Boom!
Fire and blades shattered together, the explosive shockwave pulverizing walls and ripping away rooftops, sending debris hurtling through clouds of smoke.
A dark silhouette flew through that smoke, plummeting like a bird with broken wings. It cut a long arc through the sky before crashing into a hot-spring pool, spraying steaming water everywhere.
"Cough, cough… damn it, such a waste of a great hot spring...and now I'm soaked again."
Mirokuji Yūya climbed out of the pool. Though his landing was undignified, there was no obvious injury, nor any significant drop in his fighting ability.
Altair seemed to be in a rush, paying him no further attention after knocking him away, not even bothering to follow up.
"That military-uniform brat really pisses me off…"
To be underestimated like this—anger burned fiercely in Yūya's chest, veins bulging along the hand gripping his black wooden blade.
Just as Mirokuji was about to head back and vent his frustration against Altair, a sudden voice reached his ears.
"And just where are you going, Yūya?"
Instantly, Yūya's pupils constricted sharply, his breathing froze. That unending surge of fighting spirit suddenly halted.
"Oi, oi… are you kidding me?"
The vicious grin vanished from Yūya's face as he stared at the figure now standing atop a boulder.
"I've finally caught up with you, Yūya."
Pulling back his hood to reveal that face Yūya knew all too well, Hakua Shō's fighting intent surged ferociously, rivaling Yūya's own. He shouted excitedly, "Alright then, let's get started!"
"[Bayard]!"
Shō summoned his Astral Double, Bayard, a centaur-like figure emerging from ghostly flames, much like Yūya's Hangaku.
Yūya raised his wooden sword cautiously, eyeing Bayard—then abruptly, as if remembering something crucial, glanced downward.
Sure enough, Bayard's figure appeared reflected in the water beneath him, already thrusting its spear.
The next instant, Bayard's reflected spear burst from beneath the water's surface into reality, hurtling toward Yūya's chest.
Gritting his teeth, Yūya barely reacted in time, swinging his blade down to block the strike.
Bang!
The spear collided with his black blade, shattering the hot-spring water into a massive geyser, scattering droplets and mist in every direction.
Yūya successfully deflected the attack, yet his expression only worsened.
Those airborne droplets, now obeying gravity, fell like rain. And in each falling droplet, Bayard's figure appeared—an overwhelming number that made Yūya's scalp tingle as they encircled him.
Sharp spears erupted from phantom forms into reality, hurtling like a violent storm toward Yūya.
Desperately, Yūya swung his wooden sword in counterattack, sparks and metallic clangs echoing with each clash. But no matter how furiously he fought, he could only deflect a fraction of the attacks. At last, countless spearpoints surged toward him unchecked.
Boom!
Swept away by the explosive gusts, Yūya flew backward like a leaf caught in a violent wind, landing heavily yet managing to remain upright.
"Damn…this bastard's always like this…"
Yūya wiped blood from his lips, hoisting his black wooden sword onto his shoulder. Slowly rising, he once again flashed a fierce grin at Hakua Shō, who had now closed in. "Been here so long, I'd nearly forgotten."
When had Shō arrived in this world, and what was his relationship to Altair? Yūya couldn't care less about that.
Facing the mountainous aura emanating from his opponent, Yūya felt his blood boiling, his heart blazing, every cell in his body eager and excited for this fight.
Yes—no need for words. Now that both stood here, weapons in hand, eyes locked onto each other…
"We can only fight!"
With a savage laugh, Yūya swung down his blade, sending a destructive sword wave roaring forward like a speeding train crushing everything in its path.
Seeing the massive wind-blade, Hakua Shō's eyes widened instantly.
When had Yūya's sword wave become this huge?
Rolling swiftly to his left, Shō narrowly dodged the strike, though the residual force still grazed his arm, leaving a shallow cut.
Having avoided Yūya's attack, Shō shouted to his companion.
"[Bayard]!"
"[Hangaku]!"
Mirokuji Yūya showed no fear, summoning his own Astral Double in response.
The air instantly turned scorching hot, a wave of heat surging forth despite the early spring.
A pillar of eerie blue flames erupted skyward. From within emerged a distinct figure.
Hangaku Gozen stepped forward from the flames, her body wreathed in ghostly blue fire resembling celestial ribbons. The overwhelming presence she exuded sent chills through Shō.
When had Hangaku changed this much? Did they update versions without him?
