Chapter 387: A Brilliance More Dazzling than Anything Else

……———–Analysis———–……

Itsuki Takao———– With Skill as Basis, Judged as Matched.

Vysis Prediction———– Survivability Plausible———– However, Non-Recoverable.

Vysis Prediction———– Incorrect.

Hijiri Takao———– Match Percentage: Maximum.

Vysis Prediction———– Deceased.

Vysis Prediction———– Error Possibility, Extremely High.

Unexpected, Unexpected, Unexpected.

………………………….

□

After being summoned by Vysis, I departed with my fellow summoned Heroes.

This was to strengthen the Divine Protection the Goddess bestowed upon us.

It was a sunny day with the sun shining brightly.

During the journey, after breakfast, I had killed one Hero.

Only one.

It isn't like I was committing a slaughter.

Of course, I held the intention to continue the journey with the remaining Heroes.

However, the other Heroes returned to Enoh, taking me with them.

Did something happen that caused problems in continuing our journey?

They treated me as if I was a criminal and handed me over to Vysis.

As I was wondering why they were treating me like that, Vysis questioned me.

[Umm…… Why did you kill him? From what I heard from them, it doesn't seem like you have any particular reason to kill him……]

[The Sun……]

[Excuse me?]

[The Sun———— it was too dazzling.]

[ ? ……Eh? What? Huh? Don't tell me, the reason you killed your fellow Hero was…… that?]

I could no longer travel with the other Heroes.

Not having any other choice, I had to travel alone.

During the journey, I stayed at an inn.

The next day, the morning sun shining through the window was dazzling.

So, I killed the innkeeper.

Upon seeing his frightened wife and son, I spoke as gently as possible.

[My condolences for your loss. However, rest assured, I have no intention of laying hands on you.]

"Why did you kill him?" The innkeeper's wife tearfully asked.

Just like Vysis, she asked such a strange thing.

However, I can indeed tell she was a courageous wife.

Out of respect, I answered her question honestly.

[Because of the Sun.]

Having nothing else to do, I continued on with my lonesome journey.

Before long, I learned by hearsay that the other Heroes would soon clash with the Great Demon Emperor's army.

They were good people.

I hope they do their best out there.

During the journey, I killed a considerable number of people in this world.

Just like the others, it seemed like they couldn't comprehend why they were killed.

This was truly unfortunate.

I tried to mourn them as respectfully as possible and chanted a vaguely remembered nenbutsu.

Ahh, they must have reached enlightenment by now……

Namu.

(T/N: Nenbutsu/Nianfo typically refers to the repetition of the name of Amitabha in a ritualized form, though in some context, it can refer instead to a more meditative practice.)

One day, I heard that the other heroes had been annihilated.

That was truly unfortunate.

They were good people.

It was very regrettable.

Later on, Vysis summoned me.

It seems she wanted my help to defeat the Great Demon Emperor.

That being the case, I don't have any other choice.

I shall do it.

I'm a Hero after all.

Just like that, practically by myself, I defeated the Great Demon Emperor of that era.

Vysis was delighted.

[Why, this is quite the interesting specimen.]

▽

The one thing I remember clearly———– were flames.

Blazing flames……

Was I caught in a great fire?

Or perhaps I was the victim of an arson attack.

No, maybe it was simply the moment of my cremation burned into my retina.

I——— Who…… am I?

I…… don't remember who I am.

I don't even know my own name.

Am I truly a deceased person who has returned from Yomi?

The fragments of memory are too scattered to make sense.

Yet———- even when my appearance changed…… There are things that remain unchanged.

I kept the Takao Sisters within my gaze.

Though they wear strange black and red masks……

From their voices and body shapes, I conjecture they are girls.

Recognition Tentatively Determined———— Hijiri Takao.

Recognition Tentatively Determined———— Itsuki Takao.

The Takao Sisters.

Vysis' Directive———– Eliminate.

However……

The probability of Vysis having erroneous information is high.

Can Vysis' instructions truly be trusted?

……………………..

Here in this labyrinth, the sun can't be seen……

And yet———– Ahh, how dazzling.

As if they were the shining Sun……

The Sisters—————– They were truly dazzling.

