Volume 9 Chapter 5 (1/2)
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It had already been a very long time since that day--
The beautifulin the sky
He looked up at theon the porch of the residence
He held a cup of wine The aromatic wine diffused in the air
Yakou-sama A call caht hadn't reached
Have you still not changed your mind?
He smiled bitterly and sipped from his cup in response to that question
Then, he replied, still s:
”Yeah”
Then, he dropped his smile and continued:
”Sorry”
The sounds of insects that came from the courtyard indifferently and softly alleviated the silence between them
She quietly stared at her ht
Then, she sat properly and slowly bowed her head
In any case, no ether was precious
”Kon! I' on you!”
Harutora leaped backwards, glaring at Kagami The materialized Kon used foxfire as a fiery s immediately turned to escape
But
”Aah?”
Kaga out with the katana in his left hand
The foxfire sa-decorated fingers into claws
They tore through the air, first horizontally and then vertically Kuji-kiri The ers passed through space, h!” Harutora was knocked back by the ical wall
It was the e before If the Raven's Wing hadn't been wrapped around hie if he had died in the worst case
Kagami stared with narrowed eyes at Harutora and said:
”Don't run around I can cut off a couple of your arms and limbs if you want”
Though he was also a Divine General, he was coave off just asof being in front of a savage carnivorous beast Harutora dropped to a knee after being knocked back by the ami
Why did it have to be now!
Independent Exorcist Kagare Eater' He had crossed paths with Harutora ht now
”You took care of 'this guy' before”
After saying this, Kagaekiri' and was the vessel housing Kagaami Shaver
Kagauro Branch incident lastwith the Twin-Horned Syndicate sweep operation that the Mystical Investigators had carried out, Kagauard, and he had positioned his shi+kigami Shaver next to Harutora and the others
But Shaver had destroyed the ht, leading to a chain of spiritual disasters After he had been hit with miasma and lost control, he had attacked Natsu That was the first battle to the death in the truest sense that Harutora had experienced
”Thanks to you, his spiritual power still hasn't been able to recover Isn't that quite cruel?”
”Don't be ridiculous! Natsuuy!”
”Was it a good lesson? I heard that you 'grew' quite a bit, Harutora? But”
Kagaly
”It seems like the 'other one' didn't learn her lesson”
”You bastard!” Kon becanant before Harutora, the fur on her ears and tail sticking up Needless to say, Harutora felt his blood boil just like Kon But Harutora suppressed his angry emotions with an iron will
Who would listen closely to the howls of a less What he had to do noas escape with all hiseasy to do He had to focus completely and make his move with all his soul He couldn't afford to be overcoer
Harutora kept staring at Kagaued expression when he saw Harutora's attitude
”You've beco”
Of course, Kagami had already understood the reason for Harutora's deterh he praised the fact that he didn't respond to the provocation, his attitude became even worse afterwards
”This isn't just 'eagerness' to becou afterled on by the Raven's Wing? Do you think that as the reincarnation of a legendary On as you have the will to?”
He wasn't an opponent that could be negotiated with He didn't think he could take hiht head-on There was no reason to win He just needed to escape frorasp
”Co too As well as Tsuchi won't be ”
Kagami spoke coldly and then stepped forith his leather boots Harutora gradually wove his strategy in that tiuided by herintent The spiritual pressures of the two slowly rose, gradually approaching the critical point
”Very good, come, Harutora Just like I pro with a kick”
That becanal
Harutora attacked with a blindingly fast speed, throwing chary into the ami's expression became serious once he saw those consecutive movements
”Order!”
What he threere protective charical walls at the sa to their individually-woven aain This time there were five charms Harutora rushed to the side as he watched theain
Swish Kagaekiri without any interest
Never ical wall that had been put up afterwards was cleaved at the saa Harutora who charged to the side with a cold look instead
”What's this supposed to be?”
Kagami's voice was more disappointed than conteer
But that was Harutora's goal To Harutora, this was the first and greatest opportunity for victory He had gotten the 'Ogre Eater's' blind spot
”Order!”
Magic activated as the barrier was cut through like cloth What activated were the tood and fire-eleroup of protective charnited because of the wood aura of the wood-element charm before him
Wood generates fire, as per Five Eleic had been substantially altered to make the heat produce smoke rather than flame itself It spewed smoke like a volcano, and black smoke blossomed inside
Then, as if to condense that sical wall extended inwards The cut portion repaired itself while co black smoke
The first oals First was to conceal the element charms that had been mixed in with the protective charms he threw out the second time The other was to ic had been the saic
The first ical wall produced the now expanding black smoke that had been directed inwards Also, he had rushed away froaze It was an intricate coic
Of course, he didn't think that this could defeat Kagami But the black smoke shut inside scattered like Kon's foxfire and then was all coain Moreover, when he was sealed inside the fire aura of the black sekiri's metal aura
He had stopped Kagaoal - that strategy
”Kon, I' on you!”
