Volume 3
Chapter 5 Part
4
Princess
Dances with Vermillion Gold, O you, Sever the Causes and Effects 4
Translator : PolterGlast
"Tsuguho!"
Akira's shout was not
directed at the person in front of him, but toward Padre's back.
Faster than one could
think, the black-robed monster followed the direction of his eyes.
All he could see was a
road covered in piles of rubble.
―Above his head.
High above the
rain-filled empty sky, the girl's slender body danced wildly as she was moved
through the air.
Fueled by the divine
energy that billowed up from Tsuguho herself, her elegant kimono fluttered
greatly.
She poised the
Aikuchi, a type of spirit weapon made of rare spiritual steel, and her long
gold-tinted hair spread out like phoenix wings.
His eyes lit up
sharply with a fierce blue flame, but none of the raging divine energy danced
through Tsuguho's body.
It was a flight of
serenity that did not even show the flicker of life, let alone the power of
spirit.
Therefore, Padre,
guided by Akira's gaze, unknowingly chased Tsuguho's figure toward his rear,
Naturally, he failed
to spot her.
Allowing herself to be
entangled in gravity and left to crash, Tsuguho aimed her initial strike at
Padre.
The Aikuchi, which
resembled the talons of a bird of prey soaring through the dark night, lunged
at Padre's upraised blade, which he noticed just in the nick of time.
Aikuchi's blade carved
a trail of sparks from the base of its blade to its tip.
―Instantly, Padre's body drowned and disappeared into
the blazing fire.
Kihoin-style
Spirit Technique, Chuden―
―Yobai Fukurō
Tsuguho moved on to
the next attack without delay, leaving a trail of lingering flames from the
spirit technique.
She took a step
forward with her Aikuchi, which had been strengthened by kneading the divine
energy into it with his Tanden (Dantian).
Kihoin-style
Spirit Technique, Consecutive Technique―
"Higasane!"
The ground trembled as
she stepped forward, and the space between her and Padre seemed to crackle
violently.
The afterflame exploded,
and the Aikuchi, engulfed in flames, formed a huge sword. A muddy stream of
fire swept over Padre as he raised the tip of his sword to slash.
It was so powerful
that it seemed to scorch everything in its line of sight, without mercy.
However, although the
blow was seemingly so powerful, its damage appeared to be limited to Padre's
surroundings.
"......Good
grief, you finally caught up, huh?"
A whisper of sneer
reached her ears and took away the opportunity to release the spirit technique.
At that moment, the
Armored Centipede broke through the swirling heat wave and loomed over with its
mouth gaping wide open.
"!" "I
won't let you!"
Tsuguho's divine
energy was roused to intercept the approaching fangs. However, a half-beat
delay would be fatal, and it would not be enough to purify the Centipede.
Tsuguho prepared to
defend herself by using the divine protection provided by the divine pillar, however,
she was then held up by Akira within a hair's breadth away from the Centipede.
―There was no time to think.
In the darkening field
of vision,
Only the single
thought of reaching Tsuguho in time sent Akira kicking the ground with a great
impulse.
*Whoosh*. A whirring
wind whistled in his ears.
Having heard this
whistling sound before, Akira lifted his eyelids.
The brightly lit
cityscape of Karen spread out below him.
An insane experience
of flying far up in the sky. Although it was the second time, his thoughts were
still a bit disoriented.
"W-Whoa!!"
"...... Please
calm down, Akira-san."
The whispering voice
brought him back to his senses. When he looked down at his chest, he saw
Tsuguho being embraced in his arms, clinging to him.
She settled deeply
into Akira's arms with a composed manner, smiling a little in satisfaction.
"Is this the
power of flight that Jakuengayou possesses?
I had heard that even
the previous Kanna-no-Mikura failed to exercise it,
......It will take
some getting used to, but it feels pretty good."
"......I am glad
to see that you are alright, Tsuguho-sama."
Tsuguho chuckled
amusedly after hearing his words.
Then, a serious glint
appeared in her eyes.
"That man seems
to be after you, Akira-san."
"Yes. ―That guy named Padre, he knew that I am
Kanna-no-Mikura."
"! ―I see
now."
Perhaps realizing
something, Tsuguho nodded her head in understanding.
Below them, they could
see the Armored Centipede moving, as if in pursuit of Akira and Tsuguho.