(T/N: "The Sun", note capitalized, was translated from the word "nichirin", unlike the "sun" which was translated from "taiyo". I'm not knowledgeable about the subject, but The Sun mentioned here should be referring to buddhism. I suppose this could also be translated as "sun wheel" or "solar halo". In Buddhism, the sun symbolizes enlightenment and the awakening of the mind. Even the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, is often depicted with a "dharma wheel", which resembles the sun and represents his teachings.)

It was fortunate to have met up with Itsuki here.

Moreover, to have encountered one of the Divine Servants here……

It seemed that Itsuki hadn't suffered any significant damage.

Based on the information———- that Divine Servant must be Yomibito.

Yomibito is positioned between me and Itsuki.

In other words———– we now have them flanked between us.

[Elder Sis!]

At that moment, floating cylinders appeared on both my sides.

While Yomibito gripped the hilt of their katana, they brought their thumb and index finger together.

[Itsuki———– I'm counting on you for support!]

I had to raise my voice slightly due to the distance between us.

Thereupon, charging myself with electricity the same way as Itsuki's , I accelerated……

I escaped the crushing space with .

(T/N: Skill name: Thunder, Chant: Wind)

Yomibito, facing me from a distance, had stopped moving.

[Thinking about how to act next?]

Even though I asked, there was no response from Yomibito.

If they won't engage in conversation, then judging the truth in this battle is useless.

(According to Loqierra's prior information, it was doubtful if conversation itself would be possible…… but indeed, it seems incorporating dialogue into the fight will be difficult.)

I fixed my gaze on Yomibito.

(The problem here…… is figuring out what to destroy to achieve victory.)

The wind blades generated by surrounded Yomibito.

The wind blades were scraping the surface of their armor.

(I'm dealing that much damage…… Despite that, they're not showing any signs of dodging or defending. They must think this level of attack is no problem…… In other words———–)

The raging wind slashes ceased.

…..Click, click……

They were repairing.

The scraped surface of the armor.

(———-Because of their regenerative ability, such an attack isn't a problem. That armor might be more like part of their body…… It might be better to consider it their outer shell or their carapace. Itsuki must have attacked them too, but it was repaired by regeneration……)

I roughly gauged the overall strength of the armor.

There didn’t seem to be any variation in toughness depending on the part———- from what I see so far, that is.

(The known means of attack are…… crushing using the two cylinders and those two naginatas……)

[Itsuki!]

[Ou.]

In response, we quickly removed our Fly Knight masks.

Wearing the masks slightly obstructed our vision.

Once we used our Skills, our identities would be revealed anyway.

I asked.

[Will you create an opening for my "decisive blow"?]

[Got it, I'll try.]

Itsuki seemed to understand and accept it immediately.

With anyone else, it might have been different, but if it's Itsuki, she should understand what I mean already.

Saying any further words isn't necessary.

Itsuki often says she can’t understand my words well.

However, that isn't because she’s not smart.

Her comprehension is above average, and she excels academically.

It’s just that metaphors, similes, and indirect expressions are hard for her to grasp.

Moreover, she has no trouble understanding modern Japanese terminologies, words that were used in ordinary manga.

It's just———–

If Itsuki could understand a certain level of "complexity," she would grow even more.

She might even surpass me.

With that expectation, I deliberately used "paraphrases" from time to time.

Of course———-

This "paraphrasing" is also a habit that comes naturally when I speak.

What Kirihara Takuto is doing probably isn’t much different.

That’s why I could quickly discern what kind of person Kirihara Takuto is.

————–With these thoughts in mind, I moved around Yomibito.

I signaled Itsuki to "wait and see" through eye contact.

Itsuki, having understood my intent, also moved around while keeping Yomibito in check.

I attempted an attack by adding different elements to my .

I hoped that heat or cold might have some effect inside the armor.

However, I couldn't observe any sort of effect.

Could that armor be nullifying everything?

(No……)

That armor seems to have gaps at first glance.

If it truly were "armor," there would be gaps where a blade could pass through.

Even Western armor typically has gaps at the joints where a blade can slip through.

(The base…… a daiyoroi or a full armor should fit the description. However, this really can't be described as armor in the conventional sense…… There are no gaps where damage could reach the "main body". All paths to the "interior of the armor" is blocked…… All except for the eye part.)

I reaffirmed this by weaving in wind blades in tandem with other elemental attacks.

This confirmed the out-of-place feeling I initially felt from the first attack.

The wind blades didn’t pass through parts that should be "gaps."

In other words———- It didn't have any gaps.

