Volume 6
Chapter 26
A single shadow dashed through the back alleys of the residential district, a short distance from the hustle and bustle of the commercial district.
After running for a
while, the shadow checked behind it several times, then finally dropped its
shoulders in relief.
"Good grief, what
a mess. To think the military police would set their sights on me in a place
like this..."
The one who spoke
these words with a sigh was Zonne, who had been taken away by the military
police due to a small misunderstanding.
Of course, given his
usual behavior, one could say he had it coming.
As if pulling himself
together, the old man patted the dust off his clothes and looked up at the sky
with an unusually serious face.
"I had a hard
time shaking off my pursuers, but this should do. In any case, this is a
crucial time. I must hurry and find that brat."
His eyes were so
dignified that one couldn't imagine it from his usual words and actions. They
were the same eyes he had when he sent the Shell Dragon after Nozomu and the
others in that forest.
"I have a bad
feeling. I hope nothing terrible happens..."
With an indescribably
strong will hidden in his eyes, the old man disappeared into the streets of
Arcazam at a brisk pace.
As if he were being
rushed by something.
***
The betrayal of a
childhood friend and Lisa's own mistakes had been realized. The battle began
before she even had time to accept it.
A fight between
childhood friends unfolded before her eyes. Ken, his handsome face twisted hideously,
slashed at Nozomu. His figure was filled with more killing intent and hostility
than Lisa had ever seen.
In response, Nozomu
fought with Ken, his expression barely changing. But contrary to his mask-like
face, a strong will could be glimpsed in Nozomu's eyes.
It was the very image
of the Nozomu she had been drawn to back in their hometown.
That sight of Nozomu
also pierced Lisa's chest sharply. It forced her to confront the fact that she
hadn't been looking at Nozomu at all.
She wanted to close
her eyes. She wanted to cover her ears. She wanted to pretend she hadn't seen
it.
But she couldn't look
away.
Lisa's body was
completely frozen, her legs, having lost all strength, just trembled and
wouldn't move, and she couldn't even tear her eyes away from the battle before
her.
Lisa continued to be
tossed about by the situation unfolding before her, which changed one way and
then another, like a bamboo boat swallowed by a raging current.
As the high-pitched
sound of clashing blades echoed in her ears, all she could do was stand there
in a daze.
In the meantime, the
battle between the two gradually intensified.
"Hyaaaaaah!"
Ken's longsword swung
down with a roar. Nozomu parried the blade from the side and simultaneously
tried to step in. But Ken's quick counter-slash checked his movement.
Nozomu gave up on
moving forward and, while quickly taking a step back, let his own katana follow
along Ken's slash. The longsword, swung horizontally, had its force deflected
and passed right in front of Nozomu's eyes with a grating screech!
"Hmph!"
At the same time,
Nozomu stepped in again and swung his katana. This time, Nozomu's blade passed
before the eyes of Ken, who had reflexively turned his head.
The wind pressure from
the grazing blade brushed Ken's hair, and a cutting sword ki grazed his cheek.
Ken gritted his teeth
at the tension running down his spine, and the unpleasantness and hatred that
stirred in his chest.
"You!"
Ken stepped in again
as if to push away that sticky discomfort.
"I'm the one who
should be by Lisa's side! If I defeat you here, this time, I'll be the one by
Lisa's..."
With a cornered
expression, Ken continued to swing his longsword. The words coming from his
throat were chilling, so much so that they felt pathetic beyond anger.
But Ken's swinging
longsword cut through the air with each blow, releasing an intimidating pressure
that could make one's spine shrink.
Ken himself hadn't
received an A-rank evaluation in the 3rd-grade, 1st-class
for nothing. Even among the academy's graduates, few are evaluated as A-rank.
Ken's ever-twinkling
sword strikes were something that even an amateur could see possessed a skill
and power far removed from other swordsmen.
But...
"Hmph, hah,
shh!"
Those sword strikes of
Ken's were completely unable to catch Nozomu's body.
The slash he released
as a feint was easily seen through, and the main blow he swung with the intent
to cut through the torso hit nothing but air.
"Damn it, this
guy..."
Ken quickly pulled
back his longsword and swung it out diagonally as if to press his whole body
into it. At the same time, he lowered his hips and braced his feet to match
Nozomu's movement, who was trying to parry.
Nozomu's katana, which
he tried to use to parry, couldn't completely deflect Ken's sword strike, and
the two locked blades in a deadlock.
