Volume 4 Chapter 4.2
With the Strength of Our Bonds Part 2
Translator : PolterGlast
Everyone was
speechless as the two clashed in the center of the arena.
"What the heck is
this......."
The voice that someone
unintentionally let out melted into the surrounding air.
But that was also what
everyone present was thinking.
"............."
Camilla was stunned
and speechless, and Ken was staring at the battle unfolding in front of him as
if he were looking at something impossible.
Ken was aware of the
tremendous power that Nozomu held within him. The power of something who seemed
to be a spirit, with an immense amount of power, and an intense murderous
intent. However, even though Nozomu was not using any of that power, he was
still able to go toe-to-toe with that hero.
(F*ck, f*ck! No way!
This can't be happening!)
This fact devastated
Ken even more.
He thought it was
because Nozomu was gifted with special powers. But contrary to that thought, he
was being shown swordsmanship that could rival that of Jihad. It was as if to
tell him that Nozomu was worthy of that immense power.
Ken involuntarily
glanced at Lisa, who was standing next to him.
Her eyes were wide
open as she stared intently at Nozomu, who was crossing blades in the center of
the arena.
The light of a clear
will is beginning to return to her eyes.
"Nozomu
......"
Furthermore, Nozomu's
name leaked out of Lisa's mouth.
A reaction that should
not have been possible with her state of being assimilated with Mefi. Ken's
face involuntarily twitched.
(Mefi, what is the meaning
of this!?)
(I-I don't understand
either! Suddenly, her consciousness awakens ...... this!)
Ken hurriedly called
out to Mefi through his thoughts, but it turned out that this situation was
unexpected even for his partner, the lesser spirit. While they were both
agitated, Lisa's condition became even more unstable.
"But, Nozomu was,
he threw away our promise ...... ugh!?"
Perhaps
her memory had become jumbled, Lisa put her hand on her chest and grimaced as
if she were enduring a headache.
The
pain and discomfort felt like an insect crawling in the depths of her chest.
Her heart beat wildly, and her mind repeatedly replayed scenes from the past.
The
time Nozomu made a promise to her. The first moment she became conscious of him
as a person of the opposite sex. When she was betrayed and devastated.
He betrayed me ...... but, why is he
still at this school?
I want him out of my sight ...... but,
why can't I take my eyes off of him?
My feelings for him should be nothing
but anger...... but, why does it make my heart ache so much?
"Go for it,
Nozomu! Your skills are on a par!"
"Oi, come on
...... argh, why don't you go a step further!"
"Mars-kun, please
calm down......."
From afar, the voices
of Irisdina and the others could be heard cheering for Nozomu.
Why are they
cheering for such a guy ...... but, why can't I voice my feelings the same way
they do? Lisa's conflicting thoughts and feelings continue to confuse her.
The disorder in her
mind was beginning to show in her body. Her eyes were unfocused and her body
was swaying unsteadily.
(Damn it......!)
Ken held and supported
Lisa's shoulders and at the same time poured his own magical power into Mefi,
who was assimilating inside her.
However, Lisa's
agitation persisted. As her body trembled, she did not even look at Ken, who
was supporting her. This helplessly damaged Ken's self-esteem.
Just hurry up
and be defeated already!
Ken kept glaring at
Nozomu with a thick, murderous intent in his eyes.
†
Exchanges of
unimaginable physical strength and superior techniques. The two kept crossing
blades, drawing the attention of everyone around them. However, the scales were
gradually tipping in favor of Jihad.
"You certainly
have extraordinary skills. But...... it's only a matter of time."
Nozomu's face contorted
in response to Jihad's words.
Even though they were
striking each other evenly, neither of them was able to break through the
other's defense.
However, Jihad's
shield defense was far too robust. On the other hand, Nozomu's continuous
fighting capability due to his ability suppression is remarkably low.
This equilibrium would
not last long, and it was clear which side would collapse first.
"But you have
shown me enough. There is no doubt about your ability. There are very few
people in this school who could compete with me to this extent, and the ones
who could land a blow on me, were nonexistent."
