Editing Kaze no Stigma:Volume2 Chapter 5 (section)

=== Part 3 ===

“Looks like I'm late, has it already begun?”

Sprinting on the empty streets, Kazuma grumbles, swerving as he turns a corner.

He saw Misao’s 'invitation', but noticed it an hour later than Kannagi and the police. There was no special reason for it; he just happened to have fallen asleep.

Even though he leapt out of bed immediately when he sensed the rising youki, he could not deny the fact that he came late. The only good thing about this was that it was happening next to the hotel he was using as a base in his search for Misao.

(Speaking of which, to be located so close…… Even though I am not sure who it may be, but he's good.)

Thinking about the real enemy who has yet to reveal himself, Kazuma speeds up. Perhaps due to all his wrong-doings most of the time, he did not reach the destination that easily.

Two shadows stood before Kazuma, stopping him. After identifying them with sharp eyes, he eventually let out a bored sigh.

“Oh, it’s you.”

“Well, SORRY for being me.” 

Hearing his disappointed voice, Ayano retorted impolitely in the same manner. She held Enraiha in her hand, her intentions as plain as day.

Leaving that aside...

“Why is Ren here as well?”

“Well, what do you think?” 

Ayano opened her palm and slaped onto the bitterly smiling Ren’s head. A loud smack echoed through the street

“Obviously, we're working together to beat you up!” Ayano exclaimed enthusiastically, but Ren backed off slightly, shaking his head vigorously from a place that Ayano couldn't see.

Kazuma decided to leave Ren aside for now. Looking straight at Ayano who seemed ready to fight anytime, Kazuma grinned confidently. 

“...Are you sure you came prepared?” 

A fierce ki enveloped Ayano.

“Argh……”

It's frightening. Kazuma is only standing there, but even that was scary enough already. She was completely unprepared, as there was not a single hope of victory.

“Even so, I must do this! Because only I can!”

As if trying to throw away her fears and hesitations, she raises the Enraiha with everything she has. She swings down the blade with all her strength.

“Take this..!! KAZUMA!”

A massive plasma body burned the air and sped off. Looking at that object closing in at a high speed, Kazuma effortlessly waved his hand.

The fist entangled with wind sent the plasma bullet flying. The scorching flames veered off at a 90-degree angle, tearing a huge hole in a building caught in the fireball's path.

(As expected, ranged attacks are useless...)

Ayano holds the Enraiha tightly, determined to go into melee combat.

As she gradually reduced the distance between them, intending to jump straight at Kazuma, he suddenly relaxed and took a step back.

“...?”

“I'm sorry to do this when you're all fired up, but I'm in a hurry. I'll play with you next time!”

Leaving this selfish remark, Kazuma rode the wind, flew into the sky... and disappeared. This was done by manipulating the density of air and causing a change in the refraction of light to create an effect of invisibility.

“Huhhh!?”

Ren who is standing further back gives off a sound of surprise. But Ayano has already seen this kind of trick before, and has come up with a method against it.

“Hmph...“

She raises Enraiha slowly.

“Did you think the same trick....“

Just as Fuu-jutsushi observe air flow, En-Jutsushi use fire- heat to see the world. Ayano cannot possibly miss a heat source with more than twice the temperature of the air.

“...would work on me twice?!”

A high-speed plasma bullet fired off, and accurately shot past the invisible Kazuma. Fortunately, for Kazuma, the layer of wind kekkai around him repelled the blast.

“Whoa!?”

Kazuma suddenly appeared in the sky. Having lost the protection of the wind, Fuu-Jutsushi are naturally unable to fly in the air------ and will of course fall down.

“Here we go...!”

Just before falling onto the ground, Kazuma regained control of the wind. His body flipped upright as his feet landed softly on the ground.

Looking at the proud Ayano, Kazuma sighed and lectured her, “Didn’t I tell you before? If you have time to study small tricks like this, you should go practice your sword skills.”

