Volume 2 - Chapter 10: Two Heavens as One

Author's Note:

Sorry, this took a while to write. I've been busy with other chapters for my new FF. Also, I will started adding Author notes, for japanese words that people might not know. I know some people have trouble since I tend to add a few words in the FF. Well, please read this latest chapter and please do Rate my FF on the main page. I like to read your reviews and comments too! As always, thanks for reading!!

“--TCH!!!!”

That was the words that Souma had finished after Kami-sama had “interrupted” his meal.

Souma was completely pissed off but he was in an unknown place and Souma had no idea what to do now…

Souma dusted himself off and his cloak of fire began to dwindle as Souma regained his tranquility. The flames around his body began to shorten in flare and eventually disappeared into a flick. Souma stood up and began to look at the entire room he was residing in. Intricate designs were all over the entire room. Signs of nobility were present in the room and on the far east corner, laid a picture of a woman. A woman garbed in a pretty white dress and her red eyes were accentuated with the long, scarlet hair that flowed behind the woman. Her features were angelic and had a sense of regality written all over the painting. Her dress had a pretty rose that sparkled with the light that came through the window. On her neck was a beautiful necklace that had onyx jewels that added a mysterious effect to her portrait. Upon noticing the light that came from the window, Souma walked towards the window after viewing the woman in the painting.

After Kami-sama’s voice had interrupted his meal, Souma was in a bad mood but the effect from the outside view had calmed him down. As he looked outside from his window, Souma saw a gigantic fortress but the thing that calmed him down was the ethereal glow that came from the top of the clouds. A blinding light had surrounded the entire fortress and created an invisible barrier. The fortress was surrounded by a glow that contradicted the entire snowy region.

Souma looked at the fortress that was garbed in his Kurogane Clan symbol and he noticed the various quantities of weapons laying around. Even to the side, he saw a gigantic railgun that arched from the side of the building. Upon inspecting, he even saw a large runway that lead towards a gigantic hangar with rotors of an aircraft sticking out at the entrance.

‘This place is gigantic...where am I….?’

‘Ojii-chan better explain this in detail...this place is heavily guarded...and the clan symbol...is everywhere...’

‘I’ve read books from Chichiue’s study about the Japanese war...and I saw pictures with the same weapons as the ones down there...’

“Wow...this is a huge place...I’m even surprised my eyes could even see this far….”

Souma spoke to himself as he wondered about the place he woke up in.

The entire room was quite silent and his voice trailed outside the door and into the hallway/corridor.

The wolfgirl heard Souma’s voice and began to return to the room where he was residing in. As she approached the door, she reverted into her more appeasable form as a girl with wolf ears. The wolfgirl changed and donned an appropriate maid outfit to accommodate her reason for being there. She knocked on the door and Souma heard the knock and quickly approached the door.

Souma opened the door and noticed the maid with wolf ears standing at the entrance. A woman that stood about 5’4” wearing a maid outfit was standing at the entrance. The woman had regal features and her hair was a beautiful shade of brunette. Her eyes were a deep shade of purple/violet and adorable wolf ears sticking out of the top of her head. Her outfit was a traditional maid outfit with the headpiece and everything. The outfit was a mix between black and white and frilly accessories dangled to the side. The maid had features that normally wouldn’t fit with a normal maid considering how beautiful she was. Her appearance was rather noble instead of being a normal maid. As she stood at the entrance, her posture was evenly balanced and her eyes stared straight into Souma as if she were examining his entire body.

Before he could even speak, she already started…

“Hello. Souma-sama, I may presume?...Well, I could already tell from your scent that you are indeed part of the Kurogane family.

I am Rea, and I am your personal maid or attendant, however you may see fit.

Please address me however you may like and if you need anything, do not hesitate to ask.”

The wolf maid spoke with an appropriate tone and quickly explained who she was. Rea wasn’t quite sure how to handle Souma, so she took on her maid personality to meet him. She was the same wolf that slept for millenniums and had a quirky personality regarding humans. Thus she took on the form of a human female yet having resemblance of a proud wolf(her ears). Rea was quite the proud wolf yet she became the Fortress’s attendant after losing against Ryuu, Souma’s ancestor.

