Manowa - Chapter 370

While Kazane and Naoki were fighting the devils and Yumika’s group was fighting Black Dragon Hagasu, the battle between Jinrai and Old Jinrai was also still continuing. Above the heads of the people running around to escape the Hirukos, that battle was taking place on the rooftops of the houses, and right now, it seemed Jinrai was on the defensive as Old Jinrai fiercely attacked.

「Drop dead already!」

「Shut it! You’re merely my right arm; rebelling against me is what’s wrong here.」

After Jinrai shouted that, Old Jinrai closed the distance at once.

「Unu!?」

Spear technique『Weeping Willow』into『Spin』. Old Jinrai used Yumika’s specialty, but Jinrai anticipated it and blocked the spear shaft with his own spear shaft before his legs were caught.

「Naive!」

Jinrai shouted, but Old Jinrai grinned. Immediately after, Old Jinrai forcibly stepped forward and rammed Jinrai. Their body specs were different. At this short distance, Jinrai couldn’t defend.

「Ku!」

Jinrai was pushed off the roof and hung in the air.

(Hah. I of all people.)

But Jinrai wasn’t flustered. Jinrai had already entered the mental concentration territory of『Zone』. After he grasped the surroundings, he sent the Adhesive Sword in his artificial arm flying and hooked onto the railing of a balcony, then used the momentum of his fall and the Adhesive Sword’s stretching and contracting nature to jump to another building’s rooftop.

「Tch, are you a street performer?!」

Old Jinrai’s calculations had failed due to Jinrai’s unexpected movements, and he raised a criticizing voice as he chased after him.

「Shut up. I use whatever I can use. That’s my policy.」

As Jinrai replied, he made a U-turn and rushed toward the approaching old Jinrai. The midair clash of spears scattered sparks, and they passed by each other without either causing any damage once again.

(However, this guy truly is me after all?)

Jinrai once again set foot on a roof, and while facing Old Jinrai and assuming a stance, he thought that. The more they thrust their spears at each other, the more he could understand that their idiosyncrasies were the same. Since they could predict most of each other’s movements, they couldn’t make any opportunities for powerful techniques, so they had no other option but to continuously make simple thrusts against each other. Their state was now almost like a repetition draw in shogi.

However, they were still in the wait-and-see stage right now. The equilibrium would likely immediately collapse as soon as Jinrai removed his prosthetic arm. And it seemed that was the same for the other party.

(It seems that guy also has『something』.)

Jinrai glared at Old Jinrai in front of him.

「Hm」

「Hm」

Then, as if they had made an agreement, both jumped backward. Both of them smiled as they looked at their opponent.

「Should I say as expected of myself? It means we can read each other’s inner thoughts.」

「Since it seems we both see that this will never end as it is. In that case, we’ll have to display what happened after we were separated.」

Jinrai unlocked the breastplate that held his prosthetic arm in place, removed artificial arm『Cindy』, and made it move independently with its auxiliary arms to withdraw. Now that he only had one arm, when Jinrai took a stance, he only had the white dragon fang spear『God Eater』, which had absorbed Gungnir, in his left hand.

「Did you acquire that power while I was gone?」

「Rynox gave it the name『Unicorn』.」

Old Jinrai frowned at the name Rynox. He was also『Jinrai』. Rynox’s name had a special meaning.

「In that case, should I also go receive a name from that guy?」

As Old Jinrai said that, his gauntlets, greaves, and chestplate began to move one after another, opening to expose the contents. Then red light leaked from inside. It seemed Old Jinrai had a body inside. The red glow was coming from it. Then Old Jinrai’s face also started changing from black to transparent red crystal.

「What is that?」

「Right now, other than the living flesh of my right arm, my body is made of Magic Life Stones. This armor also acts as a seal and limiter. And now I have released that. Do you understand what that means?」

It was different from just before. That presence was as if a giant beast was in that place. Then Old Jinrai announced.

「My current self is a little too strong. Shall I end it immediately?」

Without pause, he started running.

(Fast!?)

Jinrai’s eyes opened wide as he saw Old Jinrai accelerate even faster than before. The light leaking from the open part of the armor became a trail that marked the trajectory of Old Jinrai’s movement.

「NUuuUOOOO!」

Then Old Jinrai thrust out the spear in his right hand, and red Fighting Spirit was emitted. That destroyed the roof he and Jinrai were standing on and the surrounding structures before it crashed into the watchtower further back, causing that to start collapsing as well.

「That’s a vulgar way of fighting.」

However, Jinrai splendidly avoided that powerful attack. Jinrai squinted as he said that, and Old Jinrai smiled as he replied.

「This body has things I didn’t have before. Vast magical power. Superhuman ability. Now, you can’t win against me.」

「It’s precisely because I’ve arrived beyond that point that I’m here now. There’s no way I’d lose to someone wallowing in their own power.」

Then Jinrai stepped forward. Unlike Old Jinrai, who had acquired enormous magical power, Jinrai’s body remained the same as before. No, the loss of his arm’s Astral Body had definitely reduced his quantity of Magic Power.

However, the current Jinrai was purely『strong』.

Jinrai’s spear, clad in honed white Fighting Spirit, knocked down Old Jinrai’s black spear, which was wrapped in red Fighting Spirit.

「What!?」

At that power that seemed impossible with the body of a human being, Old Jinrai’s surprised expression turned toward Jinrai.

