Kaze no Stigma:Volume1 Chapter6
Chapter Six- Decisive Battle
1
Shaaaaaaaaaaaa…….. (sound of rustling leaves, need help with that once more…)
The forest rustled with unease. Those were the sounds made by the animals which ran away with all their might when they felt the immense youki. The bugs that had no way of sensing the danger were unable to withstand the abnormal pressure and disappeared without a trace. Even those animals that came in contact with the youki and were unable to escape in time died instantly. The sound of their corpses raining out of the trees and littering the forest floor could be heard. Though there were no external wounds, they all had died instantly.
Then, all sounds ceased. All the youki within Ryuya was released, just its mere existence had spread death around the world.
Facing Ryuya who stood there silently, Ayano took up Enraiha. But lifting it was all she could do. She was unable to make even a single step towards him. The youki which felt as if it could almost freeze her blood, made her unable to move. And no matter what she did, she couldn't stop her knees from trembling.
An immense fear had gripped Ayano’s soul. It was difficult enough to just force herself to stand there without running away, to advance would have been impossible.
Inheriting Enraiha at the age of twelve, when she was still so young might have been a mistake, because of it Ayano has never fought an enemy more powerful than herself. For someone who always defeated her enemies with brute strength, there was no way to control herself when the situation was reversed. [to learn to control her actions in battle, but actual text has more of a unable to learn how to move in or out in times of combat?: 將不可能學會戰鬥時的應對進退 Not sure how to translate it properly]
To put it simply after she suffered her first defeat, Ayano has not been able to find the guts to go up against Ryuya.
“What are you doing? Go on!”
Kazuma said to the trembling Ayano.
“Don’t worry! I am with you.”
”How can I not worry!”
Ayano rebutted angrily. "How dare this man say “Don’t worry” so simply?"
“There is no reason to run now, is there? So I won't run away this time. Trust me.”
Who can trust someone who said “he would run if there was a reason”? Ayano stared back to see Kazuma smile deviously like a trickster.
“This…… This is the last time. If you dare to betray me again, I will kill you, before I die!”
“No problem, I swear to God.”
“……God? Which one?”
Ayano looked at him suspiciously look without concealing it, but Kazuma continued to show that smile that couldn't be trusted and replied.
”Who knows? Whichever God doesn’t matter! I am a non-believer after all.”
Ayano no longer had the strength to remain angry at this and murmered, her voice heavy with resignation
”……Enough. I'll leave the support to you.”
”Leave it to me.”
Ignoring Kazuma’s mocking salute, Ayano dashed forward. Though she didn't - and probably won't ever - realize it, the fear which had controlled her had been greatly reduced by this meaningless chat.
Ayano ran towards Ryuuya, but as her target is just a few steps away Ryuya suddenly takes off into the air.
“……Huh?”
Looking at Ryuya who flew past above her, Ayano gave a sound of shock.
“Idiot! Don’t get avoided so easily!”
”You…… Even if you say this……”
Completely ignoring Ayano, Ryuya aimed straight for Kazuma and as he descended he releases wind blades at a rapid speed. Kazuma created a strong up flow of air to cancel the black winds.
But this is but just a feint, the true attack uses a strength beyond human limits. A slice executed by claws. Raised high above his head, the originally hidden right claw suddenly lashed out.
That attack could easily rip through a human body as though it was cutting a piece of tofu (bean curd). Kazuma moved forward at an angle and dodged it barely. At the same time he placed his hand lightly on the back of the enemy’s right arm, and slightly changed its path.
His attack striking only at empty air, caused Ryuya to lose his balance and Kazuma immediately took the opportunity to use his knee to strike at the side of the enemy’s abdomen aiming for his liver. The power of Ryuya's own momentum, together with a strong explosion of Kazuma's “ki” focussed at a single point point made Ryuya’s body arc like a bow and threw him back into the air. Following the flying body closely, just before it touched the ground, Kazuma used his elbow to strike the enemy’s chin. Ryuya’s head was thrown so far backwards, that he can almost see his own back.
If had been a normal human, no, even if it had been someone as powerful as a wrestler, he would have died instantly from such a violent attack. However to the demonized Ryuya, it barely did any damage. In midflight Ryuya used his momentum and raised his right knee, aiming straight for Kazuma’s jaws.
Even though the attack came out of a blind spot, for Kazuma who was synchronized with the wind spirits, there was no such thing. He stepped forward leaned to the left to avoid the knee grabbed the front of Ryuya’s shirt and at the same time swept his left leg horizontally.
In a masterful example of judo, [actual text: 柔道的大內割動作完美地呈現, not sure how to translate大內割] Ryuya’s body was flipped over. With Ryuya's head about to fall flat on the ground, Kazuma struck with his palm. Not to punch, but to press downwards. He consistently bent down to press the enemy’s head straight into the ground, a comfortable reaction went through his shoulder.
However, Kazuma did not feel Ryuya’s skull cracking. Realizing instantly that he has not given his enemy a fatal blow Kazuma used his foot to crush Ryuya’s head, who lay on the ground facing the sky. The kick landed on Ryuya's crossed arms as he blocked Kazuma's attack.
”Chut!” [actual text 嘖.]
Kazuma quickly kicked away the arm that is about to grab his other leg, and jumped backwards to put distance between them.
(To not even faint after such a fierce attack, does attacking the brain have no effect on him? To just what extent is he demonized?……)
Kazuma grumbled unhappily. As if he was beating up a steel statue, he felt as though he had accomplished nothing. Ryuya quickly jumped up directly from his lying down position. This action was way beyond what a human could do, just like a zombie in the movies.
Ryuya released countless wind blades as he got up, and then at a speed even faster than the wind blades, struck at Kazuma. The wind blades and his claws reached Kazuma at the same time.
“Guahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”
At the same time as the shout, Kazuma forcefully stretched out towards the right arm that was swing at him. The wind formed a whirlpool spinning rapidly, as if that hand squeezed them out. The rapid flow of air became a shockwave, destroying the wind blades, and Ryuya was blown back into the airlike a puppet.
It seemed for a moment as if he was unable to take this blow, but then Ryuya adjusted his posture in the air and hovering at a fixed altitude began to retreat slowly.
“Don’t even think about escaping!”
Kazuma knocked the air above Ryuya downwards. The figure that was originally gliding away slowly, suddenly dived at a sharp angle, as if swatted down by something. And with a speed way beyond a free falling object hit the ground. Ryuya was barely able to land on his two feet, but his whole body was unable to move, stuck to the ground due to the great air pressure.
As Ryuya stood there paralyzed, Kazuma quickly closed the distance.
The wind that was blowing downwards forcefully didn't not seem to lay a finger upon Kazuma. Kazuma instead seemed as though he was drawn into it, and ran quickly inside the raging winds without hindrance.
