PART 7
Amidst the fighting between Basara's group of girls and the Qilin of the Five
Elements across their individual cardinal directions, one particular girl was
having a more challenging time than the others.
It was Naruse Mio, representative of the Fire Element, and responsible for the
Western section.
The greater difficulty of her battle didn't come from the fact that the white
Qilin representing the Metal Element before her—Sakumei—was particularly
stronger than the other Qilin.
Mio, who had performed the MasterServant Vow with Basara much like the
other girls had after surrendering everything to Basara, now felt incredible
magical power growing within her to such an extent that even she couldn't
believe it herself.
Moreover, Mio's Fire Element was advantageous against Sakumei's Metal
Element.
Even if Mio couldn't let her guard down for a second against Sakumei—a
separate body of Qilin, equal to Kouryuu in rank—she could at least maintain
equal footing in a one-versus-one scenario.
And yet Mio found herself troubled amidst her battle; it turned out that
Sakumei wasn't the only one in her way as she battled amidst the lush green
surroundings of one of the baseball fields of Kinuta Park.
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"…Such a stubborn tiger." Mio muttered, annoyed, as she floated into the air
with flying magic. Beneath her was another white sacred beast apart from
Sakumei, a beast that the group should have already subdued during their first
battle—Byakko.
The sacred spear, now situated upon one of the baseball fields of Kinuta Park,
was the real Byakko that Basara had brought into the barrier after their first
battle. Shiba had utilized the holy sword Georgius as a substitute for Byakko,
having stolen it from Celis as he left the Village during their skirmish.
Balflear had subsequently removed Georgius from its location by force, and
Basara had no choice by to stabilize the space by stabbing Byakko into the
baseball field back then; Shiba's fiveelemental barrier, constructed in a
reversed order of the cardinal directions was about to be dispelled, but it
couldn't be returned to its normal space with the risk of the Four Gods,
arranged in an inverted order, running wild.
Byakko had manifested into its sacred beast form as a result of this, and it
took Mio great effort for her to subdue it during their first battle.
But even that had been part of Shiba's plans…with Mio and the others
defeating the manifested forms of the Four Gods, the central district could be
put into a critical state that would allow Kouryuu to manifest.
And even at this very moment, Kouryuu was growing ever closer to its full
manifestation.
As such, Byakko's appearance was supposed to be impossible, as it would
otherwise hinder the manifestation period of Kouryuu.
And yet… it had manifested once more despite that.
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Mio pondered upon another possibility.
The manifestation of Byakko that Mio had defeated back then had appeared
when Basara pierced the sacred spear into the ground of the pitcher's mound.
The sacred spear had been bestowed the power of the Wind element from the
Four Classical Elements by the Hero Clan; however, the manifestation of
Byakko before her now was utilizing the Metal Element of the Five
Elements.
Even if the alignment of the Four Gods could have possibly affected this,
Byakko being capable of fighting at full power after an immediate systematic
change from the Classical Elements to the Five Elements, such that its own
element itself had changed, no less, was rather unusual.
In other words—
Byakko had manifested itself from the energy of Metal Element driven into
the ground when the holy sword Georgius was used as a fake copy for
Byakko; the Byakko before her now, on the other hand, was manifested from
the real sacred spear, having changed its inherent element from one from the
Four Classical Elements to the one of the Five Elements—from the Wind
element to the Metal Element.
Nevertheless, it wouldn't be difficult for Mio to take it down in her current
state—provided that it was her only opponent.
True enough, Mio was now to battle against both Byakko and Sakumei.
This fiveelemental space is more troublesome than I'd expected, Mio thought,
her attention on the Sakumei as the white Qilin was in battle against her in
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the sky, while Byakko stood below.
The enemy's power would increase additively or multiplicatively in a more
straightforward manner if this were a normal space; however, this was the
special space Shiba had made using the Five Elements as a base.
—The elemental relationships between the Five Elements were not exclusive
to compatibility and incompatibility; the Five Elements, classified into five as
per their namesake, also possessed five individual relationships:
compatibility, incompatibility, uniformity, synergy, and balance.
The simultaneous manifestation of Byakko and Sakumei was a compound
between both beasts that possessed the same Metal element, increasing the
area's power to achieve a state of uniformity.
And quite a potent state, at that.
"————"
"————"
The sacred beast and the divine beast—Byakko and Sakumei— began to
attack Mio simultaneously.
On the ground, Byakko transformed magnetite sand from the earth's surface
into countless spears and shot them at her at high speed; Sakumei, on the
other, expelled an unending flurry of crescent blades from its body that
threatened to cut through everything in their path.
The resultant combination between the linear and curved bladed attacks was a
devastation that took on a complex pattern as it approached Mio.
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"Gah…Damn it!"
Mio immediately used her fire magic to form a spherical wall that surrounded
her entire body.
After exchanging her vows with Basara, her fire magic had developed as such
that she could elevate it to such burning temperatures that they were
incomparable to the magic she used to destroy Byakko in their first battle.
No—she had no other choice. It had to be done, as the enemy's attacking
power wasn't exactly the same as when she faced Byakko the first time
either, and she had to put in all of her strength to repel the two beasts'
attacks.
If she were to slack even in the slightest to save her magical power, her
barrier might be unable to fully resist Byakko and Sakumei's attacks, that
would eventually pierce through and shred her to ribbons.
She had to give it her all.
Byakko and Sakumei's attacks continuously lunged at Mio's flaming barrier,
disappearing into ashes without a trace. And yet—
"————"
"————"
The sacred beast and the divine beast, both of the Metal element, showed no
signs of letting up any time soon.
The battle now stood at a stalemate where Mio could only focus on defending
herself from their attacks, without being capable of doing anything else.
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—Kinuta Park was the center of the area housing the Metal Element; as such,
Byakko and Sakumei of the same element possessed inexhaustible power
against Mio, who instead had to use her full power and was vulnerable to
resource loss.
… They wanted to drag the battle with a war of attrition to cut more time.
The longer the battle lasted, it would be disadvantageous not for Mio alone,
but for Basara as well.
