Blood gushed from the torn wound.

"Ack ... Guh!" 

With so much pain and loss of blood, I lost strength from my legs and I knelt on the ground.

What Shishō did was very simple. She offset the phantom I released with the same phantom.

But ………… Is that possible?

Phantom is extremely difficult to see due to its characteristics.

In order to intercept with the same phantom, it is necessary to accurately release the same orbit as the phantom that I released without any deviation.

Shishō did something much more difficult than forcing a string through a needle.

The difference in ability between me and Shishō is clear. Her skill, ability, and experience are all superior to mine, and there is nothing I can win.

As I was trapped in the thought that "I can't win", the words of Shishō echoed to me,

"Nozomu, release your Ability Suppression"

(Eh)

"You should understand. The only way to beat me is to release the Ability Suppression."

(Sure, I might be able to beat Shishō if I use that)

That is the only way to beat Shishō. I quickly realized that it was the only possibility I had.

However, that dream is in my mind.

Tiamat was inside the lake of my dreams and I felt a bit of anxiety at that time. The eyes of that guy I saw in my dreams certainly had a will to live.

Is it the characteristic of a spirit species? Perhaps the body is dead, but the soul remains alive.

And the Ability Suppression unexpectedly suppressed his power, and even his soul, isn't it?

(If I release the Ability Suppression, he may be released ...)

“………………………………”

………… I can't make a decision. I can't do it. It is necessary to release Tiamat so I can win against Shishō who is willing to kill. Then I will die anyway!

"Are you still lost?"

Shishō is slashing again. I raised my sword to parry it, but my movement is clearly slow due to the wound that was cut earlier.

I managed to parry only the slashing that hits directly, but Shishō mercilessly hits with the scabbard and kicks into my body in that gap.

"I, ku, guaaa!"

Shishō's attack caused pain all over my body, and combined with the unstoppable bleeding, I felt my consciousness becoming hazy.

"Will you die here?"

Maybe because the other party is Shishō, the strong desire to live, which had been overflowing in my heart until now, did not gush forth and the feeling of resignation "It's okay if it is Shishō" began to dominate.

At that time, Shishō's face suddenly came into my sight. Her face is distorted in agony for some reason.

“Why do you look like that?”

When such a question came to my mind, she said with a crying face.

"Nozomu, I'm going to die. It won't be long."

***

Shino’s POV

I'm sorry, I'm going to attack Nozomu.

I'm sorry to do such a thing suddenly.

I'm sorry to hurt you so much.

But this is the last, so the last selfishness.

While desperately hiding such thoughts, she was hitting Nozomu with an attack, but suddenly his face jumped into her eyes.

Nozomu's eyes did not have the strong will to "live" like he did when he fell into a crisis so far. He had an eye for accepting the coming death.

Wrong! That's not it! I have something to tell him, I want him to accept ... I don't want him to look like that!!!

I almost cried for my thoughts that I couldn't convey.

I have to tell him ………… I have something I want to tell and accept, for that reason…………………….

"Nozomu, I'm going to die. It won't be long."

***

Nozomu’s POV

"Nozomu, I'm going to die. It won't be long."

That words stopped my thought.

Die? Shishō? Why?

"It's Sleepness Disease. It's a disease in which you gradually lose your Qi

and eventually run out of it and die."

"Na~! Then, we should immediately treat it."

"The treatment method is not specified. And I only hold Qi for one more night. "

"If I had restrained my body's Qi, I would have possessed a little bit more."

"Then! Why don't you do that !! If you have a little more time, you might be able to do something !! !! !! "

Shishō ignores the question and proceeds with her story. But the next words completely blocked my question as I tried to continue.

"I came here because I was betrayed by my family ..."

"Eh…………"

"I was framed by my sister, abandoned by my parents, the surroundings spit on me, so I fled to this continent."

Then, what Shishō told me was a story about Shishō that I had never heard before. I had heard about her family, but she never told me that such a thing happened. Truly, I didn't feel it at all.

When Shishō talked about her family, she looked very happy and found out that she loved her family.

"You and I are surprisingly similar. Betrayed and ridiculed by others and ran away."

It may be as Shishō says. After being dumped by Lisa, I trained to escape, and Shishō actually fled the country.

"I didn't mind dying anymore. That's why I retired to such a place."

Shishō strikes the length of her own hearts. I was just silently listening to Shishō's words.

"I have nothing left. But I met you. At first, I was frustrated as if I was looking at my own alter ego, but unlike me, You didn't give up on living. And I felt you had something that I didn't have."

"Nozomu, this is my last selfishness ......... I have something I want to convey, this is the last time I'm running away."

