Chapter 296: The things brought about in battles at utmost limit
Reigokai: Hey guys, Reigokai here!
The long awaited Tsuki update is here! Hope this is just the beginning of a comeback!
Now, I would like to take this chance to announce the Tsuki discord server here, since this will be the first announcement in a main story chapter. https://discord.gg/trqRAbk
Feel free to join if you want to! Chat with other people that enjoy the same type of stories :D!
I would also like to thank you guys for sticking with me and this story for so long! And also the many patreons! Thanks a lot! This has been a truly long journey that I hope to see through the end with all of you.
Well then, enjoy the new chapter of Tsuki Michi! :DDDD!
I ask myself if this is such a fleeting thing.
Memories of my past surface in my mind…and disappear.
Each time I receive attacks, my whole body is filled with power; every time I attack, I can’t injure him –no, not even a single drop of blood flows.
War Beast and Wings of the Saint; both were powers of renowned Wise.
For whatever the reason my blood has brought about, both powers are currently residing in my body.
Not only that, I can even use the summoning power of the Wise Tokito-sama who continuously challenged the Yaso-Katsui Labyrinth on his own, the Hyakki Yagyo.
With these many powers owned by a single entity, an opponent that can stand against me shouldn’t exist.
Even when I learned to fight, it only felt empty.
I was only allowed to crush.
Being tossed around by political strifes, my wish of remaining married with my loved one couldn’t be fulfilled either.
The thirst for battle smoldered me.
Ah, again.
From that punch I received, there was a magic needle that I couldn’t avoid stabbed deep in between my chest.
The needle crumbled and Wings of the Saint granted me further defense and resistance.
Every single attack of this man activates my Wings of the Saint without exception.
If I didn’t have this ability, I don’t know how many times I would have been killed already.
How overwhelming.
This avatar of battle that I could even feel fear from.
So it was this fleeting.
Today, I…will be dying.
In front of my daughter Iroha.
As a fool that drowned in fake love.
What confirmed my own end was…a smile.
The ends of my mouth had unconsciously turned upwards.
Maybe it was the gratitude of being able to die after bringing out my all, or it might be joy. It could be the irony that I, who could only crush, was now the one being crushed.
Ah…in the end, I will be leaving without understanding this thing called battle huh.
Whatever the case, for me, my encounter with this young man is……
◇◇ ◆◆ ◇◇ ◆◆
The fire breath of the fire maned lion had flown into where Jin and others are.
Around 10 minutes after the arrival of Tomoe, Mio had also regrouped, and she dispersed those flames with a single swing of her fan.
There’s Tomoe and Mio by the side of Iroha-chan and the others, so there’s practically no need to worry about them anymore.
I have already shot through the lion and it has dispersed.
My feet touch the ground after a while of fighting in midair, and then, I look up —at Haruka-san that is looking down directly at me with her loyal mamonos.
The mamonos were varied; from oriental-like to western-like. There were some who were floating in the air, and some who were placing their feet on the rubble and glaring at me.
There’s also some who are erasing their presence and hiding in the shadows.
…And well, there’s the ones that I have already eliminated.
“How is it? At the very least…you are not getting bored, are you?” (Makoto)
There was no response from her.
Instead of that, the naginata held in both of her hands shines.
Two slashes that felt as if they had been swung right at my vicinity were released, but they didn’t manage to hit my body and, after making a slightly high-pitched sound, they disappear.
On the other side, Tomoe and Mio had finished treating the subordinates of Iroha-chan, and were now simply watching my battle between Haruka-san without saying anything.
They are not going to interfere.
“Oh?”
“….Hm.”
Looks like a number of mamonos were about to change their properties from spiritual to material.
It must have been an order from Haruka-san, but I won’t allow that.
I skewer from below the cockroach and centipede at the sides before they manage to do anything.
I have mostly grasped the abilities of the mamonos and the time they take to be resummoned, as well as the fitting way of dealing with them.
Leaving aside whether Haruka-san has noticed this, I can see to a certain extent that the Wings of the Saint is reaching its end.
Haruka-san should have a lower ability at grasping the situation than I do, but she most likely can tell that the current situation is not good.