Mio needed to find an opening to drive them back; however, she had yet to
see one thus far. She could inflict reasonable damage if she to strike the
beasts with the full power of her fire magic. Expanding her flaming barrier,
she attempted to attack the two beasts with a wide area attack with her fire
magic after gauging their reaction velocity; however, her attacks could not
catch Byakko and Sakumei, their powers strengthened from the uniformity of
their relationship of the Five Elements.
"If that's the case—…Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Mio then utilized wind magic to form a tornado that surrounded them; she
was opting for the strategy she had used when she had first battled and
subsequently eradicated Byakko.
Using a tornado to stir up magnetite sand and electricizing it would form a
powerful electromagnet that would pull Byakko and Sakumei of the Metal
element to the burning temperatures of her flaming barrier and evaporate
them.
"————"
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But the moment Mio was about to cast her lightning magic, Sakumei let out a
shrill neighing, letting out a bright flash of white light from its body.
The next moment, her lightning magic struck with a thunderous roar, but its
trajectory steered away from the storm of magnetite sand that surrounded
Mio, instead directly falling upon Sakumei.
"!…It can't be…it used itself as a lightning rod?!"
As Mio stood dumbfounded that Shoko had saw through her plan, the
magnetite sandstorm surrounding her was also quickly sucked in by Sakumei.
Sakumei of the Metal element had formed coils in its body that allowed it
control metal; after taking the full brunt of Mio's lightning attack and
electrified itself, it transformed its flesh into a powerful electromagnet.
And the moment Sakumei had gathered a large amount of magnetite sand—
"————"
It began to glow brightly once more as it released large waves of plasma this
time shining with greater brightness than before, blinding all that was
exposed to the flash of light around it.
"————!"
Simultaneously, Mio quickly dispelled her fire barrier and cast her
gravitational magic.
Sakumei absorbed a large amount of magnetite sand into its body,
transforming the lightning magic that had brought about its conductive state
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into electric particles and dispersing them; Mio's barrier made from fire
magic wouldn't withstand such an electrical attack.
As a defensive measure, Mio used her gravitational magic to create a
dimensional gap that formed a barrier; she subsequently dispelled her fire
barrier in order to avoid the violent explosion and conflagration that would
ensue from the clash between the fire barrier and Sakumei's electric attacks
from shaking the space and break the existing gravitational barrier.
The next moment—countless clumps of plasma burst amidst the white flash
of fight.
The charged particles from Sakumei struck the space of Mio's gravitational
barrier and exploded.
"…That was close."
She had to sustain the surrounding magnetic storm until the flash of light
would disappear; if she hadn't made the MasterServant Vow with Basara, she
wouldn't have been able to sustain her gravitational magic for that long.
…Basara.
Mio's thoughts fell on the one she loved more than anything else, her beloved
Basara, her one and absolute master.
Basara absolutely had to take down Shiba after all this.
In order to facilitate an advantageous environment for him as best they could,
Mio and the others need to hurry in making a new fiveelemental barrier with
Solomon's Seal.
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…And her responsibility at present was to first restrict Byakko—the white
colored sacred spear, the source of the power of the Metal Element brimming
in the west.
Sakumei was merely a product that manifested from said power; her priority
thus lied in defeating Byakko.
That said, it was still necessary for her to restrict their movement one way or
another before she could land any effective attacks on them.
In that case, then…
The moment Sakumei withdrew the electric current of its attack, Mio
unleashed an attack before her with gravitational magic.
She prepared to pin Byakko onto the ground with her gravitational magic
while unleashing her fire magic at her surroundings, destroying Byakko in
one go; and as she would do so with her barrier made from her fire magic
intact, she could nullify Sakumei's Metal element attacks.
In other words, she intended to attack Byakko, subdue Sakumei, and drive the
power of the Fire Element into the earth's surface—to perform all three tasks
in one fell swoop.
To put it in another way, that was the only thing she could do—she had no
other option.
"Take this…!"
The moment the flash of light would weaken and visibility of her
surroundings would turn to normal, Mio would be prepared to put her plan
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into action.
And the moment the flash of light dissipated as if it were mist—
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH—!"
Taking an offensive stance from her initial defensive stance with her
gravitational magic, Mio sent crimson waves across the earth's surface below
her; and as she prepared to unleash her fire magic at the next moment—
…Eh...?
She prepared to unleash her fire magic, she suddenly lost sight of her target
beneath her—something that left Mio's mind blank for a moment.
Byakko was gone.
Had it been subdued by her gravitational magic? It couldn't have.
Had it been destroyed amidst Sakumei's storm of charged particles? Neither
was that the case.
Where did it go, then? It was then Mio found a clue from a flattened, silver
metal object from the corner of her eye.
It was a metal clump crushed by Mio's gravitational magic; and the size of
the crushed form of the metal anomaly before her appeared to be quite
massive.
"—!?"
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Immediately, Mio reflexively looked upwards behind her—toward her blind
spot.
And she could see that the massive Byakko was drawing closer to her before
her very eyes.
It turned out that Byakko had leapt into the air to a higher position behind
Mio through a metal scaffolding higher than Mio's position in midair when
her sight had been obscured by the flash of Sakumei's charged particles.
The moment she realized this, Byakko's talons were already at such a close
range that it would be improbable for her to dodge them in time.
"Gah…!"
"————"
Mio had no choice but the release her fire magic on the spot, as Byakko
aimed to tear her apart before she could do so.
And then came the next moment.
A loud noise resounded—but it was neither the roar of a violent explosion
nor a sharp slashing sound.
It was instead a shrill clashing of steel—and it came from someone who now
stood before Mio's eyes.
"But you're…"
Mio dumbfoundedly stared at the figure who had suddenly got between her
and Byakko.
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The golden-haired young man who had entered the battle in the nick of time
before Mio's magic and the Byakko's talons could clash wielded a weapon
that was different from Byakko…the Reienkyo.
Hayase Takashi of the Hero Clan now stood before her.
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PART 8
A battle was ensuing in the Eastern district—in an area nearby the Shinozaki
flood gate close to the Edo River.