Rea had no qualms on guarding the fortress and she enjoyed the quietness that revolved the entire region. Ojii-chan had informed Rea through his [Soul Telepathy] that Souma was arriving and she was to cater to all his needs. Of course, Rea obliged and didn’t mind the new master. It’s been centuries since she had someone at the fortress, ever since Ryuu had returned back to earth however time wasn’t relevant in this region. As centuries passed, Rea only perceived it as seconds passing by. Time didn’t flow and Rea maintained her appearance despite being in a dungeon for so long.

As Rea began to address Souma with such formality, he began to wonder…

‘Oh no...Not another one...I do not want her to call me Goshuujin-sama like Akane...I do not know what might happen if the two met...’

After introducing herself, Rea bowed in respect and Souma exchanged his greetings…

“I am Souma, you do not need to keep formalities, just address me as Souma. I prefer it be like that rather than you always calling me with “-sama”...makes me feel uneasy...I do not wish to be some sort of noble or anything…

By the way...Rea….-san? Where am I?”

Souma had to let the “-sama” go, since the title gave him goosebumps. Being someone of superiority is indeed nice and all but to Souma, it simply meant more trouble for him. He already had features of a noble and he’d rather keep quiet. Souma knew better that his ego could very grow and Kami-sama is a jerk but he clearly stated not to become cocky. Knowing himself(Kami-sama), it could very well become problematic if he had grown arrogant, so Souma quickly tossed aside the idea of being someone superior. Although in the past, he would’ve enjoyed the nice tone of superiority but ever since his memories began to flush through his mind and the words that flowed into him from [Kagatsuchi], it cleared his mind. Souma was thinking more rational as time continued…(even though time is nonexistent in that dungeon).

Souma already decided to toss his arrogant feelings aside as he had more present issues to attend to. He already knew that he had to go to a different realm for some reason and Ojii-chan wouldn’t reveal anything until he got the weapon that was in the Dungeon…

As Souma continued to think about his situation, Rea interrupted him by explaining everything…

“Souma-sama, The reas-” Rea was in the process of explaining but Souma had interrupted her midway...

‘She’s going to keep this up...’

“Ahem...what did I say…”

Souma had an unusual expression that mimicked his displeasure at Rea’s words...

“But, Master, I cannot ridicule such a great person as if he were my equal...I cannot address you so casually, Souma-sama.”

Rea answered in a modest voice yet she was unshaken after Souma had clearly expressed his displeasure.

“Haaa...well can’t you just let it slide for me?”

Souma shrugged his shoulders in attempt to change Rea’s mind but it wasn’t working...

“Dame!”

[Editor’s note: Dame! = No way! Literal translation]

“I refuse to address such a person, related to the man that defeated, in such a casual way. Souma-sama! I will address you as I see fit and you cannot change it!” Rea spoke with a commanding tone that alerted even Souma. Her voice gave such a powerful vibe that sent shocks throughout Souma’s entire body….

Souma was a bit shaken but he finally had to let it go…

“Alright...Rea-san...Address me as you like...but back to my question...Where am I?”

Souma finally gave in to Rea’s plea and shrugged at his current position in the argument…

“Oh! This is your ancestor’s, the first master’s, Frozen fortress also known as the Jyousai... It was built by the Master during his time here...I already know the first master passed away but he informed me already about you through his soul…”

Rea-san began to explain that Ryuu had created the fortress and she already knew about Souma’s arrival.

‘Mhm...Ojii-chan sure was quite the architect...this place is ridiculously huge...makes me wonder how he built it...’

Souma began to think as Rea’s words entered his brain. From what he saw through the window, the Fortress was at least 80,000 square meters and the interior building at least consumed 30,000 sq. meters…

“So...I am in Ojii-chan’s...room?”

Souma began to look at the ridiculously huge room and finally began to notice it’s entirety. The room was at least the size of three rooms combined and the bed was gigantic. On the bed was a royal seal on the wooden front and the Kurogane symbol was draped onto the sheets.

