Volume 1 Chapter 16 Kansai Disturbance Night III – Vs Tall Women With Big Attitudes
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”──Are you done talking?”
As the asphalt crunched underfoot, the oni opened her mouth as if to take the first move.
”Oh, didn’t think you’d be so patient, waitin’ for me.”
”Well, I have plenty of time anyway. So, are you my welcoming committee? You might be a bit rough around the edges, but your face is cute.”
”Don’t get all soft on me. Just head on back where ya came from.”
”Oh? What’s your name?”
”Kazuramichi Naoshi.”
”Kazuramichi, Kazuramichi… hmm, whose blood is that? Is it Tadayuki, Haruakira, or maybe Tsuna or Raikou?”
”Dunno who my ancestors were, and I don’t really care. Only thing that matters is that I’m here, and I’m one hell of a masterpiece.”
”Wow, you’re quite the barker. How charming.”
”That don’t mean a damn thing to me.”
Naoshi’s sharp reply made the oni look a bit taken aback.
”You should learn to handle women better; you’re not cute at all besides your face.”
”Could say the same about you. Guess I overestimated your patience.”
”You talk too much; you really aren’t cute at all.”
The oni, not as displeased as her words suggested, hooked a gourd onto her jeans and stood up from her cross-legged position.
When they faced each other, Naoshi was slightly taller.
But the thickness of her body was completely different from his slender frame.
For those watching who had some familiarity with them, it was the first time Kazuramichi Naoshi looked so unreliable, and it was surprising.
”I’m Kurikoma.”
”Finally decided to introduce yourself, huh? Kurikoma. Kinda cute for a name, don’t ya think?”
Naoshi said this as if to get back at her, and Kurikoma looked puzzled, her expression innocent.
”Is something wrong? It should be quite modern.”
As she spun around like a young girl checking her outfit, even Naoshi felt a bit disarmed.
”Your confidence in checking my clothes is impressive… well, it does suit me. I wouldn’t say it’s cute, though.”
“Oh, tryin’ to rile me up, are ya? Sneaky fella.”
”──Just to let you know, do you have any plans to go back there as an adult? If you came here for sightseeing, I’ll be happy to show you around on another day.”
”Oh? All cocky earlier, now you’re gettin’ cold feet?”
”You wouldn’t know, but I’m busy right now. The sooner I finish, the better.”
”Ah, I getcha. This about Yoshino, maybe? Things heatin’ up there? And how ‘bout Rokko? Busy night, huh?”
”That’s the first I’ve heard; so you’ve even reached Hyogo──what do you know?”
”Oh, wouldn’t you like to know.”
Even ayakashi, of course, have intelligence.
If something has lived a long time, there are definitely some beings as wicked as ‘humans’.
There are countless examples of exorcists falling into traps, but large-scale cooperation between ayakashi is only found in history.
This is because they are inherently selfish beings.
So if that were to happen in modern times, it would be an unprecedented event, no, a disaster.
”Fine, you know what? I take it all back. Let’s get real; I’m gonna knock ya flat and get some answers!”
The sound of air cracking echoed. Naoshi’s slender body grew larger, matching the presence of an oni.
The waves created from gathering spirit energy burst around him like lightning.
”Oh…!”
The exorcists watching from a distance gasped and stepped back.
The overwhelming force, the presence of such power.
However, the oni faced it head-on and let out a surprisingly cheerful voice.
”Good, good! A man should have that much spirit!”
A bolt of lightning shot up into the sky.
In an instant, a thunderous roar echoed through the mountains.
Amidst the flash and sound, both the human and the oni wore strangely similar expressions.
They were smiling.
”Alright, let’s do this!”
Cutting through the aftermath, lightning raced across the ground, leaving even his own words behind.
* * *
(Can’t hold back now!)
The finely honed spirit energy surged through his body. His body moved with the speed of a wind, keeping up with his thoughts, and with the strength of thunder, he unleashed a strike along the path of spirit power.
Yes, the creators of stories often hold back too much, even if it’s necessary for the drama.
There are cases where a powerful move is used only to be instantly defeated, leading to endless mockery online, but let’s forget about that for now.