In that case, what she should have the most expectations of in order to change the current state of affairs would be the army of thousands that is approaching Kannaoi from outside.
The chaos that they would create would probably be the only possibility she has right now.
“?!”
“Ah…Rokuya-san huh. This is incredible.” (Makoto)
Well, that’s what I thought, but the outside of the city also showed movements.
When I look at Tomoe and Mio, the two were furrowing their brows.
“Rokuya? Are you saying that legendary assassin has appeared?” (Haruka)
Looks like Haruka-san had an idea of the name that I had muttered.
Instead of answering her, I place strength in my legs and close the distance between us.
She probably sensed it before I stepped in, she evaded heavily to the right, but I create a scaffold and pursue her.
With a straight movement that was faster than her, I easily pierce a needle between her chest.
Haruka-san’s body shines and the needle crumbles.
It is a spectacle that I am already tired of seeing.
I stand at the mid-air scaffold and look at her who is biting her lips.
“So it seems. That person truly surprises me. To think he had such a hidden trump card.” (Makoto)
Leaving aside Rokuya’s affinity against me, he is quite strong.
And he is quite the ruffian.
This power that is being shown to me…I see, it is indeed true that it is something that would have been pointless in the battle underground.
But against many, it can be said to be an incredibly fitting ability.
Even though he is an assassin, he can fight an army on his own.
Truly a brave that would make strategists cry.
(I think you already know, but…) (Rokuya)
A thought transmission from Rokuya-san.
There’s only one voice.
Of course, I already know.
The presence of Rokuya-san had diffused outside the city, and after that, it increased in numbers —the numbers were exactly…eighty thousand.
(This is one of my hidden trump cards. *God of War*. Change my body to an army of eighty thousands, but their individual strengths are 1/10th of my original strength. Moreover, it is a troublesome ability that took me close to a century to learn how to control and utilize. Against mighty opponents, it would instead bring about danger, but against an army that’s comprised of normal soldiers, it is quite the important ability.) (Rokuya)
Rokuya thoroughly explains me his ability.
Rather than the details of his ability, what interests me more are the circumstances in which made him wish for such an ability though.
There was no explanation in that regards.
“You simply became a weakling and increased in numbers…… Even if you show us something like that, it is not interesting at all.” (Mio)
Mio gives out incredibly harsh criticism.
Looks like what Rokuya-san had whispered to Mio before wasn’t about showing this ability.
(Hahaha. But, unless I am wiped out, there won’t be any serious wound dealt to me, and it takes 10 days to recast it. There have been an unexpectedly good amount of times in which I have been saved by this ability. Especially in times when numbers become strength. It is a tactic that you wouldn’t normally see in Kuzunoha Company that is more about quality than quantity, right?) (Rokuya)
(True. Twenty thousand respectively at the east, west, south, and north. If Rokuya-san alone can control all directions, the amount of violence it can cause with just the sheer numbers is nightmarish.) (Makoto)
(As expected of Makoto-kun. You understand. So, leave the outside to me. Now then, see ya later.) (Rokuya)
……
The presence of Rokuya-san disappears.
Power in numbers huh.
It is true that in Asora and in the Kuzunoha Company, our common policy is to thoroughly increase the quality.
That’s why I might have been neglecting a bit the power that numbers can provide.
Now that I think about it, in the underground battle, it was the same.
I might have to take into consideration the people, things, and the amount of material resources before confronting the Goddess.
Now then, let’s leave this as one thing I should do when I return.
The Wings of the Saint of Haruka-san will be ending in one or two times more.
I don’t know what will happen after.
If it would leave her in a state of apparent death, that would be the best, but who knows.
“Fire Demonic Being, [Fiery Chariot’s Gun]!!” (Haruka)
As expected of the ability of a Wise.
Names I feel I have heard before were coming out pretty frequently from her mouth.
I think I heard about this Fire Demonic Being from my recently joined follower, Tamaki, who is in charge of the mysterious. With her usual ‘In the past~~I was called like this…’.
All she says sounds strangely doubtful, you know.
