113 – 113. Annihilation.
Kenichi had always believed that heavy beings would move slowly.
The giant in Shibuya was only threatening due to its size; after all, hadn’t they not been ravaged?
While it was possible to miss the swift movements of a cat, there was no way one could fail to notice a large elephant approaching with heavy steps.
That’s what he had thought until now.
“…Fast!”
As Yamamoto Baki writhed his muscles all over his body to close the distance in an instant, Kenichi widened his eyes.
He who had just been on the opposite side of the alley was suddenly right in front of him.
A weapon of murder swung its fist.
Feeling a sharp sensation on his back, Kenichi summoned his demon sword just in time.
Fortunately, he was holding onto the necklace in advance.
*Clang!*
Thanks to that, he could summon it in time.
Kenichi, facing the sensation of being pushed forcefully against his sword, widened his eyes once again.
This sensation of being pushed with force was something he had never felt even during his match with Ichimaru Shiki.
*Thud!*
In the fist filled with immense strength, the sword finally rang out.
Kenichi, who firmly held the sword, faced Baki with a fierce expression.
Yamamoto Baki slightly pulled back his fist, wriggled his forearm muscles, and then extended them again.
“Inch Power.”
The distance was too short to fully exert his strength.
However, Kenichi somehow felt a threat to his life from the approaching fist.
As he raised his aura with determination and prepared to nullify the area,
*Thunk!*
The fist met the sword.
At that moment, Kenichi felt a sensation of being pushed out of this world.
–Drifting away.
*Kwaaah—!!!*
Baki, who sent his student flying to the other side of the alley, turned his head with a snap.
──────!!!
Watching the Divine Beekeeper scream in agony engulfed by flames, the first thought that came to mind was, ‘Wow, he looks warm.’
Seeing that he didn’t come out on his own, it seemed that the warmth was quite satisfying.
Of course, that didn’t mean I had any intention of going in myself.
I reached out to the sensation of magic covering the skies of Tokyo.
“It seems everyone is coming.”
Bakoken’ichi seemed caught up with a nuisance, but the rest seemed to be coming along just fine.
Hotaru, not known for agility, was surprisingly quick in moving towards the sacred mountain.
The blonde little wizard Eris and Sawako were flying harmoniously towards us.
In other words-
“Hmm, as long as I do well, everything should be fine.”
If I prepare in advance, everyone will be able to enjoy this blazing festival.
If you were to ask why we must burn, well, that’s because it’s a ‘festival.’
After all, it’s our destiny to burn.
Curses deeply permeated the Shingu Shrine.
Not only the buildings but also key figures like the aristocracy and the Divine Beekeeper were tainted with a fierce aura, all of which needed purification.
Just like the species that resurrect with just a fragment of their soul, as seen in the movies of the Mo Magic School.
The damn Deux Machina was like that.
“The heavens have commanded me.”
The aristocrats empowered by her power said so.
More precisely, the Emperor blessed by the heavens. The apostle of the gods, whose face was now as black as ink, led her subordinates into the scene of burning in real time.
“Devour their flesh.”
Akihito, Japan’s last Emperor who devoured all his relatives, had seventy eyes on his body and spawned countless limbs until counting became meaningless.
“Oh my, are you going to devour me in that state? Even your god won’t be able to touch me in that ridiculous form, will he?”
“…Me, who received the blessings of the gods, ridiculous? Dare to mock the gods?!”
Whether my words wounded his pride, Emperor Akihito trembled violently.
Aligned with the trembling of his body, his arms, legs, and eyeballs convulsed on their own, drowning one by one in the abyss.
Thud! Thud-thud!
The condensed abyss enveloped the Emperor’s body, veiling his face.
So to speak, a form of evolution, a transformation.
After this process, even a small cat can power up to become a tiger.
“I’ll rip that arrogant mouth in half.”
Eventually, the grotesque Emperor transformed in rage, evolving into a great demon with jet-black wings and a mask.
Resembling a Tengu. The straight, arrogant nose under the jet-black mask looked incredibly haughty.
Well, in truth, he belonged to one of the strongest factions among the monsters encountered so far.
Excluding the Deux Machina and the inner demon of Cento, Shutendoji.
“Oh my, quite terrifying.”
And excluding those two, I was just as capable of dealing with them effortlessly.
With a smile, I grasped the sword in the empty air.
The sharp black space tore through the world with a monotone.
“Well, shall we die and kill?”
Of course, the one to die would be that side.
Ep 113 – Annihilation
“How about it, thanks to me, you arrived early, right?”
The first to reach the intended location was Ichinose Hotaru.