His voice was low and
calm. But in that tone of voice, there was pure praise for Nozomu.
Nozomu felt a surge of
joy when she heard this compliment.
But, the reason he had
remained at the school was not because he wanted to be praised. Nor did he want
anyone to appreciate him. He was just simply running away.
The very reason he was
able to withstand Shino's reckless training was, at its core, an escapism. It
was not a reason to be praised. But the honest praise from someone who is
called a hero and respected by many struck Nozomu's heart.
"Not
yet......"
A sense of fulfillment
filled Nozomu's heart. But he shook his head. He has not yet given it his all. As
if to say so, Nozomu swung his katana with all his might and intercepted the
approaching greatsword. He stepped forward at once.
"Hmm!?"
The moment the
greatsword collided with Nozomu's katana, the pressure on Jihad's arm suddenly
disappeared.
"This technique
again, huh......!"
[Mikagura-style・Rolling Talon]
However, Jihad, who
had already seen the technique once, lowered his own waist before Nozomu could
get under him, pressed forward, and launched an upward kick.
Nozomu's momentum was
stopped before he could slip under Jihad's armpits, and he was almost pushed
back at once in the opposite direction.
"Fuu......."
Nozomu, however, was
no pushover. Instead of forcibly resisting the intense pressure on his entire
body, he spun his body halfway around while keeping his left foot in front of
him. He then circled around to Jihad's rear by letting Jihad's kicking momentum
flow through his body.
Then, with their back
facing each other, Nozomu picked up the scabbard strapped on his sword belt
with his left hand and pointed the butt of the scabbard at Jihad's back. The
katana, which had been held in his right hand, spun and pointed toward the
scabbard
"Mu!?"
Nozomu's strange
behavior sounded an alarm in Jihad's intuition. Based on his years of
experience, the war hero turned around and slid the tower shield between
himself and Nozomu.
In the center of the
shield, the butt of Nozomu's scabbard slammed into the center of the shield
simultaneously as he sheathed his katana.
Immediately afterward,
Jihad's arm felt a numbing shock.
"Ugh!?"
[Qi-jutsu・Breaking Strike]
A penetrating jutsu
that destroys the opponent's internal organs with blows generated by the Qi
stored in the scabbard.
The shock of the
inserted blade combined with the explosion of Qi caused Jihad to almost drop
his shield.
This is a technique
that normally destroys the opponent's internal organs along with their defense.
However, against Jihad, it could only slow him down a little.
However, it was enough
for Nozomu. Using [Breaking Strike]'s momentum, Nozomu rotated his body like a
spinning top while keeping the katana in its sheath. He then poured his Qi back
into the blade he had sheathed, sharpening it to the extreme.
Jihad, on the other
hand, forced his numb arms to move, readjusted his shield, and infused an
enormous amount of Qi into it.
The dense Qi enveloped
the tower shield and exerted pressure on Nozomu as if a huge wall had been
erected. The way he stood with both feet planted firmly on the ground and his
shield poised, it was as if he was saying, "Come at me!", and
eloquently expressing his determination.
"Fuuu~!"
Snipped the koiguchi,
and slash. The katana was unsheathed and a silent blade bared its fangs at
Jihad's shield.
[Qi-jutsu・Phantom]
Nozomu's most reliable
Qi-jutsu. The extremely compressed Qi-blade sliced through Jihad's dense Qi
like paper, leaving a single scar on the tower shield.
"Wha!?"
A shocked voice
escaped from Jihad's mouth. The tower shield was supposed to have enough Qi in
it to protect against even advanced-tier magic. But despite this, the shield
was easily damaged.
"Seeei!"
While Jihad was
surprised, Nozomu threw a returning strike. The reverse strike once again
carved a scar on the shield.
"Kuh......!"
As the tower shield
screamed accompanied by dancing sparks, Jihad raised the greatsword in his
right hand. If this continued, the shield would be destroyed. Then the only
thing to do is to render the opponent incapable of combat before the shield is
destroyed.
Fortunately, the
advantage of using a shield and a sword is that the attack and defense can be
switched instantly. Nozomu, now mounted on a clear offensive intent, would not
be able to immediately parry as he had done earlier.