"...... The headquarters
of the garrison is under attack by a swarm of Defiled Beasts, and they are
forced to go on the defensive at the moment.
Please be prepared
that it will be difficult to rely on support."
"!
Understood."
Akira thought it was
strange that there was so much commotion at the very knee of the garrison
headquarters, and yet no officers, or even the garrison itself, had shown up.
If there is a
commotion going on all over the place, it makes sense.
"The other
party's target is almost certainly Akira-san.
......But, I don't
think he's the kind of fool who would dare to harm Akira-san in the lap of
Akasama."
"I think so
too."
"......It's
aggravating to be at the other party's bidding, but I think we should be the
ones to deal with them here.
Akira-san, why don't
you use Arawakamioroshi?"
"T-That's......"
Having hit where it
hurts, Akira turned his gaze down.
Tsuguho, who
unknowingly followed his gaze, returned a nod of understanding upon seeing the
scorched and half-destroyed cityscape.
"Are you worried
about the possibility of losing control?
―I understand your fear of repeating what happened in
Kutsunagahara."
"Yes."
"But if that is
the case, then, it is all the more reason to use Arawakamioroshi."
"―Eh?"
Upon hearing Tsuguho's
contradictory point of view, Akira raised his gaze.
Tsuguho's clear eyes,
which were directed at him, intertwine with his gaze.
*Silence*.
After a few moments,
Tsuguho turned her eyes away slightly.
"Arawakamioroshi
is the art of putting one's own will above the world's. No matter what you
want, no matter what you decide, the world will respond only to your
will."
"What
does-......mpph."
What does that mean? Akira
was about to ask this question, but Tsuguho's lips forcibly closed his mouth.
The smiling girl
placed her palm on Akira's chest and grasped the hilt of the sword that lay
dormant within Akira.
"Leave
Jakuengayou to me. That way, Arawakamioroshi's misconception will prevail
around you.
―Akira-san, please work with Aka-sama to defeat
Padre."
Smiling, Tsuguho
pushed Akira's chest away and swam through the air.
There was no time to
stop. The girl's body immediately began to descend and disappeared into the
darkness of the rainy weather with Centipede in its sights.
Akira's fingertips
scraped the void in an attempt to pull Tsuguho back.
However, all that
returned to his fingertips was the feeling of wetness from the rain.
The power of flight
disappeared, and as Akira began to fall, Tsuguho's last words came back to his
ears.
"Please
believe in Aka-sama a little more.
That is what
will bring you victory."
――――――――――
While exercising
Arawakamioroshi, Tsuguho felt the Jakuengayou in her grasp.
The symbol of the sun.
Representing the image of a phoenix swimming in the southern sky, it is this
land's treasure that even Tsuguho had no experience in utilizing.
Being so unfamiliar
with it, even she. as a Miko, was not confident that she would be able to fully
utilize it.
―But what about the moment when she is exercising
Arawakamioroshi?
Her body is in accord
with the will of the Southern Sky, and there is no reason for the sacred
artifact not to respond to it.
She tried to be
conscious of the power of flight.
The power of flying
above the ground was foreign to any human mind, but nevertheless, it brought a
sense of drastically easing the fall.
In the falling
posture, she raised Jakuengayou to the night sky.
Looking up at
Tsuguho's figure, what was once Banda's body bared its fangs as if to say that
a second surprise attack would not work.
The Centipede knew
that Tsuguho could not hope for a surprise attack.
That being said, it
would not choose the option of running away either.
It was because it
understood that fighting back without running away was the best way to survive.
"Judging by how
bold you are, there is no doubt that Banda's consciousness is still
intact."
She remembered Banda's
hideous behavior, and expressed a sarcastic remark.
"You wouldn't
want to live in shame for the rest of your life, would you?
―Know that my mercy is to give you a painless
end."
Weaving the divine
energy with exquisite precision. It is a spiritual technique similar to
Ishiwari Tonbi, but with incomparably greater power.
The brilliance of a
falling star dwelled in Jakuengayou's blade.
Kihoin-style
Spirit Technique, Okuden―
"―Naraku
Hō."
It does not split the
earth, nor does it radiate an endless amount of heat. The blade of the sword,
transformed into a mass of scorching heat, simply fell on the head of the
Armored Centipede.