Rea-san, noticing Souma’s shock, began to speak once more…

“Souma-sama..? Souma-sama! The fortress has been attended by your loyal servant and I can guide you to the many places that you may have questions about…?” Rea ushered Souma to snap out of his confused look and he began to stumble a bit.

Souma gulped and nodded in agreement and the two left the chamber where Souma had slept.

As Souma walked down the hallway, he noticed the intricate designs on the walls and on the carpet. The designs were beautiful and had remarkable symbols that stood out from each other. On Souma’s left, were beautiful paned windows that seemed to shine in the light that came from the sky. The windows were reflecting the lustrous light that gave off a warm feeling. Souma could see the outside wall that covered the entire perimeter of the fortress. On the corners, he noticed the advanced artillery that perched in the edges.

Souma continued to follow Rea-san and came to a gigantic corridor that had various weapons laying around. Rea-san continued to walk but Souma halted and began to inspect one of the weapons…

“Th-this...looks like the weapons from that book….from Chichiue’s study… The images from the book is really similar...I believe the name was the Type 99...Arisaka…” Souma was keen on inspecting the intricate weapons until Rea-san came back to retrieve him…

“Souma-sama? The weapons were kept safe under my supervision and I will show you the list of everything that is in the entire fortress but for now, I must lead you to the main room, where the First master told me to bring you to.”

Rea-san ushered Souma to follow and he returned the rifle back to its original place.

The two began to pass through a major hallway that had beautiful designs on the walls and approached a bigger room that was approximately in the center of the entire castle. At the gigantic room, was a throne that stood at the far back. The throne had a beautiful onyx color and on the chair was the same Kurogane clan symbol that was etched onto the throne. Above the throne, was the original clan symbol that had the intricate designs and A katana was slanted on its position. Normally it would’ve been two katanas crossing each other in an X formation, portraying the Kurogane symbol, but another Katana was obviously missing.

Souma continued to stare at the beautiful katana that hanged on the wall. It was in a beautiful black sheath with a golden outline cover. On the side was a golden dragon, that swirled around the entire sheathe. The katana was luring Souma and he was gradually decreasing the distance between him and the katana blade.

Souma began to walk forward in a monotonous motion, as he continued to stare at the katana that perched on the wall. As he stepped towards the throne, Souma didn’t notice that he had passed a barrier. The barrier only allowed the Master to approach the throne. As he continued to walk forward, Rea-san merely watched as Souma approached the throne.

It’s not like she could do anything as the entire fortress had already accepted Souma without much trouble. As he approached the chair, black sparks began to form but Souma paid no heed towards the sparks that appeared and continued forward. Souma was completely mesmerized by the Katana blade and didn’t notice the black sparks growing in size.

Souma held out his hand and leaned forward towards the blade yet something happened…

Black lightning struck Souma and electrocuted him. However, Souma was unharmed and he began to absorb the lightning itself. As he continued to lean with his right arm extended towards the blade, the black lightning began to converge at his location. The sparks began to swirl out of control and strike within the closed barrier. The lightning began to create cracks in the walls, floors and even made a crack in the barrier. As he continued to ignore the lightning strikes, Souma continued to reach towards the katana blade.

The black lightning began to heavily strike at Souma’s entire body until several black lightning rings appeared on his right hand. As the black lightning sparked on his hand, they began to form runic symbols all around the rings. The rings began to etch themselves on Souma’s hand until it perfectly formed 5 black rings on his hand. The black lightning began to disappear and Souma lunged upwards to grab the katana, completely ignoring the spectacle that just happened to his right hand.

...

As the entire situation unraveled, Rea-san simply watched the man walk towards the Katana blade as if the lightning meant nothing…

‘His posture...The way he continues on...makes me...UMU~’

Rea-san blushed for a moment but quickly stuffed her emotions in the back of her head. Souma was her new master and she had to perform to the best of her abilities. She promised Ryuu that she would take care of the fortress even after he died and she did. And she also decided to take care of the new master after Ryuu had contacted her through [Soul Telepathy].

