Ryuu Kusari no Ori -Kokoro no Uchi no 'Kokoro'-

[LN] Volume 3: Chapter 4.5

Volume 3 Chapter 4.5

Ripples of Impending Danger Part 5

Translator : PolterGlast

While Irisdina and Tima were confronting Lisa and her team, Nozomu and his team, who had narrowly won the battle against Anri, were moving to the north side of the exercise area to reposition themselves.

"...... Nozomu-kun, what are we going to do now?"

"Let's see. Since the total number of parties is likely to be reduced, and if our priority is to survive, I don't think we need to do much moving. But if we are aiming for the top ranks, that's definitely not going to be enough."

"That's true. With the number of points owned by each party increasing, the ranks will change significantly in a single battle. If that's the case, then it will be necessary to fight against those in the higher ranks......"

Perhaps concerned by Jin's explanation, the other members of the team gulped nervously.

"Well, I think we still have a chance to win though......"

"R-really?"

"I'm sure there will be a few shortages of members in other parties, and now that Mars and the others have rejoined us, it might be possible."

Hamuria, with a solemn expression on her face, was relieved to hear Nozomu's words. Perhaps it is because of the battles they have fought so far that she has come to trust him. Jin, who was by her side, also relaxed his expression.

However, Tommy and Cami's expressions were still hard and there was a hint of uneasiness in them.

"......Everyone. Now that we've come this far, why don't we give it a try?"

It was Jin who raised his voice to dispel the atmosphere.

"I have to admit, I'm anxious too, but at least we've come this far. That means that if Nozomu-kun and we work together, we should be able to handle the fight, right?"

"I think so. It won't be enough if it were just Mars and me after all......"

Jin's words were right on target. Nozomu, who has a limited amount of Qi to begin with, has difficulty fighting battles in rapid succession.

It was only with the help of Jin, Deck, and Hamuria that he was able to defeat Anri.

In order to win, the power of both Nozomu's party and Jin's party is indispensable.

"See? And since we've come this far, why don't we go as far as we can go anyway? We, who are of the tenth class, were able to fight to this point. Even if we fail, I think the teachers will recognize us even from that fact alone."

Hearing Jin's words, Tommy and Cami both exhaled heavily and raised their heads.

"...... Right. This is the time. Let's do it!"

"Yes. This would be a good time to repay them for all the times they've made fun of us!"

Both of their faces had regained their vitality. If they only thought about their grades, they could just hide and survive with it. But to vent the resentment of having been treated disrespectfully so far, they choose to go on with the challenge.

(I wonder how far the current me can go......)

While Jin and the others were in high spirits, Nozomu gently put his hand on the hilt of his katana.

He gently sent Qi to the blade so that it would not be noticed, but the blade still remained silent.

"............"

Then Nozomu noticed that Mars had a strangely difficult look on his face.

He put his hand to his chin and looked at his greatsword, thinking about something, and then glanced at Nozomu and his katana, with the excited Jin and the others by their side.

"Mars, what's wrong?"

"...... No, don't worry about it. It's nothing."

His mind is not here. Nozomu asked him about it, but he said it was nothing and looked away.

"......What's wrong? You're acting weird today."

"Aren't you the sa- ...... no, really, it's nothing. Just leave me alone."

A stagnant atmosphere flowed between the two of them.

Mars clearly has something on his mind, but Nozomu himself is also hiding too many secrets.

About the Dragon Slayer, about the fact that he is now severely weakened, and about Lisa and the others......

The guilt and anxiety of not being able to talk about it, and above all, the fear of being consumed by anger, make Nozomu hesitate.

Although he was aware of this, his tightly closed mouth kept refusing to speak out.

But Mars, too, is unable to speak his mind.

Because for him, exposing himself is the same as revealing his weakness.

And Mars is someone who has always been in denial of his own weakness. That is why he could only keep his mouth shut so as not to leak out his anguish that made him feel as if he were going to vomit.

