PART 11
Yuki could see it—her blade had successfully blocked Shiba's punch.
"Yuki…" Mio called out her name from behind.
Mio wasn't surprised at Yuki's appearance—she had come here for the same
reason Mio did.
And Yuki knew full well why Mio had reacted that way.
"Don't worry…leave this to me." She turned around and nodded slightly
before she turned toward Shiba once again.
It was probably foolish of her to test an ability like this against Shiba the way
he was now—but it seems she was rewarded for her gamble.
"Hmm…I see you've left the Sakuya behind to maintain the Metal element of
the barrier, and I assume you've asked Celis to keep an eye on it, too…
though I must admit, the way you've used your magic power to make a blade
like that is quite impressive."
Nevertheless—
"Forming a blade akin to a spirit blade with your magic power and
maintaining its shape is essentially asking to run your tap of magic power
dry. How long will you be able to keep that up, I wonder?"
"————"
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She did not reply, a wordless affirmation of Shiba's statement.
"…" Mio held her breath in worry of the aforementioned limitation.
"Don't worry—I'll hang in there. Mio, I'll be leaving Basara to you now."
Yuki said, her gaze fixated on Shiba.
Although the difference in their power was heaven and earth, Yuki did not
fear the opponent before her—she thought of nothing other than saving
Basara and defeating Shiba.
"Now, that won't do…you're not just limited by your magic reserves, you
see." Shiba said in a mocking tone. "You're only going to make the same
mistake Basara made if you're going to fight me at close range."
"…Basara took the risks and did what he thought was best even knowing the
difference between your power and his own," Yuki said.
Basara did not come here to lose—he came here fully intent on defeating
Shiba.
"And I will do the same. I know I can't do much to stop you for long—but
I'll go through with it nonetheless!"
Yuki unleashed a consecutive series of slashes with her magic blade at the
opponent in front of her, but she only managed to cut through nothing but
thin air.
Shiba had immediately backed off a notably long distance away from her
blade's reach.
"Such earnest bravado, Yuki…and such earnest stupidity."
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"———!"
Ignoring Shiba's taunt, Nonaka Yuki sprung forward toward her enemy.
And as Yuki rushed toward Shiba, a red, glowing aura began to rise from
Mio's entire body.
"———"
It was the glow of her gravity magic—the glow of the magic would rescue
Basara.
At the same time, while Mio began to concentrate, a flurry of thunderous
explosions burst in the air of the southern corner.
The battle against Kouryuu was still raging on.
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PART 12
Maria, Kurumi, and Zest were continuing their battle against Kouryuu, who
was now guarding the central area; the three took their assault to the air,
knowing that fighting the dragon on the ground given that it was a being of
Earth Element was a suicidal decision.
The three continued soaring through the air at high speeds; Zest and Maria
had reverted to their original forms and were flying with their demonic wings
while Kurumi, the elemental mistress, was flying with her wind magic, and
she was performing exceptionally with her spirit magic. As the demons'
wings were
not fast enough for this particular battle, she was using her wind magic to
support their flight when necessary, allowing Maria and Zest to manoeuvre
through the air freely.
Having offered everything they could to Basara, the three girls were now
cooperating perfectly—their ability to read one another and function amidst
this dire situation was a product of the time they'd spend together as a family,
sharing the same home, the same desires, and the same, strong feelings and
bonds with one another, and this extended to their battles as much as they
applied in their daily lives.
They were currently being chased—not only by Kouryuu, but also by the
massive tsunamis of a height of almost 100 meters it was summoning from
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Shibaura-Futo that threatened to sink the Tamachi region, tsunamis that
threatened to crush them under their wrath if they were not carefully.
And the waves were not made out of water—Kouryuu was forming them
with streams of earth and sand.
Nevertheless, it would be easy for the girls to avoid the tsunamis just by
flying higher; the girls did not do so, however, knowing full well that
Kouryuu would simply increase the size of the tsunamis it was summoning if
they increased their flying altitude. The increased area of the Kouryuu's
attacks meant that Takigawa might risk getting dragged into their battle, and
they had to buy time for him and keep Kouryuu's attention fully fixated on
them, as he was busy accumulating his power in order to defeat Kouryuu
once and for all.
They had to minimize the impact of the tsunamis by directing them toward
them.
"Maria, Zest!"
"Alright!" "Ready when you are!"
Zest and Maria responded to Kurumi's call as the three rushed higher into the
sky simultaneously, avoiding another tsunami that the Kouryuu summoned
and turning it against the dragon. As Kouryuu prepared to respond, the girls
suddenly dispersed, and it was Kurumi who struck first at the short moment
of Kouryuu being disorientated.
Circling toward the right of the massive dragon, she extended her left hand
toward it as she cast her spirit magic, forming a large magic circle in front of
her.
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"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!"
From the circle sprung forth bullets of air shot at Kouryuu's entire body with
the speed of a machinegun. However, Kouryuu formed a cocoon of soil that
surrounded it, defending any of her bullets from inflicting any farm.
"…Blast it!" Seeing the ineffectiveness of her current attack, she charged her
wind magic to farm a giant mass of air before preparing to fire it at Kouryuu.
"Kurumi!" Maria cried out, and understanding what she wanted, she instead
fired her mass of air toward Maria as she rushed toward Kouryuu,
accelerating her speed to surpass even the speed of sound with the
combination of Kurumi's wind magic and the speed of her own wings.
Kouryuu's cocoon suddenly sprouted a massive claw that reached toward
Maria, and their speed would mean a dreadful collision.
But before it could ensue—
"Maria!"
It was Zest; using her earth magic, she created a slanting, spiraling slide that
reduced drag and friction—as Maria slid upon it, she leapt as she narrowly
avoided Kouryuu's claw with a well-timed duck.
"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!"
Using her speed, she then landed a powerful kick on the cocoon with her
right leg, the hit rumbling the air as it pierced through Kouryuu's ultimate
defense and inflicted a heavy blow on Kouryuu.
"—————!"
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Kouryuu bellowed as it attempted to repair the soil cocoon that protected it,
attempting to bury Maria in a coffin of sand.
"We won't—" "—Let you!"
Maria's speedy kick caused her to burst out from a crack in the cocoon,
allowing Zest to interfere with Kouryuu's repairs. When the soil suddenly
dissolved into sand, Kurumi used a hulking wave of wind to blow away
Kouryuu's shield.
"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!"
Maria then launched multiple punches at the defenceless Kouryuu with both
hands, using as much speed and power she could dish out.
"————"
Resisting her assault, Kouryuu began to shape the earth beneath it.
"—————!"
Noticing the golden glow from below, Maria quickly kicked herself away
from Kouryuu and flew backward to where Kurumi and Zest were.
Walls with sharp edges emerged from the ground, piercing the space where
Maria once flew on—Kouryuu then continued to modify the walls, as
countless guns and cannons suddenly emerged from their hard surface.
Oh no!
Before they could finish expecting what was to come, a flurry of gunshots
and cannon blasts made from compressed earth and sand with a wide
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combined attack range was already heading toward them.
As the gunshots arrived sooner due to their lighter weight, Maria thrusted her
arms toward the space before her, creating ranged shock waves that
intercepted the gunshots in mid-air.
"Haaaaah!"
The cannon blasts, however, had managed to pierce through Maria's shock
wave.
"Kurumi-san!" "Got it—cover me!"
Zest formed a barrier with her earth magic while Kurumi reinforced it with a
cushion of air. The earthly cannon struck the barrier they made as it formed a
fiery explosion, raising sand and smoke in its wake.