As she watched the black rings embed themselves onto Souma’s right hand, she immediately thought of the time when Ryuu had fought her. She was in her primal form and destroyed many cities in her wake. Rea-san had no qualms for the simple humans. The humans, in fact disturbed her peace as she slept, for the sake of greed and she simply thought of killing them as a simple notion.

After destroying civilizations, she was quite bored and wanted to take off to the other planets. She had the power to do so, back in the past, however now she lacks the power due to her limiter. Rea-san’s strength was unmatched until Ryuu Kurogane, the Destroyer of the planetary belt, was in front of her. Ryuu had recently destroyed the link that bound the planets together and eventually showed up in front of Rea. Of course, at the time she was a [Primal Wolf] and didn’t have the female characteristics that she has today.

Ryuu Kurogane began his initial attack and Rea-san evenly squared off against him. The two were quite even in terms of raw strength but even Ryuu couldn’t withstand the cold for a long time. It was, until that moment, things began to change for the worse for Rea-san.

A cloak of fire dawned upon Ryuu and created a new form. His entire body was shrouded in flames and the fire equaled out the coldness that seeped from Rea-san’s body. Now that they were on equal terms again, they began to fight once more. It looked quite ridiculous as a 5’11” tall, Japanese male was evenly fighting against a mountain-size beast. Everytime Rea lunged at Ryuu, her attacks would be halted by his hands or even legs. Ryuu often parried her gigantic attacks and created some distance. Eventually the two began to tire out but Rea wasn’t done. Rea began to charge her special move, [Glacial Burst], where she would gather her energy into a spiraling sphere that can freeze an entire planet if need be.

Ryuu stood in front of Rea-san and watched as the spiraling sphere grew exponentially. His eyes were unwavering and he continued to stare at the gigantic wolf. Rea-san continued to pour energy into the sphere even if it were to destroy the entire planet.

Suddenly, black lightning sparks began to form around Ryuu’s body. His posture remained the same as he continued to stare at the wolf, but his body was shrouded in black lightning. On his right hand, the lightning began to create a focal point surrounding his arm. Five black rings began to appear on the man’s arm and runic symbols flashed through the air around him. His gaze continued to stare at Rea-san and without any remorse, he released his power…

Rea-san completely lost memory of what had happened at that time, but the moment she woke up she was in the Frozen Fortress. She was laying in one of the guest rooms and Ryuu Kurogane simply sat in his throne chair, waiting for her to awaken. However, she woke up due to the Madam, Akane...Ryuu’s wife and Souma’s great-great-grand mother…

Rea-san woke up in her new body/transformation. It seems that Akane had created her female appearance and named her, Rea. She was in debt towards the Madam and finally visited Ryuu, who waited on his throne while wearing a japanese kimono.

Long story short, she completely lost. Ryuu had created a spacial vortex that spun out of control and nearly killed Rea-san. Although she attempted to fight back, by releasing her [Glacial Burst], but Ryuu’s [Spacial Vortex] completely absorbed everything. He literally created a miniature black hole that ate up everything around the two. The vortex eventually created a planetary phenomenon that the world calls, [The Devil’s Tear]. It is a dark hole that is impassable due to the spacial renderings. Ryuu’s move left a giant vortex that is usually invisible but it will absorb you if approached directly.

Of course, the vortex was irremovable and had a drastic effect on the environment but several kingdoms created Stone wards to guard the entire location, where the Vortex resides in. Without the wards, no one would know where the vortex was, as it was near invisible to the naked eye.

Ryuu used God-ranked magic with no remorse and subdued the beast that destroyed civilizations...Sounds good and dandy but Ryuu Kurogane could’ve captured Rea without destroying an entire environment, rendering it impassable to anyone. Ryuu simply wanted to see the extent of his powers so he created a miniature black hole… Some people say that Kami-sama influenced his power and simply wanted to show off. Ryuu’s power was unmatched in the entire planet and even the other gods feared him. All because Ryuu Kurogane was using God ranked magic for the fun of it. Kami-sama was banished for the effects of the Planetary belt and responsible for the disasters that Ryuu had done. On an occasion, Ryuu destroyed a planet with no remorse. Although it was an accident but the Gods perceived it as a rebellion from Kami-sama.