"Hey, Nozomu-kun, about what we're going to do from here on out ......"

"Let's see. For now, we- ............~!"

Just as Nozomu was about to formulate his words to escape from Mars' gaze that he felt from the side, his keen senses sensed multiple presences approaching.

In an instant, Nozomu's expression changed to a serious one, and he turned in the direction of the presence, then lowered his waist and drew his katana.

"Oi, what's wrong? ...... oh, I see ......?"

Mars, who had a dubious look on his face, immediately realized that the enemy was approaching and stood next to Nozomu, with his greatsword in his hand.

"Everyone, be on your guard!"

As Nozomu and Mars took up battle stances, Jin and the others also readied their respective weapons and positioned themselves in battle formation.

Before long, the bushes in front of Nozomu rustled, and four students emerged from the bushes.

"Finally, I found you. You survived after all......"

With these confident words, Kevin Ardinal, a young man of the Silver Wolf tribe, showed up.

Behind him were his party members, including Karanti.

Nevertheless, they too had fought a pretty tough battle, and their numbers were clearly dwindling.

"Now then, Nozomu, shall we get on with it? Karanti, stall the others."

"Copy that, Leader."

Kevin lowered his hips and readied his fists.

With that alone, a sense of intimidation hit Nozomu and the others, as if a gust of wind was slamming into them

"Ugh,......" "U......"

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Tommy and Cami both let out an involuntary groan under Kevin's pressure.

Jin and Hamuria might have grown accustomed to pressure after fighting against Anri, but they still couldn't hide their gasps.

On the other hand, Nozomu and Mars were taking Kevin's fighting spirit without batting an eyelid.

Nozomu, keeping the tip of his blade in the center of his field of vision, focused his attention on Kevin and Karanti and the others behind him, while Mars, next to him, readied his greatsword which was already clad in a blade of wind.

"Hou~, putting aside Nozomu, that lone wolf also doesn't change his expression, huh? Looks like he is more capable than I thought ......"

"Of course. I'm going to make you howl this time."

"I'm looking forward to it ...... well, I'd like to say that, but unfortunately, the person I want to fight is Nozomu......~!"

The next moment, the sound of thunder echoed, and Kevin accelerated at once to close the gap between them.

[Qi-Lightning Transformation]. Kevin's ability to transform his Qi into lightning.

He literally closed the gap at the speed of lightning and fired his fist toward Mars.

"Fuh~!"

"Ugh!"

Quickly, Mars held up his greatsword like a shield to parry Kevin's right fist strike, but he was pushed backward greatly. This is a fist strike by a beastman who originally had physical capabilities greater than that of the human race and has been enhanced with both Qi and Abilities. Kevin's physical strength exceeds even that of Mars.

"Let's go, Nozomu!"

Kevin, having eliminated Mars, stepped directly toward Nozomu and unleashed a roundhouse kick.

Nozomu reflexively crouched down, and Kevin's leg armor, reinforced with Qi, roared as it passed over his head.

"Fuuu~!"

Nozomu used the momentum from his crouching to launch a swift slash at the side of Kevin's head.

"It's too slow!"

The blade, however, was easily blocked by Kevin's gauntlet. Nozomu proceeded to deliver a series of blows, but Kevin, cloaked in dense Qi, was able to resist even the slightest damage.

"Where's that Qi blade of yours!? Come on, you can use it!"

"Damn, if I could use it so easily now, I wouldn't have a hard time ......."

Kevin repelled Nozomu's slash with his strength and unleashed a high-speed fist strike as a counterattack. Kevin's fist, strengthened with Qi, has the power to easily cave in even steel plates. There is no way Nozomu could afford to receive this blow directly.

Nozomu, while retreating, kept avoiding Kevin's attacks with minimal movement, and kept an eye on Kevin's tendencies.