However──
”That’s ridiculously tough, damn it!”
He couldn’t help but curse.
He landed one punch to the head, 2 to the torso, and had already thrown 3 solid punches, yet Kurikoma still maintained a cool expression without even taking a stance.
”Haha, that tickles.”
The true threat of the oni was its unmatched brute strength.
For Naoshi, who excelled in enhanced physical combat, it was too much to handle.
Fortunately, Kurikoma’s golden and silver eyes hadn’t yet caught Naoshi’s movements as he skillfully dodged and weaved.
If it came to competing in techniques or speed, there was no reason for a being relying solely on brute force to surpass a human’s martial skills.
But of course, a being called a Great Youkai wouldn’t be so easy to defeat.
He was certain that the same tactic wouldn’t work forever.
”Hey, come on. If you want to play, why not come a little closer? I won’t bite or anything.”
“Nah, you reek of booze.”
”You really have a sharp tongue, don’t you…”
He decided not to hold back, but taking a gamble was a completely different matter.
It was still too early to go for a desperate strike.
It wasn’t about being careless; not being able to hold back here was a sign of weakness──!
”I’ll just wear ya down and finish ya off, ya hear──?”
Naoshi’s sprint caused the swirling fallen leaves to ignite in an instant.
”Whoa…?”
As they passed each other, Naoshi landed a punch that grazed the oni’s jaw.
The impact felt heavy and powerful, like striking a temple bell.
The oni tilted its head, as if sensing something strange, but that was all.
Undeterred, Naoshi aimed for the spleen with his right fist, then followed up with a left punch to the exposed side, and returned with a right punch aimed to break the collarbone.
”Take that, ya bastard!”
”Ugh──.”
The rapid punches would have caused terrible destruction to a human body, but the oni’s body was incredibly hard.
If it hadn’t been enhanced by spiritual power, Naoshi’s fist would have shattered.
Even with such powerful strikes, it was uncertain how much damage he was actually inflicting on the oni, who showed no change in expression.
(This girl’s way tougher than she looks…!)
His inner bitterness grew stronger.
”You’re really getting annoying…!”
With a casual motion, Kurikoma swung her arms as if swatting away insects.
Even the simplest gesture created a strange sound, and Naoshi could feel the pressure of the wind.
But if he didn’t get hit, it didn’t matter.
”Hah!”
He slightly stepped back to dodge and quickly moved in.
With the momentum of his charge, he swung his right fist aiming for the oni’s nose, targeting the perfectly structured face of the oni.
”Ugh──!?”
For the first time, Kurikoma’s voice showed a hint of panic.
The oni managed to turn her face just in time to avoid the full impact.
Naoshi’s fist grazed the oni’s cheek, causing it to split open and blood to flow.
The oni’s face twisted in pain.
”You’re hitting a girl’s face without hesitation… Do you usually do this?”
”Ain’t got nothin’ to do with gender, lady! An’ honestly, it’d be easier if ya were just a little weaker.”
”Isn’t that still discrimination…?”
”Does it matter?!”
He thought about how even ayakashi were claiming rights these days as he checked the results of his first attack.
The wound on the oni’s cheek, like a ripe fruit splitting open, showed no signs of healing.
If she was bleeding, she could be killed. That was the saying of a great rock band.
”Alright──!?”
Just as he was about to take his next step, he felt the pressure of the wind like a wall.
He quickly changed direction, moving left to slip past the oni.
Immediately, there was a sound like fabric being struck in the air.
The source was Kurikoma’s boot, lifted to Naoshi’s chest height.
”Ugh, that one didn’t hit either.”
(No way, this man──!?)
The oni’s eyes clearly couldn’t keep up with Naoshi’s movements yet.
Did that mean the front kick was just a lucky guess? No, the timing was too precise for that.
If Naoshi had relaxed, he would have had a hole in his chest.
The oni had followed Naoshi’s movements with something other than sight.
”──────.”
Naoshi tried to feint a punch, moving his right shoulder.
The oni showed no reaction. So, he sent out a killing intent, and the oni frowned, but still didn’t move.
Next, he took a half step to the left to get behind the oni.
