The air crackled with an almost tangible energy, and I found myself growing accustomed to the atmosphere of a battlefield. The sharp, biting killing intent, the fighting spirit that felt like it could set my body ablaze, and the fear of death that seemed to cool the heat generated by my movements.
My senses grew sharper, and as the perception of time began to stretch, a change occurred.
“?”
It happened when I swung my Ore Tree countless times, perhaps thousands or tens of thousands, only to have it dodged by the instructor and the Dragon King, or to swipe through empty air.
The slashes not only tore through space, but the air blades left gashes in the earth. Yet, to be astonished by every single one of those would make fighting impossible.
The ground had already fallen and been replaced five times, and each time, the area had been reduced to a wasteland. Areas that were once mountainous were now flat ground, lakes had become mere holes, and regions of forest had been stripped bare, as if a razor had passed through long hair.
I had lost track of time, battling for an extended period. When I occasionally remembered to check, I realized that according to my internal clock, two days had already passed.
Despite fighting for two days without sleep or rest, my body still hadn’t cried out in protest. I still had reserves of strength and could stand on the battlefield at full power.
However, the two individuals standing before me were in the same state. The instructor, with only a slight sheen of sweat and his fists raised without any sign of labored breathing. And the Dragon King, whose stamina was on an entirely different level, making a contest of endurance inherently misguided.
Both of them, with their remaining strength, possessed the余裕 to wait and see what I would do next as a powerful opponent.
Perhaps that’s why I noticed this change.
“Oh? Finally decided to move?”
“Kekeke, you were quite slow to get going, weren’t you?”
They momentarily stopped fighting and looked around openly, a smile on their faces. It would have been easy to perceive this as an opening and attack, but they both possessed the skill to respond even in that posture.
I wanted to confirm the sense of unease I had been feeling, so I took this opportunity to extend my magic detection around me.
“Ah, so that’s what it is.”
There was only one day left. And yet, they didn’t seem pleased that the tickets to becoming a general, held by the instructor and the Dragon King, were fixed upon me. Or perhaps they were seeking a change.
I could sense their approach. And it wasn’t just one or two people. Almost all the remaining participants had burst forth.
“So, the time for hiding is over.”
They were running directly towards the Dragon King and Oni King, without engaging each other. Their desperate postures were reflected in their expressions, each carrying a look of fierce determination. Seeing them unleash magic or ready their weapons as they ran, it seemed they had finally made up their minds.
Witnessing this scene, I realized that for once, they weren’t intervening with playful interference like before. Seeing their spirit to win head-on made me feel that it would be wrong to tell them to stop. I decided to seize this opportunity.
“Valse!”
This was the moment to make my move, so I summoned the Spirit of Time and Space, the ultimate trump card in my arsenal. Channeling my magic, a pearly white serpent, as large as the Dragon King, appeared, with a familiar woman seated upon it.
“Finally my turn, huh!”
“Yeah, please.”
Hiding herself behind me revealed herself, and the snake’s head stretched out to be beside me. I requested something of Valse-san.
I took out all the remaining shoddy weapons stored in my spatial magic. A few participants flinched for a moment, expecting another barrage of attacks, but these weren’t prepared for assault.
“A little invitation to the space between heaven and earth!”
The swords launched into the sky drew circles at regular intervals. They then pierced the ground, encircling me and the instructor.
“Dimensional Barrier, Mirage!!”
At Valse-san’s command, a wall instantly manifested. It sealed off the Dragon King and the other participants, creating an environment where the instructor and I could fight head-on.
“Hey! Are you planning on excluding me from this?!”
The Dragon King himself, who had been enjoying our fight until just now, was unhappy about this. Even in a three-way battle, my existence and the instructor’s, with whom we could clash with full power, must have been special to the Dragon King.
But, I’m sorry.
“Regrettable, but this barrier is incredibly strong against physical forces.”
I have an prior engagement, so I will prioritize that. I gave Valse-san a knowing glance, and she nodded, indicating she would handle it.
“Come on, Jirou-kun! Fight to your heart’s content with the remaining time!!”