“How…… powerful, that guy is actually so powerful……”
Ayano was totally taken in by the scene in front of her eyes, completely mesmerized by the sight of Kazuma fighting. She had been unable to even land a hit upon Ryuya and yet Kazuma can fight on an even level with or even a higher one than Ryuya. Skillfully avoiding the attacks of the opponent, retaliating with perfectly timed counters, and accumulating the damage done slowly. This is, she realized what it means to be called “an experienced fighter”.
Forgetting that she was in the fight as well, Ayano stood there enraptured, her eyes solely focussed on Kazuma.
“------------------------------!”
As Kazuma was just a few steps away, Ryuya who was still trapped in the ground gave a silent roar. Black wind started to rampage and broke the bonds that had restrained him just before.
In the same movement as he straightened his knees, he stretched his claws out towards the incoming Kazuma, aiming straight for Kazuma’s throat, who was running directly at him, executing an insane counterattack.
Kazuma, however, did not stop, but instead as he made his last step, he bent down as much as possible. Using the far ends of his conscious to that the pitch black claws have passed before him, he placed his palm against Ryuya’s abdomen----his diaphragm. [Don't know what the far ends of conscious thing is supposed to mean]
Kazuma’s stepped onto the ground with firmly, from there gathering the power which went past his knees straight to his waist, and from the waist to his shoulders, like a spiral and continued to become stronger as it continued to be transmitted. From his shoulder to the front portion of his arm, after all the energy in his body has gathered, it was released through his palm to the front. At the same time, an immense “ki” was released from his body throughout his palm, dense enough that it felt as if it could just pierce through the enemy.
“Hah!”
Accompanying the shout, a force so great it could blow even an African elephant to pieces, exploded right at Ryuya’s diaphragm, the core of a human’s central nerve system. Ryuya’s body was blasted away with so much power that he ended up imbedded into a stone wall.
The “ki” of a person revolved around the whole body beginning from the diaphragm. Therefore, this place was the most fatal of all fatal areas for a Jutsushi. Once the flow of “ki” was disrupted, no matter how powerful the Jutsushi might be, he would be unable to cast any Jutsu for some time. That should have been the case, had it been a human being.
Huuuuu!! [actual text 咻咻!! Sound of wind?]
“Muah!”
Ryuya didn't look injured at all as he released those fast wind blades again. Kazuma barely dodged in the nick of time, and hurriedly put some distance between the two.
“Damn! Bastard! That didn’t work! That guy really whole-heartedly doesn’t want to be human anymore!”
“…… whole-heartedly…… What kind of description is that……”
Hearing Ayano’s sub-conscious rebut, Kazuma shouted out loud..
“Don’t just stand there and watch the show! You are the striker, aren't you? So why don’t you grab your big torch and go beat him upfront!”
“Big……”
(Big torch------?)
To use such a rude way to describe the treasure of the Kannagi clan------
“You, I'll have a talk with you about this once this is over!”
Ignoring Ayano’s furious look, Kazuma waved his hand to hush her..
“Don’t talk so much, attack “Little kitten”. “
Even though her eyes burned with a strong killing intent, Ayano stepped forward in response. Perhaps reflecting upon her anger, Enraiha shone with a glaring glow unlike any before.
(Sister, you can do it……) [Actual text is more of gambate]
Ren prayed devoutely for the victory of the two.
He could only pray now, since he didn't possess enough “power” to participate in this battle.
His inability to help deeply hurting his heart, Ren murmured..
”If only I had more power……”
”No no, your bit of power is just right.”
”!?”
Ren looked back in shock, and stared towards where there shouldn't have been anyone.
“To break the seal placed upon our “God”, that bit of power is enough.”
The voice sounded like it came from the opposite direction as just before. Ren turned his head once more, and called out in a rising tone..
“It…… it is you, Hyoue! Come out now!”
Shaaaaa, the sound of bushes ruslting in the wind, this time from the left. Out of Ren's raised palm fire began to erupt in a rapid flow.
In a short moment, the withered plants caught fire and burned furiously, but there was no sign of Hyoue there. Ren looked around frantically and Hyoue coarse voice again sounded in Ren’s ears..
“Your strength isn't bad, at all. It's just that you are still a kid. Your technique is too poor!”
”Shut……Shut up------------!”
Flames emerged from Ren’s body. In order to not allow the enemy to move to his back, he began to search for Hyoue as his body was surrounded by flames, but------
(I can’t find his presence!)
He had completely no idea where Hyoue was. Originally, En-Jutsushis were a bit overpowered in their combat abilities. Even though their attacking strength was the best, their sensing abilities were among the weakest, much worse than Fu-Jutsushis.
As an En-Jutsushi, Ren was not mature enough, and was unable to see through the Jutsu that the experienced Fu-Jutsushi Hyoue used to conceal himself.
“Still too immature. A flame of that level is unable to extinguish the hatred within me.”
Hyoue once again whispered by his ear. Though the direction from which he heard was just behind him, but he could not sense his presence at all.
“Behind? Whe……Where!”
He turned back several times, but he always failed to see Hyoue. No matter how swift he may be, the voice from his back never stopped.
“Over here!”
”Over here!”
”Over here!”
.------Over here------Over here------Over here------Over here------
This line continues to repeat itself like an echo. The uneasiness from being unable to see his enemy and the uprising fear and nervousness upon him fighting in an actual battle, stretched Ren’s mind to the limit.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”
Driven by fear, he desired power. The power to eliminate the enemy. The power that can destroy “Everything”, that can make him feel afraid------
In response to Ren’s scream, fire's erupted everywhere. The flame spirits that were being released indefinitely obeying only their own purpose of survival and rampage, burned everything to ashes.
Everything the flames touched was burnt, the forest became a sea of flames, with mighty pillars of fire that went all the way into the sky, shaking the grounds.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”
Ren who had panicked after losing control, just like his name, attempted to create a Hell on Earth. [Ren attempts to create a 煉獄 on Earth, and Ren’s name is 煉] He went beyond the limits of his power, and continued to summon a massive amount of spirits. The trees became ashes under the extreme heat, and the already scorched land began to melt.
“Ahhhhhh……ah?”
But just at this moment, a cold gush of wind blew past Ren’s body.
The gush of wind cooled his head and Ren’s madness calmed down in an instant. The youth looked dumbfoundedly at the direction the wind came from.
Kazuma was looking attentively at Ren. Basked in those clear eyes, Ren returned to normal completely this time.
(He is looking at me------!)
Kazuma looked at him with infinite trust.
“Brot------“
(Brother!)
But, right after the short instant that Kazuma’s eyes met with Ren’s, Kazuma shifted his eyes away and focused on the battle with Ryuya without looking back again.
