A man appeared out of nowhere.
　Who is this guy?
　We don't know that.
　But we do know.

　The man's statement.
　The way he looks at Cecily.
　The wariness that is unleashed.

　--The enemy.

　I've determined that.
　In that case, the first thing to do is to restrain -- forbidden curse.
　And when I opened my mouth to begin chanting.

"Take care of Master Cecily, Kurohiko!

　Zeke kicked in the carriage door and jumped out of the carriage with the man with the dislodged door.
　If you look, you can see his sword hanging on the wall in his hand.
　Zeke remained in place and disappeared from sight, along with the man.

'Banton, just go!'

　Zeke's voice from outside.
　Mr. Cecily leaned out of the dislodged door section.

'Banton, please stop!'

　She already has her own sword in her hand, which is in its sheath.
　You don't think she's going to go out there?

Miss Cecily!

　But Miss Cecily does not respond to my call.

'No Miss!　I'm going to leave this place!

　Mr. Banton raised his voice.

'You want me to leave Zeke alone!
Miss Cecily!

　This time he called out in a strong tone.
　Cecily turned around.

'I'll go!　Even without a sword, I have a forbidden curse!　Perhaps he was after Miss Cecily!　You better run!　There's something about that guy that makes me feel bad!

　But there.
　The carriage slowed down.
　Then, before Hirgis-san and I could stop it, Cecily-san jumped out of the carriage.
　Hirgis-san and I had no choice but to chase after her and get out.

''Jeez, Zeke-sama........''

　Mr. Banton's voice in dismay.
　The front of the carriage.
　There was that man standing there, holding Zeke, bleeding from his forehead, with one hand.

　The man was dressed in deep red clothes, as close to black as possible.
　It was called a dressing gown.
　The appearance is reminiscent of a samurai in a so-called period drama - more like a ronin, perhaps.
　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.

''I'm not sure........

　Zeke, who was being held by the man with one arm, seemed to be unconscious.
　In the other hand, the black blade.... was that a sword?
　The blade glowed with a thin, pale light.

　The man grinned.

Don't be afraid of me," he said. I'm not our enemy," the man said. I apologize for scaring you a little bit about stopping the carriage.

　The two horses that were pulling the carriage had stopped moving, as if frightened of the man.
　Following the man's gaze, it seems that the words you just said were released to the horses.

The same goes for you. I'm only here to see him.

　The black sword blade is pointed at Cecily-san.
　I quickly checked my surroundings.
　This was the square near the center of the city, I believe.
　I remember passing it when Mia-san and I strolled through it.
　But in a place with such a heavy traffic of people........
　Since it was late afternoon, naturally many people had already gathered there.
　It seems that some of them heard the commotion and came over.
　Some of them are asking, "Isn't that Cecily Arkwright? Many of them are whispering to each other, such as.
　..................
　Ha, anyway.

　Targeting a man.

"I am forbidden to--
Wait.

　I was about to invoke the forbidden spell and he grabbed my arm.
　It was Hirgis-san.

'Hirgis-san?'
'I know your curses because I've seen them before. But let me check.
?
How do I know you won't bring Zeke into it?
It's a--

　Search.
　Search, search.
　...............................
　That man is 'holding' Mr. Zeke in his arms right now.
　In other words, they are physically close to each other.
　In that case, do you consider the prohibitions to be 'the same object'?
　What about with the Blue Goblin?
　Were there any Blue Goblins in close contact with you at the time?
　It doesn't work.
　I don't remember that much because I was struggling to survive at the time anyway.
　No, but it's okay.
　As long as I don't trigger it to the second realm, I'll be fine.
　That's right.
　Perhaps Hyrgis-san is worried about the spear in the second realm.
　He must think that once he finishes the first stage, he will automatically move to the second stage.
　But the forbidden curse can be stopped at the first stage.
　That's right.
　If it's only restraint with chains........

"Don't worry, Mr. Hirgis, you don't have to--
Well, let's start with a name.

　The man began to speak again.
　Mr. Hirgis and I turned to him in response to the voice.
　The man's voice was low and raspy.

'My name is Hibigami,' he said. I want you to make love to me, Cecily Arkwright. I found you in the Sixth House when I was looking for an old friend. The man's wounds are exquisite. Disgusting... but you have done some nasty things with your blade. Your spirit is worthy of respect.

