Editing Kaze no Stigma:Volume2 Chapter 6 (section)

===Part 4 ===

“GRRYYWWWWWW!!”

Ren jumps to avoid Vritra’s dragon breathe. Without a care for his pride, he runs away everywhere, and timing it to release flames when the breathe pauses from time to time.

Perhaps to try to imitate Kazuma’s wind blade, the sharp and tiny golden flames he gathered, move into Vritra’s mouth in a manner leaving a laser-like trail behind.

In the blink of an eye, the golden brilliance explodes within Vritra’s mouth. Seeing the huge dragon that tries hard to shake its head in order to put out the flames, Ren begins to adjust his irregular breathing.

Seeing that, the impressed Ayano praises:

“My, you are quite good at fighting.”

Hearing the voice behind him, Ren turns his entire body vigorous to the back.

“Nee-sama!”

But that originally bright and delightful expression soon changed to worry. Seeing the blood stains at Ayano’s feet and clothes, Ren asked in a trembling voice:

“Nii-sama, he……?”

“He is off the scene for now, but he will be back very soon.”

Even hearing Ayano’s ascertained explanation, Ren’s expression did not ease up. Ayano imitates Kazuma, and uses a slightly rough motion to caress Ren’s head.

“Believe in him, your brother is a very strong guy.”

This is definitely not a consoling sentence that is said without basis. Kazuma will be back within this period of time, regarding this, Ayano has no doubt about it.

“You are right……”

Perhaps due to that sentence, Ren’s tense expression loosens up gradually, Ayano nods her head naturally.

“That’s right, that guy won’t die even if you kill him.”

“Isn’t that going a little overboard……?”

Ignoring Ren’s objections as always, Ayano continues to say:

“So to say, our mission is to buy time and weaken the enemy’s strength------ Let’s do it!”

Ayano imbues all her strength as she waves Enraiha. The flames that burst out from the blade spills out like a flood, surrounding the silvery white dragon.

Vritra’s body which possesses outstanding fire resistance will not suffer fatal damage if it suffers a direct hit from Enraiha. To use a flame that spill out widely, without concentrating at any point, it should be unable to beat through its defenses. Yet------

“GYYYYYYYWWWWWWWW!!”

The golden flames ruthlessly invades Vritra’s body. The silvery white scales and crystal teeth are caught in the flames, and slowly drop onto the floor one by one.

“Phew------”

Placing the swung Enraiha at her shoulder, Ayano breathes out in satisfaction. Seeing that gesture, Ren laughs out, with a slight intention of making fun of her amidst his joy.

“You are finally back to your normal self?”

“Guess you can say that. Sorry, for making you guys worried.”

The reason Ayano can wield Enraiha is not because of her father, and she is certainly worthy of wielding it. Because she is undoubtedly the Jutsushi with the purest Kannagi blood in this generation.

Before such power, one cannot relax no matter how strong one’s flame resistance capabilities may be. As long as she removed jealousy and machine-like ruthlessness, and uses her power in the most natural state, it is very easy to break through Vritra’s defenses.

“Okay, one more time! Follow my timing.”

“Got it!”

Just as the two co-operate and prepare to follow up with another attack on Vritra.

“You two…… don’t seem to know your own places?”

Mikaeru’s consciousness sounds off in their minds.

“Watch this!”

With that said, a horn protrudes from the inside of the dragon’s forehead. That impressive sharp horn that matches its gigantic body very well------ On its surface, there is a female figure like those statues at the front of a ship.

After recognizing who this female is, Ren cries out loud:

“It’s Misao!”

The change does not end there.

“Woah……”

Misao’s face continues to emerge like bamboo shoots after the rain, gradually covering the entire outer surface of Vritra. Seeing such an eerie sight that would one find it hard to look at directly, Ayano and Ren shifted their eyes away at the same time.
(“Bamboo shoots after the rain” is a saying in Japan, this is because the rain will wash away the soil, revealing the bamboo shoots. It implies the appearance of something after an event. Please ask Japanese translators to give a better explanation if required.)

