Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai kara Kuru Sou Desu yo? - Volume 12 - Chapter 9.5

Part 5

—Faceless, searched for Kudō Asuka’s location with a hazy consciousness.

The risk 「Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi」 carried was not only one. The longer she used it, the lesser the time she could stay in Little Garden as a phantom knight.

Not deciding the victor in the clash just now was a heavy loss. Alma who protected her master in the final moment could only be described as excellent.

However, that impregnable shield could no longer move. The remaining matter was to defeat Kudō Asuka.

(...Just a little more, it will be my victory. She cannot use the steel doll in this stalactite cave. This is truly a one against one duel.)

Then she would not lose. Victory was on Faceless’ side.

Question was, if the other party just ran away like that. Since the opponent was Faceless who did not have much time, then that was a method to survive. But considering Kudō Asuka’s personality, that was definitely impossible.

She was not someone who would turn her back on a battle. On the other hand, sensing this emotion that was close to reliance, Faceless could not help but smile bitterly.

After a turn in the stalactite cave, she arrived a a long straight path.

—Kudō Asuka, awaited her at the T-cross juncture.

“......”

Both side maintained silence.

Her opponent was not surprised about her not holding 「Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi」. It seemed that the earth fairy had already investigated the situation. Then this straight path should have traps set.

Some Gifts might have been buried along the path.

No, it was definitely trapped. Otherwise she would not choose to determine the winner on a straight path. But the option of taking a detour never existed in her head. Not much time left was one of the reason, but more importantly, since Kudō Asuka did not escape, Kudō Ayato would not escape all the more.

She took out her favorite whip sword from the Gift Card, adjusted her breathing. Using steel bow to snipe from long distance, or using dual spear to face off would probably be better originally. But every time when Faceless faced against a death struggle, she would definitely use her favorite sword to do the final showdown. She was very confident of her martial art.

After adjusting her stance, just when she was about to dash in, Asuka spoke.

“I am Kudō Asuka of 「No Name」... And you?”

“...I am Kudō Ayato of 「Queen’s Knights」. Let’s have a fair and square showdown.”

This was the last.

Be it the conversation between sisters, the fight against each other, everything would end.

After the final self introduction was over, Faceless dashed forward on the straight path like a bullet.

“Mel, Melulu, Melilu! Destroy the foothold!”

Understood!!! The three sisters replied with a serious tone never heard before. They used their earth fairy power to crack the foothold, make the ground muddy, causing the dashing speed to fall rapidly.

But the opponent had already been caught once. This degree of trickery would not make Faceless retreat.

Asuka took out the Flute of Ratten, swung the flute like a conductor rod, activated all the traps at once.

The flame gemstone hidden behind the rock transformed into heat ray, continuously sniped at Faceless. Taking on the heat ray that was amplified by Asuka’s power to the maximum was impossible. If she took out the dual spear, she would be in dire situation now.

She controlled her whip sword to extend like a whip, let the sword tip to coil around the stalactite stone on the ceiling, escaped the muddy ground with that, and avoided the heat ray. However, extreme cold air assaulted her next.

The temperature in the air dropped significantly, lowering her mobility. As if already guessed her thoughts, wind blades blew out from the gaps of the stalactite cave.

The combination attack of extreme cold wind and blades. Even if whip sword could block them, the extreme cold air would disable one of her arms. Faceless admitted her thinking was too naive, and jumped forward to dodge this combination attack at the same time.

—However, it was really merciless.

The traps up to now all carried fatal destructive force.

But that straight path only left about seven meters. It would only take one more step for her. Although she could not discern if there were any traps remaining, it should be enough to determine the victor.

(Alright — Jump!)

Instilling strength into her tendons, Faceless lept with all her might, entering melee range.

And then the stalactite cave wriggled about like the stomach of a monster, baring fangs at her. The small eudemons that lived in the cave assaulted her from above, but if just level could hinder her, she would not become the Queen’s knight.

Faceless cut apart the stalactite that approached her, timing herself perfectly, but at the same time the final trap activated.

(Uu, my ears…!!?)

Kudō Asuka’s surrounding was enveloped by the wall of air. Air pressure also drastically changed at the same time. Due to the Gift of air manipulation, her three semicircular canals were disrupted. This would probably be the tactic against melee fight or steel bow.

Even the Queen’s knight also fell for it. A normal person would have lost consciousness, but to only lose her balance, must be credited to her daily trainings.

While her balance was disrupted... She saw the final trap hidden at the T-cross juncture, a thought of despair flashed past her mind.

The miniature red steel doll – Deen was readying its punching stance.

(Not good…!!! Adamantine is not limited to gigantifying Gift…!)

Yes. – In the past journeys of 「Great Sage Equalling Heaven」, she had also shrank her Rúyì Jīngū Bàng and kept it inside her ear. This meant that Adamantine did not only have gigantifying Gift, but also shrinking Gift.

If the maximum weight was retained while shrinking it, the force from the fist would be greater than gigantified. Throwing a compressed fist of hundreds of tons at the same speed, let alone death, maybe even the internal organs would spill out.

—Would she fail only after reaching this point?

The instant such failure flashed in her mind, Faceless abandoned her last pride.

