Editing Kaze no Stigma:Volume6 Chapter 5 (section)

=== Part 3 ===


Chris couldn't comprehend what happened. 

"Wha- what........"

He thought he won completely. It was a perfect trap. 

Easily defeating him in the previous battle, looking down on him with naked contempt, that hateful woman he could endlessly torture to death without ever getting tired of it--- Kannagi Ayano was one-sided cornered, pressed down and in the end she was supposed to receive a certain-kill blow. 

And yet---

''"What the fuck happened........."''

Homuranagi disappeared. 

For Chris, whose power was much inferior to Ayano's, his lifeline just disappeared.

Chris didn't think it was cowardly sealing Enjutsu by using Homuranagi. It was his pet theory that's how humans should fight.

From the start, among all animals on the Earth, it was easier to count a human's physical ability from the bottom up. 

No matter how much one trains, there wasn't one in a million people who could bring down a tiger or a lion with his body alone. 

Why did such a meager living thing seized hegemony on this planet? 

That was only because it had the wisdom to press down that power. 

He cannot win by himself. By himself. 

By using tools, by setting traps, by thinking of a plan --- using such intellectual means, the humans exterminated other animals and expanded their territory.

Then, there was nothing wrong with using a Youma. It was an ordinary tactic to seal the opponent's power. 

That wasn't an excuse, he thought so from the bottom of his heart. Of course, it something like that were to happen to him, that would be a different problem.

Anyway, that's how he fulfilled his own self-justification and dealt with this battle as if the winner was decided from the beginning. 

"This is, no way......."

The plan that was supposed to be absolute was really, quickly overturned. 

Even Chris really understood from the beginning. That the downpour of wind blades from the sky forcibly smashed Homuranagi together with the beam it fired.

"no way......"

But even so he could not accept the reality, letting his gaze wander searching for Homuranagi. 

Of course, he couldn't find it, that wandering off gaze directly grasping the appearance of the enemy with it's power regained. 

"Hii--!"

Remembering this was no time to be leisurely distracted, Chris jumped setting up Mizuchi.

But, the severe counterattack he feared didn't come. 

Even when he put himself on guard, Ayano let the hand grasping Enraiha drop without posture and quietly stopped. 

Even Enraiha's blade clad on flame was flickering feebly, not all that different from before Homuranagi was extinguished. 

For some reason he hesitated to challenge that somewhat dejected standing figure full of disappointment, feeling like a deer in the headlights. 

After several seconds without change---

"Haaah"

Suddenly Ayano closed her eyes, letting out a very heavy sight. 

She instantly opened her closed eyelids but in them there was the same battered light of despair. 

By some chance, had all fire spirits been eaten as far as the eye can see and even if Homuranagi was destroyed, she wasn't able to regain her power?

When he was thinking that---

"I was supposed to fix the problem by myself, hey. Well, it's true this was a pinch so I won't say it was none of your business. ", grumbled Ayano looking reluctant. 

"I'm always the one saved. If it goes on like this, no matter how much time passes, I won't be able to stand next to him. "

"Wh- what are you saying......."

"But, anyway--- if that's the case, at least let me handle what was asked of me"

With that murmur, that instant she lightly raised Enraiha overhead---

'''Donnn--'''

Together with a thunderous roar that shook the ground, a dazzling pillar of fire pressed against the heaven. 

The overwhelming power emerging without previous notice rumbled the surrounding atmosphere--- no, the space itself. 

"Wha- wha-- whaaat!? "

In front of that excessively immense, immense power, Chris could do nothing but raise a cry of panic. 

But of course, that was meaningless and before the man screaming idly, a huge pillar of fire converged. 

That's right, without reduction or decline it converged. Without lowering it's temperature, only diminishing it's volume, it's density was raised much more. 

So much, that it could pierce the Heavens. 

The huge blazing column of fire became thiner, shorter--- standing in the center of it, entwined in it was the girl's body, the source of the flame. 

And finally, it was compressed in that blade the girl was holding. 

"Waah"

Chris stared with a hot blooded complexion at that blade clad in a compressed flame the equivalent of a sun. 

His teeth didn't quite match, an unsightly chattering sound escaping from his mouth. 

Unable to look straight at her, his turned away eyes sized his own hand holding Mizuchi. 

It was supposed to have given him unrivaled power, the mighty, unparalleled '''Water's Sacred Treasure'''.

It was the first time he regarded it as something so unreliable. Bearing in mind the differences between water and fire, the disparity between them became overwhelming. 

It's impossible to win--- that was such a reasonable conclusion it became heartless. 

Using Enraiha to slice the air ahead, Ayano looked at Chris through the golden sparks scattered. 

With an expression void of the exaltation of the counterattack, void of the pleasure of taking her revenge, she dispassionately announced. 

"I'm sorry but I can't mind you right now"

She already had no business here. 

She must speedily clear all obstacles blocking her path, she must go no matter what.

"Because Kazuma is waiting for me"

Even if this is Kazuma, Ayano understood he had no way of overwhelming Gaia as long as his power was sealed. 

He was more that at a disadvantage. 

Even under such life threatening circumstances, even so, Kazuma forcefully saved her. 

But Ayano understood that wasn't all because of kindness.

It was a move Kazuma made to win. 

It was because he judged that was the very best in order to defeat Chris and Gaia.

He saved Ayano and returned her power to her.

That is, ''"Kill him quickly, come and quickly smash Kazebami! "''.

"Haaa! "

Reducing the distance by breaking into great speed, Ayano swung Enraiha downward right in front. 

"Nuuh! "

Chris spread a water sphere from Mizuchi and held it aloft like a shied to receive the attack. 

The difference in shape between a sword or a whip was instantly blurred but the result was still the same. 

The enormous water mass was bisected unable to resist a moment. Of course that produced an explosion of water vapor but it was thoroughly burned to nothing  by the golden eruption approaching Chris. 

"Hi, hiii! "

Without shame or honor Chris rolled on the ground to avoid even brushing against that hellish fire about to annihilate him.

He pushed before his eyes Mizuchi who already became a handle and managed somehow to block down that mowing attack.

This time, something both fortunate and unfortunate happened to Chris.

The fortunate part was that because of Enraiha's flame, condensed to utmost limit, his hand holding the handle wasn't burned away.

The unfortunate part was that because of Enraiha's flame, condensed to utmost limit, the handle struck by it couldn't withstand it. 

Even though it was sacred treasure, having lost all its capacity, Enraiha's blow at full power put an enormous burden on it. 

Mid-way on the edge of the handle where it was hit, it developed a small crack impossible to mistake.

"Wha----?"

"Eeh? "

Not only Chris but Ayano too looked at it in shock. She slashed at it with all her strength but she would have never expected something called a Sacred Treasure to be damageable. 

Unintentionally she interrupted her pursuit and looked at Enraiha. 

She observed it carefully and deliberately but it didn't seem to have any minute scratches, let alone cracks. 

Letting out a long sigh of relief, she shifted her attention on Chris for a second time. 

Because of too much shock she let herself have a lot of openings in front of the enemy but he didn't use that.

Looking at it, it seemed unlikely he could have. 

"Aah......aah...."

With perfectly round eyes Chris was starring at Mizuchi. 

The crack running through the handle was spreading out greatly but it wasn't serious enough to snap in the middle. 

But, that doesn't mean he could relax----

"Waaah! "

Suddenly, from Mizuchi a water whip vigorously stretched out. It stuck to Chris, his upper body reflexively vent backwards. 

No matter how you look it he wasn't the kind of man who would commit suicide. Which means that the water whip was naturally formed by the Sacred Treasure. 

But, even it that was so, it was clearly strange that it would turn against its proprietor, trying to harm him. It didn't look like a normal feature.

''"No way, it's running wild......? Because of a crack..........?"''

While the water whip was undulating irregularly, it grew thick enough the name whip became unsuitable. 

And at the same time, it's pointed tip began changing shape, making one believe it was the head of a living creature, furthermore on all its body a scale pattern began to emerge. 

"Qu-quiet down, ''Mizuchi''! ", order Chris holding the Sacred Treasure in his hand changing his facial expression.

Since his own Sacred Treasure was on a rampage that reaction wasn't particularly odd but Ayano tilted her head on the side remembering a subtle sense of discomfort. 

''"This pronunciation.......is somewhat weird?"'' 

''Mizuchi'' is certainly the name of the Sacred Treasure he was owning. But the way he called it then, it seemed like he called out something quite different but with the same name---

"Well, anyway"

It was doubtful but Ayano easily cast it away. 

She was hurrying now and at present the enemy must be put down no matter what.

If so, there's only one way to go. 

In silence she raised Enraiha overhead. Since the Sacred Treasure was running wild close combat became even more dangerous. Besides, there was no need for a direct confrontation in this situation.

But even so, without negligence, she loaded all her power in the blade. 

And then, she swung it downward without hesitation. 

A maximum plasma attacked the Suijutsushi in the height of his panic.

"Hiiiyaa! "

Without means of opposing, he wasn't even able to control Mizuchi. Having said that, he didn't have the determination to let go of it and it was too late to run now----

The result

Unable to do anything, Chris was wrapped in the white-hot flame.

After the flame vanished, nothing remained. Not Chris nor Mizuchi.

Unable to earn a positive proof, Ayano murmured.

"Did I got him.......?"

Since there was any trace there was also a chance he ran away. Leaving Chris aside, she didn't believe the Sacred Treasure called Mizuchi could disappear without leaving at least a fragment behind. 

But right now, more that the validation of the result, she gave preference to the confluence with Kazuma. 

Thinking so, Ayano turned on her heels and started running searching in the cracks for a path to the other side. 

"Wait for me, Kazuma! "