“It doesn't matter. It's pretty useful, after all.” Ayano shouldered Enraiha, laughing proudly.

“Are you disappointed that your technique was exposed?”

“...Not really. That aside... what are you going to do now?”

Ayano has already dragged Kazuma onto the ground, so she can use Enraiha to attack directly.

<nowiki>------</nowiki>That is, if she can hit him.

With Ayano's abilities, she can't even touch Kazuma. The difference in power is too great to be bridged by hard work or determination.

However, Ayano's composed smile doesn't fade.

“Did you really think I would go against you without thinking of anything?”

“Yup. After all, you're an animal that moves on instinct,” Kazuma replied instantly. A vein rose in Ayano's temple.

“Why, you..! Then, watch this!”

Ayano stretched her hand behind her, thrusting out the 'thing' she grabbed towards Kazuma.

“Ultimate technique! (Ren) Barrier!!”


<nowiki>------</nowiki>(Please wait a moment...)


The stopped time started to flow again.

Kazuma sighs as if emptying his lungs. He looked at Ayano with pity.

“Anyway, explain to me just what on earth you're doing.”

“Heh heh heh, no matter how wicked and inhuman you are, I doubt you'd be able to hurt Ren! As long as I have this Ren Barrier, even if I can't win, I definitely won't lose either!”

Hiding behind Ren whose entire body was lifted up by the collar, Ayano declared her stalemate with confidence.

While looking at this scene with a pained expression, Kazuma muttered, “...how should I say this, don’t you feel any shame as the next Soushu of the Kannagi?”

“I, for one, am embarrassed...” Hung like a doll that had just been washed, Ren quietly mumbled.

“Shut up! I'll do whatever it takes to win!” Ayano shouted, flustered.

“No, you still can't win. You just won’t lose.”

“Ah...that's... anyway. If you think you can break through this Ren Barrier, just try it!”

“Sure.”

Kazuma effortlessly released blades of wind that, arcing like boomerangs, sliced at both of Ayano's arms from behind.

“Kya!”

Although they didnt't reach the skin, both of Ayano's sleeves were completely shredded, surprising her enough to drop <s>Ren</s> the Barrier.

Ren quickly escapes to a place where Ayano's hands couldnt't reach him. He naturally didn't want to keep working with her.

“Hey, stop right there!”

Ayano tries to chase after Ren, but

<nowiki>------</nowiki> Swoosh!

A blade of wind flying right before the tip of her nose made her stop in her steps.

She happens to look below her feet, and noticed that the surface of the asphalt was smoothly sliced through like butter.

A cold sweat ran down Ayano's back.

“Well, I understand somewhat. Basically, you're just trying to buy some time, right?”

Ayano was frozen, her intentions exposed. Kazuma pronounced coldly, “I think I told you already, but I'm in a hurry to get there. If you keep fooling around... you'll die.”

“....!”

As if being pushed by a massive intent to kill, Ayano uses all her strength to move to the side. A blade of wind flew through the place where she had just stood.

This wasn't a threat or an attack meant to disable someone. It was clearly aimed to slice a person in two.

(He's gotten serious...?)

A shiver ran down her back. Ayano prepared to aim for the eyes, and focused every nerve in her body on the enemy in front of her.

Kazuma's attacks don't have any setup time or movements. He can release a lethal strike without even moving a finger. In comparison to dodging attacks like these, dodging bullets is much easier.

Ayano tossed aside her useless defense, prayed to God that she wouldn't suffer fatal injuries, and thrust in a straight line.

Relentlessly striking wind blades continued to extinguish the flames surrounding her entire body. Ayano gave up on meaningless dodging attempts, and closed in on Kazuma in the shortest distance possible.

(...I reached him!)

Within striking distance, the sword is faster than jutsu.