She said so and begged me with a crying face.

"Please, my last wish. Will you accept it?"

……………… Shishō's words woke me up.

In the end, She wants to decide her own path in front of me.

………… It's easy to talk to Shishō here and persuade her to live. But isn't that a twist on her will? She said that she had to tell him even if she cut her last time.

…………………… I admit it, I've been running away all the time. From everything that surrounds me at the school.

Run away, run away, "escape" from reality and run away…………

But …………

When I saw Shishō's face, her face seemed to overflow with tears, and she looked like a lost child.

If I escape from Shishō's wishes here, I will never be able to face her again.

Above all, I don't want Shishō to look like that! !! !!

Place my hand on the chain that binds me. If I release the ability suppression, I may be eaten by that jet-black dragon.

But if I escape here now, I will regret it for the rest of my life! !!

I tore the chain and released my true self for the first time.

The next moment. My view went dark.

I'm on the shore of the lake I dreamed of. A black giant stands in front of me.

"Dragon King Tiamat"

When he saw me, he lifted his forefoot and came to crush me.

Jump back and lie down on the ground at the same time as landing to pass the shock wave. But the next moment, the tail of Tiamat which was swept away to the sideway is approaching in front of me.

It's obviously faster than the last confrontation! !! !!

The tail hits directly without hesitation.

"Ah !!!!"

I got thrown into the air and my whole body is broken, and my consciousness flew with severe pain.

With my good defense, the impact of being hit on the ground restores my consciousness, but my brain has exceeded the ability to handle pain.

My whole body is so hurt that I don't even know if I still have a body, but I manage to get up by overworking my whole body muscles. Tiamat is opening his mouth and trying to release his breath. Unlike before, He comes to kill me from the beginning!

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"

With a roar, I thrust towards Tiamat!

Considering the difference in ability between him and me, I fell short on time. But, more importantly…….

"I'm not calling you! My opponent is not you !!"

I can't see you right now! !!

Tiamat breath is released. The huge flame approaches my eyes, I try to avoid it by twisting my body, but I cannot avoid it with this tattered body, and the right half of my body that the flame touches disappear.

However, I don't mind it and jumps with my left foot. I plunged into Tiamat while receiving roaring sounds and shock waves behind me, but there he is opening his mouth.

As soon as I jumped in, his mouth is closed and his fangs tore me.

My lower body is cut off and my head is half-scraped. Penetrating my whole body, my body has become a bloody lump of meat.

However, perhaps because of the spiritual world, I feel conscious of the injuries that I was supposed to be dead. Even if it's ephemeral.

While my whole body is messed up, I observe the front, it glowed in my bloody field of vision.

The light is colored in 5 colors of black, red, blue, green, and yellow. It's small but I could feel tremendous power through it. Perhaps this is his power.

I reached for the light and touch it. The lower half of my body has already been lost, and my internal organs have been drained.

My right arm was lost, my left arm has also been cut with fangs, and it is half torn. I am almost unconscious, and only a moan is heard from my mouth.

Still, I reach out. When my torn hand touched the light, the light overflowed and my vision dimmed again.

When I noticed, I returned to where I was.

"Guu !!!"

Power overflows from my whole body. The power is too great and will erode my spirit.

I have no time. If I prolong it, I will be eaten by this power, or at worst I will die out of control!

Looking at Shishō, she looks so happy there.

Holding the katana. Blood still flows from the wounds cut by Shishō, but I don't mind it.

"Here I come!!!"

"Come !! Foolish disciple !!!"

Shishō holds a katana and releases more energy than ever.

Accept all of Shishō. With that intention in mind, I confronted Shishō again.

***

The two of them activate the "Instant Move -Kusemai-" again and collide with each other. Draw an intricate curve in the dark night and let the moonlight sparkle the sword flash.

The speed had reached an area that even top-notch warriors could not follow with their eyes.

Each other's appearances were as intertwined with each other as before, but the superiority and inferiority were distinctly different.

Nozomu's blow numbs Shino's arm, Shino's attack is parried by Nozomu, and on the contrary, it is likely to be blown away.

Although Shino's skill lies in her skill, Nozomu's physical ability, which has no restraint by releasing his suppression, clearly surpasses her.

Shino gradually became inferior. A trace of bitterness comes out of her mouth.

"Ku! Can't you be a little more gentle on a woman! This foolish disciple!"

"What are you talking about! At least there is no frail girl who has never been kind in front of me !! Think about your own age !!!

"What did you say! A woman is a woman no matter how old it is! A guy who doesn't understand a woman's heart, no wonder he's abandoned by his lover, this is a mess!"