"!"
"Yes!"
Ken's face broke into
a smile as it became a contest of strength. The difference in physical ability
between Nozomu and Ken was clear.
He would push through
at once and cut him down. With that thought in his mind, Ken tried to push
through with brute force while they were still locked.
But at the very moment
Ken was about to put in his strength, Nozomu relaxed the force in his locked
arms.
The glittering blade,
clad in killing intent, quickly approached Nozomu's face, intending to crush
his head.
However, the moment
the approaching blade was about to touch Nozomu's face, Nozomu's figure
vanished from before Ken's eyes.
"Wha— guah!"
Simultaneously, the
wind rushed past Ken's side, and a sharp pain ran through his arm.
Biting his lip to
endure the pain, Ken looked down at his arm to see that his bicep had been cut,
and his pure white uniform was beginning to stain red.
And behind Ken, Nozomu
stood on guard, observing the situation.
The moment his head
was about to be crushed, Nozomu had dropped his hips so low he was almost
crawling on the ground and activated "Flash Step - Curving Dance -".
In an instant, he had rushed past Ken's side and delivered a blow to his bicep.
The human eye has
difficulty identifying targets moving up and down compared to side to side.
This is even more so at close range, and when the viewpoint is forced to shift
up, down, left, and right almost simultaneously.
But what was more
noteworthy was Nozomu's courage and concentration to unhesitatingly take this
measure and succeed in a situation where a moment's mis-timing would have
resulted in his head being crushed.
"! ...This bastard!"
Although the wound
itself was by no means deep, Ken's face twisted in pain and humiliation.
An opponent
overwhelmingly inferior in physical ability. A blow received from an enemy he
should by no means be inferior to in terms of ability.
The image of Nozomu
crossing swords with Jihad revived in Ken's mind.
A battle that
fascinated everyone present. And the pain running through his bicep clearly
presented a certain fact to Ken.
In
close-quarters combat, Nozomu is overwhelmingly superior to Ken.
As if to shake off
that fact, Ken slammed magic power into his longsword and stepped towards
Nozomu with all his might. For Ken, being even slightly inferior to Nozomu was
unacceptable.
He strengthened his
entire body with enhancement magic. With an explosive sound like the air
bursting, Ken gained instantaneous acceleration, closed the distance to Nozomu
at once, and slammed his magic-enhanced longsword down.
The longsword, clad in
a dazzling blue magic light. The blow, unleashed from a body fully enhanced,
held the power to cut even a forged steel greatsword in two.
"Hmph!"
"What!"
But somehow, Nozomu
intercepted Ken's blow head-on.
In an instant, a blade
of ki was added to Nozomu's katana. With his blade clad in a band of light,
Nozomu swung his katana up without a moment's hesitation.
The two blades
collided in mid-air.
Nozomu's blow, swung
up to meet Ken's downward slash, scattered the blue magic light into the air
with a high-pitched sound. And Ken's slash, failing to catch Nozomu's body,
futilely passed by Nozomu's side.
"Tch!?"
While gritting his
teeth, Ken didn't give up and unleashed a second and third blow with his
longsword.
However, Nozomu
quickly intercepted Ken's slashes. He met the slamming slashes with his own katana,
deflecting the opponent's attack while his body flowed to the side.
"This is..."
Witnessing that scene,
the events at the Martial Arts Garden from a few days ago resurfaced in Ken's
mind.
A masterful technique
made possible by honed concentration, a sense of balance, and proficient
swordsmanship. It was the parry he used when he fought Jihad, which utilized
the power of the opponent's slash.
"Seems like I've
gotten the hang of something."
"Kuh!?"
Perhaps having grasped
something from his mock battle with Jihad, Nozomu was performing one masterful
technique after another, which an ordinary swordsman would not be able to do
even once, with an ease as if he were just waving his hand.
"Nozomu!!"
Ken's blade increased
its speed further as he let out a rough voice. But in Nozomu's eyes, the
trajectory of Ken's slashes was clearly visible two or three moves ahead.
(Diagonal slash,
reverse diagonal, right sweep...)
Certainly, in terms of
sword speed, power, and amount of magic power, there was a vast difference
between Ken and Nozomu. Ken's sword skills themselves were worthy of an A-rank.
However, his agitation
from having his scheme revealed to Lisa and his hatred for Nozomu exploded, and
a clear "emotion" was reflected on Ken's face.
