Volume 3
Chapter 14
Part 1
Tears of
Slumber Reaching the Heavens 1
Translator : PolterGlast
―The outskirts of the Central Capital, Kugatachi
Mountain.
A sudden firestorm
erupted in the plain below the mountain.
Young guardians
wielded their spirit weapons, and each time they did so, the spirit light
scattered brilliantly.
"The left flank
is collapsing!"
"Remember your
training, don't step out of formation!"
Shouts flew back and
forth as the front lines had fallen into a stalemate against the encroaching
Kegare.
Shockwaves roared
through the air, and only the remains of defiled beasts were sent flying.
"Damn it, only
the worthless ones, huh?"
"Don't let your
guard down. Since we haven't seen any metamorphs, they are practically
unharmed.
―Where's the garrison?"
"We made them
retreat. They'll only slow us down."
"Certainly.
All hands, draw your
weapons. We must defend the barrier at all costs."
It was a better
decision than wasting lives with inexperienced leadership.
Those in command spat
out their frustration and drew their spirit weapons.
The fire element is
purification itself. If they do not have to consider the damage to the
surrounding area, no matter how many defiled beasts there are, they will pose
no problem.
However, no matter how
superior their firepower is, if their formation collapses, their response will
be delayed.
"...Damn it.
Where the hell did all these defiled beasts come from?"
"It would make
sense if I heard that there was a hole in the path to the underworld, wouldn't
it?"
The apprentice guardian
who complained looked at the cityscape of the Central Capital behind the
encroaching defiled beasts.
A thin plume of black
smoke was rising from the Central Capital, perhaps indicating that the invading
defiled beasts had traversed their way through the city.
Without the time to
recover from being attacked from behind, the guardians plunged into battle.
Even in the brief
exchanges, there were no bright topics.
One squad, composed
entirely of young guardians, was swallowed up by the overwhelming numbers of
defiled beasts and disappeared.
"We should rescue
them!"
"Hold on. If we
break the formation, we'll be devoured right away.
―Let's retreat in formation."
Without time to rescue
their classmates, the main command decided to retreat.
It was a slow,
turtle-like retreat. They were worried about the guardians who had been
swallowed up by the horde of Hyakki Yagyo, but they were also barely clinging
to their own lives.
With a bitter taste in
his mouth at his own inadequate abilities, the young guardian took another step
toward the next defense point―.
―Gya...
"Huh?"
A creaking cry, like
something gnawing at the back of his spine.
The apprentice
guardian looked around but saw no threats other than the defiled beasts.
―Unable to ignore the intuition that ran down his
spine, the young guardian raised his spirit weapon.
He tried to adjust his
breathing in order to knead his spirit power, but he was unable to calm down in
the congested battle that he was experiencing for the first time.
His thoughts grew
impatient. The shadow lurking at the young man's feet deepened its color to a
dark black.
"Ugh," he
stumbled. The ground split open and swallowed his feet. "―Uaahh!??"
Leaving behind only
the despair that choked his throat, the torrent of red and black that
overflowed from the ground swallowed the young man. The devourer took shape and
the young figure disappeared into the depths of the opening maw.
―Gyaaahahahaha!!
An Armored Centipede
that had appeared, glared at the guardians who were stupefied.
Beyond the gaze of the
apprentice guardians, a huge Centipede towered toward the sky.
Its hideous sneers
echoed. One of the young guardians raised his sword high perhaps to encourage
himself.
"You
bastard!!"
Perhaps because of his
rage or his near-death experience, his sword stroke was filled with the
greatest power of his life.
―A cross of blazing flames carved through the void. The
flames of the explosion blazed his vision, and the sneering Centipede sunk
beyond it.
"I did it!"
"―Run! That
Armored Centipede is a water element!!"
A feeling of
accomplishment. But a warning flew towards the young man who had shouted in
victory.
Immediately afterward,
the jaws of the Centipede, which pierced through the explosion, lunged towards
the young man.
He didn't have time to
scream. Staring at the drooling fangs, the young man let out his final sigh...
"—Defensio."
A clear, feminine
declaration. As she spoke, a flickering silver barrier appeared, blocking the
Armored Centipede's attack.
With a single word,
she halted the invasion, and her white porcelain figure slipped past the
stunned boy.
Benedetta Casarini,
having descended to the front lines, raised the book divine artifact, the
[Blessing of the West], which she held in her hands.
The silvery-white
divine energy that flowed out shone brilliantly at the knees of the fire
element's sacred ground.
"Sir Torliani.
Please cooperate with Sir Trovato and secure the perimeter.
―I will handle the mid-range."
