Sorry I'm late, Miss Cecily.

　I turned around as I said the words.
　My heart aches at the sight of her.
　Parts of her clothes have been ripped off and her cheeks are red and swollen.
　And a trail of blood that must have flowed from the gap between her lips.

　I don't need to tell you who did it.

'Kurohiko!　Back!

　Cecily's voice.
　I turn around.
　The man raised his spirits and attacked me.
　I half-turn my body and dodge the several fists that were released.

　Then, I stare up at the huge man rising in front of me.
　Blood was flowing from the cracked man's forehead, and blood was dripping from his crushed nose.
　Some of his teeth were also shattered.
　The man's eyes caught me with a glare.

"How dare you interrupt me, kid?

　Putting my left arm down, I said.

"I just came to interrupt you.

　The man's eyes flashed quizzically.

'What's that?　That figure, that power........I have no idea what it looks like.

　What he sees as odd is still his left arm and wings.
　Black wings extending from around his shoulder blades.
　These are the wings formed by the fifth forbidden curse.

　After chanting, the information of the fifth incantation flowed into my brain.
　In a nutshell, the 5th Forbidden Spell is a Forbidden Spell that allows you to fly.
　However, even though it is called 'flying', it's like the altitude gradually drops after a big jump.
　Also, it seems that the range of this power is fixed, and the further away you are from the two giant wings that appeared when you first chanted, the less effective it seems to be.
　Well, if you summon those giant wings one after another with the fifth forbidden spell, it would be possible to fly anywhere.
　But perhaps if you use it wildly, the amount of repercussions should be the same as the eighth banjutsu, when you release it.
　Hence, continuous use is hesitant.

　Even so, it was enough for me.
　If it wasn't from above, it would have taken more time to find Cecily-san.

　I also appreciated the fact that it was possible to accelerate to some extent while flying.
　Additionally, the visibility was surprisingly good while it was activated.
　I could see things in the distance really clearly.

　After I got the hang of it, I took to the skies (although it took some getting used to at first) and accelerated appropriately, looking for Cecily and the others from the sky.
　I didn't have time to feel the excitement of flying, so I stared desperately at them.　
　Then, on the way to the Crystal Sheep Pavilion, I spotted Cecily and her friends.

　As a result, it could be said that Hibigami brought the best forbidden spell at exactly the best time.
　For this, I must thank him.

　He looked at the old man and Cecily, who was lying on the ground.
　The old man must be Cecily's grandfather, Gaiden, and he is still breathing.
　He is still alive.
　He seems to be still alive.
　I guess it wasn't the best of times.
　I'd like to think that I made it just in time.

　I stared at the man waiting to ask who I was, and I answered him.

'I'm pretty sure I'm not on your side.

　The man laughs as he picks the head of his nose with his finger to check the condition.

"You look a little different in your clothes, are you a holy warrior?
...the candidate.

　The man puffs out the blood in his nasal cavity.

It's not possible. Whenever a candidate is more powerful than a member of the Order of the Holy Spirit...

　A jet of black fog from a hole in the elbow area of his left arm.
　The sound of an explosion.
　Rapid acceleration.
　A fist is dug into the man's stomach.

Phew.........?
I didn't come here to talk.
What the f*ck do you think I am, huh?
Four wrongs.

　The man attacks through the air.
　He closes the gap to a pair.
　A powerful uppercut to the man's stomach.
　Heavy sound and feeling.
　The man's foot floated slightly in the air.
　Without pause, the second blow.
　The fist that accelerates rapidly.
　A fist deep into the man's pigeon tail.
　The man's small eyeball protruded, and saliva drew a thread from his mouth.

Ughhhh...!　T....meh!

　The man bellowed to get his mind back on track and began flailing his arms around seldom.

　But I can see the man's attack.

　I can see the man's attack.
　And a definite response that can be felt.
　A sensation I hadn't felt when my fists met with Beshgam.
　The feeling that damage is being inflicted.

'Shhhhhhhh!

