“What’s with these numbers?”
Shin had parted ways with Schnee and headed towards Fuji, but the formation of demon foxes he found around the mountain made him raise a brow . Almost all units were around level 700, with 6 or 7 tails . For Shin it was nothing special, but for this world it was close to a natural disaster .
Such monsters were now surrounding Mt . Fuji . They were also clearly expressing hostile intentions .
“Kuu!! Tamamo, not here!!”
“That’s true, I can’t pick up any presence that could be hers . What’s this about, anyway? There are the 8-headed Orochi and Munechika on top of Fuji . No matter how many boss-level monsters you gather, with their fighting power they’re just going to get annihilated . ”
The gap between the level 900 Munechika and the level 700 demon foxes was just too large . That’s what their difference in fighting power meant .
Because of the demon foxes’ large numbers, Munechika could maybe suffer some injuries, but if they fought they would be surely exterminated .
Despite that, the demon foxes were unmistakably heading towards the mists covering the mountain .
“Hmm?”
Among the demon foxes climbing up Mt . Fuji, Shin detected a small presence moving up as well .
It was not being attacked despite being right next to the demon foxes, so it was likely to be an ally .
Shin thought it could be Tamamo, and asked Yuzuha for confirmation, but she denied that possibility .
“Yuzuha, I’m going to see this sneaky one before dealing with them . What are you going to do?”
“… . I feel a bad presence from there . Yuzuha, go there . Shin, go to Fuji . ”
After a short pause, Yuzuha turned to a direction different than the mountain .
“Will you be fine by yourself?”
“Leave it to Yuzuha!!”
Yuzuha hopped down from Shin’s shoulder, transformed into little girl mode, and puffed up her chest .
Shin would have been worried until a while ago, but her level was now higher and her control over her powers were much better .
Shin looked at Yuzuha, who was looking back at him with straight and honest eyes, and nodded .
“—-got it . Take these with you, just in case . ”
Shin took an accessory that would take damage instead of the user and items to heal status ailments from the item box .
Yuzuha took them, put them in her robes, then ran off in fox form .
“OK, time to do my part . ”
After whispering to himself, Shin went on his way .
While concealing his presence with 【Hiding】, Shin drew closer to the dot moving among the demon foxes .
When he came close enough to see, he spotted a man clad in black ninja wear head to toe .
The name displayed via 【Analyze】 was Rokuhara Kai, the man who was with Juugo .
Shin jumped in front of Kai and deactivated 【Hiding】 .
“!?! You are the man from that time…!?”
Kai reacted to Shin’s sudden appearance by drawing his ninja blade . He was clearly wary of Shin after recognizing him .
“Do you mean, the time at Aokigahara?”
“Who can say!”
Before even an attempt to conversation was made, Kai casted a magic spell towards Shin .
What flew towards Shin was the flame-type magic skill 【Fireball】 . It was a basic offensive magic, widely used by beginners and experts alike .
However, magic used by a ninja like Kai, whose job leaned more towards physical attacks, could not work on Shin .
The 【Fireball】 flying towards Shin vanished into nothingness just before hitting him .
“If possible, I’d like to know why you are doing this . ”
“… . to once again spread the flames of war in Hinomoto . ”
“—-I’m surprised to receive an answer . But why? I hear that there is much to lose in the flames of war . What would you gain in doing this?”
Shin did not expect any answers, but as he received one instead, he expressed another doubt .
“… . . Hinomoto has had continuous conflicts, all within this small island country . One needed to be strong, lest everything be taken away from them . Because of that, in those times everyone was strong . But now the people forgot those times of war, and became weak . The Brave Ten as well, none of them can even match sir Kankurou now, they are just brats with nothing more than their Returned Ancestor status going for them . If peace continues on like this, Hinomoto will eventually grow weak . ”
“As someone who saw the continent’s adventurers and soldiers, I can tell you that Hinomoto soldiers are clearly stronger than them . ”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtShin said what he honestly thought . Even in Balmel, a city exposed to the dangers of the Flood’s monster hordes, the soldiers’ quality was lower than Hinomoto .