「Hmph. Up until now, I’ve continuously fought against opponents that simply possessed mighty power. Is that all you’ve got?」

If he lacked power, he simply had to hone his own power until it could compete against intense power… that was the conclusion Jinrai reached. By focusing it, focusing it, and focusing it even more, a single speck of exceedingly pure, white Fighting Spirit would gather at the tip of Jinrai’s single spear. That was Jinrai’s『Unicorn』. That was the one-armed Jinrai’s nickname as well as the name of the original spear technique he had created.

And after Jinrai’s provocation, Old Jinrai’s Fighting Spirit started enlarging even further to increase his power.

However, the battle between the two didn’t continue further.

It was interrupted by the disappearance of the black sphere that had existed in the east and the reverberating sound of an explosion from the center.

◎ Trade City Uumin, Center Street

「GyuAaAAA!!??」

The black dragon screamed as she started crumbling. The constructed magical power characteristic of magical power bodies turned into grains of light and started disappearing.

The scales on Black Dragon Hagasu’s body had been destroyed, and her strength had been exhausted by the explosions that left her riddled with wounds; they had astonished expressions as they watched her collapse.

They had faced that villainous dragon and lived. They were unmistakably the victors. However, their faces were not the faces of victors.

Those expressions were suggestive of despair, or perhaps guilt… and Kazane, who had arrived from the Summoning Institute, also witnessed the cause.

「You can’t look. That isn’t something you need to see.」

「Why, Louise? Why are you covering my eyes? We’re still in battle?」

「Can we not get promoted unless we’re that ruthless, Leader?」

「That, that kind of thing is too egregious.」

「Shut up. We were saved by that. We should definitely be grateful, so criticizing… urp」

「Leader, gu, I also…」

「Ugeeーーーーーー」

「After I’d already fallen into being a monster, I didn’t think I would fall even further off the proper path.」

「You’ve really stopped being a human being.」

「After all, it couldn’t be helped, right? If I hadn’t done that, everyone would have died…」

As such words resounded, Kazane witnessed the THING in front of the disappearing dragon.

「What the?」

It was『Heroic Spirit Arch』in a state that could only be described as【CENSORED】, with hanging【CENSORED】and【CENSORED】, and her face was【CENSORED】.

And, as always, a huge bear was collapsed and lifeless nearby.

「Guri…ri…rin…will…be…re…born……we…can…meet…a…gain……righ…t?」

While muttering such a thing, Arch in her【CENSORED】state and the giant bear Guririn’s magical power bodies started disintegrating into light and vanishing.

Then, Kazane

「Yo, is everyone safe?」

Pretended she didn’t see that scene and rushed over to Yumika and the others.

Name: Yuihama Kazane

Occupation: Summoning Fighter

Title: Ogre Killer, Dragon Slayer, High Beast Summoner, Rea King, Liberator

Equipment: Staff 『White Blaze』, Draghorn Tonfa x2, Dragon Eating Ogre Army Armor (True), Indestructible Cloak, Mysterious Pouch, Crimson Saint Coffin, Heroic Spirit Summoning Ring, Circlet of Wisdom, Aim Bracelet, White Magic Accumulator (Revised) ×2, Rainbow Necklace, Rainbow Dragon Ring, Angel Bracelet

Level : 38

Health: 152+20

Magic Power: 340+520

Strength: 72+45

Agility: 78+39

Endurance: 43+20

Wisdom : 75

Dexterity : 51

Spell : 『Fly』『Torch』『Fire』『Heal』『Firestorm』『Healer Ray』『High Heal』『Golden Dusk「Dragon Exclusive」』『Mirror Shield』『Rabbit Speed』『Flare Mirage』

Skill : 『Kick Devil』『Warrior’s Memory: Lv2』『Night Vision』『Crushing Blow』『Dog’s Sense of Smell: Lv2』『Golem Maker: Lv4』『Aegis Shield』『Fire Principle: Third Chapter』『Healing Principle: Fourth Chapter』『Air Jump: Lv2』『Killing Leg: Lv3』『Fear Voice』『Invisible』『Tiger Eye』『Wall Walking』『Intuition: Lv2』『Cheat Death』『Nimble』『Charge』『Material Shield: Lv2』『Information Link: Lv2』『Optical Camouflage』『High Dash』『Bloodsucking Blade』『Dragonization: Lv2「Dragon」』『Regenerate』『Soul Breaking Blade』『Stealthy Hand Placement』『Thunder Chariot: Lv2』『Sturdier Teeth: Lv2「Dragon」』『Crystallization: Lv2「Dragon」』『Devil King’s Intimidation』『Stone Minotaur: Lv2』『Mega Beam: Lv2』『Space Expansion』『Pseudo-Silver Creation』『Poison Claw』『Fireball「Dragon」』『Cuticle「Dragon」』『Arms Creation: Black Flame』『Ingredient Connoisseur: Lv2』『Dragon Pheromone「Dragon」』『Boost』『Monkey’s Strong Arm』『Two-sword Style』『Boobies Plus』『Living Armor』『Alarm』『Six-sword Style』『Mental Attack Complete Protection』『Spider Web』『Wire Cutter』『Flexible』

Yumika: 「…………」

Kazane: 「Alright, the battle is still going on. Let’s do our best.」