"As you
command."
Upon hearing Benedetta's
words, Salvatore Torliani stepped forward.
In the hand of the
red-haired big man was a black sword, a divine artifact.
Together with
Alessandro Trovato, who raised his shield divine artifact, they charged
fearlessly into the midst of the defiled beasts.
As the defiled beasts
howled in pain, the divine artifact in Benedetta's palm emitted a fierce divine
energy.
Several pages from the
[Blessing of the West] fluttered about.
"―Flamma."
With a single breath,
her declaration dyed the world in its color.
The defiled beasts
were consumed by the scorching heat that manifested as she had spoken, leaving
no trace.
The power of the
[Blessing of the West]. The reenactment of the creation of the world as
described within that book had turned the tide of the Hyakki Yagyo.
"Thank you for
your assistance, Casarini-dono. I am sure it must be difficult for you, a Miko,
to engage in battle in a distant land. So, I suggest you to retreat."
"Don't worry
about it. This is nothing out of the ordinary for me."
A middle-aged man
stood shoulder to shoulder with the girl, who let out an exhale and took a step
back.
Benedetta, without
being surprised, smiled at Kozaburo Rindo.
Their gazes crossed as
they tried to discern each other's true intentions.
Kozaburo Rindou, the
head of one of the Eight Families, has some knowledge about demi-gods and
demi-humans.
The artificially
created Kanna-no-Mikura. They share many of the same abilities as Mikura, but
they also have the greatest weakness of being unable to leave the divine pillar
they are devoted to.
Benedetta, being far
from Vansuir and disconnected from the dragon veins, should not be able to
fully utilize her powers.
―But what about the attack just now?
In addition to the
power of the divine artifact, she also exercised her divine energy. Kozaburo
had anticipated that she would refrain from excessive use of divine energy to
avoid revealing her weakness before negotiating with Takamagahara.
"......St.
Ariadne's power is the representation of its people. Even in foreign lands, we
can draw the blessings of our divine pillar if we have the right number of
people.
―And it's not a secret. It's fairly well-known
information that you could easily find out if you look it up."
"I see. That's
impressive.
―However, I would appreciate it if you would give me
some face from here on."
Shrugging, Benedetta
turned her gaze forward.
The surrounding
defiled beasts had thinned somewhat, but there were still many more beyond.
Kozaburo stepped
forward towards the place where the defiled beasts and Armored Centipede were
swarming.
"Understood. Do
you need any assistance?"
"No need. From
your words, I assume you know quite a bit about my divine artifact."
Spirit power swirled
heavily at Kozaburo's feet as he advanced.
Defiled beasts fell,
and he stood in the empty space created on the battlefield.
"...Yes."
Confirmation came
after a few beats. In the history of the province, which she obtained, the
exercise of several divine artifacts, including legends, was described.
Among them, the most
frequently described divine artifact was the Yashiori-no-Nobegane.
Its power was quite
simple. it multiplied the power of an attack eightfold.
"From the looks
of it, you must have thought it was a mere eightfold, huh?
Well, let me show you
the truth."
A cruel smile pasted
on his lips.
Reaching out into the
void, Kozaburo declared proudly.
"Crush
them."
In his hand, he held a
sword with a blade 2 feet 6 inches (78 centimeters) long.
"―Yashiori-no-Nobegane."
The blade had no edge,
nothing more than a sheet of metal.
Holding it in an
overhead stance, Kozaburo looked ahead.
"Eightfold,
reverberating through nine heavens, Tamahagane."
Confirmed that there
were no guardians ahead.
—Without hesitation, he chanted the divine decree.
"—Flames
of emptiness, numerous and swift."
Divine domain
unleashed. At the same time, the tip of the blade, which he swung down, crashed
forward with its primordial brilliance of red, white, and blue.
Step forward and
sustain it with the hips. Twisting the transmitted power from the shoulder and
strike down.
A total of four
sections. To strengthen all of them eightfold was the divine attribute of the
artifact passed down in the Rindou family.
A single blow, lightly
released from overhead stance, crushed everything in his vision with a trail of
searing heat.
An impact that
exceeded sound echoed, dyeing the greatly gouged earth red.
The blow left no trace
of life or even the terrain. Watching the artifact scatter its spiritual light,
Kozaburo released his residual intent.
"—Tactics are
unnecessary. Once they step into the range, all we have to do is simply crush
everything."
The simplicity of the
technique makes it powerful and difficult to counter.
Simple but difficult
to counter and powerful.
Kozaburo showed his
intent with indifference to the heat haze that still rose from the earth.
"Excellent work.