“It is not enough for soldiers to be strong . The lords governing its domains, the soldiers serving under them, the people inhabiting its lands…all of them need to be strong, or a small country like Hinomoto has no future . ”
“Even so, is setting monsters on the people an acceptable way? It would just cause a burden on those precious soldiers and citizens . ”
“If they fall because of something like that, it means that they were worth that much in the first place . This was one of the truths in the era of wars . ”
“You speak as if you saw it with your own eyes . ”
Based on his experiences until now, Shin thought that Kai’s race was Human .
Humans have short life spans . No one from this race could have witnessed the age of wars and still be alive .
“Because they showed it to me . ”
“They “showed” it?”
“The one who controls these beasts did . They seem to have different goals, but no matter if we are being used or not, our wish will be fulfilled . ”
Kai spoke while pointing at a Blue Tail among the demon foxes surrounding them .
Shin never heard of abilities allowing the user to see the past, but before that, he could not know if the past Kai saw was the truth or not .
“I will not accept a unification scared of sacrifices . Hinomoto will become a strong country only if the truly strong rule over it . ”
“The man called Ichinose Juugo is already dead . Even so, do you continue?”
“Do you think I would stop now?”
“I suppose not . ”
Kai’s killing intent grew more intense . In response, Shin’s hand reaches to the katana 『Moonless』 at his waist .
“… . . I did not think it would be possible to talk like this . Are you sure it was fine to leak all that information?”
“It makes no difference . Dead men tell no tales . ”
“That man might be you though, you know?”
“That is fine too . The strong live, the weak perish . That is all . ”
Even his own death was an acceptable outcome . Kai’s eyes as he said so were straight and true, despite the haziness within them .
“…were the days of peace so painful?”
“…… . . ”
Shin’s last words were the only ones Kai did not reply to .
Wielding his ninja blade, Kai disappeared into the shadow of a Red Tail .
The monsters surrounding Shin were 3 Red Tails and 3 White Tails . The former were around level 600, the latter level 700: all boss-class monsters .
There were also other monsters of the demon fox species, but except those heading towards Shin, they were all proceeding towards the peak .
“That’s a shame . ”
Shin spoke in response to Kai’s silence . The echo of these words was so cold, it would have ran chills down the spines of whoever heard them .
Shin then unsheathed 『Moonless』 while shifting his line of sight to the right .
As he drew a silver arc in the air with the blade, a sound of clashing metal followed and 3 kunai fell on the ground, split clean in half .
Even if he had concealed himself, Kai’s 【Hiding】 was inferior to Shin’s perception abilities .
“Did you think you were hiding?”
Shin’s line of sight uncovered Kai’s position .
Because Kai felt a chill down the back of his spine he turned towards the origin of this savage thirst for blood . Even though his facial expression became stiff, it also changed into a smile .
“What I sensed that time was no lie, I see . ”
Even if he had accepted death as positive, some things could not be overcome .
The stench of blood Kai had sensed from Shin was not something that would emanate from someone who only battled against monsters .
It was proof that his hands were stained with the blood of countless people .
Kai looked downward towards the rattling sound that had reached his ears . He found his right arm, the one holding his blade, shaking .
The demon foxes around Shin too, intimidated by his killing intent, could not move .
Even the other demon foxes heading towards the peak turned towards Shin, their bodies trembling .
“Heh, this is how true war must be . ”
Kai pulled out a round pill from his robe and swallowed it, then charged towards Shin .
Kai’s after-images split and attacked Shin .
It was a technique combining high-speed movement and illusions, by using the skills 【Ground Shrink】 and 【Mirage Dance】 . The round pill allowed Kai to move at a speed easily surpassing the average Chosen One .
This combination, which Schnee often uses too, served to enhance all of Kai’s techniques, also taking advantage of his boosted physical abilities .
However—- .
“A ninja should never attack from the front, come on . ”
Before Shin’s 『Moonless』, it was all meaningless .