Riding on the back of Minami Tokito, Hotaru swiftly passed through the city, finished mountain climbing, and looked around with a dazed expression.
Is this a dream, or reality?
“Ugh-“
No, perhaps she simply felt disoriented due to motion sickness.
After a few dry heaves, she staggered towards the Shrine of Fire.
“Hotaru, have you come?”
“Yes.”
Awaiting Hotaru, the caretaker, who had prepared for the ceremony, handed her the priestess attire and a staff, gesturing towards one side.
It was the direction of the divine palace emitting a sudden peculiar aura, located right below Mt. Youngsan.
…No, rather than sudden, it would be closer to the side that had been hidden for some time.
Amidst all the confusion, Ichinose Hotaru accepted everything as a priestess, deducing it all.
If there was impurity, she would purify it.
As a messenger of the gods, with a great calamity approaching the world, she would protect the city dwellers.
All she had to do was quietly carry out her duties as usual.
Dressed in the priestess attire and adorned with all the staffs, Hotaru stood in front of the altar.
“I humbly apologize to you, Fire God.”
From Noble mtl dot com
Ichinose Hotaru prayed to the deity.
***
………
Yamamoto Baki raised his head, looking at the ruins of the collapsed wall and the silent Kenichi.
“Do not resent me.”
The relationship between master and disciple was deep.
But there was an even deeper connection.
Before being a master and teacher, he was a soldier, a commander of a mobile unit, and a surveillant.
As a long-serving vassal, he eliminated threats to the great Emperor.
That was all.
There was no time to indulge in melancholy and regret.
The divine palace was still engulfed in chaos, so he had to hurry back to suppress the rebellion.
Taking his gaze off his disciple’s grave, Baki turned his steps towards the palace where his king resided.
─Ichimaru Ryu, True Strike.
“What?!”
If it weren’t for a magical blade cutting through space from behind, that’s how it would have been.
Yamamoto Baki, astonished, reinforced his fist to the extreme.
Iron Fist Kenju.
Inspired by the famous Mausoleum of the Three Exorcists in Japan, Baki developed his unique combat technique.
“Enhancing just the fist is foolish.”
It’s only natural that strengthening the entire body would make it much stronger.
Therefore, Baki stirred the muscles of his whole body with magic, adding propulsion to his fists.
──Mega Smash!
Kwaaah! The calamity originating from the human body shattered the incoming long-range attack in one go.
Even creating shockwaves in the air.
However, Baki was not satisfied with that. He used the centrifugal force contained in his fist to advance.
“Kenichi! This time, I’ll kill you for sure!”
The difference in skill was stark.
Even if he couldn’t kill with one blow, finishing with the second attack was the plan.
Thinking so, Baki, the leader of the 1st Mobile Unit, felt something strange the moment he crossed a certain line.
──What’s this, the air feels different.
No, it didn’t feel like that from the start.
Sensing that no more oxygen was entering his lungs, Baki widened his eyes.
Even the magic that strengthened his whole body began to disperse into the air slowly.
Being forcibly dismantled.
Despite his astonishment, Yamamoto Baki continued to advance towards his disciple and adversary.
“Unfold.”
And the boy who raised the cursed sword with a split forehead, the hero, whispered with a grimace.
“Void Domain.”
***
The Divine Palace is divided into North and South.
Originally, the Eight Hundred Thousand Gods’ barrier was responsible for the defense in all directions, but once broken, every soldier and section chief had to protect their respective areas.
The main gate and south gate were attacked by a villain with white hair.
The nearby Divine Stage and Divine Temple immediately mobilized for interception, while the north gate held its position to guard against the imperial family’s defense and Yangdong.
Although the fallen emperor was desperate in many ways, there were many who were unaware of this fact.
The sudden appearance of a huge pillar of fire in the prestigious Divine Palace was unprecedented.
It automatically severed vision and communication.
As a result, there was some disruption in the tight movement of troops.
Of course, if the support had been delayed solely due to this, it would have been due to poor discipline and command structure-
“Yokai!”
“Why are such yokai in the Divine Palace-!”
The situation at the north gate was also in great turmoil due to the belated arrival of enemies.
Unlike the fiery pillar in the south, the soldiers of the Divine Palace were swept away by a storm of elegant demonic energy, like cherry blossoms.
Although the defending commander tried to counterattack by awakening his magic, the sorcerer did not allow it.
“Punish the sinner, O crown woven in darkness, crush the great sin.”
With three horns protruding above his head, Sawamura Sento calmly completed the incantation.
“Shadows, the drink of punishment.”
The verdict was delivered.
“────Black Crown──.”