"Na! What do you mean !! I don't want to be told by a hikikomori in such a place !! That most likely lacking in social skills! This naive !!!

"What do you mean by lack of social skills! What did you say to your master !! Get over here! I will beat that guts!!!

"Bring it on! I was fed up with your tantrum! You struck me with kijutsu because of a petty joke !! How many times do you think I died !!"

"I've been properly going easy so you're not going to die! Just barely return from the Sanzu River !!"

"That's not the problem! Why do I keep dying just because of Tsukkomi !!!"

"Don't worry about every detail! It's okay because you came back!"

"It's not good!"

Fight while blurting out bad things about each other. It is an extremely advanced exchange of skills and an extremely crappy war of words.

The high-speed battle with "Instant Move -Kusemai-" has exceeded Nozomu's physical ability, and Shino changes her hand, perhaps because she thought it would be bad as it is.

"Chii! I can't purge this boy as it is !!"

"Cho! You said to purge me just now !! I'm gonna kill this grandmother !!!"

"It's obvious !! I already said that at the beginning !! It's a good idea to reflect in hell for the crime of smashing a maiden's heart!"

Shino puts her hands on her hips and compresses her Qi. Her compressed Qi is released as she pushed out her hands.

Qi technique "Cannon"

It is a technique that releases the compressed Qi in one direction and blows away the opponent.

Shino chased after Nozomu, who was thrown by the Cannon.

"Take this! Maiden's enemy !!!"

Shino unleashes a technique she had prepared before.

Qi technique "Phantom".

Nozomu is already in a stance to intercept, An extremely compressed Qi is ready to be released,

"That's a remark of fraudsters !! Age fabrication and violence are crimes !!!"

It is the same Qi technique "Phantom" that is released. The two techniques collide in the middle of each other and cancel each other out.

As Nozomu did earlier, it was the concentration to the utmost limit that made it possible to offset the phantom with the same phantom.

When he once fought Tiamat and was dying, he was so focused that the time around him seemed slow. Thanks to this concentration to the utmost limit, the sword slash of a super-class swordswoman named Shino was completely cut off.

The two cuts through the remnants of the Qi scattered around and connect it to the next technique.

"Remember the greatness of your master !!!"

"I'll overthrow you !! Natural criminal !!!"

Qi technique "Phantom -Return-"

The extremely compressed air blades collide with each other, causing the

surroundings to bloom again with Qi and sparks.

The two then connect to the next technique.

Use the momentum of the return blade to rotate the body. While delivering the sword, point the sheath butt at the opponent and hit it at the same time as the sword is delivered.

Qi technique "Breaking Strike"

An internal destruction technique that destroys the opponent's body by simultaneously driving Qi and shock waves into the opponent's body. If It hits properly, the internal organs will be messed up.

Each other's skills are canceled with a banging sound.

The impact of the techniques colliding with each other slightly separated them from each other, but it led to the next technique as it was.

The two turned around and sent their Qi to the hand that did not hold the katana.

The enveloped Qi was so enormous that it could not be compared with the previous kijutsu.

The fists of each other hit and sent a lot of Qi to the ground. Then the central ground between the two exploded, and a pillar of light erupted.

Qi technique "Light of Extinction"

The Qi that hit the ground is released at the feet of the enemy, the opponent is launched into the air, and destroyed by the torrent of light.

It has the maximum range of effect and high annihilation power among their skills.

The two rushed through the ground and collided as they were. Push each other on the ground as it was.

"Still a long way to go!!!!"

"Of course!!!"

The two connect their skills further. They thrust into the other party with their katana delivered to each other, and engage in a physical battle using their limbs.

Use fists, legs, elbows, and any part of your body to hit as if they were dancing.

Their form is similar to each other.

Eventually, changes appear around the two. A grain of light appeared, and it began to gather in a spiral.

Actually, they were already activating an existing technique.

Ritual body technique "Rinne Kaiten"

There is a magic called ceremonial magic. As the name implies, it is magic that is activated by performing a ritual and interfering with the spirits of the outside world.

As Norn Altina said in the magic class, the origin of ceremonial magic is the ritual of praying and giving offerings to the gods and spirits.

Originally, "Dance" was dedicated in the same way during the Shinto ritual.

Utilizing this, the ritual technique was created by fusing "Dance" and "Martial Art".

Attacking the opponent while offers it as a "Dance" to establish a ritual, and interfere with the surrounding spirit. Deploying ceremonial magic.

This "Rinne Kaiten" absorbs the surrounding spirits and repeatedly strengthens the body. The more you dance, the more powerful you will be.

