Volume 6 Chapter 14 The March 25th Metropolitan Incident ⑥
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
――Barrier Manifestation “Azure Sky¹ (Hekireki²) Thunder Strike (Souten ni Tobu³)――
A clean, purifying wind swept through the underground. Simultaneously, the heavy ceiling supporting the surge tank was painted over by the bright blue of the Azure Sky. The underground temple, now linked to the world of Kazuramichi Naoshi⁴, was brilliantly lit by light falling from the sky, while the shadows of the giant pillars stayed pinned to their bases. The water on the floor also sparkled like a mirror reflecting the heavens.
Naoshi moved forward with splashing footsteps. Behind one of the pillars, clinging about five meters high with four pairs of eight legs, he found a giant brown body.
The Ushi-Oni⁵.
You could say that the Ayakashi⁶ had a bull’s head, in a way. However, the bulging, lightless eyes on the front of its face and the jagged teeth peeking from its lips were definitely not those of a grass-eating animal. Its back was thick with muscles like a bull, but its sides changed into a spider’s body covered in needle-like hair. The jointed legs stretching from there were also covered in hair, and their tips were so sharp you’d wonder how it could even hold onto the pillar.
It was a strange and evil presence that would make a weak person pass out just by looking at it. It didn’t move at all, just keeping its eyes on Naoshi. Its gaze—more like a reptile’s, or maybe like a spider’s—was cold and empty as it locked eyes with Naoshi.
A flash, a roar.
A bolt of lightning from the Azure Sky hit the pillar where the Ayakashi was clinging. But the Ushi-Oni was faster, leaping its massive body to the next pillar. It was a silent, weightless move, quick like a jumping spider.
”That’s bloody disgustin’ wa,” Naoshi spat out, sounding annoyed.
The sound of water splashing rose from his feet. In the next moment, as the Ushi-Oni tried to jump to another pillar, it crossed paths in the air with the ‘swift as wind and fierce as lightning’ exorcist. The young man’s long arm swung in an arc.
Raikiri⁷.
The strike from the technique named after the famous sword cut the Ushi-Oni’s front-left leg, slicing halfway through the black claw at the tip. Clinging to the pillar, the Ushi-Oni lifted its damaged leg and tilted its head as if it were confused.
”That’s no good yan. For someone supposed to be a Great Youkai⁸-sama, you’re doin’ nothin’ but runnin’,” Naoshi said to provoke it.
The Ayakashi curled its thick lips and showed its teeth. A being this powerful had probably lived for hundreds of years. It was hard to believe it didn’t understand human words. Maybe it acted like a beast to mock him, or to make him drop his guard, or because it knew people fear what they don’t understand.
”Shaa!” the beast hissed.
This time, Naoshi jumped without making a sound in the water. The Ushi-Oni lightly dodged again and jumped to the next pillar. Then, a roar. At that moment, lightning hit the giant brown body. The hair on the spider-body was burned away, and a terrible smell filled the air.
As the Ushi-Oni stopped moving, Naoshi kicked off a pillar and jumped toward it. He spun in the air to kick, but the Ushi-Oni blocked it with its front legs crossed in front of its head. Another leg swung its claw to stab him. Naoshi kicked off the Ushi-Oni’s leg—the one that caught his kick—to gain distance and get away.
”――!” Naoshi grunted.
Right after he landed, the Ushi-Oni kicked off the pillar with its back legs and flew into the air. The shadow falling from the Ayakashi was big enough to swallow Naoshi whole. The young man chose to dodge by moving forward. As if the Ushi-Oni’s body had suddenly become heavy again, there was a loud thud when it landed and the floor shook. Naoshi rolled forward and stood up quickly, just as one of the back legs swung past his face with a whoosh. Moving its eight legs with a rhythmic clink, clatter, the creature swung its claws at him as it turned around.
”Shaa――!” the beast shrieked.
Naoshi parried the strike with his Raikiri-wrapped hand-blade, trying to step into range. But the four legs on one side worked together to pin his feet. Sounds of clang and clank rang out—sounds you wouldn’t expect from bodies hitting each other. Naoshi’s hand-blade cracked and shaved away at the Ushi-Oni’s claws. On the other hand, the giant body’s weight stopped him from moving forward, and the damage started to build up in his arms and shoulders as he was pushed back.
”――!”
After turning around, the Ushi-Oni opened its mouth wide enough to swallow a person. Naoshi grimaced at the bad smell and backed away to dodge the bite. The gap opened up, and the roles of attack and defense switched. The Ushi-Oni lifted its upper body and aimed its front legs at its prey.
”…Tch!” Naoshi clicked his tongue.
