Volume 3
Epilogue Part
2
Gold is Gloomy
and Lapis Lazuli Runs Wild with Righteous Indignation at Night 2
Translator : PolterGlast
The obsidian blade was
swung down, scattering the glow of the night sky as it disappeared into the
surroundings.
"Haa..."
Releasing his
lingering mind along with his burning emotions, he watched Kugai Bakufu fade
away.
It was a divine
artifact that could create Genrei's divine domain regardless of its location.
It was a divine artifact with extraordinary powers, but it was also
correspondingly heavy.
After all, instead of
being pulled out from deep within the heart, it was pulled down from the
heavens.
In proportion to its
power of manifestation, its operation was nothing short of sluggish.
Genrei, who was
originally standing in a place where even the descent of a god was not
expected, was losing her presence as the connection to the divine domain was
severed.
But there was still a
little more time.
The girl with the
black obsidian glow, still hesitant, pulled on Akira's sleeve.
"A-Akira.
Umm..."
"Long time no
see, Kuro-sama..."
"Genrei is fine.
Ah, do you dislike my divine name?"
Tears overflowed from
the corners of her eyes, dripping down in countless streaks of despair.
Akira shook his head
with a troubled expression at the emotion reflected in that expression.
If he were to be asked
whether likes and dislikes, it would probably be in the category of likes.
—However, the problem is that things had passed the
stage of simply all about that matter.
His gratitude, his
foundation as Akira, and even the intense sense of reality of having lived, all
of that was in Shumon Province.
"N-No. Let's go
back to my sanctuary.
—Will you go back with me?"
"It won't be
possible right away. But will you allow me to visit Kuroyouden sometime
soon?"
"U,
uuuuuuu..."
Clinging with
overflowing emotion, Genrei buried her face in Akira's bosom in an attempt to
hold on to what little time she had left.
—At that moment.
With the disappearance
of the divine artifact, the connection to the Divine Domain was severed.
"Ah, Akira. About
Kannamesai-..."
The ability to rewrite
the laws of the world was a miracle only possible with the power of the Kugai
Bakufu.
Now that the divine
artifact had disappeared, no matter how much the divine pillar wished, the
world would not allow Genrei to stand in this place that was not Mount
Kayanowa.
Leaving behind a
momentary flicker, Genrei returned to the divine realm.
After witnessing this
to the end, Akira collapsed on the spot.
"Are you okay,
Akira? You've worked hard."
"Saki,
...Yes."
They had both gone
through a lot.
But for Akira, the
most pressing issue was what happened right after this.
Although he was happy
to reunite with Genrei, as Kihoin Shion had warned, it did not become a time to
rekindle their old friendship.
It was also true that
Shuka didn't want that to happen.
What should I
do?
Saki reached out to
Akira, who was lowering his gaze in endless worries.
"Come on, let's
get up first. You know that answers won't come just by groaning here,
right?"
"Of course."
"That's good
then.
I've got a difficult
problem, myself."
Akira stood up,
touching Saki's hand.
Saki smiled wryly, barely
felt Akira's weight on her fingertips.
"Speaking of
which, about the naginata..."
"I returned
Pārijāta to the depths of my heart.
Ravana has banished
it, so I can't even draw it now, but the connection is not severed, so it
should be okay."
"Eh?"
Although Saki was
stating that it was a divine artifact, her tone was casually nonchalant.
Akira's reaction was
slightly delayed due to her natural response.
Akira's eyes widened
as a spirit in the form of a young girl manifested behind Saki.
Although not as
powerful as Kanna-no-Mikura, divine spirit user is a rare existence.
Since Souma is also
stood in that field, it is certain that no one will be born for the next decades.
"S-Saki, that
girl..."
"Ah, Ezuka-hime?
After making a promise
with Sita, Ezuka-hime was promoted."
No. Before that, Akira
had confirmed that Ezuka-hime was not a divine spirit.
Although high-ranking
spirits and divine spirits are categorized under the same category of
high-ranking spirits, the difference between them is clear.
Moreover, Akira had
never heard of a mere high-ranking spirit being promoted to a divine spirit.
As he was about to
question what was going on, Akira took a step towards the two girls who were
smiling at each other.
The laughing girls
avoided his steps and stepped out onto the slope of the grove of trees.
Their toes danced
softly, kicking against the stones as they slid down the slope.
Following behind,
Akira kicked down the slope and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Saki.
In the distance,
beyond the grove of trees, they could catch a glimpse of the lights of the
Central Capital.
Using only that as a
guide, Saki and Akira headed for the foot of the mountain.
There were no breaks
in the city lights, and there were no signs of any major fires.
Relieved by that fact
alone, Saki and Akira looked at each other and sighed in relief.
"Most of the
people must be safe."
"I hope so, but
it's nighttime so we don't know the details."
"——That's true.
But we've defeated Ravana. The only thing I'm worried about is that Giant
Ogre."
