Published at 25th of March 2019 9:59 pm

Volume 5 Chapter 6 - Surprise Attack Operation―Magic War・Okehazama

Kondou Hajime, who had just finished his shift as the guard of the dungeon, was requested by Hayashizaki Kazuki and Yagumo Akane to do something. It was something that made his chest beat in thrill as if he was participating in a conspiracy. Kondou who liked that kind of thing agreed happily―he came to the very end of this temporary garrison.

Even though it was called a garrison, this place was only temporary, because of that there were hotels, public facilities and the like; it was a normal corner of the city that was confiscated for the military’s use. The edges of the grounds were guarded by knights in a shift system.

There were reasons why the monitoring was done in analog using humans and not using machines. The first reason was because the garrison that was set up in these grounds had only been done two days ago. Constructing an advanced monitoring system in itself would take a lot of time.

And then one more reason was because magic power couldn’t be detected using a machine. Humans who excelled in detecting magic power were posted as guards where they had to pay attention to the suspicious outbreak of magic power.

Of course something like a knight that loved to work as a mere guard or the like didn’t exist.

It was already late at night. Kondou walked approaching the lone guard standing around doing nothing while holding his yawn.

“Hey, thanks for your hard work. …Though even if I said that I wonder if there is any meaning in this, only standing watch doing nothing.”

“…Hey, I thought it’s my relief but it’s just Kondou. It’s not your shift right now, right? What a short-lived joy.” The knight who stood guard released a deep sigh. “Well, it seems there is meaning in this you know? There is no worry of an enemy attack tonight, but rather than the outside, the order is to be on guard against the inside.”

Be on guard against the inside―hearing those words made Kondou scrunch his eyebrows a little.

“So they told you to be more careful for desertion rather than the enemy. But does that actually happen? Things like deserting soldiers.”

“There is nothing like that on my shift. But, I heard that a few had been caught. Those who tried to escape were all swordsmen, but there is not a single one of the Magika Stigma who tried. As expected between those who are granted with Stigmata and became a knight, [the chosen humans] compared to the swordsmen, their resolve might be different.”

“…You can't say that it’s only because of such things you know. On the battlefield, the swordsman is in several times more danger compared to the Magika Stigma after all. If they faced something like that, then they would want to desert. Isn’t that the difference? It’s not a thing that you can think so menially.”

“Is that so? Maybe it’s really like that. …So, what did you come here for?”

“I couldn’t sleep at all, so I was thinking that I wanted to feel the night breeze for a little, and then I remember that tonight it’s your shift as a guard. There is that favor from you setting up that mixer the other day that I haven’t paid back yet. Well, though I didn’t meet any great catch at all that time either.”

“Oh, so you mean you're admirably proposing to replace me in guarding this spot?”

“Right on the mark. The soft and fluffy bed in the hole is waiting for you right now.”

‘Yossha-‘ The lookout knight started running while Kondou sent him off.

…A lookout for deserters was it? But in this society, there were also exceptions like deserting caused by bravery.

After a while Kondou called out “All clear”, he sent out a signal to Kazuki.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Kazuki divided his comrades into groups and then [ambushed] the rooms where the students of the Knight Academy were resting. And then they performed an inspection on the students' belongings and confiscated everything like cell phones and the like that could be used as a method to contact the outside.

When he explained the situation, all the students gave their understanding. There was also a possibility of a spy among the students of the Knight Academy. 'That’s why entrust me with all the communication devices before we conduct this absolute secret operation'―if Kazuki said it like that and a student was still resisting then it was the same as admitting, [I am suspicious].

And then he divided the 150 students into subdivisions and departed the garrison one group at a time. With the cooperation of Kondou-san who stood as the guard, the Knight Academy students succeeded in not being noticed by anyone.

The escaping students that numbered a little under 150 people gathered in a public park that didn’t have any human presence where Kazuki explained the operation once more in detail. If by any chance Kazuki didn’t have his accomplishments of becoming the champion of the election battle, then surely the students wouldn’t give their agreement in following Kazuki’s plan.

The students all lent their ear with serious expressions listening to Kazuki’s words.

“This plan is similar to the famous surprise attack strategy that was performed at Aichi Prefecture a long time ago in the previous era, thus…we will name this operation [Magic War・Okehazama]!”