　The man was in the middle of talking.
　Cecily's expression froze.
　The talk about the wound now would be about that big man who was killed.
　I can guess that.
　In other words, it's hard to imagine that the man in front of you is probably the murderer in question.
　However, it wasn't that 'that part' that changed Cecily's expression.

''I was looking for an old friend from the Sixth House.

　An old friend of the Sixth House.
　It's not definite.
　The man just uttered the word 'old friend'.
　Still, the way he said it now--.

You don't mean to tell me you're from the Sixth House?

　Somewhat shakily, Miss Cecily asked.

'No difference,'

　The man - Hibigami admitted.
　'Easily.

I have no proof, though. I can tell you all I want about the past, but it wouldn't do any good to tell ourselves. The only people who can vouch for my identity are, well, the people in the Sixth House. But... it's not important.

　Hibigami spun the blade upside down and thrust it back at Cecily.

'Serve me, Cecily Arkwright.

　Hibigami turned his attention to Zeke.

"If you will do everything in your power to fight me, I will give you back this man. And if I don't, will you give me a reason to kill you right here and now?

　Hibigami placed his blade against Zeke's neck.

'Don't!'

　With a stab, Cecily pulled out two swords at the same time and released them.
　The sheaths fall on the cobblestones.

''Fine. I was going to fight you anyway.''
'Kakah I'm glad to see you're a woman of good judgment. This is a work in progress, but he has a lot of potential. I also appreciate the way you approached me without fear. To be honest, I didn't think it was worth it to kill you here. Sora-tachi.

　Hibigami released Zeke to the ground.

"!

　That man and Zeke are separated!
　Now!

Kurohiko, please wait.
I--what?
'It' can't wait, can it?
Cecily, Miss?

　Ah.
　The edge of her mouth hangs up slightly.
　It's as if she is desperately holding back the emotions that are bubbling up.
　Furthermore, the expression on her face is 'that expression' that she occasionally makes.

''If that man is from the Sixth House, then this is a great opportunity for me as well.

　The crystals embedded in the twin swords in Cecily's hands begin to emit a faint light.

''I may be the worst. It is true that up until now, Zeke's safety was the top priority, but as soon as that disappeared, I saw this situation as a unique opportunity.

　Her white face was covered in a thin layer of sweat.
　Nope.
　Her face even looks pale.
　What is she afraid of?

''I can do my best, I can do it.

　Cecily looked at Hibigami.

I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not the only one. It's the same for mock matches. It was the same in mock matches. My parents, my instructors and the students of the school - I can't throw my all into them. The only enemy I could think of that I could put my all into was the demon from the Holy Ruins. One of the reasons why I decided to enter the academy was because I could actually fight the demons of the holy ruins, right?

　After dexterously spinning the holy sword in her hand once, Cecily-san held up her twin swords.

''But finally, the 'enemy' has appeared.

　Hibigami switched swords.
　He tucked the black blade away and picked up another, iron-like colored sword.

''And if that man really is from the Sixth House it's a perfect opponent. It's more like an unexpected stroke of luck for me that I get to fight with the Sixth Estate here.
..........

　It's this 'danger'.
　As she had said before, this kind of inner competitive strength is probably her original ground.
　But.

No.
Blackbeard?

　I look at Hibigami.

'There's no guarantee that Cecily-san can beat that guy. Most importantly, you don't even know what your opponent is capable of, do you?　It's too dangerous. If we do it, we should all work together.
"Kurohiko.

　Miss Cecily turned away.

'You said before that you were indebted to me, didn't you?　During the mock game and at the Holy Ruins.
Miss Cecily.　

　I know what you're trying to say.

'Of course I didn't mean to ingratiate myself with you. But if--if you are in my debt, let me do it here and now, without saying a word. So, let us settle our debts and debts until now.

　Ms. Cecily held my face between her hands, bringing it closer to her own.

'--What?'

　So close that I can even feel the faintest breath.
　Her sky-blue eyes, which seem to be sucking in, are looking straight at me alone.
　Her pure determination flows into me.
　A clear, unclouded expression.
　At the same time, an expression that does not allow me to object.

'Please, please. I know you will understand.''

　It's not fair.
　The way you say it, the expression on your face, it's not fair.

　I flee from Cecily, who was approaching me, and turn to Hyrgis-san.
　She is silent.
　I can't see her emotions from her expression.
　But the fact that she is silent...........................means she has no intention of stopping.