A straight fist thrust, a hook, and a double roundhouse kick. Then a series of punches while stepping forward. His moves were powerful and full of dynamism, just befitting of a beastman.

While carefully avoiding each blow, Nozomu synchronized his breathing with that of his opponent.

His concentration heightens. The world stagnates. He chose the straight fist thrust from among the many strikes, and put his left hand on his opponent to forcefully grasp his opponent's center of gravity.

Then, the moment when their power collided with each other. Nozomu puts his own weight on his left hand and throws it downward in a fluid motion.

"~ !?"

Immediately afterward, Kevin's body lurched forward as if a weight had been placed on his arm.

[Aiki]. One of the Eastern Taijutsu. A technique to control one's body by synchronizing one's breathing with that of one's opponent.

Nozomu then pulled back his legs to a crouching position and released the Qi that he had compressed forward with his hands outstretched.

[Mikagura-style・Shock Cannon]. A violent shockwave of Qi was released and blew Kevin's body away.

"Fuha, you're amazing after all!"

Kevin was blown away, but like a cat, he flipped his body around in mid-air and landed on the trunk of a tree.

With a gleeful smile on his face, he pounced on Nozomu again.

"That wolf bastard ......~!?"

"I won't let you get in the way of our leader."

Meanwhile, the blown-away Mars was being blocked by Karanti and the others.

He swung his greatsword, which was clad in a [Qi-jutsu・Wind Blade] as if to tell them to stay away, but with their agile movements, Karanti and the others were able to corner Mars in the blink of an eye.

"Mars-kun!"

Then, Jin and the others come to his aid. Jin and Tommy intervened in order to separate the other members from Karanti, and Cami and Hamuria fired magic into the gap that was slightly opened up.

What they unleashed were magic bullets and earth spears. However, their magic was easily destroyed by Karanti's knife-hand strike.

"T-they were crushed in a single strike ......"

"This is why I hate upper-class students!"

"Come on, just keep shooting. If Mars-kun could make a move here, they'll be pushed all the way back!"

While Hamuria was taken aback and Cami was exasperated, Jin and Tommy swung their weapons as hard as they could, desperately trying to push back.

"Don't ...... get in my way!"

"You ......!"

Mars, who was crossing weapons one on one with Karanti for a moment, heightened his Qi and pushed Karanti back forcefully, releasing the blade of wind that clung to his greatsword.

[Qi-jutsu・Rift Wind Hammer]

"~, Retreat!"

Karanti's order echoed. In response to her words, the other members also moved away from the approaching vortex of wind blades.

"Karanti, it's not just Mars. The others are tougher than we thought."

"Obviously, it's because they teamed up with Nozomu. Let's push them all at once."

However, even in the face of Mars' Qi-jutsu, they showed no sign of being intimidated at all.

Then they clashed again. The battle quickly reheated itself, scattering Qi and magic, and a fierce war of attrition ensued.

"O-ra ~a!"

"Guh~!"

Kevin stepped toward Nozomu and unleashed a barrage of Qi and purple lightning. His fist strike is not something that even Nozomu can easily deflect, and in addition, the electricity that envelops Kevin's fist is gradually numbing Nozomu's body.

If he were able to use offensive Qi-jutsu such as [Phantom], he might still be able to defend against this purple lightning by repelling and slashing them apart.

However, as Nozomu was unable to use most of his Qi-jutsu, he could only try to dodge the attack.

The fact that he was still able to fight in spite of this was due to the hellish training he had received from his master.

Meanwhile, Mars and the others were also gradually being cornered by Karanti and the others.

"Chi, damn you!"

"Based on his sheer Qi power alone, he's comparable to an A rank. Don't get too close to him. Make him stop by tiring him out!"

The three, Karanti and the others, surrounded their opponent, and two of them repeatedly disengaged against the most dangerous Mars after a single blow, while the remaining one was facing Jin and the others.

