Volume 4
Chapter 12
Part 2
A Skylark Falling
Towards the Sky 2
Translator : PolterGlast
The shadow of the
black, burning skeletal wolf's foreleg fell into Saki's field of vision.
Despite being made
entirely of bone, it had sufficient mass, causing the girl to exhale sharply.
She dodged the
descending claw at the last moment and slashed with her flipped, pure white
naginata (Pārijāta).
A sharp slash towards
the foreleg.
—In an instant, the foreleg, which she had just cut,
regenerated and moved toward Saki's throat with enough force.
"Again and
again...you're persistent, huh?"
No matter how many
times she cut it, the skeletal wolf regenerated and attacked.
No longer surprised by
the repeated outcome, she parried the foreleg with the naginata she had drawn
back.
—Gyaari. With a strange sound, the tip of the naginata
was caught. With extraordinary strength, the girl's body was lifted.
Her vision spun upside
down. Tossed into the air, she glared at the skeletal wolf and concentrated her
spirit power.
Kihoin-style Spirit
Technique, Chuden, ―Hayabusa-gake
The girl's legs danced
with the spirit light, accelerating as she stepped on the scattered afterglow.
—Ka, ...
In an instant,
countless flames converged on the tip of the naginata, which had grasped the
wolf's spine.
Kihoin-style Spirit
Technique, Chuden―
"―Kitsutsuki
Tōshi"
Saki's shout,
transformed into a giant spear, shattered the wolf's spine.
Its ribs and hip bones
shattered, and the impact shattered it into pieces.
—Kata, ka, tatata!!!
Explosion and impact.
But before Saki's spirit technique dispersed, the figure of the skeletal wolf
appeared beyond the flames.
Each time the skeletal
wolf's limbs touched the ground, it revived, and even the neck it had dropped
returned to its original position.
"Even if it's not
alive, there must be a limit to its tenacity..."
It had been almost ten
minutes since the battle with the skeletal wolf began. More than tired, Saki
re-gripped her naginata out of boredom.
Although it was a
black, burning skeletal wolf, it was not as threatening as it looked.
It only swung its
claws and fangs. Despite its lightness due to being made of bone, it was as
agile as a large, defiled beast.
—It was just stubbornly persistent.
The toughness of an
existence that could regenerate, no matter how much it was cut, shattered, or
even burned to ashes, was something Saki had never encountered before, despite
having survived many fierce battles.
The idea of
counterattacking as soon as she cut the bones was something that even the
factional school had never considered.
Aware of being
cornered, sweat ran down the girl's cheek, dripping like drops of dew onto the
winter field.
"...Slashes are
ineffective, but it's a relief that I can buy a few seconds by shattering
it."
—Ka, ta!!
Perhaps it was not
tired at all.
Breaking through the
thin layer of miasma that spread around it, the skeletal wolf bared its fangs
and leaped.
Even if it was just
bones, it was so huge that its weight must have been considerable.
Evade or
counterattack? Overwhelmed by the approaching overwhelming mass, Saki kneaded
up her spirit power.
The tip of the
Pārijāta turned a violet color, and a flame essential for purification carved a
trajectory.
Kihoin-style Spirit
Technique, Chuden―
"―Jūji-no-Suri!!"
Boom. The slash of the
naginata split the skeletal wolf in half, and the impact crushed the bones.
In Saki's field of
vision, which she tried to reestablish the distance, the skeletal wolf, which
was in the process of reviving, chewed through the explosion.
—She thought she had crushed it thoroughly, but the
regeneration interval was shorter than expected.
"You tricked me,
huh!? You faked the delay of your regeneration!"
It was too late when
she realized that the time she had been counting on was a bait made by the
skeletal wolf.
The skeletal wolf's
claws and fangs approached Saki, who had been completely caught off guard.
Resigned to the fact
that she couldn't escape, a talisman stuck to the skeletal wolf's forehead
right in front of Saki.
"Swish!"
As Fuwa Naotoshi swung
his sword finger, the talisman burned into a blue-white excited flame.
An earth-offensive
talisman. The hammer of crushing impact mercilessly sank the skeletal wolf into
the ground.
Next, Naotoshi cast an
earth barrier talisman, creating an earth barrier around the skeletal wolf.
