CHAPTER 320: THE BELL THAT HERALDS BATTLE

 

White Mist Basin—better known as the Battlefield of Scattered Blossoms.

Two hundred and fifty-six warriors had assembled on the vast stretch of land beyond Amane-kyo’s eastern gate.

An immense basin.

White morning mist drifting through the air.

Weathered rocks and crumbled stone walls protruding from the ground here and there.

A battlefield where countless thousands of warriors had once lost their lives.

There may not have been any grave markers, but this land—the Battlefield of Scattered Blossoms itself—served as one enormous memorial.

The scenery somehow made Zen’s words ring true.

「Still, this really is an incredible sight.」

The words escaped my lips before I realized it.

Looking around, every imaginable weapon was on display—swords, katana, spears, naginata, kusarigama, axes, and bows.

And every last person here had the face of someone with more than a few quirks.

「Aun, what will you do?」

Kinu, standing close beside me, suddenly asked a question.

Judging by that look, she isn’t asking what strategy we should use.

What she really wants to know is whether I want to go wild on my own.

「Since we’re here, how about we split up and collect Oni Tags separately? Feels more like Bukyo that way, right?」

「Okay. Then I’ll collect mine in the south.」

「Yeah. The next time we meet, we’ll both have secured our places in the main tournament!」

「Mm. It’s a festival, after all. I plan to enjoy myself too.」

Wearing a fearless smile, Kinu walked toward the group gathered to the south, her fluffy tail swaying from side to side.

Is she planning to blow the whole lot of them away with magic…?

Zen had apparently headed toward the crumbling fort to the north as soon as the gate opened. That place was bound to become a fierce battlefield in its own right, and the fact that he had gone straight there meant…

Zen is one hell of a battle-crazed lunatic too.

Then again, I’m planning to fight right in the center of this basin, so I’m hardly one to talk.

The bell would ring in about three minutes.

Looking around, some of the warriors had already chosen their opponents and were glaring at one another.

Yet no one moved.

No one spoke.

Despite there being 256 warriors gathered here, the only thing I could hear was the strangely resonant howl of the wind.

Not a single person had drawn their weapon, yet the tension already felt like it had reached its peak.

No—perhaps it felt so intense precisely because the battle had yet to begin.

As I took in the scene, something suddenly occurred to me.

Not a single person here has a shield.

That would have been unthinkable in any other country.

With a chaotic melee inevitable in this preliminary round, there was no way none of them had considered equipping a shield. Yet not one person had done so.

It was downright bizarre.

Even amid the massive battle about to erupt, every person here intended to devote every shred of concentration to defeating their opponents.

That was the kind of madmen gathered here.

Then again, Kinu and I are just as stupid as they are.

A smile crept onto my face.

The final few dozen seconds felt absurdly long.

I want to cut loose already. I feel like I’m going to explode.

I closed my eyes and slowly exhaled.

Five seconds remained.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One—

—GOOOOOOOONG!!

The instant I opened my eyes, the deafening toll of an enormous bell echoed across the ancient battlefield, and battle cries erupted everywhere like a dam bursting.

「UOOOOOOOHH!!」

「Let’s go, assholes!」

「Hand over your Oni Tags!!」

「Face meeeee!!」

More than two hundred warriors sprang into motion at once, transforming the morning mist’s tranquility into a battlefield filled with sprays of blood.

Clouds of dust.

Battle cries.

Magic.

And the metallic clangor of weapons clashing.

Now this is what you call a true ‘festival of carnage.’

As I thought that, three men armed with kusarigama surrounded me.

「You must be Doumeki. Now, let us—」

「Now, let us—」

「Now, let us—」

「「「fight fair and square!」」」

「Three of you surround me right out of the gate, and you call this fair and square?!」

I had accidentally blurted out exactly what I was thinking, but any method of fighting was permitted during the Shurasaki Festival. In an extreme case, even thirty people surrounding one man and beating the hell out of him would be completely within the rules.

「Targeting me right from the start? You guys have got some guts.」

「We brothers fight as one! Experience the coordination we have honed over many years!」

They’ve got good eyes.

Each of them was strong on his own.

I could tell from their stances alone that they would rank among the Kingdom of Alto’s finest warriors.

「Not bad. You three should at least be good enough to test this blade on.」

I placed my hand on Shiranuemaru Hoshimeguri at my left hip.

The instant I lightly gripped the hilt, it settled into my hand so perfectly that a shiver ran through me.

「「「…?!」」」

Without any one of them giving a signal, all three men hurled their chains at me simultaneously.

They must have panicked slightly. I could see a faint wobble in the paths of the chains.

Matching their timing, I drew Shiranuemaru. Its silver blade effortlessly severed all three chains.

「All right. My turn now.」

I activated 【Thunderclap】 and stepped forward.

「Wha—?! So fa—」

The first.

With a casual downward slash, I split his flesh from shoulder to flank.

「Huh?」

His Oni Tag shot from his chest and spun through the air.

「That’s one!」

「Brother!」

I caught the airborne Oni Tag in my left hand as I returned Shiranuemaru to its sheath and assumed another drawing stance.

The second.

He pulled a fresh weapon from his magic bag, but my horizontal slash cut straight through it and tore across his abdomen.

「Tch!」

The remaining brother immediately poured a potion over one of his wounded brothers while whipping his sickle around to create distance between us.

It was the right decision.

Given the difference in our weapons, his defeat in a one-on-one fight was all but assured. At the very least, however, he held the advantage in reach.

「It’s not over! I can still turn this around!」

The last man swung his kusarigama in a wide arc, and the chain began to howl through the air.

He must think I’ll take him down the moment I get within reach.

But—

「Too bad.」

I deliberately stepped into his range, allowing the chain to coil around my arm.

The man’s lips curled into a grin.

「Got you!」

「Other way around.」

—BZZZT!

I sent a surge of electricity through the chain and yanked it with all my strength.

His feet left the ground, and he flew straight toward me.

「Wha—?!」

I slashed five times at the airborne man.

Along with the faint resistance of cutting through metal, a small spray of blood burst from his abdomen.

「Chainmail, huh? Nice gear. You’d be dead without it.」

「W-wait—」

I stepped directly in front of the astonished man and slammed Shiranuemaru’s pommel into his head.

「Gah!」

「That makes three.」

I grabbed the Oni Tag that fell from the unconscious man’s chest.

With a light flick of Shiranuemaru, the blood clinging to its blade scattered into the mist.

Shiranuemaru really is one hell of a weapon.

If I want to cut something, it’ll slice through even a chain like paper. And yet—anything I don’t want to cut barely gets scratched.

That last strike was the same. The moment I decided to cut his armor without seriously wounding him, the blade answered my intent and severed only the chainmail.

It’s as though the katana itself can read my mind.

「Heh…」

A smile crept onto my face.

「You’re one hell of a blade.」

My grip on the hilt naturally tightened.

In response, Shiranuemaru seemed to tremble faintly with delight.

I slipped the Oni Tags I had collected inside my clothes.

Together with my own, that made four.

One more and my place in the main tournament would be secured.

That was easier than I expected. Since I’m only missing one, I’d like to take the last from someone who can put up a real fight…

As I looked around, the ground exploded some distance away.

Several warriors were sent flying along with a towering cloud of dust.

「UOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!」

Accompanied by a deep, earthshaking roar, one warrior after another flew through the air like snapped twigs.

「He’s completely out of control…!」

「Damn it! Everyone, stop him!」

「T-take this!」

「GAHAHAHAHAHA!! WEAK!! WEAK, WEAK, WEAK!!」

A lone giant emerged from the cloud of dust.

Laughing thunderously, he strode forward while mowing down everyone surrounding him.

Every swing of his enormous fists sent another warrior flying with a single blow and another Oni Tag spinning through the air.

He was overwhelming violence made flesh, using nothing but his own body.

And that force of nature was marching straight toward me as though he had already chosen his target.

「Onigawara Gantetsu, huh…? Now that’s more like it!」

The corners of my mouth had risen without me realizing it.

I couldn’t ask for a better opponent for my final tag.

Gantetsu’s eyes met mine.

Then, pouring fighting spirit from his entire body and wearing the face of an ogre, he charged straight at me.

「Aun Doumeki!! I knew it was you! Out of everyone at this Shurasaki Festival, you’re the bastard I’ve wanted to punch the most!!」

He punched aside the warriors in his path.

Batted them away.

Kicked them flying.

Not a single person could halt his advance.

He looked like a rampaging ogre.

And then—

The moment he closed to within little more than ten meters, Gantetsu drew a deep breath.

He shouted loudly enough for his voice to echo across the entire ancient battlefield.

「If you’re the grandson of Doumeki Daigoku, the 【War God】—」

He drew back his enormous fist.

「Then don’t you dare bore meeeee!!」

An explosion thundered through the air.

A shock wave erupted from his thrusting fist and raced straight toward me, tearing apart the ground in its path.

I channeled mana into Shiranuemaru as I drew, dispersing the oncoming shock wave.

「Don’t worry. I haven’t had nearly enough yet either.」