Editing Kaze no Stigma:Volume1 Chapter6 (section)

=== Part 3 ===

''Slice''

Hyoue's wind blades cut deeply into Ren's arms.

“Wahhhhhh-!”

Against the blades of wind, Ren can only dodge. The relentless assault does not even allow him to stand.

Hyoue cackles as he watches Ren. The scene of a jutsushi of the Kannagi main family, unable to even stand beneath his attacks, just couldn't get any funnier.

(Just you watch, Genma! Juugo! You're next! The humiliation we suffered, you shall receive ten thousand fold!)

A hysterical laughter shakes the air.

Hyoue looks down on Ren, who has finally managed to rise, and smugly shouts, full of pride, "Now do you understand the difference between us? You should just surrender before you get hurt further...If you're too heavily wounded, it might hinder the removal of the seal!"

Hahahaha……

Ren sends golden flame in the direction of the laughter, but while the flame may possess the power to destroy Hyoue, if it misses, it's simply a waste of effort.

“Wah!”

A sudden, violent shock wave strikes Ren's head, sending him reeling and leaving him feeling as though his brain were bouncing in his skull. For a few moments, he wavers on the edge of unconsciousness.

Just standing there, completely defenseless, has made Ren an easy target. But though there have been several such instances before, Hyoue has yet to finish him off. It can only be expected, though, as Hyoue does not want Ren's corpse; he needs him alive. Furthermore, there was still more fun to be had in his torment.

Hyoue, who has given up his humanity, now possesses a great power, incomparable to the past.

Of course, Ren is still far more powerful, but the gap in skill and experience is just too large. He is being toyed with, unable to show even half his power.

"Isn't it about time to give up? You know you can't win, right?"

Hyoue is slowly crucifying him, deliberately avoiding any fatal injuries. Time and again he tries to break Ren's will, targeting his weaknesses to force him to bow to despair, but Ren refuses to give in.

"I refuse! I promised Nii-sama that I would never give up, that I would live on no matter what! I will never obey you, never be used by you, and will never let you kill again!"

Despite cuts which run all over his body, blood that pours down his face and drenches his clothes, Ren's eyes never lose their shine. Faced with this proud and majestic vision, even Hyoue, who undoubtedly holds the advantage, cannot help but be wary.

"Hmph. In that case, let's test the limits of that pride!" he spits, as he prepares to unleash more wind blades-

“Wha!?”

Hyoue gives off a strangled cry, stretching his arms to hug his body. Hidden beneath his arms, something seems to be wriggling. Hyoue tightens his grip, intending to suppress whatever it is, but the eerie wriggling only spreads to his arms. 

His entire body is wracked with convulsions. His muscles seize violently, before eventually bursting. 

Hyoue had been surrounded by Kazuma's purifying winds. A great power had severed his connection to Ryuuya. Losing Ryuuya's protection, the demonic powers within Hyoue had begun to rampage. 

Ren does not waste the opportunity, and races towards him.

“Ki……Kid…… Wahhhhh!”

As Hyoue attempts to defend himself, his raging body only grows worse. He is now forced to use his full power simply to restrain his now uncontrollable body.

Ren does not slow. Knocking into Hyoue at full speed, he hooks his arms around Hyoue's knees, and gives a mighty pull.

The powerful tackle leaves the two of them tangled on the ground. Ren hugs Hyoue tightly, and softly whispers...

"I won't miss at this distance."

“You……You fool! Let me go!“

No longer concerned about losing control, Hyoue releases his blades of wind.

But Ren is quicker. Hugging the shaking body, he shouts hoarsely.

"'''BURN!'''"

A brilliant golden pillar of flame roars into the sky. The purifying pillar of fire leaves no trace of the tainted body and even more tainted soul of the old man who had fallen into darkness.

“----------------------------------------------!!”

It even swallows his dying scream.





Ryuuya has lost control of his black wind. The strong, azure wind separates the berserk spirits from their dark master, absorbing them.

“Ryuuya's wind is………being consumed?” Ayano whispers in shock. 

"Terrifying power" is not enough to describe the scene before her. Though there have been a number of logic-defying events today, this is by far the most ridiculous.

The wind surrounding Ryuuya releases the frenzied spirits before absorbing them, further increasing its power.

Even so, Ryuuya still isn't defeated and continues to release his dark, corrupt youki to defend against the purifying winds. However, he is unable to negate the purification completely, and as the azure wind closes on him, the surface of his body begins to boil and bubble. Slowly, very slowly, but surely, his body is being dismantled, piece by piece.