Nonaka Yuki was now sparring against Shoko, the blue Qilin.
During her previous battle with Seiryuu, she managed to defeat it by
changing the venue of their battleground from the Edo River, first to
Kinshicho, and then Monzenkancho; however, she could not utilize the same
tactic this time round.
…She had to suppress Seiryuu instead.
The sacred sword Seiryuu, now continuously amplifying the Wood element
in this eastern district, was currently stabbed onto a tree's trunk in the nearby
greenlands.
She could not leave this place.
Above all, Shoko still possessed its typical tranquil demeanor and disliked
fighting despite it being another variant of Qilin—it would not come toward
her so long as she kept her distance. Nevertheless, Yuki was forced to fight
Shoko in such a location where the latter possessed a locational advantage, as
the Water Element of the Edo River possessed compatibility with Shoko's
Wood Element that would strengthen it in battle.
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Having made her MasterServant Vow with Basara, Yuki could initially match
Shoko toe-to-toe;
inevitably, however, she slowly began to become disadvantaged.
The space they were in was one made with the Five Elements as a base; as
Kouryuu's manifestation rate continued to progress, one would assume that
the Five Elements within the space—with the exception of the Earth Element
in the central district—would amplify under their cycle of compatibility,
subsequently resulting in the power of the Four Gods and the Qilin in their
respective regions to grow over time.
Amidst this, Yuki, who was now fighting against Shoko, found herself in the
same dire situation Mio was in she sparred against Sakumei in the west.
Yuki's Metal Element possessed incompatibility with Seiryuu and Shoko's
Wood Element.
Yuki may have possessed the elemental advantage on paper; the issue lied in
the Edo River, which represented the Water element as one would expect.
Yuki represented the Metal Element, which possessed compatibility with the
Water Element of the Edo River; in other words, the presence of the Water
Element meant that Yuki was indirectly strengthening Seiryuu and Shoko;
moreover, such a relationship was somewhat parasitic in nature in that it
strengthened the beneficiary while it weakened the provider.
Of course, there was also the abundance of the Earth element around her to
consider that strengthened Yuki's Metal element; between the riverbank and
the asphalt, a large portion of the vicinity was synthetically inlaid land.
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Nevertheless…
It was no match for the amplification of the Wood Element from the
fiveelemental relationships that this area provided for the enemy.
She was thus incapable of defeating Shoko alone.
…If only Zest were here.
She could aid her by strengthening the Earth Element around her, thereby
increasing its compatibility with the Metal Element and increase her chances
of taking down Shoko…but there was no use lamenting over that now.
They had to assume the responsibility of each individual element on their
own if they were to construct Solomon's Seal.
And so—
"...HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
With a flash of her blade, she sent out energy blades that attempt to slice
through all in their wake.
Mere slashes, however, were useless against Shoko at its current state; thus,
Yuki added the Earth Element to her energy blades as a compatibility
reaction by running the tip of her sword across the earth's surface.
Her attacks of the Metal Element after running her sword across the ground's
surface had sharpened as a result of the compatibility with the Earth Element,
such that they would be enough to defeat Shoko in one strike.
Such was what she expected to happen. However—
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"—————!"
The next moment, Yuki was shocked by the sudden occurrence.
Her most powerful attacks had been knocked aside— and not from Shoko
itself.
Instead, it was a massive shield made from massive trees that emerged from
the surface of the Kyu Edo River.
"But how…" Yuki was dumbfounded.
The best explanation would be that Shoko used the Water element of the river
sprout countless trees from the water's surface; the expenditure of such an
amount elemental power dried up the Kyu Edo River for a moment, but the
riverbed was quickly refilled from the water supply upstream.
"—————!"
Seeing this, Yuki moved as if she were an arrow.
There was no time to hesitate; she had to make the most of the lack of water
in the Kyu Edo River if she wanted to take down Shoko. Running with all the
speed she could muster, she leapt from the riverbank and lunged toward her
enemy.
"—————"
In response, Shoko let out a shrill cry as a maelstrom began to form,
encircling their surroundings; the surrounding leaves and branches that made
the greenland of the Kyu Edo Driver lunged at Yuki as if they possessed a
mind of their own.
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"—————!"
Realizing the sharpness of the leaves that were coming at her, Yuki
immediately conjured a magic pentagram with the tip of her blade and
formed a barrier of the Metal Element; she knocked Shoko's storm of leaves
aside and forced herself forward. And the moment she escaped the storm of
sharp leaves, she swung her sword inversely in a slanting, upward direction.
The sakura petals that were formed from the gesture formed an arch shaped
bridge above the massive trees that emerged from below the Kyu Edo River;
and as Yuki gave it her all and advanced forward, reached the highest point
of the bridge—
"—————"
Shoko cried again, and the trees of the Kyu Edo River grew even more
explosively.
"—————!?"
As Yuki swallowed a breath, trees with sharp blades as their tips sprouted
from beneath the bridge made of sakura petals made from Sakuya, lunging
themselves at her.
—Yuki could take the attack by calling out Sakuya; however, she would not
be able to dodge the trees that would emerge at her impact zone.
Rather than attempt to evade the attack, the only other option she had was the
jump.
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Even then, she could wouldn't be able to dodge the wooden protrusions in the
air where she could not keep any footing.
There was nowhere to run.
…If that's the case…!
If there was no avoiding the attack, she might as well face it head on; she
immediately decided her next move—to jump.
She wasn't attempting to dodge, however.
Yuki intended to accelerate her speed and lunge forward in a slanting motion;
and while she was still in midair, she wanted to strike before Shoko could
make its next attack and take it down with a single slash once and for all.
Of course, Shoko could still sprout massive trees to block Yuki's attacks just
as it did before.
That was why—
…I must press on!
She had to succeed—she would cut and hack with all her might, cleave
through the wooden bulwark and defeat Shoko.
And as she wagered herself to do or die, a sudden gust of wind caused Yuki
to rapidly ascend from her location.
"...Eh…?"
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As she opened her eyes in surprise, she found herself high above in the sky,
Shoko within her sight now as small as a grain of rice.