”Y-Yes!”
Leaving Kon there, Harutora glided past the road with the Raven's Wing in a flash Before the ical as destroyed and the black sami's vision was sealed, he would leave the battlefield and rush into a narrow alleyway
Leaving Kon behind was to further delay his pursuit, even for just a little Kon would be able to dematerialize at the last moment and escape in secret Anyway, time was precious Moreover, it was a powerful opponent he would have sliht seriously So, Harutora chose to put all he had into escaping
He passed through a narrow alley, ht as he rushed out, he was illuhts fro braked in a panic Right before they hit each other, Harutora leaped over the roof of the car
The road he flew out to was a four-lane, tay road There was traffic even at this tiht by severalstructures, he would be spotted at a glance from far away
Hide!
The instant he thought that, the Raven's Wing stealthed its wearer without Harutora needing to use rateful In this case - right as he was preparing to rise higher again
”That's pretty neat”
A slash of e it Even if the Raven's Wing ih the fabric and knocked the
”Ugh!?”
He hurtled above the road, crashi+ng violently into a sign on the other side of the road Though the Raven's Wing lessened the i He desperately looked in the direction the attack ca a katana at the exit of the alley he had just passed through
So fast!
How had he done that - as he thought this, he noticed the traces of ami's' feet
damn! He had used the aura flow!?
It was Far Step
An extraordinarily high-difficulty h the aura flow lacing through the ground Kaga hih the aura flow underneath his feet
He had clearly witnessed Kagaotten it when he fory He had been careless Moreover, his stealth had been overly late even for being careless If he had hidden hiht not have been instantly caught even if Kagami had escaped from the trap with Far Step
Harutora staggered because of the violent i by honked while frantically avoiding him When he tried to stuh he rolled to avoid it, a car behind him sped into it
In front of the blade of y
The slash hit the front portion of it, knocking off the hood The tires screeched and the rear wheels skidded It spun around When it passed through the line marker in the center, it hit a car on the other side of the road,crash
The two cars s The cars behind them braked in a panic In front of the dumbfounded Harutora--
The next slash
”You!?”
He desperately dodged, unable to even call out 'you bastard' However, the next blade ofas around them
The asphalt road was led and cars were torn apart The shutter doors of buildings cru Cars veered onto the sidewalk Motors stalled Screa new crashes
Chaos
”I' to purify a spiritual disaster You ordinary people, go find shelter!”
After Kagami loudly warned them, he leisurely walked to the road whose traffic had been interrupted Harutora doubted Kagami's sanity
”What are you doing!? You!”
”Ah? What do youa spiritual disaster' That Raven's Wing was originally a ht it out, well, there e”
Kaga attitude In other words, he planned on bla
”Pretty admirable, Harutora That trap just noas exceptional, but lettoo much emphasis on petty tricks In real battles, you have to be cleverer”
This shameless!
His heart rithing in anger But on the other hand, he felt angry at his own superficiality
For exaical battle between Ohtoh that had been an actual battle, it had siic' The two had obeyed the silent rules and compared their techniques
But this was different He was greedy for victory
The people who heard Kaga This would cause the spiritual disaster purification teams to arrive even earlier Harutora desperately racked his brain Right now, thehat to do next But now that he had lost his best opportunity, the tables had turned and he was forced onto the erous path
What should he do?
”What's wrong, you're not going to do anything? Then I'll go”
After saying that, Kagah above his head, throwing it out ”Hah!”
”Wha!”
Dus to escape into the air But at that tiami had already formed a seal with his free hands
”Noumaku sanmanda bazaradan kan!”
An overwhely burst forth and flaami The flame extended and beca the airborne Harutora
It was Harutora's first tiic he had never seen
But--
Acala's curse!
For some reason, he knew it Had he once learned it in class? But regardless, he knew It was the same for how he should respond
”Noumaku samanda bazaradan sendamakaroshada sowataya untarata kanman!”
He foric Though Kagami's eyes widened, Harutora didn't have the leisure to pay attention Even if he tried to offset it, the y he had instantly mustered was insufficient He deftly retreated with the Raven's Wing wrapped around hi the fiery snake He slowly elio
But, in that time--
”Interesting”
Kagarinned
”Now I recall it That It started with eneration - Order!”
