He ran forward like this, and as they passed each other a flash - Hyougo was about to react to Hibigami's move, which was made to look like that.

　However, Hyougo quickly saw that his opponent's move was a deception.
　But the moment it took for him to realize that was his fatal opening.

　Hibigami, who had made a brilliant and sudden change in his attack pattern, swung his sword down at an angle.
　Hyougo's sword flashed downward.
　Its front body is ripped open.

''--ha-ha.''

　The leopard let out a laugh.

'Nice work,'

　Hibigami's instantaneous blade strike.

　An oblique, fast blade flash.
　Hibigami's battle sense completely captured the momentary gap that was born in Hyougo.

　Blood spurted out of his body, and Hyougo fell to his knees on the ground.
　Hyougo exhales a rough breath.
　As if to guide him, he points his wounded arm towards the mansion.

"Well, uh ... next ... this, this game ... you, you win.

　The goal is a fight to the death, not annihilation.
　The game has been won.
　Without nodding back at the words, Hibigami headed for the mansion in silence.
　Even though they didn't speak, their intentions were communicated to each other.

　They arrived in front of the gate of the mansion.
　A good-looking man with a clear-cut nose was standing on the gravel road beyond the gate.

''You're here, this guy,''

　Wiping his cheeks with a hand towel, the man chuckled.

''I heard from Kiddo-san that he had broken that Amano's [Hoof Crossing], and I thought it was no ordinary skill--''

　The man drops the hand towel to his feet.
　He strokes his shapely chin and the man closes his eyes.

'This is one hell of a piece of work you've come to.

　The man opens one eye.

'There will be no need for a front-word then let's do it, Mr. Hibigami.

　The man stepped up to the front of the pause, drew his blade and threw off the sheath.

'A man is an eight-sword picture scroll, the Kakizaki of the Drowned Straw.

　The looseness disappears completely from the man's face.
　The man - Kakizaki took a step back and assumed a side stance with one leg.

'I wish to have a fight with you, my lord.

　In contrast, Hibigami raised his sword and took an eight-phase stance.

"I don't wish to. I came here with the intention of doing so.

　The distance between them was slowly closing in on each other.
　The one who moved first - Kakizaki.

　A powerful thrust, with a twist.

　Shifting the angle of his body, using his legs as an axis, Hibigami avoids the thrust.
　Naturally, this is not the end of Kakizaki's attack.

　Kakizaki -- reverse kesa from the bottom.
　Hibigami--avoiding the upper body backwards.
　Kakizaki--reverse kesa, cleverly twisting his wrist to change direction, and thrusting for the second time.
　Hibigami--flips Kakizaki's sword with his blade.
　Kakizaki--delivers a two-step thrust.

　The thrust of kakizaki was increasing the sharpness with each increase in frequency.

　When Hibigami dealt with the third thrust, Kakizaki slipped the bottom of his foot on the gravel and closed the distance.
　That's when Kakizaki's stance changed to a strange, oblique tilt.

　--Kakizaki.

　With both hands, Hibigami clutches his sword.

　At that time, perhaps because of the angle, Kakizaki's sword was hidden by his body.
　At the same time, Kakizaki's expression also disappeared--


It's a river.


　The swordsmanship vanished from Kakizaki, along with his expression.
　It's not just the tension of the end game.
　It's no exaggeration to say that the sword has disappeared from the scene.

　A moment later, a thrust is released.
　There was not the slightest hint of personal intent involved in the thrust.
　It was just a blade that was approaching the human being beyond the blade with tremendous force.

　A thrust of oblivion.

　Yes, just like the flow of such a river that continues to exist there as nature.


　Gakki, Hibigami deflected the trajectory of his thrust with the belly of the blade.

''

　Kakizaki, realizing that he was prevented, expressed surprise on his face.
　No wonder he was surprised, Hibigami thought with admiration.
　There are not many people who can prevent this thrust.
　Even Currier Versteen at the time of their last meeting seemed impossible to see through this thrust. I'm not sure about Sagara Kurohiko, but aside from a few members of the Sixth House, the only person who can say with certainty that this thrust can be prevented is that Sogut Sigismos.

　Immediately after the special thrust ended up being unsuccessful, Kakizaki continued to slash at me from the upper level.
　Immediately after the technique, a phase of surprise ran through him, but he didn't drag it out as an upset, as expected of a Mugen Koshito-ryu person.
　Hibigami flicks Kakizaki's sword away with both hands clenched in his sword.

　After swinging upward, he swept his arm full of power and slashed at Kakizaki from the upper level with a kesa-slash.

　He slashes down on Kakizaki.
　Blood is splattered all over the place and both knees are poked into the gravel, Kakizaki is smiling.

I can't stand it........this person's sword.......