No matter how far Shoko's trees could extend, they couldn't possibly reach
the altitude she was now at immediately; Shoko itself could not reach her that
quickly either.
She had been saved—and as she settled into the reality of the situation,
"Don't you think it's a little too early for you to gamble on such a reckless
suicide attack?"
A familiar, laughing voice came out behind her; and as Yuki turned around,
she recognized a familiar face who now stood at her level of direct sight—a
certain childhood friend.
"Celis…" Yuki muttered, surprised by her appearance.
"Yes, it's me…sorry to keep you waiting." The Holy Knight of the Vatican,
Celis Reinhardt, smiled as she said so before snapping the fingers of her right
hand.
"Earth Magic…"
"Yes. As the wielder of Georgius, I am capable of utilizing all four Classical
Elements…and much like St. George was a holy man of agriculture, my best
element happens to be the Earth Element."
Thus—
"Although I'm not really suited to against that sacred beast of the Wood
Element and there's the fact that I only have a substitute sacred sword since
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Georgius was stolen by Shiba…I'm nevertheless still capable of using my
power to increase your Metal element with compatibility."
It was exactly what Yuki desperately needed in this situation—the elemental
amplification that would give her the power to defeat Shoko.
"But how did you get in here?"
"Shiba's actions are the responsibility of both the Village and the Vatican. In
order to prevent this from spreading out to other regions, our operation here
needs to be kept secret and resolved quickly—that's what I've told
headquarters, at least." Celis said, "And while I'm not convinced they'll just
take it as it is just like that…they didn't say anything in regards to my
decision to help you guys out, so I'm guessing they want to assess the
situation first."
And while she was at it—
"Takashi's also come here on his own accord without consent from the
Elders…I imagine Shuuyasan and Kaorusan are covering for him right now."
"Takashi's here as well?"
"Yes…he's gone to suppress Byakko." She continued. "And as for how
we've managed to enter this space, it's because of the dimensional tunnel
made by that young succubus girl you're familiar with."
"A succubus capable of making a dimensional tunnel…are your referring to
Sheilasan?"
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"I believe that was her name, yes…she's waiting for you all outside this
space." Being unfamiliar with Sheila, Celis appeared puzzled with the way
that Yuki addressed her, but continued on, nonetheless.
"Takashi and I immediately set out for Tokyo after leaving the Village, but
then we met up with that young special corps officer from the Demon Realm
and some other Demons that appeared to be his higher-ups, and then that girl
told us—"
She took a deep breath.
"She told us that you and Kurumi have been deemed sanctuary like Basara
and the others, and such an order cannot be violated. And given that they too
wanted to help out with the situation…they asked us if we wanted to join
them."
"But that means…" Yuki's eyes widened at Celis' words.
She wasn't surprised that Sheila had come to the human world; it wasn't
difficult to understand the reasons for her intervention, for she was mother to
Maria, who was also involved in this difficult situation.
But if Takigawa's comrades were truly high ranking Demons as Celis had
described, Leohart had to be among them.
She never would've thought that the current Demon Lord would have come
to involve himself in the matter personally; even more so, she could not fully
sink in the fact that she and her younger sister Kurumi had been deemed
sanctuary during such a time.
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But above all, one fact stood out as the most surprising truth of them all:
Celis and Takashi had willingly agreed to Sheila's suggestion.
…But the two of them are…
Celis and Takashi held great pride in their status as members of the Hero
Clan; they were unlikely to willingly utilize the power of Sheila, a member of
the Demon Realm.
They knew that such an act would be considered a betrayal of the Hero Clan.
And yet Celis and Leohart had appeared in their battleground—even Takashi
had joined the fray.
"But why did you…?" Yuki remained astonished at the actions of her
childhood friend, and asked her why she did so.
"It's not like we're actually cooperating with those Demons, you know?"
Celis suddenly smiled lightly as she said this, "It's just that, Yuki…I believe
in you and Kurumi, just as I believe in Basara. I have no doubt in any one of
you having established historical peace by facilitating an alliance between the
Current Demon Lord Faction and the Moderate Faction. I don't think there's
anything wrong with their desire to protect all of you."
After all—
"That's how both Takashi and I think of all this right now."
"Celis…" Yuki was speechless at Celis, who smiled as if all of this meant
nothing to her at all.
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—The current Demon Lord Leohart had brought an army of high ranking
Demons before them; as members of the Hero Clan, they were their enemies
of the absolute highest priority that they needed to address immediately.
But neither Celis and Takashi had acted as such.
They had willingly and temporarily put down their pride—their duty as
members of the Hero Clan—for the sake of coming here.
Not because they were ordered by the Village—not because they held the
pride of being a Holy Knight of the Vatican.
They simply came for the sake of their friends, and that alone.
"There's something I really needed to say but never had the chance," Celis
said, "And it's that everything's alright now. Six years ago, I was helpless,
and I wasn't there for you guys when you were going through the toughest
times…I wasn't capable of heading to the scene of the tragedy and give my
aid. But now—"
A resolute glint appeared in Celis' eyes.
"Things are different this time…I can hold my head high and proudly claim
that I can become your power—to fight alongside you." Her voiced then
trailed with a hint of apologeticness as she made her next statement.
"Although…truth be told, I do want to defeat that sacred beast one-on-one
with my own strength."
"No…you've done enough."
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Yuki nodded at her childhood friend and brought her into a tight embrace, to
which Celis returned with a light smile.
"Six years, huh…I've made you wait so long, haven't I?"
Yuki did not so much as say the simple sentence of "That's not true" to deny
it; much like Yuki's own regrets when Basara was cast out of the Village
back then as she could only see him off, no one but Celis herself should be
allowed to deny her own thoughts and regrets.
Yuki would not apologize for involving Celis into all this, however; she
would never say such a thing, for she would then be trampling over the
resolve and goodwill of the person before her that she treasured so much.
There was only one appropriate answer that Yuki could give to Celis.
"Celis…thanks for coming over to help me."
The next moment, Nonaka Yuki and Celis Reinhardt gazed at the scene
below them—at the sacred beast they were to defeat, one that represented the
Wood Element.