Above all, the current
Nozomu was extremely calm and collected. The agitation he had when he fought
Ken before was nowhere to be seen.
Nozomu's eyes were as
sharp as a hawk's, seeing through Ken's movements in an instant.
His whip-like muscles
worked together without any stagnation, concentrating all of his body's power
onto the tip of his swinging katana without a single wasted motion.
And the raised blade,
sometimes as light as a willow, sometimes as fierce as a storm, was warding off
the calamities that befell its master, Nozomu.
"Damn, damn,
damn!"
Ken gritted his back
teeth at the sight of Nozomu calmly continuing to parry his slashes.
The two continued to
exchange blows while barely moving from their spots.
The sound of clashing
metal echoed around them, and the glittering sparks and scattered blue magic
light continued to illuminate their surroundings.
Yes, what was dancing
in the air was only the magic light.
Compared to Nozomu's
amount of ki, Ken's amount of magic power was overwhelmingly greater.
Originally, Ken's magic sword, which should have overwhelmed in absolute
quantity, should have been unilaterally canceling out Nozomu's ki blade.
But in reality, it was
the complete opposite; Nozomu's ki blade was continuously chipping away at
Ken's magic sword.
Nozomu's ki blade,
adjusted by his outstanding control, became a single band of light that dug
into Ken's thick-layered blue magic sword, and with a high-pitched sound, it
sent the magic power imbued in the longsword flying.
"Kuuuh!"
Every time it was
chipped away, Ken replenished his magic power to prevent his magic sword from
dissipating, but each time, the maintenance of the magic sword inevitably
became neglected. In contrast, Nozomu's ki blade had barely consumed any ki.
Ken's magic sword was
gradually becoming unstable. In response, Nozomu gradually increased the amount
of ki he put into his blade, and at the same time, further increased the
compression of his ki.
Ken's cheeks twitched
at Nozomu's ki blade, which had become even sharper than before. It was because
it was clad in a sword ki far more dangerous than the ki blade he had been fighting
until now.
Contrary to the
agitated Ken, there was no change in Nozomu's expression. Even while creating a
ki blade far sharper than Ken's magic sword, Nozomu still had plenty of leeway.
The band of light was
instantly compressed to the extreme, and a single blade of light clad the edge
of his katana. It was, indeed, his signature ki technique. The true
"Phantom."
"Haa...
shh!"
Along with his exhaled
breath, Nozomu swung his katana with a sharp cry.
Nozomu's ki technique,
which could even slice through Jihad's shield, drew a circular trajectory and
flew straight like a meteor towards the down-swung longsword.
At the same time, a
clear Kiiin! sound echoed in Nozomu and Ken's ears. Nozomu's katana sliced
through Ken's magic sword like paper and cut its blade in half.
"Wha!"
Ken let out a cry of
shock at his beloved sword, which was now just a hilt and half a blade. But in
that momentary opening, the tip of Nozomu's katana was thrust at Ken's throat.
"Ugh...!"
"..."
Ken let out a
groan-like voice, and Nozomu remained silent.
"It can't be...
This isn't how it's supposed to be..."
Ken was dumbfounded,
confronted with a reality he tried to deny. But his face soon twisted in
humiliation, and he directed a pitch-black hatred, as turbid as sludge, towards
Nozomu.
"...It's over,
Ken. Behave."
While taking Ken's
hatred head-on, Nozomu calmly declared the end.
After causing such a
commotion, his nearby comrades and the military police would surely rush over
soon.
Now that the culprit
had been identified, there was no way Ken could escape. Even if he managed to
escape this place, he wouldn't be able to get out of this city.
However, Ken paid no
mind to Nozomu's words and still clung to his own delusion.
"That can't be!
I'm the one who's been protecting Lisa all this time, and Lisa and I will
continue to..."
Nozomu's face twisted
at once at Ken, who still refused to acknowledge his own "escapism"
and insisted that he had been protecting Lisa.
"! Do you really
think the current Lisa wants to be with you?! Is that the face you wanted to
make Lisa have?!"
As if prompted by
Nozomu's words, Ken turned his gaze towards Lisa.
Lisa, who had been
trembling on her knees, just staring blankly at the battle before her, met
Ken's gaze.
"!"
"Ah..."
At that moment, Lisa's
body jolted. Her face, which had turned pale and lost all color, showed fear
and regret.
Her weakened
expression pierced Ken's chest.
And at the same time,
it once again hammered home to Ken that the relationship between the two, which
had been plastered over with lies, had completely collapsed.
