──Gwooooooon!
After walking for a while, we heard a distant roar of what sounded like a beast-like monster. We both crouched down, startled, and looked around.
“…No. I think it’s quite far away.”
“Y-yes… right?”
This kind of fear is hard to shake off completely. Each time, we can calm ourselves with deep breaths, but it’s impossible to completely eliminate the fear. Just as we were about to move again, we heard a hard, clicking sound of footsteps.
“Brrrrr”
A beast-like snort sounded nearby. I hurriedly crouched down again. Kimijima must have remembered my earlier idea. She reached out to the ivy climbing the wall. Though her face remained pale, after a moment the ivy began to rustle and grow, starting to cover us.
…….
We both crouched down and remained perfectly still. When I glanced at Kimijima, I saw her eyes tightly shut, her face tense with fear. Soon the footsteps faded away and could no longer be heard, but it took us a while longer before we were able to move again.
As the sun slowly rose, we continued on, flinching at every little sound. I could feel our energy draining unnecessarily.
“Are you alright? Should we rest a bit?”
When I asked, Kimijima shook her head. She probably wanted to get out of this city as soon as possible. Just as we were about to move on, it happened. My eyes met a gaze looking down at us from atop a half-collapsed building.
……Huh? Wha……!
Looking closer, it wasn’t actually on top of the building. A giant, one-eyed face was peering at us from behind the structure. Was this… one of those giants?
I wanted to believe it was just a statue or something… but those eyes followed our movements as we walked.
Damn it. A monster… It’s clearly spotted us.
“Kimijima……”
“……What is it?”
“……It’s a monster.”
“Huh?”
At my whisper, Kimijima looked around in surprise. Then she froze when she saw the giant. Seeing Kimijima’s face fill with terror, the giant gave a grinning smile. Then it started walking towards us, moving around the building.
……Wh……what the hell is that thing.
The giant walked towards us from behind the building while peering down at us over the crumbling structure. Its surreal appearance instantly crushed my spirit.
……It’s impossible. To… cut down… something like that?
“Let’s run!”
I desperately grabbed Kimijima’s hand and pulled. The thunderous sound of footsteps approached from behind.
Hah! Hah!
We darted into narrow alleys, trying to shake off the giant. Glancing back, I saw the giant walking leisurely with a smile plastered on its face, as if playing a game. The difference in our stride lengths was hopeless.
I was panicking at how unreal this all felt. My grip on Kimijima’s hand tightened.
“Sensei! That hurts!”
“Don’t give up! Keep running!”
I kept running desperately without loosening my grip. Kimijima also ran for her life.
──A chill ran down my spine.
Suddenly, I was struck by an ominous feeling. I couldn’t hear the giant’s footsteps anymore. As I looked back while running, I saw the giant lifting a mass of roof tiles and rubble above its head with both hands. Oh crap!
It was a split-second timing. If I had turned around even one second later, we surely wouldn’t have made it. I grabbed Kimijima and desperately dodged the rubble flying towards us with a roar.
CRASH!!!
With a thunderous sound, the debris pierced the spot where we had just been. As I felt fragments hitting my back, I realized our next moment of despair.
“Ugh”
I had fallen while shielding Kimijima, and tried to get up immediately, but it was already too late. In front of us, the giant looked down, licking its lips like a predator eyeing its prey.
Damn it… I couldn’t… do anything.
Having cornered us, the giant seemed to be at ease now. It opened its mouth with a smile.
“AAAAUUUAAAOOOAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah”
Was that the language of monsters? I couldn’t understand it at all. Perhaps that was for the best. The giant gestured towards Kimijima behind me while speaking to us in its incomprehensible tongue.
I instinctively tried to hide Kimijima with my body. Even such a futile act seemed to only please this creature. The giant laughed with glee, “Gyahgyah,” making me feel even more desperate.
“Ah… Ki-Kimijima….. I’m sorry……”
I managed to squeeze out words through my despair. There was no response from Kimijima behind me.
I just stared as the giant clenched its right fist and raised it. Its one eye was focused on me. It was completely over. I understood that.
…….
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Damn it all…….
“Haaaaaah!”
Just as I was about to give up on living, it happened. With Kimijima’s shout from behind me, ivy suddenly extended from the ruins towards the giant, wrapping around its raised fist. As I watched in shock, Kimijima yelled at me!
“It won’t hold! It’s not enough!”
Looking closer, I could see the entangled ivy starting to snap. Kimijima’s ivy could only stop the giant’s movement for a moment at best. …Damn.
……Damn it! ……Damn it! Damn it!
What am I doing? Coming here on my own. Giving up on my own. When Kimijima managed to act at the critical moment! I…!
Suddenly, my left hand touched the sword.
…That’s right. …This is all I have. …This is why I’m here.
The giant swung its ivy-entangled fist around, annoyed, trying to shake off the clinging vines. Then it focused on me again as its target. I’ll do what I can. I unsheathed my sword while still on one knee, carefully observing the giant’s movements, my right hand sliding along the hilt.
I hadn’t touched a sword since entering university, until my grandfather passed away.
But the techniques that my grandfather had ingrained in me nearly every day for almost fifteen years since childhood were deeply embedded in the core of my body.
Grandpa…….
I could probably manage only one strike. I had been told that after the trial with Karimaa, my magical power was exhausted after that single strike. Although I had been in a slightly depleted state at that time, even at full capacity, two strikes would likely be impossible.
In a state of extreme concentration, the giant’s movements seemed to progress slowly.
Slowly? I felt this with Karimaa too, but could it be? Time and perception… compressed? Indeed, the focus during iaido is on a different level. I can calmly and accurately gauge the giant’s fist. If so…….
I gathered all of myself in preparation for this single draw of the sword. I lifted the knee that had been on the ground, aligning my vector to propel my body forward. My left foot gripped the asphalt. Lowering my center of gravity, I waited like a beast, body and mind poised for that one moment.
──Patience. I let the approaching fist draw closer to its limit. Lowering my center of gravity even further, careful not to let any of the stored power escape. Flowing smoothly, I ducked under the fist while releasing the power, and leapt.
Concentrating magical power. Surpassing sound, seizing… the initiative after the opponent’s move.
There was no room for feints or tricks. Just a straightforward, powerful drawing technique designed to cut through the opponent’s defenses, prioritizing force over speed.
Kikusuikei-ryu Iaijutsu. Iwa-tooshi.
My grandfather’s words, “Nothing can obstruct the path of this blade,” were not false.
The fist swung down with a roar, but severed from its connection, it rolled along the ground.
The cut ran from the right side to the left side of the neck.
Not understanding what had happened, the giant’s face rolled away along with its arm, following inertia.
After a brief pause, the remaining body fell as well.
…………I cut it.
Hahaha… I can cut them after all.
“Amazing……”
I turned back and smiled at the dumbfounded Kimijima.
“It’s thanks to you, Kimijima. I owe you my gratitude.”
If I can cut them. That means we have a chance to survive. Let’s weave hope, little by little.
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