　The man circled, spreading screams and attacks, and kept his distance from me.

'You're doing it, kid,'

　A man spits blood on the ground.

This looks like I could do with some real blood.

　Showing the back of his hand, the man raises his arms in front of him.
　The man's arms began to glow.
　Across the fabric, a holy elemental light was occurring across the fabric.

''Have you ever heard of 'Svegruin'?

　The man's mouth peeking out from between his arms formed a wry smile.

Normally, only people of Stan's bloodline would be able to use it, but for me, to my surprise, this is the one that does. Do you think that's why?
You don't think it's a surgical imprint?

　It was Cecily who uttered that, blotting out a sound of astonishment.
　'Whoa,' the man's one eyebrow rises.

You're right, Miss Cecily, you're very perceptive. You're right, I'm able to use this particular technique through the magic markings.
Nonsense.........

　Cecily raised her voice as if to deny it.


"Shasta!

　The man laughs loudly.

'That's why it's the Four Wrongs, Cecily.

　Gulp, Cecily interrupted.

'Just wait and see, okay?　I was a bit careless before, but I'll soon take down this sub-human impersonator of a bandaged man and pick up where we left off.

　Cecily tries to get up to cover me, and Cecily tries to get up.
　But my knees trembled and I fell to the ground again.
　I turn my face back to the man and focus on my left arm again.
　The man returns his gaze to me.

It's a good thing that you're able to take one hit from my attack, because that's what it's all about...Now, shall we continue?

　The air of the man has clearly changed drastically from the one before, although the light talk has not changed.
　The air that he wears does not compare to the previous one.
　It's a good thing that they are finally serious about it.
　The color in my eyes is also becoming more ominous.

"Don't regret making me get serious, cadet?

　The man's neatly groomed teeth gleamed eerily.

'I want to see your despairing face, don't I?　You know what Lady Cecily will look like when she sees Samah getting messed up.

　I silently lift my toes slightly off the ground with the power of the fifth forbidden curse - I rush forward.
　I further accelerate my left arm.
　The man closed his arm and assumed a defensive stance.

''Fool.

　Beep.
　There was a sound, like a crack in the mineral.
　And then, as if he was blown off, the man's arm was twisted open...

　My left fist.

Buugh?

　The man's face, mangled.
　The man was blown backwards.
　The man fell forward as he was blown 20 meters away, hitting his shoulders and hips.
　The man slowly pushes his upper body up with his arms on the ground.

"B.........stupid.......Suveg, Ruin.......not even a thing.............?　I was hit in the arm my arm, my arm, ouch!　What the hell, man, don't...!　What... what is... what is that guy's... power...?　That kind of aggression, Zemeckis... or even, if you're not good enough, Beshgam--

　Too different, I thought.
　I'm terrified.
　I mean, that's what Beshgam said.

"They call us the Four Deadly Sins," as they say, but the truth is, there's a huge gap between us and the rest of the brothers.

　It was an unmistakable fact.
　I had also considered the possibility that it was a statement that came out of sibling rivalry.　
　That's why I was also prepared for the existence of the other Four Deadly Disasters, which are as powerful as or close to Beschgum.
　But as the word goes, Beschgam Angren was different.
　The overwhelming difference in power between Beshgam and the man he had just beaten away.
　Attack power, defense power, speed.......in every aspect, that man was inferior to Beshgam.

　After all, 'Svegruin' had nothing to do with it.
　Beshgam Angren himself was a substandard monster.
　How could he win, I thought, even after all this time.
　But - now it turned out that the rest of the Four Deadly Disasters were weaker than Beshgam.
　Then, after defeating this one, we can head to the next four evildoers without a care in the world--

　The man turns around with a mix of bewilderment and indignation.
　I'm already running out to close the gap between me and the man.

''Ku-so-gah........''

　He was quick to return after taking damage.
　The man gets up.
　He seems to be very resilient.

　I drew my sword from my waist.
　The light pink sword blade.
　The name - 'Crazy Cherry Blossom'.

