In that fleeting moment, a mere sixty seconds...
The battle between Yugen and Artoria transcended the realm of human conflict. To an ordinary onlooker, it was a cacophony of clashing steel and shockwaves—nothing but the resounding din of metal and the ripples of force that followed. Artoria's "Excalibur" wielded a power unimaginable for a woman's strength, yet Yugen matched her blow for blow with "Ame-no-Murakumo," their duel a perfect equilibrium of ferocity.
"...Incredible," Erika murmured.
"Yeah..." Leo echoed.
Even Leo and Erika, who had previously faced Artoria two-on-one, could do nothing but watch Yugen's fight unfold. Yet they remained vigilant, their Heavenly Blade Armaments unyielded. Yugen's glance toward them before engaging Artoria had spoken volumes.
True, he had declared this a fight to the death, but not once had he promised a fair duel. To escape this situation, he had calculated that cooperation with Leo and Erika was essential, and so he challenged Artoria with that strategy in mind.
Yugen closed in with a speed far surpassing Erika's body-enhancement techniques. Artoria, too, swung her sword faster than when she had faced both Leo and Erika together. This was a battle beyond human comprehension—Erika couldn't help but think this must be what they meant by a clash transcending mortal limits.
The shockwaves rippled continuously through the space, reminiscent of the explosive waves from Shizuku's "Active Air Mine" during the Nine Schools Competition's Women's Speed Shooting event—a relentless, resounding force.
"...'Alice,' let's do this."
Understood, my lord.
Yugen whispered to "Alice," and their synchronization activated, his eyes glowing a radiant gold. A fragment of the imaginary power within Yugen's memories—the limiter on human strength was released. By deliberately restricting its duration, "One-Blade Asura" amplified his physical abilities dozens of times over. Normally limited to a single minute, this technique would burden its user immensely if extended, but through "Reconstruction," Yugen could wield it almost indefinitely.
Artoria unleashed a diagonal slash, but Yugen slipped past it, his blade slicing through the air. Her cloak fell to the floor. That Yugen had managed to dislodge an adornment from Artoria—untouched by even Leo and Erika—drew a faint smile from her.
"Strong. Truly strong. This is—!?"
"How long do you plan to play king?"
Seizing the moment, Yugen unleashed the secret technique of the Shinkage-ryu swordsmanship, "Spirit Turtle Rending Blast." Artoria narrowly dodged, but her sleeve was sliced clean off from the elbow down. Stunned, she let the torn fabric fall to the floor, gripping "Excalibur" tightly.
Yugen recalled how the castle's walls had instantly repaired themselves, re-gripping "Ame-no-Murakumo."
If she's outside the control of the Ideation Dimension, she can't reconstruct or repair her adornments. So, Artoria is merely a vessel for wielding Excalibur's power.
Yet Yugen harbored no sentimentality. He stepped forward powerfully, closing in on Artoria again. She noticed his approach and swung her sword downward, but the moment her blade descended, Yugen's form blurred and vanished.
Before she could search for him, a sharp pain seared through her side. Instinctively, she thrust "Excalibur" to parry, only to find Yugen standing before her, despite having passed by moments ago.
"Why, with such strength... why do you not seek to become a king?"
"I'm not interested. Ruling with overwhelming power only leads to self-destruction."
Yugen had no desire for titles like "world's strongest" or ambitions of global conquest. He would meet courtesy with courtesy and crush hostility without mercy. Understanding that his magic could disrupt the world's balance, he avoided unnecessary interference. That was the path Yugen Kagurazaka had chosen.
"Then... prove the strength of your chosen path!"
Artoria yanked "Excalibur" from the floor, raising it overhead. Channeling all her power, she unleashed a radiant slash of light. A direct hit would be catastrophic. Yugen exhaled, steadying "Ame-no-Murakumo" and focusing his spiritual energy.
"Leo, Erika. Ready?"
"Hell yeah."
"If we don't hold the line here, our world's in trouble. Let's do this!"
Leo infused "Balmung" with his magic, while Erika channeled hers into "Clarent." Meanwhile, Shizuku and the others had retreated behind Mikihiko's barrier.
"Face me! Ex... CALIBUR!"
Artoria's full might unleashed a torrent of light. Leo and Erika met it with their Heavenly Blade Armaments.
"Here goes! Mythic Greatsword: Heavenly Demon's Fall, Balmung!"
"Let's do this! My Glorious Rebellion Against My Father, Clarent Blood Arthur!"
Their beams of light clashed, with "Excalibur" holding a slight edge. Yet Yugen remained still—not out of hesitation, but because reinforcements had arrived.
Suddenly, "Excalibur's" torrent vanished. Before Artoria could react, a storm of iron, wind, and ice bullets rained down. With her attack disrupted, Leo and Erika's strikes surged forward. Artoria tried to shield herself with "Excalibur," but it couldn't cover her entirely, and the onslaught left her with numerous cuts.
Relieved as the torrent faded, Artoria made a fatal mistake—she forgot one person's presence, even for an instant.
"—!?"
"It's over, Knight King."
Shinkage-ryu Swordsmanship: One-Blade Strike, Dream-Slaying Slash.
The ultimate technique of Shinkage-ryu, designed for a single, decisive strike. The legendary swordsman Bokuden Tsukahara's "One-Blade Strike" was a formless technique, its essence lying in the wielder's perfected, lethal blow. Yugen named his version after the concept of creating existence from nothingness. Synchronized with "Alice," he channeled "One-Blade Asura" into a fleeting moment, amplifying its power thousands of times into "One-Blade Rakshasa." This unstoppable blade sundered a god-forged sword and struck Artoria's body.