The blue Qilin quietly assessed its current situation.
The girl wielding the spirit sword that had battled it earlier was of the Metal
Element, an element that triumphed over its Wood Element; the goldenhaired girl who had arrived as reinforcements was of the Earth Element, an
element that had compatibility with the other's Metal element.
And then there were the tall surrounding earth walls that the golden-haired
girl had erected around it.
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The walls that were built from the bottom of the river were made to cut the
water supply of the Edo River and isolate their location; as Enku had already
evaporated the Tokyo Bay, if the Edo River's water supply was cut short
even further, the supplementary power of the Water element for it would
decrease.
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It meant that the battleground—the circumstances—would be unfavorable for
Shoko.
"......"
Shoko, however, deduced that it wouldn't be a significant hindrance.
The golden-haired girl was evidently weaker than the girl with the spirit
sword and itself; the fact that she could provide compatibility via the Earth
element posed no threat to it.
So long as its opponents kept their distance, Shoko did not need to act
proactively; it was best for it to converse as much power of the Wood
Element as possible to supply Kouryuu's manifestation in the central district.
Nevertheless, Shoko could also not sit by and watch; the power of the girl
with the sacred sword before her was increasing rapidly. With the water
supply of the Edo River cut, Shoko's current strength couldn't go against
Metal element attacks of such a powerful magnitude.
What is the meaning of this? The circumstances before it puzzled Shoko.
The massive increase in power of the girl wielding the spirit sword by virtue
of the compatibility with the golden-haired girl alone was unexplainable;
however, dwelling over how the girl with the spirit sword's power had
increased with the arrival of the golden-haired girl would not solve anything.
"————"
Shoko let out all of the power of the Wood Element it had in its body in one
go; following that, countless, massive trees emerged from the surrounding
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earth, their sturdy trunks twisting and extending horizontally, reducing the
earth walls in their path to dust as the resultant impact shook the earth with a
deafening echo, whipping out clouds of dust as earth and sand scattered in
their wake.
Shoko had concocted a plan; it would make Edo River flow into the
greenlands, providing it with the compatibility needed to match the attacks of
the girl's spirit sword.
However—
"————?"
The next moment, Shoko appeared to be confused.
The water of the Edo River did not flow into the vicinity.
Shoko immediately flew above the clouded view to survey the earth beneath
it to discover what was going on; it discovered that most of the water of the
Edo River had disappeared, exposing massive, barren portions of the
riverbed.
Was it due to what Enku did in the north? No, it couldn't be.
It was one thing to have evaporated the Tokyo Bay, but if the Edo River were
to be dried up as well, the eastern district would lose its elemental power and
cause the fiveelemental barrier to be unbalanced; and the power of the Wood
element in the entire eastern district had yet to decrease thus far.
Yet there appeared to be no water in the Edo River.
Eventually, Shoko finally found the answer upstream.
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A new river that connected the Edo River to the Naka River had appeared
near the Shibamata Park.
It was likely that the golden-haired girl had changed the landscape with Earth
magic after using the earth walls to hide the surrounding view; this new river,
wider than the Edo River, had been made into the primary current that caused
the water of the Edo River to flow into the Naka River.
And the conflux of the river was slightly upstream of the divergence point
between the Naka River and the New Naka River; as such, the course of the
water of the Edo River was changed to flow into the conflux between the
Naka River and the Arakawa River.
Her elaborate plan of flood control had successfully redirected the river
water.
Did the golden-haired girl of the Earth element secretly implement this plan
knowing she had little to offer in terms of raw power? The riverbed, having
lost its Water Element, was now solid ground—a substance of the Earth
Element.
And the resultant Fiveelemental relationship provided compatibility to the
Metal Element.
The moment Shoko understood the situation, the power of the girl of the
spirit sword had accelerated to a level where even the compatibility brought
about by the remaining water beneath it would be no match for her.
"————…!"
Immediately, Shoko instilled its elemental power into the surrounding trees.
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If there was no water nearby, it could only find a source on its own; it would
extend the roots of the surrounding trees toward the west, toward the Naka
River and the New Naka River, and absorb the water from those rivers with
them.
However, the two girls had taken action far faster than Shoko could extend
the ground's roots toward the neighbouring river; the golden-haired girl had
already drawn her holy sword before it realized it.
"HHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
The two girls, each wielding the spirit sword and the holy sword respectively,
let out a resolute cry in unison as they unleashed their power before Shoko.
The girl with the spirit sword let out consecutive slashing attacks, whipping
out countless energy blades of the the Metal Element; at the same time, the
golden-haired girl brought her holy sword down and let out Earth energy
from it, immediately escalating the elemental power of the energy blades.
It was reaction that came from the resultant compatibility—and the next
moment, an unstoppable barrage of seventytwo consecutive slashes came
lunging forth, swallowing Shoko's line of sight.
There was no escape.
"————"
In such a moment of direness, Shoko called upon a massive wooden bulwark
to protect itself.
It managed to shield itself in time—but even that attempt ended in vain.
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A slash of the Metal Element cleanly cleaved the wooden bulwark in two—
and the next moment, the Shoko's body was cut to piece by an unending
flurry of elemental slashes.
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PART 9
Hayase Takashi had suddenly entered amidst the ensuing battle.
His appearance alone was a scenario that did more than enough to elicit a
surprised reaction from Mio Takashi, however, paid her no mind, defending
himself against the gaping fangs of Byakko.
"WOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
With a resolute cry, he swung his arms as their muscles fleshed themselves
out, swinging Reienkyo in a horizontal motion; Byakko's massive face was
forced to dodge the brunt of the attack, its maw releasing Reienkyo as it leapt
backwards and landed at a spot a considerable distance away from Takashi.
Mio took the opportunity she had to descend upon the ground Takashi was
before asking him again,
"How in the world are you here?"
Although she could see that he was moving right now, Takashi had been
struck with Shiba's attack—he was supposed to have been knocked
unconscious and left in critical condition earlier on. And although Basara had
managed to stabilize his condition, he shouldn't be able to move about freely
for a while, at least without having some period of rest.