...There's truly a world of difference between hearing about something and
seeing it for yourself."
"I am relieved
that you understand.
It seems that things have
quieted down a bit, we should be able to fortify our defense in the
rear..."
If anything goes
wrong, Kozaburo Rindou would stand at the forefront and sweep everything away.
Kozaburo nodded upon
hearing Benedetta's gentle voice who had heeded his previous warning.
Kozaburo, who was
about to turn on his heel, stopped his movement at the density of the miasma
crawling on the ground.
As he turned around,
he saw in front of him, in the midst of the still-scorching inferno, a
blackish-red centipede head appeared.
―Gya, ha ha ha ha ha.
Its head was several
times larger than the previous one. The length of its body was also
considerable, and there was still no end in sight as it crawled out of the
ground.
"Are you going to
use your power again?"
"I can, but...
it's too close." Kozaburo responded bitterly as he saw the shadow of the
insect falling from a height above him.
"I'd rather avoid
blowing up our own allies."
The
Yashiori-no-Nobegane is powerful and easy to fire in rapid succession, but it
is also extremely difficult to adjust its power.
After all, it turned
just a simple overhead stance into a single blow that swept away everything in
sight.
Due to its
overwhelming power, it inevitably limited the situations in which it could be
used.
—Can I adjust the power by releasing it into the sky?
Just as he grasped the
hilt of the artifact with determination, a violet spirit light connected heaven
and earth on the other side of the armored centipede. The radiance that his
daughter should have possessed became thin and strong, and it shone clearly
from faraway heights.
Divine energy. The
moment the word came to Kozaburo's mind, a ray of dissolved radiance flashed
through the center of the Armored Centipede.
A girl holding a pure
white naginata leaped over the Armored Centipede, which was split in two and
collapsed, and landed in front of Kozaburo's eyes.
His beloved daughter,
Saki, gazed at her father with eyes dyed in crimson radiance.
"Haa, haa.
Father, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. No,
that's not it.
You, those
eyes..."
"Sorry, let's
talk about it later. I don't have the spare capacity to control my divine
energy.
—Where's Akira-kun?"
As if clearly
reflecting Saki's anxiety, the violet divine energy surrounding her stirred
noisily.
"He has not
arrived yet. Or rather, Saki-sama, when did you come down from the
mountain?"
"Oh, right.
Shouldn't you have gone to Tsuguho-sama a while ago!?"
"What are you-...
I see. That means he outran me."
Cutting off the question,
Saki turned her gaze to the void.
A phantom of a girl
that emerged there made her father and Benedetta retreat in shock.
Ignoring their
astonishment, Saki's reply was directed towards Ezukahime.
"Even if we head
towards the wood element, I know we'll only arrive late.
—Mount Kayanowa (water element) is our last chance.
Ezukahime, let's enter the Soukoku spiritual path."
Ezukahime nodded in
agreement without hesitation at Saki's determination.
The girl's fingertips
who had become a divine spirit pointed towards the entrance of the spiritual
path in the middle of Mount Kugatachi.
Even though Mt.
Kugatachi itself was not that high, climbing the mountain would take up a lot
of time.
But there was no
hesitation. Lowering her waist slightly, the girl refined her divine energy.
Her gaze was fixed on
the intersection of the spiritual path in the middle of the mountain.
It would take a long
time to climb the mountain, but it wasn't that far if she ran in a straight
line.
"Wait, Saki.
Let's talk about the current situation first..."
As Kozaburo raised his
voice to stop her, Benedetta put her hand on his shoulder and shook her head.
She opened her divine
artifact and used a protective power on Saki.
"May Saki-sama be
protected.
—This should protect you from the pressure of the ley
lines for a short time."
"...Thank
you."
The gratitude she
returned was short and simple.
Carving the residual
flames into the ground, the girl's body leaped high. Only a few people can use
this spirit technique. A spirit technique that allows the user to leap to high
places and sprint across pathless paths.
Although Saki knew the
theory behind it, this was the first time she had used it.
This spirit technique,
which guides one to the sky for a moment, is called so because of its strange
nature.
Kihoin-style
Spirit Technique, Uraden, ―Hayabusa-shoke (Soaring Falcon).
A burst of flames
scattered beneath Saki's feet as she leaped into the void.
Using the scattering
flames as a foothold, the girl leaped even higher. Residual flames caved
footprints as Saki's body accelerated further.
―The Soukoku spiritual path, pointed out by Ezukahime,
is reflected in her field of vision.
Her gaze crossed with
that of the surprised Tsuguho only for a moment.
However, before she
could be stopped, Saki jumped into the Soukoku spiritual path that had opened.