“Severe her mystery, 「Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi」!”

The divine sword was drawn again from the Gift Card. Deen would collapse under its own weight, the wall of air would also be dispersed. Then just wait until her three semicircular canals recover, it would be my—!!!

—Dozz.

A piercing sound came from her side abdomen.

“...Aih?”

What happened – Faceless did not understand, and then saw Kudō Asuka in her bosom.

That was something that happened at the same time she drew 「Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi」. Losing her sense of balance, Faceless stood up at the same time she drew her sword. While her three semicircular canals and balance were disrupted, she returned to a normal girl.

No matter how strong her martial art was, she could not act normally under those conditions. Let alone... Let alone being stabbed by Kudō Asuka, she never even considered the possibility.

It was truly a surprising hit.

“...Ah.”

“...Uu.”

Both sides understood that this was the end. That moment seemed to last decades.

Asuka’s both hands held the Flute of Ratten that was used to stab shakingly. The person she killed was not a normal enemy. Right now, she killed her own family. —Yes, she killed her family.

Perhaps, they shared the same loneliness, and could heal each other’s loneliness, but the only family in this world, was killed by her own hands.

But as if to console Asuka’s shaking, Faceless hugged her shoulders.

“...It’s my lost, huh.”

“...Umu, it’s my win.”

Different from before, her gentle eyes lost the ferociousness from before. This was the peace her original quiet soul displayed.

“How regretful. With this my dream is destroyed. Even though I was summoned to Little Garden much earlier than you, and continuously trained. Everything is wasted.”

“...Dream?”

Asuka reflexively asked while raising her head, then immediately covered her mouth. She could not even ask. The technique Faceless had accumulated was not something a normal person’s passion could obtain.

It was the swordsmanship that held the resolve to witness a painting of hell.

The dream that was pursued with such passion, what exactly was it?

Faceless clicked her tongue and smiled bitterly.

“Not some grand dream. I just wanted to see my family. The gentle father, gentle mother, and… Ah ah, so it’s like this, that’s why I lost huh.”

“Uu…!”

Kudō Asuka, after understanding the meaning behind Kudō Ayato’s unfinished words, could not help but let go of the Flute of Ratten.

Ding!, With this elegant sound, it brought them back to the past that was impossible.

—Through the flute notes, seeing the dream of the world she had abandoned.

The world outside the cage she longed for since young.

Crossing the walls, crossing the oceans, crossing the border.

Being together with her parents and twin sister that had already been reborn, not being bound by anything, the her that ran around with smiles.

Experiencing the dream of Halloween that she was unable to fulfil in the past with her passed away family.

That was supposed to be the remnants of the world she abandoned.

But Asuka could not stop the tears coming out from her eyes. She held up the hand of Faceless who was disappearing, watching that well-trained, ungirly palm.

“Such an idiot…! How to be a financial group’s ojō-sama with this kind of rough hand…! Since you had the time, learning tailoring or sewing would have been better....!”

“That’s not true. Queen’s knights handle maid or butler works while off duty. So no matter which I am confident to be better than you.”

“I’m not going to lose! During that jail-like female high school period, I also learned to be skilled with my hands!”

—Then, let’s compare who was better.

The two swallowed back that sentence.

There was no time to talk about those hard to conclude matters.

“...Such a pity. If only you were a more irritating girl.”

“Uu, that’s my line, you stupid little sister…!!!”

I don’t agree to being the younger sister, Faceless disappeared before this sentence could not come out. Asuka wiped her streaming tears, seeing away her sister that could not receive her reward until the end.

Be it words that she wanted to convey, or the future she wanted to walk together with, her whole existence now had dispersed to the other side of the shore.

Only — As if it was the imitation of her soul, that silver white Gift Card remained.

The moment Kudō Asuka picked up that Gift Card – The gong that signified the end of Game, echoed throughout the stage.

[1] Shiro-Yoru-Ō = White Night King. This is Shiroyasha.

[2] The sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi (草薙劍); the mirror Yata no Kagami (八咫鏡); the jewel Yasakani no Magatama (八尺瓊勾玉). Respectively the virtues: valour, wisdom, benevolence. There are secretly kept in shrines, it’s only during the enthronement ceremony than the Emperor and some priests can see them. Wikipedia.

[3] Yes. It was first lost after the battle of Dan-no-ura (1185) during the Heian period (794-1185). It should have been lost forever. But he was stole later by a monk, who lose it in the sea. And after that it was said to be recovered.

[4] (The) Dagda is the 2nd most important God of the Tuatha Dé Danann. He's a father-figure, a chieftain, and a druid. He had a staff/club "which can kill with one end and bring to life with the other".

Setanta is the previous name of Cú Chulainn. He's one of the most famous and glourious hero of Irish mythology. He's also regarded as an incarnation of Lugh.

Lugh is the most important God of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and the father of Cú Chulainn. One of his epithets is Lámfada (long arm/hand) possibly related to his spear skills.

[5] One-foot-one-sword (Issoku ittō-no-maai, or just Itto-ma): Japanese kendo terminology, meaning the distance that can strike in 1 step forward and guard in 1 step backward). It’s one of the 3 maai (interval).