Horizon:Volume 9B Chapter 55

Chapter 55: Approaching Demon and Woman

At this point

That is no longer attack

Or defense

Point Allocation (Current)

●

Sparks flew in a variety of colors.

A great form dressed in black was always at the center, a slender form also dressed in black crashed into him, and a woman in white made bladed attacks.

The slender one’s role was to always be targeted while the black one and the white one attacked with great speed and flat blades.

Metal loudly clashed with metal. Twice from the slender one’s hands and once each from the black one and the white one.

And they were all moving with dizzying speed.

The great black one ran without seeming to run, pursuing the slender one along the lengthy battlefield.

He wasn’t really in a hurry. He simply stepped forward and approached his enemy in the span of a breath. And when he also launched an attack…

“How about that!?”

Rapid strikes from the sword in his right hand pushed back his opponent.

But the slender one did not fight it. When she was being pushed back, she jumped. When he launched a barrage at her, she leaped backwards, putting some midair distance between them.

Then the woman in white leaped in.

With the halo behind her, she constantly wielded the two great swords ejected from the space behind her, sending out a flurry of attacks that glinted in the moonlight.

She would not stop.

But the slender one fought back, trailing sparks as she moved forward.

She avoided a pincer attack, fell back, and made her way around with the edge of the battlefield behind her.

The battlefield became nothing more than the wind of movement, the din of swordplay, and flying sparks.

Light had vanished from one end of the long battlefield, so the flying sparks drew out the path of the trio’s attacks while changing color.

In the light, they were white.

In the dusk, they were red.

In the moonlight, they were blue.

The occasional decorative roofs added their own colors in places.

But those watching and listening to the endless cacophony eventually noticed something.

“Hey,” someone said in shock. “The density of their attacks is growing.”

●

…This is so much fun!

Shibata felt like rolling up his sleeves.

This girl fascinated him. She reacted to his attacks and didn’t forget to make attacks of her own.

And most importantly, the more he and Oichi tried to get in a finishing blow, the more she increased the density of her responses, growing stronger.

It was fascinating.

What happened to that initial lukewarm response?

This back-and-forth without even a split-second to relax is way more like it.

She hadn’t gotten close enough to him to call these “ideal movements”, but she had the excellent movement fundamentals common in those with movement spells.

And she still had strength to spare.

Because she still wasn’t pushing herself too far.

He still hadn’t seen the signs of someone who had reached the limit of their skill and was trying to push past that.

That meant this small fry still wasn’t drawing on her full strength.

“But not cause she’s underestimating me.”

He had a feeling she was restraining herself.

That restraint left her enough in reserve to react if he tried to attack with his greater skill.

It was like she only realized that great skill was even possible once the attack was made.

Most likely, she didn’t know how far she could go.

Shibata had heard she defeated Celestial Dragon Katou Danzou at the Siege of Bitchu Takamatsu Castle before summer break.

That guy’s a hell of a fighter too. To the point I don’t see why he bothers with that illusion crap, thought Shibata. Then again, I’m using a Testamenta Arma and Mikal.

But how much violence was contained in the humanoid form of a Celestial Dragon? A guy on that level would definitely have mastered the ideal movements while in humanoid form.

Yet this girl had overpowered him and emerged victorious.

I see. That explains why she isn’t afraid of me. Looking at pure power, a Celestial Dragon would be stronger than him. And those illusions had to be more powerful than any weapon, including Shibata’s super gear.

I just can’t figure out why Naru Naru-kun said she had lost her edge. But…

“That’s it.”

She had lost her edge, so she went up to the mountains and trained.

But she hadn’t yet applied her new skill in battle.

That was why she didn’t seem to be taking this seriously.

That wasn’t what she was doing.

…This is fun.

This wasn’t like training with Sassa.

He was accompanying a skilled fighter as she reworked her skill from the ground up.

You lost yourself in a slump cause you’re a small fry. So you forgot how to fight and you decided to start with your movement since that’s what you know best.

Your intuition hasn’t returned yet, has it?

That settled it.

“Yeah.”

He would bring her back.

At the very least, he would bring her to the point where she could defeat a Celestial Dragon.

I’m stronger than you, so I’ll battle you to make sure you don’t pick up any bad habits.

I’ll rework you from the ground up to make you the strongest you can be.

That’s bound to be fun and fighting you after it’s over will be even more fun.

“So don’t die.”

Just this once, I’ll play the upperclassman role and look after this baby bird until she takes flight. So…

“Fight me!”

●

Fukushima clashed with a great pressure and cutting edge.

Shibata’s attacks were fast and unceasing. He had great strength, after all. After he swung Kamewari in one direction, he would immediately swing it back the other direction with only his arm strength. It looked forceful, but for him a full-sized sword had to be a lot like a knife. It almost looked like anything less than Kamewari would be insufficient for him.

And whenever her attacks let up…

“Get her, Kamewari.”

A smashing attack would sweep across the space at a variety of heights.

He seemed to be cautioning her to not hold back. So…

“Hah!”

She would answer with a breath and pick up the attack.

She was confident that trying to move away from him would mean death. Furthermore…

“Hah…ah, yahhhhhh!”