Ren felt very disappointed for a moment, but finally remembered what he should do. He calmed his breathing, and prepared to take on the enemy’s assault.
“You seem to have been abandoned by your brother.”
Hyoue’s voice rings mockingly from behind his ear. But Ren, his head clear once again, knew that the enemy wasn't at his back, it was just a distraction with his Jutsu to use the wind to bring his voice to Ren’s ears. This was a very basic technique everyone in the Fuga clan knew, such a simple fact, and yet he hadn't noticed. Ren was ashamed at how immature he was.
“But he can't be blamed for that. Those two can't win against Ryuya even if they work together. There is no way he can take the time to protect someone as useless as you.”
Ho! Ho! Ho!
Hearing the eerie laughter by his ear, didn't affected Ren this time. He calmly detected the presence, and at the same time denied the nonsense that Hyoue was babbling.
“You are wrong.”
”What is wrong?”
He replied calmly. Hyoue had no doubt that he was in control of the situation. He might even be thinking that he is not fighting, but hunting! Just playing around with his prey before making the kill. This was the weak spot Ren grasped at.
“My Brother, he did not abandon me. It is because he believes in me, believes that I am more than enough to deal with scum like you.”
“What daring words. For a little punk like you who cannot even find out where I am, how are you going to defeat me?”
Indeed, in terms of detecting capabilities, fire users were far weaker than wind users. Unlike flames, air was everywhere. One of the conditions for a human to survive, the one that occupies the most space is air. The difference in the space occupied, directly affects the amount of information obtained.
(But, if it is now------)
The flames that Ren had released when he had gone berserk, had burnt the trees in the area, and continued to burn fiercely. The density of fire spirits had increased to a state that goes beyond logical reasoning. If it was in a situation like this, he was not any worse than a Fu-Jutsushi. Ren closed his eyes, and opened his ears to listen to the spirits’ voice.
“What’s wrong? You want to beat someone like me and yet you seem to be taking quite a bit of time?”
Sounds of mockery came from everywhere. A wind blade passed by his cheek, and flew straight ahead. Ren let go of everything completely, and synchronizes himself with the spirits.
His five senses disappeared, and slowly switched to the senses of the spirits. Not relying on light, not relying on sound, but instead relying on the “theurgy” that a human couldn't sense to see the world. Facing an abnormality which would drive a regular human insane, Ren adapted to it very easily.
(------Gotcha!)
It should be said as he didn't actually detect him. Rather in the area which he tried to search, only one spot refused the fire spirits and couldn't be searched. Hyoue had to be at this spot. Ren felt confident in his guess.
“Over there!”
Ren raised his palm, and released a fireball. The divine power to purify sliced through the empty space.
.------ Just the empty space.
“You fool, what are you aiming at?……”
Seeing the flame that went in the wrong direction, Hyoue who was concealed in a barrier of wind showed a mocking expression.
But that expression vanished immediately. He saw the flames around him branch out, and rain down as a curtain of fire, aimed at him------
“Wha……What------------!?”
Hyoue was so shocked his eyes almost popped out, the rain of fire came from all directions all at the same moment.
With every direction cut off this was not a situation that could be solved with a trickery. To defend himself, he had to use power to wipe the flames aside. But, Hyoue did not possess such power, looking at sheer strength alone, Ren was sure to win.
“Wahhhhhhhhhhhhh!?”
As the barrier was pierced by the rain of fire like a piece of paper, Hyoue gave off a pitiful scream.
“It...it worked……?”
Sensing the barrier's disappearance, Ren says quietly, staring into space.
The trick he used was really simple. There was no need for him initiate the fire himself, as the flames were there burning all along.
Ren had purposely released a flame at an empty area to make Hyoue let his guard down, and then he had used the flames that were burning around Hyoue to attack.
If Hyoue had been fighting seriously, he might have been able to see through the trick! It was his overconfident attitude to see Ren as prey and not as an enemy, that caused him to suffer such a dreadful blow.
“You……you are really something……Kid……”
”------!?”
A black shape rolled out just in front of Ren, which one could still roughly discern as human. No matter how you looked at it, it was a completely burnt corpse and yet the corpse was still moving somehow. Every time it moved, pieces of meat that had already been turned into ashes fell away, leaving a pitch black skin below that did not seem human.
“Hoho…… Watch closely…… This is also the power I obtained after signing a contract with the youma, a power beyond human capabilities. Now you get it, kid? Your flames don’t work against me. Hohoho…… Hahahahaha!!”
“You foolish thing.”
Ren suddenly speaking so coldly as if he was a completely different person caused Hyoue’s laughter to halt.
“My flames useless? How dare a piece of charcoal speak like a human being? Since you yourself gave up on being human, then there is nothing to be said. Because the Kannagi flames are purifying flames. A power bestowed to destroy non-human monsters like you!!”
A golden light, cleaned away the dense youki. The rampaging flames appeared to be taken in by the purifying light as the fire weakened, and slowly disappeared. The out of control fire spirits, upon being taken under control once more, made the golden light shine even more brightly.
The flames that before expanded explosively began to shrink, yet the temperature rose. Condensed into a high density semi-materialized flame, giving off a sticky glow, it revolved around Ren.
“I as a member of the main family of the Kannagi declare! Hyoue Kazamaki, the many lives that you took away, shall now be repaid by your own!!”
Surrounded by that blurry shine, Ren spoke loudly. Faced with a tiny body that unleashes such an immense pressure, Hyoue curled up in fear.
This is the descendant of a respected and powerful bloodline. At the top of En-Jutsushis, the rightful son of the Kannagi clan.
A great power that was formed though a thousand years of training, was about to awaken------
2
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!” Striking with all her might Ayano swung Enraiha downwards.
Dang![sound of metal colliding]
Ryuya’s claws made a clear sound as they deflected the blade.
(Even Enraiha cannot cut through this, what are these claws made of?)
Ayano ignored the question that popped out in her mind right away. Now, there is no time to think about this question, I must find some way to get past the claws------
Ayano increased the rate of her strikes, she included a number of feints in her attacks to find a loophole in Ryuya’s defense, however, his defense was impenetrable.
“What is that idiot doing……”
Kazuma spat out that sentence in disgust.
The fear of loss, still lingered in Ayano’s heart, she had forgotten her own fighting style, adding those tricks to her attack was meaningless, she should just focus on a single lethal strike instead------
At that moment, Enraiha found its way into Ryuya’s shoulder and cut his right arm off cleanly.
(Now I've got him!)
Ayano struck at his right side, putting all her strength in it and because of that, she failed to notice, the right arm that had lurked behind her back flying at her.
“Behind you!”