Taking all problems into account, Kami-sama was banished for unlocking Ryuu’s innate powers yet Kami-sama did not know of the consequences. Often times, he would laugh since Ryuu was equally as strong as a Primal god. They were banished and forced to retreat to a faraway place. Luckily, Ryuu Kurogane returned to earth along with Akane, his wife, and a resident of Oryon. The two spent their final days on Earth and Kami-sama waited for the time where Ryuu’s descendant would arrive. Kami-sama waited for a long time and finally Souma was born. His plans were now coming to light and it looks like the perfect time for Kami-sama to return… The rightful king of the Universe...The previous ruler of the Universe…The only one who bore the original title of God...The one true ruler that reigned above all…[Kami-sama]...

...

As the [Kuroi Kaminari], Black lightning, ended upon creating the five black rings, Souma leaped in the air and took hold of the Katana that hanged above the chair. Souma fell and landed directly in the seat, with a cool pose. The katana was held upwards and Souma had his left hand on his chin, looking quite boastful from the spectacle.

[Editor's Note: Kuroi Kaminari = Black Lightning]

Rea-san snapped out of her Deja vu moment and immediately got on one knee and bowed as Souma sat in the Throne.

Souma was in daze and looked at the maid that bowed towards him…

“Eh...EHHH!? Oh what the hell happened...Rea-san please don’t do that…”

Souma was completely shocked and quickly stood up.

He exited the invisible barrier that guarded the Throne, along with the Katana in his hand, and approached Rea-san.

“Ahh..Get up...don’t do that...Now...I should hurry up and finish this dungeon...Ojii-chan is waiting for me...Please guide me through the entire fortress…” Souma was still in a daze and the black rings faded into his skin.

Rea-san stood up and continued to guide Souma. The two explored the entire Fortress, from the outer perimeters to the miniature barracks that were posted around the fortress. She told Souma that once he became the master, he could automatically manage the entire fortress but nothing showed up for Souma. Upon remembering the words, of Ojii-chan, it seems that he couldn’t even check his stats and probably Kami-sama prevented any windows appearing. Rea-san continued to guide Souma but he was fully immersed into his surroundings. He quickly left Rea-san and ran around the entire Fortress. Souma’s mind was absorbing the entire fortress and every detail was being memorised. Rea-san kept up with his speed due to her immense power but Souma continued to move everywhere. Eventually, even she lost track of Souma and he arrived at the Hangar, where the Thunderbolt and J2M plane was resting.

Souma looked at the plane and saw the Japanese insignia along with the Kurogane clan symbol around the aircraft. He felt the machinery and suddenly, his hand began to glow. Runic symbols appeared once more and images flashed within his brain. It was as if he were receiving the entire blueprint of the plane and suddenly he knew how to fly the plane. The images were embedded into his brain and he knew the schematics of a Japanese aircraft from WWII. If necessary, he could build the airplane right now if he had the materials...The images gave him numerous information and suddenly, he snapped out of confusion…

‘What the hell...the plane...I feel like I know everything about this plane...the images...’

Souma continued to view the plane and saw the intricate designs within its mechanisms.

Rea-san finally found Souma and spoke…

“Souma-sama! Please don’t run away from me! I cannot keep up...and we must go to [The Room], so I can instruct you on the final thing that the Master told me to do. Now let’s go…

Hayaku shite kudasai!”

[Editor’s note: Hayaku/早くしてください = Please hurry! or be early depending on how you use it]

Rea-san finally retrieved Souma before he went into a subconscious mode. The two finally left the Hangar and went into the main building. Souma was still dazed from the entire fortress and the images he received from touching the plane didn’t help. Souma and Rea-san went into the throne room and Rea began to talk once more..

“Souma-sama, follow me...We shall enter [The Room]...” Rea-san spoke with a diligent tone and lead the way.

