Zero no Tsukaima wersja polska Tom 2 Rozdział 6
Rozdział 6 – Biały kraj
“I-I’m sorry for being late!”
As Corona rolled into the student council president room, Dirk knitted his brows at her entrance.
“……What’s that?”
“Eh?”
Corona’s eyes wavered blankly and looked back at Dirk.
It was a face saying that she had no idea of what he was talking about.
Dirk asked again in a rough tone as he was more irritated than usual.
“I’m asking what all this luggage is……!”
Corona had both her hands full of shopping bags and in addition, she carried even a rucksack on her back.
The contents seemed to be books with papers which became rare nowadays. They should be quite heavy, but Corona was more or less a <Genestella>, too.
“A-Ah, do you mean this? But I heard that I was off duty today, so I went up to the central district for the first time in a while. And then, I was suddenly called by the vice-president; but he said that I should hurry, so I directly came here without stopping by the dorm. No, to tell the truth, it’s heavy as expected; so I thought about returning to my room once, but……”
Corona started spewing out something that could be taken as either an excuse or boasting, but Dirk interrupted it in a quiet voice.
“──Tell a fortune.”
“Huh?”
“It’s fine, so hurry up and tell a fortune, you stupid woman!”
“Hiyaaah! Y-Yes! Understood!”
Corona, who was startled by Dirk’s angry voice, hurriedly tossed her packages aside and then took out tarot cards from her uniform’s breast pocket.
And while lining them on the floor, she nervously looked at Dirk.
“Errr, anything is fine to tell a fortune of today, too…… right?”
“You bastard, how many times do you intend to make me say the same thing?”
“Hiii! S-Sorry!”
With a face looking like she would burst into tears at any moment, Corona hurriedly arranged the preparation for the fortune-telling.
Kashimaru Corona, who was Dirk’s secretary, was a <Strega> with a special ability.
However, Corona herself did not know that she was a <Strega>, neither was she registered into this country’s <Strega> list.
This was because the activation conditions of her ability were very strict, and she could not be distinguished from a mere <Genestella> other than when it activated.
──Her ability was prediction that would absolutely be off the mark.
In other words, the contents coming out of Corona’s fortune-telling would never occur no matter what happened.
At first glance, it could be regarded as an absolutely useless ability; but this became an extremely big advantage in an information war.
“Errr, well then today…… Ah, that’s right! I happened to hear it on my way here, but it seems that Seidoukan student council president has gone missing. I’m worried, so I shall tell the fortune regarding her safety.”
There were three conditions for Corona’s ability to activate.
The first one was the fortune-telling time to be the evening.
“Well then, I shall begin……”
The second was for Corona herself to decide the contents of the fortune telling.
When Corona closed her eyes and began to rearrange the cards, a bluish-white magic circle appeared around her.
And then the third was that she could only activate it once a day.
“──Okay, it is this!”
Corona finished turning five cards and opened her eyes.
“How’s it?”
“Yes, please wait a minute…… Eeh!?”
Corona, who checked them, raised a voice of surprise and stepped back.
As usual, Corona’s each action was exaggerated.
“What’s the matter? Say it.”
When Dirk urged her as such, Corona frowned as she was troubled.
“Um, that’s…… a result that is a little hard to say came out……”
After having looked around restlessly, Corona quietly whispered into Dirk’s ear as if she would be troubled should someone else hear it.
“……Tch! Is it true?”
Dirk, who heard the result, clicked his tongue and stared at Corona.
“Hiii……! It’s true, it’s true!”
At his gaze’s intensity, Corona stepped back while nodding her head several times.
No longer paying attention to such Corona, Dirk muttered while deepening the wrinkles on his forehead.
“Damn…… what the hell is happening?”
＊
Seidoukan Academy’s harbor block surrounded a part of the academy, but because it was separated with a canal-like waterway, one could not normally cross over to there by walking. Unless one did not something unreasonable like crossing by swimming, there were three routes.
One was the water route using a ship, it was used in case of carrying in goods from the satellite cities of the lakeshore and airport; this was the most common route.
Another one was the vehicles route to carry in goods from Asterisk urban areas.