Even so, their combined efforts had successfully defended them against the
attack.
"—————!"
Using the smoke and commotion as cover following the exchange, he trio
then rested themselves on the top of the building of the res taunt that
Takigawa was standing on.
"Haaah…haah…" "…!"
…This is harder than we thought…Maria thought, not expecting the situation
to take such a dire turn.
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Although Maria had already spent a great deal of strength on her own,
Kurumi and Zest had already spent even more strength than she had.
Kurumi and Zest were already nearing their limits—given Kouryuu's current
strength, an unwanted mistake would prove fatal.
They had to hurry and defeat Kouryuu—this was the only thing they could do
to help Basara at the moment.
"Are your preparations not done yet?" Maria asked, taking his attention away
from Kurumi and Zest to focus on Takigawa for a moment.
"Sorry, but I'm almost done. …After all, this isn't exactly our turf, and I
would've been done long ago if I was doing this in the Demon Realm.
Charging the power needed for me to do what I need to do will inevitably
take time."
"—How long do you think you're going to take?" Maria asked, her eyebrows
furrowed.
"No more than ten minutes…give me at least five."
"If I use my form without fully activating it, all my preparations will be for
nothing. I imagine Naruse and whoever else is going after Basachi won't be
able to last that long either, so I really don't want to have to redo this again."
He was right—although Basara, Mio and Yuki's situation on the other side
was concerning, the best way to help them would be to defeat Kouryuu for
the time being.
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And they might as well accomplish that in one go—even if they had to wait
for Takigawa to do it.
"I understand…five minutes, right?" Maria said, slowly walking toward
Kouryuu on the building she was on.
—It was time for her to use her ultimate ability.
Maria set out a complex, three-dimensional magic circle in front of her chest
—her Magic Key then appeared amidst a pink, glittery light, its tip inserting
itself into the keyhole on the collar of Maria's battle attire.
Although she was familiar with these proceedings, she was about to do
something she had never experienced before.
Maria would be activating her technique in the opposite direction—she
would turn her key in the other direction.
"Gah…ahh…!"
Such a forced endeavour would definitely come with its ramifications, and
Maria suddenly felt a pain that constricted her internal organs—nevertheless,
she steeled herself against the pain that was running through her entire body.
Wanting to help her family in ways she couldn't before, Maria had secretly
attempted this technique after the war between the two factions of the Demon
Realm had come to an end.
A failed activation would mean death—and she knew she could only use it
when the chances of her winning such a dire battle were tied to her very life.
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She had no choice—she had to do this, knowing that the lives of all she held
dear were now at stake.
"…Gah…eeee…uuuuuuuuuuuuu!!"
Gritting her teeth, her hands tightened on the Magic Key that was meant to
turn itself, and yanked it into the direction that she wasn't supposed to turn it
to.
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PART 13
There was the sound of a key unlocking something—no, the sound of
something shattering—and Kouryuu saw the coat of blinding light that was
shining in the space nearby it.
As the glittery, rose-colored light dissipated, Kouryuu saw the same succubus
that had first appeared now flying right in front of it—if looking slightly
smaller than before.
The sudden way she'd closed their distance caused the dragon to flinch, but
more surprisingly, the presence she was letting out had suddenly escalated to
an incomparable level, such that Kouryuu backed away slightly in the face of
such an overwhelming presence.
"…"
The little succubus suddenly opened her eyes, but she remained silent.
"—————!"
Kouryuu opened its gaping mouth and let out its powerful breath with all its
might.
It was a beastly instinct—it would exterminate anything it perceived as a
threat immediately, and Kouryuu's breath was more than capable of
achieving that purpose.
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The beam of the Earth Element surged forth, threatening to devour anything
that stood in its line of fire—before the line of breath could strike down the
succubus, however, the attack's trajectory had been redirected.
The succubus only stood still—the immense magic aura she was releasing
had turned into a shield, deflecting the dragon's breath.
Seeing this, Kouryuu prepared another attack, this time condensing the
strength of its next attempt at a single point—but its target had suddenly
vanished.
"——————!"
But where did she go?As Kouryuu realized it had lost track of its enemy, a
sharp blow lunged from under its chin, striking it in the head as its massive
body was knocked toward the sky.
The girl had landed a severe, speedy uppercut with her right hand at it.
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PART 14
Having taken a massive blow to its chin, Kouryuu's massive body staggered
backward, but Maria continued to attack it before it could straighten itself—
her series of kicks and punches were unrelenting, and she was forcing the
strongest sacred beast on the defensive.
"Incredible…" Kurumi couldn't believe the scene that was unfolding before
her eyes.
"Is that…really Maria…?" Zest, too, was surprised at what she was seeing
Maria's drastic change.
They really wanted to help her—but Maria's current strength was simply too
powerful for them to be able to provide any assistance, and they would likely
be hindering her instead if they were to intervene.
"Oh brother…does that idiot know exactly what she's doing?" As Kurumi
could only stare at Maria in bewilderment, she suddenly turned to Takigawa,
who sounded displeased as he made that comment. His expression was
uncharacteristically tense, given how she knew him as a person who was
composed and liked to joke around even in the most serious situations.
"—Hey, what are you talking about?" Kurumi asked, worried over
Takigawa's unusual expression.
"Unlocking one's own sealed powers usually carries some sort of risk one
way or another…and in her case, she's going to unleash so much power that
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her own body won't be able to take it…unless she actually forces her body to
grow to a point where she can actually withstand her increase in strength."
However—
"If that foolish girl's going as far as to use the power meant for said forcible
growth to increase her powers, it's not even a matter of how big the burden
would be on only her body anymore…I wouldn't be surprised if she's gonna
explode anytime soon."
"But she can't—"
Kurumi stared at Maria again, this time in shock over a new, ominous
premonition; was the aura Maria was releasing her life force—the very life
force she was willingly burning away—for the sake of her current powers,
rather than simply her own magic?
She knew that they had all chosen to risk their lives for this battle—they'd
always done so even in their previous battles, where they were willing to put
their lives on the line without a second thought, and they would continue to
remain unwavering so long as their actions would bring about peace for the
future.
But it wasn't as simple as that for Maria right now—she was willing to burn
away her very life in order to gain the strength she needed to fell Kouryuu
alone.
But how long could she last? And surely Maria didn't intend to die fighting
her current opponent like this, even if she were to achieve victory?
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Even then, even after Mio and Yuki had rushed to rescue Basara, there was
still no sign of his presence returning to its usual state.
Shiba was an opponent that was now far too strong—a single mistake would
cost them their very lives before they could even finish here.
Kurumi knew that Maria herself could not accurately estimate how much life
she would have left if she were to press on fighting with her flesh and her
spirit burning on in her mix of exhaustion and worry.
And even then—what would happen if they were to go through with this?
Even if they were to come out alive after defeating Shiba, how much time
would Maria have left for her life?
She could regain her lost strength—but would she be capable of restoring the
life force she would expend here?
"—Kurumi-san!"
"———!"
Realizing the danger Maria was in, Zest cried out to her as Kurumi called
upon the spirits to take them both into flight—they had to rush off toward
Maria, who was now fighting the Kouryuu without realizing the
consequences of her actions.
"…Hang on. I understand why you're rushing off, but don't think with your
emotions." Takigawa said before the two could take off.
"Don't stop us. Maria's going to—" As Kurumi turned around to argue
against Takigawa, who seemingly nonchalantly stopped her from going off,
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she couldn't finish her sentence.