Recalling Kankyō Dōji
who had attacked them on Mount Kayanowa, Akira nodded in agreement.
However, in truth,
Akira wasn't too worried about that.
"The divine
artifact that Nakiri-senpai possesses, Hyakkimaru, has the power to defeat any
ogre species. Since that Giant Ogre cannot escape from that category, I believe
there is a 99% chance that he will win by a landslide."
"......I
see."
There is one more
thing to be concerned about. The outcome of the Hyakki Yagyo that has invaded
Central Capital.
Among them, the horde
of Giant Ogre that Kankyō Dōji had used as a decoy to invade Cornerstone
Mountains. Although they were decoys, they were a force that could not be
ignored.
It was still fresh in
her memory that during the Hyakki Yagyo caused by the Kutsunagahara Phenomenon,
only one of them had appeared and calmly confronted Saki and Ryōta.
Saki found it
difficult to be optimistic that the lax Imperial Guard and the garrison of the
Central Capital could suppress the Hyakki Yagyo led by Giant Ogres.
As if reading Saki's
concerns from her expression, Akira returned a smile.
"I think that
won't be a problem either.
On Shiro-sama's
orders, Captain Asogi and Kuga are heading to Mount Kayanowa on foot.
Once they've finished
the first aid, Yuge-sama will also join them as reinforcements, so it should be
over by now."
Saki let out a big
sigh as Akira comforted her.
Battles are
unpredictable. Although they couldn't let their guard down until the end, it's
safe to say that all their concerns have been taken care of.
"If it's Uncle
Asōgi, he'll be fine.
—Hey, Akira. Once we've reported to Tsuguho-sama, let's
take a break."
"Can we? I think
it would still be a difficult situation."
If Ravana's words were
true, at least two Hyakki Yagyo had traversed the Central Capital.
The damage must be
considerable and it was easy to imagine the confusion.
Saki was also
concerned about that. But more than that, Saki was worried about Akira's
situation.
"There's nothing
we can do by worrying about it.
More importantly, now
that the Kokuten Province, or rather, the Giōin family, knows about Akira, I'm
sure they'll definitely get in touch with us to settle things."
"......Yes."
There is no doubt
about that.
Recalling Genrei's
tears from earlier, a bitter taste mixed with Akira's reply.
The sound of nostalgia
and a slight pain.
What should Akira do
from now on? The only person who could answer that question was Akira himself.
—Saki looked sideways at Akira's profile.
What had happened?
What was he thinking?
Saki tried her best to
act normal to disguise the fact that she was entranced by his profile, which
had rapidly matured in less than a day's time.
"A~aa. Despite
our best efforts to hide it, Akira-kun just went ahead and spilled everything.
—I wish you would know a little of the hardships we
went through."
"Well, umm
...sorry."
Akira's tone was
flustered, perhaps losing his composure.
Finding the same Akira
as before in that expression, Saki felt an immense sense of relief deep inside.
That's why she didn't
want to let go of that expression, didn't want to forget it,
She smiled
mischievously and peered into Akira's eyes.
"Ehh~, just
apologizing?
You think that's
enough, after all the hard work I going through?"
"E-Eh. But, other
than that..."
Her gaits were light.
The shadow of the girl
danced over the shadow of the boy, who tried to move out of his confusion.
"Then. Take me to
a cafe."
"A cafe?"
"I remember
Nakiri-senpai bragging that he went to his favorite cafe with you, Akira-kun.
Places like that aren't places where girls can go, even if we want to. So,
would you take me there?"
"That's, umm
...Yes."
"Alright. That's
a promise."
Akira was overwhelmed
by Saki's gaze, unable to come up with a convincing argument.
As he pondered what to
do, the radiant smile the girl directed at him made him only able to move the
words he had formed in his mouth.
At that time, when
cafes had just appeared, they were more than just places to enjoy coffee; they
were very much considered social gatherings for adults.
Naturally, it was
uncommon for women to go there, and it had a stimulating connotation for men
and women to visit together.
—In other words, wasn't it a date?
Akira wondered if Saki
was aware of this fact.
If she didn't know and
said it out of ignorance, he should have rejected it somehow...
—...No, wait. Would it be rude to reject it if she
knew?
While the young man
was agonizing over the dilemma, Saki lightly turned her gaze back to the
distant lights of the Central Capital.
Suddenly, they stopped
in their tracks as a glow of lapis lazuli blocked their path.
The lapis lazuli glow
was flexible and strong, shining brightly far above.
Thin, multi-colored
rays danced in the night sky.
""Wha...""
They couldn't even
utter the words.
As the two of them
involuntarily stopped walking and looked upward, the spiritual power emitting
the lapis lazuli glow disappeared into the ground.
—Instantly.
A burst of spiritual
light exploded in the trees beyond where Akira and Saki were headed.
With a single flash of
intent to cut everything apart, it crossed the air and bared its fangs at Akira
and Saki without making a sound.
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