And the last one was the underground route connected from the academy interior (Accurately speaking, the vehicles route also went along the academy underground, but vehicles other than those that received permission from the academy could not enter).
Inevitably, a student could only use this underground route if he was going to cross over to the harbor block.
Ayato, who had regrouped with Julis and company, were advancing at a quick pace through the underground passage juxtaposed to the rail side for automatic conveyance.
“……However, to think that Yabuki was a member of Shadow Star, eh.”
Julis, who moved beside Ayato, muttered so with a grim face.
“I was completely deceived. He has such a dumb look, that Yabuki.”
Saya also agreed to it and pouted in displeasure.
“Now, now, it’s thanks to that Yabuki that we have come smoothly so far.”
This passage was originally one used by Seidoukan Academy’s special staff and there was no record of it even on the academy guide map. If Eishiro did not tell them about it, they would have probably spent a considerable amount of time just to arrive here.
“You’re right. It’ll be enough to blame him after everything is over. Now, we must first find Claudia as quickly as possible……”
“Ah…… huh, isn’t that the exit?”
As Kirin spoke out and pointed in front of them, Ayato turned his head and saw the passage ahead was becoming slowly brighter.
“Okay, let’s hurry……!”
Everyone nodded at Ayato’s words and raised their speed.
“……The rain became quite strong.”
As soon as they went out, Saya frowned at the raindrops which intensely struck her.
There should still be some time before the sunset, but the surroundings were completely dim. The streetlight which crossed the huge warehouse and the huge crane and rose further highly ── they (warehouse and crane), which stood in a row over the rain, somehow looked like eerie monsters.
“Now then, although having come so far is good an all, even if it’s called harbor block, it’s wide. We should first split into groups──!”
As Julis abruptly stopped speaking, everyone scattered in different directions.
Immediately after, a container that was close to the size of a house fell on the place where Ayato and company had been previously standing. After Ayato had rolled out of the way, he looked up to see the crumpled container on the ground.
“……Unfortunately, I can’t afford to let you proceed ahead from here.”
As soon as the voice was heard, multiple containers rained down in succession. However, instead of aiming for Ayato and company, the containers piled up and formed a wall that blocked their path forward. “How about it? Why don’t you obediently go back from here?”
The words came from a silhouette that had appeared on top of the wall that had been formed and was looking down at Ayato and company.
That figure, who wore a hood over their eyes, wore an outfit very similar to Eishiro’s that Ayato met a little while ago.
(Shadow Star, huh…… No, before that, the voice just now is……)
“I don’t know who you’re, but I won’t show mercy if you got in our way……!”
Though Julis belligerently glared at him, the figure only shrugged his shoulders as if finding it silly.
“Oh my…… you say quite a sad thing, <Glühen Rose>. Have you forgotten me?”
“What?”
Julis knitted her brows dubiously.
But, Ayato had already realized who it was.
“It’s been a while, huh ── Silas Norman.”
“Wha……!?”
Julis opened her eyes wide at the name that Ayato spoke.
“Oh, as expected of <Murakumo>. You did well to remember me.”
When the figure slowly took off his hood, the face of a skinny man with glittering eyes appeared.
There was no mistaking it.
It was Silas Norman, the person who once colluded with Allekant and attacked quite a few of Seidoukan’s prominent students, including Julis, from the shadows.
“……I didn’t think that you were in the Shadow Star.”
“It was a choice of last resort. Since Seidoukan made a deal with Allekant using me as a pretext, it was absolutely impossible for me to become free. One wrong move and I’d have spent my whole life in confinement. But then, this time there was an offer of deal to me from Seidoukan.”
Spreading his slim hands, Silas spoke talkatively. It looked like his play-like exaggerated words and gestures have not changed.
“They highly valued my ability as a <Dante>, so they asked whether I don’t want to join the Shadow Star.”
“Hou, Isn’t that good for you?”
As Julis sarcastically returned so while being cautious, Silas suddenly flew into rage.
“What is…… What is good about that?! In the end, I’m only a disposable piece with a rope attached to his neck! After all, Seidoukan couldn’t careless whether using me or crushing me! Although it’s better than being confined in a cellar, I’m fed up with such humiliating treatment!”