She turned in the left direction, towards another corridor, from the Throne room and walked down the corridor. Souma followed in suit behind Rea-san and the two entered the corridor. After walking for a few minutes, they came across another hallway but it was much narrower and less lighting.

Finally, they came across a door at the end of the hallway and Souma entered through the doorway. The room was darkened and on the wall were the same green torches. They lit up after Souma had passed them, creating a mysterious effect as he followed the path beside Rea-san.

The two approached a set of stairs and began to descend to the lower floor. While walking, Souma began to talk to Rea-san…

“Rea-san...tell me..why are you a maid…?”

Souma toned down his voice and spoke in a semi-polite manner.

Rea glanced at Souma and began to respond…

“I was defeated by the Master, and I took the responsibility of guarding the fortress, that’s all.”

She gave a melo answer in response to Souma’s question and he shrugged in attempt…

‘So Ojii-chan defeated her...wait...what happened to that wolf I saw earlier...’

“Rea-san...there was a wolf that came to my room earl--” As he was speaking, Rea-san was already nodding at his comment…

“Oh...so you are the wolf...that explains the ears haha...alright...I see the end of the hallway…”

The two finally reached a wall that had the Kurogane clan symbol etched onto the wall. Before Souma did anything, Rea-san spoke to explain a few things…

“This is the [Room of Gateways]...The master created gateways to various locations in the planet...even other planets...However you cannot access the portals unless you, yourself have visited the location of the gateway…

One thing is that the gates can only accessed by you. Since it is operated by the Clan symbol, it can only be powered by those who are recognized by the clan.

I will not enter the room with you, but it would be best for you to look at the room. There is quite a bit of portals and you can create your own portals now...Since you’ve already inherited the Master’s legacy, you can create portals for yourself...the room expands by the amount of portals that are created…

You cannot remove a portal unless you release the seal where the symbol is located at…

I will wait for your return, young master, Souma…”

Rea-san explained the utility of the room yet she didn’t really explain how to get to the room...After all, they were staring a wall with the symbol…then it finally hit Souma…

‘I guess...I have to pour my energy onto the symbol...’

Souma nodded after Rea-san explained everything and somehow she already knew what was gonna happen.

Souma raised his right hand and poured energy into clan symbol and several mechanisms began to vibrate behind the wall. For a few seconds, nothing happened until the ground shook with miniature quakes. The wall began to fold into each other and began to recede into the cracks. The walls began to transform and finally formed into a gigantic room. The room was filled with smaller rooms that were paned in black glass. Souma walked forward and disappeared while Rea-san waited at the entrance. The rooms were covered in dust and the title of the rooms were covered completely. As the rooms were darkened, Souma noticed in the center was a portal that was currently active. The rest of the rooms weren’t active and he remembered the words from Rea-san about visiting each locations to activate the gates.

He walked forward and approached the portal in the center. The portal was generating a strange energy and various colors fluxed between the outline of the portal. The portal was reacting to Souma’s energy and began to absorb him into the portal. His entire body was completely transferred into a swirling vortex and teleported him to a white void.

The room was completely white, similar to his own void but there was a Katana embedded into the ground in the center. The ground had cracks leading up to the Katana base and black lightning surged from the cracks. As Souma snapped out of his dazed look from being teleported, he saw the entire room and the Katana blade…

‘This..this place seems...familiar...its the same white room as my void...but there’s the...Katana...’

Souma looked all around his surroundings and saw nothing but the cracks on the ground that lead to the base of the Katana.

Before he could do anything, a voice spoke to him, in a loud demeaning tone…

Kozo...you finally made it...you may be my descendant but you must prove yourself...Now go and fight…

The voice faded into nothing and Souma looked at his appearance…

‘Wait...what? Fight!?...and with what!? and who!?...oh..I have Ojii-chan’s other blade...I’ll use that...BUT STILL...FIGHT!?’

Souma held the Katana, that he retrieved from the wall, in his right hand and walked towards the blade that was embedded in the ground.