Char into the air were of the metal, water, wood and fire elements
First, the metal-element charm beca snake The Raven's Wing deflected theic
Then, the deflected blades absorbed the heat of the fiery snake, and water eed on its surface After that water hisked off, the water-eley formed a torrent that covered the asphalt road Harutora realized and recalled when he saw it
This was!
This ti treelike vines Harutora hastily refined h he had neutralized the fiery snake, the final fire-elenited and birthed a serpent of flaer than the fiery snake
The five eleic that Ohtomo had showed Doami about it A wave of heat rushed across the road like a tsuna air into disarray Harutora's skin was scorched by the breath of the giant fla serpent
That bastard!
Kagaic of Harutora's trusted homeroom teacher and used it to attack hiic seal inenerate a black waterfall of water aura, conquering Ohtomo's fire aura But Harutora couldn't follow that noto escape higher into the sky--
No
His hands moved naturally
”Wind!”
He ordered the Raven's Wing in a way that even he didn't understand The Raven's Wing i black wind carrying ers wove Doic seal in midair just like how he had seen back then The black wind produced by the Raven's Wing becaht for the serpent with the force of an avalanche
Stea sound The wind that was produced blew out and Harutora looked at his hands, dumbfounded
I see
It was the Raven's Wing Knowledge ofCome to think of it, it had been like that when he had treated Natsume At the tile-ic that he couldn't possibly have known had appeared one after another in his mind back then
Could it be? Was it because of Yakou!?
But Harutora's state of shock was instantly interrupted
”Interesting!”
Kaga spirit were clearly conveyed to Harutora through the thick stea
”Isn't that soet serious too!”
Kaga a kuji-kiri again This tirid pattern rushed towards Harutora as if it had been thrown Harutora instantly defended with the Raven's Wing, but Kaga to finish his movement
Kagaekiri He used the front of his boot to kick the blade intothe tip into the asphalt road with a thunk
Then, he for its spiritual pohile chanting an incantation
”Nouyateibyaku saraba bokkeibyaku sarabata tarata senda innan untarata kanman!”
Fire Realed with the spiritual power of the divine blade Higekiri, instantly developing into ic
Appalling
The sea of fla froic A destructive power clearly superior to the Raven's Wing's defenses He would easily be ended if it engulfed him
”damn!”
With a flap of the Raven's Wing's hem, Harutora desperately escaped into the air ”I won't let you run away!” Kaga a flashi+ng tower of raging fla that it couldn't escape, the Raven's Wing flitted past the front of the fla by the ic He was probably protected by a barrier, but Harutora was quickly assaulted by an intense attack that almost made him lose consciousness
Kagaic was focused on offensive power, and itsdecided to use its speed over its defensive power But even so, there were liic continuously cut off their escape routes, gradually forcing the Raven's Wing into a corner
Was this the end!?
If this went on, he would be killed very quickly He had to slow the movements of the Fire Realm, even for just an instant Water conquers fire He would have to cast a water ic was - now he knew It flowed to hi
He formed a seal
”Tanyata udakadai bana enkei enkei sowaka!”
The y, Varuna He was also known as one of the Adityas[2] The Aditya of the seas
Fresh y became a drizzle that becaaic Another stor chaotic turbulence that tossed around the Raven's Wing
Water ic
However, it wasn't enough It should have had strength - Harutora had infused his rown out of control after he had broken his shell, without wasting a drop But even then it was far froth was too powerful
The Fire Realic was unperturbed
The fla Harutora's vision was tinted red by fire He couldn't evade Harutora gritted his teeth--
”Scoundrel!”
The Fire Realed He escaped from the jaws of death, but he had no tiami
”Kon!?”
Kagaekiri that was stuck into the asphalt road His left ar Kon The defensive shi+kigaaed to catch up in time for her master's crisis
But--
Kagami's expression twisted because of the blood that spurted out Pure fury burned in his eyes Anger that was ic battle disrupted than at the pain flooding froent
”shi+tty brat”
Without any concern about widening his wound, Kaga out with his stabbed left arm
Kon's stance broke in e amount of blood
”Hindrance”
He stabbed the blade straight at her Kon instantly twisted her body in midair
But she was unable to dodge
In front of the stunned Harutora, Higekiri's h Kon's chest
It was a battle of sword ic
The nightti Tenma had retreated to a safe place and took care of the unconscious Kyouko while watching the ic battle before him in a trance
Every tiure's Demon Sword flashed, Ohtoure's Demon Sword flashed, Ohtomo's charms promptly disrupted the slash
Back and forth But a tense feeling flashed like electricity through that indifferent footwork and finger , profound intentions and strategies could be gli of their gazes Of course, Tenma couldn't surmise its true abstruseness, but he clearly understood that it was so 'incredible'
Then, the y that burst froh output
Their ave off seemed almost exactly the saed was inexplicably balanced, like the Taijitu of Onmyoudou
A balanced, harmonious battle as they flowed intensely Tenht of how inexplicable this scene was
During that
”Jin!”