　......................
　d*mn.
　I scratched my head crudely.

'Oh, okay, okay, I get it!　But if I think it's dangerous, I won't hesitate to sidestep it!　I don't care if Miss Cecily hates me, I'll stop her!　Isn't that nice!
Hmmm, so be it.

　Returning to her usual tone a little, Cecily smiles at me.

'And then--'
Yes, I know.

　I nodded.
　I understood what Cecily was trying to tell me now.
　Only now we could understand each other without exchanging words.

'Let's keep quiet about Currier Versteen.

　If Hibigami was 'looking for an old friend from the Sixth House', that's probably - because that's what he was doing.
　And.

　Cecily-san confronted Hibigami with a holy sword in her hand, wearing a blue-white glow.

　I, on the other hand, called out to Hirgis-san next to me.

''........It's okay?''
I respect Lady Cecily's wishes, but if I feel that I'm in danger, I will stop her. But if I feel that you are in danger, I will stop you.
Okay, okay, okay, I understand.

　I was already slightly desperate.

"Kurohiko.
Yes, sir.
Thank you.

　...........
　I didn't expect to be thanked by Hyrgis-san.
　I was a bit embarrassed.
　Well, more than anything else........if something happened to Cecily-san, I wouldn't be able to face Zeke.
　I looked at Zeke, who had fallen unconscious.
　That's when Zeke said to me, 'Please.

".....

　Hibigami didn't show a single sign of movement even as the onlookers gathered one after another.
　He called it 'a marriage match'.
　
　If it ends with them checking each other's sword skills, that's fine.
　........well, it won't be.
　And.

Here you go. Hibigami, you said?
"I've been waiting for you, Cecily Arkwright.
Can we move Zeke out of the way before we fight?
Click.

　Hibigami held Zeke again.

'Oh, what--'

　Miss Cecily made her move.

Wow.

　Hibigami threw Zeke toward me.
　So I caught Zeke's body.
　I couldn't kill the momentum and ended up falling backwards, but I managed to catch him.

"While.........
Relief!　I just need him to be asleep. He's fine!　You should be momentarily pleased!

　He's outrageous, that guy.
　I left Zeke with her when Mr. Hirgis told me to.
　And that's when it happened.

'Hey you guys, what are you doing?
'What do you think you're doing, drawing your sword in the middle of the street!
'Huh?　One of them is Cecily Arkwright, isn't it?

　The guards came.
　He carried a spear in his hand and a sword at his waist.
　But

To spoil the fun... is very unacceptable.
What?
Huh?
Hmm?

　The three guards who rushed to the scene were cut down in an instant.
　The black sword pulled out and released in Hibigami's hand.
　Then Hibigami moved instantly to return to his original position and re-sheathes the black sword.

If it comes at you, you will be harmed, and your life will be spared. But if it doesn't come at you, you'll be harmed. But if it doesn't come at you, you will be harmless.

　Hibigami said to the crowd.
　Screams came from onlookers who finally grasped the scene in front of them.
　Many of them ran away.
　The rumbling also grew rapidly.

'Don't worry. I'm not going to let them get in the way of my dealings with them, no matter what comes to me.

　A pair.
　With one foot, Cecily-san fleshes out Hibigami.
　As it was, the accelerated holy sword attacked Hibigami.
　Cecily's first attack.
　Hibigami catches that first attack with the iron-colored sword.

"Hoho.

　After a little distance, the two of them are relative again.

'That holy sword, two pairs of swords? That's unusual. Hmmm, I saw that the sword must be filled with almost the same amount of magic elements at the same time to show its true value, but--

　Hibigami is delighted.

'Use it or use it,'

　Cecily responded to Hibigami's words with a slash.
　No words are needed from here on out.
　It was as if she wanted to say so.
　A sword dance that could be described as both flowing and beautiful.
　Only at this moment, even the gallery, whose curiosity and fear had been in conflict with each other, were transfixed by the beauty of the girl beloved by the gods.

　The girl beloved by the gods and the unusual samurai were exchanging swords.

''..........''

　You're on a different level.
　There's only one other person I know who can wield a sword at that level.
　That's right.
　Only Currier-san is the only person I know.