When he said the operation’s name that really had good taste if he said so himself, the students cheered ‘Oooo’ with voices that might be audible from the garrison and applauded. The morale was high even though it was quite risky.

“Though Okehazama is more in the west from here…” Koyuki retorted with a serious face.

Next, Kazuki reorganized the platoons according to the elements of the magic that the students used. Fifteen platoons were made of ten people each where everyone had their own roles clarified. And then to the fifteen leaders of the platoons, Kazuki distributed the wireless software headset he received from Akane-senpai. While this headset was small model communication equipment, it was able to switch between several communication networks from short range to long range. It had become the standard equipment of the Knight Order. Akane-senpai pilfered all of it from the warehouse for Kazuki’s sake.

They were using wireless at this time was so that the enemy couldn’t intercept their communications, but it was also because they had to be vigilant so that the Knight Order too couldn’t intercept the signals.

“Ah, spare me from usin’ that. That’s just too effeminate zee, wearin’ this kind of appliance.”

But the Einherjar Damian who had the creed of rejecting technology refused to wear the wireless.

“Well then everyone, let’s pass through the military boundary line and hit Yamato’s frontline.”

They had already broken through the military boundary line from Japan’s side. They would keep this pace and break through the security of Yamato and then assault the front line garrison of Yamato in one go.

The location of the garrison had been thoroughly investigated by the Knight Order and Akane-senpai had also taught that to Kazuki.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

“O affectionate rain cloud that grants the blessing to the earth, cry and weep fiercely just for this moment, please hide our figure inside the curtain of lamentation…Rain Cloud of OutcryCrying Nimbus.”

Hikaru-senpai in her Magic Dress form was chanting the Summoning Magic of Baal, the Diva that manipulated the weather.

In the blink of an eye the night sky was covered with dark clouds, drops of rain began to fall.

By means of Hikaru-senpai’s control, Hikaru-senpai made the rain stronger little by little so as to not make anyone suspicious.

Before long the far away scenery became hazy where they couldn’t see well from the passing shower.

“Ahaha. You know I have been doubtful for a long time wondering whether there is any use for this magic. Making rain fall down and become sopping wet only makes lightning magic hard to use. I never thought about using it for a surprise attack.”

Hikaru-senpai talked while hugging Kazuki’s arm tightly. “Why is senpai hugging me?”

“Praa―ise me♪” She said that with a voice full of charm, so Kazuki patted Hikaru-senpai’s head gently.

“Now that you mentioned it senpai, I just noticed it but reinforcement magic like [Ride Lightning] couldn’t be chanted in preparation time like this right? Even though I think it will be convenient if that’s possible.”

When Kazuki tried to chant the spell, he sensed that it wouldn’t activate.

“Right. Because spell chanting includes declaration of [what is the power going to be used for], so in the case of reinforcement magic there are many that have [fighting spirit against the enemy in front of you] as their trigger. That’s why it’s mostly unusable when you only want to use it to strengthen yourself yet there is no target you want to defeat inside your <magic perception range>.”

After Hikaru-senpai had finished teaching him such a thing so skillfully, once more she declared “Praa―ise me♪” and rubbed herself on Kazuki. Really, this senpai is…like that Kazuki kept patting Hikaru-senpai’s head repeatedly.

“Well then senpai and all the others in the lightning magic platoon, please fall back to the rear until the rain stopped.”

“Okay, I’ll leave the rest to you-”

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

They examined the situation of the military boundary line from their cover. There are two soldiers standing guard in line, and then there were also soldiers coming in patrol at a fixed interval asking for the situation.

But Yamato’s swordsmen were not skilled. Even their magic power was not much different from normal civilians. Their level didn’t reach the degree where they could detect the magic power of unseen approaching humans.

The communication devices that they used were the same as the ones that Kazuki and the other students used this time.

First, in order to not let them notify their comrades―Kanae and Torazou-san crept unnoticed without making any sound and destroyed the communication devices with kodachi and sword hand strikes.

“…!? …!”

The guard was shocked from the sudden appearance of Kanae’s figure and tried to call for help but―his voice didn’t come out.

Karin moved the airflow with Psychokinesis and made the surroundings of the soldiers into a vacuum.

