Book 6: Chapter 5: Part 4

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Part 4

” …Now what…?”

That’s the best I can do.

But───.

“───!”

“Uh?”

Iris-san stared at my [World Strike] with a thoughtful expression. Just before her sword collided with my [World Strike], she guided its movement with her sword, as if to catch all the impact of the collision. The impact from [World Strike] went straight into the nothingness.

However, it seemed that it was not easy to receive this attack, even for Iris-san herself, and she did not have the time to follow up on my gap after the attack.

“This kind of… attack… is just not possible…”

Iris-san’s face distorted, and she stared at her hands. When I looked closely, her hand was trembling slightly; maybe she was numb. No, I don’t think it’s possible to take on a mass equal to the world and only get numb.

However, now that my strongest attack was blocked, I don’t think this move will work again in the future. I had taken advantage of an opening since she hadn’t seen it before, but I don’t think I’ll be able to do the same next time.

Iris-san had a serious expression on her face as I broke out in a cold sweat.

“It’s not that I was careless, but… it was too unexpected. Who are you really?”

“Who am I? Even if you ask me that…”

“Okay, fine. But you do understand that your attack is no longer going to work, right? …What are you going to do about it?”

Now that the [World Strike] that has been strengthened by [Magic Attire] was prevented, there is almost nothing else I can do.

Iris-san suddenly smiled at me as I desperately thought about it.

“Fuh… Well, Yuuya-kun was the one who attacked until now, so now I will be the one to attack, okay?”

“!?”

At that moment, the dynamic eyesight and thinking speed enhanced by [Magic Attire] succeeded in barely catching the movement of Iris-san. And when I reflexively took out my [Omni-Sword] and took a defensive posture, I felt a tremendous impact on my hand.

“Ara, I didn’t think you would be able to block the first attack. But if you take it directly, your hands won’t be able to withstand it, you know?”

“Kuh!”

As Iris-san said, my arm was numb from the blow I just received. If I can’t take the impact, as well as Iris-san did, I’ll probably be killed in no time.

However…

“Well, I won’t give you time to pass it off.”

“Ugh!”

I was overwhelmed by the raging sword attack. I managed to hang on by strengthening my physical abilities and eyesight using the [Magic Attire]. Still, if I had been in my normal state, I would have been killed with the first blow.

“I’m surprised… you can prevent this as well. Are you really Usagi’s disciple?”

“Yes, I am…!”

“…That’s a formidable talent, considering you’ve just learned to use a sword. But unfortunately, I’m going to have to push through.”

“Kuh?”

Iris-san’s attack speed gradually increased, and even my enhanced dynamic eyesight could no longer track her.

But…

“?”

Iris-san noticed a strange feeling and tilted her head. I also noticed the discomfort later.

(Huh…? How come I can’t follow it with my eyes, but I can react to it…?)

Yes, Iris-san was swinging her sword at a speed that I could not possibly handle, but somehow I could block her attack. Iris-san tilted her head and increased her speed to push through, but my body still reacted and stopped the attack.

In the end, Iris-san rolled her eyes at this situation.

“No way! How can you still react?”

I gave up on following it with my eyes and let my body react for some reason, but it seemed to be able to respond to the point where Iris-san was surprised. W-what is it?

I was puzzled because I myself didn’t know why my body was able to react to such a degree. It was as if my body had experienced combat at this level before…

Since I could handle all of her attacks, Iris-san once again took distance.

“Hah… hah…”

“…It’s weird. I’m not sure why you’re reacting when you can’t keep up with my movements… What on earth did you do?”

“I-I have no idea either…”

“Well, so you’re not going to tell me that easily, huh? But I wonder if you can outrun this as well…!”

When Iris-san said that, she closed the distance even faster than her first attack. With that, the ground cracked and shook the entire arena.

Then───.

“[Sword Flash]!”

It was still a fast, untraceable slash, but the power put into it was different. Earlier, she had focused on speed and the ability to strike repeatedly, but the blow she had just unleashed on me was a heavy blow that emphasized power.

Even if I could react as I had earlier, it would be the end of me if I took it directly. In order to overcome this attack, I have to negate the impact, just as Iris-san taken the impact of the [World Strike] earlier, or I will be cut down like this.

However, I don’t have that kind of skill… But──.

“!?”

The moment I received Iris-san’s sword with my [Omni-Sword], I turned my body around and received the impact while closing in on Iris-san.

“Kuh!”

Although Iris-san swung her sword down with all her might, she did not feel it as she drew back her sword and prevented the attack of my sudden approach, and then pushed me away.

“Are you really Usagi’s disciple? By all means, you are not at the level of a disciple, but a Holy class… no, you should be more than that!”