I faced the Dragon King, who was trying to break through the barrier.
“Don’t think you can easily break through my barrier!!”
“Hah?”
The Dragon King’s hand, as he attempted to break the barrier, sank into it as if touching nothing, seemingly disappearing.
“Tch, is the dimension warping?”
“Precisely! Your hand is now on the opposite side of the barrier. You can’t see it, can you?”
The Dragon King, having instantly seen through its true nature, contorted his draconic face as if annoyed, and clicked his tongue, clearly displeased.
The Dimensional Barrier Mirage is a rather special type of barrier that Valse-san can use. It warps space, creating a two-dimensional space and forming a pseudo-three-dimensional structure. This is then expanded to a wider area. This space is here, but it is also not here. It is, in essence, a space of a different dimension. While it is possible to cross this dimensional wall, it requires immense power.
Therefore, to further crush that possibility, I linked the spatial wall to the opposite side, creating a spec that deflects all attacks. I entrusted the management of this to Valse-san, whom I had summoned. Entrusting the maintenance of this barrier exclusively to Valse-san, a High-ranking Spirit who controls dimensions and time, should be enough to hold out for the remaining time limit.
“And, are you going to ignore me? There are more people than you think aiming for your head?”
“Tch, well, at least it’ll be something to pass the time.”
Furthermore, I can’t afford to dedicate myself solely to breaking this barrier. By separating the instructor and the Dragon King with the barrier, the worry of facing two potential generals has been eliminated. As long as this barrier is maintained, I only need to focus on the Dragon King. Many will see this as an opportunity. The opponents I’ll face fighting the Dragon King are unknown. And as of now, there’s no reason for them to interfere with me.
“You’ve caused quite a bit of trouble. Are you alright? It wouldn’t be funny if you ran out of magic and couldn’t fight because you set up such a barrier.”
“Don’t worry, I intended to do this from the start.”
The shoddy weapons I took out will compensate for the magic needed to maintain this barrier. Even so, the area is considerably smaller than originally planned. However, as originally planned, it should maintain the barrier for the remaining twenty-four hours. In terms of size, it’s about a hundred meters in diameter.
The instructor and I, talking as if we were casually strolling, head towards the center of the circle. Swinging our Ore Trees, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder, engaging in trivial conversation while remaining close enough for our attacks to reach each other.
There were several problems to consider when challenging this battle. First, due to the battle royale format, it wasn’t possible to fight the instructor one-on-one. Second, the existence of the Dragon King. Third, the unknown strength of the participants. Even if I were to fight the instructor one-on-one, I wasn’t sure if I could win, so I wanted to eliminate as many uncertainties as possible. I had prepared for this. And I explored avenues for victory.
One: I would gauge the instructor’s strength and condition to some extent during the battle. I was able to do this in the three-way battle. His strength still showed no signs of reaching its limit, and his condition was perfect.
One: I would push the participants onto the Dragon King. I believe I’ve managed to do this as well. By creating a boundary with Valse-san’s barrier and limiting the remaining time to one day, I was able to focus the participants’ attention on the Dragon King.
One: I would create a one-on-one situation with the instructor. I don’t believe this itself is particularly difficult. He might refuse if provoked too obviously, but with such an elaborate setup, he would understand the meaning and accept. I’ve eliminated any lingering concerns. Now, it’s a matter of whether I can defeat this Oni head-on.
“Well, you never know what life will throw at you.”
While slowly rotating my left arm, which wasn’t holding the Ore Tree, I checked my body’s condition. I wasn’t the only one who had cleared away lingering concerns. The instructor had as well. From here on out, it would be the instructor’s full, unadulterated power, with absolutely no interference. Ideally, I would inflict some damage during the three-way battle while minimizing my own damage. That would be the best outcome. At the very least, I was able to create a one-on-one situation with the instructor while minimizing my own damage. Now, it’s a matter of a contest of skill.
“Ho? What’s that look?”
While inwardly thanking the instructor for still indulging my idle chatter, I slowly began to regulate the flow of magic, which had become rough over the past two days.
