Kanata resurrected by Lilith’s cheer, and the Natto Bacteria seem to have started working immediately.
Revived thanks to my little partner, I started moving energetically from the next day.
First, I resumed the training I had been slacking on in the indoor training ground. I need to get stronger to avoid repeating that crushing defeat!
My belief that the strong only exist through diligent effort was shattered by the Grim Reaper, but he is he, and I am I.
I thought I had been training seriously before, but I realized I hadn’t been truly desperate.
Perhaps I had been arrogant about the potential of this cloned body of Agito.
That arrogance was broken by the Grim Reaper. I don’t know when I’ll encounter an opponent equal to him.
Dying after being naturally defeated by a superior opponent; that’s not how I or Lilith would die.
To confront a superior opponent, mastering the final ultimate technique of the Mugen Ittouryu, the Mugen Jin: Shuuen, would be the best way…
This didn’t go well. The prerequisite, the Tenrou Eye, cannot be activated stably.
Even if I can activate it sometimes, I can’t sustain it. I can’t even get to the point of releasing Shuuen, let alone shortening the preparation time…
Why can’t I do it now when I could do it then! I almost understand Dr. Shijima’s feelings.
I sat in meditation in the training hall and thought.
Why can’t I do it? Is it because I lack the desperation I had then? That’s part of it.
But isn’t it that I lack the prerequisites to activate the Tenrou Eye, which is a prerequisite for Shuuen?
While it’s a complicated issue to think about lacking the prerequisites for the prerequisites, I might have to think this way.
The Evil Eye ability is also a spiritual ability. Perhaps there’s a limiter on me, who is still immature, to prevent me from becoming blind.
Back then, the situation was “if I can’t activate it, it’s over,” so maybe the limiter was removed.
…This is meaningless speculation. There’s also the possibility that I simply haven’t mastered the Wolf Eye.
Alright! I’ll focus on honing my Wolf Eye further and gaining the strength to withstand the Tenrou Eye.
And I need to polish my swordsmanship even more.
The ultimate technique of one-hit kill, imbued with the power of the Tenrou, is Mugen Jin: Shuuen.
To put it the other way around, becoming one-hit kill means “if it’s dodged, it’s over.”
It would be too idiotic to lose after my ultimate move, which gambled everything, was easily dodged.
The swordsmanship skill to ensure a hit is also a necessary condition to master Shuuen.
The reason I was defeated by the Grim Reaper was simply that he was a complete novice at swordsmanship and martial arts.
After finishing my training, I changed clothes and headed to the minor operation room.
Even though I arrived ten minutes early, everyone else was already there.
The Commander, the Lieutenant Colonel, Marika-san, Shigure-san, and Shion and I were the members for the deliberation.
“You’re here, Ijike-rou. Sit down quickly.”
Ignoring the teasing from my direct superior (Marika-san), I took my seat.
“Marika, it seems Kanata has switched modes. I didn’t need to give him a wake-up call.”
It seems Shigure-san was also worried about me. I’m such a disobedient disciple.
“I’m fine now. Let’s begin.”
“Indeed. The crying crow has stopped crying and is now smiling. Let’s begin. Kurando, display the recording on the screen.”
The combat recording of me and the Grim Reaper was displayed on the operation room’s screen.
“Shion, you recorded it with your wristwatch’s recording mode? That’s a fine play.”
“I started recording as soon as I regained consciousness. ‘Even when you fall, you don’t get up empty-handed’ is also a proverb of the Izuruha Nations.”
That’s a more common proverb than “the crying crow has stopped crying and is now smiling.”
The Lieutenant Colonel, seeing the Grim Reaper’s completely amateur fighting style, slammed the table and shouted.
“What is this guy! He’s like a complete amateur… no, he IS a complete amateur!”
You think so too, Lieutenant Colonel. Well, according to him…
“The Grim Reaper says he read a textbook titled ‘Master Swordsman Anyone Can Become’ and took a correspondence course…”
Marika-san, with her lips pursed into a straight line, retorted unhappily to the Grim Reaper’s full of lies nonsense.