Takigawa's entire body was radiating a blue and black aura.
"But Lars…when did you…?" Zest exclaimed, and she gave off a surprised
expression as she realized why Takigawa was saying that Maria had made a
foolish decision.
He was also burning his own life force—he'd been hiding his aura all this
time, and it was likely that he'd already begun doing so before Maria
unlocked her seal.
He too, was willing to risk his very life to defeat the Kouryuu.
"Take it easy. I'm not trying to stop you—go ahead if you want. I'm just
saying that much like how the five-elemental compatibility increases the
effectiveness of a particular element, there's also a way to increase a person's
life force. After everything's over here, you can just go ask Basachi to help
her with that afterwards."
That said—
"You're not supposed to freak out and hurry and go do something stupid in
the end. Just help me…give me just a little more time, and I promise you I'll
bring that thing down. Do your best to push yourselves as much as you can
for me. Still—" Takigawa suddenly said, "I take it you don't have much
strength yet either…don't use it at the wrong place and at the wrong time. If
you really want to strike down that massive hulk of a beast you're going to
have to be your best selves."
"We don't need you to remind us that…Zest!"
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"Alright, Kurumi-san!"
Takigawa's advice calmed their fires of their minds down and ignited the
flames of their hearts as they hurried toward Maria without further delay
And their own life force began to burn like hers as they made haste.
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PART 15
Having spun her Magic Key in the opposite direction, Maria's soul was now
overflowing with power, surpassing her previous limit.
Combined with her inheritance of the strongest and most noble bloodline of
the Demon Realm as well as the effects of the Master-ServantVow,she was
now in a state where she could completely drive Kouryuu into a corner all by
herself.
"—————"
Kouryuu frantically tried to readjust itself, attempting to block Maria's
attacks while keeping distance away from her.
But Maria wasn't about to give it that opportunity.
"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!"
In an instant, Maria battered down Kouryuu with a series of attacks, all
occurring in an instant; it kicked it away with her right leg and instantly
followed up with her knee as she soared underneath the dragon.
Possessing her moment of overwhelming, yet self-destructing power, she had
to do what she could to strike it down, and even if to buy at least enough time
for Takigawa to finish preparing, if not outright defeat the dragon rightnow.
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Her eyes sprung open as she reached for higher ground as she smashed her
feet into the dragon's head.
"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!"
She then sent a punch plunging down with all her strength—at the same time,
she released a shock wave made augmented by her Wood element.
"—————!"
Her countering element constricted the dragon as it crushed its massive body
in a booming crash onto the ground, causing a semi-circular crater with
Kouryuu at the center.
Maria's attacks did not stop there, however: she continued hammering out
right punches to crush Kouryuu, though she was now feeling some resistance;
the Kouryuu was now fighting against her shock waves, using all its might to
raise its body under duress of Maria's crushing force.
"—————!"
"Gah…haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Maria clenched her teeth as she further increased the intensity of her
shockwaves—she cared not if her blood would spurt forth from over-exerting
herself if it meant that she could defeat Kouryuu once and for all.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH
HHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Yelling at the top of her lungs, she forced another right punch toward
Kouryuu, forcing a deafening shockwave directly toward it.
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As Kouryuu roared in pain at the attack and writhed around, Maria suddenly
witnessed something unexpected.
Its body was glowing with a golden light, light that blinded Maria and
threatened to devour it.
…Oh no…!
Maria hurriedly crossed her arms in a defensive stance as Kouryuu finally
freed itself from the gravity waves.
"——————"
The next moment, the dragon's powerful breath began to envelop her—it
knocked her away from the central area toward the area of the Water
Element, the northern-most corner of Shiba's barrier; although Maria was
now of the Wood Element that countered Kouryuu's Earth Element, the fact
that Kouryuu could augment its attacks with a countering element of its own
meant that its attack was far more powerful this time.
Even after cornering Maria onto the corner of the barrier's wall, Kouryuu's
breath remained unrelenting.
Maria struggled against the force of Kouryuu's attack, feeling as thought she
would be ripped apart at any moment—her arms were nearly
givingway,however, as the Kouryuu's breath was about split her crossed
arms apart.
Before the dragon's breath could overwhelm her, though, a sudden explosion
ensued upon the source of the breath, halting its oppressive assault on Maria.
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Nevertheless, the dragon's breath was so strong that it caused Maria to lose
her unsealed aura.
"Haah…aah…eh…huh…?"
Panting as she opened her eyes, she saw smoke rising from Kouryuu's head
as it remained in the distance of the central area. Paying attention, she saw
something clogging Kouryuu's giant mouth, forcing it to close from above.
"…But that's…"
A massive chunk of obsidian crushed the bridge of Kouryuu's nose, piercing
through the dragon's chin.
Maria understood why it had happened—their group was constantly thinking
of ways to complement each other's abilities, Basara included.
It was likely the product of wind magic compressing obsidian dust to form an
extremely hard and extremely durable solid, before said solid was sharpened
and launched toward Kouryuu from above, piercing through its mouth and
causing its breath to implode within.
Maria was then affirmed of her assumption.
"…Really, you shouldn't be going off by yourself like that."
There was a familiar voice beside her, and a light strength that supported her
body behind her—she turned around to see that Kurumi had arrived.
"…Seriously. What do you think Basara-sama—we—would do if anything
were to happen to you? Zest had also caught up with Kurumi and Maria,
flying ahead as if to cover them.
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"—————"
Maria's eyes widened as she saw the forms of her two comrades—she was at
a loss for words.
She suddenly realized that the obsidian crystals they'd created were strong
enough to force Kouryuu's mouth shut, and they were also sharp enough to
pierce through Kouryuu's body, which Maria had been unable to bruise with
her own punches.
And it was because Kurumi and Zest were now releasing strong auras of their
own, much like Maria.
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PART 16
As the smoke cleared following the explosion from its own breath trapped in
its mouth, Kouryuu saw the two previous combatants standing in its way
again.
It didn't matter that two more enemies had entered the fray, however—it
would make short work of them with its counter-synergetic breath.
Although its mouth had been pierced and it had been inevitably startled when
they turned its own breath on itself, it discerned that the effectiveness of their
attacks was a result of them burning their own life force.
They had temporarily retreated out of exhaustion; it was now certain that they
were incapable of lasting against it much longer, with the succubus nearing
its limit being all the evidence it needed.
Furthermore, its own imploding breath that had been trapped from the dark
obsidian matter that had shut its mouth was of the Earth Element—meaning
that it had not received any significant damage.
"—————"
Altering the spike of obsidian that had cut through its jaw by converting it
into energy of the Earth Element and absorbing it into its body, its wound that
ran up its chin till the bridge of its nose healed in an instant.
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They were now back to where they first started—except Kouryuu's enemies
were now situated north.
Kouryuu readied its breath to eliminate them again—
"—————?"
But its view was suddenly encased in darkness, causing it to panic—rather,
Kouryuu's entire body was being encased in a dark matter.
"You're really troublesome, you know that? You took way too much of my
time."
As Kouryuu finally realized the predicament it was now in—a familiar voice
addressed it—and Kouryuu knew who was speaking to it.
It was the first opponent it had fought, the young man who could control the
dark magic spheres.
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PART 17
Takigawa's giant, magic sphere suppressed the Kouryuu as the dragon
struggled amidst its grasp, attempting to escape.
"Struggle as you may…it'll do you no good," Takigawa said with a smile,
flying right outside his spheres' field of influence.