Little question marks filled Shō's mind.
The blue flames quickly evaporated every drop of water from Yūya's body, removing Shō's chance to attack through reflections.
"Come on, round two!"
The ground cracked and split into countless fissures, blue flames fluttering and scattering like flower petals.
Using the force from shattering the earth, Yūya launched himself forward like an arrow released from a bow. Hangaku floated above, drawing back her bowstring like a full moon, a blazing arrow of blue flames forming within it.
The fiery arrow loosed from the bowstring streaked through the night sky like a falling meteor.
Bayard appeared instantly, thrusting his spear like a dragon piercing the heavens, shattering the fiery arrow mid-flight. Scattered sparks set the nearby ground ablaze.
At the same instant, Yūya closed the distance to Shō, slamming his wooden sword down with earth-shaking power. No delicate technique here—just pure, unadulterated violence capable of pulverizing stone.
Shō didn't dare underestimate it, raising his triple-section staff overhead to intercept Yūya's sword.
Boom!
The blade slammed against Shō's staff like a meteor impact, splitting the earth, sending shockwaves that pulverized rocks and scattered flames alike.
…
Just a bit earlier, despite Yūya being knocked out immediately upon engaging Altair, the sounds of battle had already alerted the others.
When Altair attacked again, launching numerous sabers aimed at Shimazaki Yuna, Selesia and Charon arrived in the nick of time, deflecting each incoming blade through seamless cooperation.
Selesia glared at Altair, her eyes burning with anger.
"Attacking powerless civilians—have you lost your mind, Altair? Isn't Yuna your Creator?"
Altair met Selesia's questioning with an icy stare, completely ignoring her. Instead, she coldly fixed her gaze upon Shimazaki Yuna.
"It must be exhausting, playing the part of a nonexistent person so diligently, maintaining this false persona, false relationships. Whenever others are around, you put on this pitiful act… I wonder what expression you'll show when I tear away that mask in front of everyone."
Van Gogh trembled slightly in Yuna's embrace.
"Yuna…what's happening?"
Van Gogh tried to raise her head and look around, but Yuna quickly covered her eyes.
"It's okay…let's leave this to Selesia-san and the others. It's dangerous here. Follow me closely…"
Hovering in midair, Altair watched Yuna's gentle interaction with Van Gogh. Her expression instantly darkened, turning fierce and terrifying.
"You bastard! Release Master at once!"
In a rare loss of composure, Altair abandoned even her indifferent fake smile. Countless sabers materialized around her, launching swiftly toward Shimazaki Yuna.
Seeing the deadly blades approaching, Selesia and Charon's expressions changed instantly. Without hesitation, they grabbed Yuna and Van Gogh respectively, narrowly escaping the concentrated storm of blades.
Altair's wrath became a destructive torrent, ravaging the inn. Wooden floors, walls, ceilings—all shattered under the relentless hail of sabers.
Once her rage subsided slightly, Altair felt a wave of panic.
Why had she used such widespread attacks? What if she accidentally hit Master? Though Master wouldn't be harmed by something trivial like this, how could she allow herself to attack Master at all…
Distracted by such thoughts, Altair's reaction slowed. She only noticed the massive fist hurtling toward her at the last moment.
The sabers loyally guarding Altair blocked the strike with a loud clash, sparks tearing through the night sky. Altair herself was hurled dozens of meters backward.
"Alright! Got you! How's that, Altair? That's [Gigas Machina]'s power!"
Inside the cockpit, Kanoya Rui cheered triumphantly.
Selesia stared in astonishment. "Kanoya! When did you bring [Gigas Machina] here?"
"Really, Selesia, is this the time to be worrying about that?" Kanoya's amplified voice clearly conveyed his dissatisfaction.
Regaining herself, Altair muttered grimly, "Just noise. The finale starts now."
A dazzling sun bloomed in the sky—brilliant enough to eclipse the moonlight.
Descending from that sun came Alicetaria, confronting Selesia and Charon, her golden gaze aflame with resolve.
"Let me be your opponent this time."
Seeing Charon approach, Alicetaria's eyes widened, sensing something extraordinary.
"This presence…are you also—?"
"As Meteora guessed," Charon replied calmly. "The source of your divine power…is Van Gogh-san, isn't it?"
At those words, Alicetaria's expression grew solemn.
---
bonus chaps
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300 stones -> 3 chapters
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