Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume16 Chapter2 (section)

===Part 2===

The last knight's head merged with the Yachi house's white boundary wall, in other words, he was smashed into the wall. A radial pattern of cracks were added to the scarred wall that was about to collapse. As for whether the knight remained alive, it would depend on the toughness of his neck bones.

Pendragon withdrew his hand from the wall, releasing his grip on the back of the knight's head. Fragments of the wall came off and fell in a clatter. He swept his gaze across his surroundings.

The Yachi home's garden was a tragic mess without anything moving. There were knights collapsed in pools of blood. There were knights with all their limbs twisted in strange directions. There were knights buried into crater-like depressions in the garden. As for the knights who were no longer recognizable, they were probably extolling their various postures around the place. Like planted into the tatami floor inside the house. But Pendragon was not too interested.

All the knights were no longer moving.

But things did not count as finished yet&mdash;This one point was the most important.

"So... Come out now. You were waiting for me to finish things with the knights, right?"

After he called out&mdash;From under the tragic-looking veranda, in other words, under the eaves, a woman crawled out. No, categorizing her as a woman was still an ambiguous issue.

"Hmm~ I wasn't actually waiting for you guys per se, it's just that as the master of the house, in charge of protecting this home, I have to stay behind to make sure no one burns the house down when no one's home~"

"How rude. We're not going to do something like that!"

"A worry that truly arouses indignance/agreement in the accused."

Listening to the female voices complaining in anger, Pendragon turned his head lightly. He was thinking of the people earlier, filled with zeal, madness and intensity of emotion, now motionless.

"Hmm, me aside, it's really impossible to say for sure whether these knights might commit arson."

"I know right?"

The woman&mdash;Yachi Honatsu&mdash;waved the cellphone in his hand while nodding repeatedly like he was saying "that's what I thought." A few questions surfaced in Pendragon's mind.

"If what you said just now really was your reason for not running away... You sure look pretty calm despite the obvious damage to your home. Aren't the Japanese known for placing great importance on their homes?"

"I'm not calm at all, I'll have you know that I'm very angry~ Smoke is rising from my head, see! Who should I demand compensation from? If a certain pretty boy has some self-awareness, he should take a bit of responsibility. I really hope he'll discreetly put a strack of anonymous cash into the mailbox later. I believe the strongest man should demonstrate he is strongest in being considerate too. Oh, roughly 300 million yen will do."

Pendragon shrugged at the composed Honatsu then asked the second question. The most important question.

Seeing the situation growing more and more interesting, his lips naturally curled in a grin.

"&mdash;What are you doing with that cellphone?"

Honatsu giggled while answering:

"I called someone. You should thank me properly."

"Oh? Who did you call?"

"Someone you might be happy to see. Although you should be very familiar already."

At this point, a presence appeared from behind&mdash;as well as voices.

"Indeed, extremely familiar already. In fact, it could end up feeling nostalgic instead."

"...Haha~ Even though we clearly met just this morning?"

Pendragon grinned and turned around.

Three figures had surmounted the wall and appeared in the garden. The one in the center was of course&mdash;an old friend, also a former rival, as well as being the man who had betrayed everything belonging to the past. Dressed in a suit, wearing a gas mask, he looked very restrained. Perhaps this appearance did suit his reserved lifestyle quite well.

"I was thinking you would've gone to school for sure."

"Had I reached the school half an hour earlier, I definitely would be locked inside right now. I noticed the unusual situation as soon as I reached the gates, so I hastily turned around 180 degrees. Thanks to an unexpected swim in the ocean, I had to take a shower first. Well, I originally intended to get to school early for once to handle all the work that's been piled up, so I guess I should say it's all thanks to my old friend calling me out."

"I'm glad I was able to help. By the way&mdash;There's also someone I didn't see this morning. Oh right, now this is someone whom I can say 
really brings back the memories..."

Pendragon gazed at her.

In front of Pendragon, apart from Sekaibashi Gabriel, there were his long-time followers, the two women whom Pendragon was acquainted with too.

One was Houjyou Zenon. Calm and composed, like wearing an iron mask, the younger sister adept at knife throwing. Probably injured during the battle this morning on the duel ship Leviathan, she had signs of bandaging on various parts of her body. To have survived even after a fight against Pendragon, this meant she definitely possessed a certain level of talent. What a shame.

The other person was&mdash;

"Ahhh... Seriously, so tired..."

The glasses-wearing elder sister, Houjyou Ganon. The incarnation of laziness and sloppiness.

As indicated by her tone of voice, it felt like her entire body might jump into bed to take a nap any moment.

However, her eyes beneath her glasses were staring straight in Pendragon's direction.

Standing casually, her body was clearly conveying the will to face off against him.

She was also holding a sword in her right hand.

"Are you preparing for a big fight? You couldn't have failed to understand the meaning of standing before me with a sword in hand, right?"

"On the other hand, do ''you'' understand what you're doing?"