Kihoin-style Okuden
crushed its target not by mass but by heat.
Before this spiritual
technique, defense is useless, and evasion is also meaningless. Even if the
target dodges, the heat of the fall will vaporize the entire space.
Its torso, protected
by a black, smooth carapace, began to bubble up, and its yellow, extended limbs
were instantly engulfed by the heat.
―However, its head protected by the mask still kept its
original shape even after receiving the heat.
At that moment, there
was a crack running through the middle of the Centipede's face that was so
clear that one could not miss it.
No, just the fact that
it was able to withstand the heat was enough to call it a great feat.
It was rather Tsuguho
who was shocked upon seeing it.
As she had discovered
before, Tsuguho was convinced that the mask was a sacred artifact.
Divine artifacts have
the property of being indestructible.
This is a knowledge
that can be called common sense throughout the world.
The divine pillar is
the cause itself. It is also based on people's perceptions.
Conversely, that is
also what leads to its damage.
As far as Tsuguho's
understanding, it is an abnormality that is similar to a death of a god.
―......Let's worry about it later.
Shaking her head,
Tsuguho discarded the thought that only produced hesitation.
The life of this long
bug is extraordinary. Almost all of its
limbs were obliterated, and most of its huge frame was reduced to charcoal.
Even so, endless greed still drove it to move.
"If it's
persistence alone, you're the best.
Banda. I've heard that
your skills are not enough to reach Okuden.
Then, let me show you
another one.
...... Be proud, for
this is a tribute on your way to the underworld."
From the mid-level
thrust stance, she held up the Jakuengayou so that her opponent could see it
clearly.
A handful of gorgeous
flames weaved around the vermilion-gold blade, illuminating the Armored
Centipede's entire body with the radiance of absolution.
―Screech, screech, screech!
There was probably not
a shred of what was left when he was human anymore.
Even so, the Centipede
opened and closed its fangs in a somewhat human-like shudder.
Is it still persisting
in its struggle against exposing its disgrace?
Still, without
hesitation, Tsuguho thrust the blade of Jakuengayou into the Centipede.
The heat that exploded
inside the centipede's body obliterated half of its body that barely remained.
Using the sacred
artifact held by the girl as a starting point, it went upward from the bottom.
Along with the stream of enormous flames of purification and destruction that
billowed up, Tsuguho slashed through Jakuengayou.
The burning tower,
which knew no end, thrust toward the sky, showing only a slight sound similar
to that of a hatchling bird.
Kihoin-style
Spirit Technique, Okuden―
―Higannue.
The rest of what was
left of the banda was swallowed by the scorching tower, and the mask that had
resisted to the end cracked and shattered into a thousand pieces.
Tsuguho took a deep
breath and then sheathed the Jakuengayou.
―At that moment, the Southern Sky shook with joy.
No matter what
happens, let this be the end of the battle here.
She thought of Akira
standing at the end of the shining vermilion-gold.
Unknowingly, she
pressed her fingertips to her lips to confirm the lingering scent of Akira's
scent.
It was Tsuguho's first
experience to give a man her lips.
Even though the act is
generally considered immodest by women, Tsuguho's lips still break into a heated
smile.
――――――――――
Akira’s inner gut
screamed at the uncomfortable feeling of falling.
Naturally, there was
no support, only the sound of the wind whistling in his ears, making a buzzing
noise.
The speed of the fall
seemed to have no bounds, and yet the sense of danger was negligible.
Fear seemed distant,
and Akira looked at the impending surface of the earth.
―Please believe in Aka-sama.
Tsuguho's words came
back to his mind
For Akira, trust was
something he shared only with a limited number of people.
Normally, the first
party one would trust would be one's family, but for Akira, family is nothing
more than a group of people who are not worthy of trust.
...... Especially
after the death of his grandmother, he even considered family to be the equivalent
of an enemy.
That was Tsuguho's
miscalculation.
Trust between family
members is a feeling of affection.
But for Akira, family
is synonymous with an alarming malice.
......That is why,
The affection shown by
Saki, Tsuguho, and Shuka was nothing but a foreign thing that Akira should be
wary of.
And yet, accepting
Akira's feelings, Tsuguho still spoke up.
―Let's believe in it.
Being wary of
affection. Akira's past bared its fangs.