Oichi didn’t hesitate to inject herself into the series of attacks. She never got in the way of Shibata’s attacks and would take the most optimal position if Fukushima left an opening.

Sparks flew. A metallic scent hung in the air.

Fukushima realized she had blood flowing down her arm and cheek.

But it soon flew off into the air thanks to her speed.

This time and space didn’t let her worry about or even think about the bloodshed.

She could move her body to match her split-second reflexes and predictions because…

…Yes.

Because of her time in the mountain.

This was just like matching her movements to an unseen river current. She had learned how to make instantaneous decisions and wield instantaneous power against a constantly changing environment.

This was the same.

She wanted to thank Sassa next time she saw him. And tell him how helpful training in that spot had been. So…

“––––––”

She decided she could allow herself one thing.

●

Niwa realized the sound had changed.

She was atop the fortress wall of ships on the south end of the Shibata camp. She had chosen a transport ship built tall for cargo because it gave her a view of Kitanosho Castle, allowing her to watch the end of the festival.

But something had changed. The mehter around her had noticed it too.

“Um, Niwa-sama…”

“Yes, the sound has grown clearer.”

Before, it had primarily been the tone of metal crashing into metal. On occasion, there had been the unique sound of metal being honed, which was more like simple noise.

But this was different.

It was a solid but efficient sound, a lot like a brass instrument.

It was repeating, overlapping, and incessant, but it was oddly orderly.

That was not the sound of a fighter rejecting their opponent. It was the sound of a fighter reading their opponent’s power and matching their own actions to it. Which meant…

“Has his opponent started using ideal movements!?”

●

Shibata thought as he sent out attacks which were deflected while the enemy leaped in toward him.

…She’s not as stupid as Naru Naru-kun!

He smiled bitterly as he used Kamewari’s pommel to deflect his opponent’s blade and keep her away. She was getting a lot closer now.

After all, her movements had suddenly changed.

She was flying.

He had simply been feeding the baby bird before, but now he found she had grown wings.

And she was giving them some test flaps.

“––––”

The battle sounded so much nicer now.

…That’s right.

These were ideal movements.

She had taken a step beyond her earlier attacks.

She must have realized how she was restraining herself. And in the moment, she changed.

…So you’re not an idiot.

This goes beyond simply restraining yourself. How’d you change so damn quick?

But when she changed this much…

…This is all the more fun!

He could tell she was still testing out what she could do. The nice sounding tones he heard now were from her defense. Attacking and approaching would require a different action.

Would she soar?

Right now, she was carelessly flapping her wings, taking flight, and repeating the process.

You need more than that. Bring it all together.

Direct your whole body skyward and flap your wings to send yourself higher. No, I know what I’ve gotta do to motivate her.

“I’ll blast you, dammit!”

Now, what’ll it be?

●

Fukushima realized the time for testing was over.

Shibata’s horizontal attack flew in from ahead on the left.

At the same time, Oichi threw her sword from overhead on Shibata’s right.

…What!?

The thrown sword was rotating. The shifted center of gravity caused it to draw out a curve that would drop it behind Fukushima.

That kept her from moving back.

And Oichi had already drawn her next blade. She made a full horizontal swing from below with one sword and the new one would probably swing in to cut Fukushima through from the right.

Fukushima couldn’t move back and Shibata’s blade was coming from the front left. If she dodged that in either vertical direction, Oichi’s full swing from below would hit her, but if she dodged to the right, Oichi’s horizontal swing would get her.

A blade would reach her no matter where she went. But strangely she didn’t hesitate.

Simple attack and defense weren’t going to work against these opponents.

So she knew what she had to do.

“Continue ahead.”

●

Oichi saw something odd.

She was swinging up her right sword from below.

At the same time, she swung her left hand horizontally and leaped, using the upwards-swinging sword as an anchor. She added in a spin while shifting to her next attack. Or she meant to.

But her opponent was coming. Coming straight in.

The girl was not hit or cut.

It wasn’t that she had tremendous speed or anything.

Strangely, it looked like she was only walking toward Oichi, giving a quick greeting as she passed by.

So when she stepped on the guard of the upwards-swinging right sword, Oichi felt no weight.

But the girl continued forward.

She used Oichi’s attack as a stepping stone and spun herself around backwards with her spear held between her arms.

“––––”

The backwards spear attack struck Shibata in the left chest.

●

The slash sent pieces of Shibata’s uniform scattering.

He had hard demonic skin, but the blade managed to pierce it.

The average depth of the wound was 12cm and the length was 63cm. It drew out an arc which was deepest near his collarbone, but it did not reach the bone. And…

“Ha!”

When the demonic man laughed, dark blood sprayed forth. A few first aid insha kotobs appeared, but the result was the same.

Fukushima’s blade had reached him. That was all that mattered.

●

Fukushima remembered something.

…That was the same as the attack I hit Danzou-dono with.

The force of the attack and everything else were different than with the Celestial Dragon.

Yet it was the same. She was facing an opponent just as – if not more – formidable than that.

“Kh.”

The powerful momentum of her backwards spin caused her to rotate a few times after landing. But…

…I reached him!