“See------ now you guys won’t be able to attack can you? You might as well just get killed by Vritra, I will place your heads right before Yagami’s eyes!”

“GRRRRRYYYYYYWWWWW!!”

While dodging the black flames that fall down like rain, Ayano seems to be out of ideas, and asks Ren:

“What do you think? Which one do you think is the real one?”

“Normally speaking it should be that horn…… But I don’t want to push my luck.”

“Yeah, I agree. It feels as though it is placed there on purpose, as if luring us to it.”

“GRRRRLLLLYYYY------!!”

A magical formation appears below the dragon’s feet. In resonance with its roar, lighting emerges from the gaps in the patterns.

(Lightning strike------!)

Ayano shouts out immediately:

“Hide behind me!”

“O……Okay!”

Enraiha is swung out horizontally. A wide area of fire forms a protective shield, blocking countless fireballs.
(Chinese translation error? I think it should be lightning balls…)

Withstanding the impact of hundreds of lightning balls, Ayano curses angrily:

“He seems to be getting a little arrogant thinking that we cannot retaliate……”

“Nee-sama! In front!”

“------!”

As Ayano is focusing on maintaining the kekkai, Vritra quietly snuck towards them, its vicious hooked claws are now closing in right at them..

Ayano wanted to chop its entire arm off at first, but she saw Misao’s face within the dragon’s palm. She was smiling.

“Argh------”

Ayano changes the path of her sword in an instant, and finally managed to only cut the hooked claws. She hurriedly pulls her distance away and gets back into her battle stance, but is completely out of ideas on what to do.

“Nee-sama, what should we do?”

“------What do you think we should do?”

Ayano smiles and shrugs her shoulders as she thought to herself:

(Luckily he didn’t ask for twenty minutes.)

The promised five minutes is almost up, at this rate, they will probably pull through.

(Come back quickly, Kazuma. If you dare say “give me another five more minutes”, I will not let you off.)



“WRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYY!!”

“Damn------ How annoying!”

Just as Ayano is using Enraiha to reflect the who-knows-what-number wave of attack.

Suddenly, a certain feeling emerges from the back.

Even though there is someone at the back, Ayano shows no sign of wavering, and instead accepted this feeling.

Clear with a sense of stability within. Basking in this feeling, she adapted to it without even realizing it, as if she had been fighting like this for years now.

The two stands at the most effective, and most comforting position there is.

To click together as one. That is the kind of feeling.

Ayano asks without even turning her head:

“Isn’t this a little too quick?”

“Because a boastful someone was chased everywhere. I don’t have a choice, but to return sooner. Be grateful!”

Hearing the usual sarcastic reply, Ayano laughs. This guy, he will probably talk like this to his very last breath before his death?

The surrounding winds begin to glow with a faint blue shine. Ayano grabs Enraiha tightly once more, gathering energy for this moment. Like a bow pulled back fully, all the energy is gathered at a single point------

“Go!”

Together with that angry shout, Ayano waves Enraiha down with all the strength she can muster.



Ren and Ayano separated while they were running around evading Vritra’s attacks.

“Nee…… Nee-sama……?”

As Ren is intending to confirm his nee-sama’s safety, an exceptionally powerful energy wave flew into his consciousness all of a sudden. As he is too close to it, there is no way for him to judge where it originated from. This feeling that seems as though the surrounding space shook, caused all his hair to stand up.

The impact came from the right side. An azure flame bursts out, and uses its cleansing light to surround Vritra’s huge body. The cleansing power burns off more than half of that silvery white body, Vritra loses its dragon appearance in an instant.

“Otou-san?”

Even though he knows its impossible, Ren still called out without thinking. A crystal clear azure glow, an incomparably powerful cleansing power. Without a doubt, that is the ultimate flame that Kannagi Genma controls------“The Azure Flame”.

But, Genma is still in the hospital, and he must definitely get some quiet rest, there is no way that he can appear in a place like this.