She yawned lazily, her shoulders heaving up and down dramatically. However, this did not present any openings. That was the nature of this woman. Because her lifestyle itself was full of openings, there were no openings. Being the opening herself, no openings would appear as a result.

With an ambiguous facial expression that resembled a smile yet not a smile, she then said:

"Sigh... Max-kun, what on earth are you doing? Isn't this really unseemly?"

"That name sure brings memories. But Houjyou, isn't it too late to talk about unseemliness by this point? Haven't you seen me in unseemly situations many times in the past already? There was even one time when I pissed my pants while strangled by Long."

"Yes, but that's a separate discussion. I can't believe you've turned into a lolicon, chasing after a tiny girl's ass all over town. You've reached maximum unseemliness."

"I never knew you had such a strong sense of justice. This is my first time finding out in all the years I've known you."

"Sense of justice? Wrong~ ...This is being a wise consumer. Because that little one always cuts my hair carefully but gives me a friendship discount. An excellent partner for a poor school physician living on a meager salary. It'd be a huge problem for me if she were gone. Also, because engaging in random chitchat while my hair is being cut would be very tiring, she always stays silent, so considerate. She'll even serve canned fizzy barley juice for me as a drink."

"Is that a bit illegal? Though I'm not quite sure myself."

"Why? There's absolutely no problem with drink service of juice for customers during haircuts."

Ganon turned and shook her head at this point as though trying to dispel drowsiness.

"Sigh, I haven't spoken so much in a long while, so tiring. But even if it's for the sake of my life of comfortable haircuts, it's tiring too. However..."

She narrowed her eyes slightly.

She lightly waved the sword that was hanging on her fingertips.

"Doing nothing now then regretting after the fact&mdash;That would be even more tiring. So that's that."

This was equivalent to a declaration of war. Her words and attitude served as evidence. She was serious and had no intention of backing down.

"On the contrary, I think doing nothing would be the smart choice."

"Even when you say that, I have even more reason to fight ''if it is something only I can do''."

"Onee-sama is not fighting alone."

Zenon took out her throwing knives and entered a serious stance. Naturally, the younger sister showed no intention of backing down either. Pendragon sighed.

"Jeez&mdash;Are we going to fight, Sekaibashi?"

"I'm totally here just to cheer and provide moral support. We won't let you catch up to Kuroe-kun so easily... At least allow us to buy a bit of time, although that's not really enough to compensate them or to repay owed debts."

The old friend in the gas mask shrugged and answered. At this moment, Pendragon also heard a voice from behind.

"Oh dear, is that what you're thinking? Speakng of which, I heard that the few of you deceived them last year... But I'm sure Haruaki and his friends don't mind anymore, so Gab-chan, neither side owes each other anything~"

"Haha, on the matter of debts, it also includes what I owe you, Honatsu-san. Since it's impossible for me to ever repay in full, whether you guys mind would be irrelevant. I'm just deciding on my own to do it&mdash;I believe that protecting this home is necessary."

This time, Pendragon sensed Honatsu shrugging from behind him.

Granaury spoke again. It was quite rare... But seeing as Sekaibashi Gabriel was the opponent, Pendragon could understand. Sekaibashi could be considered her old friend as well, the owner of a fellow spear and dear friend of hers. Pendragon also knew there was further significance beyond that&mdash;

"Sekaibashi, since you are present here, regardless whether you are merely here to cheer or the fact that your body was wrecked, you cannot remain uninvolved. Even so, you persist?"

"I'm very grateful for your worries, but as these two's employer, I'm obliged to stay here. I've already resolved myself."

"...How noble/foolish..."

Granaury said no more.

In the end, what needed to be done was already decided. Pendragon slowly stepped forward.

Before him, Ganon's body looked as though her body's foundation was suddenly pulled out. Not mentally, but the foundation of the physical body standing before him. Her body was starting to sway left and right slightly, as weak and powerless as willows blowing in the wind. Despite having a center of gravity, it was as though she had none. Such was the contradictory impression.

"What a weirdo! Hurry and defeat her, Maximilian!"

"Yeah&mdash;Exactly what I'm thinking!"

Pendragon instantly closed in and swung his fist, covered by Riko's armor and armed with Granaury's blade, then immediately launched a flying kick.

Swaying left, tilting right, she waved to and fro.

"Ahh... So tiring..."

But she was merely saying the words without meaning them. Narrowing her eyes sharply behind those glasses, she focused her gaze on his every move. Then her body reacted according to his movements.

She blocked his fist and parried Granaury's blade with her sword. The flying kick was dodged. During the exchange, Zenon's throwing knife also flew at his eyeball. So accurate&mdash;But he tilted his head to dodge it then stepped forward to force her move. As though devoting herself to the role of support, Zenon pulled back by an extreme distance.

Pendragon lightly shook his fist that had been blocked.

With her body swaying slightly, Ganon was holding her sword so lightly that it seemed as though her grip would come loose any moment. She was not standing in one spot&mdash;At a rate imperceptible to the naked eye, she was slowly closing in at a crawling insect's pace.

