio!"
She shouted to confirm
the safety of the man standing behind her.
Although he was an
uncouth man, Benedetta's objective would be crushed if Ambrosio's plan could
not be completed.
However, a moment
later, a presence approaching from behind the barrier caused her to withdraw
this thought.
Although it was merely
a split-second opportunity, the girl was exposed to a fatal mistake.
She hurriedly
retracted her thoughts that had wandered off.
When did he get so
close?
On the other side of
the barrier. Near Benedetta's bosom, Akira was already in a stance, aiming his
Rakuyou Zakuro at the girl's torso.
Benedetta, however,
would not be able to deploy her Houjutsu once she allowed her opponent to get
this close to her.
She barely had time to
think. Shaking off her instinct to evade, she poured all of her spiritual power
into the barrier.
A horizontal slash
from Akira.
―Clash.
The blade, darker than
ash, and the barrier, which had gained in luster, sparkled and scattered the
impact of their collision.
――――――――――
Author's note
This is a rather
difficult chapter to read.
We are ashamed to say
that it is a great reflection on our part.
We will revise the
story at a later date to make it more organized.
Translator's
note
Indeed. I've been
struggling hard translating this novel, not just this chapter.
If I have to be
honest, translating one chapter of this novel feels 2x more exhausting than
other novels I've done and am currently working on.
I think it's mainly
due to the words and Kanji used by the author.
Well, I’ll keep doing
my best.
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