Ren follows the path of the flame, and saw that……

“Ah……”

He sighs out in relief, as if a great burden has just been lifted, and sits down onto the floor entirely. Just as he relaxes, he is also completely drained, but it doesn’t matter. Because his mission is over, all that is left is to cheer for those two.

“Go on! Nii-sama, Nee-sama!”

Ren roots for them softly.



“Wow……”

Ayano opens her eyes wide, staring at the flame that she is releasing.

The azure wind------ winds in a spiraling motion stained with the color of Kazuma’s “ki”, revolving around the golden flames that are bursting out. The two powers combine together very naturally, and boost each other.

Even hotter, even clearer------ a holy flame that pushes “cleansing” to its extreme, achieving the goal of vanquishing evil, and perhaps even through dimension, it might even be called a divine flame. Even though it feels like she is being treated like a living kerosene gun, but Ayano still continues to release flames.

Kazuma stands up to the front.

“------ Kazuma?”

“Continue.”

Kazuma gives a short command, and then rides the wind, flying up into the sky. As if the synchronized feeling just now is just an illusion, Kazuma leaves Ayano’s side without a care, flying towards the remains of Vritra.

“…………”

What he is there for, there is no need to even ask. Because the reason is so obvious, yet even though she knows the reason------

“Ahhhh! This is infuriating!”

In response to Ayano’s fury, the flame burns even more vigorously.



How can this be!?

Within Vritra’s gradually collapsing body, Mikaeru’s face becomes stiff from fear.

(How can this…… Impossible…… This has collected several hundreds------ almost one thousand people’s vigor! But, how is it possible that it lost against a mere three people? Just who the hell are they? Are there really anyone that can accommodate such an immense power among humans?)

In the end he is still unable to understand. But in reality, he is being beaten. Vritra has been destroyed beyond recovery, all the vigor collected through Misao has all been used up as well.

Defeated.

He can only admit it. There is no way to turn this around, this is failure.

Mikaeru decides to retreat instantly.

(Remember this------ Yagami Kazuma! One day I will definitely------)

He separates himself from the remains of Vritra------ the area which had been the head, that place is already a sea of flames. The azure flames mercilessly rip off the layers of youki.

The corroding horn stands tall before his eyes, Mikaeru uses eyes of hatred to stare at the girl sealed within.

“Useless thing.”

He can’t help but curse, yet he never expected anyone to reply.

“I believe you don’t have the right to say that!”

Mikaeru turns around, as if struck by lightning.

“Ya……Yagami Kazuma!”

A pathetic voice can be heard with it. Kazuma has no intentions of mocking his pathetic state, and just lowers his head to looks at Mikaeru silently.

“I knew it, just as things doesn’t seem right, you will definitely run off. Because a kid like you, don’t have the determination or will to fight to your death.”

That is a plain tone that bears no emotions, as if the other party does not even deserve to be humiliated.

This reaction hurts Mikaeru’s pride deeply, but he still forces a smile.

“Just take it that you won this time. But, don’t think this is over, I will come back again!”

With that, Mikaeru activates teleportation. Even though a kekkai that prevents teleportation has been set in this area, but that is specially designed against Misao, and is insufficient to seal Mikaeru’s teleportation. If it is just a short distance teleportation, there should be no problem------

“Wha------What?”

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing the shocked Mikaeru, Kazuma asks with an uninterested expression.

Mikaeru stares at his dreaded enemy that bears an easy expression on his face, and tries to activate teleportation once more.

<nowiki>------</nowiki>Failure.

No matter how many times he try, the result is still the same. The distorted space created to link two points up, gets destroyed immediately after it is created.

“How…… How can that……”

Mikaeru stares blankly at Kazuma. There is no doubt, this must be Kazuma’s doing. But------

“You…… You can see it? Could it be that you can see through the distorted space I created amidst this rampaging space!?”

“You can take it that way.”

“…………”

Kazuma nods as if its only natural, Mikaeru looks as though he is about to go mad as he stares at Kazuma.

The azure flames release such a massive energy that even space has begun to be distorted. Under such conditions, a small distortion created for teleportation should not even be noticed.