　　　　　　　　　　*

Quick question. What's going on with the demon eaters?

　As I was about to activate the fifth ban and jump up, Hibigami asked me.

"...broken. That man in there is dead.

　I explained briefly, too.
　Hibigami turns to face the body of Beshgam for a moment.

'Kaka, that's ridiculous. 'What?'　You broke it?　Seriously, I'm getting more and more disappointed that we arrived so late. And Sagara, how did you beat that man? I wasn't blinded by it, was I?
I'm sorry that I broke your sword that was entrusted to me.
It's not a matter of concern if a sword or two is broken. It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what the owner of a tool is capable of doing. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're talking about.

　I turned my back to Hibigami.

'I'm sorry, but I need to hurry right now. We'll hear about that later.
Wait a minute.

　Hibigami pulled out one of the swords at his waist and held it out.
　I'm a little confused.

''What's this?''
It's a demon sword called 'Kyouzakura'. Use it.
What?
I'm saying "give it to me. A replacement for the Demon Eater. I'll give you the quality.

　I look down at the black pattern.

'Are you sure?　There are probably four other plagues still lingering in King's Landing. If you encounter them, you'll have to use only your 'no-kill' to fight them. If you need someone from the academy to give you the holy sword or the demon sword--
Don't worry.

　Hibigami smiled wryly as he slid his knuckles into his beard.

"Sword or no sword, it doesn't change the fact that I'm strong. Of course, I would welcome a more powerful enemy than me.

　This is the frightening part of this man, who is neither bravado nor bluff.
　It seems that no matter what the conditions, encounters with the other four evils are just what you want.

If you need a reason, consider it a reward for your victory over the Four Deadly Wonders. If you need a reason, consider it a reward for your victory over the four evils. Well....I'm going to be wandering the streets of the city looking for the other four scourges.
..........
What's up?　You're in a hurry, right?　If you're going to take it, just take it. Well, if you don't want it, you can just dump it right there. It's that simple.

　Right now, there is some fatigue in the wounds he sustained in his fight with Beshgam.
　If the opponent's strength was equal to that of Beshgam, then a hard fight was inevitable.
　As expected, if he were to lose his eyesight, it would be a bottleneck when he fights Hibigami later on.
　Hence, you can't use the Third Forbidden Spell without a fight.
　Then it's better to have at least one more weapon that you can use.

'I'm sorry, I'll use it gratefully. Including the spellbook I owe you.

　I took the sword and inserted the scabbard into my belt while Hibigami briefly explained the properties of the sword.
　Then, with some loss of balance, I jumped up into the air.

　　　　　　　　　　*.

Shasha your aggression is certainly blinding.

　The man's face still had room in it as he stood up.

'But I don't know.　This "Svegruin" isn't only used for defense, it can also be used for attack. From the looks of it, it doesn't look like you have much defense. You're tired, and you're wounded. It's a good thing that I'm able to use it to get the most out of the situation.

　The man's hardened arm was pulled back in a wrenching motion.

'Come on, let's go all out, shall we?　Fair and square.
'You're going to use Mr. Gaiden or Cecily, who's lying there, as a shield when you see an opening, while giving off the air that you're going to go one-on-one like that, right?　It's the opposite of the way you're looking at me, it's so deliberate.

　The man clicks his tongue.

"d*mn, you're looking good--you little brat!

　A turn.
　The man starts attacking, with a demonic look on his face.
　Is the damage already out?
　The body's stubbornness seems to be just as the man said.
　Incidentally, as I mentioned earlier in defense, there is a way to try to prevent it by returning the eighth forbidden curse to the shield.
　But there may be no need for that.
　Because.

This guy.....

　The man doesn't seem to be able to catch me.
　Acceleration by the fifth curse.
　This speed, the man cannot keep up with it.
　That's right - if it's not hit, there's no need to prevent it.
　There's no reason to go out of your way to prevent an attack that you can see.

"Wha........