As he approached, the lightning from the cracks grew larger and suddenly the ground began to shake violently. The black lightning surged through the cracks and a dark figure was being created from the lightning clashes. The figure began to take shape from the lightning and created a dark body clad in lightning. It was similar to Souma’s Raijin form, where his entire body was clad in lightning but the dark figure had Black Lightning, [Kuroi Kaminari], as the difference between the two. The figure began to form a more detailed body and created the spitting image of Ryuu, the same image Souma saw as he almost died in the dungeon floor. A dark figure with an outline of a traditional kimono outfit with facial features and scars, mirroring Ryuu Kurogane.

The dark figure, [Dark Ryuu], began to stretch and retrieved the Katana that was embedded in the white floor. The cracks began to close up as Dark Ryuu took the blade from the ground and the figure pointed the Katana towards Souma.

Souma immediately took an [Iaijutsu] stance that he mastered long ago and waited for the opportune moment to strike.

Dark Ryuu took the stance as an invitation and immediately charged towards Souma at an astonishing speed. The figure closed the distance in mere seconds and the result was the two, clashing in swords.

The blades began to clash against each other and they exchanged blows. Dark Ryuu had the same amount of raw strength as Souma, so they were pretty much even and they continued to exchange blows.

Souma and the figure increased their movement speed and continued to clash. For a normal person, they could not see the two as they moved quickly, changing positions as soon as they clashed. The two clashed endlessly, creating sparks whenever they came in contact with each other.

“Hyah! ORAAH!!!” Souma yelled out as they continued to clash.

Dark Ryuu didn’t talk and only exchanged silent responses.

“.....”

“.....”

The two continued to exchange strikes and both suffered equal amounts of damage. Souma’s entire shirt was filled with tears and rips from the slashes. Dark Ryuu’s entire body didn’t have any markings but the places where Souma came into contact had no lightning flowing through.

The two continued to fight for what seems to be several days. Fatigue and hunger easily reached Souma but the figure was simply motionless and had no expression.

“*pant* Wh-what th-he hell...what are you...haa haaa…”

Souma was exhausted and as usual, Dark Ryuu had nothing to say…

“.....”

Souma was sweating and he clearly was tired from exchanging blows. He was exhausted and he had nothing else to do…

‘Ojii-chan told me to fight...how can I fight Ojii-chan’s clone when it’s not even tired...that thing looks like it could last forever..and I’m here, starving literally to death…

What the hell should I do...Ojii-chan...’

Souma called out to Ryuu through his thoughts but nothing came in reply…

‘I guess it’s only me...It’s not like I can depend on Kami-sama...the useless bastard...oh damn...I don’t want another hand smacking me onto the ground...’

Souma covered his head in attempt to guard against Kami-sama’s interference but nothing came…

‘Phew...nothing is gonna happen...I am tired...what should I do...’

Souma continued to stare at Dark Ryuu and wondered what he was going to do. Suddenly, the dark figure charged once more and Souma readied his parrying stance, to deflect the incoming attack.

---SCREECH!!

The two blades clashed and Souma barely managed to parry off the dark figure’s attack. Souma was completely tired after the last attack and was barely holding on. He used the blade as a support to hold his entire body upwards.

Dark Ryuu readied once more and pointed the Katana blade towards Souma. Souma was beyond exhausted and barely had any strength to hold on. Somehow his abilities were usable and he already tried to use [Kagatsuchi] but failed in attempt to conjure any flames.

The dark figure charged for one last attack and Souma raised his head as the figure charged at him. He held the katana in his right hand and spread his arms wide as if he were accepting the Katana to pierce his entire body.

--10 seconds

…

…

--5….4….3….2….1….

The blade made contact into Souma’s chest and pierced his entire body. Souma began to cough up blood and looked at the Dark figure that pierced his entire body. The katana blade that pierced him was chipped due to the clashes they exchanged together. At the hole where the dark figure pierced, a dark substance flowed out of Souma’s chest. It was purely dark and Souma was losing consciousness. He looked once more at the Dark figure and closed his eyes…

Souma dropped the katana blade that was in his right hand and fell on the white floor along with the Katana that pierced his chest…

Finally...It was over...

"...I..finally...got...the...Katana....[Niten Ichi-ryū]...."

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