It was one of the assassination techniques beaten into the girl by Hayashi Shizuka.

If there was no air to propagate the vibration of sound, even voices couldn’t be produced. He was unable to call for help.

“………! (TORAZOU SMAAAAAAAAASH!)”

Torazou-senpai smashed a powerful strike even though his voice was not audible because of the vacuum, Kanae too mercilessly carved her opponent apart roughly, in no time at all the soldiers on lookout fell into the unconsciousness of magic intoxication.

The security is lax, Kazuki thought. The competency level of Yamato’s soldiers was no better than normal civilians. They were also resting on their laurels carelessly because of the traitor’s information. Adding to that, it was also because, in the first place, they hadn’t completely decided [what kind of security would be effective].

There was no doubt that they hadn’t even imagined such a thing like the guard getting defeated without even able to raise their voices.

“From here it’s a fight against time. Until the next patrol comes here again…”

Under the falling rain, Kazuki and the others penetrated the occupied area of Yamato. The inhabitants of this side had been evacuated too, there was no human presence at all.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Yamato side―there was [Yokohashi platoon garrison] around the eastern tip of the prefectural border of Chubu Prefecture, Yamato took over that place and used it just like that.

Inside the falling rain with bad visibility, the students of the Knight Academy were hiding using the surrounding buildings as cover while surrounding the building of Yokohashi garrison―a large concrete structure similar with a school, bringing the building into their <magic perception range>. Making the building itself as their attack target, the large scale magic corps with Kaguya-senpai as its platoon leader began their spell chanting.

And then if a spell was chanted at this range, the other side too would notice the outbreak of magic power.

Swordsmen leapt out from the building entrance as scouts, toward this side―they ran heading toward the direction of the magic power that Kaguya-senpai produced. If it had become like this then it was meaningless for this side to keep hiding their presence.

The swordsman corps of Kanae and the others met the approaching scouts and defeated them in no time.

It was the beginning of small scale hostilities. The enemy had sensed this side and the battle would begin from here on.

On [the other side of the windows] of the building, the illegal magicians of Yamato began their spell chanting. The other side had confirmed this side’s figures by sight―in other words this side had entered into their magic perception range. In regards to that, Kazuki and the others fixed their sight only on the building. In the end they couldn’t target anything other than the building with their magic.

[If it had to be said strongly] then the disadvantage for the attacking side was around this area.

“Defensive magic!” Kazuki sensed the magic power and gave out instructions.

“Will-o-Wisp Hundred Flowers Blooming ProfusionOnibi Hyakka Ryouran!”

“Thunder God DrumRaijin Taiko!”

“Evil Wind Sickle WeaselMagatsu Kaze Kamaitachi!” …

The Divas of Japanese Mythology emerged one after another, dozens of offensive magic came flying. Against those attacks, the students of the Magic Division matched the number of defensive magic and resisted. Various elements of defensive magic were erected all at once over and over again, defending against the offensive magic.

Offensive magic came flying in rapid succession due to the quickness of Drive’s chanting. The damage to the surrounding building and to the students came out due to their inability to defend everything with defense magic but―

Even while allowing the enemy’s preemptive attack, this side’s preparations had also been finished.

“O darkness of mind contained within the eternal cycle of death and rebirth! O seven stars shining inside that! Display the microcosm of the creation of heaven and earth and show the whereabouts of the person!! Galaxy!”

“”In the sky moon, on the earth wolf, raging howl loudly indicted the sins on the earth! O shining moon that is also shining on top of the deeply sinful person’s head, change that light of motherhood into fury, crush this earth! The nightmare of falling moon right here…Moon Strike!!””

With the garrison building as the target―the characteristic magic of the Magic Division student council president and the combination magic of the hidden powerful duo of the Ryuutaki sisters were invoked at the same time. The night sky that continuously rained down suddenly became clear.

Dark clouds parted, the burning stars and moon became a meteor shower and rained down incessantly. Light and thunderous roars that were already outside the realm of human senses were produced…,

The Toyohashi regiment garrison didn’t even leave rubble, transformed into an uneven crater and open wasteland.

[Right there several hundred people were scattered apart shining with defensive magic power.] There were unarmed humans mixed among them, surely they were non-combatants that were inside the garrison. They who were outside the magic perception range of Kaguya-senpai were mostly unaffected by the offensive magic. Only the building was annihilated.

The result of the meteor that split apart the night sky was the clean disappearance of the rain clouds that Hikaru-senpai summoned. The clearly extending starry sky spread out like a lie.

“Close-quarters combat units, charge!!” Together with Kanae’s order, the close-quarters battle units were charging.

Just as I thought, Kazuki confirmed the rightness of his own idea.

―[There were no rules of three times attack or castle siege] in a magic war.

It was an unlikely assumption but as long a lot of adamantium was not used on the outer wall, a fort or protective wall that could endure against offensive magic this powerful didn’t exist.

With the birth of magic in this world, modern weapons and forts had become obsolete. Only humans that had obtained the power called magic had become conspicuously powerful.

That was why if a war started, there would be nothing but humans that remained on the battlefield immediately. Every battle would become a field battle soon at any rate. It was unlikely for a fort capture, siege battle or the like to occur. There was no meaning at all for the defensive side to defend their encampment―after all, what decided the war was the soldiers.

And then the defending side which had their building suddenly destroyed was thrown into chaos from suddenly getting thrown outside―just like the time when the Knight Academy students were attacked while riding buses.

The surprise attack had completely succeeded. When it became like this, the defending side became far more disadvantaged compared to the attacking side. The soldiers of Yamato were unable to grasp the situation, they couldn’t adequately spread out their formation. Right there the close-quarters combat units that Kanae spearheaded made their assault. The Magic Division students were chanting magic to support their attack.

Inside this chaos, it would be hard to chant magic even in the case that they had Drive.

The swordsmen of Yamato didn’t have anything but makeshift skill , the illegal magicians too were vastly inferior compared to the knights in magic technique like Resist or the like. When the situation was reversed where they were the ones ambushed, they were weak.

In spite of the fewer numbers of the Knight Academy students that were less than 150 people, the manpower of Yamato reached around a shocking number of 300 or 400. The difference in manpower was more than double, but if they could succeed in a surprise attack and pushed forward with the momentum, they could overturn the difference in manpower!

The enemy camp had finally begun to recover from the chaos. The swordsmen of Yamato moved out to protect the illegal magicians and were forming the Heaven and Earth Formation. Right at that timing, Kazuki fired his second arrow.

“Flying column charge!” He ordered to his headset.

“O Astaroth commiserating the foolish sin! In order to be the agent of thy indictment, please lend me thy manservant which is thy mounted beast!! Trampling Down Big DragonTrampling Drake!!”

Flying column―Mibu-senpai who circled to the rear of Toyohashi platoon garrison and laid in wait caused a crack on the ground, from there she summoned a giant lizard clad in blue flame. This blue flame was not the blue color of a super high temperature like Belial, it was dyed blue from constantly burning poisonous substances, emitting a strange smell like sulfur. On top of that blue flaming lizard, the platoon that was led by Mibu-senpai mounted it.

“Loyal manservant of Lucifer, O Gamigyn! Please lend me thy swift horse, the symbol of thy loyalty!! Hell’s Fine HorseGallop Racer!!”

Mibu-senpai’s protégée Asamiya-senpai too invoked her magic together. The space in the immediate side of the girl was ‘BIKIBIKIBIKI!’ forming a rift, summoning a horse with a body clad in red flame. The platoon led by Asamiya-senpai was riding up on the back of that horse.

At that time changes happened to the giant lizard and the flaming horse―the giant lizard transformed into a huge blue armored car, and the horse into a large red bike.

Kazuki was startled after using his sight that was reinforced with magic power and witnessing the transformation of the Demon Beasts into machines.

………What in the world is happening there?

{When the summoner’s individuality is excessively strong, there are cases like that where the Diva’s Summoning Magic is stretched by that individuality. This phenomenon is quite similiar to the characteristic magic that Otonashi Kaguya became able to use.}

Leme taught him using Telepathy with a whispering voice. I see, so their character is just too deep.