"Kakaka, I see, this is beyond expectation!　It grows!　I'm a gem, let's just say I'm a confirmed gem!　Ka ka ka ka, that's what you do for copious amounts of energy, Cecily Arkwright!　My beloved sword, the 'Mu-Slayer' - I see in myself the value of wielding this sword now!

　Hibigami looks happy.
　
　The way Cecily-san fights is like a scene from a movie.
　It's so much more than just a moonlighting word of 'beautiful', it's just so--

But it's too beautiful.

　Beautiful ... too?
　Immediately after raising the sword wide to deal with Cecily-san's sword strike, Hibigami flashed the holy sword continuously to the left and right with unseen speed.

''--''

　Cecily took a step backwards as she regained her stance, as if to recover the slight gap that was created.
　For a moment, they stopped moving against each other.
　And then Hibigami thrust his sword into Cecily-san's face.

'From the sword's taiji to everything else, it's like there's no 'evil' in it. So spiteful.

　The tip of the sword slid down Cecily's entire body, licking her from head to toe.

'No shortage of rough stones. But the environment is inferior? You haven't fully demonstrated your talent. The sword blade is too 'beautiful'. Also, you haven't been able to get rid of your sweetness. Moreover, your good looks are also a drag, right?

　As if to check Cecily-san who was about to move, Hibigami thrust the tip of his sword further out as she stepped in.
　Cecily-san stopped moving, as if she sensed that the timing of the cut was being overlooked by that movement.

'You're wasting your effort trying to be beautiful - it's a waste of time. A hellish waste of time. That's not going to help you become a shura.
.....
Really?　Do you want to kidnap me and throw me in here?
?

　Hibigami sneered as he stroked his beard.

'In the apocalypse,'
W--

　I yelled out.
　Tossing him in?
　Miss Cecily to the apocalypse?

If I train there, I can turn myself into the slaughterhouse I want to be. There's a good chance of that. There's no need to have too many beautiful sword muscles, sweetness, or efforts to maintain your beauty. You don't need to work too hard to maintain your good looks, just aim for the Shura, Cecily Arkwright.
There he is!　It's him!
It's that man!　That man, Lady Cecily--

　The crowd cleared the way, and a slew of guards arrived.
　This time there were dozens of people in all.

'Be quiet!'
There's too many of them. Give it up!
Kaka ... "How many people"?

　The next moment.
　What erupted in the air was fresh blood.
　When did he change his weapon, a black sword with blue-white phosphorescence was held in Hibigami's hand.
　As if a thread had been broken, the guards in the front row fell to the ground bleeding.
　That few seconds of attack made the guards stand up at once.

''This, back row!　What's going on with the surgical support?
No!　Why, for some reason, I can't gather the holy elements...!
'You can't get the elements?　What a load of nonsense!

　At that moment - Zuban.
　A bolt of lightning struck Hibigami's feet and the cobblestones popped off.

''Kakk.......I see, so that's the distance.''

　Hibigami kicked up the dead guard's spear and took it in his hand.
　Then he swung the spear wide and threw it towards the roof of a city building.
　At the end of the spear, which flew in a straight line with bullet-like speed, was the figure of a lone guard.
　The guard was unable to avoid the spear, and after the spear pierced his body, he rolled off the roof.

　The guards flinched and completely lost their momentum.
　Their faces were tinged with fear.
　Hibigami looked over at the guards.

'Is it over?　Kaka ... hey, then bring him to me. Bring me the Order of the Holy Tree!　There you are!　The Knight Commander of the Holy Tree Order, 'The Black Holy Juggernaut' - by Sogut Sigismus!
''Gu........Master Sogut is currently attacking the Holy Ruins with his deputy commanders.......!
'Kaka, I see. That's not a good time to be doing that. Well, even if you don't have Sogut Sigmsos or the Deputy Commander, of course you have the 'Holy Tree Eight Swords', right?　If all the Eight Sacred Trees and Eight Swords are present, well, we might be able to have a good match there, right?
''The Eight Swords should be on their way to us now...''
Late.

　With a waver, Hibigami turned to Cecily.

''Rather than waiting for that piece of wood called the Eight Sacred Trees, I want to pave the way for this one to be born as soon as possible.

　Hibigami moved.
　And then.

"Uh-oh.

　It was so fast that it could be seen as if it had moved at the very moment.
　Cecily's throat the tip of the black sword was thrust against Cecily's throat.