“His sense of humor and swordsmanship are the worst… but he is a threat. What is this superhuman physical strength and ridiculous Psyche-Gravity Power? His type is similar to a rabid dog…”
As the battle entered its final stages, Shigure-san, seeing the Grim Reaper unleash his true power, said with a grim expression:
“He’s not like Mad Dog. Mad Dog has innate combat sense, but this Grim Reaper doesn’t. This man is no different from an amateur swinging a bamboo sword. However… I hate to admit it, but I don’t think I could win either. It feels like my years of diligent training are being denied, and I can’t accept it…”
Despite being a complete amateur, the Grim Reaper, who can be strong just by his physical ability and Nenshin Power, is the type who tramples on Shigure-san’s efforts through diligent training, by the head.
The video cut off as Shion ran to jump into the lake, and the Commander looked around at us and began to speak.
“This is the combat record of the Grim Reaper, Tomatoushirou. According to the analysis team, the Grim Reaper’s estimated Nenshin Strength is 10 million N, just as he said in his conversation with Kanata.”
“10 million N!? It exceeds even Mad Dog’s and Lilith’s 6 million N!”
Even the usually calm and collected Shigure-san couldn’t hide his surprise at the ridiculous Nenshin Strength.
“Tomatoushirou, huh? It’s an obvious alias. I suppose ‘toushirou’ means he’s an amateur, but… at his full power, his physical strength might exceed Abby’s. With this physical strength and Nenshin Power, who needs swordsmanship and martial arts, right? I don’t like it.”
Marika-san said, grinding her cigarette into the ashtray roughly, and the Commander mentioned further points of threat.
“As you all probably know, the Grim Reaper also uses pyrokinesis. What’s unusual is that he fuses two types of abilities: fire and lightning. I’ve never heard of pyrokinesis fusion, but it’s a fact, and we have to accept it. Furthermore, considering his high physical ability, we can consider him a perfect match.”
“This is absurd. Can he do anything he wants? What do you think, Kanata, who actually fought him?”
I understand how Sarah Connor felt when she was attacked by the Terminator.
“I agree it’s absurd. The fusion of pyrokinesis is probably unique to him. It might even be the power of the Evil Eye.”
“Evil Eye? Kanata, does he also possess the Evil Eye!?”
“Lieutenant Colonel, please rewind to when he unleashed his full power. Stop there! Zoom in on his face.”
“…A cross-like pattern appears in his pupils. It doesn’t look unlike an Evil Eye.”
“Shigure, considering his personality, it could be a bluff. He might have prepared an image and projected it onto his retina.”
“Marika-san, while it’s true that the Grim Reaper is the type to use bluffs, I don’t think this particular pupil detail is a bluff. Besides, the meaning…”
“Indeed. It doesn’t have much meaning.”
Marika-san nodded, and Shion, who had been listening quietly, summarized the Grim Reaper’s combat abilities.
“From this footage and our experiences, the Grim Reaper’s abilities are… a heavyweight with top-level power and toughness. His reaction speed is abnormally fast, and his speed is far greater than that of an average lightweight. He boasts an estimated 10 million N of Nenshin Power, and possesses a unique ability of fused pyrokinesis. Furthermore, he possesses the Sacred Sword, Houshou Burai, a single strike of the Supreme Sword. That’s about it.”
Shion, you keep piling on the jokes, even if they’re not funny, but you’re missing something? His favorite is Ten-don, you know.
“A superhuman with inhuman physical abilities and ridiculous Nenshin Strength. Except for being a complete amateur at swordsmanship and martial arts, there’s no opening to exploit.”
The Commander, lighting another cigarette with a displeased look, Marika-san offered her opinion.
“With all due respect, can we really exploit anything? The reason he’s a complete amateur at swordsmanship and martial arts is that he doesn’t need it. His casually swung sword has the power of a one-hit kill, and his Psyche-Gravity Wall, which damages even those standing nearby, and his Psyche-Gravity Break, which flies at you like a rapid-fire gun when you step away. I’d say he has no weaknesses in offense, defense, or range. In terms of power, perhaps only Abby or Ikkaku in the Garden could contend with him?”