No matter how deftly Kai hid within the illusions, Shin’s eyes could see through them . Attacking him from the front was a poor strategy, no matter how boosted Kai was by the round pill .
In the blink of an eye, Shin closed in on one of Kai’s copies: it was the real one .
Even if wide-eyed in surprise, Kai tried to dodge with all his might . Maybe because of his long experience in battle, his body moved before he could think .
Thanks to this, the air-rending slash performed by 『Moonless』 stopped at slicing the ninja’s left arm off .
“I alone am no match, I see . —-Attack!!”
After Kai’s order, the demon foxes, frozen still because of Shin’s killing intent, started moving . They targeted Shin with fangs and claws, taking advantage of their large bodies .
They had already understood, from watching the exchange between Kai and Shin, that magic would not work .
“You’re in the way . ”
The White tail and Red Tail’s claws were approaching Shin from both the left and right side . Shin responded indifferently by swinging 『Moonless』 .
Two silver flashes run through the air . As they disappeared, the HP of two demon foxes reached zero .
Their heads and front legs fell to the ground seconds later .
Katana-type martial skill 【Beast Hunt】 .
Thanks to the skill’s increased damage against animal-type monsters such as the demon foxes, two units fell with ridiculous ease .
Shin lightly swung 『Moonless』, still not stained with a single drop of blood, and spoke .
“I will cut down everything . Give up . ”
In the space of one single breath, Shin slayed the White Tail approaching from behind . He then took the killing intent he had been focusing on his surroundings to intimidate the monsters and released it to the fullest, without limiting it .
His opponent being shifted from humans to monsters, his intent also shifted from defeating to killing .
Differently from a bandit or ruffian, in Shin’s eyes Kai was acting with a clear objective .
He seemed to have been influenced by something, but as also displayed by 【Analyze】, he was not under complete manipulation .
He did not know what the reason was, but Shin felt that for both Kai and Juugo, deep down their own will was behind their actions . After his conversation with Kai, Shin’s supposition turned into certainty .
If their will desired war and killing though, for Shin there was no other choice .
Excluding the monster’s involvement, a commotion like this would have happened sooner or later .
For the present Hinomoto, their position was that of heretics . Their ways and thoughts would never be understood .
Even if in a contorted form, their love for their country was at the heart of it all .
That too was a way of thinking . But no matter what their reasons were, Shin would not accept Juugo and Kai’s way of doing things .
And thus, he cuts .
The killing intent emanating from his body, as chilling as a deathly cold breeze, spoke to those facing Shin, telling them to prepare to die .
“After a life spent in the darkness, for my last opponent to be someone of such might…I am thankful . ”
A smile widening on his lips, Kai leapt and ran through Shin’s killing intent .
Normally he could have closed the distance in an instant . However Kai’s body, although boosted by the round pill, could not keep up with his mind .
Shin was looking in Kai’s direction, but did not move a step .
He held 『Moonless』 straight in front, its tip pointed forward, quietly staring at Kai . There were no openings in his stance .
“Gwah”
As he was running towards Shin, Kai’s legs creaked . His long battle experience told him that something was wrong with his bones . Then, as if provoked by that, his legs and arms produced strange noises .
“I see the recoil has come . ”
Shin said while looking at Kai .
After looking at Kai’s status display, Shin had guessed what the pill Kai swallowed had to be .
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmShin’s decision of cutting down Kai was out of compassion: having him destroy himself would have been too pitiful of an ending .
“It’s been awhile since I last saw someone use a forbidden drug . ”
“But even if I did, look at me now . ”
What Shin called forbidden drug was actually an item with the official name of “Miracle Drug of Blinking Life” .
Using it would instantly raise all stats by several stages, but in exchange HP would decrease at a fixed rate, the player dying after a few minutes .
In addition, recovering lost HP or reviving right after dying was not possible: as penalty for dying, the player would also be forcefully transported to their hometown .
In the game, it was an item used only in battles between players .
Even if one defeated a boss using it, the system would prevent any EXP or loot gain, so the players that just enjoyed adventuring did not even know of its existence .