Jihad decided to outdo
his opponent's next attack and slam his greatsword the moment the katana was
being swung out. Jihad also determined to make a fatal blow, and readied himself
for Nozomu's third attack.
However, at the next
moment, Jihad's attention was dyed white by the swelling sword Qi beyond the
shield.
"W-What the
heck!?"
Jihad's eyes, peeking
out from behind the shield, caught sight of Nozomu, who was pointing the tip of
his katana at him and holding it up as if he were drawing a crossbow. His sharp
eyes caught Jihad, who was hiding behind the tower shield, and the blade he was
holding up had extremely compressed Qi which was incomparable to anything Jihad
had ever seen before.
A chill ran down
Jihad's back. It is a defensive instinct that creatures feel when they are in
danger. It is a feeling that death is close at hand, a feeling that has not
existed since he came to this academy, but that he had felt as a matter of daily
routine twenty years ago.
Immediately afterward,
the sharpened blade was released. Like a flash of lightning, the thrust
approached the tower shield in a straight line.
Jihad quickly threw
the shield toward Nozomu and raised his greatsword as if to interrupt the
trajectory of Nozomu's blade as it was being thrown at him. The tip of [Mumei]
locked on the center of the cross-shaped scar on the shield, and at the same
time, the Qi-blade, sharpened to the utmost limit, was released.
[Qi-jutsu・Core Piercing]
The released Qi-blade
pierced the shield in an instant, and at the same time, it exploded into
countless blades.
The bursting Qi-blades
struck straight at Jihad, piercing a large hole in the shield floating in
mid-air and scattering countless metallic fragments.
†
Everyone was
speechless at the indescribable scene before them.
At the feet of the two
men standing in the center of the arena, countless shattered pieces of metal
were scattered about.
Fragments of the tower
shield that was destroyed by Nozomu's [Qi-jutsu・Core Piercing].
Since Nozomu has a
small amount of Qi, everyone thought that this technique of his was probably a
technique that efficiently dealt damage with a small amount of Qi, but even so,
this technique proved to be tremendously lethal.
"He really did it
....... Irisdina, have you seen that technique?"
"No, I haven't.
But that stance looks familiar. What about you, Shina?"
"I saw it when we
fought the Abyss Grief. It shot through the body of that jet-black monster in
an instant and ripped it apart."
[Even from my point of
view as a spirit, it was a very powerful attack.]
Irisdina replied to
Mars' unintentionally leaked words, and she broke out in a cold sweat at
Shina's explanation.
Even in a suppressed
state, Jihad's tower shield could be pierced. If he had unleashed that
technique in a released state, not even a piece of flesh might have remained.
"If Nozomu were
to shoot that technique at the time he was misled by Tiamat, we would have
......"
"It's a little
late to say this, but we were in serious danger......."
While Mars and Tima
blurted out their trembling voices, the rest of the friends were also
remembering what happened back then, and breaking out in a cold sweat.
"......Amazing."
In the midst of all
this, Camilla was also taken aback by Nozomu's figure in the arena.
In her mind, she
recalled Nozomu who was waiting in front of the girls' dormitory this morning.
He apologized,
something he should not have had to do, and had a calm expression on his face
even in the face of those who had humiliated him.
Although she was
startled by his words, she was immediately alerted that it was an act to
deceive her.
Because she believed
he must have resented her, hated her.
But the sight of him
wielding his katana quickly swept away her suspicions.
The cold stagnation
faded away, and was replaced by a certain heat that began to rise up.
(If it's him, he might
be able to ...... help Lisa now.)
But, what would happen
to her as a result? She knew right away what would happen to her. She would be
denounced, and in the worst-case scenario, sent back to her homeland. Back to
the abominable homeland that filled her with so much fear.
But strangely, her
body did not tremble. On the contrary, with each passing moment, the flame in
her chest grew bigger and bigger.
A figure overcoming
the past and looking forward. A small fire was lit in the chest of a girl who
had been consumed by the darkness of despair.
†
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