Volume 2
Chapter 9 Part
2
The Boy Wishes
Upon Bubbles, The Girl Dances Across the Skyway 2
Translator : PolterGlast
The spiritual power
that supported the barrier dissipated into countless sparkles.
At the same time, the
azure radiance that extended from the depths of Benedetta and the distant land
across the ocean was indeed connected.
The dragon vein was
now restored, and as Ambrosio had expected, Vansuir and Takamagahara were
connected.
With the church in
Tsonma as a relay point, from this moment on, even if merely temporarily, this
place has become the Land of Vansuir.
―Have you been expecting me?
This is the moment
that Benedetta has been waiting for.
The most precious
splendor of the sea in this world raised its melancholic twin eyes in response
to the prayers of her believers.
"Y-Your
Holiness."
Benedetta's lips
curved into an arc, unafraid of the approaching red and white blade.
"―Desiderio."
*Thump*. Shōjinbina's
white blade, which was almost hitting Benedetta's throat, was parried by a
brown palm.
With a sound that was
hard to believe coming from the palm of a living person, Saki's body was
forcibly twirled up with the entire naginata.
"Wha―!?"
"Haa!!"
Faster than Saki could
utter a scream, her body flew through the air by force.
An instant later,
Rakuyou Zakuro's slash seized Benedetta's torso.
―*Thump*!
Akira's confidence in
victory was shattered as his eyes widened in response to the solid response.
The tip of the Rakuyou
Zakuro's blade certainly did not miss its target, but the Western Blessing with
a pale blue glow blocked Akira's blow.
All sacred artifacts
are imbued with the characteristic of indestructibility.
Even if they are in
the form of a book, which is easy to pierce, it is impossible to carve even a
single scar on them with any means available to human beings.
At that moment, the
world submerged in the darkness of night turned into an azure blue that seemed
like a deep ocean floor.
The radiance of a blue
deeper than the darkness of night spread out with boundless clarity.
The translucent sea
color was akin to spiritual power, but its profoundness could not be compared
to that of a spirit that dwells in a person.
Divine Spirit.
The [Treasure of the
North]. Akira recalled the radiance that dwelled inside Ugetsu Souma.
However, even Souma's
radiance looked as muddy as muddy water when compared to this blue.
The brightness in
front of them poured down from a higher plane, so bright that they wanted to
prostrate themselves just by being there.
"Ugh......, damn
it!!"
Akira's throat groaned
in disappointment at being blocked by the azure radiance.
With the support of a
lot of people, he crossed the barrier, and with Saki's encouragement, he
managed to deliver a blow.
―And yet, are you saying that my resolve is still not
enough!?
"Akira-sama, you
did well.
―However, with this, it will be our victory."
Akira's gaze,
distorted with regret, was gently met by her azure eyes.
The maiden who was
hailed as the [saint of benevolence] in Vansuir, had her lips parted in a smile
that showed not a hint of hostility.
Divine Realm Release―
"Omnia hic,
scripta sunt―"
―It is said that the original scripture wielded by St.
Ariadne inscribed everything that happened in this world in her book.
In other words, it is
a myth that any phenomenon that can occur in the natural world is recorded in
its original scripture.
―The ultimate end of this authority. It culminates in a
characteristic that allows the events of the present moment to be inscribed in
the original scripture.
Its divine attribute
is absolute sealing.
It can seal every
object except life, even sacred artifacts are no exception.
The change began
without a sound.
From the edge that
touched the blessing, Rakuyou Zakuro began to dissolve into pages.
"What just happened―!!??"
"I was prepared
for it to possess a certain amount of divinity, but I never expected that it
would require me to use all the pages to finally achieve the divine seal."
Along with Benedetta's
words, the unraveled pages flew through the air.
The forged essence of
the Great Divine Pillar was transformed into countless pages of paper, taking
away Akira's weapon.
Even the handle he had
been clutching transformed into pages, and Akira's fingers flailed about in the
empty air.