To put it simply, it is just like locking onto a ripple made by a small fish amidst the sea surface being rampaged by a storm. It is not humanly possible.

“You…… Just “what” the hell are you?”

Watching the murmuring Mikaeru, Kazuma smiles proudly.

“------ To not even know this, you dare to challenge me?”

Mikaeru uses fearful eyes to look up at Kazuma, looking into those blue eyes that bears a clear and deep luster within.

“A contractor……”

Someone under a contract with the spirit lord of the winds, to control all winds. To form a contract with an extraordinary existence, the world’s only “Contractor”.

Those blue eyes can be seen as proof of being a saint. A messiah that represents a spirit lord on this Earth, the mark of a saint------Stigma.

“The winds will tell me everything. Where there is air, nothing can hide from me.”

“Damn…… Dammit…… You monster……!”

Mikaeru murmurs unhappily, then draws a dagger out and jumps out. Not towards Kazuma, but to that standing sharp horn at the back------ Misao who is sealed within.

“Don’t move!”

Placing the dagger at Misao’s throat, Mikaeru shouts:

“I know. I know very well, you will not stand to watch this girl die, so I still have one last trump card. It is still to early for you to get cocky! Yagami Kazuma!”

He shows a sinister smile, and uses a sharp voice to say.

That face no longer has any of that innocent look that a child would have. A young appearance matched with an ugly, greedy expression, that unsuitable feeling made him look even uglier.

Kazuma seems uninterested as he listened to Mikaeru’s threat, and grumbles in his mouth:

“------ What an unworthy death.”

“Don’t move!”

Kazuma ignores his warning, and stretches his hand into his chest to get a cigarette. The way he lighted the cigarette looks very lazy as well, drawing the smoke deeply to fill his lungs.

“You……You think I am kidding you!? If you want this girl to live------”

“Enough.”

Kazuma stops Mikaeru in his speech.

“Wha…… What------?”

“I have seen this already. If you don’t have any other tricks, then die!”

From a high altitude far away, Kazuma says that. As if saying, if you can perform some interesting new trick to please him, then for this period Kazuma will “let him live temporarily”. 

“You bastard……”

Against this unbearable humiliation, Mikaeru’s voice and the hand he uses to hold the dagger begins to tremble. His bloodshot emerald eyes gradually loses rationality.

“You bastard…… You bastard…… You bastard------------!!”

Mikaeru gives off a scream at a frequency beyond what humans can hear, then thrusts the dagger in his hand. Just as the sharp blade is about to slit Misao’s throat.

<nowiki>------</nowiki>Swish!

Mikaeru’s right arm is severed from his elbow on, fresh blood gushes out like a fountain.

“Ah……Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

Following that, the remaining two legs and left arm were sliced apart from their roots. Mikaeru’s caterpillar-like body, then rolls into the pool of his own blood.

Kazuma steps onto Mikaeru’s stomach with force. His stomach seems to have been broken by the step, but at this point in time there is no point in caring about that.

“I had originally intended to slowly torture you, but I don’t have that much time either------ so bear with it.”

Kazuma kicks Mikaeru like a soccer ball and sends him flying. The tiny body flew off in an instant, and falls into the fiercely burning azure flames in the end.

This body that has suffered heavy injuries, no longer has any power to withstand the power of the purifying flames. The blue flames burns away the the youki that has soaked into the cells, purifying them together with the body. There is no time to even scream, the existence of Mikaeru Hari disappeared from this world entirely.

Kazuma sighs out lightly, and adjusts his breath.

“I wasted too much time, I must hurry……”

A contract with the spirit lord means to borrow the rights of the lord under limitations.

The human body can withstand the power of an extraordinary existence for some time, but this burden is beyond measure.

For example, it is like a person trying to block off an upcoming tsunami alone, to withstand such a massive force based on mental strength alone, there is no way it can last.

Needless to say that his body condition now is very bad, and is at its limit.

Kazuma urges his tired body, and walks towards that sharp horn with Misao sealed within.

To say that she is sealed is actually not accurate enough. Most of the sharp horn has already been burnt away, all that is left is the portion covering Misao’s waist and below. There is no constraint on her upper body.