But that is just the basics. By taking full advantage of their physical capabilities, the three of them take turns and change targets one after the other, whittling away at the physical and mental strength of Mars and the others, who should have had the advantage in numbers.

"Jin, beside you!"

"Whoa!"

"Tch, I missed!"

As soon as they find the slightest opportunity, they immediately change their formation and launch an assault. Their movements were precise and without hesitation or stagnation. On the other hand, Mars, Jin, and the others were not able to coordinate well with each other.

Mars has been semi-isolated in class because of his outstanding individual abilities, and he has not been able to build a connection with the other members like Nozomu has.

Until now, he has been able to manage on his own, but unfortunately, Karanti and her team are one of the most well-coordinated parties in the school. They are not a party that can be dealt with just by individual ability alone.

"It seems like they will be finished soon. There's nothing easier to break down than an uncoordinated pack."

Nozomu gritted his teeth at the sight of Mars and the others being driven into a corner.

What now, what can I do?

They are in a pinch, and he is in a situation where he cannot create any Qi-blades.

In this situation, what I can do is .......

"Oioi! Are you sure, you can afford to look the other way?"

Sensing that Nozomu's attention was slightly distracted, Kevin launched an onslaught.

Pushed by a series of high-speed strikes that accelerated even further, Nozomu lost his stance, and then a powerful roundhouse kick was unleashed.

"Kuh~!"

Nozomu jumped backward with all his might. A foot strike, clad in purple electricity, passed by, grazing the tip of his nose.

But even that was Kevin's way of leading him on.

*Bam!* A shock struck Nozomu's back. He glanced to the side to check behind him and saw a large tree blocking his escape route.

"I got you!"

*Bzzt!* With a crackling sound of lightning, Kevin instantly dived toward Nozomu's chest and unleashed an all-out attack.

[Qi-jutsu・Impaling Claw Fang]

A ki-jutsu that simultaneously launches a palm strike and a powerful burst of Qi from a thrusting claw.

Kevin's right arm, resembling the fangs of a wolf, came close to Nozomu's face.

"............"

Nozomu's pupils dilate in the face of the approaching fist, and the face of a skilled fighter appears.

His concentration turns extreme spontaneously, his vision turns gray, and at the same time, everything moving around him is slowed down.

It is what can be called an instinct ingrained in one's mind.

The katana is slowly lifted in front of the oncoming silver wolf's fangs, and Nozomu relaxes all the strength out of his body.

As the weight of his falling body converges into his heels, Nozomu flows sideways as if he were sliding. At the same time, Nozomu's katana's trajectory changes as it strikes the side of the approaching silver wolf's fangs. The blade moves toward Kevin's face.

[Mikagura-style・Willow Blade]

A single strike that combines blocking and attacking in a single movement. Just like [Mikagura-style・Oscillation], it is a pure katana technique that does not rely on Qi-jutsu.

"Wha, gu~u!"

Kevin reflexively blocked the [Willow Blade] with his left gauntlet.

The high-pitched metallic sound resounded as the thrusting [Impaling Claw Fang] dug into the tree behind Nozomu.

A powerful explosion sound followed. The released Qi and the thunderbolt roared out, gouging the trunk of the large tree from the inside.

"This guy ......!"

As if in pursuit of Nozomu, who had slipped to his side, Kevin turned his outstretched fist into a knife-hand and swung it at once.

[Qi-jutsu・Knife-Hand Claw]. A ki-jutsu to slice through an opponent with a Qi-infused knife-hand strike.

However, before the knife-hand strike could reach Nozomu, the Qi under Nozomu's feet exploded.

"~ !"

"Wha~!"

Nozomu, who had activated his [Flash Step], leaped. He leaped to the trunk of a large tree that was behind him.

"Kuh, what the heck are you- ...... wha~!"

The next moment, the tree, whose trunk had been gouged out, began to fall with a creaking sound. The tree was falling down, and the people on the other side of the tree were Mars and the others.