However, even Akira
could not be so foolish as to be stunned at such a close distance.
He turned his grasped
palm into a fist and took another step, swinging widely.
"Haaaaa!!"
"I acknowledge
your spirit.
―But it's no use."
From the other side of
the piece of paper that danced in his field of vision, a brown palm received
Akira's fist.
A long silver hair
danced beyond the glimpse, and a sea-colored radiance gazed directly at Akira.
The palm that caught
the fist did not reduce Akira's momentum, and Benedetta pulled the boy's body
toward her,
The fist was
diminished as he swam with the momentum of being reeled in.
―Thump.
"......gubu.
Gahah!"
Akira's body was flung
through the air by the fist tinged with divine energy, and he rolled two or
three times backward on the cobblestone pavement.
Although he tried to
stand up, his body was pierced by the impact of the divine energy, and he could
not muster any energy to do so.
Even if he wanted to
heal his body, he had no regeneration talisman at hand,
―The only means left for Akira was to revitalize his
body in the same manner as activating the [Aragamioroshi] technique.
"Did you really
think that if you brought me into close combat, there would be no way for me to
resist you?
Sorry to disappoint
you, but I am an expert in the art of hand-to-hand combat.
I am not proud of it,
but I have never lost ground in this field."
"Haa, haa .......
―That, appearance,..."
...... It was
definitely not something that a woman accustomed to rear guard would be able to
unleash.
Regardless of the
truth or falsity of the words, the pain of being declared undefeated dredged up
Akira's sense of pain in waves.
Still, the activation
of her spiritual power caused Akira to jerk his body out of the agony caused by
the pain,
―He was dumbfounded by the figure of the girl standing
in front of him.
The figure that kicked
Akira away and gracefully retracted her leg was not the same figure he was
familiar with.
Her brown skin was
still dark even under the bright white moonlight, and her long hair was
glistening with silver.
―Her eyes, with their endlessly clear, sea-colored
glow, looked down at Akira, who had finally stood up.
"...... The
Casalini family was once a royal family with a lineage of demigods and
demihumans, who were descendants of St. Ariadne.
Just like the Lord who
rules this land (Kihoin), they possess a body that allows them to exist without
the aid of spirits as proof that they have inherited the bloodline of the
Divine Pillar."
"?!!"
"..................
Without the aid of spirits, you say!?"
Saki, who stood up
behind Akira, let out an exclamation upon hearing Benedetta's sentence.
"Kannagi, no, Miko family lineage!?
Is your country
insane!? Once you die, your country's means of connecting with the divine
pillar will be lost to oblivion!"
As one of the pieces
of information related to Kanna-no-Mikura, Saki was imparted with knowledge of
the characteristics of Sannomiya-Shiin (The Four Sovereigns and the Three Palaces).
One of them was the
knowledge related to the divine realm.
Originally, only
Kanna-no-Mikura was supposed to be able to reach the divine realm.
However, if this were
the case, the belief in the divine pillar would not be born.
With the divine
pillar, there would be faith, with the divine pillar, there would be
prosperity.
Therefore, in order to
establish a connection between the divine realm and Kanna-no-Mikura, which is
rarely born, it was necessary to create a pseudo-Kanna-no-Mikura.
......That was the
origin of the Four Sovereigns and the Three Palaces.
Just like
Kanna-no-Mikura, it is a miraculous body that is arbitrarily granted freedom
from being bound by spirits.
However, it also meant
that in exchange for enormous power, they were destined to be bound to the
divine realm, and were more freedom-less than anyone else.
They are also
irreplaceable existences to communicate with the divine pillar, and it is
common knowledge that their wielding of divine power is a last resort when the
dragon den is being invaded.
Vansuir's decision to
ignore this common knowledge seemed to Saki to be madness.
"It is
inevitable, we must resist the iron age that is overtaking the Western
Continent.
