Oh my...!


　The former Fu Yaku looks at me as I beat every last bit of Hydra's head off. The same is true of my two classmates, who are known as the "golden generation".

　They had crossed swords at one time. All three of them must have understood that I'm not the same as five years ago, but they probably didn't expect that I would still be able to slaughter a species of dragon by myself.

　The three blank faces tickled my sense of superiority in a comfortable way.

　I took a swing at my heart and brushed off the flesh and blood from my sword and called out to the three of them in a very slow tone of voice.


"We three, now we are going to help you?　No, I don't want your help.


　I said mockingly, and Goz returned the words with some kind of admiring look on his face.


'I have no words for you. I thought I understood your growth, but I didn't expect you to single-handedly slaughter a fantastic species, that you did!　I'm sure your mansion will be very pleased. The other patriots will have no objection to your return once they hear of your merits.

You think I'm going to like that?


　When I gave a cold reply to Goz, who said something misguided, the other side spoke with more fervor.


This is a time to think, that it is. This depends on the will of your mansion, that it does, but if you are the current Sora-dono, you may well dream of returning to your position as a legitimate son!

Mm.


　I tried to laugh through my nose, but as soon as I heard the one word about a legitimate son, I was absent-mindedly moved.

　It's not that I had any regrets about my position. It's just that I was attracted to the situation where I would return with the title of dragon slayer, return to the title of a legitimate son, and show the people who had given up on me what they could see.

　After all, this was the outcome I had hoped for more than anything else five years ago. If you've learned to wear the mind attire right after being banished from the island, you would have accepted Goz's invitation.

　Perhaps sensing that my reaction was palpable, Goz tried to continue speaking with vigor.

　I raised my left hand and won him over.

　I don't need to think about it all over again. The past is the past, and the present is the present. I will return to the swordsman's family in the not-too-distant future, but it will be in a completely different form than what Goz wants. No matter how it turns out, there's no way I'm going to accept Goz's invitation at this point in time.

　The next thing I knew, my once shaken mind had regained its composure.


'It doesn't matter, Goz. Since you guys are here, it's safe to assume that the stampede has stopped, right?


　I break off the homecoming and move the conversation to something else. Goz still looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't mind and let his own questions take precedence.

　Why did Goz and the others show up before Hydra, the cause of the stampede, fell?

　I'll fight Hydra while Goz and his friends stop the stampede - that's the agreement we made at Ishqa. If Goz and the others broke the agreement on their own accord, then we must return to Ishqa as soon as possible.

　Clutching the hilt of the Soul Eater, Goz nodded broadly in response to our question.


'Don't worry,' he said, 'I'm sure you'll be able to spit it out in the next three days. You have probably spat out all the demons you can spit out in the last three days. When we set foot in the forest, there were only a few demons that came out of it.


　Goz insists that soldiers and adventurers on the defensive line would be enough to hold them off to that extent.

　--I'm not lying to you, I've decided. I have many thoughts about Goz, but I know he's not a man who lies on his face.

　This means that the immediate crisis of Hydra and Stampede is over.

　Of course, not all of their problems are behind them. Even if the Hydra is defeated, the Hydra's poison remains. The contamination of the Titis Forest is now beyond serious and desperate, and the Kale River is likely to be heavily polluted. It would not be surprising if the Canary Kingdom, let alone Ishqa, were to collapse. Problems are piling up.

　But I can't do anything about this one by myself. I've eliminated the cause of the problem, Hydra. I'm not going to be able to get a good deal more than that.

　--But there are people I know among those people.

　I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one.

　It's not cool to say "take care of the rest" to these women and flee to another country. Besides, there are things that can be gained by breaking through a predicament that cannot be overcome with a sword alone.

　If I - the Sword of Bloodstain - worked hard to solve the problem, my reputation within Canaryland, including the incident where I defeated Hydra, would be solidified. It would be fun to show those who have given up on me in this way a show of force.

　As I gathered my thoughts, I looked again at Goz and the other three.


Goz, you're an Ishqa," he said. You said you were going to return to the island to report back to me after you had defeated the illusionary species. Did you mean it?