Such was why Mio asked him that in the disbelief of his presence here; and
yet Takashi didn't so much as even turn toward her to respond, his gaze
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instead fixated on the pitcher's mound before him—the spot where the sacred
spear stood, Byakko warily keeping watch beside it.
"Stay back. This isn't exactly the best time to explain." He gave no
explanation on his arrival here, and instead simply declared his role as well as
Mio's. "I'll do something about Byakko. For now, just defeat Sakumei!"
Between Mio and Takashi, the two lacked sufficient tacit understanding of
one another to be capable of working together cooperatively; as such their
chances of victory would be better if they were to fight their enemies
individually rather than cooperate for a two-on-two—the best course of
action the two could take.
"…I understand." Mio nodded, gathering her magical power as she turned her
attention to Sakumei— and Takashi then made his next move.
"...…"
Wordlessly, he stabbed Reienkyo into the ground—before walking toward
Byakko empty-handed.
"Wait, what the heck do you think you're doing!?"
His sudden appearance was questionable enough; what else was he planning
to do now, attack with his unarmed fists? Takashi's reckless actions elicited
pleas from Mio to stop.
"Reienkyo, otherwise known as the Seiryo Scimitar…perhaps it's not a
weapon that's suited to fight against my current enemy on paper."
"But doing this isn't…!"
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This wasn't the best way to go out even if he really wanted to kill himself.
And yet Mio could not leave the battlefield she could only restrict Sakumei
while her fire magic was active.
…If she were to make any sudden moves…
Sakumei would strike at any sign of faltering. And yet—
"Hayase!" Mio warned him again, and she received another composed reply
as a response.
"I'm not here to take it down—I'm here to take it back." As he said so,
Takashi had already put himself within Byakko's attack range.
And what came next was to be expected.
Byakko bared its teeth and lunged at Takashi as it detected his presence
nearby, countless steel blades sprouting from his body as it inched closer
toward him. Between its massive build and mass, predatory speed to catch
prey, and the high level of Metal element contained in the blades covering it,
it possessed an extremely potent cutting force, capable of running through
anything in its path like a hot knife through butter.
Committing to a suicidal clash against the giant sickle that was Byakko
would only result in Takashi being shredded to countless pieces.
Such was what was supposed to happen—but at the next moment,
"————?"
Byakko suddenly appeared puzzled.
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Its prey—Takashi—had suddenly disappeared before its very eyes; Mio
herself could not comprehend as to how Takashi had dodged the attack.
She could only see Takashi now situated behind Byakko, as if he had simply
brushed past it unharmed.
"Have you forgotten who I am? I suppose I'll make you remember, then."
Takashi said, as he extended his hand towards the true form of Byakko—the
white spear impaled atop the pitcher's mound.
Byakko, who had once recognized Takashi as its master, was now under the
control of Shiba and his fiveelemental barrier.
What would happen if Takashi were to simply touch Byakko in its current
state?
Mio had experienced the answer firsthand with her very eyes—and her very
ears.
The moment Takashi laid his hands on the shaft of Byakko, a backlash of
Metal energy sprang forth and attacked him as if it rejected him.
Takashi's native battle armor was shredded from the impact, sprays of his
blood fluttering in the air.
Takashi intended to free Byakko from Shiba's control and reclaim its
recognition and the right to wield it.
Mio understood his thought process—but she and the girls would've done so
earlier if it were a valid option long ago. They'd decided to suppress the Four
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Gods through the establishment of another barrier over it simply because
Shiba's hold on the sacred weapons was too powerful and not easily shaken.
"That's reckless, Hayase! Get out of there!" Mio's screams were tinged with
grief. And yet—
"Naruse Mio. I believe I've already told you this, just as I've told Shiba as
well—"
And with an unwavering tone—
"Don't underestimate the Hero Clan."
Such was the extent of Takashi's unfaltering pride—it was why he only held
his grip tighter on Byakko, unwilling to release it.
In response, Byakko released a vortex of white electricity that swallowed
Takashi, emerging in a violent explosion that devastated the surrounding
atmosphere.
"...!"
In spite of all that, Takashi held his grip steady on Byakko—trying to get
some sense into it, as if to try and deliver the fact that Takashi was its true
wielder, to try and make it remember…
"————"
Eventually, the electric surge finally ceased after a long period of enduring—
and the materialized form of Byakko had vanished.
"......…"
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Stripped of energy, Takashi fell to one knee on the ground as if he were a
puppet cut of its strings—and yet even at such a dire moment, Takashi
refused to let go of the shaft of Byakko.
"Hayase…!" Mio cried. And at that moment, there were signs of movement
near her.
It was Sakumei.
A hail of crescent steel fell from the sky—aiming not at Mio, but at Takashi.
"I won't let you…!"
Something had already protected Takashi before she could.
But what?
It was none other the sacred beast of the west, materializing once more to
protect its wielder— Byakko.
"————"
Byakko countered Sakumei's hail of steel blades with its own bladed attacks,
protecting its master from harm; it took a moment's passing of an unending
flurry of clashing steel before Byakko finally struck down Sakumei's blades.
And then—
"————?"
Sakumei's movements faltered somewhat—appearing as if it were
disorientated over witnessing the sudden betrayal of Byakko.
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And before them was an opportunity Hayase Takashi had risked his life to
facilitate—one that Naruse Mio had no intention of letting slip away from her
fingers.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAHH!"
Releasing the energy she'd stored up until this point, she cast her magic a
new magic, one that was only possible after she'd made her vow with Basara,
a combination of both gravitational magic and fire magic.
Hellfire magic.
It was too late for Sakumei to dodge—Mio's fierce hellfire abruptly
consumed the white Qilin and destroyed it. And with her attack she poured
the power of the Fire element into the ground—thereupon which a crimson
glow ran across the it as if the element were stretched across its surface.
The next moment, the elements of five colors combined their power together
to form a single crest.
The five girls of whom had exchanged their vows with Toujou Basara had
successfully completed Solomon's Seal.
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PART 10
Something had sensed the full manifestation of Solomon's Seal.