Maria and the others were far away—they would not be able to hear him, and
it was then that he divulged a secret that no one knew of.
"Actually, my spheres aren't exactly of a dark element…they're actually
universal simulations compressed into spheres. It was really a pain having to
adjust them to this particular size and strength, but…it appears that it's
working quite effectively on you." Takigawa revealed the true nature of his
abilities as it spoke to Kouryuu.
And after all—
"You'vemanifested as a result of the power supplied to this area by the Four
Gods, which makes you a being of the Earth Element…in other words,
you're made out of the Ki that runs through the surface of the Earth."
However—
"My magic sphere is made out of the universal space of another dimension—
completely different and having no connection to the universe of this planet.
That said, you're now isolated from the Earth despite being on that very
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Earth—you're now stripped of the very element that makes you, as well as
the power supplied by the Four Gods."
If Kouryuu were to go on like this, it would be unable to continue sustaining
itself and eventually die off. As if it realized such a reality as well, the
Kouryuu struggled harder with its massive body.
"—————"
"Good, do struggle on…though I should say I'm kind of in a hurry here."
There was still Shiba to worry about—he would not waste time with the
Kouryuu.
He would end it here and now.
"—Let us begin." He said, distancing himself slightly further away from his
spheres.
Takigawa usually fought by conjuring several magic spheres, made from
fragments of a simulated universe that he created; creating an imaginary
universe such as this one would take a toll on his magic reserves.
That said, once Takigawa had a grasp of the extent of his abilities, the first
thing he did was to enhance the quality and volume of the sphere he'd made
to its absolute limit—it was afterward that he learned how to split it into as
many other, smaller fragments as possible.
Such modifications would directly affect the nature of his attack—
nevertheless, Takigawa believed that he had made the right choice.
"——————"
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Facing the sphere that was swallowing Kouryuu, he extended the index finger
and middle finger of his right hand, concentrating on his fingertips—he then
swiped the two fingers at a high speed as if to
disperse the spheres he was controlling, and the magic sphere split into two.
Even with different parts of its body now trapped within two individual
spheres, Kouryuu still struggled to escape.
"…" "…"
"Come—the disassembly starts now."
Takigawa then fiddled with his fingers as if he were a music conductor,
enjoying himself as he orchestrated a composition of slicing sounds. Even
more magic spheres were produced with each slice of his universal matter,
shredding Kouryuu into more and more fragments.
"I hope that the next time you do happen to manifest again, it would be
because a better person does so…"
And finally, when his magic spheres have finally surpassed a thousand in
number, he smiled wryly at the fragmented Kouryuu as if it pitied the
subjugated beast.
"…Here. You can have the finishing touch," He said, turning toward the sky
—where a certain girl was now above the magic spheres he conjured.
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"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaahhhhh!"
It was Maria, who had been risking her life to defeat Kouryuu more than
anyone else—having been launched into the air through Kurumi's wind
magic, her right fist was already raised in preparation to attack.
Smashing her fist squarely on the pile of magic spheres, the impact of her
punch crumbled all it struck in an explosive flurry of ashes and debris.
When all of the magic spheres finally dissipated, the Kouryuu—the sovereign
of the Four Gods—was nothing but dust, leaving only a shower of glittering
light in the wake of its demise.
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PART 18
"Huh…I never thought you would have been able to defeat Kouryuu," He
said, eyeing the golden, glittery rain that showered the Imperial Palace in the
distance, looking quite impressed.
Having manifested Kouryuu alongside himself simultaneously, he was well
aware as to how the dragon could be defeated; creating a fake universal space
with magic did seem to be a probable method to defeat Kouryuu, but—
…It should be a negligible setback.
Shiba had no doubt that he would have no issues dealing with an ability like
that. Knowing that Takigawa was of no threat to him, he then turned toward a
certain person before him, smiling wryly.
"—Well, do you want to go on?"
Yuki was in front of him on bended knee, holding onto the spirit blade she
had made with her own magic to replace Sakuya for support—and she
refused to fall.
Not yet.
"Ha…ha…" She struggled to breathe as Shiba had beaten her black and blue
at this point in time.
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The blade she was wielding to replace her Sakuya with her magic was of a
durability that surpassed any steel—it was a magic blade of its best and final
form, such that it could be called one of the final forms of a generalist
swordswoman like Yuki.
"I must say, you're actually really good at this. I imagine there's really
nothing in this world that you can't cut through the way you are now, Yukichan. And yet—" Shiba did not hold back on his praise as he commended
Yuki's newest ability that came with her Master-Servant Vow, but his
sentence implied a caveat.
"It's just sad. Your blades cannot harm me—and so you cannot defeat me."
"…That remains to be seen." Yuki said behind gritted teeth, forcing herself to
stand up. "Now that Kouryuu is gone, the powers that it's given you should
be no more as well…and now that you no longer have the power of the Five
Elements—"
"Hmm~ Well, that's really not what I was getting at, though." Shiba laughed
sardonically.
"Think about it. If you were to kill me here, the barrier made from the Four
Gods will be dispelled and destroy all of Tokyo—and you'll also be releasing
all the Kegare within my body. That's not something your barrier made from
the Solomon's Seal can actually withstand. Forget about the Vatican—the
Kegare will spread across the entire world and infect everything it touches
with death and destruction. And I imagine you know full well the extent of
what it can do after trying to even fight against me."
And last but not least—
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"If I were to die, Basara would die within me as well. The only reason you're
still capable of using the power of the Vow is that while I already have him
locked up within me, I haven't decided to absorb him…yet.Good for you,
huh? Yes, Basaraisstill alive—but it's exactly because the person who you
care for more than anything is still alive that you can't even think about
getting rid of me."
That said—
"You have to defeat me without killing me—but it's a paradox you can't
really find a solution for now, can you?"
"…!"
Ignoring Shiba's words, Yuki persisted on raising her blade against him.
"Well,aren't you just stubborn…you know I've been holding back from using
my Ki abilities just so I can prepare for the moment where I begin to drain
the life from your very bodies, right? I can't have you get too roughed up
now—the power of the five elements within you will become imbalanced.
After all—"
Shiba turned toward Mio, who had been charging her power throughout his
short scuffle against Yuki.
"I personally want to start with Mio—by the order of which you established
the elements of your five-elemental computability when you've made your
Vows with Basara. I'm only being fair to all of
you—consider the fact that he's already used so much of your power already,
so if I'm going to take him in, I should absorb the compatibility that binds all
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of you as well."
Mio paid no heed to Shiba as she continued concentrating on building her
magic with her eyes shut, a crimson aura rising from her body.
…Impressive. Most impressive.
The pressure that Mio was releasing now rivaled Shiba's, but her potential
was only continuing to grow—something that Shiba allowed knowing that
her power would soon become his own.
That was likely Mio's ultimate move—much like Yuki's was her magic
blades.
That said, he would ideally absorb Mio first, followed by Maria, Kurumi,
Yuki and finally Zest in order.
Shiba and Balflear swore that they would proceed with the Divine Realm
once they were done with the Hero Clan—and all the pieces had finally come
together in the barrier that they had created, and more than what they had
initially anticipated. There was Leohart and his forces, who had arrived out of
whim or mere brazenness; then there were the two members of the hero clan,
Takashi and Celis, whose courage had led them to aid their childhood friend;
and then there was Afureia, whom could not act despite her presence.
If Shiba were to really absorb all of them into him, he would become truly
unstoppable.