Shaking off the
feelings that had protected him until now, Akira took a deep breath.
"I
beseech thee, Hōten Hōshū Daigōngen."
The voice of yearning
was high-pitched yet without impatience at the unrelenting threat of the
earth's surface.
It was the very decree
that would cause the Lord of the fire-element to descend.
"Dance in
the bubbles, Hōyoku Kaon Shuka-hime!"
As soon as Akira's
voice, wishing for the southern sky, ended, the world itself, reflected in his
vision, was filled with the brilliance of vermillion gold.
A vermillion gold
tower, which pierced the sky, gouged the dark rain clouds open and spread
forth.
Beyond it, he caught a
glimpse of the starry sky.
"―You really like
to keep this Mistress waiting, Akira."
"I am sorry.
―I can't thoughtlessly call upon Shuka-sama for help
for every trouble I face."
"No worries. It
is not something that Akira should be concerned about.
I also love the way
you care for this Mistress."
A mischievous whisper
tickled his ears.
Despite the free fall
from a great height, Akira's toes touched the ground without the slightest
impact.
With a twirl, the
child-like Shuka slid into Akira's arms and wrapped her delicate hands around
his neck.
She nuzzled happily
against his chest, then raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips in dissatisfaction.
"What is this?
You smell like a woman."
"It must be
Tsuguho-sama's scent."
I'm sure it is. Shuka
rubbed her nose against his chest without seeming to be offended.
After doing so, she
looked around happily.
At the end of her line
of sight, there stood Padre's figure.
She knew that she
couldn't ignore him, and her nervousness was evident in her gaze.
"Hmm. You look
quite familiar. I never thought you were still on this land. Where have you
been playing around?
―Nurarihyon."
"......It's been
a while.
If you ask me where, I
can only answer, at various places."
"Indeed, you have
been gone far too long.
The karma that
afflicted you has distorted your very being."
Shuka's smile grew
deeper and fiercer as she pointed it out.
Akira's gaze fell on
Shuka as they exchanged words.
"Do you know
Padre?"
"Padre? ...... Is
that what he calls himself now?
Well, if you ask
whether I know him or not, then I do.
About a thousand years
ago, he was a guest god who came from beyond the ocean and indulged in power
struggles in Karen."
"......I had a
lot of fun back then.
With the carefully
selected nobility as pawns, let them run straight on the road to success.
―Even now, I can still revel in the despair of those
pawns that have crumbled into a phantom from under my feet."
"Because of your
way of playing with fire at that time, Kutsunagahara is still the abode of the
bizarre even now.
......You should have
certainly perished in front of this Mistress' eyes. How did you escape?"
Padre responded to
Shuka's question with a contorted smile.
"Divine Pillar is
immortal and eternal. You know that well, don't you?"
"No, you're
lying. Indeed, Divine Pillars are immortal.
―But memories are not. Once you die, there should be no
way for the memories to remain.
The fact that you have
the memories of that time means that you are the one who was pulling the
strings."
Akira could not
suppress his surprise at the words that escaped from Shuka's mouth.
Divine PIllars cannot
lie. The existence in front of him, which had easily destroyed the assumption
of what was supposed to be absolute, was more foreign to him than anything
else.
"Sink
into the setting sun, ―Rakuyō Zakuro!"
Reaching into the
void, Akira drew out the other sword, the one that was stored in his inner
heart.
The divine artifact
burst forth into a fiery blaze as it stirred up the divine energy of vermillion
gold.
Shuka, who had moved
behind Akira, began to dance. The shimmering of vermillion gold dyed the
surroundings as her palm swung through the void.
Arawakamioroshi's
domain began to submerge the entire area surrounding her into the divine realm.
"Now, this area
has become a divine realm. I have also carefully bound your destiny to Akira's.
Don't expect any
miracles to happen again this time.
―This is your end, Nurarihyon."
Arawakamioroshi's
divine realm. No matter how he were to escape, he would eventually stumble upon
Akira in a fateful trap.
The cage was
set up and the entrance was closed.
"Right, right!
But, this is part of our plan from the very beginning.
We would not be so
foolish as to miss this opportunity to target the Divine Pillar of the Shumon
Province!!"
Padre, or rather
Nurarihyon, sneered, his mouth turned into a crescent moon.