　Thud thud!
　Loud footsteps echoed from the mansion.

''Doriyaaah!　The Eightfold Scroll of the Eightfold Scroll is alone in the Rangoon Eating!　Here we come!

　A large man wielding a thick-bladed sword ran out of the mansion.

''It's Kakizaki!　The very thing that prevented the flow of your river from flowing is finally coming from a school other than our own!
Shut up and win, Sennami.
Oh, of course not.　Dri-eeeee!

　The big man - Senami - wields a large sword.

'Dorya!　Holy shit!　Doryaaaaaah!

　Normally, this kind of vigorous shouting is a waste of energy and, in a slashing match, is at best effective in frightening the opponent.
　Sometimes, people who are unsure of themselves use them to inspire themselves.

　But this man, Senami, did not fit into that category.

　The shout worked exquisitely as a breath of air when attacking.

''Urryaa!''

　Giddyup!

　Hibigami's feet caught the sword, and he took a step backwards on the gravel road.
　That's how much physical strength he had.
　But this man Senami, this man was not just a boast of strength.
　Each of the sword-slash moves that were delivered didn't match his dynamic appearance, but always demanded delicate tactics.

''Uhaha!　Way to go, dude!　Huh!　Huh!　Hmmm!

　It's not easy to meet someone with this kind of strength.
　Each strike is heavy.
　The way he breathes when attacking, and the way he carries his weight, is of unquestionable skill.

　Senami had given up on dealing with Hibigami and waited for him to move to evade.
　I'm going to lose patience with this foolishness, and the moment the opponent moves to duck, I'm going to shoot at him.
　Perhaps this is this man's specialty in tactics.

''Mm!　You have read my intentions!　Hahahaha!　Well done!　Then--

　Cennami pulled his upper body backwards and replaced his sword in one hand.
　Hibigami, on the other hand, was pleased to see a slight numbness in his hand.
　This was truly an opponent worthy of being called a stiff arm.
　Cennami drops deep into his lower body.
　Although the attack has ceased, there is no gap that seems to be an opening.


''Evil Strike, Sound Blade Numbness.''


　There was a click.
　And right after the sound, a small hole appeared in the blade of the Sennami sword.
　A hole that appeared when a plate of steel or something that was planted inside the blade slid sideways, I guess.

　Sennami takes out her right foot, which she had drawn backwards, and steps in.

　A powerful blade from the top step, released as he stepped in.

　A strange trajectory and a strange sound.

　Hibigami's vision shakes slightly.
　There was a different kind of numbness in his arm than the one he felt earlier.
　Instead of receiving Senami's blade, Hibigami chooses to duck.

''I see. The hole in the blade emits a sound like a musical instrument, a technique that brings a numbing effect to those who hear the sound? I'm not sure how many years it took me to learn it. My head is down.
I didn't know you could see through me at a glance.

　Hibigami's choice to evade against this technique was the right move.
　The effect of Senami's sword would jump even more when its blade and his opponent's blade resonated with each other.
　Hibigami had anticipated this by watching the sword.

　Was it right to duck?
　Is it the right thing to do?

　The bargaining tactics of the striking at the beginning of the game would be a milestone to drag me into this maze of thoughts.

''I would have been grateful if you had caught me with your sword, but........''

　Hibigami was numbed by Senami's technique.
　But even if it was numb, he was still looking at Senami with a return blade.
　The Sennami is bleeding from his belly, and blood is flowing from the corner of his mouth.



　Sennami wobbles forward and falls directly onto the gravel.

'Come on, Mr. Hibigami we're all waiting for you, sir.
Kiddo, you're going to get your sword from home.

　Kakizaki and Senami, still breathing, urged Hibigami into the mansion.

　Hibigami walked over the gravel and stepped into the mansion.




　The inside was also built in an eastern style.
　It was a spacious wooden mansion.
　The corridors were shiny and polished.
　The corridor was lined with shoji doors typical of the eastern part of the country.
　The pillars and beams are awkward in places, perhaps because their main occupation was not carpentry.

　In the shadows at the end of the corridor, there is a shadow of a person.
　The figure was standing in the shadows at the back of the corridor, hiding in the darkness.

I am Nagare, the eight-sword scroll, the rotten outsider,

　A figure appears in a bright position.
　A slender man.
　Skinny, you could say.

"Amano-dono, Hyougo-dono, Kakizaki-dono, Sen-nami-dono.......you are all very strong warriors.......can I really be a substitute?

　An earthy face.
　Fallen eyes.
　Its head is almost bald.

　But the light in his eyes is that of a pure swordsman.

　Although he is humble, his ability is on par with or even better than the eight sword emaki he has dealt with so far.

''Hibigami.''

　Hibigami said his name while setting up on the lower level.

'I see the story already went through.
Hey, wherever you want.

