“Hee hee hee! Now, young ’un, witness the true Fortress, the forbidden version of a Category 8 spell! Whatever disadvantages I’d normally receive from using eclipse magic, whatever demon’s curse might befall me, my Shinsou will bear it in my place! But here’s the kicker—each time my Shinsou is cursed, it mutates and becomes even more powerful! That’s the beauty of Shizuka, the incarnation of my late wife! Now, young ’un—or should I say Sora Mitsurugi! If you think you can devour this magic, be my guest!”
“The five viscera pile up to form a wall!” Shizuka shrieked. “Wring their blood to form a moat! This is your stronghold, forever in limbo—Forsaken Fortress!”
The moment the incantation completed, a bloodred castle gate manifested in front of Jijinbou. The vermilion gates then creaked open, and an army of malevolent spirits poured forth. The hellish castle and undead army stationed within had all been summoned by that powerful spell.
If Fortress was a spell that prioritized defense, this one was clearly grounded in offense. However powerful my Shinsou was, I couldn’t fend off the undead if they were attacking me from all directions, and against an infinite army of undead, I’d reach my limit for devouring sooner or later—at least, that was surely what Jijinbou was thinking. Whether or not he was correct, his aim was obvious.
But there was nothing saying I had to play his game. While the old man had prattled on and his Shinsou had chanted its spell, I hadn’t just been twiddling my thumbs. I’d already gathered the maximum amount of vigor possible into my right hand. Just like when I’d annihilated the manticores in Titus Forest, my vigor was spiraling violently around my blade. This time, I was going a step above a simple Gale. This voracious technique even devoured the distance to my enemy. If I were to name it, perhaps it would be called something like Gluttonous Slice? At any rate, my blade rattled and howled, or perhaps it was cackling like mad. Almost like a greedy, impatient child banging on the dinner table in anticipation of his meal. It must have sensed that my opponent had a level of soul energy that couldn’t even be compared to the manticores. And I decided I’d grant my Shinsou’s desire.
With a spirited cry, I raised my blade high, slightly at an angle...and brought it down with all my might.
“Eh?” Realizing that the area encompassing the duke’s garden had gone completely silent, Jijinbou uttered a sound of surprise. Using his right hand, he felt around on his own body, first his left shoulder, then his right flank. Just as he’d suspected, there was a deep, diagonal gash running between them. And as though waiting for the moment he’d confirmed it, a sound like thousands of glass panels shattering at once assaulted the ears of everyone present. Of course, it was the sound of my slice shattering his fortress, double-layered with both standard and eclipse magic, into tiny shards. At the same time that his magic vanished, the army of undead that was about to be unleashed on the living world returned to their resting places.
“Hee...hee hee...hee hee hee!” The shrill cackle erupting from Jijinbou’s mouth was no longer an amused one, more like a scream. “Ridiculous! It can’t be! How could just one sword slice sever my Category 8 spell—fortified with eclipse magic, no less?! No, you didn’t just sever it...you erased it without a trace! Like you swallowed it whole! But that’s impossible! As bad a matchup as my ability is with yours, wielding greater power requires greater restrictions! Otherwise it’d upset the balance!”
As the man grew more frantic, I slowly approached him. The decayed, muddy ground made it harder to walk, but Jijinbou wasn’t making a run for it, so it didn’t matter. Even if he had, he was already fatally wounded. As proof, I could feel his soul energy beginning to seep into me. Perhaps Jijinbou could feel it too, because he let out a high-pitched wail. “One’s Shinsou is a manifestation of their heart! For you to devour a forbidden art like nothing... What kind of monster lives inside you?!”
Oh? What happened to calling me ‘young ’un’? I wanted to retort, but there was probably no point in smarmy banter with him now. What was more, he might have been my enemy, but I didn’t want the Dragonaut sisters to see me ridiculing an old man on death’s door. So I didn’t say anything more than was necessary.
“You’re going to die soon anyway, so it wouldn’t matter even if I told you. Any last words?”
“D... Die?! Y... You’re going to kill me?! W-Wait, let’s not be hasty now, young ’un! You’re the Mitsurugi family head’s son! Are you really going to harm a Banner of Seirin?!”
“Unfortunately for you, I’ve already been disowned by that family. So there’s no need for me to hold back on their account.”
“Then... Right! If you let me live, I’ll vouch for you! I’m the Fourth Banner of Seirin, ninth seat of the knights! With your current power and my backing, Lord Mitsurugi will surely take you back in!”
“I don’t care about that anymore. I no longer have any interest in rejoining that family. Mitsurugi is my mother’s last name as well, so I do plan to at least reclaim my name at some point. But I certainly don’t need your help to do it.”
I thrust my Shinsou forward, and the tip of the blade pierced Shizuka’s face. Our Shinsous had been equally tough when they’d clashed the first time, but my last attack must have damaged Shizuka severely, because it was now no more resilient than an ordinary biwa. Its automatic counterattack didn’t even activate against me, and it crumbled to dust so easily it was almost anticlimactic.
At that moment, for just a split second, I thought I heard someone whisper in my ear. The voice was faint, so I couldn’t tell what it was saying. But to my ear, it sounded calm and gentle.