Ignoring the skeletal
wolf struggling inside the barrier, Naotoshi called out to Saki in a worried
voice.
"Are you alright,
Rindō-dono?"
"It's not much of
a threat, but even if it was reduced to dust, it still managed to recover... To
be honest, I'm thankful for your help."
The basic technique of
the Kihōin-school is purification, relying on breakthrough power and heat.
An existence that
ignores defense, assuming regeneration, is the worst match for it.
Naotoshi responded to
Saki's frustration with a wry smile.
"Tenzan couldn't
be destroyed in the end either. So, sealing it is the basic solution for this
kind of thing."
"Is there a
precedent?"
Saki had never heard
of an existence that could regenerate from pieces.
To Saki, who was
surprised, Naotoshi shrugged nonchalantly.
"There are no
precedents for things that revive, but there are records of extremely powerful
defiled beasts.
When there is no means
of extermination, that is when onmyōji come into play."
"In Shūmon
Province, there are few onmyōji, so purification is the only option."
"There aren't
many in Kabeju Province either.
...I didn't find it as
threatening as Tenzan, but its physical characteristics match."
As if freed from the
influence of the earth-offensive talisman, the skeletal wolf thrashed around at
the bottom of the barrier.
Even though the
barrier did not waver, Naotoshi reinforced the seal by exciting the remaining
earth barrier talismans.
"Indeed, it's a
wolf created by Tenzan's body, but... what do you mean by its physical
characteristics being a match? I understand that it fell from a human into an
apparition due to the miasma, but its appearance hasn't changed from last
night."
"Tenzan's main
body is a black, burning bone. I fought it when it incarnated, but it wasn't
accustomed to the lightness having become only bones.
—Thanks to that, my life was spared."
Bones and weight. Saki
unconsciously caught her breath at the importance of those words.
Even with spirit
power, it was impossible to replace real matter.
To take on the same
fleshy quality as before in such a short time, it would have been necessary to
procure flesh (matter) from other sources.
"...Just bones.
Then, where did the flesh come from?"
"Ah. All the
visible flesh is from the retainers who happened to be in the mountains. It was
a blessing in disguise that the young men went down to Tsuzura to capture
Akira-kun."
Unconsciously, Saki
turned her gaze towards Renkyo Mountain.
Naotoshi's answer
seemed to affirm her action.
—Tenzan and the bone-only wolf. Because their
appearances and actions were so different, she had unconsciously perceived them
as two separate entities.
An apparition was the
embodiment of resentment that had seeped into the land.
A powerful remnant of
an individual who had swallowed up a miasma pool and acted like a Land God.
—Although it was a powerful existence that could
attract a Hyakki Yagyo, it was impossible for it to have multiple wills.
Saki and Naotoshi's
thoughts whispered the same conclusion, and they both turned their gazes back
toward the skeletal wolf at the same time.
"Fuwa-dono!"
"Yeah. —That (the
skeletal wolf) is also Tenzan!"
A voiceless roar rose
from the wolf, trembling at the bottom of the earth-element barrier. The miasma
undulated in response, becoming thin, sharp, and twisted.
Marionette strings
stretched horizontally and vertically into the air, centered on the skeletal
wolf.
One of them entangled
itself with the earth-element barrier, eroding and cutting through the barrier.
The skeletal wolf,
leaping from the shattered barrier, attacked while releasing the miasma
strings.
Faced with the
skeletal wolf's secret weapon hidden behind its claws and fangs, Naotoshi
concentrated his spirit power.
Hariin-style Spirit
Technique, Chuden, ―Gokōnanakamado.
"—Envelop!"
The nine-character
barrier and the solid protection that appeared with the excited flames barely
blocked the first wave.
Overtaking him, Saki
stood in front of the skeletal wolf.
"No, Rindō-dono!
Retreat."
"Don't worry.
While I hate to be
presumptuous, I think I'm a better match for this (skeletal wolf)."
Saki shook her head in
response to Naotoshi's bitter acknowledgment.
Countless threads
cascaded down from beyond the girl's field of vision.
Staring at the
approaching wave of threads, Saki pointed the tip of her Pārijāta towards the
sky.