Kazuma’s voice and the hit from the right arm came at almost the same time. Ayano jumped up quickly and the right arm sped past her like a lance.
“That was close……”
The danger wasn't over though, Ryuya suddenly appeared in front of Ayano who was still in mid-air, the claws on his remaining left arm glittering with deadly intend.
Dang!
Even though Ayano had managed to block that attack somehow, her legs were off the ground, so she was unable to hold her position. She was knocked away like a cannonball, and without any way to brake herself, she violently hit a big tree nearby.
“Argh…… Ah……”
Perhaps feeling that it would be too easy for him with her offering so little sport, Ryuya did not pursue his prey, but instead leisurely reattached his right arm. The wriggling muscle tissues and nerves extended from the cut off section, and the same things that stretched out from the other end entangled together. After several seconds, even the wound disappeared, his right arm was completely fused back.
But Ryuya still showed no sign of attacking, he lifted his head up to stare at the sky, and raised both his arms, as if he wanted to hold the whole sky with his hands.
“------------!“
The instant he realized what that gesture signified, Kazuma sprinted forward as fast as he could. Hugging Ayano's head, who was just about to get up, to his chest he forcefully slammed her back onto the floor.
“Wah!”
Even though Ayano made a strangled cry of protest, there was no time to pay it any mind. He lay as low as he could, and at the same time, he set up a barrier of even greater density around them.
“What are you doing all of a sudden?”
Ayano shouted her nose glowing red from the pressure. Kazuma immediately retorts at a volume twice hers own.
“You idiot! For what reason did you think that you had to engage in melee combat! If the enemy has the time to unleash his powerful attacks, then all the efforts before that would be meaningless!!”
Confronted with such a resolute answer that left no room for questioning, Ayano was at a loss for words.
“……Huh……? Powerful attack……”
The scene she saw as she turned turned her head like Kazuma instructed, left Ayano at a loss of words. A spectacular pillar of wind that connected heaven and earth, a great vortex that tumbled as it spun, that is------ that is------
“……That is…… what……?”
“That is not what. As you can see, it is a tornado! Four------ No, five…… by the way, what is the unit for tornadoes?”
The question that Kazuma asked randomly did not register on Ayano's consciousness.
She looked at the tornado as if spellbound. That was the roar of nature that hurls giant boulders and uproots giant trees------ that was all she can think about it.
“……There's no way……”
”Ahhh? What did you say?”
”------There's no way we can win!”
Ayano turned her head to shout. The eyes that had been full of fight before now carried tears.
as if prostrated, she tumbles to her feet beside Kazuma. [no clue how to interprete that prostrated part so I left it]
“It is impossible to win! Our enemy is that kind of monster, what do you expect me to do! There is no way to win!!”
Ayano’s eyes showed an absolute despair beyond fear, they were just like the eyes of that person in the past, Kazuma thought to himself.
.------ Did I not seek power because I hate seeing that kind of eyes?
(Tsui-Ling------)
The weak girl that I was unable to protect in the past. No matter how tough it was, no matter how painful it was, the girl who still wanted to live on no matter what.
“I was not born into the world to be devoured by a devil.”
(The eyes that shone with the light of hope, and the one to erase that light was me.)
Because he had been weak, because he had had no power.
But, it was different now. He had been defeated back then, and had had to watch as the girl whom he had sworn to protect had her soul devoured, but things were different now.
Whether it was for self-fulfillment, or to atone for the past. Now, he just wanted to help this girl who was trembling before him.
The girl’s eyes were filled with tears. At the moment before the first tears dropped, Kazuma poked at Ayano’s forehead with his finger.
Ayano leaned back slightly, and looked at him with wet eyes, yet Kazuma smiled..
“Our jobs were clear since the start right? All you need to do is take that blade and slash Ryuya, I'll deal his wind.”
“Deal with…… Deal with a tornado?”
Ayano’s finger pointed at the tornado as she shrieked, Kazuma merely shrugged.
“Well, about that…… I'm sure there's a way. So, you just take care of him. Can you do that?”
She hesitate just a moment, then Ayano nodded her head determinedly.
“Very good, let the match continue then!”
Kazuma lifted Ayano, who was still sitting on him with his arms and stood up just like that. Seeing such unbelievable strength from his waist and legs, Ayano's eyes widened. But, what was even more shocking is what happened afterwards.
“……Wa……Ah……”
A path opened through the tornado before Ayano. A path, surrounded by a barrier of wind that suppressed the tornado straight to where Ryuya wa.
“------Go!”
Receiving a gentle push from that voice, Ayano instinctively dashed forward.
“Okay, even though I said all that just now…… What should I do?”
After forcefully opening the way through the tornado, Kazuma grumbled to himself. Since he boasted about it in front of someone else, he had to think of a way to take care of this class five tornado to make up for it…… [Are there really five tornados or is it just one class 5 tornado? I'm not sure but I went with the latter one]
“If only Ayano was of some use, then the enemy might not have any effort to spare while fighting her to maintain the tornado…… But an originally weak fellow, now scared witless she can barely walk, can't be of any use……”
The simplest method would be to create a tornado of equal magnitude to cancel them out------
(……No way, that's far too much trouble!)
Just thinking about it made him tired. There had to be an easier way------
“Wait a minute, a tornado is actually the upward flow of air right…… in that case…… Good, let’s do this.” Kazuma let the windstream of the tornado go even higher up, and brings the air up to the lower stratosphere.
The air brought up by the upflow cooled rapidly, and the water particles it contained became tiny ice drops that combined to become hailstones. When those hailstones melted as they fell down again they cooled the surrounding air even further, made the air heavy, and drop down at a high speed. The great downward airflow was called a “downburst”.
[I know that's not really correct, but since I don't really understand how a downburst works, I'll leave it to someone who knows more to fix. Or you can just google it.]
The natural top speed of a downburst is comparable to a tornado, and Kazuma sped it up further, a piece of air pulled down from an extremely high altitude easily goes beyond the speed of sound.
[Just so you know, if that tornado of Ryuya was a F5, the class of the biggest documented tornado at around 400-500 km/h, Kazuma's downburst would be an F12 which is more than twice as fast and physically quite impossible]
The supersonic wind blade sliced the tornado open, and the shockwave that accompanied it completely destroyed what was left of the tornado. Without any notable resistance, the raging winds erased the tornado easily, and released all the extra energy in it towards where Ryuya was.
“Gwahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”
In midst the thunder of destruction there was a sharp scream that had no femininity at all. [I'm not happy with that sentence, but there's nothing better that came to my mind]
(Gwah? Ohhh……)
Kazuma claps his hands once he realized what happened.
“Darn, I completely forgot to avoid you. Sorry.”
”You idiot------!! Go to hell------!!”