The severed blade of "Excalibur" pierced the floor, and Artoria, still clutching the broken sword, collapsed. Yugen watched her quietly. In her fading vision, she saw only Yugen, clear and vivid.
"Magnificent... To cleave my sword... When was the last time I felt such satisfaction?"
Was it when she drew the sword and was chosen as king? Or when she gained loyal comrades? Her memories blurred, unable to pinpoint the moment.
She had won and lost countless times, but no one had ever broken "Excalibur," the sword promised victory by divine forge. To shatter it was nothing short of godlike. And this boy before her had done it.
"In the end... your name..."
"Yugen Kagurazaka. I won't forget you, Knight King Artoria Pendragon."
As Artoria closed her eyes, a golden light flooded the space. In that radiance, her expression seemed... fulfilled.
A single phrase echoed in Yugen's mind—a voice of gratitude, unmistakable and clear.
Thank you.
Why she offered thanks, Yugen couldn't fully grasp. He had defeated her for his own reasons. Perhaps, in her final moments, she realized her role and existence might bring ruin to this world. Maybe her gratitude carried that weight.
◇ ◇ ◇
The golden light, lasting mere seconds yet feeling like minutes, faded. Yugen and the others found themselves back at the Inner Shrine, the site of the "Water Mirror Ritual." Honoka clung to Tatsuya, while Sana called out to Mikihiko.
"Tatsuya-san, are you okay!?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Honoka, calm down."
"Mikihiko, are you hurt?"
"Uh, no. But could you maybe give me some space?"
Honoka, Sana, and Minami had remained at the Inner Shrine, outside the Ideation Dimension. Sana had calmed a frantic Honoka while awaiting their return. According to Sana, only about a minute had passed. The "Spirit Water Mirror" had lost its glow, its ritual purpose fulfilled.
"All that... in just one minute? I almost want to call it a dream," Erika muttered, deploying "Clarent." The armament confirmed the reality of their ordeal.
Sana's voice rose in surprise. "Erika, you've mastered a Heavenly Blade Armament!?"
"Yeah, kinda like a cheat code. Not quite like Yugen's, though. Same for Miki."
"My name's Mikihiko," he corrected. "By the way, was it Tatsuya who stopped that light torrent?"
"That's the gist of it," Tatsuya replied. "But..."
Tatsuya had used "Cross Exelion" to unleash "Gram Dispersion," nullifying Artoria's torrent—a feat bordering on demonic. Eyes turned to Yugen, who gave a wry smile. He couldn't deny inspiring Tatsuya and the others to master their Heavenly Blade Armaments. Miyuki's eyes sparkled with admiration.
"Don't say more. It just... happened," Yugen said, cutting off further discussion.
Noticing something in his pocket, Yugen pulled out two dice-shaped crystals, their energy resembling "Alice's." Likely tied to guardian spirits—perhaps Nobunaga Oda or Kagetora Nagao. More trouble, just what I need, he thought, recalling the original story's complications.
◇ ◇ ◇
The crisis was resolved. Shizuku required observation, but Yugen hoped this fantasy-laden ordeal would be the last. He returned the "Spirit Water Mirror" to Minako, explaining everything—except the two magical crystals, which exceeded the Yotsuba family's capacity to handle. They were entrusted to the Kagurazaka family, meaning Yugen.
"Hey, Yugen..." Mikihiko began.
"Give it up. This is how it is," Yugen replied gruffly.
The group found themselves in the Yotsuba family's open-air bath, men and women together. The women wore bathing garments, but the situation was overwhelming for the men, especially Mikihiko, who fidgeted nervously. Yugen kept his eyes closed, navigating by presence alone to avoid temptation. Shizuku had instigated this, rallying the women into joining.
Leo showed some reaction to the women but was dragged away by Erika. Tatsuya endured Honoka washing his back, her figure making contact inevitable—a cliché but expected moment.
"You're awfully calm," Mikihiko noted.
"At home, CAD adjustments mean dealing with my sisters in their underwear. Shina sometimes skips it entirely. I've begged her to at least wear something," Yugen said, shuddering at the memory. He could almost relate to Tatsuya's predicament in the original story.
"Still, you mastering a Heavenly Blade Armament, Mikihiko..." Yugen trailed off.
"It's not something I can use lightly. And it's not the proper method like yours."
"The proper method means giving up being human."
Nearby, Miyuki, Shizuku, Himeri, Sana, Mizuki, and Shizuku engaged in lively girl talk. Leo and Erika whispered behind a rock, but Yugen refrained from using "Auditory Enhancement" to eavesdrop.
The legitimate method for mastering Heavenly Blade Armaments required over a decade, summoning a physical manifestation via a magical artifact Yugen had found during a world trip with Gozo, which knocked out anyone else who touched it. This shortcut allowed the "Divine Assembly" to reach the Seven Sacred Draws.
Tatsuya and the others achieved theirs through guardian spirits, leveraging the parasites' latent potential. Normally, one would need "Konoha" to reach the Seven Sacred Draws swiftly—a testament to the technique's potency.
"If I could say one thing, I'd like a bit more peace," Yugen said.
"Couldn't agree more," Mikihiko replied.
Yet power attracts trouble. With Tatsuya, a protagonist with a vacuum-like knack for chaos, tranquility was a pipe dream.
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