The pure white
naginata, transformed from a foreign divine artifact, was dyed a clear violet
hue.
A violent collision.
The surrounding ground was cut to pieces and the flame slash fired in
retaliation cut the skeletal wolf in half vertically and horizontally.
The Pārijāta's power
was to control the flow. It was said that with enough skill, one could turn
most attacks into counterattacks, but Saki's skill had not yet reached that
level.
However, she could
interfere with large, visible flows.
The attack was based
on the thread controlling itself. Since it was so reluctant to use it until
now, it was likely that the skeletal wolf already had no other means left.
With that conviction,
Saki concentrated her spirit power.
Kihoin-style Spirit
Technique, Shoden―
"―Kyūshou"
A shock wave wrapped
in flames ran through, shattering the skeletal wolf's right half.
Taking her eyes off
the bones that began to regenerate immediately, Saki swung her naginata
horizontally.
Kihoin-style Spirit
Technique, Consecutive Technique―
"―Higasane!!"
Following the violet
slash, flames vaguely filled her vision.
The wave of
purification imbued with spirit power swept away the miasma that faintly
lingered in her vision.
The effect was
certain. The miasma fog cleared temporarily, and this time the skeletal wolf
collapsed from its joints.
Without defending
itself, the skeletal wolf maintained its offensive stance even though it was
scorched to dust.
If it could abandon
even instinctive defense, it was proof that it was not originally a living
being.
The black, burning
skeletal wolf was just a tool.
And it wasn't just the
skeletal wolf that was ignoring defensive reactions.
"Akira-kun!"
Saki turned her gaze towards Akira, who was confronting the demon in the
distance.
"That Tenzan
isn't the real body!"
Although it looked
like the real Tenzan, it created a skeletal wolf and devoured humans.
Its actions, which
went beyond human limits, were only possible because it disregarding even its
own bones as tools.
Even if she purified
the surrounding miasma and sealed its movements, it was only a matter of time
before the miasma returned.
Beyond the girl's
gaze, which was calling out a warning, a night sky radiance burst forth from
Akira's hand.
After a moment of a
bird's cry, a deeper silence than night descended.
♢
"Hibari-koroshi"
—Only the sound of the boy's murmured farewell echoed
in Saki's ears and faded away.
♢
That spirit technique
pierced through the demon's core.
It was so quiet...
Only the distant chirping of spring birds continued to cross the barren winter
fields.
Soon, the night that
had covered the blue sky departed with a gust of wind, leaving only silence on
the land.
—Unable to use it, huh? To waste such a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is truly a fitting end for a pseudo-kegare.
No matter how much
endless spirit power one was promised, there was a limit to the amount one
could use at once.
Seeing that Akira was
unable to move due to the immense divine energy, the demon sneered.
Just as he was about
to leisurely raise his sword, which was significantly chipped—
Thud. The demon stared
blankly at his own right arm, which was gripping the sword on the ground.
The cross-section of
the arm, which showed no signs of regeneration, revealed a vague wound like
sand.
—What...?
The demon's gaze moved
from Akira's hand to its own belly, and widened at the hole that pierced its
back.
It was the size of two
fists. The hole showed no signs of healing, and there was Futsu-no-Awai's edge
gleamed from within.
The aura of
purification was scorching the cross-section of the hole. It was wrapped in an
intense heat that was normally impossible, and the extremely refined radiance
of the divine spirit adorned Akira's surroundings.
—Not yet. With a hole like this, I can just fill it
with the surrounding corpses!
The demon, which was
nothing more than a tool, was composed of bones that had belonged to Tenzan and
a mass of corpses.
Even if a few dozen
people's worth of flesh was lost, it was only a part of it.
He tried to forcibly
fill the burning wound, but...
Overwhelmed by Akira's
piercing gaze, the celestial demon stifled its vile howls.
"Then, farewell,
Father" —Wait,
The divine energy,
which had pierced through the demon, showed no sign of dissipating. Akira
pulled Futsu-no-Awai out of the one he had finally recognized as his father,
Tenzan.
The radiance of the
divine energy that had been radiating converged on Akira's hand.
In an instant, the
heat was taken away, and the demon froze up along with everything visible.
Scorched by searing
heat and shattered by instant freeze, the celestial demon's remains
disintegrated into brittle grains.