"It can't be. It
can't be..."
"Our promise was
supposed to be to 'protect Lisa's dream.' Does this lead to protecting
Lisa!"
Confronted with the
fact that he himself had been hurting the person most important to him, Ken
staggered back in confusion.
But Ken, who had been
escaping into a world of delusion until now, could not accept that fact. He
just shook his head, continuing to avert his eyes from the truth before him.
The image of Nozomu's
best friend, who had once sworn to "support Lisa's dream," was
nowhere to be seen.
"Lisa needs me. I
have to protect her. That's right, not Nozomu. I..."
"Ken...!"
Even though he was the
one who had set him up, Nozomu had a complicated expression on his face at the
sight of his best friend who had completely lost his way. Anger, hatred, pity,
sadness. Various emotions and passions struck Nozomu's chest.
But contrary to
Nozomu's feelings, Ken did not look at his own actions, and simply shut himself
up in his own closed world.
"That's right,
it's because you're here... If only you weren't here, this wouldn't have
happened!"
Ken had originally
strayed from the path due to his anxiety about losing Lisa, his jealousy
towards Nozomu, and above all, his belief that Nozomu could not get any
stronger.
But now that he had
been forced to confront the "strength of Nozomu" that he himself had
denied, his jealousy towards Nozomu grew even larger, and at the same time, his
fear of losing Lisa swelled to the maximum.
And his narrow-minded
and weak heart could not withstand the encroaching jealousy and fear.
That's why Ken could
not abandon the belief that "if I defeat Nozomu, the root of all evil,
everything will be fine!" to dispel his anxiety.
"!"
With his longsword,
which had been cut in half, he deflected Nozomu's thrust-out katana, and Ken
tried to jump back to create distance in desperation.
But of course, Nozomu
had no intention of letting him do that.
Holding his katana in
a low stance, he stepped forward, determined not to let Ken escape. His target was
Ken's feet.
Nozomu stopped Ken's
legs with the impact of the exploding ki he drove in, and then pin him down.
Even if Ken tried to use magic, if Nozomu locked Ken’s joints and tightened
them, the pain would make it difficult to construct a formula.
Although Nozomu's ki
techniques were too lethal, there was no problem if the target to be cut was
not the opponent himself.
Ken was someone who
was trying to believe that Nozomu was inferior to him. If he lost in a head-on
clash and was pinned down when he stubbornly tried to resist, unable to resist
at all, Nozomu might be able to completely break his fighting spirit.
That would completely
destroy Ken's false illusions.
He had done this much.
It was clear that his future would be harsh.
But still, Nozomu did not
hesitate.
The blade, drawing a
flowing curve, was now about to release the ki blade it had just been imbued
with.
"With this...
gaah!"
But at that moment, a
sharp pain like lightning ran through Nozomu's brain. Nozomu's movement was
delayed for a moment, and in that time, Ken jumped back and escaped from
Nozomu's range.
"! You..."
...
Tiamat's face floated
in Nozomu's mind.
The giant dragon's
eyes, which stared intently at Nozomu, seemed to be blaming him, "Why
don't you kill the enemy before you!"
But Nozomu ignored
Tiamat's protest and stepped forward. He couldn't afford to listen to what
Tiamat had to say right now.
Gritting his teeth and
enduring the headache, Nozomu tried to close the distance with Flash Step.
Ken, holding his
half-cut longsword, had begun to chant. Nozomu thought it might be "Icicle
Dance" or "Rising Fountain," but a question mark floated in his
mind at the sight of him holding a weapon that no longer served its purpose as
a sword.
"Hmph!"
Ken thrust out his
broken longsword. The next moment, a blue magic light burst forth, and a sword
of ice shot out straight towards Nozomu.
"Wha...!"
Nozomu immediately
jumped to the side to get out of the path of the charging ice sword.
Fortunately, the ice sword did not hit him.
A sword of ice as
clear as crystal. Leaving behind the sound of the spear-like blade shattering
the stone floor, Nozomu glanced at Ken and saw him swing his outstretched arm.
Then, countless joints
appeared on the spear-like ice sword, and it then whipped around like a whip
and attacked Nozomu again.
Nozomu reflexively
ducked low, throwing himself under the sweeping ice sword. The ice sword passed
over Nozomu's head by a hair's breadth and returned to its master, Ken, like an
obedient dog.
"Wh-what... is that?"
"A segmented
sword..."