"And after I'm done with all of you, even theTenGods of the Divine Realm
will be no match for me, let alone the Hero Clan itself…I will then stand at
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the pinnacle of everything, becoming a being higher than even the gods
themselves…wouldn't you say?"
If Shiba were to really absorb all of them into him, he would become truly
unstoppable.
"I won't let that happen—never!"
Shiba wasn't wrong—apart from having Basara as a hostage, as well as the
risk of the Kegare within, Yuki could not possibly kill Shiba.
Basara, however, could eliminate Shiba without the concern of the Kegare
overflowing—and Mio was preparing to rescue him.
She could only do what she could—to support them however she could. And
there was only one thing she could do now.
Much like how the others were battling the Kouryuu to reduce Shiba's
powers, Yuki had to weaken Shiba with the best she could offer.
Yuki could not cut off both arms with a single attack—and she was getting
no second chances.
Her way forward was clear.
"A worthless struggle," Shiba said, lowering himself as he raised his right
arm to prepare a punch, attempting to accelerate himself and slip under his
approaching opponent.
"Heeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
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Yuki replied with a vertical slash upward toward her right, her grip firm on
her blade to the very end as she swung it with full focus toward her target—
Shiba's left arm.
She would send her ultimate attack at him.
The ensuing impact caused something to suddenly fly toward the sky—but it
wasn't Shiba's arm.
"…!"
The spirit blade that Yuki conjured with her own magic powers snapped
before her eyes, sending her into a state of panic.
"Like I said…a worthless struggle." Shiba said, knowing that it was meant to
be.
Yuki was already on the ground the moment she heard those words—Shiba's
right palm landed an unrelenting hit on Yuki's body.
"Gah…ah…! Hah…ah!"
Shiba did not inject his Ki into Yuki's body through his Penetration, but
instead attacked her externally with a shock wave from his Ki attacks.
The sheer power of the shock wave caused relentless damage to Yuki's body
as she was smashed into the ground; she coughed out blood from her mouth
as her internal organs seemed to be heavily damaged, the immeasurable pain
suffocating her. The massive blow deprived her of the oxygen she needed,
and her consciousness was fading fast.
…Not yet…!
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Even so, Yuki pushed herself to stand as she lay on the ground, mustering all
her strength, telling herself she could still fight—that she should still go on.
She could not fall here—she could not fall tohim.
And yet—
"Such persistence…the last twitch of a squashed insect." Shiba said, feeling
resigned. "I suppose the only thing I need to absorb you is to keep you alive,
so I suppose I'll stop you from buzzing around any longer first…I suppose
you have no use for your arms and legs anymore, do you, Yuki?"
Shiba extended his hand toward Yuki as he gave the bone-chilling
suggestion, but then something changed—his body was letting out a
phosphorescent red light, and Shiba tilted his head in wonder, knowing that it
was not his own doing.
"Hmm…?"
"You've gotten cocky for long enough…it's about time I opened your eyes!"
It was Mio's angry voice that came next, along with the red waves of her
gravity magic surging toward Shiba.
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PART 19
"Heh…magnificent."
Shiba's smile remained in the face of the immense pressure of the gravity
field that was threatening to cover him from above.
Although gravity magic was usually a magic that had a large area of effect,
she was limiting its influence toward Shiba alone—Yuki would not be
affected by her attack.
Mio had likely augmented her gravity magic to be able to only affect
particular targets she desired—another new ability brought about by the Vow
she made with Basara.
"You're not going to be showing me anything if this is the amount of
pressure you can muster…how very naïve."
Shiba, now in the form of Reginlief's corrosion, simply resisted her attack
head on.
"If you're already done playing, I think it's about time I've taken you into
me." As Shiba walked toward Mio, he noticed the expression on her face.
She was replying to him with a smile, unafraid.
"You think I'm already through? It seems that you're the naïve one here!"
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She then unleashed a second wave of her gravity magic as the two attacks
combined in a thundering roar to form a darker wave as they shot toward
Shiba.
The synergistic attacks caused their intensity to skyrocket almost explosively
—but Shiba remained unaffected.
"As I've told you, if this is as far as you can—"
Although an umpteenth, wry smile came first, he was suddenly taken aback
as he swallowed hard.
He was feeling as though he was losing his power slightly—it was then that
he noticed the red line that was going through his chest. The next moment,
the red wave split open into two as it went deeper into Shiba.
Someone who was supposed to be trapped within the abyss inside him
suddenly emerged with the puling force of the bright red wave—Toujou
Basara.
Stripped of Bynhildr's armor and his school uniform in tatters, his body and
his limbs were nonetheless still in shape and unscathed.
"———!"
The unexpected occurrence caused Shiba's mind to go blank.
Basara used this opportunity to pick up Yuki—now fallen at a side of the
square—as he leapt to Mio's side with her.
"!…Basara!"
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She tightly held him as he emerged, tears pooling in her eyes.
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PART 20
Amidst the warmth of Mio's embrace after he emerged from the absorbing
abyss, Basara first attended to the injuries Yuki had sustained while she was
battling Shiba.
"…Yuki, are you okay?"
"…! Basara! Thank goodness…" Despite her current misery, she managed to
muster a small smile after realizing that Basara was alright.
She appeared to be severely injured, but she was at no risk of losing her life;
she was not going to be able to fight any longer, however.
"Mio…take care of Yuki."
As Basara handed the injured Yuki to Mio, he then turned toward Shiba; the
calm smile that his opponent had constantly wore on his face was no longer
there.
"…What trickery is this?" He asked, his black eyes staring in disbelief at
Basara.
"…The conceptual activation of Mio's gravity magic."
The pull of Mio's gravity magic typically applied in a perpendicular
direction; given that it was applying the laws of their current world, her
gravity magic would usually cause a pull towards the Earth's surface.
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And yet—
"Mio set herself as the point of reference when she used her gravity magic
the second time."
That was why the gravitational pull drew her waves' targets toward Mio
rather than the ground—but if that were so, she should have only been able to
pull Shiba toward her and not pull Basaraoutfrom him.
This was where her second wave of magic came into play; much like Mio's
first attack was meant for only Shiba, Mio had set her second gravitational
wave to apply only to Basara.
"Using the first attack to force you to face a perpendicular direction, she then
used her second attack to forcibly pull me toward her, and thus successfully
save me from being trapped in your body."
Mio was incapable of seeing where Basara was inside Shiba's body, of
course—but by virtue of the Vow, she was able to sense where he was at an
impeccable accuracy. However, they were only able to do so because Shiba
did not decide to absorb Basara yet due to his plan to absorb the rest of the
girls to obtain the power of their five-elemental compatibility.
In addition, while Basara was incapable of using gravity magic on his own,
he inherited the ability to manipulate said magic from one of his two mothers,
Sapphire; having waited for the moment Mio would use her gravity magic
while being imprisoned inside Shiba, he immediately allowed the
gravitational wave to envelop his entire body and launched himself toward
the point of reference—Mio herself.
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And while the two should not have been able to connect given their
dimensional differences, the Master-Servant Vow allowed Basara and Mio to
pinpoint each other's exact location even through said difference, and
allowed their powers to connect through the dimensions as well. The two had
used their respective mastery of gravity magic to form an ultimate attraction
to one another, allowing Basara to escape from Shiba's body.
"Like I've told you, I'm well aware that you want to absorb me into your
body, so I've been really careful about that. And just in case, I also prepared
myself for the possibility that Iwouldbe absorbed into you."
Shiba remained dissatisfied at Basara's explanation. "Your precaution is a
risky gamble nonetheless…if I happened to pull you in and decided to just
absorb you immediately, you wouldn't even be here right now."