“I never thought I’d be able to fight my teacher in full earnest so soon. After all, I’m an old man who’s hit thirty. My physical limits passed long ago. But I’ve been trained to this point.”
And I entwined the roots of the Ore Tree even deeper into my right hand. As I half-jokingly, half-seriously poured out my true feelings, the instructor scoffed at my words.
“Certainly, when I first saw you, I thought you were a useless human who had reached his limit. But that was only because my eyes were blind. I failed to see the shining raw gem hidden deep within the hard rock. But you’ve clawed your way up to this point. Now you can kill me. Yes, I’ll state it plainly. Your strength is such that you’re grabbing my leg and trying to climb even higher.”
“You say such pleasing things.”
“I’m not so narrow-minded as to not offer a word of praise when I’ve gone to such lengths to set the stage. Strong people are strong. That’s how an Oni works.”
Shivering at the instructor’s praise, I suppressed my elation. I had felt acknowledged before, but being directly told I was strong was exceptionally gratifying.
“So that’s why.”
However, I couldn’t afford to remain pleased for long.
“Please, don’t you dare die.”
A single grin from the instructor sent a shiver down my spine, evaporating my joy. The instructor crossed his hands in front of his face, beginning to enhance the purity of his magic.
“Only the General has ever seen this form. Not even that Nōraifu fellow.”
And the instructor hadn’t been fighting with his full power in the battle up until now. Black patterns ran across his crimson skin, like cursed script. They spread across his body, and an instant later, a thumping sound, like a heartbeat, echoed in my ears.
“From this point onward, this is me, Oniō Raidou’s, genuine true power.”
Then, the black patterns slowly began to change color. The patterns that should have been black were illuminated with heat, blazing red, crimson, and scarlet.
“Jiro, don’t expect any mercy from this point on, like when I trained you. This is a technique within me that absolutely kills the opponent. If you don’t want to die, kill me.”
Then, his hidden face appeared from behind his crossed arms.
“Your horns.”
“Yes, that’s right. My horns were originally longer. Oni horns are a symbol of strength. But my power was too great. That’s why I had to seal it to control that power.”
Three long, thick horns, looking like crimson jewels, glowed brightly. It was clear that a considerable amount of magic was leaking from those horns. And with the increased magic, his muscles began to bulge. The instructor was already large, but he became one, even two, sizes larger.
“But honestly, it’s restrictive to keep them bound. If I don’t unleash my full power like this sometimes, the stress builds up too much.”
In reality, I shouldn’t have let this change go unnoticed. I should have attacked before he could muster all his strength and bring him to his best condition. But I had no inclination to do so. Did I give up, thinking I couldn’t win? No. Was it a matter of etiquette? No, absolutely not. Was my thinking not keeping up? No, no, no. Then what was it?
“Gahahaha! Jiro, you truly are the man I expected!! To be able to laugh even when seeing this form!!”
When the instructor said that, I gently placed my other hand on my cheek. Indeed, I was smiling. My smile was unconscious. Was this the smile that appears when one gives up? Was it the smile that stems from some ridiculous notion of not attacking during a transformation? Was it the smile that appears when one’s thoughts abandon them in shock? I shall say it aloud. No.
“Of course, it is.”
The emotion directed towards the instructor, who was showing his true power, was not fear, nor despair, nor grief. It was joy. Pure and simple. In response, I released the magic I had been conserving. Ah, from this point on, calculations would only get in the way. If I can’t defeat the instructor before my magic runs out, I lose. I’ll forget the time limit. I’ll unleash all of Valse-san’s abilities, the Ore Tree’s abilities, and all my magic.
“It’s only natural to be happy when someone fights you with all their might!!”
“Gahahaha! Jiro! Why weren’t you born an Oni!!”
Releasing my magic, I now challenge the final battle against the Oni.
Today’s word:
From this point on, it’s straight ahead!!
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Currently, I am serializing another work: Pandora Pandemic Panic – Pandora’s Box Has Been Opened Again, but I’m fighting back with a secret base and various other things!! Please check that out as well!!