　Nagare draws his blade.
　A short sword.
　Strange stance, leaning forward.
　Then.

Let me in!

　The shoji door was kicked open, revealing a small man with long hair and gleaming double teeth.

'Lord Kiriya.'
Nagare, this is not a fight to the death, you know. Three against one is just fine, isn't it?

　It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you'll be able to see the difference.

I don't care how many people I have to deal with... if it's us, I'm going to accept whatever method of warfare they use against me.

　Without releasing his composition, Hibigami says.

'I feel so much better now that it seems so.

　Haha, Kiriya laughs.

'Because, Mr. Mido?'

Hohoho........So, shall we play with the three of us?

　A string-eyed man with a thick beard that reminded him of a bear came out far behind Kiriya.
　This man, called Midou, had no weapon in his hand, and it was karate.

　Kiriya and Mido stood side by side with each other.

I'm Kiriya from the Hole, one of the Eight Sword Scrolls. How do you do?
I am also an eight-sided scroll. My name is Mido from the Dancing Guts. Yes, I have nothing to offer you.

　It's a good idea to use your own personal computer.

''This is my 'sword' so please don't worry about that.

　In the back, Nagare takes a forward bending stance.

　The fighting spirit emitted by the three of them is no ordinary spirit.

　It is a form of swordsmanship that has been matured and finally perfected.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're going to do with it.

　--This is the Eight Swords Emaki.

　Something that seemed unbearable was said by the Eight Sword Emaki.
　But it's the same with Hibigami.

''Come on--''

　Hibigami is also full of fighting spirit.


You and I can fight to the death.


　Kiriya gulped down her spit.

It's a good thing that you're not the only one.

I'd love to die fighting one like that.

The two of you who are trembling with fear and trembling in the face of that is more amazing to me.

　The three of them finally show the first signs of movement.

　The first to move was Nagare.

　He passed between the two vanguards in a low stance and rushed forward.
　The spasmodic 《Blurbs》 of that short blade is a movement to prepare for defense no matter how it is struck from anywhere.
　Nagare unleashes a thrust.
　Hibigami backs away, but Nagare doesn't let him get away.
　As he pulled the thrust to the front of his pocket, Hibigami brought his sword down and dropped the thrust.
　He turned and tried to slash Nagare's throat with a slash, but

Hey!

　Kiriya's thrusts are extended and the attack is blocked.
　From below, Nagare's slash.
　But that coordinated attack, Hibigami skillfully ducks.

　The figure of Mido has disappeared.

　An indication.

　He broke through the shoji door, and Midou jumped at him.

　Hibigami swings his sword.
　Mido blocked the slash with the small steel hands he wore under his clothes.
　Mido's eyes widened as he prevented it.

''What a powerful blow........!　This man is not just any man after all!
Oh, that's great!

　The one who rushed forward was Kiriya.
　His stance was even lower than the normal lower level.
　In addition, due to his short stature, it was almost a stance of crawling on the floor.


''《Madness, Hole-Piercing Hell》''


　It is quick to slide from side to side, and a transforming thrust attacks from below at an angle.
　As a rule, continuous thrusts are often inferior in power to a single thrust that is put into a spirited one because the number of hands increases.
　However, this thrust is filled with chi that can make each strike a must-attack.
　Moreover, the combination of Kiriya's quickness and small size means that some people will end up being killed as they are toying with this move.


"Hosomichi-seeking, finger-grabbing.


　The next moment I had the illusion that Nagare had jumped at me - the next moment, Nagare's figure was diagonally in front of me.
　The earlier illusion was just a deceptive move that was disguised as a pounce.
　The aim of Nagare's dagger was Hibigami's finger.
　In his eyes now, he could only see the finger.
　Immediately after he refused to say that this attack was going to happen, his consciousness was focused only on his finger.

　A sharpening of consciousness.

　That is what increases the probability of success of a single strike.


''Non-sword, flaying.''


　Approaching from behind was Mido.
　The shape of his hand sword had disappeared.
　No - right now, each of his fingers are "swords".
　Can it be said that he is equivalent to holding ten swords in his hand now?

　Hibigami was.

　He took advantage of the slightest opening and kicked Kiriya away.

　He slashed two of Nagare's fingers as he gripped his sword.

　Finally, he twisted his body and slammed his sword into Mido's throat.


　Still, the three of them came out to fight back, undaunted.

　After striking and shaking Mido's rapid-strike piercing hand with his peak, Hibigami slashed up the body of his opponent, who had lost his posture, in an inverted manner.
　With this blow, Mido goes down.

　Nagare threw two fallen fingers at both of Hibigami's eyes.
　But the real aim was to take away Hibigami's vision with the blood from the finger wounds.
　The thrown finger is a tool to distract him.
　Hibigami brought back the sword that had slashed Mido and received blood from the blade.

