Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume14 Chapter6 (section)

===Part 5===

For a moment, the battle was stalled. Kuroe grumbled, a little at a loss for words:

"Combined with the mask for accumulating experience points, it feels quite unfair..."

"The mask is not that omnipotent. It can only return to locations within several minutes before the present."

"That's quite enough already. In principle, it's totally impossible to restrain you. And even your clothing and equipment moves with you... How absolutely ridiculous. Furthermore, no matter how I look at it, the remaining mask must possess a curse-granted ability of its own."

Kirika gnashed her teeth as she spoke. Nirushaaki shrugged slightly.

"Truly keen observation. This is the cursed mask set, the «Three Masks Passed Down by the Nadengpayaroo»&mdash;passed down the generations in a certain Asian tribe, a ritual artifact used to govern three spirits. The present, the past and the future. Taken collectively... This set of masks possesses the ability to see through the user's ''time''."

She turned her head, changing the mask on her face. This time, it was the mask depicting a smiling expression.

"This is «Tutasgai of the Future»&mdash;«This spirit knows the ''future'' gazed at by the present». Its curse-granted ability is..."

Mid-sentence, Nirushaaki suddenly made a thrust with Kotetsu towards the side. Although it was pointless in terms of distance, she had taken action exactly when Fear had taken a step towards her while feigning inadvertency.

"You intend to circle around to my back while I am speaking, yes?"

"Guh...?"

"How do I know? Because this is its cursed ability. This mask of the future can see the ''future positions'' of every person within its field of vision&mdash;in other words, you could call it limited precognition. Although at most only a few minutes later."

Probably due to having been found out, Fear stopped moving and groaned with displeasure.

"Master, 'tis time for the chattering to end. Now that fresh blood is finally in sight, I am currently in a state of excitement."

"Truth be told, it is as she says&mdash;I would like to see more fresh blood, more."

"Very well. Time for the break to end."

Nirushaaki slowly stepped forward. The members of Haruaki's group entered respective stances in preparation for combat. What should they do?

"Let me summarize... There's the frontal combat mode which uses the experience gained from defeated enemies to raise her stats, there's the evasive mode allowing her to move to any recent position in the past, then there's the forewarning mode for getting a grasp on future enemy locations&mdash;In other words, the enemy can freely switch between using these three modes."

"Instantaneous teleportation means it's impossible to restrain her. Being able to learn future positions means it's impossible to circle around to her back. Even when fighting all-out, her physical stats can be raised... Is that it?"

"The usual pattern is probably to attack whenever she's switching masks..."

"But judging from what we've seen so far, she only takes an instant to switch masks. Let alone seizing the opening to attack, we could end up getting checkmated instead... Tsk. How absolutely ridiculous."

Kirika turned her gaze. Lilyhowell was still standing ahead not far away, still spacing out silently. Kirika clicked her tongue again.

"Although I've no idea if she suffered too great a shock, it's useless now. Fear-kun, what are we doing now?"

"Hmm..."

"I am not so kind that I would permit you to leisurely hold a strategy meeting now."

Nirushaaki sped up all at once.

"Haruaki! Stop acting recklessly! Just stand over there and stay still!"

Just as Fear was about to intercept her, Nirushaaki rapidly switched masks and disappeared from sight.

An instant later, she appeared before Haruaki.

"Moving to a past position&mdash;I hope you will not be so naive as believe that I would only use it for escaping. This move is also very useful for advancing!"

The spot where Nirushaaki appeared was along the straight line between Fear and Haruaki. In other words, behind Fear but in front of Haruaki. Fear forcefully spun herself around, swinging the hatchet and the drill. Haruaki instinctively jumped sideways. Kotetsu swept through empty space whereas Konoha clashed with Fear's tools of torture. Nirushaaki retreated again, as though reloading ammunition and swiftly rotated her masks. Then&mdash;

"«Penetrator Yoshimasa»...!"

"Although it could be considered an extensible weapon, the attacks can be predicted to a certain extent from the main body's location."

She intercepted the spear of hair that Kuroe was stabbing from behind after nonchalantly circling over to her back. Then switching mask modes fluently, she traveled to a past position, appearing in front of Kirika. Kirika hastily extended the «Tragic Black River» while retreating but could not evade completely. Kotetsu left a cut on her upper arm. Only by tossing an execution stake was Fear able to barely stop Nirushaak from following up the attack on Kirika.

"Damn it! That mask is too troublesome. There should be limits on how weird curses can get...!"

"This mask was inherited by each generation of a clan tasked with a special mission. That clan served as chieftains, mystics for divining the past, oracles for predicting the future as well as shamans for knowing the present, they were warriors for protecting everything. In other words, beings equivalent to gods."

Nirushaaki swapped masks again with one shake of her head. This time she augmented her strength and attacked Fear.

"«Ionyomott of the Past»&mdash;«This spirit knows the ''past'' leading to the future»"

"Guh! Gods, you say...?"

"It is a type of concept. The wearer would ingest homemade narcotics, entering a state akin to drunkenness, answering when someone asked about the future, answering when someone asked about the present, answering when someone asked about the past. In the tribe, everything said by him as god was absolute. Even if what he said did not come true, action would be taken afterwards to turn his words into the truth. This made it equivalent to ''perfectly describing the present, past and future''&mdash;Hence, this tool became the mask that knows everything."

Fear fought with all her strength while glaring viciously at the mask.

"Totally... nonsen... sical! After seeing it up close, I know it's also giving off a cursed smell just as ugly! The smell is totally disgusting!"

Using a momentary opening, Fear slid the drill over Kotetsu's blade, using the sliding trajectory directly to stab at Nirushaaki's abdomen. But of course, under «Wounded Knee Massacre»'s action, there was no effect at all. Not even a drop of blood was bled, simply piercing her body without resistance. This unusual sensation made Fear lose balance at little, allowing Nirushaaki the chance to counterattack.

"Of course it was cursed. The nightmares suffered by the owners after ingesting narcotics, the resentment from the defeated enemies and the people who suffered losses due to the god's predictions&mdash;They all cursed!"

Fear tried her best to block using the hatchet in her other hand. Nirushaaki and Fear forcefully bounced off each other as though exploding then readjusted their stances.

"Because it is a mask capable of seeing through everything, it carries a curse causing a slow loss of vision in the owner; because it is a mask capable of dialogue with spirits, it carries a curse that hungers for narcotic drugs. To be honest, compared to the rare abilities they confer, these curses are totally insignificant."

"Wrong. Curses are ultimately inauspicious. If you have to get them in exchange for strength, then you shouldn't consider cost-effectiveness anymore!"

Within Haruaki's view, a battle scene persisted, beyond what common sense could imagine.

Nirushaaki disappeared and reappeared, frequently switching between mask modes without leaving a single opening. After teleporting and delivering a strike she would then escape at high speed. Using prescience of future positions, she completely guarded her back against ambushes coming from behind. Even if an opening could be seized, she would then make an emergency escape to a former position.

Dancing back and forth between ''existence'' and ''disappearance'', she was completely like a ghost. That overwhelming arm strength was like that of a monster. The two unworn masks on the sides of her head formed protrusions, almost looking like the outlines of horns.

Was this the reason?

Haruaki remembered. About what others had called her. What Lilyhowell and others had called her.

&mdash;Battle Demon.

An elusive demon of battle. An existence that simply thirsted for battle.

Confronting such an enemy, what was he able to do?

(Just now... I almost lost my life, even.)

He knew at least that much. However, for some reason, his hands still had strength. He was also able to ignore the pain on his shoulder. His body had not gone limp yet.

(I must step up. No matter what, I can't flee with my tail between my legs at a moment like this...!)

Apart from that, although he had no idea whether he could succeed or not...

Nevertheless, he still held a trump card that he had not told anyone about.

Haruaki adjusted his grip on the sword. Fear and the others were fighting desperately. The enemy was very strong to begin with and even had Konoha as a weapon. Together with the shirt that rendered all attacks ineffective, this left only the arms and legs as possible attack targets. This battle was absolutely not easy. As long as I can help cover them slightly&mdash;Just as Haruaki was searching for an advantageous position, trying to move surreptitiously&mdash;

"I already knew you were going to move there."

"Crap...!"

Nirushaaki suddenly changed the direction of her attack. Naturally, Haruaki had been avoiding her past positions all along, but there was nothing he could do if she predicted his movements and charged over. He watched as she came closer and closer.

"Allow me to confirm. After all, thou succeeded in blocking my blade once. Come come."

"Uh... Urgh... Guh...!"

Haruaki retreated while desperately using the «Toxic Sword Poison Ritter» to engage Konoha's blade. He could feel that she was holding back greatly. Otherwise, his skills as an amateur could not possibly have defended at all.

"Hmm, an amateur verily..."

"But his eyes intrigues me greatly. Those eyes have not lost hope."

"Haruaki!" "Yachi!"

"&mdash;Since Lilyhowell has not made a move, you should be able to handle them on your own. Kotetsu? Hold them off for now."

"Affirmative."

Haruaki could see Kotetsu appear behind Nirushaaki, totally naked, facing off against Fear and the others. This was quite a terrible situation. He was totally isolated from the group.

"Get lost!"

"Yachi, you must hang in there! We're going to rescue you straight away... «Tragic»!"

"Haru!"

The three girls sprang into action simultaneously, but Kotetsu was no pushover. Brandishing his palms with curved fingers&mdash;in other words, tiger claws&mdash;he severed the belt, severed hair and blocked Fear's torture instruments.

"Truth be told, you are underestimating this Kotetsu. You would best recall the situation during the school excursion. Without Muramasa-sama's assistance, could you lot have defeated me?"

"Shut up! You're so in the way, get lost&mdash;!"

Fear's angry snarling and the sound of collisions between solid objects could be heard, but Haruaki no longer had the luxury to spare any attention towards that direction. Right in front of him was Nirushaaki and Konoha in her hand.

"Well, then since you have not abandoned hope, that sword apparently holds some sort of power. Probably a power that could reverse the situation in a single strike... For example, a cursed ability that could send me to my death or immobilize me from a mere scratch. It can produce electrical currents? Release flames? Spew poisonous fluids? Turn me into an idiot? Or something else?"

Haruaki was greatly shocked but tried hard not to let it show on his face.

"Shall I destroy it?"

"No. Once deprived of his last hope, perhaps this confrontation will end. I believe that would be too much of a shame. This boy stands before me with resolve, prepared for death. As a show of respect towards his determination, allow me to serve personally as his opponent."

"A man of such worth he is?"

"I have heard that this boy&mdash;Yachi Haruaki&mdash;possesses a constitution immune to curses. Although it would sound like some kind of fictional plot, perhaps he might be able to release a hidden power on the verge of death. To this end, he ought to be allowed to keep a sword in hand at least."

"Very well, since master hath spoken. I shall obey. Then please handle as appropriate."

Was Konoha the one moving the blade? Or was it Nirushaaki? It did not matter either way. Merciful attacks kept arriving. Haruaki desperately blocked, dodged and endured, but he could not endure everything. Every time he failed to block, Konoha's blade ran across his body again and again. He could feel a slippery liquid slowly covering his entire body. Difficult to move. Nausea. Simply breathing was causing certain wounds to throb with pain.

&mdash;The enemy was toying with him.

"Haruaki, Haruaki, Haruaki! Get lost, get lost, get lost, you&mdash;!"

"«Tragic», «Tragic», «Tragic Black River»!"

"Underestimating me, only aiming for the prize&mdash;Logic dictatest that such laxity cannot possibly defeat this Nagasone Kotetsu Nyuudou Okisato!"

Haruaki's field of vision was growing narrower and narrower. Was he bleeding too much? He could no longer tell which parts of his body were injured and which were not. However, the incredible thing was that he could still hear voices properly.

"Hmm. By this juncture, I am starting to feel baffled. By the way, what is it that you desire, enabling you to stand before me all this time?"

"Isn't it... obvious...? Return Konoha... to us..."

"Even if you kill me, your goal cannot be achieved. The one you knew no longer exists."

Impossible. Absolutely unacceptable. Indeed. Their original idea was...

Perhaps there was no need to tell the enemy specifically. But by now, Haruaki no longer had any spare effort to prevent his thoughts from rushing out of his mouth.

"We... know. It's called «Bartolomey Oblivion», right... The mask you used on Konoha. Since it can rewind memories... It must have the function to restore them..."

"Oh? I am not certain, but indeed, I cannot assert that no such function exists. Perhaps it might be possible to induce a memory recovery function."

See, I knew it! Haruaki felt sudden heat in the depths of his chest, almost seemingly accompanied by a small surge of strength.

However...

Upon hearing what Nirushaaki said next&mdash;

"&mdash;That is all hypothetical assuming it had not yet turned into ''the remains of what used to be a mask''."

"Huh?"

The slight surge of strength instantly flowed in reverse. As the illusion of new hope was dispelled, even the last lingering strength in his body dissipated without trace together with the reverse flow. What had this woman said just now?

"You're... lying..."

"Having accomplished its mission, that thing was no longer of use. If you succeed in defeating me, you can very well go ahead and confirm for yourself. It is kept in the trash can in the corner room on the second floor."

She did not appear to be lying at all. Haruaki had no choice but to believe that «Bartolomey Oblivion» was already destroyed, no matter how reluctant he was to admit it.

"Huff... Ah... Huff...!"

With that, the last ray of hope for retrieving Konoha's memory was lost.

Nirushaaki still did not stop attacking. Haruaki's entire body was covered repeatedly by a hot liquid.

Nevertheless, in spite of these conditions&mdash;Incredibly, his body still contained some slight strength.

Namely, the simple notion of "I can't flee from here." A baseless belief that "once I leave this place, everything will be over."

Relying on this single remaining reason to support his legs, he faced forward and continued to stand.

Despite the pain and aching spreading through his entire body and the gradually narrowing field of vision...

Despite signs that Konoha and Nirushaaki were beginning to grow tired of the simple act of toying with him...

"Seriously... Is he nothing more than a boy who cannot be cursed?"

"Apparently so. How boring&mdash;That said, his fresh blood is of excellent color, a welcome sight for the eyes. But 'tis his only merit."

Nirushaaki remarked in disappointment. Apart from disappointment, Konoha's voice carried sadistic glee as though she were toying with a small animal.

Haruaki stumbled, his legs unsteady. Even so, now was not yet time to fall.

Hence, he might as well smile.

"Oh my... Haha, I wouldn't be so sure if I were you. Perhaps I really do have a hidden power. Through that power, everything will be achieved smoothly. So, play with me a little longer..."

"Verily a bizarre brat. Out of the kindness of my heart, I have already avoided fatal injuries, but he ought to suffering unbearably. If thou wouldst beg me, I could serve thee instant liberation."

"These little injuries... are nothing..."

Using his hazy head, using his unsteady head, he looked at Konoha while simply moving his lips to say:

"Konoha, you should know too, right? I'm unexpectedly prone to getting hurt. So I'm already used to it. I've got many old scars on my body too. They're just not obvious, but if you look closely, there's actually a lot. The biggest one is... Right right, it's the wound on my head that time, isn't it? Do you still remember? Konoha..."

"..."

"Back when I was really just a child... It really came as a great shock..."

Indeed, he could still remember.

What happened back then.

Forever impossible to forget, his memories with Konoha&mdash;