"It's true that this was a risk…but we ended up making it so that
youwouldn'twant to absorb me first," Basara said. "By applying the Five
Elements toward Mio and the others and asking them to make the Solomon's
Seal and the resulting barrier, you wouldn't resist the urge to want to absorb
all of them. And I knew that you'd want to absorb them in the correct order to
maximize the effects of said absorption."
And they were able to accomplish what they did because—
"You'renot like me—you'regreedy.I only want to defeat you, whereas you
won't be done here and want to exact revenge against the Hero Clan and the
Divine Realm. I knew you'd spare no opportunity to grow stronger, and I
used it against you."
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"Sothat'show it is…yet again, you amaze me with how ridiculous your little
plans are." Having had his thoughts read like a book by hisenemy,Shiba
couldn't help but smile another wry smile. "As if using
them as tools for your own tools isn't enough, you're now even using them as
bait as your personal life insurance when you need it the most." Shiba said,
unwilling to admit the extent of their bonds.
"Think of me what you will—I simply won't lose them again." Basara
replied.
"You attempted to use Kouryuu's power to kill Mio and the others during our
first battle. We prepared this plan and intended to use it sooner or later if you
were to use it against us again. I wasn't about to let you kill Mio and the
others—to that, it was important for us to make sure that they would at least
pose some form of value to you."
"To think that you would willingly do such a thing…what if I had decided to
ignore you and target them first instead?" Shiba proposed yet another risk in
their plan.
"That's why they made their countering barrier using the Solomon's Seal
instead of with the cardinal directions. Since the manifestation of Kouryuu
meant that you're restricted to the central area, setting the barrier in such a
manner was to ensure that you would have your power affected if you ever
decided to move away to meddle with things elsewhere."
Every step that Basara and the others had enacted had a good reason behind it
—they were not meaningless whatsoever.
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"The vows we've exchanged have left a psychological break in you and
stopped you in your tracks." Basara's words were a declaration of his
unwavering conviction.
"And now—"
But before he could continue, he fell on bended knee, deprived of strength.
"! —Basara!"
Mio's voice was nearing a scream as she witnessed the sudden change in
Basara—he was kneeling with a pained expression, and his complexion was
pale—an almost earthly pale.
"What did you do to him!?"
Mio hurried over to support him, glaring at Shiba—he was most definitely
responsible for this.
"—Nothing,really.I simply put him inside mybody,and nothing more." Shiba
smiled again. "Though despite that…hewasput into the abyss filled with the
extremely viscous Kegare while inside me. And like a potent poison the
corruption seeps and corrodes anything it touches, fromone'sflesh
toone'smind, causing anything in its path todecay.I suppose you can tell me
ifhe'ssupposed to be fine after that."
Although—
"Youknow,Ididhappen to make sure that the Kegare Basara was exposed to
while inside me wasn't too potent. I really didn't want to kill him since it'd
be useless to absorb all of you ifhe'sdead, but much like I've toldYuki,I
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really only need you to stay alive—temporarily—and I took the necessary
precautions to ensure you would at least not lift a finger."
It should be expected that he would have taken such a measure.
"Did you think that you were the only ones that have made preparations?
Much like how you've prepared for the possibility that Basara would be
sucked into me, I've also prepared myself for the possibility that he would
actually escape after getting sucked in. Oh, and by the way—"
Shiba suddenly spread his arms, his body shining with a golden light—the
same golden light that Kouryuu had released.
"The earth's veins can't be controlled unless Kouryuu is being manifested…
and I admit it's quite difficult for me to do so now. But of course, I couldn't
exactly just absorb Kouryuu within me either—the Four Gods wouldn't
really be happy with the fact that they'd serving someone who'd murdered
their leader. So do you want to know what I did?" Shiba said.
"I've synchronized with Kouryuu and obtained its blessings—a sign
thatit'srecognized me and granted me its powers. That said, if the Kouryuu
happened to be destroyed before it could completely manifest itself, where do
you think the power that the Four Gods was supplying Kouryuu with would
go to?"
As he said so, the pressure that Shiba was exuding suddenly elevated into an
entirely different level.
"…But how…?"
Mio could barely speak at the sight before her.
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Could it be that Kouryuu had ordered the Four Gods to transfer all the
accumulated power to Shiba if it were to be destroyed?
"But the Byakko—"
"What, you want to say that the Byakko's underTakashi'scontrol now?"
Shiba laughed, looking as if he'd seen right throughher."Now that Kouryuu is
gone, I don't need the Georgius to maintain the Earth Element anymore. And
since I can't use the Byakko, I can simply use a copy as a substitute. It did
happen to assume the role of the Byakko, after all, and it can easily just revert
to this role with the will of Kouryuu transferred to it. And with the Four Gods
losing their sovereign and realizing the dire situation, they really only did
what they should do—transfer all their power to me."
As if to prove his point, gusts of the five colors of the elements spun around
with Shiba as their center—the winds combined to form a massive maelstrom
above the Imperial Palace. The five-elemental compatibility of the Four Gods
and the Earth Element from Kouryuu riled everything around him like a
storm, causing the earth to rumble and even the very space around him to ring
as if it were being crushed.
Shiba couldn't be happier as he stood in the middle of the swirl of energy
surrounding him.
"With this, my long-awaited ambition has finally been realized—I really have
all you to thank for this."
"…But how could this be…?"
How could things have ended up with Shiba acquiring the ultimate form of
power, whereas she, Basara and the others were now bruised all over and
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worn out?
All of them had thought all this through carefully.
All of them had made preparations as best they could for this battle.
All of them had exchanged the Master-Servant Vow with Basara—
But was all of that for nothing? Was all of that not enough to oppose him?
"—It's not over yet." A voice remained defiant against Shiba's declaration of
victory, just when Mio thought all was now lost.
Toujou Basara slowly stood up—and wielding Byrnhildr in his hand, he was
going to see things to their very end.
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PART 21
Wielding Byrnhildr at the level of his waist, Basara assumed his most notable
stance, preparing to unleash Banishing Shift.
"…You continue to be futile, Basara," Shiba laughed at Basara's attempt to
show him that he still had some fight left in him, opening his arms. "I now
have the power to control all five elements, the power of Ki with Kegare as
its functional basis, and I also own the Ars Deicidium. Even if you can use
Banishing Shift against one of my abilities, you can't possibly defend
yourself against all of them."
Moreover—
"Even if you've already eliminated the surrounding Ki earlier, I've also
resupplied myself by absorbing your Ki while you were trapped within me. I
still have a reservethat'smore than enough to take you to your doom."
"…Do you really think so?" Basara said, smiling as he refuted him.
"Everything in this world possesses some form of Ki—in other words, all of
your attacks are now comprised of that particular matter.It's all part and
parcel with you now."
"And the way I am now…I can simply view the two separate entities as a
singular target and eliminate them simultaneously," Basara said. "And given
the aforementioned fact, it means that I'm already exposed to Ki—I don't
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need to wait for you to attack to counterattack. The way you arenow,I can
simply unleash the Banishing Shift at will."
Shiba had become the only target—the only person—that Basara can use
Banishing Shift on without any limitation.
"…I see. That does make some sense, yes." Shiba said, agreeing with a
portion of what Shiba had said. "Nevertheless, the flow of Ki is various and
can change almost invariably…would you be able to see through the
particular origin of Ki required to counterattack it? And even then—" His
gaze turned toward Mio and Yuki beside him. "The two girls beside you
can't intervene to ensure that no extraneous factors mess up your execution. I
doubt someone who's even struggling to stand right now can pull something
like that off."
