The Heart of the Evil God
I placed my hand on the hilt of my sword and stared at a single point.
Mun’s extra-large breath attack and Miyabi’s black magic erupted, transforming, and a gigantic explosion and blast wave rose where the old man had been. Nana’s Ice Heaven Temple had suppressed his movements, so I didn’t think he could have dodged. Mun, an Ancient Dragon, possessed the best fire among Fire Dragons; if one were to be fully engulfed, they would be burned to ashes with no trace left. Touya probably thought the same. Once the black smoke cleared and we confirmed there was nothing left, we finally relaxed our tension.
“I couldn’t tell if he was strong or clumsy.”
“Yeah, yeah, he was. Haha…”
Miyabi and Nana seemed a bit down. That was their first encounter with scum like him, so I think they were quite shaken. Even though I say that, I was actually panicking. Hmm, when I feel danger in a different sense, my actions deviate from what I expect. I don’t want to get used to it, but I have to do something.
“Alright, this place is safe now. Let’s get ready while we can for the next Monster attack! Miyabi, can you contact Master and tell him we defeated the Apostle? If he’s in the middle of a battle, it’ll be hard to talk, so use email!”
At Touya’s words, Miyabi began tapping something on the pendant Kelvin had given her. Ugh, how can her fingertips move so strangely…? Miyabi is also surprisingly fast at typing on a computer…
“Understood. The ninth pillar, known as the ‘mutant,’ rests here—”
“Who do you mean by ‘rests here’?”
—BARRRRRIIN!
Nana’s ice pillars, which had filled the surroundings with azure light and ice, all ten of them, were suddenly destroyed. No, more than that, was this voice from earlier!?
“Kuh!”
I turned my face toward the source of the voice and saw the old man, whom we thought had been incinerated, standing in a distant location outside the Ice Heaven Temple’s range, sword at the ready, completely unharmed. The old man hadn’t died. But why was he drawing his sword from such a distance…?
Ah, he’s drawing his sword. Based on the experience I’ve cultivated over many years and the killing intent emanating from the old man, I somehow sensed it. Moreover, that attack would reach us.
“—Touya, get ready!”
I at least tried to give a warning. However, the old man drew his sword faster than Touya could react to my voice. He drew his sword from its scabbard, swung it, and then returned it to the scabbard. The flow of this motion was not humanly fast. It meant that we might barely be able to counter it with the boon of Nirvanajyaku, which I received from Kelvin.
“Iaido – Swallow”
Something flew from the sword, exposed for an instant. This is—a slash. And it was terrifyingly sharp and fast. I drew my sword reflexively.
—Kiiin!
“Kuh, ugh!”
The sound of clashing swords dispersed. I don’t know if it was by chance or a miracle, but I was indeed able to parry the slash with my drawn sword and cut it down. Even I was surprised, but it seems my special training is paying off.
“Whoa? To be able to react to the old man’s Swallow is amazing. It’s supposed to travel at the same speed as the draw.”
“Th-thank you…”
…I’m glad I experienced Rion-chan’s flying slash. Thanks to that, I somehow managed to judge in time. The destruction of Nana’s Ice Heaven Temple was probably caused by this, wasn’t it? So, does that mean he can fire them in rapid succession? That’s, well, a pinch.
“Nana and Miyabi, move to the back! That person, like Rion-chan, fires slashes. The slashes themselves are lighter than Rion-chan’s, but the speed is abnormal!”
I could manage one shot at a time. But if he fired them in rapid succession, even I couldn’t handle them all. While I was thinking about this, the old man was already in his next iaijutsu stance.
“Gyaaaah!”
Mun of the Sky, seeing this as an opening, unleashed its breath attack. The old man’s body was enveloped in flames again, and he became clad in a coat of fire. This was a one-sided attack of crimson flames. Is there any way to escape this? No, perhaps it was the same situation as before.
“Ugh. It’s incredibly hot, but not as much as the old man. If anything, it’s suffocating.”
“Gyu, gyua?”
As expected, it’s no use; regeneration is faster than being burned. Even as I was being scorched, he looked at us, ignoring Mun’s breath attack.
“It’s ridiculously fast to be able to react. The old man is in this situation, and he doesn’t have much stamina, so it would be helpful if this ended here.”
“Setsuna, I’ll cover you!”
Touya, whose sword was enhanced with the divine sword of the heavens, stood beside me. With these light swords, perhaps just getting close could weaken those slashes.
“Iaido – Falcon”
This time, the slash wasn’t a single one. The sound of the sword cutting through the air was heard at least a dozen times. Moreover, they were fired with almost no margin for error, as if layering the slashes.
But that’s actually convenient for me. If they’re layered and fired without error, I can just cut them all at once.
—Gigiiiin!
Alright, my eyes are gradually getting used to it. With Touya’s sword present, it might have been easier than the first strike.
“…What? You’re just cutting these too?”
For the old man, being blocked wasn’t an unexpected outcome. He seemed more surprised than before.
But, we’ll definitely be in a downward spiral if we continue like this. Mun has temporarily stopped its attack and is currently on standby. I know it’s dangerous to approach carelessly. I want to inflict a fatal blow somehow, but if even Mun’s flames didn’t work, then—
“—Let’s take that sword.”
“Gofuh!? …Eh, what did you say?”
…Was he flustered?
“The sword, that person’s?”
“Yes. If we can’t defeat him, we have no choice but to neutralize him. If he has no sword, we can restrain him. At worst, I’ll cut the sword along with its scabbard.”
“N-no, maybe it’s better not to do that? You know, a sword is a samurai’s life. Isn’t it a bit unsportsmanlike?”
“…”
The reaction is deliberately exaggerated. The initial suspicion level has increased by 30%.
“Alright, I’ll jump in with you.”
“Understood, I’ll support you.”
“I-I’ll support too!”
Still, everyone unanimously agreed to this plan. Perhaps when you can’t think of any other way, you become less hesitant. Well then, shall we go?
“…Seriously?”
“Very. And, old man. My name isn’t ‘High School Girl’.”
“Oh? Then, will you tell this ‘mutant old man’ your real name?”
“—Shiga Setsuna, that’s me!”
I called out my name uncharacteristically and stepped forward with one hand on my sword hilt. Perhaps this is an influence from Master. In a way, I’m starting to have a little fun.
Thanks to hellish training, Touya and I are perfectly in sync. He’s positioned perfectly behind me, running at the forefront, with the range of the divine sword of the heavens completely covering my iaido range. Further behind him, Miyabi’s evil spirit follows.
Meanwhile, the old man was trying to draw his sword, not wanting to let us approach so easily.
“Setsuna-chan, I’ll remember that. Well then, Iaido – Bush Clover, catch?”
The creeping ice that Nana had been chanting from the shadows spread along the old man’s feet, freezing them up to his knees. If he can’t use his lower body, he can’t use iaijutsu. I’ll close in now!
“Just kidding.”
—Zash.
“Hey, hey!”
“He cut his own leg…!”
No sooner had I thought that. The old man cut off his own leg and regenerated it instantly. The moment his leg regenerated, the original leg that had been frozen disappeared like smoke. What is this person?