She had accomplished something. That fact led to another fact.

“Now we’re talking!”

The demonic man came at her along with his words.

She could tell he was smiling.

Now he was taking this seriously.

●

Fukushima knew this would come down to an instant.

So many memories flooded her mind.

Her opponent was fired up but injured.

He had more strength than he knew what to do with and, if he would ever have an opening, it would be now.

She had strength too.

…So…

She threw out her fear and raced toward her opponent.

●

Fukushima’s target was Oichi.

She stuck to her original plan of eliminating that nuisance before she attacked Shibata.

She leaped to the right to place Oichi between her and Shibata.

Oichi responded by swinging both her blades.

Her left sword swung in from the left.

Her right sword slashed down from above.

Fukushima chose to approach that woman.

Even if she landed an attack, one of those intersecting slashes would strike her. So…

“…”

While holding Ichinotani diagonally as a shield, she threw the spear toward Oichi.

She literally launched the spear toward the intersection of Oichi’s attacks.

●

Oichi realized her attack had caught the spear.

…What…is this!?

The enemy abandoning her weapon was a surprise, but the effect on her swords was a problem too.

The spear was oriented diagonally as it flew between the horizontally and vertically swinging swords. The angle pushed at the path of the horizontal blade while striking the slash coming from above.

The force of the double slash deflected the spear twice over, sending it spinning.

Fukushima soared in at that moment.

Oichi’s slashes had their speeds and trajectories altered by the spear.

But Fukushima’s spear was now rapidly spinning after receiving the speed of Oichi’s attacks.

And Fukushima grabbed the rotating spear at the center.

“––––”

In that moment, Oichi’s right arm flew off into the air.

Fukushima’s spinning spear had swung down on the right elbow that had propelled the sword from above.

Fukushima was already ducking below the horizontal slash.

Oichi was now swinging her left sword to the left.

Her Testamenta Arma glowed to repair her right arm.

But it was too late.

She spun to the left using the leftward-spinning sword as an anchor. She tried to put some distance between her and Fukushima.

She turned her right side toward Fukushima just in time for something to strike her right flank.

Fukushima had stopped her spear’s spinning in her arms and now the flat tip of the blade was held against Oichi.

Oichi heard the girl’s voice as she raced toward Oichi’s side.

“Extension device.”

The rapid strike shot toward Oichi’s right flank.

●

Fukushima did not feel the blow land.

…What was that?

She had used the extension device to strike Oichi in the side while running. That should have slammed into the woman’s torso and launched her away, allowing Fukushima to focus on attacking Shibata.

But she was instead faced with a problem.

She had been stopped.

Her intent to attack had been momentarily halted.

Courtesy of Testamenta Arma: Animus Caritas – Novum.

Why had an attack against Oichi triggered that Testamenta Arma?

She didn’t bother asking the question. Because…

“Hey, now. Get outta the way while we’re flirting.”

In the instant Fukushima was frozen, she saw a hand supporting Oichi on the opposite side of where Ichinotani’s tip had struck.

That was Shibata’s hand.

His arm passed behind her to support her from the opposite side.

If Ichinotani had pierced on through Oichi, it would have injured Shibata’s hand too.

And Fukushima had seen Shibata’s hand support Oichi in the instant she had sent her attack toward Oichi.

No, Shibata had “let her see” it. He had saved Oichi. And…

“You’ve still got a long way to go before you can hope to stand up to the power of our love!”

Her movement resumed.

The extension device raced out. But Oichi had been pulled back by Shibata.

The attack had been dodged. And the very next moment, Shibata attacked from the side.

“Get her, Kamewari.”

●

Fukushima kept her stance low and ran.

Any evasion would be stopped, so she held Ichinotani close as it extended and she simply ran forward.

The smashing power soared by over her head just as she took her first step.

The port deck railing was instantly sliced through and the top of the transport ship past that railing was blasted into the sky like a wave.

And just as Fukushima realized she had dodged it…

“Take this!”

Shibata sent a kick right into her gut.

…Kh!!

Her M.H.R.R. inner suit was designed for the Thirty Years’ War, so it was bulletproof and had some resistance against bladed weapons.

But a kick powered by demonic leg strength was something else entirely.

She could feel her body distorting. Her gut was warped in the shape of his boot.

That Kamewari blast was probably just so he could get off this kick. She had gotten in the habit of running while ducked low, so he had taken advantage of it.

And just as she realized she had been hit…

“Kah!”

She flew about 4m.

It was a direct hit.

●

The soaring slender form crashed into one of the decorative roofs hanging over the battlefield.

A path decorated with artificial flowers led toward the stage in the center.

Ordinarily, there would be mats set up below to provide a space for moon viewing.

The wavy red wooden roof was splintered by the flying body.

The continuous sounds of breaking wood were lighter than of smashing rubble and some artificial flowers scattered through the air.

The slender figure ended up with her back arched in midair.

“–––––”

When she crashed down onto the central stage, she bounced once and then lay motionless on her back.

Her spear fell next to her and simply spun once before falling over.

The roof splinters and artificial flowers surrounding her were all colored red.

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