However, since the ritual physique is inevitably tied to a fixed pattern, there is a possibility that it will become inferior as soon as the pattern is cut off.

The clash between the two, who had been repeatedly strengthened eventually caused the surrounding trees to tremble with a shockwave.

The dance of the two continues nonstop, and the light of the spirits gathered around them to honor the dance.

***

Shino’s POV

Qi suddenly falling out and the vision became dark.

To counter the extraordinarily strong disciple, she had to use all of her Qi and magic, and use all of her skills to push the limits.

Even so, somehow her hands are full just to make it par.

The loss of Qi that exceeded the limit caused the sleep death disease to progress at once. The recovery and loss of Qi are reversed and will not recover anymore.

My death is settled.

(Well ………… It's okay)

Looking at my last disciple while thinking of such a thing as if it were

someone else's problems

………… He becomes stronger. This kid has really gotten stronger. Only a few people on this continent can beat this kid when he unleashes the bind.

Even those people may be overthrown in some cases.

This child confronts the enormous power hidden within himself at his own will.

A powerful force that can easily crush such a small child. An ordinary person would go mad with fear. Or swallowed by that power.

For the last request of such an old woman, he faced the power and fought it.

This will be the last, but ……………………………… Thank you. Nozomu.

***

Nozomu’s POV

He clenches his teeth and endures the force that is likely to burst. He can't release it for a long time. His reason is scraped off, and his body is rattling due to too strong force.

This ability is overwhelming, but I can't attack. Repeated attacks are balanced and only time passes.

The movement of the surrounding spirits accelerated further, and the dance is approaching the end.

Feeling the end approaching, the things that have happened since I met Shishō come to my mind.

A chance encounter in the forest.

Hell-like training.

Pointed out that I was running away.

She said, "Welcome back".

The place where the master was, definitely a "place to return".

But, it will be gone soon.

It is very sad …………

It seems that the inside of my chest would be torn apart with sadness…………

It was the last request of Shishō!

I can't show her my unsightly appearance. Soon, it will be the last one, but ………………………………

Thank you, Shishō.

***

"Dance" has finally come to an end. Two kicks that have been strengthened

to the limit collide.

The surrounding ground is rolled up by the shock wave and blown away.

The big trees were bending and screaming.

Using the impact of the collision, the two rotate their bodies like a spinning top.

Simultaneously, returns the katana to its scabbard, and send all of their Qi to the scabbard and compress it to the limit.

Qi technique "Phantom -Flash-"

A technique that releases one's fastest battōjutsu (drawn-sword technique).

A technique that just puts their own feelings into it.

The katanas carrying the thoughts of the two people crossed.

The silence has returned to the forest.

Nozomu's katana has only a handle left.

The drawn-sword collided at the center of the two, and at that moment. Nozomu's sword was shattered.

Immediately after, Shino collapses on the spot.

"Shishō !!!"

Nozomu rushes to Shino and hugs her, but her face is pale and lifeless.

“…………………… Nozomu. Hey, You've become stronger ………… I don't think I can teach you about sword anymore ………….”

"Shishō …………."

Even Nozomu, who had no knowledge as a doctor, understood. She is dying already.

"I am happy. Accepting the last request of such an old woman. ………… Please accept my feelings."

The inner corner of his eye became hot. In the face of an unavoidable farewell, Nozomu couldn't control his tears.

"Nozomu, just remember this"

"Even if you run away. Even if you stop. Don't avert your eyes to the fact that you've run away, you've stopped. If you forget it, you won't be able to move on as I do."

Perhaps she can no longer see with her eyes, her gaze swims in the air, and her body gets colder and colder.

"Even if you run away, even if you stop. If you don't forget it, you should be able to move forward someday..........."

“…………………………I, yes. Shishō……………………………………"

She smiled as if she was relieved to hear Nozomu's words.

"I'm glad ... I'm satisfied with this."

She looks up at the moon. It is a peaceful and gentle moon to watch over.

"Nozomu .......... I'm a little tired ............ I'm going to sleep ..........Someday again."

"......... Yes Shishō .... Good night."

She is satisfied, slowly closes her eyes, and falls into a deep, deep sleep.

To a deep sleep that will never wake up.

All that was left behind was the voice of someone who repressed his voice and sobbed.

***

It's been a week since then. Nozomu was promoted to the third year.

His promotion exam was just barely as usual, but ......

Nozomu thinks about himself now.

He's still halted even now. About Lisa, about the school. About himself.

He may run away again. He may remain halted.

But it's over if he looks away from that fact.With the teachings of his master and the sprout of his new determination, he set out for the gates of Solminati Academy.