Lisa and the others
stared at Ken with wide eyes and expressions of surprise. This indicated that
they knew nothing about the magic sword Ken was currently using.
Nozomu himself had
never seen the magic sword that Ken was now holding.
Magic Sword
"Crawling Serpent's Fang"
A segmented sword with
a whip of water passed through the countless blades formed of freezing ice. It
was Ken's trump card magic sword, which he had never shown even to Lisa and the
others.
While not only Nozomu,
but also Camilla and Lisa were looking at him with surprise, Ken swung his arm
wide and swung the segmented sword.
The ice blades scraped
against the stone floor, and like a snake, it leaped towards Nozomu's face.
"Tch!"
Ken's segmented sword
grazed Nozomu's cheek as he clicked his tongue and twisted his neck.
But despite feeling a
stinging pain, Nozomu kicked off the ground at the moment Ken finished swinging
his segmented sword.
Ken's segmented sword
was certainly an impressive weapon. The blade, which groaned with a grating
sound, was lined with blades closely resembling shark's teeth.
The leaking magic
power clung to the swarm of fangs, which looked like they could easily gouge
out human flesh, like a blue mist, making its imposing appearance feel even
colder.
But still, Nozomu did
not hesitate to jump into that swarm of fangs.
Contrary to its
impressive appearance, the segmented sword had a fatal flaw as a sword.
In its current use as
a whip, its length makes it difficult to handle in close combat.
And with its
construction being halfway between a sword and a whip, it would not be able to
withstand a clash even if it were returned to its sword form from its whip
state.
Nozomu charged
straight at Ken. Ken was still holding the segmented sword out.
What Nozomu had to do
hadn't changed. Close the distance at once and bring it to close combat. That
was all.
But the moment Ken,
who had thrust out his segmented sword, twisted his wrist, what shown in
Nozomu's vision was the surface of the ice sword bristling like a hedgehog.
A cold sweat instantly
broke out on Nozomu's back, and spurred on by his sense of crisis, he jumped
with all his might and threw himself to the ground.
The moment Nozomu left
that spot, the blade of Ken's segmented sword exploded, scattering countless
ice blades around.
The ice blades
mercilessly attacked Nozomu, who couldn't escape the blast range.
"Ugh!"
While showing a pained
expression, Nozomu immediately used the momentum of his jump to get up and regain
his posture. But Ken would not miss such an opening and immediately took a
stance to pursue.
Ken raised his arm,
and in response, the ice snake raised its head.
Nozomu judged that it
was impossible to continue evading and decided to go on the offensive.
He sheathed his drawn katana
and drew it again at once towards the flying segmented sword. The released ki
technique, "Phantom," touched the segmented sword and instantly cut
its blade almost in half.
"It's
useless!"
But the whip of water
that was the core of the severed segmented sword instantly reconnected the
severed blade. And as if in return, the ice blades exploded, baring their fangs
at Nozomu.
Nozomu escaped the
range of the ice blades with Flash Step, but Ken read Nozomu's destination and
immediately sent the ice snake after him.
And even if he avoided
the tip of the segmented sword, the ice blades released from the ice blade
again attacked Nozomu.
A magic sword that
combined direct long-range attacks with area attacks. Faced with a wave of
attacks that didn't even give him a chance to breathe, Nozomu couldn't close
the distance.
"Haha! You really
haven't changed, Nozomu! You've certainly gotten much better at close combat,
but this is what happens when you keep your distance. Since you can't handle
all distances like me, there's no way you can protect Lisa!"
Perhaps having
completely regained his composure from Nozomu's struggle, boastful words came
from Ken's mouth.
But his appearance,
averting his eyes from reality even after knowing the truth and seeing the
trembling Lisa, was hopelessly empty and chilling.
Nozomu narrowed his
eyes and jumped back at once. He had left not only the range of Phantom, but
also the range of Ken's segmented sword.
Nozomu, who could only
find a way out in close combat. For him to create distance himself was
originally unthinkable.
"What is it,
Nozomu, are you giving..."
Just as Ken was about
to sneer, thinking he had lost his will to fight, Nozomu's spear-like gaze
pierced him. There was not a shred of resignation in his eyes.
While staring at the
silenced Ken, Nozomu slowly opened his mouth.
"Ken, this is the
end. Quietly drop your weapon and atone for your sins."
As Ken tilted his head
as if to say, "What are you talking about?", Nozomu continued his
words.