♢
"Ugh..."
Deep in the Kayanowa
Mountain, Akira groaned in agony from the stabbing pain in his back as he
emerged from the spiritual path.
—This wasn't the first time he'd been stabbed.
Without resisting the
shock of being stabbed, Akira threw his body forward.
Rolling to avoid the
follow-up attack, he activated a regeneration talisman.
A blue-white healing
flame burned. Fortunately, the wound was only a graze, and the pain disappeared
without any poison or curse being felt.
Breathing a sigh of
relief, Akira aimed an offensive talisman at Nurarihyon who was wearing Saki's
mask.
There was almost no
divine energy left in Akira.
The only means Akira
had left were the few talismans he had created himself.
"—-Hee, hee. I'm
glad if I surprised you."
"...Since
when?"
"Since the
beginning. Did you not think it strange? We started our invasion from
Mitsu-Torii Mountain in a spectacular fashion, waited for your pursuit, and
went on a pilgrimage.
Everything is all part
of my plan."
The scene ahead,
pointed out by Nurarihyon, crumbled and fell into the depths of the sanctuary.
This time, Akira
understood the whole truth of what had been planned.
In order for the
Nurarihyon to reach Takamikura, it was necessary for him to reach Mitsutorii
Mountain (metal element) last.
That was something
that Akira and the others had anticipated as welle.
In reality, however,
the sanctuary was beginning to sink at the moment he reached water element.
—The fact that the pilgrimage was completed one step
earlier means...
"The place you
actually aimed to invade was Kayanowayama (here), wasn't it?"
Nurarihyon wearing
Saki's Noh mask nodded in affirmation.
—Akira had also been wondering about this for a while.
The fact that Her
Eminence Takamikura had warned about Hyakki Yagyo even before they invaded the
spiritual path of Mt. Mitsutorii.
The fact that
everything from his appearance to his physical strength seemed so weak was
strange.
If all of his
seemingly flashy actions were decoys, then everything could be explained.
Akira had assumed that
the invasion on Mt. Shorou (earth element) was his aim, but it was not.
"—Hee, hee. With
this, my plan has also been accomplished.
All that's left is to
rake down Takamikura. My goal is within reach."
"I won't let
you!"
Akira roared with
determination, kicking the ground, and challenging the mocking Nurarihyon.
Several offensive
talismans flew into the air, burning a blue-white flame as they were activated.
Without hesitation,
Akira infused one of them with the Jakuen Gayou.
All the offensive
talismans were fire element talismans created by Akira.
The divine energy of
the talismans scattered sparks of fire, and the sword blade, dyed in vermillion
gold, approached Nurarihyon.
Nurarihyon's right arm
blurred, and a silver flash deflected the blow.
"!"
"You sure have the luxury of being stunned, huh?"
Akira was shocked by
the metallic impact.
What Nurarihyon held
in his palm was a blade that shone a faint metallic luster.
"An iron
whip!?"
The weapon of
Bharatush, known as the iron whip, tore through the air and coiled like a
snake.
Gnashed his teeth,
Akira took another step forward.
The divine energy
contained in the talismans at most can only be used for a single strike per
talisman.
He released the
activated divine energy of the offensive talisman and infused it on the Jakuen
Gayou's slash.
However, all of the
vermillion-gold slashes were knocked down before they reached Nurarihyon.
Even the blow
unleashed with all his might, the blow strengthened by divine energy was meekly
parried.Beyond the scattering sparks of the clash of blades, Saki's Noh mask
was distorted hideously.
"You've gotten
stingy with your divine energy. It seems you've reached your limit."
"We'll see."
Even with his
movements restrained by the iron whip, Akira smiled firmly.
Battle after battle.
His divine energy was depleted, and he had no more means.
Yet, Akira was certain
of victory.
The Soukoku spiritual
path leading to Mount Kugatachi suddenly shone and opened.
As silvery white
divine energy fluttered about, the shadow of a petite girl leaped high.
Her gaze was fixed on
Nurarihyon's back.
At the same time she
chanted an incantation, her slender arm struck down from an overhead stance.
Kihoin-style Spirit
Technique, Finisher Move――
Quicker than
Nurarihyon, who was caught off guard, violet divine energy turned into raging
flames.
Akira's hand left the
Jakuen Gayou, and his freed legs kicked Nurarihyon toward her.
"Saki! I'll leave
it to you!"
"—Ishiwari
Tonbi!!"
The tip of the
swirling flame shattered Nurarihyon's Noh mask.
As the surrounding
area was dyed in the released violet glow, a pure white naginata dug into the
Nurarihyon's shoulder.
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