Yes, that is correct. If you could, I would ask you to join me if you could.

Okay.


　He dismisses the latter half of the dialogue (seriatim) and nods carelessly.

　If Goz and the others return to Onigashima, it means that the Gokens will know the fact that I slayed Jijinbo and killed the illusory species. Of course, the existence of the onijin, or sparrow, would also be conveyed to them.

　This was somewhat inconvenient for me. As a matter of course, the option of "silencing" came up.

　That's what the truce of three days ago was for. While I was eating Hydra, I needed a force to hold back the Stampede, so I was unwilling to put my sword away.

　With the Hydra defeated and the stampede ended, the truce was over. I have no reason to complain about killing these guys who attacked the sparrows. The area is secluded, and the poison will dissolve the bodies, so there's minimal hassle after the victory. This is the perfect situation to settle the matter.

　When it comes to the souls of three blue-ringed battalions, it will be well worth eating - that's what I must have been thinking three days ago.

　However, the current me had mysteriously lost my desire to do so. This is because the necessity to "silence" them, which was the reason for the original reason, has become infinitesimally diminished in my mind.

　It will be known that I slayed Jijinbo. The fact that I killed an illusionary species is known. The existence of the demon, or sparrow, is known - what does that matter?

　If the swordsmen want to kill me and the sparrows, then just get them back. No matter if a higher ranking brother than Goz comes, or the main force of the eight flags, if it's me now - having eaten an illusory species - I can win.

　In fact, I even think it's better not to keep my mouth shut. I'm not sure how the people of Onigashima will react when they are informed of my survival and abilities by Goz, but now I had time to enjoy imagining it.　

　Three days ago, slaying Goz and his friends would have raised their levels, but now, even if they killed all three of them at once, they wouldn't have raised a single level. It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get a good deal more than you think.

　--It's not that I'm not a fan of this, but I'm not going to let you go.


I'm sure you'd like to see me go home as soon as possible, but I'm going to ask you to do one or two things. I'd like to ask you to apologize for attacking a sparrow and hurting my friends.　If you're going to rub your head on the ground in front of our people, we won't think twice about it.


　The first to react to those words was not Goz, but Klimt. The white-haired, red-eyed fellow student curved his lips in mockery and said


''Nonsense. Sora, do you think demons are a type of subhuman?　If you leave her unattended, the next time she's next to you, she'll be in the world of illusion. A demon is a must-see, and so is the fool who defends it out of ignorance.


　Klimt, who said as if he was going to spit, didn't wait for our reaction and repeated his words.


I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one. You should be thankful that you have life. The same goes for the beastmen and sorcerers who disturbed your sister!

Oh, I see, you're not going to apologize.


　I respond to my opponent's hostility in a nonchalant manner. Klimt narrows his eyes wryly, but I look at Cryer without a care in the world. When he met my gaze, Cryer slowly opened his mouth.

'I am sorry for hurting those who are not demons. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work. As Klimt said, and as Sora-dono knows, for the wielder of the Illusionary One-Two Style, the law of the Plating Ho-shin is an iron law.

And you don't want to apologize.


　And then there's Goz, but I didn't need to ask him about this one. I've heard everything Goz has to say via Liddell. The man who said he would not hesitate to become a sinner in order to avenge an ogre would never bow to an ogre.

　That concludes the first question.

Then the second question. The second question is the second question. Klimt was just saying that there are some facts about the demons that I don't know. Do you intend to tell me about it?　What do you mean by a fantasy species reappearing next to me?


　From Klimt's words, we can infer a certain amount. It would be something like the danger of a demon god appearing in the world by using the body of a demon man as a dependent, or something like that.

　However, if a sparrow was capable of such an imitation, it would have used its power when it was attacked by a basilisk.

　It's not just about sparrows. As far as I know, there was only one case of a demon god appearing in the world three hundred years ago. If it is the responsibility of the Illusionary Itto-ryu to kill all demons once every few hundred years for the sake of the possibility that they may or may not exist, then it has already reached the level of fanaticism.