"Either way,
Jihad-sensei and the others know about this matter. Do you think you can
continue to attend the academy as you have until now, after all you’ve done?"
As Nozomu said, the
moment Jihad and the others found out, Ken was as good as standing on a cliff's
edge.
At that moment,
another event occurred that cornered Ken even further. From beyond the darkness
that enveloped the street, multiple footsteps could be heard.
"Wh-What...?"
"They're
here."
"Somia, are you
okay?!"
"Big
Sister!"
The ones who rushed
over were Irisdina and the others, who had been patrolling the northern
district. Behind them were Mars and the others, who had been patrolling the
commercial district, and Anri's figure as well.
"Good grief, that
was a close call."
"Leave
Camilla-san and the others to me~"
Anri took over the
treatment of Camilla, who had injured her leg, and Mars and the military police
quickly blocked Ken's escape route.
Ken's face twisted in
annoyance. The expression of superiority on his face was once again stained
with anger and hatred. Ken himself may have vaguely sensed it.
"Now, we'll have
you surrender quietly. We have a mountain of things we want to ask you."
"Shut up!"
The military police
who had surrounded him called for Ken to surrender. But Ken answered with the
magic sword he held in his right hand.
The swung
"Crawling Serpent's Fang" swept at the feet of the military police
who had surrounded Ken.
Seeing Ken's intention
to resist, the military police all drew their swords at once. Mars and the rest
of Nozomu's comrades also surrounded Ken, holding their respective weapons at
the ready.
"Tch, what a sore
loser! ...Nozomu?"
In the midst of this,
Nozomu took a step out of the encirclement around Ken and faced him again.
"No-zomu~~!"
Ken twisted his
handsome features hideously and let out a voice of resentment that seemed to
echo from the depths of hell. In response to Ken, who was letting out a voice
as if he were about to vomit blood, Nozomu only furrowed his brow in a
complicated manner. He was calmly accepting Ken's killing intent.
A strange atmosphere
filled the surroundings, and Mars and the military police, who had drawn their
weapons, watched Nozomu and Ken in silence.
What are you doing!
Why are you holding back! You should have the right to judge this fool!
Tiamat was still
hammering a tightening pain into Nozomu's head.
Since when had it
been? Nozomu had been feeling that this dragon, who directed hatred at
everything, had recently been giving off a somehow different atmosphere.
But Nozomu didn't know
what it was.
All Nozomu knew was
that, unlike before, his heart was not influenced by Tiamat's hatred, and he
was strangely calm. Had he developed a resistance from being interfered with so
many times, or was there another reason?
At the very least,
Nozomu still knew too little to speculate on the reason. About himself, and
about Tiamat.
"You... It's your
fault this happened!"
"...No, that's
wrong. The cause of this is all of us."
But there was
something he had to do now. With that renewed determination, Nozomu flatly
denied Ken's words, which sounded as if they were being squeezed from the
bottom of his stomach.
Whether it was Nozomu,
Ken, or Lisa, they had all run away from facing the person they loved.
As a result, they had
all fallen apart. Nozomu calmly stated that fact.
But Ken still couldn't
admit his own weakness.
His justification for
being by Lisa's side, his indulgence for being by Lisa's side. That was only
his belief that "I am stronger than Nozomu."
"I can still
understand you resenting me. But why did you involve Somia-chan and the others
in this! If you were going to target someone, you should have just targeted me
alone!"
"Sh-Shut up, shut
up! Shut up!!"
But Ken still wouldn't
listen. Even when confronted with the consequences of his own actions, even
when confronted with the helpless reality, he just threw a tantrum like a
child.
The tragic figure of
the best friend he once entrusted his back to, and the former lover who had
become like a caged bird.
The vows and promises
that had lost all meaning. They were no longer brilliant things to create a
future, but had become nothing more than things that stubbornly bound them.
He understood it in
his head, but Nozomu couldn't bear to look at them like this any longer.
"The promise we
made back then is no longer something that can make dreams come true. It's
become something that destroys those dreams...!"
There was only one
thing Nozomu could do now.
He gritted his teeth
against the throbbing pain in his chest and ignored the words of the giant
dragon roaring in his head.
"If you
stubbornly continue to distort the promise we made back then, then I will sever
it all. I have to... It seems that's all I can do now."
To completely end this
false relationship. To completely destroy the false world that Ken and the
others had been holed up in. Even if, as a result, they could never go back
again.
Nozomu activated Flash
Step. As his comrades watched, he charged straight at Ken.
