Sendai Yuusha wa Inkyou Shitai Chapter 156

Yo, I'm back with an update. Finally. How long's it been? A week? Two? (Takes a look at calendar) Holy crap! Over seven months!? Wow. Sorry about that. Well, right now I've got several chapters ready. And I'll slowly put them out rather than what I did before and just release them all at once. Also, I've fixed a couple of things in the past few chapters up until chapter 153, so go back and try checking them out.

Actually, you know what. Why don't you just go ahead and re-read the whole series again. Heck, even I've forgotten a lot of the details and re-read a couple of the first few chapters myself. But that's up to you. I don't get anything out of it (though I wish I did).

But yeah, I'm back in business right now, so look forward to it.

Now then, onto the chapter. Enjoy.

Fierce Fight of the Armor and the Fox

「Incredible.」
Seeing Iibsal's fight, Kuon muttered that single word.
It was just one word, however, in that one word, a tremendous amount of surprise and respect, and envy was packed into it.
In that battle that lasted a mere few seconds, Kuon caught a glimpse of a fragment of Iibsal's abilities.
(A guy like that other than Yashiro-aniki……!)
The ones that Kuon respected the most were only two people, Vodan Heleott who was her father and Yashiro Yuu who she revered as her own teacher.
She also respected Jean who she had a deep familiarity with, but having been told about the existence of Yashiro Yuu, who walked a life that was like that of a dazzling superstar, from that Jean in question, his existence was bigger.
She was attracted by that strength. That was something close to a type of love.

And then, right now, with a strength that was enough to rival that of Yashiro Yuu, who she looked up to as her mentor, and was something that her own abilities would never reach right before her eyes, Kuon experienced every human emotion at the same time.
She harbored joy that there was such a monster other than her mentor, anger at that uncommon power, grief from taking her own current abilities into account, and then anticipation for the fight that would happen if she won and advanced to the next round.
That was unmistakably the pinnacle of humanity. And if she were to win and advance to the next round, she would be allowed to challenge that summit that was so far off in the distance that it seemed like it was hazy.
As long as she looked up to Yuu as her mentor, she probably would never be able to confront him as an enemy in her lifetime.
It was because that man was not her mentor and just a mere enemy, she would be able to fight him while devoting a desperate effort to it.

Even if she couldn't reach him right now, she could fight against him seriously.
And just how would that feel──

「Participants of the second match, please make your preparations!」
Being called out by the arena staff, Kuon switched over her thoughts.
「Uohon! (Ahem!) It is finally my turn on stage -de aーru!!」
Right now, she only thought about beating down this noble that had the ostentation of the nuveau riche.

「「「UOOOOOOOHH!!」」」
When Kuon and Count Montelugi came out onto the arena ring from the waiting room, they were met with cheers.
Far from having cooled down from the heat of the first match, it seemed that they had become even more heated up.

「Well then, the second match, the match of the Golden Armored Count Montelugi versus the Fox Tribe Martial Arts User Kuon is about to start!」

When Kuon and Montelugi faced each other on top of the ring, the Rabbit Tribe hostess raised one hand overhead.

「Let the duel commence!!」

When the hostess swung her hand down and proclaimed the start of the match, it was at almost the same time that Kuon pulled something out from her breast pocket.

『The one that moved at once was Participant Kuon……Whoa, this is!?』
Usagi-chan's surprised voice, which was amplified by the mike, resounded through the arena at almost the same time the audience made a commotion.
The thing that Kuon pulled out was a couple of small, long and narrow pipes. And then, when Kuon chanted
「……『Eight Pipe Foxes』」
Smoke foxes jumped out from inside of the pipes and surrounded Kuon.
Those eight foxes that appeared from the pipes that were held in the gaps of the fingers of both of her hands each turned towards Count Montelugi and pointed strong hostility towards him while floating around Kuon.
「Hou, shikigami, and for them to be Izuna, how old-fashioned -jya nou.」
「So you know what those are, Paimon!」
Since Paimon seemed to know what they were, I tried asking while being dramatic.
「Umu. ……A Shikigami, to say it concisely, is a technique used in order to tie a type of spirit that does not possess an original body to the material world, the present world, and has it possess objects representative of spirits, such as paper, which raises its "rank" through the technique.」
「Rank……I see, so they're the opposite of Mazoku and Apostles.」
Mazoku and Apostles are originally from Makai and Heaven, and they are unable to come to the world that we are currently in, which is the material world if I were to borrow Paimon's words, in their original appearances, which are known as their Astral Bodies.
It's because they are Astral Bodies, which are a rank higher than matter. (The thing called rank here, if I were to make a comparison, it is something like the difference between being two dimensional and three dimensional)

Therefore, in order for Mazoku and Apostles to come to this material world, they need to lower their rank by creating bodies that are made with Maryoku, possessing those bodies, and transferring their souls into those bodies.

The thing that Kuon used, the thing called a Shikigami, is the opposite, where it manipulates a spirit with the power of a low grade Astral Body by binding it to a representative object that someone with an originally higher status had prepared.