Ayano shouted furiously, yet for some reason she was not hurt at all. Maybe the wind spirits avoided her automatically?
Even though Ayano was still making a fuss, the scene that was slowly revealed to her as the dust dispersed, quieted her down.
The view of the mountain had changed. Where there had been originally a lush green forest, now the trees now were lying around uprooted, the surface had been dug up forming a piece of empty land. This was all due to Ryuya’s tornado, and Kazuma’s downburst.
(These guys are really monsters……)
Ayano looked at Kazuma with awe. But in that flippant look, she could see no sign of his magnificent power.
“Hey, this is a good opportunity! Ayano.”
Kazuma hushes, no, tells her. [Is that supposed to be rushed to tell her?]
Even someone like Ryuya suffered a lot of damage from this hit. While his limbs were still largely intact, deep cuts marked on his entire body. Wounds which excreted some sort of black mist instead of blood of blood.
(When I cut him earlier, there was no such thing coming out……)
Ayano was annoyed by the huge difference in power between Kazuma and her. But now wasn't the time to be bothered by such a thing, she took up Enraiha once more, and stood before Ryuya.
(Still alive------ What a monster.)
Just as Ayano was facing off with Ryuya, Kazuma’s expression became more serious.
Kazuma could feel that they were about to come to the end of their road.
Even when combining their powers, they were unable to deliver a fatal strike to Ryuya. Even though they seemed to have the advantage now, there was no way they could win in the long run.
There had never been a human that could beat youma in terms of physical energy. This was because a youma possessed a mind far greater than its body, and could overcome the limitations of the body through sheer will.
(Should I use it? I guess there's no choice, Even though I really do not want the Kannagi to know about it……
Well, they will hear about it from Ren sooner or later anyway! No matter what, life is irreplaceable.)
There was just one problem, leaving breaking the seal aside, to gather enough power to truly destroy Ryuya required quite a lot of time to prepare. During this period of time, Ayano would be completely defenseless, and what would happen then has already been seen.
(So, what to do then------)
He thought deeply for a moment------
(So be it, this will be a test for her as well.)
A lion pushed his cub down to the bottom of the cliff without hesitation. Kazuma would have to do the same for Ayano.
“Ayano! I am going to play my strongest card! Buy me some time!!” [ultimate skill sounded too corny]
“Don’t shout it out! Idiot------!!”
Ayano shouted in a pained voice. She was seriously crying out to Kazuma.
As Kazuma had expected, Ryuya(Devil) struck back instantly. In the blink of an eye, the defending and offensive party changed, wind blades racing towards Ayano.
“Kazuma you big idiot------! After I die, I will definitely come back to haunt you as a vengeful spirit! No matter how many times you change your home, I will burn it down, and make sure the estate agencies avoid doing business with you!”
Ayano said in a tone close to tears as she tried her best to dodge the blades.
Alas, Kazuma was in a state of intense concentration by then and Ayano's furious promise of eternal vengeance remained unnoticed.
He keeps his conscious slowly, and opened the “door” within his body. [No idea what the first half of the sentence means] Inside the “door” there was an azure sky as far as the eye can see.
This place was a space that existed within “that being”------ No, every corner of this space was filled with “that being”. This space was the being itself.
By opening the “door”, Kazuma and “that being” combined, forming a single entity. Kazuma was restructured, becoming a human, and the ruler of spirits at the same time, commanding all winds in existence as a high level Jutsushi.
His consciousness expanded without limit. As far as his mind could go, about a hundred kilometers in radius, all existing wind spirits became Kazuma’s receptors, continuously transmitting an endless stream of information.
This immense amount of data of which a human’s weak and fragile mind couldn't handle even a small part, Kazuma controlled it with his will. He picked out the necessary data for the scene in front of him, while at the same time sensing the whole situation in a radius of a hundred kilometers. This was the point of view of a god, a power beyond human knowledge.
(Ren…… Still alive. Very good.)
His expanded perception can clearly see the battle between Ren and Hyoue more than a kilometer away. Of course, the same goes for Ayano’s battle-
Without Kazuma to cover for her, Ayano was forced into a one-sided defense. She didn't even think about retaliating, every scrap of attention was focussed to dodge the incoming claws and wind blades on survival.
(……Are you still not ready Kazuma?)
She looked at Kazuma from time to time, but Kazuma who was concentrating did not notice this at all------ or that is how it looked like. Despite how unwilling she was to admit it, the lack of attention was making her feel very uneasy.
She was so scared, but Kazuma did not say some nonsense to loosen her up, anymore. He did not poke her forehead and smile at her. For the first time, Ayano realized how many times she has been saved by that flippant smile of his today.
“Ahhh!”
A pitch black wind smashed into Ayano like a hammer. The powerful hit blew her right off her feet and threw her back through the air. She landed on her back and the force of the impact had been so great that she found herself rolling on the floor three times until she hit a stone wall that jutted up from the ground with a great crash.
(No more! I can’t hold on anylonger……!)
Ayano looked at Kazuma desperate for help and just for an instant she felt sure that she saw a cold smirk on his face.
Ryuya was aiming at Ayano who continued to lie there without moving, and released more wind blades. But even so, Ayano still stared at Kazuma.
(Ever since that moment I saw him again yesterday, I really hate that guy.
He is even worse than Hyoue or Ryuya, I do not even want to admit his existence.
Just because he is stronger than me- no, not just that.
Because of his arrogant attitude- no, that is just the surface, a fake external side of him.
The real him, completely ignores my presence, does not care about me, and that is more unforgivable than anything else.
So I have to resist, I keep quarreling with him, so that he would acknowledge my presence.
But------ He gave up on me.
“You will finish him off” becomes “Buy me some time”, “I will do everything, I no long have any expectations for you.”------ That is what he said.
He is watching everything even now, mocking at how pathetic I look.)
“A kitten is just a kitten” ------ She felt as though she could hear his condescending voice.
“------ Don’t look down on me!!”
An angry roar shook the air in the area, a furious flame consumed the wind blades.
Ayano forced her swaying body to stand up, her eyes looking at Ryuya, but her mind continued to rail aganst Kazuma.
There was no way that she would accept or tolerate, that she, the wielder of Enraiha, was believed to be useless.
She knew very well how to overthrow this flawed believe completely, for a man like Kazuma, there was no point in further words.
.------ The way to prove herself was raw overwhelming power.
“ “Buy me some time”? Don’t joke around. I will finish him off myself, you can just stand there until you die of boredom!”
Ayano raised Enraiha and began to gather “ki”. The golden flame that always burst out, started to carry a red glow------ the crimson flame, continued to gather upon Enraiha.
With the scream of pure rage, Ayano started running. She moved at an exceptional speed that didn't even leave an image behind. She appeared before Ryuya abruptly, as if teleported, and swung down with all her might.