"You couldn't…possibly understand." Basara said plainly, his smile
unwavering.
"They don't need to fight alongside me to support me. They can provide me
with strength just by being there with me."
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That's right,Basara thought.I'm not alone.
And many others were with him.
Basara could feel their presence—and their strength, things that were not
products of the Master-Servant Contract or the Master-Servant Vow.
They were products of their thoughts and emotions piling on one another as
the days passed by—they were products of the bonds they shared.
"———" "———"
And Mio and Yuki did not deny what Basara had said; their tranquil eyes
were brimming with strength, and an unshakeable faith that Basara would be
able to defeat Shiba.
And Basara needed to reward them believing in him—he then heightened his
senses to the maximum, concentrating as best as he could.
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PART 22
As Basara began to concentrate, Shiba also assumed an offensive stance,
preparing to attack.
He then accelerated his mind, paving his next move that would finally put
him on the path to victory.
—Basara just said that he no longer needed to use the Banishing Shift as a
counterattack.
But if he did not cast it based on Shiba's reactions, it was very unlikely that
he would be able to eliminate his target. As the Banishing Shift required the
technique to eliminate the origin of its target, Shiba could simply alter the
properties of his attacks as they were exposed to Banishing Shift, and thus the
base of their origins.
An incompletely Banishing Shift would only be able to eliminate only one
form of matter from the Five Elements or the Kegare; Shiba would be able to
simply use another of the unrestricted matters against Basara and retake him
into his body once again.
That said, Basara wasn't going to wait for Shiba to attack before he would
activate the Banishing Shift.
…What is he planning to do, then…?
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After making a guess about his opponent's next move, Shiba then
reconsidered his most appropriate option for their next clash.
Unlike Basara, Shiba had various options for his next move. He had the Ars
Deicidium and the Ki that came with it; he could use Earth element attacks
with the power he'd inherited from the Kouryuu; and he could simply feint
with normal attacks.
In contrast, Basara had no room for bluffs or feints; the strain from any attack
he would attempt to use against him would affect the specificity Basara
requited to cast Banishing Shift effectively.
Even then, Basara had no way of accurately guessing which attack Shiba was
to use first, and the former's normal attacks could not go against Shiba's Ki
attacks or utilize the any of the Five Elements.
With the lives of Mio and his other girls, Tokyo, the Vatican, the Hero Clan,
the whole world—everything and everyone at stake for this battle, Basara
could not afford to lose, and he would definitely not rely on chance—the way
he'd planned against the possibility of being absorbed into Shiba being a
good indicator of his current stance on their battle.
In a way, it could be said that Basara worked best when he was reacting to a
situation, not initiating it—Shiba's best and easiest course of action would be
to simply stay still and let Basara exhaust himself after he's reached his
limits, forcing him to pull the trigger when he could not hold on much longer.
That was the main, if not only, factor, that Shiba had to keep into account.
And if Basara were to make the first move in this situation…
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He would not attempt any trickery and just close the distance immediately,
unleashing Extinction Sword at point-blank range—something that even
Shiba would not be able to withstand if it hit him directly, forcing him to
either dodge or block the attack. And it was quite possible that he could
simply change his stance in the middle of it and unleash Banishing Shift
instead.
However, Shiba could simply avoid the attack and exhaust Basara in the
aftermath of the exchange, so he didn't find that situation problematic.
What was the worst-case scenario for Shiba if Basara were to make the first
move, then?
It was if the Banishing Shift would be able to completely eliminate Shiba's
counterattack when it would make contact with it—as Basara had illustrated
earlier, Ki was present in all things in an endless cycle, and he would be able
to simply unleash the Banishing Shift without moving from his position,
ending their clash with a series of eliminating Shiba's Ki and five-elemental
attacks with Banishing Shift and following up with a second attack.
It was an improbable outcome—but Shiba wasn't about to be neglectful of
such a possibility.
And given this particular risk…
It was the best course of action to use the Ars Deicidium and the Five
Elements to launch two consecutive attacks at him—this way, he would
always have the insurance of power to eliminate Basara even if his
Banishing Shift happened to successfully eliminate his Ars Decidium and his
five-elemental powers simultaneously.
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As Shiba finished his preparations, Basara started to make his move—he
roared as he decided to commit to performing the first strike in order to defeat
Shiba.
"Heeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!"
He was using Banishing Shift—just as Shiba expected him to.
"You really are quite honest, aren't you…" Shiba laughed quietly, kicking
himself off the ground—the immediate, extremely speedy movement
eliminated any traces of distance between him and his opponent, before he
raised his fists to attack him.
"Goodbye, Basara."
This move would finally decide things once and for all.
If the Banishing Shift was not fully cast, he would simply end him with this
second hit.
If the Banishing would disintegrate his first attack, he would simply use a
different source of power for his next hit—he would use the Kegare that
festered in the abyss of hisbody,the corruption that had the power to
disintegrate anything in touched.
"———?"
The moment he witnessed the outcome of their clash, however, Shiba went
completely still.
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PART 23
As Basara unleashed the Banishing Shift, the target that he had set for
elimination was not the power in Shiba's fists.
As Ki was tied into all things in creation, Basara had proposed that he would
be able to eliminate any of Shiba's Ki attacks provided that he targeted the
right origin.
Shiba's current reaction confirmed Basara's theory—but the rate of success
for such an assumption was supposed to be miniscule.
What could he have done, then, to ensure the success of the attempt and
defeat Shiba in the process?
He had acquired something that met both requirements of the matter he
needed to destroy with the Banishing Shift—something that was hidden
within the unending darkness of abyss that laid within Shiba.
Upon release of the Kegare, the expanding curse would expand to specific
targets, said targets being the Village, the Vatican, and beyond, and the
corrupted matter was also corrosive to one's life force, and could cause
severe damage when used as an attack.
Apart from these qualities, however, there was also another crucial
component. It was the lifeline of his Kegare—Reginlief's soul.
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Basara considered the fact that Shiba would have obviously kept into account
of such a possibility—the fact that Basara would assume that Reginlief's soul
was the linchpin of Shiba's power. That was why he'd hidden it in a place
where no one would be able to acquire it—the bottomless pit of the abyss
within him.
Basara had lost due to his inability to appropriately access the extents of
Shiba's darkness during their first battle, but such a fact would have
convinced Shiba that Basara would be unable to destroy the Kegare within
him, and had thus chosen to absorb him knowing that it was safe.
But it had also provided Basara with a golden opportunity to find and retrieve
Reginlief's soul while he was being trapped inside.
Basara did not get used to seeing through the darkness of the abyss while
being trapped inside Shiba, however. While dark adaptation allowed one's
eyes to be more sensitive to a source of light after being in long periods of
darkness, it wouldn't work in a world of darkness without the slightest trace
of light, where it mattered not how long one lay trapped in the dark.
There were other ways that Basara could use to see through the darkness of
the abyss, however. So long as there was a source of light, any darkness, no
matter how deep, could still be navigated through.
He considered the fact that Shiba would be wary of him if he were to attempt
to steal Reginlief's soul and make the proper adjustments, however, and so he
had waited for his only opportunity.
"Don't tell me that…you used the gravity wave you used to escape to…!"
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Before Basara had arrived to the scene of the battle, Basara had utilized the
Banishing Shift to relieve Takashi of the Kegare that had corrupted him—and
that was because Basara had the ability to use Penetration as well.