Anyhow, Mibu-senpai and her group could be said to be able to use magic with high mobility and high transportation capacity, so they were grouped together to compose a special mobile corps. The armored car and bike that were loaded with a great number of students took off with great momentum. The engines were *BOOOOONN!!* roaring explosively, its music horns were *PARARIPARARIRA!!* playing the biker gang’s peculiar enigmatic music.

“HYAHHAA―!! We're gonna cross over the period zee―!!”

“Anekii―! We're gonna transform into wind Anekii―!!”

Mibu-senpai and Asamiya-senpai raised their voices like a biker gang themselves and assaulted the rear of the enemy’s formation.

The illegal magicians of Yamato turned back and intercepted with offensive magic. However the armored car and large type bike that were created from Summoning Magic were different than a mere bus and couldn’t be destroyed that easily.

“UOOOOOO! This situation is interestiIIIIIING!! LET”S RAMPAGEEEEEE!!”

Damian too was riding on the armored car. She was not inside the car but clinging onto the car roof. She was in a great enjoyment while her hair messily trailed behind from the pouring wind from the front.

“””HYAHHAA―!!””” Together with those voices of rapture, the armored car and bike flew to the enemy formation and sent the illegal magicians flying.

“We are following the wish of Hodur, I too entrust my body once more to the exaltation of battle! Wartime fire of violent emotion running in the blood and fat of my sword!! Stories Flame!”

Among the agonizing cries of the enemy formation, Damian leapt while chanting reinforcement magic.

From inside the armored car and the back of the large bike, swordsmen were leaping out in a bustle.

The enemy formation that had been temporarily recovering their composure from the chaos fell once more into pandemonium.

Heaven and Earth Formation was weak against a pincer attack. It was a fact that Kazuki also learned from Yamato’s surprise attack.

{Kazuki! Hayashi Shizuka has been discovered!!}

In his ears―the headset that Kazuki equipped let out Kohaku’s voice.

Kazuki had told the swordsmen that were fighting in the front line to inform him immediately once Hayashi Shizuka had been discovered.

“Drilling the far away, <Doutanuki>! Battou Kaikon―Tenran Kamaitachi!!”

Together with Kohaku’s voice, a storm of magic power was blowing violently toward the sky in a certain location of the battlefield. That was the power of Kohaku’s Sacred Treasure. She was making that scene in place of a beacon to mark her location.

“Karin!” Kazuki gripped Karin’s hand tightly and dashed.

“You are going to settle with your destiny now!!”

“…Okay!” Karin nodded with obedience that she had never shown until now.

Defeat Hayashi Shizuka. That was this battle’s most important objective. All the other enemy soldiers were trivial.

Kazuki pulled Karin’s hand and drew her near him, then he circled his hands around those slender hips and took her in a princess carry.

“Waa!? What’s with this posture!” Kazuki ignored Karin who had her eyes opened wide.

“Ride Lightning!” Kazuki kicked the ground with all his strength while accelerating the strength of his whole body.

{It’s going just as I anticipated huh…}

The Telepathic voice resounding inside Kazuki’s head―Tamamo no Mae.

{I’d never expect that this leadership was your first campaign, boy. No, O Little King.}

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

While carrying Karin with his left hand, Kazuki cut a swath through the swordsmen obstructing his path with Doufu in his right hand. He stepped over the enemies that he defeated with a single blow and stormed into the deepest area of the enemy’s formation. Before long just like what Kohaku informed him, Shizuka’s figure entered his eyes in front of him. What emerged in that expression of hers was fury and impatience.

“You finally came huh, you bastard…”

With a look that was grinding her teeth audibly, Shizuka began to chant her spell.

Kazuki too, at the same time he caught the appearance of Shizuka, let Karin down from his arm while invoking his magic.

“O divine protection of military men, double the Megin that is swirling in my body! The will of god spurring me to endless battle, in this body! …Megingjord!”

At the same time he perceived the nature of the magic that Shizuka was in the middle of chanting. And then he gave the signal.

“Miyabi-senpai, please!”

―Kazuki had made a request to Miyabi-senpai for her to be in a position where Kazuki was always fixed inside her magic perception range as much as possible. She should be coming along here while somehow being able to keep Kazuki, who was dashing at full strength, inside her line of sight. …Shizuka used a powerful offense magic that Kazuki couldn’t defend with the defensive magics that he had in hand. He had been aware of it beforehand, that was why Kazuki had to take countermeasures in preparation for this moment.