There were no faking tricks, just a simple straightforward slice. There was no time to dodge it so Ryuya crossed his arms above and blocked the strike. No, he had wanted to block it.
Releasing crimson flames, Enraiha carried the divine flame to which there was no possible defense. It cut through all ten claws in one go, and with a quick turn Ryuya's left arm followed.
She sliced at the defenseless left side------ but at this moment, the sliced off left arm floats in mid-air, and attacks Ayano from behind like like the other arm had done before.
This time however Ayano, reversed her grip on Enraiha and without even turning stabbed backwards. Enraiha mercilessly pierced through the arm that was flying in the air.
“Begone!!”
Burning from the interior, the left arm was consumed in an instant. Ayano did not stop, and continued to chase after Ryuya, who had been moving backwards slowly. Again with that shocking speed she easily caught up with Ryuya again.
The crimson blade shone brightly, and it sliced through Ryuya from the right shoulder to right between the legs. A quick flip of the blade and continued to slice through the demonic body.
But, even though his body is chopped into four pieces, Ryuya still wasn't destroyed yet. His listless eyes continued to to look at Ayano.
Ayano jumped backwards, but this time not to run.
.------ Everything shall end in a moment!
“Namo, Sanmanduo, Warila Lan, Han” [Ayano’s chant? Not exactly sure.]
She chanted the Acalanatha sutra in the air. The chant itself possessed no power or meaning, it was just a string of keywords she had learned in her training to remind her of a special state of mind. Together with the mantra she also remembered the complicated jutsu activation sequence, because in her mind those two were linked. For her using the jutsu had become just a reflex action when chanting the sutra. [Sorry, I couldn't do this any better.]
At the same time she landed, Ayano stabbed Enraiha into the ground, and activated the jutsu.
“Ultimate exorcism flare wave!!” [unsure how to translate this properly] {How about "Fires of purgatory!" Not very literal, but it sounds cool and since purgatory is supposed to clean sins, it doesn't seem all that off}
A circle of light burst out of the ground with Ryuya at the centre, forming a hemispherical barrier. The fire spirits Enraiha emitted darted through beneath the ground, and releases all their heat from the inside of the barrier!
The earth under Ryuya’s feet vaporized instantly and the spherical barrier can be seen in full view, the barrier efficiently reflected the heat, and gathered the energy at its centre.
This was Ayano’s strongest exorcising spell, locking the youma in a kekkai and not allowing them to leave until they were burnt to ashes.
“Heh! How is that?”
Ayano smiled proudly, and was about to turn her head in Kazuma’s direction when suddenly she stopped in her tracks and stared at Ryuya who was trapped within the barrier.
In the scorching plasma, Ryuya became a piece of meat that had lost all signs of his previous appearance. (He should have no power to resist anymore------ but what is this youki?)
Gurgle……Gurgle……Gurgle……[sound of something boiling? Not sure]
Right before Ayano, who stood there watching, the surface of the meat seemed to be boiling and bubbles began to appear, on top of the bubbles another bubble appeared, the eerie meat piece did not care about the several tens of thousands of degrees in the barrier, and was multiplying at a high rate.
When the piece of meat had multiplied to the required number, the shape changed slowly, and meat sticks stretched out from four areas, and a small sphere was placed at the top, the monster was complete.
The monster probably intended to imitate a human form like before! With hands and legs, head and body parts that could be recognized.
But, that was all. Like an ugly design a small child might make with meat color clay, it was a duplicate of the evil of mankind. It was an unforgivable insult to humanity.
That monster placed its hands on the barrier to open it. Or rather the meat sticks which were what counted for its hands and from the way it did it, it did not have any joints either. If a human arm was changed into a snake, this was probably how it would look like!
“……This is not…… possible……?”
That monster dispelled the barrier easily, and stepped out. It was so ugly and felt so evil that Ayano involuntarily took a step back and tripping over something by her feet, she lost her balance.
“Wah!”
Falling down here means certain death------ The premonition of death approaching, gave her goosebumps.
But------ the feeling on her back was not the cold hard floor. Something warm grabbed hold of the body frozen by anxiety.
A strong hand caressed Ayano’s head and as if whispering by her ear, a low and calm voice made her ear twitch.
“That is enough, you did very well.”
From the gentle yet firm grip that was hugging her arm, Ayano felt an indescribable calm envelop her, her tense body relaxed bit by bit, leaving everything to that wide chest behind her.
“You did very well.”
The sentence repeated itself over and over again in her mind, such a boring speech, made her happier than anything else in the world.
To be recognized by him, made her feel proud.
The man behind her uses such a comfortable voice that made one shiver in his back continues to say..
“Very well done, for a kitten.”
Pak!
Ayano used all her strength to wipe Kazuma’s hand off. How is it possible that just an instant ago she actually thought that this kind of guy’s chest could be comforting? Ayano felt ashamed of herself from the bottom of her heart.
“You…… Huh……?”
Ayano felt a slight disturbance in the surrounding view, she looked around for a bit and understood instantly.
.------ The air was shining with a light blue glow.
The blue airflow, though its flow was slow, but within it lied a massive amount of energy. The black wind commanded by Ryuya were repelled by the azure glow, and compressed around its master.
“This…… Could it be…… “Purification”!?”
The secret power to destroy evil that was only bestowed on the Kannagi family, and, this magnitude------
“To use purifying winds to surround the whole mountain? Such a massive amount of spirits, how did……”
Ayano turned her head to ask, and became speechless once more. Knowing very well why she was shocked, Kazuma smiled playfully and enjoyed Ayano’s stunned expression.
“That…… What is that…… Your eyes?”
“Oh these? They were imprinted on by the lord of wind spirits.”
Kazuma blue eyes flashed as he said such a shocking fact so easily.
“Spi……rit……Lord……?”
Ayano dumbly repeted. The fact that was beyond imagination had stopped her mind.
“………… No way--------------------!?”
Bright like the azure sky, eyes that couldn't be clearer, that was the proof of the contract with the lord of wind spirits. To rule all the air on this planet, only a man that was bestowed everything, could be imprinted with this stigma.
In the legends, there were only been a few people with such a stigma, the Solomon king that governed the seventy two demon lords, Moses who led the Hebrew and made a contract with Jehovah.
After that would be the first chief of the Kannagi, who had been bestowed with Enraiha.
“Contractor”------ Someone who made a contract with a supernatural existence------ They called them “Contractors”.
But, to be confirmed in history, there was only one man who has been proven to exist. “The first” contractor------ he was how the people praised him to be in modern legends.
“Come one! It is about time to go to sleep, Ryuya!!”