Covering his body, Riko yelled:

"HEY! What are you doing, Maximilian!? Fight more seriously!"

"I am, but there are many reasons."

"Are you for real~? But it's true, that woman's movements are really weird!~ It's so creepy!"

Those movements were part of the Void Night Sword, a sword style that kept the opponent deceived through feints and obfuscation, the epitome of "gentle" swordsmanship. In stark contrast to the concept of distinct ''moves'', this sword style particularly emphasized reaction and adaptability on the fly. If usual sword styles aimed to inflict wounds on the enemy's body, then this type of sword technique would be about ''how to make the opponent hit you''. A concept of minus in opposition to plus. Rather than seeking to win, a theory to prevent the opponent from winning&mdash;No, more precisely, this was neither skill nor swordsmanship. It was a "way of life" incorporating strength of will and how to analyze battle situations.

"The strongest eh... Yes, you might be the strongest indeed, Max-kun. Just from the few moves earlier, I can understand fully. I'm probably the only one who can barely engage you in combat&mdash;''Although that's in another sense completely different from being strong''."
[[image:C3 16-143.png|thumb]]

"I know, that's why fighting you is meaningless. Move aside."

"No can do."

Ganon walked slowly but would swing her sword as soon as she entered attack range. Neither fierce nor fast, but there was a depressing atmosphere exuded by a unique rhythm of ''opportunity'' as though she would seize gaps between thoughts, swinging her sharp sword just as the enemy was deciding whether to dodge or to block.

Pendragon deliberately avoiding thinking. Thinking would become a liability. Allowing his body to act on instinct, he used his elbow to deflect the sword's tip while he knocked down Zenon's thrown knife at the same time. Just as he was about to counterattack Ganon's second strike that was seizing this opportunity&mdash;This turned out to be a feint baiting him to counterattack so that she could counterattack him in turn. A trap laid through multiple layers of feints. Pendragon retracted his fist.

"NWAH! This feels so annoying!"

"That's the kind of opponent she is. Getting agitated won't help things, Riko."

"Okay... Let's continue, Max-kun. Let's continue this match that doesn't decide who is stronger or weaker, let's continue this match that isn't really a fight, let's continue this match where nothing is clear. Ahhh, this isn't a situation that can be explained clearly in words to begin with... So tiring..."

Ganon's tone of voice was very lazy, but only her eyes glared seriously at him.

She was not having an easy time either. Pulling out all the techniques at her disposal, she tried her hardest to confront Pendragon. He could feel this level of resolve and determination.

What she produced&mdash;

Unsteadily, she blocked all attacks.

Equally unsteadily, she undermined all defenses.

A unique sword that went as far as to blur the meaning of battle.

The previous Commander, the creator of this sword style, had named it the Void Night Sword&mdash;He passed this secret technique to no one else except Ganon who had the potential to surpass him. A meaningless technique devised by the former strongest man, a miraculous product created through synergy with her own disposition.

"Indeed, this is no contest of strength... Good grief, this is such a pain."

He could not help but grumble quietly. Invisibly, Riko seemed to tilt her head in puzzlement.

"You're so unmotivated, Maximilian. How rare. It's been such a long time since we last met this kind of opponent who can survive this long even though we've attacked so many times, right~? Normally, you'd look really happy."

"This situation is different."

"What delightful/regrettable analytical ability. Your eyesight is so poor that one can't help but worry whether the sockets were subjected to rigid, forced entry."

"Huh?"

Probably failing to understand even after listening to Pendragon and Granaury, Riko could only ask in puzzlement. Hence, Pendragon searched his mind for an even simpler explanation and said:

"This has nothing to do with strength. Against her, it's purely a question of compatibility."

He could assert with certainty, ''the Void Night Sword was not strong''.

One could even call it meaningless. But because it involved movements of high difficulty, training the body to familiarity required special talent and potential. Conversely, all it could achieve was stalling for time and showing mercy to others.

But since this technique ''could be used on anyone''&mdash;As soon as it was compared with other techniques, it would acquire special meaning. Looking at it the other way, one had to focus solely on this sword style if one wanted to find special significance within it.

A technique for subtracting enemy action rather than producing things in the enemy's direction, in terms of results, it was a technique for creating zero. In other words, the Void Night Sword was itself the ''rule'' that "subtracting the same value gives zero." Regardless whether the enemy's value was one or a hundred, all values were the same when facing this rule.

Indeed&mdash;The same for every and anyone. Whether against the weakest man who would die from a single touch or Maximilian Pendragon, the strongest man, she would still be able to render the fight's meaning void using the same unsteady swaying.

This one property ended up becoming the technique's meaning of existence. This was its true nature.

In other words&mdash;



"Her ability is the ''only sword style in the world that can deny victory to the strongest being''. Only when confronting me, the strongest man, does its existence carry value and meaning. Despite being laid back and lazy normally, she becomes extremely sharp only when facing a dragon, just like a dragonslayer sword in fantasy stories... See, isn't this a pain?"