Having applied Penetration to that exact situation—which in contrast to the
easy specificity of healing Takashi, was far more delicate due to the lack of
precision due to his dark surroundings—Basara had managed to find and
eliminate Reginlief's soul without affecting Shiba's body or mind.
Even if could not have entirely eliminated Reginlief's soul, it would now take
a substantial amount of time for Shiba to regain what he'd lost: Shiba could
no longer produce and infinite amount of Ki like he used to.
Basara owed his success to the long years of experience he had—as well as
the Master-Servant Vows he'd made with Mio and the other girls.
—Basara knew that he'd once allowed his powers to run out of control and
cause tragedy in the Village; the energy of the Banishing Shift should have
been released when he had at least some form of control, but having had his
mind pushed to his limits back then, he'd released all the energy he had and
caused what continued to haunt him to this day.
As of now, however, Basara could now do the opposite to Shiba—not only
would he be limiting the energy of the Banishing Shift, he could also limit the
attack to only implode on the specific target it was designated for.
It was a level of power that Basara could not possibly have achieved by
himself—a miracle born from his unwillingness to lose those he loved and
the irreplaceable bonds he'd made with them.
And Basara was about to use this power to defeat Shiba Kyouichi at last.
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"Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!"
Basara then forcibly unleashed the Banishing Shift: Geminus—now being
able to disintegrate any target regardless of its origin—as the bladed
technique was sent flying straight toward his enemy; despite the recklessness
of his current attack, said attack would be more than enough to defeat Shiba
at this point.
"—I don't think so." Before the attack could touch Shiba, however, he
suddenly disappeared from sight again.
"———!"
Basara immediately turned above to see that his target was now in the sky—
he was now combining the power of the Five Elements and the massive
amounts of Ki he'd accumulated at a single point around his raised hands.
The respective matters condensed to form a vermillion blade as he raised it
high.
"A pity, isn't it, Basara…" Shiba smiled, bringing down the divine blade he'd
made by condensing his Ki.
It was the final form of the Ars Deicidium—the Totsuka Blade.
It operated on a concept that allowed it to cut through anything that stood in
its path, and there was no defense apart from avoiding its area of effect.
But Shiba had deprived Basara of that option—one swing of his blade would
cut throughYukiand Mio even if Basara would be able to avoid the attack,
sparing neither their flesh nor their souls. And Basara did not have the
strength to carry them both away in time.
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He only had the Banishing Shift as his counterattack—but he needed absolute
concentration for it to work against his newest weapon. Perhaps his Vows
with Mio and the others would enable him to utilize it consecutively or
drastically increase its power to fell what stood in its path in a single strike—
but even then, there had to be a limit to what he could do.
Contrarily, Shiba was free to use theTotsukaBlade to attack as much as he
wanted without limit, with each swing and every draw of the blade releasing
its all-severing concept.
Even though the Banishing Shift was a technique that could allow its user to
escape their particular predicament and turn the tide of battle, Shiba's
Totsuka Blade was the ultimate weapon that he would use to immediately
decide the outcome of the battle.
In other words, Shiba had assured his victory the moment he had manifested
the Totsuka Blade.
…And now…
Releasing power of the concept which threatened to cut through anything,
Shiba carefully and calmly considered the upcoming development of the
battle.
He was no longer interested in absorbing Basara; Basara's death would mark
the end of the
Master-Servant Vows, and the remaining girls—Maria, Kurumi and Zest—
could be made short work of.
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Takigawa's magic spheres with the power to imitate universal space could
still be cut down with the Totsuka Blade, and he would then proceed with
cutting down the rest of the group that was now scattered to maintain the
barrier of the Solomon's Seal: he would start with Leohart and Loki, and his
remaining troops, as well as Takashi and Celis, would be no match even if
they were to attack him simultaneously.
Basara's previous Banishing Shift had cost Shiba no small loss of his Kegare:
his current reverse would be inadequate to destroy theVaticanafter it was
done with Japan.
Then again, the Kegare and a part of Reginlief's Soul still remained in Shiba;
after settling things with Basara and the others, he would have all the time he
would need.
He would rebuild his barrier with the Four Gods and have Kouryuu manifest
again: the way Shiba was now, he could simply rest the construction of the
barrier by recalling the Four Gods and remake a new barrier, allowing him to
manifest Kouryuu again without any difficulty. And although Mio had
mentioned that Takashi was now in control of the Byakko, he could simply
substitute it with the Georgius.
Having decided that this was to be his future, he suddenly felt a massive
wave of Ki coming from the space before him.
"———!"
At the opposite spectrum of the Totsuka Blade he was wielding, where
Shiba's blade was releasing a flow of energy threatened to destroy any
concept—one could sense an extremely disconcerting feeling of
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bone-chilling, callous intent.
The killing intent was being released surprised even Shiba—and its source
was right in front of him.
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PART 24
"———"
Basara's eyes were shut as he silently assumed the stance needed to unleash
the Banishing Shift, ready to face the conceptual attack of Shiba's Totsuka
Blade.
The Banishing Shift: Geminus that he had forcibly unleashed yet seemingly
avoided by Shiba had retained its immense power—Basara had saved the
energy required for the attack.
Had Shiba relented after losing the power of Reginlief's soul, the attack
would have been enough to defeat him.
Shiba had not ceased his ambitions, however—not once. Not only had he
attempted to kill Basara, he had also tried to kill Mio and Yuki as well.
He had not been satisfied with a single attempt—he had attempted to take
away what Basara loved multiple times.
To that, Shiba was unforgivable.
Basara would allow no one to get away with trying to take away what was
precious to him.
His eyes went wide open—
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"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Roaring at the top of his lungs, Basara swung Byrnhildr toward his enemy.
Basara had unleashed Penetration as he caused the exterminating energy of
Banishing Shift to implode upon cast during his previous attack.
His current attack was the exact opposite—he unleashed the fullest extent of
the exterminating energy he'd accumulated in that single strike.
It was an attack that was of an entirely different level of power compared to
Extinction Sword—it was Banishing Shift: Annihilation, the ultimate flow of
exterminating energy unleashed on an opponent.
"—————————————"
The two conceptual attacks collided at the next moment—it was a clash
between a concept that could sever anything and a concept that could
eliminate anything.
The clash did not end equally, however—the collision between the two
attacks did not result in both powerful techniques exterminating the other.
That was because Shiba intended to attack consecutively—Basara, on the
other hand, had bet all the strength—all the will—he had on that single strike.
The difference in their strength was obvious and the outcome was clear—
Basara's Banishing Shift: Annihilation swallowed the slashing attack of the
Totsuka Blade.
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The exterminating power returned everything it reached to nothingness,
casting a blinding light as the power surged into the sky.
…
…
…
Basara then found himself in a world of nothing but pure whiteness.
Having used every last ounce of his strength, he had no further doubts, and
was fully convinced at what he'd done. Dispelling Brynhildr, he slowly
leaned forward—
"————"
And he was welcomed by a loving embrace from all sides.
He could feel five familiar responses surrounding him as he reveled in the
pleasant sensation.
He then breathed a sigh of relief knowing that he had successfully protected
those he cared so much about.
It had finally come to an end.
At that moment, his vision became blurry, and his body and consciousness
felt as if though they were at their limits.
Before he would pass out, though, he had one very important thing to say—
not as the head of the household, but as a fellow member of the family
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sharing his feelings to those dear to him.
They were words that were meant for the girls who have swore to be by his
side eternally and had offered everything they had to him.
"…Let's go home."