Volume 4 Chapter 7, Part 2 R.A.A.T Born III： VS the War Maiden with Flaxen Hair
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Withdrawal isn’t so bad.”
Yukinojo chuckled at the speed of the quick decision, flipping his hand in an instant, and asked again.
”Tetsu, what do you think about the attitude of powerful ayakashi towards humans?”
”Their tendencies are all over the place, right?”
”I asked the wrong way. What do Great Youkai think about human strength, then?”
”They look down on us.”
The reply was immediate.
The voice was strong, showing a cold anger from deep within.
”They believe they are strong and that humans are weak. That’s a shared understanding. Honestly, Sato also felt that way at first.”
”I agree. Nao-san probably thinks the same.”
”So this means they are just mimicking ayakashi that look down on humans?”
”Yeah, they are demonstrating far more seriously than I expected.”
”Naoshi-san is an adult, huh… but wait. Isn’t it going to be terrible once playtime is over?”
”Training could be effective, but time and Umeda are the issues. This isn’t just about losing face.”
”Even if they started a fight, it would be painful to see it turn into a funeral at a showcase.”
”That’s why the judgment was handed over not to you or me, but to the head of the Shiun clan.”
”Ah, I see… It’s clear that people from big families have a different perspective.”
”We are the shields and swords of the toothless people. If we can be that, everything else is a bonus.”
”Both Yuki and Naoshi-san have resolve that I cannot mimic.”
”Really? I think you already embody it.”
Sighing heavily, Tesshin shrugged, as if the weight of expectations was too much.
”How does Naoshi-san see these people, I wonder?”
* * *
”Hahhhhh!”
”Haah!”
Normally, going on the defensive is not Naoshi’s style.
Choosing to always attack first isn’t just about personality.
The reason is much simpler and crueler ── humans are weaker than ayakashi.
The human body is fragile.
When comparing physical strength, many Intermediate Youkai are far superior to a first-class exorcist.
Engaging in hand-to-hand combat with ayakashi carries significant risk.
To achieve a swift victory, that is the reason for the nickname ‘swift as the wind and fierce as lightning’──an early conclusion is the safest.
That said, it would be a problem if he couldn’t defend at all.
For that reason, Naoshi planned to impose a kind of restriction by deliberately giving up the initiative.
(It wouldn’t be worth it if I didn’t take a hit too.)
Ashina Itoko’s ability is probably better than his step younger sister’s.
The other 2 are several steps below her, but still, among the second rank, they likely fall into the upper tier.
Above all, their morale was high.
Even if their skill is decent, opportunities to fight someone as motivated as Naoshi are hard to come by lately.
”Yah!”
She deflected a strike from an elbow delivered from a very close distance.
”Kiiiiiyaaa──!”
She flowed her body to disrupt the momentum from the swordsman attacking from her left.
She clapped the sword sideways, repositioning herself to face the two.
While doing that, she noticed another woman in the distance holding a khakkhara staff.
Continuing her chanting, it seemed she was waiting for an opportunity while supporting the two.
”────How relaxed you are to look away.”
”It’s one against 3, isn’t it? Not seeing that would be foolish.”
Naoshi smiled in response to the words that reached him from within his pocket.
The distance Itoko had closed in was not one suitable for the tall, long-limbed Naoshi.
In contrast, Itoko’s mastery of Bah Kyokushin was truly her strength.
Even so, it takes courage to step into a fight against someone stronger, as the 3-on-one advantage does not always guarantee her safety.
”Yahhh──!”
Utilizing her shoulder for a so-called shoulder strike, she followed up with both hands delivering palm strikes.
Don, don!
The shockwaves shook the ground, making sounds that seemed impossible for a human body.
(It’s been a while since I’ve been surprised by a second rank who isn’t family.)
Without even taking half a step back, Naoshi laughed.
Just like the sensations he had felt with Suzuri and Ako, Ashina Itoko is also someone following the path he once walked.
It seems she certainly lives up to her boasting.
But──
”Shah!”
”Guh!”
Naoshi responded with a sharp palm strike to Itoko’s left side, forcing her back three full steps.
The Kansai region’s strongest exorcist couldn’t afford to show weakness against an opponent of this caliber.
――Seeking a new pillar to lean on?
Fine. If it meant protecting the people, so be it. But it was not the hollow legacy of the outdated 8 Families that safeguarded Kansai.
It was certainly not the petty schemes of the Touin family, which was merely one of those pillars.
And it was never the cloistered elites of Kyoto.
As Itoko tried to close the gap again, Naoshi met her with a single front kick that sent her flying. He snapped the sword of the approaching swordsman and, with nothing more than a piercing gaze, froze the hand of the second attacker in place.
A distant uproar echoed as the spectators gasped in disbelief.
What an exorcist needed was power—the pure, unyielding force to repel the demonic.
And who had always demonstrated that? Who continued to prove it?
(――This me.)
”Urgh…!”
The air thickened as Itoko’s spirit energy surged, but even she faltered under the sheer weight of Naoshi’s oppressive aura.
Lightning radiated from his body, branching out like endless tendrils that raced across the entire subterranean space.
For a brief, surreal moment, the inorganic ceiling above seemed to vanish, revealing the vast expanse of an azure sky.
”That’s right!!”
He could grasp something, and before that, a sound of conclusion echoed.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply