Editing Kaze no Stigma:Volume1 Chapter3 (section)

=== Part 3 ===

The flames that Genma summoned easily swallowed and melted away Kazuma's wind blades.

“......Did you do something just now?”

With his entire body wrapped in golden flames, Genma descended like a god, with the identity of a man with divine power. Such magnificent power made any attempts at resistance seem meaningless.

The mere existence of this man, Kannagi Genma, was enough to instill such feelings into his opponents. With such power, he definitely had that “right”.

“...It’s not over yet!”

Kazuma subconsciously retreated several steps, shouting as if to encourage himself, and once more began forming wind blades.

“The fun only starts now!”

Almost a hundred wind blades flew towards Genma from all directions. However, the blades did not attack simultaneously. Instead, the wind blades skillfully developed their own paths and speed, flying around the sky.

“Hmmm......”

Genma observed the blades calmly. No matter how he moved, there was no way to fully avoid an attack like that. However, he noticed that each individual blade was no stronger than the ones that came at him earlier.

Genma did not take any action, simply standing there as the blades came at him. As the wind blades flew into the flames wrapped around his body... They vanished without a trace.

''(This cannot be...)''

Realizing the huge gap between their strength, Kazuma was so shocked that he was at a loss for words. Genma leisurely watched Kazuma’s expression.

“I'm sure this isn't your full strength, right? I have no time to play with you, so let me end this now!”

As he announced this, his flames increased at an explosive rate.

Several fire pillars shot out with fierce roars, aiming at Kazuma. It had the shape of a big snake or dragon with an arched body, the materialized form of such a great power.

Genma's attack gave off the impression of a glare from a poisonous snake. Trying to control his body trembling with fear, Kazuma jumped up with all his might.

In the blink of an eye, the place where Kazuma had been was swallowed up by the dragon’s mouth. Even though he escaped it, the flames that hit the floor became tiny pieces and continued to rampage violently.

Though they were tiny pieces of flame, they were still flames that Genma controlled. The density of the flames were unusually high, and a direct hit would turn any target into ashes.

Kazuma focused all his attention in avoiding them. He used the flow of air to understand the situation and, by synchronizing with the wind spirits, “saw” every single direction at once.

He accurately grasped the motion of all the flames that rained down from the sky, dodging at times and deflecting them with his wind at other times.

Forcefully taking down all of the flames was not an option. The power of the branch family could not be compared with that of the main family, so Kazuma had no confidence to survive for even one second with his wind barrier.

''(Well, it's not like I can't do it. But now is not the time.)''

Having escaped from the firestorm, Kazuma waited calmly for an opportunity to strike. According to Genma’s true strength, that was nothing at all. There would have been nothing to be proud of even if he had blocked that attack.

“Oh, you dodged it?”

[[image:Kaze no Stigma vol 01 099.jpg|thumb]]

Genma waved his hand, instantly extinguishing all the flames. As if it was all just an illusion, there was no trace of what had just happened. Not even a leaf was burnt.

“To burn nothing but the intended target? That’s not a simple trick.”

The higher the level of the Enjutsu practitioner, the easier it was to fully control the spirits and their flames. It could even defy the laws of physics, such as burning on water without boiling the water or forming flames that affected only the intended target. 

“I should say the same for you. I originally intended to kill you...... But it seems I went too easy on you. You should be proud, I admit that you are someone worthy to fight me.”

A gallant smile appeared on his strict face as Genma praised his son. But his son simply scratched his nose tip with a bitter smile in return.

“Ah... Ermm... Actually, you don’t need to be so serious...... I am, after all, just a failed product. So why don’t you relax a bit?”

Genma ignored Kazuma's ridiculous words and began to concentrate. He gathered his power attentively, creating an even stronger power.

''(I can see it clearly...)''

In contrast to his earlier, flippant expression, Kazuma mobilized all of his energy to try to see through Genma's attack. There would only be one chance, so there was no room for failure.

“Don’t die, Kazuma.”

Genma had no intention of killing Kazuma, as he did not forget that his main objective was to capture Kazuma. Therefore, Genma released a tremendous amount of power while keeping it at a level that would leave the target barely alive.

''(......Now!!)''

Kaboom!

The flames that appeared in front of Genma suddenly expanded and exploded. The shockwave hit the vegetation in the area, sent chairs and dustbins flying, and broke streetlights in all directions.

“I succeeded...?”

Genma was still engulfed in flames. Though the results were still unclear, the surroundings looked as though a bomb has just exploded. The plants fluttered away from Genma, and any movable objects were blown from sight.

''(Even though it wasn't a fatal hit, he should have at least taken some damage!)''

As the flame subsided, the scene inside became clear. What Kazuma saw inside was...

“So that is your killer shot?”

...Genma, completely unharmed. Even his coat was as tidy as before.

Genma looked at Kazuma calmly.

“And I thought you grew up after these four years… So you only improved by using such cheap tricks? What a disappointment.”

His words were as humiliating as four years ago, the day when he looked down upon Kazuma and said, "I have no use for trash."

“Stop joking......”

Kazuma gnashed his teeth, squeezing out his voice with his fist held tight and trembling as the dreadful scenes of the past appeared in his mind one by one. He lost his sense of reasoning.

"What a joke!! Disappointment!? You never expected anything from me!! Do you think you have any right to expect anything now? You, who abandoned me back-"

Genma’s insults were too painful for Kazuma, whose scars from four years ago still caused pain in his chest.

“Shut up!”

But Genma only coldly interrupted the screams of the boy who was reminded of the past.

“If you want to make a fuss, I will give you time to do so later. Now you have only two options: either come back yourself, or I shall drag you back. You decide!”

“I choose neither.”

Kazuma replied without thinking. He calmed down, since, after all, he was no longer the kid who cried because his father had abandoned him.

“Only you! I would rather die than lose to you! I will definitely defeat you!”

Kazuma answered sharply, while showing his middle finger... Maybe he was still a kid after all!

“So you still think you can defeat me? Without such cheap tricks, you can’t even win against Shingo and Takeya!”

“Oh, so you noticed?”

Kazuma shrugged his shoulders lightly as if to say, “I don’t care about such a thing.”

“By inspecting the corpse, one can notice it easily. It was just a simple manipulation of oxygen to cause combustion. If it went unnoticed, it might have been effective against second rate Enjutsu practitioners and below.”

Genma saw through Kazuma’s trick completely. Kazuma had simply transferred the oxygen around Shingo to Takeya’s surroundings as they were about to release their flames.

The sudden increase in oxygen concentration had caused Takeya’s flames to go out of control. On the other hand, Shingo suffered from lack of oxygen as his flames burned the remaining oxygen out.

This was the killer move that Kazuma designed against Enjutsu practitioners. If there were two opponents, it would work even better, as it could kill two birds with one stone.

But as Genma had pointed out, this trick would only work if the opponent was caught off guard.

As mentioned, Enjutsu practitioners can defy the laws of physics. To light a flame without using oxygen was one of the basics of Enjutsu.

“So be it. Since you intend to fight no matter what, I shall show you what irresistible power means!”

Genma raised his ''ki'' to the maximum. A shade of azure spiritual energy burst out from his body, and the fire spirits around him were dyed blue one by one.

The spirits that were soaked in the azure ''ki'' similarly materialized in the form of azure flames, replacing the originally glaring golden flames and giving off a clear and transparent blue glow.

Kazuma watched the azure flames in amazement. After swallowing a few times, he mumbled in a hoarse voice...

“This is the first time I have seen it... So this is the azure flame of Kannagi Genma…”

The flames of the Kannagi clan were flames of purification... and the strongest among them were “golden”.

That was absolutely true. However, the most outstanding forces in the main family may sometimes surpass this limit.

The “Divine Flame”- This was the invincible power that only the true chosen ones could attain. Adding the color of their own “ki” to their flames was an ability that only eleven have obtained in the past thousand years. The only ones who were able to attain this level after a period of two centuries were Genma with his “azure flame” and Juugo with his “amethyst flame”.

“Watch this closely! This is the true power that your cheap tricks are completely useless against.”

“Oh... This does indeed seem like something my tricks won’t work against.”

Hearing what sounded like a loss declaration, Genma was slightly affected. However, Kazuma was not finished with his words.

“So then, let me get a little serious too!”

With that, Kazuma raised his right hand up and pointed to the sky.

“Stop sounding so......”

Genma held his words back. Wind spirits gathered at Kazuma’s command with unbelievable speed, and Genma was attracted to this phenomenon.

“How... How can that be...”

His shock came out as words from his mouth. At that moment, Genma realized for the first time that he had underestimated his son’s powers.

Kazuma was not just someone worthy of a fight. He was someone who Genma might not win against even if he went all out.

Genma was stunned for just a few seconds, and those few seconds were just what Kazuma wanted.

Genma quickly started his summoning, but Kazuma informed him calmly.

“It’s useless, my summoning speed is faster.”

To tell the truth, Kazuma had no confidence of beating Genma in terms of strength. In terms of attack power, fire spirits were the strongest among the four elemental spirits. Therefore, if an Enjutsu practitioner fought an equally powerful Fuujutsu practitioner and both attacked at full strength, the Enjutsu practitioner would definitely win.

In that case, all the Fuujutsu practitioner needed to do was to not let the Enjutsu practitioner attack at full strength.

In terms of speed, wind spirits were the fastest. If the Fuujutsu practitioner began his summoning first, he could attack before his opponent gathered enough strength. So if he aimed for such a time difference, there was no way to lose.

To act weak at first, but reveal his true capabilities when the enemy is unable to obtain full strength.

Some people may consider him despicable, but “righteousness” doesn't exist in Kazuma’s dictionary. “A winner is a winner, no matter how it is won” was his philosophy.

Kazuma knew that he was sure to win. He had already gathered more power than Genma had, and all that was left was to release it.

“I will spare your life... Be grateful for that!”

As if condensing the size of a large typhoon by ten thousand times, a very scary energy rampaged violently. The frantic winds turned into countless blades dashing across, cutting the azure flames into tiny bits.

“Argh...... Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!”

Even so, the frenetic winds did not seem to weaken. They reached Genma's flesh and without stopping at all... went through.

The blades were so fast and sharp that there wasn’t even time for the victim to feel pain. Instead, an eternal piercing chill was felt... That was the last feeling Genma had as he succumbed to the darkness.

“...........................”

Kazuma emotionlessly looked upon his father’s body, which was lying flat on the ground with blood flowing out from all over. Genma laid on the red-stained floor, motionless as if dead.

“......!”

Kazuma, whose head had been lowered and whose shoulders began shivering as it spread across his entire body, finally burst out in excitement.

“……Ho……Ha……Haha……Ha……Hahahahahahahaha!! This is great! I won! Now you know how strong I really am! Damn dad! You shall lie down on the sickbed in regret! Ahahahahahahaha……Hahahaha……Haha……Ha……”

Kazuma, who was laughing loudly in the empty park, calmed down all of a sudden and collapsed onto the floor in lassitude. He looked up into the night sky with a troubled expression.

“I won... What to do... Tsoi Rin...... What...... should I do from now on......?”

...But the moon did not answer any of his questions.

No one could answer him. The moon just stayed in the unreachable night sky, shining down silently.