……Yup, although we've said various things and I understand it all, things have gotten mixed up.

「By the way, what is that Izuna thing?」
「It is a low grade spirit had made smoke its representative object. It might be closer to having a nature of being an evil spirit of rivers and mountains than being normal spirit though.」
Smoke……does that count as matter?

「It is a hand that the Magicians of Wakoku, whom often smoke things like those smoke pipes, use. While being flowing smoke, they possess the strength to lift up heavy things. Come to think of it, they are called pipe foxes because they have made the pipe of the smoke pipe their kip -nou.」
As expected of someone who's lived more than a thousand years. Her amount of knowledge is incredible.

「Supreme ruling metal orichalcum……I'll take this opportunity to test out its sturdiness!!」
Kuon threw kunais at the shikigami that hung around her. Having the kunai thrown at them, the pipe foxes bit down on the handles of the kunai that flew at them.

At that moment, the pipe foxes turned towards Count Montelugi and rushed at him.
「Muooo!」
The pipe foxes that held the kunai in their mouths started attacking with those blades.
Being unable to deal with the eight pipe foxes that would escape to the sky if he tried to hit them down, Montelugi took a defensive stance, and became immovable.

It was there that,

*Ton!*
Kuon took an instant to slip into Count Montelugi's bosom.

◇
「WH, WHATTtt -DEAAAAAaaRUUuuu!?」
「「「UOOOOOoooh!!」」」
The reappearance of the teleportation from the first battle, Iibsal's battle, caused the grounds to get excited, and Count Montelugi to bellow in surprise.
Faster than before both of those parties stopped their yells, Kuon went at that goldenly shining armor and,
「『Magic Clad Sword』!!」
hit a blade of Maryoku on him.

But,
「It won't move, even an inch!!」
She made an attack where she put all of her strength into it, but Kuon involuntarily looked like she would cry from the fact that she couldn't even put a scratch on the armor.
「……Fu, fuーhaha! Mine golden armor is invincible -deaーru!!」
After understanding that there wasn't any damage at all on his armor, Count Montelugi readied the golden tower shield that reached his own height, and then grandly swung it.
Most likely, Abilities for the sake of raising the striking power through the shield such as Cost Down and Impact Drive were equipped in that large golden shield. He easily swung it about as if he were swinging a pillow made of 100% cotton.
That shield became the foe of Kuon who had instantly filled the distance until she was at his bosom.
The large shield made a direct hit on Kuon, blowing away that small body of hers.
「!?」
*Don!*
A loud, dull sound as if a 10 ton truck had caused an accident resounded in the area.
「Oi oi, wasn't that attack just now pretty bad?」
Tre muttered that sounding flustered. In contrast to her, Yuu smiled with a sneer.
「Certainly, it would have been bad if it had hit properly but……」
Kuon, who had been blown to the sky,
「Since she didn't receive it, it doesn't matter.」
suddenly turned into smoke and vanished.

「Ninpou, 『Shadow Clone』」
Kuon appeared behind Count Montelugi.
「Mumu!?」
「If a slash won't work, then how about this!!」
Faster than Count Montelugi, who had noticed her, could turn around, Kuon's fist made a violent blow on Count Montelugi's helmet.
Going further and adding a kick, she twisted her body and struck her heel on his helmet.
If she couldn't make a scratch on the armor, it would be fine if she made direct damage on her opponent.
Helmets were weak against impacts. It was because no matter how high a helmet's strength was, the head inside would directly sustain damage. Even including the helmet, the impact would mostly be directly transmitted to the head!
But,
「Fuーhaha!! I am fully equipped with Impact Reduce as well -deaーru!!」
Inside the helmet, Count Montelugi howled.
「Count Attack!!」
The attack with a simple naming where he readied his shield and simply made a rush at her, approached Kuon!!
「っ, so you are raising yourself through your Abilities!」
Although Kuon evaded the moment before it hit, there was no composure on her face.
It was a simple charge, but with it being Boosted by the mountain of Abilities that were put on his Orichalcum armor, it had enough power to break her body if she were to receive it.
Holding her own against that, Kuon was able to feel that with her skin.

「In that case, here is my next hand!!」
Kuon put both of her hands together and made a sign.

「Ninpou, 『Cloak of Invisibility Technique』!!」
Kuon's figure disappeared as if it had vanished.

『Whoa! Participant Kuon's figure has suddenly been erased!! However, it seems that it isn't the teleportation that was shown earlier! Just where in the world has she gone!?』
「Hou……A user of ninja arts, huh.」
While the rabbit-eared hostess shouted into her one-handed mike, Sylvia, who was spectating in the noble visitor seats, made an impressed-sounding mutter.
「How about it, Leonhart, are you also unable to see through it?」
Sylvia asked a question to the knight that was standing behind the seat she was sitting at.
The knight that she asked, Leonhart, shook his head sideways while making a wry smile.
「It is vexing, but I cannot see anything.」
「Umu. ……That young girl, she is a very interesting talent.」
「Can Your Majesty see her?」
「Umu……It is because I can turn my eyes into quasi magic eyes.」
Sylvia's emerald eyes had turned into a faint red color.
「Now then, how will she attack?」
Narrowing her eyes, Sylvia chuckled.