It stood directly below Kouryuu, the latter's evermanifesting body remained
twining around the Tokyo Tower.
It was the yellow divine beast that was protecting the capital — the Qilin.
"..."
Moreover, it could sense the destruction of four other beings apart from itself.
There was Enku in the south, its roaring flames absorbed by virtue of a
Demon.
Kakutan in the north, felled and destroyed in a skirmish against a seemingly
massive enemy.
Shoko in the east, cut down by an elemental attack.
And Sakumei in the west, reduced to nothingness by an offensive magic.
The Qilin, however, was incapable of any sorrowful emotions in response.
The five were existences manifested from an enclosed space brimming with
the energy of the Five Elements. The five were thus assigned to each guard
their respective elemental bearings — such was the reason why the five
chimeric creatures existed.
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As such, the moment Qilin sensed the shadow of a single person approaching
toward the west —
"————"
Qilin immediately became alert.
It was certain of its existence; slowly, but surely, it was approaching this
place.
And the aura it exuded signified that it was someone of a level that could
pose a threat to Shiba.
Qilin immediately deduced that it was an enemy.
Stomping its forelegs into the ground, Qilin unleashed a golden magic circle.
Following the incantation was the rumbling of the earth, and from the ground
where the enemy was setting foot came the phenomenon of protrusions
emerging from below.
Countless, colossal sharp spikes emerged from the asphalt ground to attack
the enemy.
However, the sharp edges of the protruding spikes had not pierced their
intended target, instead running through thin air.
And the very moment that fact was realized, someone was already right next
to Qilin — a certain young man.
"Sorry — just passing through."
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And the moment that silent voice resounded, Qilin was horizontally cut in
two.
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PART 11
A single stroke of a sword had cut down the manifested Qilin.
The act had been done by Toujou Basara, who had infiltrated the interior of
the Tokyo Tower.
The moment his footsteps tread onto the entrance, he discovered the first
floor was quietly still, as if it were a natural occurrence.
"..."
Wordlessly, Basara walked toward the elevator that would lead him to the
spacious observation decks.
He went into the middle elevator from the three that were available to him —
it was one that was usually under the supervision of a female elevator
attendant who would monitor the floor buttons for the customers to choose
between two different observation decks.
As the doors shut themselves, a light floating sensation accompanied him as
the elevator began to rise.
And the higher the elevator ascended, one would notice that instead of the
usual Tokyo scenery that could be seen through the glass on both sides of the
elevator shaft, the visibility from such a height was now restricted due to the
gigantic Kouryuu coiling around the tower.
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And as the doors finally opened again, Basara saw a figure directly in front of
the exit of the elevator—someone who had arrived here before he had.
It wasn't Shiba.
Basara instead saw a familiar face dressed in the Hijirigasaka Academy
uniform—the same school he attended—standing still before him.
It was someone he thought to be incapable of carelessness, and thus someone
that he could rely on in times of need.
Takigawa Yahiro.
"Good grief. You're late, Basachi." Takigawa sighed lamentingly, and spoke
in a manner that was similar to that of their usual meetings with each other.
And with it followed a wry smile and a reply from Basara:
"Sorry. That said, though, what are you doing here of all places, Takigawa?"
"I know that."
"In spite of the circumstances, you might as well come to the Tokyo Tower to
enjoy sightseeing like anyone else would, huh? It's not like I wanted to
follow a certain asshole here to this place where you all are trying to fight to
the death. Leohart threatened me earlier."
You'd do well to remember what you did. Takigawa muttered under this
breath, rather begrudgingly.
"Well, it doesn't sound as good as it does given that Balflear's on the other
side, though."
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"As I thought, Leohart and the others have arrived as well, have they…"
It seemed that Basara did not mistake the magical energy he sensed during
his journey to arriving at where they were right now.
"Did you bring them with you, Takigawa?"
"Who knows? I'm only here to explain my situation. The ones who decided
to intervene in this situation are none other than the tippity tops of both the
Moderate Faction and the current Demon Lord Faction, Ramsusasdono and
Leohart. Additionally, Sheiladono was the one responsible for making a path
for us to enter this space. And that's not all. The more the merrier, as they
say, right? Some others have decided to tag along, as well. For instance, I did
pick up your frustrated childhood friend of yours, Basachi, and then there's
that female knight that came with the Vatican."
He was grateful that so many others had come to provide their assistance.
And seeing as things had transpired as he had hoped—
"I see…even Takashi and Celis have…"
He didn't think it was possible for them to acquire official approval from the
Village and the Vatican.
It was likelier that the two decided to go out on their own and work closely
together, wasn't it?
And Takashi and Celis chose to come and help nevertheless, even though the
damage from their skirmish against Shiba still lingered within them…Basara
wondered what significance the two genuine members of the Hero Clan held
that prompted their intervention towards this incident.
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"It must've been hard on them." As he muttered such words under this
breath, he swore in his heart that he would do everything in his power to
bring this battle to an end. He would willingly assume any punishment in
Takashi and Celis' place for their part in this incident.
"Hey, hey Basachi…are you counting your chickens before they've even
hatched?" Takigawa asked, surprised. "Sure, I imagine you've had your share
of loveydovey moments with Naruse and the others already, but… don't you
think you're surprisingly relaxed given the situation?"
"I'm not really relaxed. Shibasan's undeniably strong. And as much as I've
been made aware of how Mio and the others feel and have confirmed it with
them together.,,I honestly don't think our victory is guaranteed yet." Basara's
voice was composed as he expressed his opinion on the situation.
"If you're going to tell me that, I might as well just head back then…"
Takigawa scratched his head at Basara's composed answer, before he
narrowed his eyes. "Well, what are the chances we'll win this?"
"Who knows…well, I guess we'll have enough as long as we keep
struggling, I suppose."
"Man, I'm stuck having to walk over a tightrope with you again, huh?"
Takigawa muttered between resigned sighs.
Basara could only give a wry smile and a "Sorry" in a response.
And with a mention of "Where do we go from here?", the two set out side by
side.
