CH 100.1

The materials that make up mycelial weapons are said to be largely composed of “substances” unknown to mankind in the Old World.

It is known to contain calcium and carbon, as well as trace amounts of phosphorus and iron, but the full extent of its composition has yet to be determined, even in the 100-year history of New Tokyo. This is because the scientific technology to conduct detailed analysis has been lost.

Does it originate from the “Super Fungus” itself, or from the ecology of a new organism whose blueprint has been rewritten by the “Super Fungus”? We can only speculate.

In any case, hypha weapons do not contain enough iron to spark violently when they collide with each other.

—So, what is twinkling and scattering every time one and the other strike each other now is not sparks. They are particles of bluish-white light clad in Shuu’s [Katana].

“Hah!” (Shuu)

The huge sword that is coming to smash my head slips on the surface of the [Katana] that catches it, scraping the surface. The sword is a huge sword that is about to smash into a man’s head, and it slides across the surface of the [Katana] that catches it. The strike, which was made while falling back and lacked reach, only shallowly cleaved the right arm of the giant sword’s holder.

Boss Met immediately counterattacked, swinging a haphazard sideways cleave. I  caught it with the middle of my [Katana] and jump back five or six meters with the momentum, or rather I was sent flying. I evade going down by clawing at the ground with one hand, clinging on with the sole of my shoe.

“Veeee!” (Boss Met)

“Gaah!” (Shuu)

We close the gap between each other immediately, as we don’t need time to catch our breaths.

Boss Met, its wildness on full display, swings its powerful arm with the great sword in its grip.

In response, I also charged with a beastly yell and struck with my [Katana].

Whenever our blunted blades crossed each other, a hard clashing sound, indescribable as “Gong” or “Shiin,” echoed through the air.

My eardrums tremble. My spine creaks. The hand gripping the hilt splits open and blood spurts.

“Kuah!” (Shuu)

If we collide head-on, the heavier and stronger of the two will naturally win.

Everything is a bloody, murderous show of violence. I am pushed, cut, and exhausted.

Even so, I do not retreat. I grit my teeth, and even when I am pushed or slammed down, I keep coming forward.

—It is not the courageousness of a man who has been swayed by the determination of his partner. It is not the onset of the “self-satisfaction disease” or the “competitive disease” that I have been suffering from for many years.

The heat in my chest was still burning, but I had not lost my composure.

(Open your eyes!) (Shuu)

(Don’t be scared!) (Shuu)

I will not intercept it with impossible moves. I barely see the edge of the deadly area and dive in. Attacking with the angle I want; at the timing I choose.

It is not only light particles that scatter. Fine white fragments are dancing.

The bone-white blade of the great sword has several cracks in it.

With a face covered in blood and sweat, I smiled.

(One more step forward!) (Shuu)

Boss Met’s great sword, my accumulated up [Katana].

Our blades are almost the same in length. But the width and thickness of the former is greater than the latter.

“Sorry–” (Shuu)

But I am convinced.

The density of the hypha that makes up the blade, and the strengthening with [Light Blade].

The destructive power of the blade in my hand is superior to that of my enemy.

“—I’ll destroy it!” (Shuu)

A slash from diagonally below the Boss Met, as if ripping up the entire ground.

I swing down, trying to smash my enemy into the ground.

A crushing sound similar to the crash of heavy machinery. The wave of impact blows away the watery air.

The great sword shatters, leaving the handle its his grip. Shattered fragments fly between the two of us.

The [Katana]’s return slices the empty-handed right wrist.

Boss Met’s eyes widen, and it lets out a short scream.

I got it, I took a step further.

As I leaned forward to finish the job, Boss Met swings its leg up, as if reading my hesitation. It threw me off with a quick front kick and a spinning kick that made my joints weak.

“Uuugh”, and just after I dodged it by twisting my upper body, I looked at Boss Met. It quickly drew back its legs, its chest was turned back, and its wings were spread.

A gust of wind hit my entire body. A combo of kicking and flapping wings at close range.

“Guuh!” (Shuu)

I am unable to open my eyes due to being hit by a rain of balls of water. The tremendous wind pressure lifts me off the ground. I duck mid-air and quickly thrusts my [Katana] into the floor and backed away. Again, my back hits the stone statue. It is a different statue from the one that my back smashed against earlier.

“Veeee!” (Boss Met)

Boss Met repeatedly flaps its wings, as if it was trying to keep me away, stuck on the statue or to buy some time.

I moved behind the stone statue. While supporting the creaking windshield with my body, I fixed my opponent’s position in my mind…

“Rah!” (Shuu)

I shoot—an accumulated [White Bullet].

A fist-sized hole is punched, cracks appear, and the stone statue crumbles.

My windshield is gone, but at the same time the wind stops.

“…Veee…” (Boss Met)

Boss Met, who was down on one knee, groaned in anger and humiliation. My attack seemed to gouge its right thigh deeply. The blow was still very off the mark, but it was only because it went through the stone statue. The result is still great.

Its bloodshot eyes are fixed straight on me. The expression of anger and humiliation are evident in the expression on the Boss Met’s face it grits its molars.

It created another great sword in its left hand and stands up using it as a support.

It exhales a misty breath. I also take a quick rest to catch my breath.

The distance between us is a dozen meters. We stand still for just a few seconds, facing each other.

The moment the Boss Met spreads its wings again, I kicked the floor—sideways.

If you are subjected to the same technique over and over again, you will see a flaw or two. The principle of pelting water with a mere flap of the wings, and the mechanism that can generate such a crazy wind force, is not something a Heisei era humanities student has any idea of, but they can guess the rough idea of the range of its effect.

The angle of incidence at which a gust of wind can exert its force is not as wide as one might think. The wind power is condensed in front of the gust, which is why it is so powerful.

I go around in an arc from the side. As expected, I am hardly affected by the wind. Before Bos Met can turn around and release another gust of wind, I turned around at a right angle and closes the distance with [Leaping], receiving the dampened water balls from the.

Aiming at its head, I swung down with all my might. The Boss Met, who was late to react, barely catches it with its great sword.

—I didn’t wield the accumulated [Katana] with one hand.

It is not impossible to swing it with one hand because of even with its weight, but the grip on the handle is so thick that it can slip out of its hand if it swings with all his might. It is difficult to put all your strength into it, and it is best handled with two hands.

The thing I was most wary of was the fact that it would swing it around in a two-handed great sword-style, rather than in a gust of wind. Whether it didn’t have the wisdom to do so or for some other reason, it never used its left arm until it eventually lost its right arm. In that sense, it was one sword versus one sword, a clean even match.

—If only I had only two arms.

“Aaaah!” (Shuu)

I wung the [Katana] with two crossed arms in the air, and I rotate my body forward with that momentum. The second accumulated [Katana] held by the hypha arms does the second attack.

My back was facing the opponent, but I can sense my opponent’s posture.

Half of the great sword’s blade is shattered, and its stomach is ripped open by the cut of the second blow. It is not a fatal wound, but it is not shallow from the response transmitted from the hypha arm.

“Vee, eee!” (Boss Met)

It groaned in pain only for a moment. Then Boss Met raised its great sword, unfazed.

The blow that fell above my head was blunt. I strikes it away and spun my body once more.

—this time.

The second continuous attack of my hypha arms inflicts a wound that intersects with the diagonally running wound on its stomach. This time it reaches my enemy’s life.

Blood spurts out. From the wound and the goat-head’s mouth.

“—it’s over.” (Shuu)

My blade, which ran forward, cut off its head as it fell forward.