Kogure shouted again
”Think about it again Kyouko-kun's prediction is a separate ! Are you really going to let Harutora-kun use forbidden ic? Do you want to turn your student into a criminal?”
”Zenjirou, it's not that kind of question anymore”
”Then what is it? I' about a 'real' question If the Taizan fukun Ritual succeeds, the Onic criminal Even Natsume-kun will be the same Even if she's resurrected, do you think she will be able to live normally in the future? First off--”
Kogure swung his blade and Ohtomo avoided it by a hairsbreadth
”Do you think it will succeed? The Taizan fukun Ritual? The chances are one in a thousand! And who knoill happen if it fails! Things ht become irreversible!”
”Irreversible things happened a long tio”
Ohtoure put up a barrier to stop the ic
”Hence, I' reckless My students say they can do it, so what can I do but trust them?”
An incoure who protected the nights of Tokyo and the Onuided his students into the future It wasn't just that their thoughts were different, their respective positions were also different
”Moreover”
Ohtolanced at Tenma Tenma tensed up out of surprise
”Have you heard? It seems that Suzu's also related to this In that case, the chance of success is far higher than one in a thousand”
Kogure's face reddened upon hearing this ”Jin!” He spat
”You're still prepared to trust that woman!”
”Of course, I've never 'trusted' that woman But she rarely fails”
Ohtoure Rather than being coure's anger turned to bitter remorse when he saw his appearance
”No”
Though his voice was calm, he denied him firmly
”I know that she had one huge failure, which was betraying you and me”
Ohtoure Kogure endured Ohto a stance
What kind of look was Ohtolasses at that moment? Tenma couldn't see, nor did he feel like he should look
Before he noticed, the two of the each other at the center of the park
Kogure breathed in deeply and slowly, exhaling with the same speed
He held the De the blade at Ohtomo A clear-eyed stance Then, he reversed the blade in his hands
He took up the reverse stance with the katana[3] Originally, the so-called reverse referred to instantly turning the blade around during the strike His special preparations beforehand were a kind of antagonistic warning
Kogure had swung the blade to fight thus far However, he hadn't meant to 'hit' and hadn't been prepared to cut Ohtomo
However, Kogure was now taking the reverse stance Of course, even the back of the blade could be deadly depending on the circuer hold back It wasn't a coet out of the way, but rather a proclamation that he would clear him out of the ith his blade
How upright, Ohtoht hand round with the cane it held as he ure
”Om chishabana shi+ra atei matara hatani sowaka”
The subjugation s, the God of war Bishaure's body and the ed onto the Demon Sword The divine sword's spiritual pressure swelled,one feel as if the space centered on the blade had begun to twist
Tenma's limbs trembled in fear His throat was dry and he felt as if he were about to faint just fro
On the other hand, Ohtoure's divine blade with a penetrating gaze as if he were overlooking the dawn from a cliff He relaxedly took a flexible stance towards the strength that very well ht take his life
Sss Kogure's blade vibrated slightly The hand Ohtohtly
However, that moment didn't come
”Stop right there, both of you back up”
The auras of the two of the towards the direction the voice came from
”Hoho”
A shttie voice Tenma doubted his own eyes because the intruder was so unmindful of the situation
But Tenma's attention very quickly moved behind the boy ”Ah” He looked there and inadvertently let out a gasp A shi+kigaency building Also, there was another person There was a ami's shoulder - an extremely weak old man
The boy laughed with a 'hoh' again
”Incidentally, those words just noere this guy's, notfor him”
He spoke to Kogure and Ohtoround
Who was it? Tennize the boy He wouldn't be able to forget such a peculiar child even after just oneBut he felt like the old reatly, but they had ht that
”Chief Amami”
Kogure spoke with a hoarse voice That made him remember The old man who had visited the hospital rooone to see Ohtomo He remeator Chief Amami Daizen
”That undying old man”
It was Ohtomo who said that His voice see
”You should stop acting so recklessly when you're at this age, it's unfitting for an old person You'll make trouble for the people left behind”
The old man was extremely weak
But he sure and Ohtomo
”Kon!”
Higekiri's h Kon's left flank
The girl's blue eyes opened wide as if they would pop