Kazuma stands right before Misao, and places his hand on her forehand, forcing “ki” into her, and then gives a simple command:

“Get up.”

”……Mm……”

Misao murmurs softly, her eyelids twitches, and slowly opens.

“……Ah……?”

She doesn’t seem to be able to apprehend the current situation, and gives off a puzzled sound. The opened empty eyes gradually regains focus------ and at the instant she recognized Kazuma, she opens her eyes wide.

“Kazuma……san……”

She uses a coarse voice to call out his name, there is not a shred of hatred within that expression and voice.

“Yup. Has mind control been completely released? Let’s go back then!”

Kazuma announces calmly, then reaches out to her. Yet, Misao turns her face around, her hands placed before her chest.

“------?”

“Please, just let me…… die……”

Misao says with a trembling voice.

Kazuma stares at Misao closely, as if trying to look through Misao’s expression, with her head lowered and is covered by her hair.

“Why?”

“Because…… I am a sinner.”

“Oh? So?”

Kazuma seems to find this unbelievable, and asks once more. Misao stares at Kazuma with slanted eyes, probably thinking that he is teasing her on purpose.

“I have committed an unforgivable sin…… So…… I can only redeem myself through death……”

Kazuma looks coldly at Misao who is seeking atonement continuously.

“You are really important aren’t you.”

“……Huh?”

Kazuma stands up before the puzzled Misao, and uses the tip of his feet to kick below his feet.

“This guy, it was a really big dragon just now------ Did you know what energy did it use to move?”

“Yes…… It uses……”

Towards the pale Misao, Kazuma announces the truth mercilessly:

“It is all the people you killed, their vigor.”

“------!”

“There is probably a few hundred people------ Energy capable of moving that massive thing, I guess it would take more than just a hundred or two people!”

Misao is at a loss for words, she feels grieved over her deep sins and trembles over it.

“Using your “precious” one life, you can redeem the sin of killing several hundred people?”

Kazuma uses an extremely unnatural gentle tone to question her, and then grabs Misao’s hair, pulling her lowered face up forcefully.

“Quit joking! Are you some religious chief of some new religion!? Did you think pinning you on a cross can save all the people in this world? Don’t be so naïve! You are just trying to run away. Unwilling to face the deep sins you have committed, and unwilling to seek any method of atonement, to just try to escape through death, isn’t that right!”

“Ah…… Ahhh……”

The weakness within her heart being revealed, Misao’s tears fall down like rain.

“Even so…… Even so, what do you think I should do? With such deep sins, could there possibly be some way to redeem myself?”

She urges Kazuma for an answer. However, the answer was cruel.

“How would I know.”

“You…… You……!”

Misao can’t help but show an angry expression.

“You are really full of yourself!”

“No matter what others say, I don’t know what I don’t know. I killed plenty of people too, but let’s not mention atonement, I did not even review myself even once.”

What a completely self-centered guy. If anyone is to ask for a way to redeem himself, he is probably the most unsuitable person in the world to ask.

“Besides, aren’t you getting the sequence wrong?”

“…… What do you mean?”

Not understanding what this sentence means, the puzzled Misao questions Kazuma back.

“Who are the ones you must compensate to first? Is it those people whom we do not even know their names? Or that dumb father that wanted to kill his own daughter but got killed instead?”

Kazuma pauses for a second, then continues to say:

“No! Of course not! The one whom you created the most trouble for, the one who needs compensation most is me! It is me! So before you think about dying or to live, you should repay me first! To put it more bluntly, you have to repay with your body!”

“…………Ah?”

Misao realizes that Kazuma is not looking at her face, but staring at the location around a distance of one head below her eyes------ around her chest.

She follows Kazuma’s eyes towards her chest. Perhaps due to her clothes being dissolved by slimes, Misao is naked, and revealing her natural figure.

At the end of Kazuma’s glance, there are two soft bloated objects------

“------------!”

Misao senses an unknown danger, and uses her hands to cover her exposed breasts immediately. At the very same time, a large plasma bullet is shot from the ground.