“……You reap what you sow”
Saya muttered as she was amazed.
“……But well, even so it isn’t only a bad thing. After all, an opportunity to take my revenge against you guys has presented itself like this. With that said, the earlier warning was just a façade. Because it’d be disappointing for me if you were to choose to obediently go back.”
As Silas, who grinned, spread his fingers, several containers rose to the air as if responding to it.
Silas’s ability was objet manipulation. He could freely manipulate inorganic matters which he applied a mark on.
“Hou, you came for revenge, huh. It’s good and all to resent us, but don’t tell me that you intend to take on all of us by yourself?”
While being cautious so that she could move anytime, Julis glared at Silas.
“No, no, even I’m not that stupid. After all, I was completely beaten by you guys once. And so……”
When Silas said so, new figures of people appeared one after another on top of the containers. All of them wore similar hoods and their faces could not be seen.
Their number exceeded ten.
“No way, are these guys all Shadow Star members……!?”
To the amazed Julis, Silas stuck out his chest with a calm and composed attitude.
“We’re against you guys who are of high rank, so this amount of people is necessary, isn’t it? Besides…… these guys are much more skilled than me, you know?”
“……Certainly, they don’t seem to be people we can’t be careless against.”
Kirin, while putting her hand on Senbakiri, warily ran her eyes around.
If for example all the agents of the Shadow Star were experts of the same level as Eishiro, then this was certainly quite a tough situation.
“Kuh……! But even so, we can’t abandon our comrades……!”
Julis activated her Rectoluz and mana swirled around her like a storm.
“Bloom proudly ── Livingstone Daisy!”
The fiery chakrams fired along with Julis’ shout spread out and swooped down on Silas and company.
As if following after that, the Rectoluz drew a red trace in the air.
A two-step multiple long-range attack. It was a technique uniquely applying to Julis who excelled at space grasp ability.
“I’ll have you let us through by all possible means!”
“Hahaha! It should be like this!”
While letting a dark, joy-filled voice resound, Silas blocked it using a container as a shield, and the other agents jumped from the wall of containers as they also dodged Julis’ attacks.
Ayato and company originally did not have time to fight against them here. They had to reach where Claudia was as soon as possible no matter what. However, it was also a fact that it was an opponent whom there was no room for negotiations with.
“I guess I’ve no choice but to do it, huh……!”
When Ayato put his hand on <Ser-Versta> as he was about to, though reluctantly, release all his power, Saya standing back to back with him said in mutter.
“……Ayato, go.”
Saya established her aim to the agent heading their way and fired Helnekrom which she deployed.
“Kaboom”
However, that agent easily evaded it.
“Hey hey, where are you aiming for?”
The condescending voice of Silas sounded out as he laughed at her shot.
But, that was fine.
“Wha……!?”
At that time, Ayato had already started running ── towards the large hole that Saya’s light bullet created in the container.
Saya’s attack aimed for this from the beginning. Ayato instantly understood it.
“Y-You bastard!”
Silas panicked and dropped container after container on Ayato, attempting to squash him, but it was too late.
Ayato evaded them without dropping his speed, but then he abruptly braked as he suddenly felt bloodlust.
At that moment, an agent, who soundlessly appeared from the shade of a container, stuck out a dagger towards Ayato.
“I won’t let you!”
Then, Kirin broke in there.
As she blocked the dagger’s blow with Senbakiri, she turned her gaze at Ayato for only an instant and smiled.
“In that case! I’ll smash you guys altogether!”
Then this time, a conspicuously big container dropped at a great speed aiming at Ayato and Kirin who stopped.
“Bloom proudly ── Amaryllis!”
But, that too was blown off by a huge explosion that arose in the air.
“Julis!”
When Ayato turned around, Julis loudly said.
“Go, Ayato! If you’re the key to save Claudia as Laetitia said, we shall go with role division here!”
Julis returned a fearless smile to Ayato while taking on three agents with her Rectoluz.
“──Sorry! Leave it to me!”
As Ayato said only that, he started running again towards the large hole that Saya opened.
“I said that I won’t let you go, right?!”
However, just before it containers opened one after another and from inside the, puppets that appeared one after another like insect blocked his way as they filled the hole.