Haruka-san summons three new mamonos and charges towards me with two of them in tow -and her naginata in both hands that I have deliberately not destroyed yet.
Uhm…the one that remained was probably the Fiery Chariot?
I thought it was a fire chariot, but it looks like that wasn’t the case.
I won’t be countering or fighting back; if you want to do something, go ahead and do it.
Will it be some type of new skill, or maybe a team attack that was born from a revelation?
Taking pointers from it doesn’t sound bad.
I am someone that doesn’t feel worth about fighting in itself, but if it is Haruka-san who seems to feel worth in bringing out her all, she might be able to find something here.
“[Demonic Space]!” (Haruka)
A whole side of my vision was dyed in darkness.
I couldn’t see Haruka-san anymore, and the only thing I felt was that my Magic Armor had been attacked.
Is this an anti-magic attack?
My Magic Armor had crumbled way too easily.
I felt like it was different from the time with Azu-san. It felt as if it were a specialized skill.
“[Anesthetic Slash]!” (Haruka)
This time, I felt like my arm was cut.
Though it wasn’t my exposed skin that was aimed at, but an attack that I felt from on top of my coat.
Maybe this darkness is also affecting Haruka-san slightly.
Her combat sense is incredibly high.
If I had the same abilities and speed as her and we were to have a close combat battle, I would have been one-sidedly beaten up.
But maybe because I have recently fought against a knight that’s more frightening than her, I don’t feel much danger.
I have gotten a sliver of courage from it.
I think that, if it is now, a match with Hibiki-senpai won’t go the same way.
“Did you absorb a bit of my magic power?” (Makoto)
That’s how it felt.
The second attack didn’t injure me, but I could feel that a bit of my magic power was stolen.
The two attacks were probably a team attack with the mamonos she had with her, but…I don’t think that kind of attack is that effective on me…
The darkness steadily disperses.
Now the only thing that remains is the team attack with the Fiery Chariot huh.
“Oh?” (Mio)
“Uooooo!!” (Tomoe)
I could hear Tomoe’s shout of high excitement from below.
For some reason, Mio was overflowing with a displeased aura.
This happened right before my body was caught by a white something.
I was more interested in the identity of it than escaping from its grasp, so I didn’t try to get out.
“Come, Gashadokuro ! Strike your enemy with those grudges of yours!!” (Haruka)
The upper body of a…giant skeleton huh.
I see. I certainly have seen that kind of youkai a number of times.
That Tomoe…she was happy that she was able to see a japanese youkai from up-close huh.
It is true that the Hyakki Yakou is pretty renowned in my world.
Hah…
A bit further away from me, three giant skeletons were floating at my surroundings, and one of them had restrained me with both hands.
The other two were letting out a purple aura that didn’t look gentle at all and were punching me like crazy without caring about their comrade’s arms.
Looks like they rank in the strong area within the youkais (or mamonos?) until now.
Is this not a simple summoning?
Maybe this is the ability of the Fiery Chariot?
I don’t know at all.
I don’t understand why Mio is in a bad mood either.
But…when I bring my gaze up while being punched, I could see that it was night and there’s a bright moon in the sky.
A night view that was truly fitting for many youkais to run rampant with that light that shines in a somewhat mysterious manner.
Ah, since I have the chance, how about I try it?
It did succeed when I tested it in Asora.
This technique that was born from my interests, and a slightly bit from my desire to get back at that Goddess.
Well, if it doesn’t work, I just have to properly train again at Asora. There’s Tomoe here, so we can also have Shiki and Tamaki think about the reason why it failed if it actually does.
In a different manner than when I speak normally, visualizing as if I am having having a conversation with someone of another race, I speak while still looking up.
“Moon.” (Makoto)
“Uh?! This is…! An aria?! How discomforting it is…!” (Haruka)
If you are not used to hearing it, it would probably feel that way.
My followers had also frowned the first time they witnessed this.
This power of ‘comprehension’ that the Goddess pushed onto me in order to have me interact with other races at the time when I had just arrived in this world. Later, even though it was something I wished for, the Goddess gave me a life-risking update of the ‘comprehension’, and it apparently became a part of this thing called ‘wisdom’ that was inside of me.