　Lacerations ran down the man's shoulders, his thighs, and his calves.
　The later the order in which the cuts were made, the deeper the wounds became.
　This is the characteristic of the demon sword, Kyourai Sakura.
　The more you suck the blood of the person you cut, the more its sharpness increases.

''d*mn it, tare gaaaaah!

　It looks as if it has gone numb, but the attack itself is accurate.
　A fist swung down like a hammer crushes the stone pavement where I was.
　But I had already jumped up with my wings and slashed the man's shoulder while spinning vertically as I passed him.
　Blood spurts out of the man's shoulder.
　You'll be able to find a lot of people who are willing to pay for your services.

　Jumping up high and striking a blow is a high risk.
　The reason is that if you jump up, you would normally have no choice but to fall where you should fall.
　In some cases, you may become the target of your opponent's awkwardness.
　But because of the power of the fifth forbidden spell, I now have the ability to turn around in the air.
　The Eighth Forbidden Spell could do the same thing, but it was no match for the Fifth Forbidden Spell's freedom.
　Hence, it is possible to change direction and trajectory recklessly in the air --

　Even with the man's leaping power and speed, he can't catch me.
　This time it's the other way around, and before the man can land, I follow him, showering him with constant slashes.
　The man's wounds become deeper and the spray of blood gains momentum.
　The man rolls on the ground, spattering blood in mid-air.
　As he rolls, the man regains his stance and somehow gets into a fighting stance.
　Then the man tried to use Cecily and Gaiden as a shield, just to see if he could get away with it.
　But I went around first, and I was struck off with my left arm.

　The man's arm screams, though I prevent it with my arm, which has been hardened with a surgical imprint.
　The healthy teeth that the man had been clenching on chipped off with a snap.

"Gah............

　One blow without giving them time to rebuild.
　Two blows, three blows, four blows, five, six, seven--
　He didn't give it a break, burying the blade in the man's flesh as he chopped it up and ran his bewitching, blood-sucking blade.

'd*mn it, Gah!　I'm not listening to you!　I don't know who the f*ck this guy is in Renowthread.　Listen, I'm not listening to you!

　After such a decapitated scream.
　Finally, the man seemed to have run out of strength and fell to his knees on the ground.
　A sound as if a hammer had been struck could be heard.
　I felt the ground shake slightly.

　I placed my blade on the man's neck.
　Even though the man's skin is hard, it would be easy to cut through with the current sharpness.

'Really, what, mon...?　Don't tell me you're in prison?
"I don't know about 'Hell' or anything like that but if it's that beshgum thing you were talking about earlier, I beat it before I got here.
What?

　The man crinkled his brow and plastered astonishment on his face.

'You beat that beshgam?　Sha Sha Sha, don't be a fool. I'm not going to let that veshugam get beaten up by you little bastards.

　The man looks at me with an idea.
　The man checks the wounds on my body and the bandages on my eyes.
　Claw marks carved on the edges of my body that remind me of a fight to the death.
　And the fact that the deformed man in front of me, battered and bruised, is alive and present.
　A hypothesis, riddled with doubt, was forming in the man's mind as truth.

"Do you really think he beat the beshugam...?
Just barely.

　After being silent for a while, the man made a face of reconsideration.

I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to get it right. You can't get away with it.

　The man smiled somewhat proudly.

'Zemeckis and Soni may not have noticed, but I know. Bashgam is a different level of brotherhood. I was the only one who went with him when he ravaged the Jail, but I had a new appreciation for the different dimensions of veshgam. Even the most dangerous people in the apocalypse, the ones in Hell, couldn't stand against him. He's something different from us. I can't imagine what it would be like to be able to beat that beshigum. I know... if there is an unknown number of potential enemies of the beshugam, it's either the doomsday empress, whose existence is unknown, or that orphan who is lurking around in the background, as rumored.

　Understanding dawned on the man.

'So, you're from those six houses?　No but wait?　I mean, we don't really have any ties to the old neighborhood. I mean, we've only seen three or four of them, but we've always killed every single one of them. I don't think they're capable of killing someone like that, at least not in that order.