　No matter what kind of hand he used, he would not consider it cowardly.
　The two words 《Cowardice》 should not exist in a battle where both sides offered their lives.
　If there is something to shake off those two words, it should be the very personal aesthetics of a strong man - just that.

　Nagare came next, aiming for the tendons of Hibigami's legs, but Hibigami's blade dropped his wrists.
　He kicks him in the jaw, shattering Nagare's jawbone.
　Nagare loses consciousness.

'Ooh laaaaah!

　Kiriyah jumped with his full weight on the ground.

　Nagare was so strong that he couldn't pay attention to anything else.
　If one were to put a pecking order to the strength of the eight sword emaki he had fought so far, Nagare was the strongest he had ever felt in mortal combat, a virtue comparable to Kakizaki.
　The hibigami, distracted by that Nagare and unable to pay attention, was blown away by Kiriya's kick.
　Crushing through the shoji door, Hibigami tumbled down the hallway into the tatami room.

　And at the same time as Kiriya's chase--

Heeey........well, you made it!

　A kido appeared from the opposite shoji door, holding a long sword in his hand.

''May I have your permission, Mister Hibigami?''

　Hibigami replies with a sneer as he stands up, avoiding Kiriya's attack.

'Of course.'

　Kidd holds his sword low, low.

"Then, once again--

　That seems to be Kido's stance.

An eight-sided picture scroll of the laughing woodpecker comes to you, Kiddo.

　From the side, Kiriya unleashes 《Madness, Hole Poking Hell》 from the side.

''Sora sora sora!　I mean, it's too late, Mr. Kiddo!
Sorry about that. Well, shall we go all the way through at once....

　A lower stance, with or without the blade touching the tatami.
　Kido had poked one knee into the tatami mat.


''Kumogakure, beak through.''


　A reverse-blade thrust that switched up and down from a very low altitude.
　It was a really beautiful thrust that could be called artistic.
　Kido was laughing as he released the technique.
　Is that the reason for the "Laughing woodpecker"?
　Kido's thrust slightly scraped the top of Hibigami's shoulder.
　But Hibigami also released a sharp thrust, and Kido was pierced by the blade on the side of his shoulder.
　Doh, sweat gushes out on Kido's face.



　Kido's smile didn't falter while he fell to the ground.
　Without even pausing to breathe, Kiriya, who had just cut him off, came in with a fierce attack.

''Fun........hey I'm having fun, Hibigami-san!

　Hibigami could tell.

　Everyone in the Mugen Yuefu School that had fought so far had enjoyed the battle.
　There were many in the world who lamented the battle.
　Many bemoaned the outcome of the battle, and at times, many held a grudge against their opponents.
　When he left the apocalypse and traveled across the continent, Hibigami thought, "It's a tight squeeze.

　'It's a tight squeeze,' he said.

''I thank you--Mugen Koshito style.

　A brilliant half-moon sword flash was drawn at the same time as he jumped up.
　That shimmering blade slashed soundlessly through Kiriya's torso as she fired a series of special moves that had been further refined in the battle.






　Hibigami takes one breath and catches his breath.

　How long has it been since he's been able to catch his breath this way?
　The flesh of his side has been slightly gouged out by Kiriya's technique.
　A shallow cut has been made on his finger by Nagare's technique.
　Part of his left shoulder had a thin layer of skin peeled off by Mido's technique.





　When Hibigami stepped out into the hallway.


I heard from the kakizaki who was lying at the gate.


　A thick voice.

　A single, well-built man stood in the doorway.
　He carried a large packing bag on his back.

　It was a large man who reminded me of a towering rock.
　Even from the top of his dressing gown, one could tell that he had a tremendous amount of muscle.
　His age is somewhere between late thirty and mid forty.

　He carried a sword at his waist.

''I'm Hiama, I'm the master of the Mugen Koshi sword style. In the past, some people called me the Hiyama of the Gouken,

　The man - Hiyama - comes up the hallway.

'I see. Wasn't Master Master included in the Eight Swords Scrolls--

　Both men were in the hallway, facing each other.

　After a while, a giggle escaped from Hibigami's mouth.
　That laughter gradually grew louder and louder.


''Kaka........kaka, kaka kaka kaka kaka!''


　Hibigami threw away his sword.

　He grasped the hilt of the 《Murderless》, which is held at his waist.

''d*mn........''

　Viki, viki, viki, viki, a pulsation runs across my face.

　A black sensation pulses through my body.

　My eyeballs heat up.

'I've been telling myself not to get my hopes up too high, but--'

　He pulled out his "no-kill" and readied himself.



"I did not know that someone like me was still hidden in this world.



　The evil sneer was there.