—This is something that I heard from the other Gods, but they are definitely more trustworthy than that Bug Goddess.
“My enemy and the temporary lives that she has created…” (Makoto)
It is normally an ability that activates on its own and allows for conversation, but I can also activate it on my own will towards the targets I wish to communicate to.
Just by speaking, my surroundings apparently hear it as an incredibly complicated and unknown aria language.
That’s right, this is a magic aria.
It has the effect of buffing, debuffing, and destroying, but the point that should be payed attention the most is that it can be activated at a wide range and can choose the target.
In other words, its affinity with Sakai is destructively good.
That’s a matter of course.
If I remember correctly, Shiki was so excited, saying he didn’t know about this and had never even heard about this before either.
I don’t really care much if this is the discovery of a new element.
The element of the spell I will be using is just as I announced at first —Moon.
“Shoot them down equally.” (Makoto)
The end of my aria.
I wonder if it will succeed.
It succeeded with the moon of Asora.
‘You can even drop meteors in this world, so wouldn’t it be possible for the Moon element to exist?’, that’s the kind of thought process I had when I approached this.
Then, the effect on the moon in the world of the Goddess is…
“So you answered me huh. This is interesting.” (Makoto)
A red moon suspended high up —at its surroundings, light rings of the same color were made; they slowly widen, and create a marvellous view.
They target the Gashadokuros first, and then, Haruka-san and the other ones created by Hyakki Yakou as well.
“…[Lunar Halo]” (Makoto)
I mutter shortly the name of the spell.
As if they had been waiting for that signal, the red rings that were shining with a somewhat rainbow tint…burst.
They rain down incessantly.
Rain down.
Rain down.
Rain down.
Rain down.
Just like an object dropping from space, they dropped at an unimaginable speed, but their light didn’t burn out in the middle of their drop.
A fragment of moonlight had hit Haruka-san, and the remaining ones pierce the Hyakki Yakou one after the other.
And yet, that light didn’t hit Tomoe, Mio, Jin’s group, and not even the rubble was being destroyed.
It was truly accommodating.
And most importantly, it was a big harvest that I was able to confirm that I can use the Moon element (not yet decided if it should be called that way) in this world.
The sounds of the surroundings stopped.
Witnessing a phenomenon of that level, they can’t resume battle immediately huh.
It has been a while since I have been able to enjoy the silence of the night.
“I see, so this is the completed version huh.”
“…”
Haruka-san looks straight at me in the sky.
All mamonos have already been eliminated.
Those eyes of hers shone a golden light, but there was no magic power or fighting spirit from her body, yet, that abnormal golden light was rising up.
The Wings of the Saint lets out the same color as Root huh.
“What an almighty feeling. To think there would be such a level of power in this world.” (Haruka)
This is the last strengthening she is receiving after being hit by the lunar halo.
If Haruka-san is bringing out the last of her strength, that would be the best scenario, but…no, there’s something strange.
That’s not all there is to it.
I feel a different being in her.
Suddenly…my spine shivers.
Some sort of power was given to Haruka-san right in the last moments of Wings of the Saint?
In other words, someone who is good at peeking and has been watching the battle?
…I see. So they finally couldn’t endure it any longer huh.
I think of a certain possibility.
A pressure as if I were confronting a Tomoe or Mio that has taken off their limiter and is going berserk —or maybe, even more than that?
Someone that can provide this much power to a hyuman. I can assert to it.
There’s by no means many who would be able to do that.
“Raidou, I have surpassed your calculations.” (Haruka)
“…With the assistance of someone?” (Makoto)
“Who knows. But with this, I will surely be able to teach you about this thing called battle.” (Haruka)
“Too bad. I would prefer an answer to my question rather than battling though.” (Makoto)
“In that case, seek it. But…” (Haruka)
“…”
“With your life at stake!” (Haruka)
Life?
…
Sorry, but I can’t give you that.
It might be a bit of a pain, but…let’s do it.
I will reach an answer with my own hands.
And then, if her change was something brought by the Goddess…I will be having a preliminary match here.