Volume 8, Chapter 9: Resolution
As I stood my ground with Gouten in hand, I locked eyes with my father.
Now, what should we do?
He'll probably try to dodge.
Gouten can still be used as a sword after firing, so I have no choice but to use it.
My father twitched the muzzle of his M2 heavy machine gun.
Simultaneously, the stones and wood around my father were blown away by the shockwave as he fired Gouten.
Along with a mushroom-like explosion, the area in front of my father erupted.
At the same time, I continued to run while holding my sword forward.
I definitely won't die from something like this.
On the contrary, they should come attacking here.
After being showered with small stones and sand blown away by the previous explosion, they should be cautious of using the heavy machine gun and assault rifle to avoid malfunctions.
That means we'll settle this with swords.
It's Taisharyu against Taisharyu.
Just as I thought that, my father emerged from the explosion, screaming like a monkey and assuming a dragonfly stance.
"Gah, Shingengen-ryu!"
He's a dangerous one, to the point where Kondo Isami of the Shinsengumi would advise me to avoid his first strike.
Moreover, even if I manage to evade his first strike, he'll follow up with consecutive strikes from the left and right, making it extremely risky to parry.
I kicked up a fallen log lying on the ground with my foot and directed it towards my father's face, forcing him to use his first strike.
"Wait a moment! This is Shingengen-ryu! Where's Taisharyu?"
After his first strike, my father maintained the dragonfly stance while measuring the distance for his next sword strike.
"When did I ever say I could only use Taisharyu?"
"Wha... Dirty... You're from a different school?"
"I never said I'd teach you my true school from the beginning."
"Wha... Unbelievable!"
"Hurry up, Yuuki-sama, put on the Holy Tree Armor!"
Aoi shouted.
"No! I'll be decapitated while putting it on!"
Mitsuki yelled.
That's the right answer.
With the few seconds it takes to put on the armor, my father could easily kill me.
"Oh, so you've learned how to put on the Holy Tree Armor?"
My father's killing intent intensified.
Hmm...
What a tangled web.
"Too bad. I wanted to see you put on the armor..."
My father's killing intent grew stronger.
"It doesn't really sound like a father-son conversation..."
Old Jiro commented, visibly taken aback.
"I heard you two were close," Kazanzakis-san added, surprised.
"Well, we are close, but..."
Mitsuki replied.
"No, it's strange!"
Colonel Kunito chimed in.
With his comment, my father closed the distance.
At the same time, I lowered my waist deeply and prepared to intercept my father's advancing shin with my right knee raised.
Even as my father's shin was slashed, he managed to avoid a fatal blow and leaped backward with only a thin layer of skin left intact.
"I knew you were hiding something, and it had to be the Ryuho-ryu!"
My father cursed.
Ryuho-ryu was a formidable leg-slashing swordsmanship that gained fame during the Bakumatsu era.
Well, it's mostly known for its leg slashes, but even so, it was a martial art to be feared, standing alongside Shingengen-ryu in the Bakumatsu era.
"Well, like father, like son," Mitsuki muttered.
At that moment, the roar of a helicopter echoed.
Perhaps alarmed by the explosion from Gouten, it seemed to have flown in to assist my father.
"Damn, you fool!"
My father cursed vehemently.
Before the combat helicopter unit could engage us, Ryujin-ryu's attacks had shattered it into pieces.
"Give it a rest, you guys aren't used to fighting," my father grinned bitterly.
Ryujin-oh had been utterly defeated, and Ryujin-ryu's attacks had driven Ryujin-jou away.
"Wait! Lady Ryujin, don't fly away Ryujin-oh!"
I shouted.
Lady Ryujin seemed startled.
"My father's target is that! He's probably aiming for a nuclear missile! Don't reveal its location!"
I shouted again.
"A nuclear missile? The kind that can destroy a continent in one shot?" Aoi was panicking.
"Gah, you're the most troublesome one, after all."
My father chuckled wryly.
"Can't you just give up?"
I asked my father.
"I see, it's time to call it quits," my father grinned.
My father retreated slowly.
"I guess he won't chase after us," I said, catching my breath.
"Chase him! Why aren't you pursuing him?"
Colonel Gouou yelled with a mangled mouth.
"If we chase him, we'll die," I told him.
"It's a trap, so absolutely do not pursue him," Mitsuki added.
"My father always lures his opponents in and crushes them. We can't win if we chase him,"
"Really, what kind of family is this?"
Old Jirou sighed, holding his head.