Iris-san was sweating as she said this. For some reason, when I saw Iris-san’s attack, I instinctively knew that I could pass it off. So, I was able to replicate the movements of Iris-san as she dodged my attack earlier. I not only evade it but also launch a counterattack.

However…

“I thought it was perfectly decided just now…”

I thought my counterattack was surprisingly clean, but as it turned out, it was blocked.

It’s still not possible to win against Master Usagi, and it’s no surprise that my attack didn’t work against Iris-san either, who is the Sword Saint, but I think I’m going to lose confidence if I’m blocked this easily.

In order to counter such Master Usagi, I need to release the Evil power, but… Is it really okay to release it now?

For the time being, I was able to control the Evil power for a very period, but I was more afraid that by releasing the Evil power, Iris-san would mistake me for the real Evil.

I don’t know how much Master Usagi has told her about me, but I’m sure he hasn’t told her about the Evil Power. Master Usagi himself said that I should be careful about showing it to the Holy.

When it comes to that, I have to beat Iris-san without the Evil power… Eh, it’s impossible, isn’t it?

When I was stunned by the situation that I was stuck in, Kuro, who had been asleep inside me until now, woke up with a big yawn.

“Fuwaaha… I slept well. And, oh…? Why are you fighting with the Sword Saint?”

“I’m sorry, Kuro. I don’t have time to explain it in detail, so I’ll make it short and simple: it just happened!”

“Whatever happens, but you’re fighting the Sword Saint… Aren’t you becoming more and more like the real Evil?”

“I wish you wouldn’t say anything so crazy!”

I also want to live in peace if possible!

But the Evil will attack me, so I have to get power to remain safe. The current situation is also a training to gain the power to resist the Evil.

Iris-san, who didn’t know about Kuro, tilted her head curiously when I complained about Kuro’s appearance after a long time.

“Who in the world are you talking to?”

“Eh? Ah, no, it’s just…”

“…Oh well. It seems that you’ve run out of cards, so let’s end this now.”

Iris-san said and turned a tremendous pressure on me.

Kuh… Iris-san used to move in a state where she was not strengthened by magic, but she seemed to have strengthened her body somehow. Obviously, the pressure I felt was stronger than before.

Kuro burst into laughter as I struggled to keep myself from being blown away by the pressure.

“Hahahaha! Hey, hey, you’re about to get hit, you know! What happened to you when you defeated the Fist Saint?”

“A-as I said, I don’t remember what happened at that time!”

“Well, I guess you’re right. You weren’t sane at the time, but you had completely transformed into Evil itself. Then, you have no choice but to lose now, right?”

“Ugh… Master Usagi will definitely be angry with me…”

As I was thinking about the situation, my face turned pale, and Iris-san quietly set up her sword.

“I’ll finish you off with a real, honest-to-goodness blow.”

“T-then, I’ll be dead…”

“Well, I guess you’re dead,” said Kuro.

“I don’t want to die!”

This is just like a mock battle, isn’t it? It’s not like anyone died or was seriously injured in the fighting tournament, right?

Iris-san smiled at me as if she was enjoying this battle while I was trembling even more.

“I also enjoyed fighting for the first time in a long time… Well, I wish you were stronger than me, though.”

“Huh?”

“───[Sacred Heaven Slash]!”

When Iris-san stepped forward, she moved in front of me in an instant. The speed was so instantaneous that I thought it was really an instantaneous movement, and I didn’t even realize that she had moved until she appeared in front of me.

And just as she was about to swing her sword down at me, my eyes, enhanced by my [Magic Attire], noticed a black something approaching from behind Iris-san at an unbelievable speed.

Then, not only me but also Kuro seemed to have noticed it and shouted in panic.

“Avoid it, Yuuya!”

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

I realized that Iris-san didn’t recognize the black something, so I pulled Iris-san’s arm in front of me and hugged her, and then we fell down together.

“W-w-w-wha-whaat!?”

The next moment, Iris-san’s face turned red, and she panicked as she was hugged by me. The next moment, the black something pierced the position where Iris-san and I were standing in an instant.

“Huh?”

“T-that was close…”

Iris-san stared dumbly at the ground where the black something had pierced. When the audience began to rustle at the sudden attack from outside the arena, a voice came from the sky.

“───Accha, it’s been avoided. Well, it wouldn’t be much fun if you died now, would it!”

“Wha…! That appearance… “Shinigami”…! And why are you with them?”

Iris-san’s eyes widened as she looked up into the sky. I also looked up at the sky and saw a boy, a half-naked man with a long spear on his back, and a ninja-like man with two grass-cutting scythes on his hips, standing there leisurely.