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The two advanced onward on their current floor in a counterclockwise
direction from their surroundings, before continuing by ascending a nearby
stairway.
Beyond that point was an elevator that would lead them to the next
observation deck.
The elevator doors opened as if to beckon the duo, as the two entered the
elevator and pressed the up button; the door then closed slowly before
ascending.
They arrived at an observation deck 25 meters above the ground roughly after
a minute or so, before moving toward the window before them after departing
the elevator.
And they saw the scenery before them—the interior of the Tokyo Tower
shrouded in a yellow sheen, whereas four colors—blue, white, red and black
—were divided into their respective sectors of the four cardinal directions of
the exterior.
The barrier that Shiba had constructed was shrouded in the colors of the Five
Elements by virtue of their compatibility.
However—lines painted with deeper colors of the Five Elements now ran
across the vicinity.
Each line moved diagonally from their vertex to form a pentagram—the two
then realized that Solomon's Seal had been completed.
"It seems Naruse and the others have been successful somehow."
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"Yeah."
And as Basara nodded in response to Takigawa's words—
"My, my…not only Takashi and Celischan, but even the Demon Realm has
come to interfere, is it?"
A voice called out from behind Basara.
Simultaneously, the two sensed a presence—a dark, disgusting presence more
evil that even the darkest depths of the underworld. And as Basara and
Takigawa turned around slowly—
"———"
They were at a loss for words.
They could not recognize the figure's outward appearance for a moment.
They couldn't even describe him as simply turning into another person.
They now saw Shiba, now in the form of an utterly anomalous existence,
before them.
Reginlief's plated gauntlets, that had covered only his arms in their first
battle, had already spread across his entire body in a single, unified piece of
armor. Moreover, the armor utilized a different metal element from that of
what was of the gauntlets' origins, taking the form an organic suit of armor
akin to that of a devilish exoskeleton.
"…Hey, hey…he's becoming more and more of a monster." Cold sweat ran
down Takigawa's cheek at the presence of Shiba's terrifying pressure.
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"Yeah…it seems that Shibasan's fully absorbed Reginlief into him now."
Discomforting sweat perspired in Basara's back as well. Basara, wielding the
magic Sword Byrnhildr in hand, immediately understood what Shiba's form
—no, his condition—entailed. In order to completely draw out Reginlief's
power within him, he had willingly allowed the magic gauntlet he possessed
to fully corrode his body; such an act would have supposedly swallowed his
flesh and mind—utterly stripping him of his existence.
—And yet Shiba had managed to fully retain his form nonetheless.
If one were to ask why—the answer was hinted at from the organic armor
that now covered his body.
One could observe it as being quadricolored; painted in red, white, black and
blue.
The colors represented four out of the five main elements: Fire, Metal, Wood
and Water.
"My guess is that Shibasan wants to absorb the power of the fiveelement
compatibility between the Four Gods for himself while synchronizing with
Kouryuu. The fact that we can't see the yellow of the Earth element on him
means that he still can't absorb Kouryuu's power while it's yet to fully
manifest itself."
"My kudos…you have a sharp eye. Well, you've got most of it right,
anyway." Shiba's profound smile affirmed their words.
—Compatibility between the Five Elements was no apt explanation for the
sight before them, however.
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Colors of red and white painted Shiba's armor more dominantly than that of
black and blue.
One could thus assume that Fire and Metal were the dominant elements
within him.
It didn't mean that uzaku and Byakko were more powerful than the other two
sacred treasures though… probably.
The prominent red was indicative of the special characteristic of the member
of the Ten Gods that Shiba had absorbed into him—Reginlief.
—Reginlief was likely a divine being that had the ability to manipulate fire.
And the Fire and Earth elements shared a compatibility with one another—in
other words, the relationship was that of the former element strengthening the
latter.
So that's how it is.
Basara was now clear of one thing.
It wasn't just the critical stage of the Four Gods or the fiveelemental barrier
he'd set up; acquiring the power of the flames of a member of the Ten Gods
was another important piece for Shiba to fully manifest Kouryuu that
represented the Earth element.
The expansion of the Metal element from the resultant compatibility would
explain the development of the corrosive armor that spread from the magic
gauntlet to his body.
Moreover—
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If Shiba and Kouryuu were to be synchronized, it wasn't surprising that the
compatibility born from the Earth element would strengthen the Metal
element as well; the lack of balance between the Five Elements he possessed
would no longer a problem for Shiba.
As of now, Shiba had perfected and completed everything.
He now possessed an absolute power that would enable him to overwhelm all
of creation.
"…Well then, Basara, I don't intend to pull any punches with you anymore.
To be defeated is to lose everything. Are you prepared for that outcome?"
As Shiba smiled, an overwhelming pressure unleashed itself toward them.
"Yeah…bring it on." There was no hesitation in Toujou Basara as he let out
those words.
Shiba wasn't the only one who had elevated their power to its absolute limit;
Basara, too, had exchanged his absolute vows with Mio and the others.
"I know I need to defeat you…and I've prepared myself for that, as well."
"Sounds like fun…what about you, then?" Shiba's thin slits for eyes widened
in delight at Basara's declaration, before he then addressed Takigawa.
"You're asking me if I'm ready for this? Please, I'd know better. I didn't
exactly volunteer to be here, y'know?"
Despite truly disliking the current circumstances and expressing said dislike
thereof, Takigawa didn't so much as flinch before Shiba's current state.
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"Nevertheless, it wouldn't do for Basachi to face both you and that giant
thing outside all by himself, eh?
I guess it can't be helped, then."
"Huh…perhaps I should let Kouryuu have some fun with you, then, as so you
desire?"
And so—
"Well then, it's about time we've begun, shall we?"
And the moment Shiba uttered those words, a massive impact reduced the
observation deck where the three once stood to naught but ashes.
It was Kouryuu, twined around the tower, its head suddenly lunging toward
their vicinity.
And within the enclosed, pitch black space of the Tokyo sky made of the Five
Elements, an explosion set off as if it were a blooming flower.
With a dreadfully thunderous roar and a flash of light, the curtain now rose
on the battle that held everything at stake.