　A satisfied look crossed his face and the man looked up.

"It's a bluff. You're the other brother.　Even if he wins, it will be Soni or Zemeckis, right?　You've got it all wrong, don't you?
"Beshgam Angren. A man in black, wearing a tube cap. Thick slanted cross-shaped scar on his forehead. On his arm is the same as yours, the Svegruin technique. That's about the only thing I know about that man we just fought.

　The man's eyelids went up, full of eyes.

'Beshgam ... you really lost, didn't you?　
'I'm not from the Sixth House, nor am I that doomsday empress or anything like that, of course.
What the f*ck do you call this thing, then?
I wonder if I can call myself a conjurer.
A curse?
'This figure is also a forbidden force. Other than that I'm mostly just a student.
"...Shasha, I see, a forbidden curse. I didn't know you were real. I'm surprised. Well, all right the problem is, I'll get to it. What is it, any student?

　The man taunts him.


..........

　I've already killed one person, Beschgam Angren.
　I wasn't aware of it at the time because of my selflessness, but I have indeed killed a person.
　When I killed a demon, I thought it was because it was a monster.
　But even though the Four Deadly Disasters are monstrous, they are still human.

''Shashashashash!　I don't know you, man!　For someone with this much power, you're not good at killing people?　But what to do!　You can't put me in a cell after you've driven me this far, can you?　Or you can have someone else change the finish line!　You're going to amputate a limb and say, 'I didn't just take your life'!

　He pulls his mouth shut.
　But--

'Shasshasshasshas!　This guy is a laughingstock!　Voila!　Try to kill me without mercy!　Victory is at hand, man!　If you don't kill me here, you don't know what's gonna happen later!　Protect what's important to you, in exchange for getting your hands dirty!
..........
'Shascha!　Looks like I was wrong about you.　So, the student, the forbidding messenger of the curse, Dono, is a complete spoiled brat.　It's a shame that we're being hunted down by this warm-hearted little brat. But I have faith.

　The man looks like he's gained momentum and is spitting blood all around him.

'He's just a kid!　You're just a bunch of flowery-headed people.

　However, the man's words were not spun to the end.

''....No, no. You--

　I take a step forward.
　A threat.
　Yes.
　This man is a 'threat to Miss Cecily'.

　Then you shouldn't let him live.
　There's no reason to let him live.

　The man is still smiling.
　However, there was a faint fear on his face.

"Sha-sha-sha-sha-sha.... I'm sure I spoke too soon. Do you have any idea what you look like now?　I know that eye very well, don't I?　That's the kind of eye you just don't get for people. I've known people with that look before. Or, actually, I knew..........sha sha, was it your eyes, darling?　It's like a veshuga--

　Fresh blood erupts from the man's neck.
　A lot of it.
　His neck was sliced halfway through.
　You can feel the bone with a gulp, and you can feel it through the blade.
　And then I swing the blade out of the way.

"..........

　The man's massive body shook and collapsed to the side.
　He looked down at the man's corpse, which was twitching in small increments.

'Try to protect what you hold dear, in exchange for staining your hands!

　A murmur escaped my lips.

"I'm going to protect you.

　After I uttered it, I realized it was my voice.
　I felt like I was seeing something else, though, as I looked down emotionlessly at what was the Four Deadly Disasters, but I felt like I was seeing something else.

'If I can protect the people I care about to the extent of staining my own hands, I won't hesitate to stain my hands. If by doing so, the people I love can keep smiling--

　I stare at my left hand, which has turned into a deformity.

　--I don't care how dirty my hand is.

　I let out a breath of air with a huff.

.........Well, I don't really have any sense of being defiled either.

　Maybe that's more of a problem, though.

..........

　I wonder why.
　Then the words that a man once threw at me came into my mind.

　The shimmering cherry-red blade that sucked blood to its belly full.
　A drop of bright red blood fell from the tip of the blade and fell to the ground.



''You have the potential to become the greatest evil of all, if you take the wrong path correctly.''