―The only place that
has maintained a sacred precinct this close to the age of gods is Takamagahara,
you know? ...... Even the Eastern Continent is unable to resist the decline of
its divine realm."
"That's not
surprising to me.
Even the dragon dens
are not inexhaustible. Such an act of transferring the divine pillars just for
someone's convenience, no matter how benevolent the deity may be, may cause the
people to lose their affection for them."
Takamagahara has
walked through the ages together with the divine pillars. This approach is in
line with its ideal of how the divine pillars and its folklore were originally
supposed to be.
However, the attitude
of the Western Continent, which seeks to subordinate other divine pillars, may
distort and undermine even the divinity that the divine pillars were originally
supposed to possess.
―No matter how much prosperity it achieves, it will
eventually exceed the capacity of the dragon dens and at some point, it will
reach the point of collapse.
Benedetta's response
made Saki throw a rebuttal, but then she finally became aware of Akira's
stunned reaction to what Benedetta was saying.
"............
Without the aid of spirits?"
"Akira-kun,
that's―"
"―Does that mean
they don't have spirits residing inside of them? Doesn't the fact that one
doesn't have a spirit dwelling in one's body mean that one has fallen into a
defiled beast!?"
"......I don't
know who told you such a misunderstanding, but that's not true at all."
Benedetta opened her
mouth in place of Saki, who could not find the words to respond to Akira's cry.
"In the first
place, the puny vessels of human beings are not strong enough to withstand the
spiritual power that fills this world.
So, to resist this
situation, human beings must carry the spirits inside their bodies."
"........................"
The demigods and
demihumans who inherit the bloodline of the divine pillars do not have spirits
dwelling in their bodies.
...... Because their
vessels are equal to one world, so there is no need for them to do so.
In front of Benedetta,
who spoke eloquently, Akira kept his eyes down defenselessly.
Her words were like a
ringing echo in Akira's mind and did not penetrate into his understanding.
But even so, there were
things he did understand, even if only slightly.
Why was Kihoin
so concerned about Akira?
Why did Rindou
Saki become Akira's mentor?
―And who was Shuka?
"I am the
descendant of the Blessed Child, who was united with the Divine Pillar in the
beginning of time."
With each echo of
Benedetta's voice, the rippling waves of the sea led the world into the radiant
colors of the sea.
The cobblestone
pavement of the temple, submerged in the darkness of the night, was gone, and
before long, the twittering of the insects and the whistling of the wind were
replaced by silence.
Even the floor of the
temple was dyed in the colors of the ocean floor, with the azure glow spilling
out from the stained glass windows.
What unfolded there
was a palace in a faraway foreign land. The Blue Moon Chamber, where the Divine
Pillar of Vansuir resides.
―Have you accomplished it?
......This place was
already turned into a divine realm.
"Yes, Your
Holiness.
This land has long
since left Takamagahara's hands, and now that we have connected you to the
dragon veins, this wind cave is now a divine realm."
Benedetta answered in
affirmative to this question from a distant foreign land.
Sitting on a throne at
the innermost part of the Blue Moon Chamber, a girl who probably just turned
ten years old, opened her eyes with the radiance of the ocean.
She has brown skin and
silver hair. Perhaps partly because of their strange hues, the fragile girl who
stood in front of Benedetta could be described as a sister, and her eyes, which
could see even into infinity, were turned toward Akira with curiosity.
―It has been a long time since I met you, the Blessed
Child. I am Ariadne, the mother of the people.
"Kuh."
Along with Ariadne's
voice, a divine force blew out, striking Saki and Ryota, who were about to get
up.
While the two kneeled
down, Akira confronted Ariadne.
"Do you know
me?"
―Yes, of course.
"......How?"
―My myth is related to human beings.
The foreign land's divine
pillar straightforwardly answered Akira's question.
―Even though you are the [Blessed Child], you are still
a human being. My oracle, which chisels out the world's records, can see
through it to a certain extent.
