Chapter 245: Women Like a Dragons (Part 2) (Patreon)

If Alba's opponent was only Fujino, he might have been able to escape successfully.

After all, Fujino was not a magus, nor was she trained like Ryougi Shiki from a young age, possessing exceptional physical skills. Besides her Mystic Eyes and women's self-defense techniques, she had no other means of attack. Alba was focused on running away, and she didn't have a way to stop him.

However, Alba's opponent was not just Fujino, but also Sakura, who had magical aptitude surpassing Shinji. During the time Fujino was "chasing" Alba, Sakura didn't stand idly by. Instead, she stayed silent behind Fujino and used Fujino's body as a shield, writing a three-line incantation in the air.

Just when Alba thought he was safe, Sakura finished writing the last rune.

Before Sakura could move her hand away, those incantations, written in a special syntax and structure, eagerly embedded themselves into Sakura's body—no, not Sakura's body, but the shadow projected onto Sakura from Fujino.

In the instant the incantations disappeared, Sakura's shadow suddenly bulged as if it transformed from a two-dimensional plane to a three-dimensional figure. The three-dimensional position was not fixed but moved between the shadows at an incredibly high speed, beyond what the naked eye could perceive.

In one second, it was inside Fujino's shadow, and in the next second, it was inside Sakura's shadow. Another second later, it moved under the courtyard's wall... After a few more transitions, the three-dimensional shadow image arrived at Alba's feet.

Sakura's right hand, which caused the shadow to mutate, slowly lifted, and words not belonging to this country spilled out from between her thin lips: "Apostle of Shadows!"

As the words fell, the swollen shadow finally revealed its true form.

It was a creature between black and gray, similar in size to Sakura. The upper body was a sphere, and the lower body consisted of elongated, fluffy strips, somewhat resembling a jellyfish with octopus tentacles. In short, it was a very peculiar-looking monster.

The monster emerged from Alba's shadow and silently struck him in the back.

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"Who exactly are you?"

Araya Souren stared at the opponent standing before him, not even paying attention to his wounds.

The previous strike can be considered a lethal blow. If Shiki's second strike had killed three bounded fields instead of two, Araya's body would have been split in half.

The first boundary, "Fugu," which guarded the closest to him, momentarily slowed down Shiki's footsteps, allowing Araya to evade this deadly blow. What surprised Araya even more was that the girl in front of him seemed completely different from just a few minutes ago.

Shiki, readjusting her posture, switched from holding the sword with both hands to holding it with one hand. With just this change in movement, the girl transformed back into the familiar figure that everyone knew. She coughed up blood, and if she hadn't been injured, she might have immediately swung at him, taking his head.

"Why? Is it because of the difference in weapons?!" Araya exclaimed.

The reason Shiki transformed into a different person was not due to any other factor but her battle-willed control, honed to its limits.

Long ago, when samurai drew their swords, they accepted killing and being killed as a matter of course. It wasn't because of their mentality as samurai, but because they awakened the moment they gripped the hilt. Their bodies existed solely for killing, and their minds existed solely for survival. It wasn't merely a matter of concentrating before a match; it was a switch in brain function that occurred when drawing the sword, transforming both the mind and body into instruments of battle.

From that moment, the muscles moved in a way that was not typical of a living being, the blood vessels changed the flow of blood, and even breathing seemed unnecessary.

Yes, they eliminated the "human" aspect that was useless in combat and replaced everything with components for battle.

"The stance and the changes caused by self-suggestion are truly astonishing."

Upon hearing Araya's pained words, Shiki responded with a casual "Hmm." The true face that Araya feared was revealed in that instant when Shiki opened her eyes.

Souren Araya cursed his ignorance. He never expected that there would be a group that still employed this method. He knew that for the ancient-style swordsmen, a distance of three ken (1 ken = 6 shaku = 1.818 meters) was as good as nonexistent. Perhaps Shiki, just now, could have covered a distance of five ken in a single step.

No one knew what she originally looked like. Almost everyone associated "the use of Mystic Eyes" and "fighting with small knives" with Shiki's fighting style, but in reality, this woman should be a killer wielding a samurai sword. Compared to her current state, her ordinary state was simply insignificant.

"I've been deceived. It seems that you weren't serious about fighting with Shiki Tohno," Araya remarked.

Upon hearing his words, Ryougi Shiki muttered, "No," and shook her head in denial. Her cold gaze conveyed that regardless of the weapon, she always fought seriously.

This gaze made Araya realize—now, what did this woman answer? What is the container here? When did this opponent stop being Shiki?

"I see... So, I finally encountered...!" Souren Araya roared while pressing on the enormous wound that could no longer be called a wound.

The woman wearing a white kimono—the true "Ryougi Shiki"—appeared with a smile more feminine than anything else. She approached Araya in that manner.

Araya did not evade this move, nor did he intend to. He had only one goal—to obtain the current Ryougi Shiki. Even if he lost his body and only had his brain left, he must obtain that coveted treasure.

With a chance of victory at stake, the magus advanced.

"Kongou!" Within the true words that activated the bounded field, Souren Araya used his left hand to block Shiki's blade. The left hand, embedded with Buddha's relics, remained on his body, and even Shiki couldn't sever the protection of the Śarīra.

At the same time, the severed right hand moved, sliding on the floor like a snake, and lunged towards Shiki's neck.

"!" A hand as heavy as a thousand jin gripped Shiki's throat.

In that momentary gap, Souren Araya stepped back further and extended his left hand.

"Fugu!" The final bounded field is compressed with a crumbling force. Impacts from various angles, with the strength to crush bones, headed towards Shiki's body.

"Ah!" A sound of impending death echoed. The leather jacket shattered, and Shiki in the white kimono fell to the ground. No, it should be said that she fell to the ground—the girl whom Araya had been waiting for many years had simply disappeared, but she didn't intend to let go of this opponent. In a state of true unconsciousness, the white figure jumped up. She only wanted to kill Araya Souren.

A slash swung, and the blade pierced Souren Araya's chest.

The sensation of life fading made Araya feel disgusted.

"What a joke!" Araya kicked Shiki at the same time.

It was a midsection kick as if to pierce Shiki's abdomen, like a spear.

In an instant, blood splattered.

PS: In terms of footwork, Void Shiki is stronger than Kirie. Kirie takes five steps to match one step of Shiki, and Shiki can cover up to nine steps.

PS2: The true "Ryougi Shiki" is also known as "Void Shiki."