The azure wind began to swirl like a maelstrom with Ryuya at the centre. The maelstrom or air was created by Kazuma mobilizing all the wind spirits in the area that he controlled, and the huge area covered by it could be seen even from outer space.
3
Pussh! [sound of wind cutting, not sure the exact sound]
The wind blades made by the demonized Hyoue cut into both of Ren’s arms deeply.
“Wahhhhhh------!”
Up against the wind blades which hit continuously, Ren could only roll his body to dodge, there wasn't even the slightest chance to get up.
Hyoue was laughing as he watched Ren. The scene of a Jutsushi of the main family having to dodge everywhere from him couldn't get any funnier.
(Just you watch, Genma! Jugo! You're next! The humiliation we suffered, you shall recieve ten thousand fold!)
An uncontrollable laughter shook the air. Hyoue looked down on Ren who had finally managed to get up smugly and shouted full of pride..
“Now, do you know the difference between our powers? You should just surrender quietly, for if you are too heavily wounded, it might hinder the dispelling of the seal.”
Hohoho……
Ren threw a golden flame in the direction of the laughter. However while the flame might have possessed the power to destroy Hyoue, if there was nothing to hit it was just a pointless effort.
“Wah!”
Suddenly, a shockwave hit Ren’s head so violently it felt as if his brain was bouncing about in his head and for a few seconds his conscioussness wavered.
Ren stood there completely vulnerable to an attack, it would have been very easy to kill him now! But even though there had been several instances like this one before, but Hyoue never finished him off. Hyoue did not want Ren’s corpse he needed him alive, and he wanted to enjoy defeating Ren to the fullest.
Hyoue who had given up the body of a human, now possessed a great power, incomparable to the past.
Of course, Ren still was far more powerful, but the difference in skill and experience was too great. Ren was being toyed with, and was unable to even show half of his power.
“Isn't it about time you give up? You know you can't win, don't you?”
Hyoue was torturing him, he deliberately avoided all the fatal spots, and time and again he tried to attack Ren's mind by targetting his weaknesses and to make him give up the fight, but Ren ddidn't give in to fear.
“I refuse! I promised my brother, I will never give up, I will live on no matter what! I will never obey you, never be used by you, or let you kill anyone else!”
Despite having cuts all over his body from wind blades, blood running over his face and drenching his clothes, Ren’s eyes did not lose their shine. That prideful, and majestic look, even Hyoue who was in an overwhelmingly superior position couldn’t help but be wary of it.
“Hmph…… In that case, let me see where the limits of your pride are!”
As he spat out this sentence and was about to unleash more wind blades------
“Woah!?”
Hyoue gave off a strangled cry, he stretched out both his arms to hug his body. Below his arms there seemed to be something wriggling. Hyoue gripped even tighter intending to suppress that thing, but the eerie wriggling instead spread onto his arms.
Hyoue’s body was shaken by convulsions, his muscles contracted violently, rose up and down, and eventually burst.
This is what happened the instant Hyoue was surrounded by the purifying winds. A great power cut off all the powers that Hyoue recieved from outside.
Losing the protection of Ryuya, the demonic powers in Hyoue had begun to get out of control. Ren did not waste such an opportunity and immediately ran towards him.
“Ki……Kid…… Wahhhhh!”
As Hyoue tried to release more wind, the berserk condition of his body grew even worse. In order to suppress his uncontrollable body, he had to use all his powers.
Ren did not slow down, but at full speed knocked into Hyoue, he hooked his arms around Hyoue’s knee and pulled mightily.
The powerful tackle left the two of them lying entangled on the ground. Ren hugged Hyoue as tight as he could, and spoke softly..
“I won’t miss at this distance.”
“You……You fool! Let me go------“ Not caring whether he lost control or not Hyoue released wind blades.
But Ren was the quicker, he continued to hug the shaking body, and shouted hoarsely.
”Burn------!!”
A bright golden pillar of fire erupted all the way into the sky, the his body and tainted soul of old man who had fallen into the darkness, were completely destroyed by this purifying flame.
“----------------------------------------------!!”
Even his dying scream was swallowed by the flame.
Ryuya had lost control over his black wind. The strong azure wind stream separated the berserk spirits from their master and absorbed them within.
“……Even Ryuya’s wind…… is eaten away……?”
Ayano whispered in shock. To use the term “terrifying power”, was not enough to describe the impact. Even though there had been a lot of things beyond logic today, this was the most ridiculous of all.
The wind that turned the berserk spirits back to normal, and absorbed them to increase its power surrounds Ryuya.
Even so, Ryuya still wasn't defeated, he released dark and polluted youki to defend against the purifying winds. However he couldn't negate the purification completely, the surface of his body started to boil and bubble. Slowly, very slowly but surely his body was dismantled, bit by bit.
(This is almost like the final battle of monsters.)
This unseemly thought running through her mind, Ayano started to move. Although her power was by far the weakest of the three she had participated in this battle and her power couldn't be neglected. For she possessed the power to destroy the stalemate between the two parties, and she knew her duty very well.
.------You will finish him off, can you do it?------
“I'll show you------!”
Ryuya took a huge jump backwards, intending to escape Ayano's fast pace------ his movements had slowed down significantly and he no longer had the means to dodge her attacks.
But Ayano chased after him focussed to deliver the final strike. Ryuya changed the tip of his arms to become blades as a final defense, the solid blades he rased above his head to deflect her strike gave off a pale glow. [meat color glow is the actual text… meat color?]
“That won't save you now!”
Ayano swung Enraiha down aggressively without wasting caring about her defense. She knew that this was the deciding moment. Kazuma had no more power to spare to help her and if she was blocked again------ they were sure to lose.
A crimson glow arced down without encountering any resistance as if cutting through air.
The sliced meat blade melted into the azure air as Enraiha cut in from the top of the head, and stopped at his heart. She was taking a risk to not cut Ryuya in two and instead called forth fire spirits from Enraiha in the wound------and ignited them.
Ryuya’s body exploded. The pieces of meat that were blown off by the flames were carried away by the wind and swallowed by the azure light. In the end, even traces of its existence were erased.
That was Ryuya's ------ No, the end of the unnamed youma who had founded the Fuga clan.
The azure winds dissipated slowly, their power of purification weakening as it spread in all directions, maybe to continue restoring this youki polluted world!
Watching the wind spirits leave, Ayano was captivated by the scene.
“Darn, just a few pennies for such hard work, I shall never take on any jobs from the Kannagi again.”
But, again a line that ignored the mood spoiled everything. She turned around angrily to see Kazuma lying spread-eagled on the floor.
Ayano went over to him to him, but he did not move at all. He appeared to be completely drained.
(No matter how strong he is, he is still human.)