“The water god of red hair awoke world destruction, restoring the rift of heaven, O the great power of Joka…lining up to that heaven and earth creation please distribute the light of world compilation in this hand! Goshiki Seki!!”

Shizuka invoked her magic with one hand raised high to the sky. A stone that contained Joka’s power was created inside that hand, emitting light of every color!

“…Mirror O mirror, lop off the ugly person’s sight and greedy hand! Moon Ring’s Mirror ShieldMoon Ring・Mirror Field!!”

At the same time, Miyabi-senpai invoked her magic with time to spare.

An avatar of the moon floated in front of Kazuki, then it became a materialized mirror.

Moon―the shining mirror of heaven that even reflected the power of the sun.

The Goshiki Seki released the light that altered the existence of physical material. If defensive magic of other elements was used then it would surely have its existence erased and made powerless. However the ultimate mirror perfectly reflected the very light itself.

“Kazuki doesn’t have defensive magic that protects against light, do you? Fufufu, with this the reason to conquer me increased.”

Miyabi-senpai was “fufufu” laughing daringly. In contrast, Shizuka was groaning “Impossible…!”.

But even so the magic of Joka was not only to that extent. The power of Joka, whose name was well known in Chinese Mythology, was supposed to possess a terrific power in each of her magic.

―But it was only in the case that if Shizuka could chant, that is.

“O earth of Pangu…!”

Kazuki too began chanting his spell. And, he swung down his beloved katana Doufu with power reinforced by Megin simultaneously. Shizuka too parried that katana with spiraling movement while maintaining her spell chanting.

The kick that she launched in return as counterattack was not parried by Kazuki, instead he forcefully repelled it.

“Reveal those every possibilities of the abyss in accordance with my wish…!”

“Stone cleaved, root torn, sin severed, that spirit sword of crushing evil right now in this hand!”

Kazuki too, Shizuka too, the two of them were magic warriors that skillfully used both Summoning Magic and close-quarters combat.

While mutually chanting spells, they were unfolding a fierce offense and defense.

However, it was as if Kazuki had completely become like Beatrix, he felt his whole body was overflowing with strength. More than usual, he was several levels faster, stronger, swinging down his beloved katana. Shizuka’s arm that was attempting to redirect that attack lost to its pressure and her posture broke. Right at that timing, Kazuki’s second slash surged like an avalanche. Receiving a severe attack, Shizuka staggered along with a blue defensive magic power.

What got disordered in instability was not only her posture―her chant too. Therefore Kazuki managed to invoke his magic earlier.

“Draw sword, Futsu no Mitama!!”

Sheathing Doufu back into his sheath, he gripped the sword of crushing evil in return. Shizuka who was slightly late from Kazuki in her chanting almost managed to carry it out to the finish, but right at that moment Kazuki swung down the sword that severed magic power.

BAKIN* The magic power that was kneaded until just the moment before invocation was destroyed.

“!?” Haggardness came to the surface of Shizuka’s expression.

[Futsu no Mitama] also had the effect of obstructing the chanting of a spell. With the disordered chanting ability that Shizuka had right now, she became unable to chant a powerful magic―except for mostly simple low level magic.

In reverse, for Kazuki who advantageously advanced the offense and defense, he had even more room to chant spells.

Kazuki wielded the sword of crushing evil even further. Shizuka, whose heart was thrown out of order by impatience lost sight of even her original martial art and became flustered from Kazuki’s fierce attack until she was finally blown away.

“Kuh, even in the worst case, this me, no way I’ll lose in this kind of place!” The haggardness in Shizuka’s expression changed into faintheartedness.

While escaping from Kazuki’s sword by rolling about on the ground, the girl managed to chant a short spell somehow.

“…O Joka’s shining five colors, repaint the world! The heaven I wished for is not here! To the other side that compass pointed at…Kuujin Hen’i!”

…Escape magic! At Shizuka’s side, an avatar of a huge Diva with a female upper body and naga lower body was floating. She was carrying a compass in her right hand where its needle was beginning to spin and spin reacting to the magic that Shizuka invoked.

…This girl mustn’t escape from here!

“Ride Lightning!!” Kazuki accelerated his physical ability even more electrifyingly.

“UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

He kicked the ground with all his strength while raising a war cry. [Megingjord] and [Ride Lightning] created a synergy, producing tremendous explosive power for Kazuki.

What invoked that escape magic, was that compass. The needle of the compass was spinning, spinning―however Kazuki closed the distance even before that magic power completely activated. And then with the sword of crushing evil, he slashed.

The compass that Joka’s avatar held was the same like Joka, it was not material matter. It couldn’t get slashed or the like by a normal sword. But [Futsu no Mitama] was able to cut the magic power itself, even an avatar.

The compass was bisected in two and fell from Joka’s hand.

{Hohou} Joka let out a voice of admiration. The escape magic was crushed due to Kazuki’s speed.

This girl surely was intending to fight from the inside of a safety zone. Like that time in the finals too.

“Prepare yourself, you cannot escape from this losing war.”

“Sh, sheet…cannot escape you say…this me is, in this kind of poor and boring island country…”

Even chanting spells was pointless, even doing close range battle was already hopeless against the current Kazuki.

“Karin!” With a desperate voice, Shizuka yelled “Karin, protect me!!”

Kazuki relaxed the stance of his katana and turned to Karin’s direction. Karin too looked back at Kazuki and nodded.

Kazuki could defeat Shizuka by keeping the current pace. However that wouldn’t become any conclusion.

“…Karin, you , are my family… Protect your family…”

Toward Shizuka that so shamelessly spouted out that falsehood, Karin directed her fist and prepared a stance with low center of gravity.

“Shizuka-[neesan]…you taught martial arts to me…”

“You bastard…what are you intending to do, that fist is… You are saying you are going to defy me…!”

“The fist that Nee-san taught me, was my pride…!!”

“You bastarrd!” Both of them kicked the ground with Jouchouho simultaneously.

Shizuka launched a fierce kick filled with fury to Karin. Karin slipped under the kick by lowering her body like a beast, her foot at the rear stepped powerfully on the ground. Then all that energy slammed into Shizuka from her shoulder with force―<Iron Mine LeanTetsusankou>.

“Guh…!” Even with her magic power scattered and her body bent backward, Shizuka still adjusted her stance and swung down a palm heel like an iron hammer. Karin tilted her neck and evaded the counterattack with minimum movement while forcing up her palm heel. The mutual attacks passed each other, Shizuka whose face was hit with the palm heel staggered. Even while staggering, Shizuka launched a kick with her left foot as if to show her will. Karin crouched down and evaded that kick while making a sweeping kick to sweep out Shizuka’s left foot―<Sweeping ThighSoutai>.

With her right foot driven off, Shizuka fell on her backside.

“Wh…why is…” Having herself overpowered by Karin, she leaked out a shell-shocked voice.

“In power and also in speed, Nee-san always has the upper hand. However Nee-san’s technique doesn’t work against me.”

There was not even a fragment of intensity in Karin’s fight, she was only looking down at Shizuka with an expression that merely filled with earnest grief. “I have been watching Nee-san’s technique the whole time. I yearned for that technique, I have been watching the whole time trying to steal it… Nee-san had never tried looking at me at all but…”

“Stop prattling-!” Shizuka sprang up in the middle of Karin’s words and thrust out her left fist.

Karin flipped up that thrust with her right arm and parried it. Shizuka immediately thrust with her right fist. Karin repelled it down with her left hand. Both Shizuka’s hands were opened to the above and below, making her face unguarded. With her raised right elbow, Karin struck a blow to Shizuka’s face like an iron hammer. ―<Hard Open GateKoukaimon>.

Katsura Karin was seeing through every movement of Hayashi Shizuka.

“I, wanted to be useful to Nee-san…”

Karin whispered crestfallenly. Looking at such a Karin, a furious expression emerged in Shizuka’s face and she struck out aiming at Karin’s face.

“I wanted you to look at me more. I wanted to get praised, even just one word…!”

Karin opened her body to the side and dodged, at the same time she stepped forward strongly while piercing her elbow on Shizuka’s face in a counter. ―<Outer Gate Spire ElbowGaimon Chouchū>.