''Now, let me take you to the apocalypse, Cecily Arkwright.

　Then.
　Slyly.
　The two holy swords fell out of Cecily-san's hands.

　What can be seen from Cecily's current state is her waning confidence.
　At least that's what it looked like to me.

　The speed of the current fleshy speed.
　Maybe the hibigami when I was cutting it off earlier wasn't serious.
　The obvious difference in power, made clear by the speed shown just before.
　The distance between Cecily-san and Hibigami's power - perhaps too far.
　She herself must have understood this as a realization.
　She must have been able to understand it and put it away.
　More than anyone else here.

　So.

"I am the king of chains, I am the king of chains, and in the end, I will break the chains that bind me in prison.

　This is where I'm at the end of my rope.
　In fact, from my point of view, I even feel remorse that it's too late.

　While chanting the forbidden spell, I start running towards Cecily and Hibigami.
　I can feel that my legs have improved a lot since I came to this world.

"I am bound by my life, I am bound by my enemies--

　Hibigami's gaze caught me as he ran in.

''Ninth curse, release.''

　A dimensional hole appears.

"--What?　A technique...?

　Hibigami's eyes widened and he ran his gaze over his surroundings.

'I know you've been paying attention... but where did it come from!

　It only took a few moments, but it was enough to create an opening.
　I picked up the holy sword that had fallen to the ground and pushed Cecily-san away, feeling sorry for her.

''Hyrgis-san!　I'll take care of Miss Cecily, please!

　Now there is no need to worry about Cecily-san getting caught up in the forbidden curse in case she is caught up in it.
　Chains pop out from the dimensional rupture.

''Don't tell me this is - your own magic method?　Nonsense!　You're using magic at this distance...!

　Glaring eyes catch me again.
　A black chain strikes Hibigami.

'Kakk, but--this is a different kind of funny!

　Hibigami cuts off the black chains one by one.
　He cuts them down.

'Significantly, significantly more interesting!　And here's where my fun is getting to be the best part.　Kaka-kaka-kaka!　What are these chains?　Where were you from?

　A joke of a sight.
　Even.

If I can cut through this rift, will this be my power?　Or is it the power of this demon eater's sword, the Demon Eater!　I don't care!　Whatever!　Whatever!　Whatever it is!　This--this is unexpected and perfect!

　That man's sword cut down even the hole in the dimension.

　Should I call it substandard?
　This man - something about the dimension itself seems to be different.

　But.

　I'm not surprised.

　He is from the Sixth House.
　From the moment I found out that he is, I am prepared for it to be a straightforward matter.
　Most importantly, even when we were dealing with the Blue Goblins, the forbidden spell didn't make everything go away.
　That was a good lesson.

　So the possibility that the forbidden spell won't work - it's been factored in.
　I cut at Hibigami with the holy sword.

''Mmm--''

　Gakin.

　The holy sword and the sword crossed.

'But what am I?　I thought you were Cecily Arkwright's squire or something... but who the hell are you?
'Soraku Kurohiko. As you can see, I'm just a student.
Kaka, that's an unexpected find, this one.

　Hibigami twists the corners of his mouth.

You can't use that sword without the magic element, right?　But what good is magic in this place?　You're okay with that?　Or is it something else?　Do you have some unusual secret plan to call in the magic element?

　The two swords are in conflict with each other.

I'm sorry, but I can't handle the holy grail. For now, as long as you have a sword that's sharp, that's all that matters.
Yeah, right. And so am I. More and more - interesting!

　The holy sword and the sword bounces, and once, they pause for each other.
　I glance over to check on Cecily.
　Is she upset or afraid?
　Either way, she doesn't seem to be in a state where she can fight.

''..........''

　Anyway, let's buy ourselves some time now.
　I heard that the Eight Sacred Trees and the Eight Swords are on their way to us.
　Besides, this is the royal capital of the country.
　If the commotion gets bigger, this guy won't be able to stay here forever.

　However, if it is possible.
　If I can beat him, I want to beat him.
　For Currier-san's sake, too.

　Is he nervous or happy?
　If I'm happy, is it myself, or is it the thing that dwells within me?
　My face starts to sweat.

'Didn't you say Hibigami?　You want a deal?　All right, then you'll play with me. Come on--

　I lifted the corner of my mouth slightly and thrust the tip of my sword at Hibigami.

'Shall we fight?'