(Almost like a final battle between monsters.)

This unseemly thought running through her mind, Ayano begins to move. Although her power is by far the weakest of the three, she is still a participant, nor can her power be ignored, for she possesses the power to end the stalemate, and she knows her duty well.

-- You will finish him off, can you do it? --

“I'll show you!”

Ryuuya ''leaps'' backwards, intending to escape Ayano. His movements had slowed significantly, and he no longer had the means to dodge her attacks.

But Ayano chases after him, focused only on delivering the final strike! Ryuuya changes the tip of his arms into blades as a last ditch defense. The meat colored blades he raised above his head radiated a hard light.

“That won't save you now!”

Ayano furiously swings Enraiha downwards, no thought to defense. She instinctively realizes that this is the deciding moment. Kazuma has no power to spare to aid her and if she is blocked again, they are sure to lose.

The crimson glow arcs downwards without encountering any resistance, as if slicing through air. 

The cloven meat blades that serve for Ryuuya's arms dissolve into the azure air as Enraiha carves its way into the top of his head, stopping at his heart. She takes a risk not cutting Ryuuya in two, choosing instead to call forth fire spirits from Enraiha directly within the wound...and igniting them.

Ryuuya's body explodes. Pieces of scattered meat are blown away by the flame, carried away by the wind and swallowed by the azure light. In the end, every trace of his existence had been erased.

This was the end of Ryuuya, no, the end of the unnamed youma who had founded the Fuuga clan.

The azure winds slowly fade, their power of purification weakening as they spread in all directions, probably to continue restoration of this youki polluted world.

Watching the wind spirits leave, Ayano is captivated by the scene.

“Damn it, just pennies for such hard work. I'll never take any jobs from the Kannagi again.”

And again, a line that completely disregarded the mood spoiled everything. Ayano turns angrily, to see Kazuma lying spread-eagled on the floor. Walking over to him, he doesn't move. He appears to be completely drained.

(No matter how strong he might be, he is still human.)

"After all he almost single-handedly handed Ryuuya defeat. I think I can forgive him one or two rude lines!" Ayano thinks generously.

“Great work,” she thanks him.

Kazuma does not reply, and merely sniffs.

She kneels down beside him.

“Hey, Kazuma?”

Neither expecting an answer, nor receiving one, she continues.

"Even if you'd been alone, you could've won anyway, couldn't you?"

“That's pushing it.”

This time, Kazuma finally reacts. His eyes, having regained their original black luster, turn to Ayano.

[[Image:Kaze no Stigma vol 01 281.jpg|thumb]]

"A contract with a Lord of Spirits does not mean I am omnipotent. Though I may have limitless power at my disposal, I am limited by what I can control. I am still subject to human limitations, after all."

"Hmm? Maybe so. Besides, you still need time to prepare. You would definitely have been attacked by then, right?"

"...Yep. That's right."

Though outwardly he answers without hesitation, Ayano didn't miss a brief shift in his gaze.

“Kazuma?”

”Yes?”

His poker face is flawless, but it is already too late.

Ayano flops down on top of him, grabbing him by his collar, as if ready to strangle him. Kazuma can offer no resistance, and he remains spread-eagled on the floor.

"To push a man down like this - what a shameless girl. The Soushu would cry if he saw this."

Belying his exhausted state, his mouth is still at 100%.

“Don’t joke around, now answer me. When were you ready?”

Despite Ayano’s grip growing more forceful by the second, Kazuma replies carelessly.

“Right about the moment when you were blown away?”

“Then, why didn't you do anything earlier!?”

By now, Ayano's full strength was concentrated in her hands, and yet Kazuma replies calmly, as if nothing was happening.

“You're wrong to blame me. It was for your own good that I waited.”

”Which part!?”

Ayano is bristling, on the edge of exploding. If Kazuma does not provide a legitimate reason here, she intends to stab him with Enraiha.

"From the way things looked, if I'd ended it without you being able to land a single blow, you would have been doomed to be a loser for the rest of your life."

“Ugh……”

His dead-on remark hits her squarely, leaving her momentarily speechless. Indeed, if all she had done back then was escape from Ryuuya's attacks, leaving everything to Kazuma, she might never have regained the courage to fight again. Someone unable to overcome her fear, a jutsushi that could only fight enemies weaker than herself, simply could not be relied upon, no matter how strong.

"When I saw that you had finally managed to gather your courage, I decided to watch for a bit. Your performance wasn't half bad until about midway through. If he hadn't escaped right then, you probably would even have won!"

"Eh? You mean to say that my jutsu worked?"

"No. That was absolutely worthless."

Kazuma continues straightforwardly, “You are the wielder of Enraiha. There is no need to resort to tricks or lousy jutsu. If cutting him in four doesn't kill him, then just keep cutting until there's nothing left."

“…… Sorry for being 'lousy.'”

”That's not what you should be sorry for.”

Kazuma continues his ruthless criticism.

"You need to practice your swordsmanship. The way things are, there's no point in you having Enraiha."

”I know……”

"But...that last strike was pretty good. It skillfully used the characteristics of Enraiha as both a sword and a magical artifact."

Hearing the unexpected praise, Ayano blushes. She is suddenly filled with pleasure. In spite of the countless flaws in his personality, and the disgust she feels as she realizes she is dancing in the palm of his hand, the throbbing in her chest is undeniable.

“You…… Like you're so great. Just what do you know about Enraiha?”

Despite speaking harshly in an attempt to hide her embarrassment, her ploy had obviously failed. Kazuma smiles at Ayano, with a look that seems to see through it all.

"Oh. One more thing. It's best not to sit on a man dressed like that."

“……Huh?”

"Even if you ''are'' a little girl with neither breasts nor sensuality, other people might misunderstand!"

Ayano inadvertently glances at herself...and freezes. Unable to withstand the strenuous battle, her uniform is completely shredded. Even her underwear is partly torn, almost to the point where it failed to cover her body.

Seeing Kazuma's eyes that "seem to see through it all," Ayano blushes up to her ears.

“Id……Idiot------------!!”

A scream reverberates through the uninhabited forest.





“Nii-sama!”

Recognizing the ones approaching as Kazuma and Ayano, Ren cries out with joy, as he tries to run towards them, but his body, weak from injury, does not allow him to do so.

“Wah……”

A gust of wind gently carries Ren, who had tripped and was about to fall, right into his brother's arms. Kazuma hugs him tightly, patting his head. Ren hugs his brother back, never intending to let go.

“You did very well, Ren. A fine job.”

”Thank you, Nii-sama……?”

Their conversation suddenly ends as Ren stretches his hand to Kazuma's cheek, where there lies a very clear, very red, hand-print.

Faced with the silent question, Kazuma smiles and replies, "Well, just now, after defeating Ryuuya, I met an even more vicious enemy. I almost died."

Having said this, he turns in Ayano's direction. Ayano, now covered by Kazuma's jacket, turns away in anger, ignoring him.

“Ah...Hmm...”

Ren somewhat understands, but he has the unshakable feeling that to speak those words would be to endanger his life. Desperately, he tries to change the topic.

"Ryu-Ryuuya has also been defeated, so it's finally over!"

Trying his best to show an innocent smile, Ren laments his pitifulness.

“That's right. Let's go home! Ayano, how's the car?”

"It burned up," Ayano immediately replies, as Kazuma eyes her with suspicion.

“It……It wasn’t me! It was blown away by Ryuuya’s wind, and when it smashed into the ground it caught on fire.”

Ayano tries to explain, but even so, Kazuma’s eyes remain full of suspicion.

Lifting his head to gaze into the clear night sky, Kazuma tells Ren, "Never mind. Taking a moonlight stroll through the mountains isn't too bad now and again."

"...if we don't meet with an accident," hearing Kazuma's words that seem to be avoiding reality, Ayano interjects calmly.

"Oh? Did the root of all evil just say something?"

“What?! You were the one who abandoned me! It's ''your'' fault this happened!”

“…… Please stop arguing, the two of you.”

Ren's tired voice tries to pacify the pair, but they don't appear to notice, and only continue to energetically accuse each other.

Looking up at the moon, so much like a silver plate, Ren ponders the cruel reality of life. Ryuuya and Hyoue have both been eliminated, the Fuuga's ambitions smashed to pieces. Everything was perfectly settled, so why is a happy ending still out of reach?

With no end to the bickering in sight, and no longer with the strength to stop them, Ren leans against his brother's chest, and slowly gives in to his drowsiness, taking the pleasing sounds of his beloved brother and sister as a lullaby.



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