“------Ahh?”

Kazuma uses the back of his hand to deflect the plasma shot without even turning his head around.

“Please…… Please calm down, nee-sama!”

“Let me go, Ren! I am going to vaporize that lowdown thing right here!”

Seeing the ruckus on the ground, Kazuma complains with an irritated look:

“What an annoying person, there is no way to calm down and talk about the serious stuff like this.”

(------ Serious stuff?)

Misao can’t help but stare at Kazuma’s face.

“What’s up?”

“------Ha!”

Kazuma asks seriously. The moment she saw that expression, Misao suddenly burst out in laughter.

Misao continues to bend over and laugh, Kazuma on the other hand looks at her with a puzzled look on his face.

“------Have you gone mad?”

“N……No…… I am fine.”

Misao finally suppresses the urge to laugh, and reaches out to wipe her tears.

Even though so saddened, people can still laugh. What a new discovery.

“I…… I must first compensate Kazuma-san right?”

“Ahhh, yes.”
[[Image:Kaze no Stigma vol 02 305.jpg|thumb]]
Kazuma nods in response, and Misao nods lightly in agreement.

“I got it. Please let me compensate you with all my heart. While I make my compensation to you, I will continue to find ways to compensate the others.”

“------Is that so?”

“That is to say------ Please help me. I do not wish to die yet.”

Misao’s lower body is still connected to Vritra’s remains. At this rate, she will face the same fate as Mikaeru.

“Understood. These remains, and the youki left in your body, I will purify them altogether. It may waver a little, be careful.”

“Okay.”

Misao nods lightly, then closes her eyes.

Kazuma rides the wind flying up to the sky, pulling away the distance. Following that, he raises his right hand in the air------ and waves down at one go.

The blue wind comes tumbling down from the directly above Misao. The wind blows away all surrounding flames, and purifies all that can be considered “evil” completely.

Kazuma returns to the ground. Ayano and Ren come up to receive him.

“Where’s Misao?”

Towards Ayano’s question, Kazuma only shifts his eyes slightly upwards.

In the space where the blue light slowly grows faint, there is something that is descending from the skies slowly. The naked female covered in the light seems pure and beautiful, anyone that sees this would be deeply mesmerized.

Kazuma removes his jacket, and places it on the girl that descended from heaven.

As Ayano sees this scene, her eyebrow raised upwards. Perhaps she is reminded of the previous incident------ Kazuma completely unwilling to remove his jacket to cover her last time, until she had to strip it off him herself.

“Still alive?”

Ayano observes Misao who is being carried by Kazuma. She is unconscious, but still breathing.

“Yeah, you better go get a car, we are heading back.”

“Ah, yeah------ By the way, how’s your injury?”

“The bleeding stopped, I should be fine as long as I don’t move around too much.”

Even though he sounds relaxed, but he looks really bad, obviously having lost too much blood.

Ayano says worriedly:

“Should we go to the hospital first? You seem even weaker than Misao.”

“I must hand Misao to Suzerain personally first.”

“Yeah------ you are really gentle aren’t you.”

“You jealous?”

Ayano reflexively pulls out Enraiha.


“What…… What are you talking about! Look at your body condition, you really think you can still fight leisurely? I am definitely stronger than you now!”

“Oh? You want to kill someone that got hurt because of you? Kids these days don’t even know basic courtesy.”

Raising his head to look at the two staring at each other, Ren sighs out painfully. Once again verifying that these adults before him cannot be relied upon, he decides to contact their family by himself.

“Ah, is it Suou? We are done here, please come to get us. Try to make it quick------ Huh? Yes, someone is injured, but if we don’t try to put a stop to this, the surrounding areas…… Yes, I leave it to you.”

Keeping his cell phone, Ren’s focus shifts back to the two. There is no need to even see them to feel that their “ki” is rising.

He really didn’t expect the two to be so childish, but just in case, round two may start.

(Suou…… Come quick……)

Ren sighs once more, and praying that this calamity can be avoided at the same time.

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