“Marika, while Ikkaku might be alright, Abby is problematic. Abby’s style is to deflect the opponent’s attacks with barriers and armor…”
“Shigure is right. In fact, he’s a natural enemy for Abby and Ikkaku, who are not good at evasion. While his slashes are amateurish, they are fast and numerous. It’s like a power hitter delivering rapid-fire heavy blows.”
Saying this, the Commander crossed his arms and pondered. Everyone else also had thoughtful expressions.
“Um, it might be presumptuous of me to say this, as I was the one who ran away with my tail between my legs, but I think there are openings.”
As I raised my hand, ten pairs of eyes turned towards me at once.
“Ooh, don’t stare. It’s embarrassing.”
“Kanata, stop joking for now! Can’t you consider the seriousness of the situation!”
The Commander, uncrossing his arms, slammed the table, causing the ashtray and plastic bottle on it to jump.
“So I can joke later?”
“Kurando will ask. Speak your thoughts first.”
Prompted by the Commander, who passed the troublesome task to his head attendant, I stated my thoughts.
“The Grim Reaper is invincible, but I think we can exploit the fact that he’s not omnipotent.”
“That doesn’t make sense. What’s the difference between invincible and omnipotent?”
“Marika-san is invincible and omnipotent, but the Grim Reaper is not.”
“Stop flattering me later! What are you trying to say?”
“First, underwater combat. In fact, we escaped by diving into the lake, and the Grim Reaper didn’t follow. I don’t think the Grim Reaper, who is a complete amateur at swordsmanship and martial arts, is also a master of swimming. Also, lightning strikes can cause self-electrocution when used underwater. I don’t think his troublesome pyrokinesis ability can be used underwater?”
“I see. Kanata, you have more points, don’t you?”
I have to live up to Marika-san’s expectations.
“His attacks are like bludgeoning weapons that randomly change shape and are difficult to dodge, but the key lies in Houshou Burai. That kind of fighting style is probably only possible with Houshou Burai. An ordinary sword wouldn’t withstand his Nenshin Power, and Houshou Burai, as its name suggests, might have a characteristic of easily becoming electrified. If we steal Houshou Burai or create a situation where he can’t use it, his threat will be halved.”
Shigure-san, nodding with a “hmmm hmmm,” opened his mouth.
“We might also be able to exploit the fact that he’s a heavyweight.”
“Director Shigure, what do you mean?”
In response to Shion’s question, Shigure-san replied with his hands clasped on the table.
“Heavyweights have a fundamental weakness: ‘heaviness.’ For example, if we lure him into a marshland, he’ll sink up to his knees with his own weight. His movement will be significantly slowed. If the Grim Reaper had martial arts knowledge, he might be able to compensate, but as we’ve seen, he’s a complete amateur.”
“I see. As Shigure and Kanata say, there might be surprisingly many loopholes. While I was surprised by the Grim Reaper’s astonishing abilities, upon calm reflection, there seems to be a way. Let’s all consider it.”
As the Commander said this, we all entered into deliberations while consuming coffee and cigarettes.
Several countermeasures were formulated into tactics, and the personnel selection for their execution was completed. The briefing was adjourned.
Shion said she was going to buy ingredients for dinner, so I decided to go with her to the shopping district.
While putting groceries into the shopping basket at the supermarket in the shopping district, Shion spoke to me.
“‘Invincible but not omnipotent.’ That was a good analysis. I knew you were the Captain.”
“…The Grim Reaper’s most dangerous ability isn’t his Nenshin Strength or physical ability, though.”
“?? What do you mean?”
“It’s that he’s an extremely quick-tempered man. It’s possible that what we think is a trap for him might actually be his trap.”
The best approach would be to surpass him in overall strength. Perhaps only another perfect match can do that against the Grim Reaper, who is a perfect match.
A perfect match… Marika-san would likely challenge the Grim Reaper without fear.
Marika-san is the strongest soldier of the alliance… no, the strongest soldier in the world. She can win even against the Grim Reaper.
That conviction remains unshaken, but… there’s another conviction.
Even Marika-san won’t emerge unscathed if she fights the Grim Reaper head-on. That’s also true.
