Chapter 920: Intermission: The Six-Armed Sword Oni

In a corner of the Western Demon Realm, a tremendous flame rose up with a roar. A tornado of flames with enough heat to melt rocks and the ground hollowed out, but it was cut in half in an instant.

Even as the technique she has unleashed has been torn apart, Agni, the Head of the War King's Five General…… Kicking the ground with the smile on her face deepening, she unleashed a flaming punch with unparalleled speed.

Thereupon, six swords intercepted her fist, and the clash of powerful magic power caused the surrounding area to be engulfed in a thunderous roar again.

After a rather intense battle, Agni wiped off her sweat with a refreshed expression and called out to her opponent.

[It was a great battle. You have my gratitude.]

[……No, it was a good workout for me too. Even so, you're quite enthusiastic today.]

[I recently had the opportunity to meet a new strong person, who I heard is now Death King-sama's subordinate, so I'm looking forward to our rematch.]

[Fumu.]

The person Agni was talking to…… A tall woman with short, iridescent bob hair with feelers sticking out of it, and beetle-like wings on her back, nodded as she returned her six arms into two.

[Even so, Sirius-dono's swordsmanship is as amazing as ever. I think you've become even more skilled than before.]

[I appreciate the praise.]

[I've already asked you several times before, so I know what your response will be, but I'll say it again…… Sirius-dono, do you want to join War King-sama's camp? I'm sure you'll make it to the top ranks in no time.]

[I'm glad that you think so highly of me…… but I'm not interested. I have my hands full with my own training. I don't want to belong to any one camp.]

[……I see, it's unfortunate, but I won't force you. However, I'd like it if we could spar again in the future.]

[Yeah, I'd be happy to. It's also good for me to fight with you.]

The insect woman, who seemed to be named Sirius, refused Agni's invitation. This is an exchange that has been repeated many times before.

Sirius is one of the few peak Count-rank in the Demon Realm, known as the "Six-Armed Sword Oni", and is the most famous swordsman in the Demon Realm.

However, while she would accept a battle from anyone who challenged her, she refused any solicitations from any camp and spent her time solely training herself.

Agni, who had known her for a long time, knew that Sirius was going to refuse her, so she only accepted her response without particularly minding it and left the place.

After seeing Agni off, Sirius was lost in thought as she cleaned her sword. She was known as the best swordsman in the Demon Realm, but she strongly denied that title.

There is a reason for that. That was also the reason why she continues to train to this day…… It's because of a swordsman she once met.

More than ten thousand years ago, a dual-wielding swordsman stood in front of Sirius, who held no doubt that she was the strongest swordsman in the Demon Realm. It was too long ago for her to clearly remember her face, but she remembers that they are an Insectoid like herself, with long beetle-like horns and a black diamond-like shell.

Even as she was unable to remember her face, Sirius can still vividly remember their battle. Sirius, who believed that her swordsmanship was the strongest in the Demon Realm, was defeated even before she could directly exchange blows with her opponent.

————-Transcendental Soaring Serpent Style, First Slash ——- Enemy Crusher!

(T/N: Originally named 敵倒 = Tekitou, but with the way Sirius heard things, that Tekitou could possibly be 適当, which means it's just a name Alice-chan didn't particularly think about)

It was beautiful swordsmanship, as if her opponent was dancing. However, even with her graceful movements, it also had the strength of a dragon soaring in the sky, expressing its fierceness to everything in its path.

Even though she was defeated by only one strike, Sirius didn't even feel regret for her defeat, and in fact, she felt that the difference between them was so great that she deserved to lose…… And thus, she was convinced that that was the peak of swordsmanship that she should be aiming for.

————-Get stronger……

As Sirius fell to the ground in defeat, the mysterious swordsman only said one thing to her before she left. From that moment, Sirius' challenge to herself began.

She felt no regret in defeat. However, the thought that she wasn't even able to make the swordsman fight her seriously made her feel so frustrated that she vomited out blood. With a strong yearning in her heart, Sirius continued to improve herself.

In order to beat that swordsman, she had rebuilt her sword skills from the ground up, and even as she had become a peak Count-rank, she continued to train.

But strangely enough, she hasn't been able to track down the mysterious swordsman since then, and despite the fact that she had that much ability, she hasn't heard any rumors about them at all.

There was a time when she almost suspected that her fight with the Beetle Insectoid was a dream…… but she could still see the proof of that incident…… the scar on the back of her right hand proved that the battle was real.

She doesn't know why she still couldn't find them…… but Sirius wasn't too concerned about that at the moment. She knew that if they were to meet again at this point, the outcome would be much the same as it was then……

(……I do feel that I have become stronger. However, I don't feel that I've reached where that swordsman stands in the slightest…… The top is still far, far away.)

As she cleaned her sword, Sirius thought back to today's battle with Agni. Her battle against Agni, who was one of the most powerful peak Count-ranks, was indeed a fruitful one.

Sirius found many issues with herself and she'll definitely need to work harder on her training in the future. However…… Sirius still feels that her growth was slow.

(Training with an opponent of the same caliber is meaningful. However, training like this certainly is reaching its limits…… If it's possible, I would like to fight against people "superior" than me. I've been doing a lot of close-quarters combat training, so I'd like to try fighting someone with overwhelming mid to long-range power. I think that would give me something to grow even more than I already have.)

In order to become even stronger than he is now, Sirius wants to fight someone more powerful than her…… but the number of people who can surpass her, a peak Count-rank, is quite limited.

With that being the case, the person Sirius wants to fight is inevitable……

(……I want to fight them. Those who were called "King"…… If I ask Agni, I might be able to convey my desire to fight War King-sama, but there are many people who want to fight War King-sama. It may take some time before I can get him to fight me…… Besides, if it's possible, I would like to fight against someone who is good at magic battles, which I am not good at. If that's the case, my prospects would be to challenge Underworld King-sama, Death King-sama and World King-sama. However, since it's difficult to meet Underworld King-sama and World King-sama…… All that's left would be the easy-to-meet Death King-sama. I wonder if she'll accept my challenge?)

As Sirius thought about this, she suddenly looked up and saw a beautiful full moon shining in the sky. When she saw it, somehow, it was truly just a hunch…… but she had a vague feeling that her visit to the Death King, Isis, would be a turning point for her.

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [……Fumu, from the looks of it, I suppose Sirius is the one who is most likely to meet with Isis next? What do you think, oh mysterious swordsman?]

? ? ? : [……I wonder what you are talking about? I totally have nothing to do with that Transcendentally Beautiful Swordsman.]