　Or were there actually a number of cases of demon gods appearing in the world, all of which had been erased by the Gosetsuke or Ad Astera Empire?

　These questions were answered by Goz.


He replied, "Lord Sora. This is the secret of the swordsman's house and he is not allowed to speak on his own. When you return to the palace, practice the Itto-ryu style of sword fighting and reach the gate, then the palace will have a talk with you.

I see. So here's the thing, huh?　You followed the rules of the House of the Sword and tried to kill innocent people. I'm not going to apologize for following the code. I cannot tell you why we attacked you, because that is the law. If you want to know more, you must do what you want.


　I snickered, huffing and puffing as I succinctly summed up the arguments of Goz and the others.


"From one to ten for our own reasons. That's a refreshingly arrogant thing to do," he said. If you're going to do that, I'll be able to do that for my own reasons.


　With that, I held my Soul Eater at the ready, and silently raised my jade in the air.

　The three people who sensed the hostile intent in my actions, Goz, Klimt, and Cryer, each with their own heart gear, confronted me.

　And then Klimt came out of the three of them and came around to the front of me. He glared at me with a swift, swallowing gaze and said, "Sora, for the first time, you have defeated an illusory species.


It's the first time you've defeated an illusionary species and you're in high spirits. There are many demons in the demon's gate that can rival the demon's. We are fighting in such places. That's where we are fighting. You can't even imagine what it's like for you to be enjoying yourself by brandishing a heart suit against the weak (scum). Like the demon, ignorance is a sin, and that is exactly what we have in mind for you right now.


　I'm not sure if Klimt was also filled with resentment at Klimt, but accusations against me flowed out of his pale lips like a dam.

　The crimson long sword in Klimt's hand blazed with a sound as if in response to the will to fight of its bearer. The fierce heat that seemed to scorch the atmosphere even reached me.

　If it was Klimt's nature, he would have slashed at me instantly, but he doesn't do that because he still has the memory of being unconscious in Ishka. The evidence of this is Klimt's gaze is focused on my black sword.

　If I were to strike a soul eater (Soul Eater) in a decent way, even the flames of Kuri-Kara would be drowned out. It was natural for Klimt to be wary.

　Looking at Klimt like that, he thought.

　Probably, the peers in front of him are planning and motivated to take revenge in Ishqa. At that time, I won Klimt by surprise. It's not just the fact that he was not defeated on merit, but also the fact that he has the will to fight here.

　-- the sight of it was terribly comical.

　The edges of my lips naturally hang up when I see Klimt, who thinks he's standing on the same stage as me. Klimt noticed this and his voice was sharp.


'What's so funny!'

No, I just thought you were right. Ignorance is a sin. That's true, but what's regrettable is that the speaker is unaware of his ignorance.

You don't know the devil's gate, and you don't know the devil's man!　If there's something you know and I don't, tell me!

'It's the difference between you and me, Klimt Berch!　Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!


　He bellowed and increased his jin, to teach Klimt the reality.

　I raised, raised, raised, raised, raised, raised, and raised - watching Klimt's face become tinted with astonishment as I raised my jin (kei) even higher.

　Looking at Cryer, who was stained with fear, and looking at Goz, who stood aghast, I continued to raise my jade.

　I'm not going to stop. There's more to come. I will continue to raise my strength to reach the limit that lies beyond, never getting tired of it.

　Raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise, raise.



　Suddenly, a whipping sound echoed around me. The ground under my feet was cracked wide open. The cracks didn't stop at one time. The ground was cracking one by one, making noises as it cracked and shattered. It was crumbling.

　Immediately after, the ground crunched with a roaring sound. The ground caved in in around me in a circular pattern, as if it could no longer withstand my presence.

　The next thing I knew, there was no wind, but the dust was rising violently.

　It was like a tornado, swirling backwards, billowing and roaring like a tornado, and growing larger and larger as it rolled up from the shattered ground. The color of the tornado, containing the red soil of Titis, is red.

　It was a scene reminiscent of the vermilion-colored tornadoes created by the venomous dragon (Hydra), though on a different scale.