With this declaration,
the battle between Akira and Nurarihyon resumed.
Akira made the first
move. Letting his enhanced physical abilities do the work, he slashed in a
straight line.
In the previous sword
fight, Akira was convinced that Padre's swordsmanship was undoubtedly superior
to his.
It was frustrating,
but his experience and ability were clearly not up to par.
―But that does not mean that there is no chance to win.
Kihoin-school
emphasizes firmness above all else. Utilizing Jōdan (Upper Stance), a simple
but powerful blow, is the strength of the Kihoin-style.
There is no room for
tricks. The only way to counter a straightforward slash is to defend head-on.
Nurarihyon received
the slash from the front with his sword blade as a shield.
Clash. Rakuyō Zakuro's
blade and the miasma-enveloped sword interlocked, sparks flying,
―In a one-sided motion, Nurarihyon's sword snapped in
two.
Padre tried to leap
backward after throwing his weapon, which has been reduced to half its original
length.
There was no way Akira
would miss this chance.
Akira took a big step
forward and slashed upward with a returning strike.
Kihoin-style
Spirit Technique, Shoden―
―Kaeri Tsumi.
Two strikes in a row,
aiming for fatality.
Nurarihyon's reaction
was slightly delayed, and the blade of burning darkness was drawn toward his
face without hesitation.
The tip of the blade,
gushing with divine energy, coincidentally pierced into the center of the crack
on his face.
The swirling flames
engulfed Nurarihyon's face, and the carved wooden mask split in two.
The fragments of the
mask fell to the ground, burnt out as though they were a mere recollection of
reality.
Nurarihyon's face
peeking out from behind it was nothing more than a man with no distinguishing
features.
"Is that how you
really looked like, Padre?"
"Indeed. This is
the face I've had for a very long time."
Nurarihyon's mouth
twisted in triumph.
Despite the
overwhelming disadvantage, the tip of the broken blade was aimed at Akira's center.
"Haven't you used
your trump cards enough?
...... Let's end this
in the next round."
"I've already
devised plenty of plans.
That end shall be
yours, Akira-dono."
In response,
Nurarihyon took a big step forward.
The gap between the
two suddenly disappeared, and Akira managed to parry the slashes that were
released.
Every time sparks fly,
the miasma and the divine energy clash against each other.
The slight advantage
was momentarily reversed, and Akira was suddenly forced into a disadvantageous
situation.
Even so, there was no
hint of impatience in Akira's eyes.
There was only one
thought that came to Akira's mind.
―Let's believe.
The feelings
that Shuka had directed towards me. The affection that I have avoided until
now.
His swordsmanship is
inferior to Nurarihyon's, and his techniques are not any better.
There is only one
thing that the insignificant Akira can do to defeat the monster in front of
him,
"Divine Realm
Release."
Pushed by his
determination, Akira naturally uttered a chant that had been lying dormant deep
within him.
"―May the
nectar of pomegranate burn in the setting sun."
A fireball was
released from Akira's fingertip, swimming in the darkness, and a blast of flame
flashed across Nurarihyon's field of vision.
A dark burning flash
bared its fangs from under the feet of Nurarihyon and pierced through his body.
"The peak
of the season has passed, and prosperity shall prevail throughout the
year."
The world was dyed in
vermillion gold, and the brilliance of an eclipse shone through.
The flames burning in
the dark shadows spread unabated.
Rakuyō Zakuro is a
sacred artifact forged from the phoenix's shadow casting upon the sun.
The essence of this
artifact is the culmination of the myth.
No matter what kind of
divine pillar, there is no way to escape from one's own shadow.
―What the supposedly never-born shadow led to was an
unlimited and contradictory blade that pierced through any divine protection.
No matter how much
divinity one may have acquired, as long as one is incarnated in this world, one
cannot remain unscathed by this blade.
The tip of the Rakuyō
Zakuro, which Akira had thrust out, pierced Nurarihyon's face.
An enormous amount of
miasma erupted from the sneering monster and vanished in the brilliance of the
divine realm.
Stunned by the sudden
disappearance, Akira checked to see the sacred artifact in his palm.
There was no response,
only a faint sound came into his ears.
The sound of rain once
again took over the world, and yet the only sound that remained in his ears was
the whispering pain carved by his doubts.
―Crack.
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