A downward thrust from a high spot was easy for the attacker to hit and hard for the defender to avoid. The dull right claw, and even the broken left one, would cause fatal damage because of their weight. Naoshi shifted his feet with a tap, tap, checking the floor. Right away, the attack came. First the right front leg, then the left one slammed down. Naoshi moved right and left to get away, but his face twisted at the next move. While the right leg was being raised high like it was reloading, the left leg came sweeping in from the side.
”…Ugh!” Naoshi groaned.
With his left leg forward and his right leg stretched back in a split, he lowered his body to duck under it. With his vision low and narrow, he used his hands and left foot like springs to push off and hit his right heel into the downward strike he had remembered. A hard clang rang out again, and the force sent Naoshi backward. Pushed away by that kick, the Ushi-Oni’s claw dug a hole into the floor and stopped.
”――And now we’re back to where we started yan,” Naoshi said.
Not missing the chance, Naoshi stood up and charged.
”Shaa!”
A heavy kick from his right leg hit the Ushi-Oni’s giant jaw and snapped it upward.
* * *
”…The sky? Down here…!?” Suzuri gasped.
A few minutes after Naoshi went ahead, Suzuri and the others finally got through the blocked path and reached the surge tank. What they saw was the Azure Sky spreading throughout the underground.
”Is it an Ayakashi’s barrier?” Suzuri asked.
”No, the air is too clear for that――it is likely my step-brother’s barrier,” Ako replied.
”That strong spirit energy (reiki⁹) from before…” Suzuri noted.
Suzuri had been in Ayakashi barriers before. She had seen the moment Naoshi found the spark to do this, but stepping inside now felt like a brand new experience. This was his world, this blue sky――
A manifested barrier is linked to a practitioner’s inner heart and memories. That’s why both Suzuri and Ako felt a bit of nostalgia. It reminded them of the sky they looked at as kids with a boy just a little older than them—a sky that felt a bit closer when he held them up in his arms.
”…”
Suzuri’s chest felt tight, but she couldn’t stop now. With a sharp breath, she narrowed her eyes against the bright pillars and the water puddles. The two of them ran down the stairs, skipping steps.
”Where is Nao-nii¹⁰?” Suzuri asked.
”Over there. He seems okay, but his opponent is still going strong,” Ako said.
Between the pillars, two shadows—one big and one small—clashed and pulled apart. The Ushi-Oni’s moves were scary. Even though it was as big as a machine, it was keeping up with Naoshi’s speed perfectly.
”――Ako-san,” Suzuri called out.
”Yes. I think if we join in now, we’ll only get in my step-brother’s way,” Ako replied right away.
Her answer was instant. She bit her lip until it hurt, promising not to forget this frustration. At the same time, she decided to hide it away for now.
”We should check the path for the Night Parade and stop them from meeting up. What do you think, Ako-san?” Suzuri asked.
”I agree. Let’s leave the Great Youkai to my step-brother for now――the vertical shaft is that way,” Ako said, pointing.
A faint light fell from above in the direction she pointed. Suzuri nodded and looked at Ako’s face. Even though she was four years older, Ako’s baby-face made her look the same age, and she had her usual quiet look. But Suzuri thought she saw a bit of frustration there. She probably looked the same way.
”And we’ll think of a plan for the Great Youkai after that, right?” Suzuri asked.
The words came out before she could stop them. She wanted to show they could do something too, that they hadn’t just followed him for nothing.
”Yes, I don’t plan on leaving everything to him. We will do what we can,” Ako said firmly.
”Got it!” Suzuri replied.
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Summary:
Naoshi activates his ‘Azure Sky’ barrier in the underground surge tank to fight the monstrous Ushi-Oni. The fight is a fast-paced battle of lightning and physical strikes, ending with Naoshi landing a massive kick on the creature. Suzuri and Ako arrive and see the nostalgic blue sky of the barrier, but realize they aren’t strong enough to help directly. They decide to focus on stopping reinforcements while Naoshi handles the boss alone.
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Character Insight:
Naoshi shows off his confidence by using a fake accent to mock a monster hundreds of years old. The chapter also shows Suzuri and Ako’s growth; they feel bad about being ‘weak,’ but they don’t let it stop them from finding a way to be useful. The Azure Sky barrier reveals Naoshi’s inner feelings—a sense of nostalgic purity that he shares with the two women from their childhood.
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Behind the Scene:
The ‘Underground Temple’ is a real place in Saitama used for flood control, often seen in tokusatsu shows like Kamen Rider. The Ushi-Oni here is a mix of a bull and a spider, which is a common but very creepy variation of the legend. Naoshi’s ‘Fake Kansai’ accent is a recurring joke in the story, used to hide his true thoughts or act as a ‘cool’ persona in this dark game world.
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T/L:
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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