"Die, die!"
Ken immediately swung
his arm, and as if in response to his killing intent, countless exploding ice
blades rushed towards Nozomu.
Nozomu confirmed the
icy rain falling on him, mobilized all the muscles in his body, and changed the
direction of his Flash Step.
But he couldn't avoid
it completely. A rain of ice pouring down like a squall. Nozomu's physical
abilities were slightly insufficient to escape its range.
Ken's eyes relaxed as
he imagined Nozomu being pierced by the ice arrows and covered in blood.
This is the end. With
a slight sense of satisfaction in his chest, Ken's eyes shone with
anticipation, but the next moment, they were dyed with astonishment.
"Wh-What!?"
A rain of ice arrows
slammed down. Nozomu appeared, cutting right through it.
Although he had some
injuries on his body, his momentum had barely slowed.
With another explosive
sound, Nozomu re-accelerated with Flash Step, charging straight at Ken.
"Kuh! You son of
a...!"
Why?! How did he break
through that ice rain?!
Faced with an
unexpected sight, question after question arose, and Ken swung his segmented
sword two or three times, shooting down the ice rain towards Nozomu.
"Hmph!"
Nozomu's choice,
judging that he couldn't avoid it, was extremely simple. It was to break
through the center of the ice rain.
Nozomu once again
deployed a complex curved movement with "Flash Step - Curving Dance
-." While escaping the effective range of the pouring ice rain as much as
possible, he ran through the gaps in the ice rain.
But that alone wasn't
enough to break through the swarm of ice arrows. Some of the rushing arrows had
definitely hit Nozomu's body.
"Seh!"
The moment he
confirmed the ice arrows approaching him, Nozomu swung his ki-infused katana. A
membrane of ki formed in front of him. The fan-shaped membrane of ki caught the
approaching ice arrows and deflected them.
It was undoubtedly a
ki membrane created by the ki technique "Fan Sail Lotus."
Originally, "Fan
Sail Lotus" forms a ki membrane by swinging the katana in a circle, but
the membrane cannot be maintained for a long time.
Furthermore, there was
an opening when he swung the katana, so Nozomu judged that it was impossible to
withstand the continuously pouring ice rain, and chose to form the ki membrane
in a fan shape by moving his katana slightly to minimize the opening as much as
possible.
But this would make
the formed ki membrane smaller. So Nozomu decided to avoid the opponent's ice
arrows with "Flash Step - Curving Dance -" and only deflect the
unavoidable ones with "Fan Sail Lotus."
Unlike magic like
"Icicle Dance," which excels in penetration, Nozomu's "Fan Sail
Lotus," without releasing his ability suppression, could sufficiently
deflect just a few ice arrows.
"Flash Step -
Curving Dance -" originally requires a high sense of balance. And "Fan
Sail Lotus" is also a ki technique that requires careful timing due to its
short duration.
However, Nozomu
mastered such ki techniques and continued to repel the ice storm without
missing a single moment's timing.
"N-No way...
but!"
Ken was flustered by
Nozomu breaking through almost unscathed, but he regained his composure when he
saw that his opponent was about to enter the range of his segmented sword.
He figured that if he
launched a wave attack with the segmented sword in addition to the ice rain, he
could quickly repel him.
The moment Nozomu
entered Ken's range, Ken, judging the timing, unleashed his "Crawling
Serpent's Fang."
With a grating sound,
the tip of the segmented sword charged towards Nozomu, intending to sink its
fangs into him.
Nozomu's eyes, while
staring at the tip of the approaching blade, held his katana in a thrusting
stance.
The two blades,
approaching in an instant, crossed.
At that moment, Nozomu
flowed backward to deflect the trajectory of the segmented sword and stepped in
again. His plan was to close the distance with Ken even further.
"No use!"
But as if to block
Nozomu's charge, the segmented sword expanded.
The blade was on the
verge of exploding. Countless ice blades stood on end, waiting for the moment
to be unleashed, thirsty for the blood of their prey.
But the next moment,
Ken's eyes widened at the sight that jumped into his view. Somehow, Nozomu had
twisted his wrist and entangled the blade of the segmented sword, which was
about to explode, with his own katana.
"Idiot!"
The segmented sword,
sufficiently filled with magic power, would explode in less than a second.
Nozomu's action was that of a suicidal person.
At that close range,
he could no longer escape, and even if he deployed a ki membrane, he couldn't
withstand a close-range explosion.
Nozomu had no moves
left. Ken was convinced of it.
But that conviction
was immediately overturned.
Less than half a
second until the explosion. Nozomu sent ki into his katana, compressed it to
the extreme at a speed that transcended seconds, and made it explode from the
blade in the form of countless needles.
Ki Technique
"Dust Severance"
The ki blades that
exploded at point-blank range pierced Ken's segmented sword, which was
similarly swollen and about to explode, and shattered it from the middle.
"Wha!!"
Before Ken could let
out a cry of surprise, Nozomu filled his legs with ki and made it explode.
Nozomu was also pierced by the exploded ice fragments from the close-range
explosion and was bleeding, but he paid it no mind.
Before Ken, whose
trump card had been shattered, could recover, Nozomu closed the distance at
once.
"Hah, hah...
haa!"
At the same time, he
sheathed his katana, filled it with ki, and compressed it to the extreme again.
He had already
consumed a considerable amount of ki, and his breath was starting to catch, but
Nozomu had no intention of backing down here.
Nozomu, who had
completely caught his opponent in his blade's range, snipped the koiguchi of his katana. Ken still had a
look of impatience on his face.
Seeing Ken not moving
at all from the range of Phantom's blade even after closing the distance,
Nozomu was convinced.
While using
Crawling Serpent's Fang, Ken cannot move.
But on second thought,
it made sense. A magic sword that enabled both long-range and direct attacks
simultaneously. Maintaining such an advanced magic required an incredibly high
level of concentration.
As Nozomu had seen
through, while this magic was deployed, Ken was so busy with its control that
he could do almost nothing else.
Starlight illuminated
the blade peeking from the scabbard, and the shining ki blade glittered in the
moonlight.
And the moment Nozomu
was about to draw that blade, an image of himself being cut down by Nozomu
flashed in Ken's mind.
His own figure,
groveling as if in a dogeza.
The figure of his
beloved Lisa, disappearing into the other side of the darkness. Even if he
tried to shout, his voice, with a rope around his neck and locked in a narrow
prison cell, would not reach her.
A sense of emptiness
and loss, as if a hole had opened up in his chest. It was an emotion he had
felt since his childhood, when he and Lisa started walking together.
"I don't want
to."
That feeling of loss,
remembered again, fanned Ken's sense of crisis of "losing Lisa" at
once. It raged like volcanic magma and exploded all at once.
"I-I don't want
to... I don't want to!"
A burst of emotion and
a sound like something snapping echoed in his head, and Ken's senses were
stretched at once.
A sensation he had
never experienced before. A feeling of floating, as if floating in water. Every
sight that entered his eyes, and even the magic power circulating in his body,
Ken understood as if he could hold it in his hands.
The "Crawling
Serpent's Fang" that Nozomu had shattered.
The magic sword that
he had struggled so much to control now felt as natural as his own hands. He
understood the flow of magic power within it, everything.
It was very similar to
when Nozomu exhibited extreme concentration.
Was it a gift of his
obsession, or a miracle born from the fear that everything would collapse? In
any case, Ken had, at this very moment, surpassed his own limits.
He instantly
understood and repaired the structure within the crumbling segmented sword.
Furthermore, so as not to be noticed by Nozomu, he moved the blade with only
magic power and launched a surprise attack from outside Nozomu's field of
vision.
The tip of Ken's
half-shattered "Crawling Serpent's Fang" lifted and charged towards
Nozomu's defenseless back.
(It's over!)
Ken was convinced of
his victory and curled his lips.
But Nozomu went even
further beyond that.
Just as the segmented
sword was about to pierce the back of Nozomu's head, Nozomu's eyes narrowed.
The next moment, Nozomu's body, which was about to draw his katana, did a full
turn on the spot.
"Eh..."
Leaving behind the
dazed words that escaped Ken, Nozomu, who had turned around in an instant,
deflected the segmented sword that was about to pierce the back of his head
with his sheathed scabbard.
And with that
momentum, he stepped in again, and this time, he drew his katana as if to sever
everything.
Ken tried to pull back
his segmented sword, but it was too late, and the drawn blade deeply cut Ken's
right arm and chest.
"Ah..."
A moment of silence.
Then, with the sound
of something dripping, a red flower bloomed on the white stone floor.
"Ah,
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Ken's scream echoed.
At the same time,
Ken's "Crawling Serpent's Fang" shattered with a clink! and disappeared
as fleetingly as mist.
-----
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