”Ha!”
As soon as that happened, a fist came flying in.
Maybe because he was prepared, it wasn’t as dangerous as the earlier surprise attack.
He easily dodged it.
(Was that a reaction to my steps?)
The asphalt surface definitely wasn’t completely silent.
But that should be a result of actions taken.
If she wanted to take the initiative before Naoshi, it meant the oni had the speed advantage──could he even manage that with his current self?
He had been set up with a troublesome strategy.
Naoshi still held the initiative, but the opponent had shown a card to counter it.
That snag, the oni’s desire to confirm the opponent’s identity, was draining his mental resources. Yet, leaving it alone without a plan wasn’t a good idea either.
Should he give the initiative to the opponent for a moment?
──No, absolutely not.
That wasn’t Kazuramichi Naoshi’s way.
So now, the path he could choose, the path he should choose was.
”Fine then, how ’bout we speed things up a bit──!
The released spiritual power branched out into countless paths, spreading everywhere.
To strike faster, stronger, and with more fists.
That was the guiding path (streamer) for unleashing Naoshi’s lightning.
”Oh, that looks troublesome.”
Kurikoma reached for the gourd at her waist; it was probably some kind of cursed tool.
What would come next? Whatever it was, the aim was likely to stop him.
His thoughts paused for a moment, but his decision was instant.
What Naoshi needed to do hadn’t changed at all.
”I’ll break through it at top speed──!!”
His will remained unchanged like a raging storm.
Once again leaving words behind, Naoshi stepped in and threw a punch.
The spirit energy unleashed like lightning, the sound of rapid punches, the wind that was stirred up.
All of it became a small storm that attacked the oni.
”Ugh──!”
Though he managed to grab the gourd, Kurikoma’s arms were now raised to protect her face and body, taking the brunt of Naoshi’s punches.
Whether human or oni, it seemed they could only endure and wait for the storm to pass.
”Take that, ya jerk──!!”
Without hesitation, the rain of punches fell even harder over the guard.
The continuous sound of strikes echoed in a world that had fallen silent, as if it had been one long sound from the start.
”Ugh…!”
The oni groaned.
Being a strong opponent, the oni, which Naoshi called a troublemaker, couldn’t just sit and wait for an opportunity.
Trying to do something, its arms moved in desperation.
(Ya left an opening, ya fool──!)
With a bitter expression on the beautiful oni’s face, Naoshi aimed for a stronger punch.
Grip strength, speed, and weight──all combined into the strongest jab of the day, but Kurikoma barely reacted, trying to block it with the gourd he held.
Without caring, he would break through that too──!
”──That was close, I thought you were aiming for my face, huh?”
That was how it should have been.
However, the right fist, which was supposed to smash the oni’s face, only hit the raised gourd, making a silly “bonk” sound.
”What… the hell…?”
Naoshi’s thoughts momentarily stopped at the result that completely defied the laws of physics.
”Hey, this thing is made so it can’t be broken from the outside, right? ──Like this.”
Right after that, Kurikoma took a deep breath, so loud it could be heard, and her chest puffed up like a joke.
The oni woman pressed her shiny lips against the gourd’s opening.
”Stop it, no! “Oi, cover yer ears──!”
In a panic, while gathering spirit energy, Naoshi shouted to Ayabe’s exorcists, and then it happened.
Immediately, thanks to the oni’s lung capacity, the gourd easily caught Naoshi’s punch and then burst apart, brutally and simply.
Boom!! The explosive sound, louder than Naoshi’s thunder, shook the Ikoma mountains.
Streetlights that couldn’t withstand the force shattered with a scream, and the surroundings were suddenly engulfed in darkness, with the barrier itself shaking violently.
”──────!”
The shock of that dying scream was more than enough to stop Naoshi, who had been distracted by the warning.
”────Got you, huh?”
In the darkness, the oni laughed with a sweet voice, as if whispering to a lover.
Her palm was gently placed on Naoshi’s head.
”Ugh… wh-what’s──!?”
In an instant, as if crushing a paper balloon, the strongest exorcist in Kansai was slammed into the ground with enough force to crack the asphalt.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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