“Fuhahaha! How about this, I too am not the same like before! The number of puppets that I can manipulate now is more than thrice the number at that time! Indeed, I can freely use more than 300 puppets──”
“Haa…… looks like you haven’t changed at all, Silas Norman.”
When Ayato muttered so without even turning his eyes to Silas, who boastfully talked, he plunged into the swarm of puppets without slowing down in the slightest.
“Wha……!?” “Amagiri Bright Dragon Style Sword Intermediate Technique ── “thousand edges separation (Blood run)””
He swung out <Ser-Versta> with all his strength and connected it to the next slash while twisting his body using that power. The Demon Sword, which burnt all things, bisected dozens of puppets with one swing and opened a path while scattering the scraps.
No matter how much the number increased, the puppets that Silas manipulated could not even hold back Ayato.
In no time at all, Ayato had reached the large hole opened up by Saya. He passed through it without looking back.
“W-Wait! Amagiri Ayato! I haven’t yet……!”
While hearing Silas’ voice behind, Ayato ran in the rainy harbor block.
＊
She did not let her guard down even for an instant.
If Claudia were to let her guard down even a little, the old man before her eyes ──Bujinsai’s slash would instantly kill her.
“Kuh……!”
She blocked the staff blow that was aimed to trip her up with her left hand’s sword, and attempted to use her right hand’s sword to restrain his movements. However, Bujinsai’s figure had already jumped back while simultaneously throwing several tobi-kunai at Claudia.
Although Claudia read their trajectories by future foresight and barely evaded them, a red line ran on her cheek as one of them grazed it.
“Haa……Haa……!”
Claudia’s breathing was rough and her face was distorted due to the burning pain of the wounds carved into her whole body.
Even so, the reason why she did not yet suffer a fatal wound was solely thanks to <Pan-Dora>’s future foresight. That said, its stock was being shaved down little by little by the opponent before her eyes.
(As expected the Yabuki Clan’s Head…… I already knew it, but to think it was to this extent……)
The name “Yabuki Bujinsai” was an inherited name and the bearer was chosen from those who have reached a certain level of ability within the clan. For that reason, there seem to be time when the position was left vacant.
She heard that the current Bujinsai assumed this position nearly 40 years ago. In that case, his ability would naturally be guessed.
(But even so, I can’t afford to be defeated without resistance……!)
After all, she finally reached this place.
She could almost reach the scene of the dream she saw that day. There was no way she could give up on it after coming so far.
Claudia mustered her strength and re-set up her twin swords.
“Hmm…… You’re not bad, young lady. Who would have thought that you’d struggle so far? Even excluding that ogre lux’s ability, it’s quite a feat.”
Bujinsai slowly stroked his chin while looking at such Claudia.
Bujinsai did not have something like a combat stance, always in a relaxed stance. And yet, he had no openings.
“But, what would you gain by struggling until there? Even though you should understand that the conclusion wouldn’t change even by having delayed some time. Or, does even a person of your caliber want to cling on to life?”
At that way of speaking of Bujinsai, Claudia slightly burst into laughter.
“Fufufu, I am really glad to be praised by someone of Bujinsai-dono’s caliber…… but unfortunately you are slightly off the mark.”
“Hou?”
“Bujinsai-dono ── no, nobody in the world would be able to understand, but at this moment, I can’t stop the violent throbbing in my chest. From now on, I am looking forward to that time so much……! Fufufu! I didn’t imagine that my heart could become so disturbed……!”
Claudia turned and smiled from the bottom of her heart at Bujinsai.
“……Good grief”
Bujinsai, who saw it, scratched his head.
“Be it that World Dragon’s brat or you, it looks like only strange people gather in this town, eh.”
“Ara, speaking of strange people, isn’t Bujinsai-dono’s son the quite strange one, too?”
“Gunuh, you poke where it hurts……”
The moment when Bujinsai smiled wryly as he said so, his left hand suddenly moved.
(A tobi-kunai of surprise attack……! But!)
When Claudia turned her body and dodged it, she launched a blow to check Bujinsai, who shortened the distance in an instant.
As Bujinsai easily parried it with his staff and jumped into Claudia’s range, he released a palm stroke with his left hand.
“However, you’re just devoting yourself to defense!”
“Yes, after all my attacks won’t work on you anyway…… right?!”
While saying so, Claudia rotated her body in the air and leaped back.
This was because Bujinsai’s Taijutsu far exceeded Claudia’s and she was at an overwhelming disadvantage at this range.
“What, your sword lines are fluent and stern…… it isn’t something to be so modest about! You won’t know unless you try!”
“No, no, of course, I know……!”
The staff of Bujinsai, who set pursuit, and Claudia’s <Pan-Dora> clashed with each other and scattered sparks of mana in the rain.
“The Yabuki Clan’s hidden technique, void tide ── it isn’t something that someone like me can break, right?”
“!”
While locking twin swords to staff, Bujinsai’s eyes slightly narrowed down.
“……Where did you learn that?”
Claudia, not answering it, continued further.
“The barrier to ward off people that you guys use, I hear that’s also an application of the void tide technique. A combination of color and patterns that people instinctively avoid…… you manipulate their actions by imprinting such a pattern into their unconsciousness using mana as intermediary; in short, it’s a kind of simple mind interference, right?”
“……”
In other words, even if Claudia were to launch attacks at Bujinsai, she would unconsciously divert them (attacks).
This was also true when defending; so unless Claudia was able to redefine her actions by utilizing <Pan-Dora>’s future foresight, she would end up moving herself towards the enemy’s attack trajectory even if she had intended to dodge it.
“The activation is instantaneous and it barely consumes any mana, thus I can’t read the timing as well…… After all, it’s a technique that goes back from the old century when mana was still extremely scarce. The mana’s movement can also only be felt as a minor fluctuation, right?”
The effect was really just as smaller though.
<Genestella> had strong resistance against mind interference by mana, so there was no way that one (mind interference) with that small degree of output (mana) would work on them.
But, this technique, which appealed to a person’s original instinct, could show effect regardless of that resistance.
“Certainly if it’s only to strangle a person to death, one doesn’t expressly need to spout hell fire or call a large toad. It’s indeed logical.”
“……Phew”
The moment when Bujinsai sighed as such, a chill that Claudia had not felt until now ran down her spine.
(This, is……! I thought that it would work to buy some time, but it looks like I said a little too much……)
It seemed like she had stepped on a tiger’s tail.
Claudia tried to distance herself from Bujinsai immediately, but──
“──!?”
For some reason, her body stiffened and she could not move.
Then, the staff’s butt end deeply sank into Claudia’s abdomen and she was blown off without raising her voice.
Bujinsai silently threw tobi-kunais to Claudia, who rolled on the ground, which got wet with rain, like a ball while splashing water.
“Kuh……!”
Claudia attempted to extract the kunai’s that had pierced both her hands and feet while twisting her body, but her movement was halted by Bujinsai throwing more kunai at her shoulders and thighs.
“AAAAAAAH!”
It looked like he threw them casually, but his attacks were accurate and Claudia could no longer do anything other than twisting her body in pain.
“I feel like I understand the reason why my masters (meaning Galaxy) ordered me to get rid of you. I can’t fathom the bottom of your knowledge. It feels like all secrets are exposed before you.”
Bujinsai said so indifferently, yet with a voice filled with clear disgust.
“Fufufu…… no way, I’m not God, so there’s no way such a thing is…… Kuuh!”
Bujinsai did not move his brows even once at the voice that Claudia squeezed out as she tried to gain time even if a little while enduring pain.
(Kuh……! At this rate……!)
Impatience arose in Claudia’s heart.
Not yet.
Even though she still had to gain time a little more.
“Enough. If you can’t move, the future foresight is meaningless ── die.”
Tobi-kunais were thrown aiming at Claudia’s middle forehead, throat and heart.
As Bujinsai said, without a future where she could evade them, there would be no meaning even if she foresaw it.
But──
“Ah……! I have been waiting for you……”
With a face smeared with mud and blood, Claudia muttered with a smile filled with intoxication and delight.
Immediately after, as soon as a black whirlwind swept over, a silhouette, which set up a huge sword, stood up as to protect Claudia.
Przekład
Tłumaczył: egaro
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