“…Nee-san didn’t love me. However in these few days I knew. What kind of feeling love is…”

Right there Karin looked at Kazuki in a glance. There was no mistake that the warmth of the Witch’s Manor flashed in the back of her head right now. “Kazuki and Charlotte and everyone, had taught me!!”

“What love, what family, that kind of nonsense…!”

Shizuka tried to launch a counterattack. However she was beaten to the punch, Karin stabbed her claw to Shizuka’s neck who was full of openings―<Tiger Claw PalmKosoushou>. With that one attack as the beginning, she procured strength with a powerful Shinkyaku while launching an elbow strike, thrust, and elbow strike filled with strength of a one-hit-kill consecutively piercing the vital spots of Shizuka. A technique of combo attack just like a fierce tiger running up the mountain powerfully slashing its front leg―<Sever Beckoning・Fierce Tiger Firmly Ascending MountainZesshou・Mouko Kouhazan>.

Finally her magic power was disconnected, Shizuka stepped back in a stagger.

“…Do, don’t mess with me-! You are just a puppet-!!”

Shizuka exerted both her legs strenuously and fixed her stance. Taking a step forward she fitted her right palm on Karin’s chest―the stance of the girl’s sure-kill technique. Karin didn’t even try to dodge and accepted it while she too fitted her own right palm on Shizuka’s chest in response. And then they yelled simultaneously.

“I’ll teach you your place, puppet! …With this <Shintoukei> of mine!!”

“At the very least I’ll finish this with my pride…with Nee-san’s <Shintoukei>!!”

Shinmyaku―both of them simultaneously, powerfully stepped firmly on the ground. ‘DON!’ With one reverberating roaring sound, both people simultaneously had their hips, shoulders, elbows rotated like a spiral. And then the impact broke through the palms.

Which one of them shot out their release internal powerHakkei first couldn’t be understood by outsider’s eyes.

“Good bye, Nee-san…this is our first conversation…in our last moment…”

―Karin whispered with teary eyes while her nose sniffled in a sob. With her eyes still opened wide and her expression looking like an ogre, Shizuka collapsed down to the ground like a [puppet] with its strings cut.

{You finally did it, Karin…} Tamamo no Mae said affectionately.

{This is only the fall of one of my contractors. This is not even a crack in Chūkadou.}

Joka’s avatar floated for a moment and only said that before she vanished.

“The destiny of all things in nature is inside the great celestial sphere…O binding of constellations, suspend the movement of heaven! Horoscope Stasis!”

Kazuki invoked Baal’s binding magic on Shizuka whose heart had already stopped beating. Star lights flickered on Shizuka’s hands and feet, becoming the thread of a constellation from the links between lights and restrained Shizuka’s whole body.

“Kazuki…what are you planning?” Karin asked in wonder.

“…We are not just killing her like this. Because if she completely died then that’s the end. We are arresting this girl.” And then Kazuki chanted resuscitation magic that he had experienced personally.

“…O elegant, beautiful fire of reincarnation, burn the surface of life and sprout the restoration of the inside…Anti Aging!”

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

“Retreat!” ―A voice came from the night sky. When he looked up, a black dragon―Fafnir was covering the sky, Kaya and Maya were straddling its back.

It seemed that she was informed of the surprise attack and came here in a rush from a different region―might be from Gifu or Toyama, or else might be from even further inside Yamato.

Following that order, Yamato’s military force began to withdraw. Attack magics were launched at their back in order to take even one more prisoner. The enemy soldiers that were defeated became Kazuki and the others’ prisoners just like that.

“…You really got me. I never thought at all that Onii-chan unexpectedly wouldn’t get held back by the idiots and come preparing an attack this fast.”

Kaya murmured. At her back Maya was “Hi, high, high, scary, scary…” trembling.

“Nyarlako, you have defensive magic power so even if you fall you'll be fine, so despite that why are you trembling?” Like that Kaya scolded Maya. “Well then see you, Onii-chan. Next time it won’t go well like this you know.”

Leaving behind a parting threat like that to Kazuki, the black dragon disappeared to the north night sky. The end of the battle. Experiencing such a feeling Kazuki looked around his surrounding, he was confirming the safety of everyone from the Witch’s Manor. And then the fatigue of the very long day weighed on him all at once, making him almost flop on the ground.

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