All that remained was
a small white lump.
—And even that was soon swept away by the capricious
wind and left nothing on the ground.
Akira sheathed
Futsu-no-Awai into the depths of his heart, and Saki ran towards him.
It's not over yet.
With that conviction, he looked around vigilantly.
"Akira-kun,
Tenzan isn't the main body."
"I know. Since
Tenzan couldn't be ignored, I just silenced him first.
—I'm looking for the main body."
Akira nodded in
response to Saki's advice. Saki tilted her head slightly at his calm and gentle
reply.
"Have you found
the main body?"
"No, but I have a
clue.
Even if it's just one
of its claws, I thought it would be better to use it as bait to lure out the
main body than to blow it away."
Saki, recalling the
skeletal wolf at Akira's words, looked back.
But there was no sign
of movement from the black bones that had been the wolf, and she turned her
eyes back to Akira.
"Even the
skeletal wolf doesn't seem to be moving."
"That's not it.
—I've always wondered.
Why Tenzan, who kept
up appearances in front of me, continued to use a sword that seemed about to
break."
Akira answered Saki in
a murmur, looking down at the sword that the remaining right arm of the demon
was gripping.
The blade was badly
chipped, and as Akira had said, it looked like it would break at any moment. A
wandering fire danced from the hilt to the tip of the blade.
"There's a
replacement spirit weapon in Ugetsu's mansion, and even if he didn't have time
to take it, he should have used the swords of his retainers. —So if he
deliberately brought a useless sword into battle, there's only one
reason."
"—I see. Because
it can't be replaced. And if it's a part that connects to the main body, even
more so."
As if realizing that
it could no longer hide, the demon's arm began to crumble.
The sword flew out
like an arrow from the frozen fingertips that melted silently into sand.
Slash. Before Akira
could intercept it, Saki's slash deflected the blade.
Dazzled by the sparks
that exploded in front of him, the sword flew off towards Renkyo Mountain.
"We have to chase
after it!"
"It's okay, I
know where it's going.
—Right, Naotoshi-sensei?"
"Yes. If it's
using Tenzan's body as a decoy, the main body of the apparition is still hiding
in the miasma pool.
It's just after we
switched the dragon vein, so it's buying time until it can swallow up every bit
of the miasma."
Naotoshi nodded in
response to Akira's gaze.
The conditions for
purification were met with the sealing and the switching of the dragon vein. If
the apparition had incarnated in a miasma pool, even as an apparition, it would
have little remaining power to regenerate.
In addition,
apparitions are beings that cause a Hyakki Yagyo to appear, seeking the source
of resentment.
No matter how cornered
they are, they will attack the object of their hatred without running away.
—In this case, it's me.
As Akira muttered this
thought, the mountainside of Renkyo Mountain collapsed with rumbling noises.
Eight sharp claws,
resembling swords, pierced the blue sky as if in rebellion.
The apparition that
emerged from the miasma and smoke glared at Akira and the others with bloodshot
eyes.
The fangs that
resembled a skull chattered, and the swollen, dark abdomen spewed out miasma
endlessly.
—What stood beyond the clearing smoke was a giant
spider with writhing corpses.
"It has appeared.
...Now, what should we do?"
"It's simple.
Let's purify it and cleanse the resentment.
Tenzan sank into the
miasma last night. If we burn the entire land, we should still be in
time."
"—Burning the
entire land? Even with fire-based spirit power, that's impossible.
Akira-kun, how much of
your divine power is left?"
To Saki's concerned
voice, Akira looked down at his palm.
Although he hadn't
used the divine realm release, his divine power had still decreased
significantly.
Nevertheless, with
conviction, Akira looked up at the blue sky.
The blue of the sky
was close, so close he could almost touch it.
—He realized that 30 minutes had already passed.
The problem had been
luring out the main body of the demon. Now that the main body had appeared,
Akira had no reason to hide his trump card.
The northern sky
silently awaited Akira's desired incantation.
—Reaching out his palm towards the sky as if in
response, Akira muttered the divine name of the maiden who had been watching
over him.
"I beseech you,
Banshou Banko Daigongen.
Slumber in silence, Divine
Turtle Genrei-hime!"
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