After several seconds passed since Kuon erased her figure, the ground underneath Montelugi's feet, who had kept his shield at the ready, suddenly exploded.
「Muoh!?」
Although he did not bear any injuries from the explosion, having his posture largely broken, Count Montelugi went *goron* and fell face up.

「『Bomb Guidance Formation・Empty Collapse』」[1]
And then, not missing that moment, Kuon chased after him.
Exploding the talismans already laid out in the ring, she made an attack on Count Montelugi.
「Wh, what in the world -dearu kaaa!?」
Enveloped in the explosion flames, Count Montelugi shouted, and hearing that shout, Kuon activated her next hand.
「『Firedrake Breath』!」
Entangling the fingers of both of her hands, she formed 『signs』. After forming several signs, Kuon then made her right hand into something like a tube and blew into it. When she did──

*Gou!!*

An amount of fire that was like the Dragon Breath that the Firedrakes, who live in volcanoes, fire was fired!
The fired blaze enveloped the explosion flames, gave form to a tornado of flames, and wrapped Count Montelugi up in it.
(How do you like this series of techniques!?)
With this series of super hot techniques, it would burn the opponent up together with his armor. Thinking that, Kuon was not wrong.
But,

「Funnuuuu!」
*Gou!*
Together with a loud shout of fighting spirit, the tornado of flames that wrapped Count Montelugi up was blown away.
「WHA!?」
The shock that assailed Kuon was tremendous.
The combination of exploding talismans and a blaze technique, that was a finishing move that Kuon, who primarily used taijutsu as her main method of fighting, had kept secret even from Yuu, who she looked up to as her teacher, and was proud of as her sole talisman technique trump card.

「Fumun. You are pretty good -dearu na!」
While making a *gacha gacha* sound, Montelugi brushed off the soot that was on his armor.
「However, putting myself aside, you are too powerless in front of mine golden armor -deaーru!!」
In response to Montelugi who declared that while making poses as well, Kuon's anger welled up.
「……Hmph, I was just thinking that it would have been boring if you had died off with just this!」
Kuon grabbed the handle of the black katana that she carried on her back.
A look of impatience could be seen on her expression.

「Kikiki, that fox girl, she is pretty good. To think that she would be able to go as far as combining talisman techniques with sign techniques……As expected of the disciple of my master.」
Paimon, who had a parasol open and was sitting next to Yuu, said that sounding awfully happy.
「What's this, are you acquainted with that girl?」
When Tre asked that, Paimon made a large nod.
「She is my master's disciple, in other words, my subordinate.」
「That way of thinking is strange.」
Lililuri made a cool tsukkomi.

「What's wrong, Yashiro?」
Noticing that Yuu kept silent and continued to stare at the ring, Tre asked that question to him.
Moreover, Yuu had
「This is bad.」
muttered that single phrase.
「Mu? What was -jya?」
Paimon responded to the words that Yuu muttered.
「Kuon no longer has any other methods of attack.」
「Methods of attack?」
「Her strategy of doing a series of attacks after hiding herself just now was good. She probably intended on baking him in that suit of armor with that huge amount of heat or something but……It looks like most of the damage didn't get through to him.」
「Baking him you say……」
Imagining that, Tre was at a loss for words. It seemed that she surprisingly had little resistance to grotesque stuff.

「In that case, can she not win?」
「It's not like she can't win. In terms of physical ability, Kuon could be declared the winner.」
「But she can't get through that defense……And in that case, it means that it won't end.」
Yuu silently nodded at Tre's words.
This match, if she were a power fighter like Iibsal, it probably would have ended easily. If the armor wouldn't break, then it would have been fine if she forcibly hit him into sea that surrounded the ring and disqualify him after all.
However, Kuon didn't have the power to be able to do that by force.

A beat later,
「Why have you been keeping quiet for a while now -noda, disciple of the witch.」
Paimon began to talk to Lililuri.

「I know the details of what happens from now on. That is why I am banned from giving spoilers.」
「Wha……If you know, then would you hurry up and tell us!」
「Spoilers are banned.」
「T, tell it to only me.」
「Spoilers are banned.」
「Is that the only think you are able to say! Eei, as I thought, being the disciple of the witch, your disagreeable places are the same -jya!!」
Going *punsuka* and getting sulky, Paimon turned the other way. Seeing that, Yuu breathed a sigh.
「Jeez, even though you've lived more than a thousand years, how childish……Besides, with things like this, you have to think for yourself, you know? ……And so, Lililuri, a hint please.」
「Spoilers, are banned.」
Lililuri showed a smile like that of a mischievous child to Yuu.

Translator's Notes:
[1] Original: 爆導陣・空崩, Read as: ばくどうじん・からくずれ

Chapter end