After all he had almost single-handedly defeated Ryuya, I think I can forgive him one or two rude lines! Ayano thought generously, and thanked him.
“Great work.”
Kazuma did not reply, and merely sniffed.
Ayano sat down beside Kazuma.
“Hey, Kazuma?”
She did not expect an answer as Kazuma showed no response, but Ayano still continued ..
“If it was just you, you could have won on your own, couldn’t you?”
“It would have been very difficult!”
This time, Kazuma finally gave a response, his eyes that had regained their original black luster looked at Ayano.
“Making a contract with a spirit lord does not mean that I am almighty, even if I have unlimited power at my disposal, there is still a limit to the amount I can control. I can never exceed the amount a human can handle.”
”Is that so------? Maybe that is the case! Besides, there's still the time you need to get ready. You surely would have gotten attacked before then, right?”
“------ Yup, that is right.”
Even though he answered outwardly without hesitation, Ayano didn't miss the moment his eyes shifted.
“Kazuma?”
”What?”
His expression was completely neutral. But------ It was too late.
Ayano flopped down right onto Kazuma, and reached with her hands to grip him by his collar, as if she was about to strangle him in a moment.
Kazuma offered no resistance, his hand and legs remained spread wide on the floor.
“To push a man down like this, what a shameless girl you are. The clan chief would cry if he saw this.”
.------ That mouth of his was still the same, no matter how tired he was.
“Don’t joke around, now answer me. When were you ready?”
Despite Ayano’s grip getting more and more forceful each second Kazuma replies carelessly.
“Hmm, about the time when you were hit and flew off?”
“Then, why didn’t you use your tricks immediately!?”
Ayano was putting her entire strength into her hands and yet Kazuma still talked as if nothing was happening..
“You are wrong to blame me, I was doing it for your own good.”
”Which part of it was for my own good!?”
She was on the brink of explosion. If he did not have a logical explanation, she intended to stab him with Enraiha.
“The way it looked, if it had ended with you not being able to land even a single strike, you would have been doomed to be a loser for the rest of your life.”
“Argh……”
His remark hit her soundly and Ayano was unable to say a word for a moment. Indeed------ if she had only kept dodging back then and left everything to Kazuma, she might never have had the courage to fight again. Someone unable to overcome her fear, a Jutsushi who can only fight enemies weaker than herself, no matter how strong she was, couldn't be relied on.
“When I saw that you had finally managed to gather your courage, I decided to watch from the side for a bit. Your performance was not bad at all until half way. If he hadn't not escape at that point, you would probably have won!”
“Huh? You mean to say that my technique worked?”
”Nope------ It was completely useless.”
Kazuma replied in a straightforward manner..
“Because you have Enraiha in your hand, there is no need to rely on tricks or use some lousy techniques. If cutting him in to four pieces doesn’t kill him, just cut him until he is annihilated.”
“…… Sorry for being that lousy.”
”That is not what you should be sorry for.”
Kazuma ruthlessly continued to dress her down..
“You need to practice on your swordsmanship, currently there is no point in you having the Enraiha.”
”I know……”
”But, that last strike was brilliant. It skillfully used the characteristic of Enraiha which is both a sword and a spiritual artifact.”
Hearing the sudden praise, Ayano blushed. She suddenly felt very happy. In spite of the flaws in the personality of this man she saw clearly and the disgust she felt over realizing that she had been dancing in the palm of his hand, the throbbing in her chest couldn't be stopped.
“You…… You talk like you are so great. Just what do you know of Enraiha?”
She tried to speak harshly to cover up her embarassment, but her ploy obviously failed. Kazuma smiled at Ayano with a look that seemed to see through it all.
“Ah ah, and one more thing, it is best not to sit on a man dressed like that.”
“……Huh?”
“Even if you are a little girl who has neither bosom nor femininity, other people might misunderstand!”
As Ayano involuntarily lowered her head to look in what kind of state she was in------ She froze completely. Unable to withstand the vigorous battle, her uniform had no inch left intact, everything was shredded. Even her underwear was partly torn, almost to the point where it failed to cover her body.
Seeing Kazuma’s eyes that “seemed to see through it all”, Ayano’s face turned bright red up to her ears.
“Id……Idiot------------!!”
A scream echoed in the wilderness.
“------Brother!”
As he recognized that the ones approaching him to be Kazuma and Ayano, Ren cried out with joy and tried running towards them. But his body weak from injury did not allow him to do so.
“Wah……”
A gust of wind gently lifted Ren, who had stumbled over his own legs and was about to fall. The boy floated right into Kazuma’s arms.
Kazuma hugged Ren lightly, and caressed his head. Ren hugged his brother back tightly without the intention of letting go.
“You did very well, Ren, you did a great job.”
”Thank you, brother……?”
Their talk stopped suddenly and Ren stretched his hand out to Kazuma’s cheek, there was a very clear red handprint on it.
Faced with a silent question, Kazuma smiled and replied..
“Ah ah, just now, after defeating Ryuya, I met an even more vicious enemy. I almost died there.”
After saying that, he looked in the direction of Ayano for a second. Ayano who was covered by Kazuma’s jacket turned away in anger, ignoring him.
“Huh…… This……”
Ren understood some things, but he had the feeling that if he said it out, his life might be in danger. He desperately searched for another topic.
“Ryu……Ryuya has also been defeated? So then everything is finally over!”
He tried his best to show an innocent smile, Ren feels sad how pathetic he was.
“Yup------ Let us head back! Ayano, is our car still okay?”
“It was burnt.”
Ayano rushed to say and Kazuma looked at her suspiciously.
“It……It wasn’t me! It was blown away by Ryuya’s wind, and when it smashed into the ground it caught on fire.”
Ayano tried to explain, but even so, Kazuma’s eyes remained full of suspicion.
Lifting his head to look into the clear night sky, Kazuma said to Ren..
“------Nevermind, taking a stroll in the mountains while looking at the moon is not bad once in a while.”
”If we are not lost.”
Hearing Kazuma’s words that seemed to be avoiding reality, Ayano interjected calmly.
“Ah ah? Did you say something just now? The root of all evil.”
“What! You were the one who left me, it's your fault this happened!”
“…… Both of you, stop arguing.”
Ren used a tired voice to try to pacify them, but the two of them didn't seem to hear him and continued to accuse each other energetically.
Looking up at the moon that was like a silver basin, Ren thought about the cruelty of life.
Ryuya and Hyoue were both eliminated, the Fuga clan’s ambitions smashed into pieces. Everything was perfectly settled, why must a happy ending still be so far away?
The tongue fight is still continuing, he no longer has any strength to go between them, Ren lies in his brother’s chest, and accepts the intrusion of the sleep demon.
He takes the funny speech between his beloved brother and sister as a lullaby and enjoys it.
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