Ariadne gently
extended her hand.
―You may swear your allegiance to me. Your blood shall
be entrusted to me and my children.
"...............
I refuse."
After a brief silence
prevailed between them, without a hint of hesitation, Akira rejected Ariadne's
invitation.
"Akira-sama. That's
......."
"Indeed, I have
nothing but bad memories toward those Ugetsu people.
I don't even remember
a single good memory with them."
If Akira were to be
asked whether he could cast them aside, he would have nodded his head without
hesitation.
But this is not the
same thing.
He came to Shumon
Province, was helped by Granny, and was accepted by Kansuke and Asogi.
After parting ways
with Fuyō Gozen, he met Shuka.
He was treated well by
Tsuguho,
―He was mentored by Saki.
No matter who asked
him, he would never forgive himself if he were to undermine everything they
have done with malice.
"...... Should
you, Divine Pillar-sama, have come to me 3 years ago, I would have taken your
hand without hesitation."
Akira put all his
strength into his limbs.
As if licked by a
flame, Akira's body regained its freedom.
The blessings he
received were as vigorous and full of vitality as he wished for, and the
burning heat in his stomach dispersed into vermillion-gold with his exhaled
breath.
"I'm sorry, but
my body is on a first-come, first-served basis.
My Divine Pillar is
already here after all. Waiting for me until my soul understands."
......Yes,
understanding. That's where it all comes down to.
―The point from which your perception starts is wrong.
Shuka's words came
back to him now.
Words were not enough.
That might make one feel like one understands on the surface, but it will never
sink into one's bones.
Shuka has given him
everything, and it was right before his eyes from the very beginning.
......It's just that
Akira didn't want to see it.
Finally, Akira stood
at the entrance of understanding himself.
Let's think about it.
She said that Akira is
Kanna-no-Mikura.
Which is equivalent to
the title of Kannagi or Miko.
If the condition is
that they do not possess a spirit, then what is Akira's vessel for?
It is simple. The
answer has been engraved in the title from the very beginning.
The meaning lies in
the place where Akira was afraid to even look at.
"It's a throne
without a divine pillar, hence Kanna-no-Mikura, huh?
...... So awful."
It was truly
awful.
It took me
until now to understand this.
Therefore, all
I have to do now is to convey an apology to the girl I'm about to meet.
Akira's twin eyes,
which opened slightly, were different from the black eyes of before.
The endlessly clear
blue flames were faintly colored with vermillion gold, and he looked back at
Ariadne without showing a single trace of fear.
The brilliance of his
eyes made Benedetta's vigilance pique, and without hesitation, she used all of
Ariadne's divine energy for defense.
―The guardian bird of the southern sky. The dazzling
figure cruising around the sun.
―The Lord of Bankyu, seated in the auspicious clouds.
In a single breath, the
words of prayer escaped Akira's lips.
"I beseech thee,
Hōten Hōshū Daigōngen."
Along with the poem
that yearned for the divine pillar, the spiritual power of vermilion gold
danced in Ariadne's divine realm.
The vermillion became
more clear, the gold became more glamorous, and the radiance sublimated like a
phoenix soaring high in the sky,
"―Dance in the
bubbles, Hōyoku Kaon Shuka-hime!"
Akira surrendered
himself to the radiance of the divine power that responded to him and to the
world.
"Fufu."
In the silence, where
no one could breathe a single word, the soft voice of a young girl's chuckle
sounded in Akira's ears,
*Fwish*. The arms of
the fair-skinned young girl were wrapped around Akira's neck.
Gently, Akira placed
his fingers on the backs of the hands crawling on his chest.
Her mumbled voice
sounded happy, but still filled with sincere emotion.
"...... Sorry.
It took me a while to
notice.
"It's fine. It's
also a kind of fate.
―Finally, you called me by my divine name, Akira."
Shuka's mischievous
smile returned to Akira's eyes for the first time in a while.
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