"What the ......!"

"Oioioi!"

The sudden situation startled not only Mars but also Karanti and the others, and they hurriedly retreated away from the collapsing tree.

In the midst of all this, Nozomu sheathed his katana while jumping toward Karanti and the others who were trying to retreat. He snipped the koiguchi and showed it to them.

"~ !"

Seeing Nozomu ready to draw his katana, Karanti and the others stiffen their faces and brace themselves. They know how sharp Nozomu's blade is. After confirming that the other party's attention was on him, Nozomu shouted,

"Mars, now!"

"~, Oooo!"

"Wha~...... gah~!"

Aiming at the moment when their attention turned to Nozomu, Mars attacked a member of Kevin's party with his greatsword.

Nozomu's aim was to pin Karanti's attention on himself, creating an opportunity for Mars and the others to counterattack.

The opponent's pendant glows red as he is knocked away and rolls on the ground, signaling his disqualification. Now, with the exception of Kevin and Karanti, there is only one person left.

This meant that their party's range of combat maneuvers was significantly reduced. At the very least, it would be impossible for the two of them to hold off Mars, Jin, and the others.

"Good grief, they got us ......."

"Heh, this is the end of you guys."

"I don't know about that ......"

Alongside Karanti, Kevin readied his fists. Instead of losing their fighting spirit, they became more fired up, and the Qi that oozed out of them turned into lightning and began to crackle and release sparks.

Faced with this growing sense of intimidation, Nozomu and the others readjusted their weapons.

The tension that was building up reached a critical point, and just as it was about to break, a scorching fireball fell from the sky and landed between Nozomu, Kevin, and the others.

"~ !"

*Boom!* A thunderous explosion was heard and searing flames were scattered.

"W-what the hell!?"

Nozomu and the others reflexively jumped back. Kevin and the others are also frowning at the sudden intervention and keeping their distance.

The suddenness of the incident caused Jin and the others to express their agitation. Nozomu and Kevin, who were fighting, are also temporarily stopped by the explosion.

Then, as if to further escalate the situation, a hail of arrows rained down from the sky in a haphazard manner.

"Kuh~!"

"What!"

As soon as Nozomu and Kevin jump back from their spot, the arrows come piercing down to the ground. Four figures slowly emerge from the bushes.

"Well, well, we finally found you, Nozomu."

"Feo ......"

"Oh, it's Nozomu. Yahho ――!"

Feo, Mimuru, Tom, and Shina appeared.

On Shina's shoulder, there is also a small spirit, Razward, who can also be called her partner.

*Gulp!* Upon seeing this, someone there gulped their spit. The speed and scale of the magic evoked by the spirits-accompanied elves were undoubtedly comparable to or even greater than that of a high-level mage. Karanti, in particular, had sweat on her forehead, perhaps because she had witnessed firsthand their power in the Abyss Grief incident.

However, once again, the situation changed.

Suddenly, the sound of an explosion reverberated, and a torrent of powerful magic power swept through the forest, gouging out an entire section of the forest and pulverizing it. As pieces of trees and soil billowed up, five figures broke through the cloud of dust.

"Tima, are you all right?"

"U-Un, I'm fine!"

"Lisa! Did you get them!?"

"No, I missed!"

Emerging through the cloud of dust were Irisdina, Tima, Lisa, Ken, Camilla.

"Wha~!? I-Iris! And ...... Lisa!?"

"N-Nozomu!?"

"This is .......~."

".......Hee."

Nozomu, Irisdina, and Lisa let out a startled cry when they saw each other. Kevin and Feo were also unable to hide their surprise when Irisdina and the others stormed in after them.

Nozomu, Irisdina, Lisa, Shina, and Kevin. All five parties that had defeated the special target in this exercise gathered here.

"............."

*Ba-thump .......*

In the depths of Nozomu's chest, the anger that he had been pushing down began to rise up again.

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