“This is the end . ”
Kai’s HP was already close to zero . Even in such a state, the techniques he unleashed were not weakened in the least .
The ninja blade’s attacks continued . Kai’s katana, painted black to be used in stealth missions, was met by Shin’s 『Moonless』 .
The platinum and gleaming black weapons crossed paths . Shin and Kai stopped moving, their backs to each other .
“Im…pressive…”
After this one last word, Kai fell . The katana he still held in his right hand had its blade cut in half .
“…can’t say this feels right . ”
When Shin turned around, Kai had already drawn his last breath .
Looking at his somehow pleased-looking expression, Shin scratched his head, perplexed .
Possibly finding an opening in his now relaxed guard, Shin was attacked by a mass of flame and ice . However, it was enough to attract his attention . The attack was canceled by his magic resistance .
“So it’s not like he was in command, huh . You should at least know that laying a hand on me or Fuji would be the end of you though . ”
As he finished talking, at Shin’s feet lied the corpses of 1 Red Tail and 1 Blue Tail . His opponents were now only monsters, so he swung his sword without the slightest hesitation .
Shin directed his perception towards Fuji and noticed a dot of light moving rapidly around the demon foxes . It was Munechika .
As the small dot came closer, the big ones would disappear . The speed at which they were annihilated was overwhelming: the 8-headed Orochi did not even move from the peak .
“There are still plenty of them; guess I’ll lend a hand . ”
Shin started hunting down the demon foxes from the direction opposite to the dot he thought to be Munechika .
After less than an hour, most of the demon foxes that had gathered on Fuji had been exterminated .
As Shin took down the last unit, the sparkle of platinum armor appeared before him .
“So it was you, Shin . ”
What appeared was the katana and person carrying the name of One of the Five Supreme Blades – Mikazuki Munechika . As she was battling, she was wearing her helmet, but not her flowing black hair nor her armor were stained by enemy blood .
“I see you did not have trouble either . ”
“Monsters of that level are nothing to me . Curious to see you appear at the same time as the monsters’ assault though . Do you know something?”
“I don’t know much in detail, but I’ll tell you all I can . ”
Shin briefly explained about Juugo, Kai, Tamamo and the plan they had put into action .
After he finished talking, Munechika thought for a while, holding her fingers to her lips, then she looked towards the peak of Fuji .
“The demon foxes’ goal for attacking was probably what we are protecting on top of the mountain . Not only the demon foxes, but many of Hinomoto’s monsters with a certain degree of intellect came to attack Fuji . ”
“Is there something of much importance there? I did think it was strange that the mountain’s master Kagutsuchi wasn’t there, but…no, I do not mean to pry . You don’t need to answer . ”
“Heh, I know that . I suppose I could tell you . Because your partner, the Element Tail, probably noticed already . ”
“Eh? You knew Yuzuha was an Element Tail?” .
Shin was also surprised that Yuzuha apparently knew the reason behind Kagutsuchi’s absence, but Munechika’s knowledge of Yuzuha’s species was even more astonishing to him .
“The energy of the Ley lines has a peculiar aura . I heard from Kagutsuchi that Element Tails have the ability of influencing Ley lines, as well . ”
Judging from Munechika’s words, it didn’t look like Kagutsuchi had been slain .
Just like Yuzuha, it was apparently possible to communicate with it . During the game the battle would always start without any actual conversation, so Shin found it a bit surprising .
“Well, this is not the time to stand around chatting . Go to your partner . And one more thing, you haven’t forgotten the promise to return to me, have you? I cannot claim to be patient, I will wait for only 10 years at most . ”
“I will go now then . Rest assured, I have no intention of making you wait that long . ”
Shin replied thinking that for an impatient person, that was a pretty long time span .
Strictly speaking, Munechika was like a spirit hosted within a sword, so there was no concept of lifespan for her, or so Shin reflected .
“I am looking forward to it then . ”
Shin thanked Munechika, who told him the direction Yuzuha was in, and headed off .