Jutsu is the substantiation of one’s will. And so, when one uses jutsu, one must think; that means the signal must cycle through the brain. In comparison, when the body is using every muscle, sometimes even the most basic will of to 'make the body move' may be left out entirely. For someone whose fighting skills have been trained to a certain extent, they have experienced the feeling of 'striking before thinking'. This speed cannot be surpassed by jutsu. No matter how much one trains, it is logically impossible to active jutsu subconsciously.

Ayano swung Enraiha down forcefully. It would be an understatement to describe the destructive might of the sword as merely "overwhelming." If a human was hit...no, even lightly grazed by it, he would become a piece of charcoal.

Kazuma moved to the left to dodge the slice. Ayano pulled the blade back, reversing her grip, and cut diagonally upwards.

Kazuma dodged left again, simultaneously dashing inside Ayano's guard, who had exposed her torso for the upward slice. Targeting Ayano's right wrist, Kazuma's disarm succeeded and Enraiha dropped from Ayano's hand. If this had been a competition, the judge would have probably announced Kazuma’s victory by now. But, this is an actual battle... and the blade that Ayano wields is Enraiha. 

After dodging the palm strike aimed at her chin by twisting her body, Ayano focused her consciousness onto Enraiha. At the same time, the Enraiha that was flying in midair disappeared. Following that, she began collect energy in her chest area. Gripping her empty right hand tightly and focusing that burning, throbbing power within, Ayano once again formed Enraiha in her right hand within the blink of an eye.

She went for a vicious and sudden attack. Even though Ayano thought that her surprise attack was successful, this seemed to be within the opponent’s expectations as well. Kazuma bends backwards slightly, the tip of the blade swept by his body by a mere 4 millimeters.

Kazuma leisurely put distance between them once more, a smile appearing on his face. It was undoubtedly a smile of praise, though Ayano failed to realize it.

(Smile all you want!)

Determined to close the distance, Ayano leapt right at Kazuma. She slashed horizontally at Kazuma's body, and continued to swing as he dodged backwards. 

Kazuma eventually backed up against the wall of a building, unable to retreat any further. The joy of having forced the enemy to his end brought a sinister smile to Ayano's face.

(I've got him....!)

All the muscles in her body tensed up, and her condensed power was all released at a single point. The sword tip struck straight at Kazuma’s face at the shortest distance possible. There was no way to dodge or defend against the scorching blade; Ayano firmly believed she had won.

A full-powered attack at that detestable face that is always laughing and joking around...

“Wha-“

Ayano's eyes widened as Enraiha stopped dead before Kazuma’s face, as if halted by an invisible wall. No matter how much strength she used, the remaining distance of ten centimeters could not be shortened any further.

(A wind kekkai...?)

The truth was before her eyes, but Ayano still couldn't believe believe it. A high level spirit jutsu can surpass physical phenomena------ she understood this common knowledge very well. But, just how much willpower must be concentrated to be able to make an air ward that is strong enough to withstand Enraiha? It was utterly incomprehensible to Ayano.

“Well, that's just how it is,” Kazuma mumbled as if it were only natural, and the wind kekkai disappeared at the same time. Walking past Ayano who fell forward as was unable to draw her strength back in time, Kazuma used an intolerably arrogant tone to say, “Let’s stop here for today.”

Ayano was, of course, very agitated.

“Wha..What do you mean by 'stop here for today'!? This is not a practice!”

“I accompanied you for some time already, what else do you have to complain about?”

"This isn't over.”

Ayano quickly regained her calm and pointed Enraiha at Kazuma.

“You must stay with me until Misao’s punishment is over. Because this problem must be taken care of by our own people.”

“You don’t have to worry about that, that side can hardly fend for themselves.”

“...what do you mean?”

To Ayano’s question, Kazuma silently raised three fingers.

“Three? What..?”

Kazuma didn't answer, but instead he retracted his ring finger.

“Two.”

Following that, he retracted his middle finger.

“One.”

The last one. Kazuma retracts his index finger, showing a faint grin on his face.

“Bang!”

Accompanied by an explosion, a pitch black pillar of fire erupted into the sky.