Volume 8 Chapter 4 Part 4 (1/2)
”What's with these numbers?”
s.h.i.+n had parted ways with Schnee and headed towards Fuji, but the formation of demon foxes he found around the mountain made him raise a brow. Almost all units were around level 700, with 6 or 7 tails. For s.h.i.+n it was nothing special, but for this world it was close to a natural disaster.
Such monsters were now surrounding Mt. Fuji. They were also clearly expressing hostile intentions.
”Kuu!! Tamamo, not here!!”
”That's true, I can't pick up any presence that could be hers. What's this about, anyway? There are the 8-headed Orochi and Munechika on top of Fuji. No matter how many boss-level monsters you gather, with their fighting power they're just going to get annihilated.”
The gap between the level 900 Munechika and the level 700 demon foxes was just too large. That's what their difference in fighting power meant.
Because of the demon foxes' large numbers, Munechika could maybe suffer some injuries, but if they fought they would be surely exterminated.
Despite that, the demon foxes were unmistakably heading towards the mists covering the mountain.
”Hmm?”
Among the demon foxes climbing up Mt. Fuji, s.h.i.+n detected a small presence moving up as well.
It was not being attacked despite being right next to the demon foxes, so it was likely to be an ally.
s.h.i.+n thought it could be Tamamo, and asked Yuzuha for confirmation, but she denied that possibility.
”Yuzuha, I'm going to see this sneaky one before dealing with them. What are you going to do?”
”.I feel a bad presence from there. Yuzuha, go there. s.h.i.+n, go to Fuji.”
After a short pause, Yuzuha turned to a direction different than the mountain.
”Will you be fine by yourself?”
”Leave it to Yuzuha!!”
Yuzuha hopped down from s.h.i.+n's shoulder, transformed into little girl mode, and puffed up her chest.
s.h.i.+n would have been worried until a while ago, but her level was now higher and her control over her powers were much better.
s.h.i.+n looked at Yuzuha, who was looking back at him with straight and honest eyes, and nodded.
”-got it. Take these with you, just in case.”
s.h.i.+n took an accessory that would take damage instead of the user and items to heal status ailments from the item box.
Yuzuha took them, put them in her robes, then ran off in fox form.
”OK, time to do my part.”
After whispering to himself, s.h.i.+n went on his way.
While concealing his presence with Hiding, s.h.i.+n drew closer to the dot moving among the demon foxes.
When he came close enough to see, he spotted a man clad in black ninja wear head to toe.
The name displayed via a.n.a.lyze was Rokuhara Kai, the man who was with Juugo.
s.h.i.+n jumped in front of Kai and deactivated Hiding.
”!?! You are the man from that time!?”
Kai reacted to s.h.i.+n's sudden appearance by drawing his ninja blade. He was clearly wary of s.h.i.+n after recognizing him.
”Do you mean, the time at Aokigahara?”
”Who can say!”
Before even an attempt to conversation was made, Kai casted a magic spell towards s.h.i.+n.
What flew towards s.h.i.+n was the flame-type magic skill Fireball. It was a basic offensive magic, widely used by beginners and experts alike.
However, magic used by a ninja like Kai, whose job leaned more towards physical attacks, could not work on s.h.i.+n.
The Fireball flying towards s.h.i.+n vanished into nothingness just before hitting him.
”If possible, I'd like to know why you are doing this.”
”.to once again spread the flames of war in Hinomoto.”
”-I'm surprised to receive an answer. But why? I hear that there is much to lose in the flames of war. What would you gain in doing this?”
s.h.i.+n did not expect any answers, but as he received one instead, he expressed another doubt.
”..Hinomoto has had continuous conflicts, all within this small island country. One needed to be strong, lest everything be taken away from them. Because of that, in those times everyone was strong. But now the people forgot those times of war, and became weak. The Brave Ten as well, none of them can even match sir Kankurou now, they are just brats with nothing more than their Returned Ancestor status going for them. If peace continues on like this, Hinomoto will eventually grow weak.”
”As someone who saw the continent's adventurers and soldiers, I can tell you that Hinomoto soldiers are clearly stronger than them.”
s.h.i.+n said what he honestly thought. Even in Balmel, a city exposed to the dangers of the Flood's monster hordes, the soldiers' quality was lower than Hinomoto.
”It is not enough for soldiers to be strong. The lords governing its domains, the soldiers serving under them, the people inhabiting its landsall of them need to be strong, or a small country like Hinomoto has no future.”
”Even so, is setting monsters on the people an acceptable way? It would just cause a burden on those precious soldiers and citizens.”
”If they fall because of something like that, it means that they were worth that much in the first place. This was one of the truths in the era of wars.”
”You speak as if you saw it with your own eyes.”
Based on his experiences until now, s.h.i.+n thought that Kai's race was Human.
Humans have short life spans. No one from this race could have witnessed the age of wars and still be alive.
”Because they showed it to me.”
”They ”showed” it?”
”The one who controls these beasts did. They seem to have different goals, but no matter if we are being used or not, our wish will be fulfilled.”
Kai spoke while pointing at a Blue Tail among the demon foxes surrounding them.
s.h.i.+n never heard of abilities allowing the user to see the past, but before that, he could not know if the past Kai saw was the truth or not.
”I will not accept a unification scared of sacrifices. Hinomoto will become a strong country only if the truly strong rule over it.”
”The man called Ichinose Juugo is already dead. Even so, do you continue?”
”Do you think I would stop now?”
”I suppose not.”
Kai's killing intent grew more intense. In response, s.h.i.+n's hand reaches to the katana Moonless at his waist.
”..I did not think it would be possible to talk like this. Are you sure it was fine to leak all that information?”
”It makes no difference. Dead men tell no tales.”
”That man might be you though, you know?”
”That is fine too. The strong live, the weak perish. That is all.”
Even his own death was an acceptable outcome. Kai's eyes as he said so were straight and true, despite the haziness within them.
”were the days of peace so painful?”
”..”
s.h.i.+n's last words were the only ones Kai did not reply to.
Wielding his ninja blade, Kai disappeared into the shadow of a Red Tail.
The monsters surrounding s.h.i.+n were 3 Red Tails and 3 White Tails. The former were around level 600, the latter level 700: all boss-cla.s.s monsters.
There were also other monsters of the demon fox species, but except those heading towards s.h.i.+n, they were all proceeding towards the peak.
”That's a shame.”
s.h.i.+n spoke in response to Kai's silence. The echo of these words was so cold, it would have ran chills down the spines of whoever heard them.
s.h.i.+n then unsheathed Moonless while s.h.i.+fting his line of sight to the right.
As he drew a silver arc in the air with the blade, a sound of clas.h.i.+ng metal followed and 3 kunai fell on the ground, split clean in half.
Even if he had concealed himself, Kai's Hiding was inferior to s.h.i.+n's perception abilities.
”Did you think you were hiding?”
s.h.i.+n's line of sight uncovered Kai's position.
Because Kai felt a chill down the back of his spine he turned towards the origin of this savage thirst for blood. Even though his facial expression became stiff, it also changed into a smile.
”What I sensed that time was no lie, I see.”
Even if he had accepted death as positive, some things could not be overcome.
The stench of blood Kai had sensed from s.h.i.+n was not something that would emanate from someone who only battled against monsters.
It was proof that his hands were stained with the blood of countless people.
Kai looked downward towards the rattling sound that had reached his ears. He found his right arm, the one holding his blade, shaking.
The demon foxes around s.h.i.+n too, intimidated by his killing intent, could not move.
Even the other demon foxes heading towards the peak turned towards s.h.i.+n, their bodies trembling.
”Heh, this is how true war must be.”
Kai pulled out a round pill from his robe and swallowed it, then charged towards s.h.i.+n.
Kai's after-images split and attacked s.h.i.+n.