Meanwhile, Yomibito seemed to be consciously guarding only their eyes.

But since they were on guard, aiming for their eyes would make it a narrow target.

Hitting their eyes would be extremely difficult.

If that’s the case……

(It seems the only effective method for now is pure destruction…… We'll have to go with brute force.)

This was exactly what Loqierra had predicted.

According to her……

(The destruction of the "interior" beyond the armor———- the outer shell……)

"When it comes to Yomibito, that should end up being the way to defeat him."

That's what Loqierra had analyzed.

(Since it's an analysis by a god who knows about Divine Servants, we should proceed on the assumption that it’s correct…… ————!)

Yomibbito started closing in.

It seemed they had decided to attack me.

Itsuki's lightning was chasing Yomibito.

However, Yomibito ignored the lightning and swung their katana at me.

Despite their massive size——— they were fast.

Unsure if I could dodge completely, I parried their katana with my long sword.

Then, I took some distance.

[……………………]

My hand was trembling——— no, it was numb.

Of course, this wasn’t because of Itsuki's lightning.

It must be because I received Yomibito's strike.

Trying to block it would be impossible then.

Clashing swords would be almost reckless.

(I mean————)

My long sword had a crack.

If we clashed again, it would probably break.

I dropped the long sword.

The long sword I had been using in this world fell to the floor with a clatter.

(After making the first hole in that outer shell———- immediately follow up with a consecutive high-powered attack to create a second hole, without giving them time to regenerate. This is the attack plan I instructed Itsuki earlier……)

Given their regenerative ability, a hit-and-run strategy could put us at a disadvantage.

Thus, we need to stack high-powered attacks in quick succession———- delivering a decisive blow to the interior of their armor.

(It’s simple, but this is our immediate goal……)

However, it won’t be easy to create two holes in quick succession.

How effectively can we divert Yomibito's attention from our "decisive blow?"

In the end———– it boils down to how we can create an opening huh.

It all comes down to that.

No…… I’m still unsure if our attacks will have enough power.

Not only that, Loqierra's analysis might not even be correct.

(Because of this, we must keep trying within our capabilities. Act, gather information, analyze…… and then, formulate the equation for the decisive blow. In the end, it's just the same problem solving as back in our original world……)

I moved.

Itsuki seemed to notice the change in my movements.

Her movements changed to match mine.

We exchanged glances.

Itsuki maintained a position that always kept Yomibito between us.

Yomibito's pillar attacks continued, but we both managed to handle them.

[…………………….]

Yomibito was "watching"———- that's what I analyzed.

Though their golden eyes weren’t visible through the helmet's eye sockets.

However, aside from sensing, there seemed to be some degree of visual tracking.

In that case, having someone constantly in their blind spot would be effective.

To create an opening.

Our desired outcome is clear.

The only question now———- is how to create the process leading to such an outcome.

(Itsuki's just has a high MP consumption…… but my has a cooldown……)

Therefore, if I'm going to finish this, I want to end it in one strike.

Vysis probably has information about both and .

Even if she thinks I'm dead, if it's that Goddess, wouldn't she have talked about it?

Boasting proudly how she killed us and all that.

Taking that into account, we can't use the element of surprise.

While dodging, I continue observing.

(Yomibito’s movements…… They don’t seem to feel pain from the wind blades scraping their outer shell…… No, there's not even the slightest reaction from them……)

Since they're technically a living being, there should be at least some reaction.

But unless I aim for their eyes, there’s no reaction to anything I do.

(The wind blades might be too weak for them to care…… such understanding shouldn't be wrong. However, it’s possible that they simply don’t have any sensory perception. They don't react to heat or cold…… so this could be the case.)

For now, let's assume that the outer shell doesn’t have any sensory perception.

However, they definitely have an "awareness" that directs their caution.

Yes…… They can process information to understand the situation.

They seem to have thinking ability too.

Other than that……

(Sensory perception isn’t limited to pain or temperature…… sometimes, it includes that so-called sixth sense———- a person's intuition.)

For example, the ability to detect danger.

Maybe that’s why they judged the wind blades to be “no problem.”

It also seems like they have good vision.

That’s the movement of someone who’s really “observing”.

(A good sixth sense and vision…… Also, excellent information processing and response abilities……)

In other words———– I need to disrupt these.

Shake them up and break through.

Yes……

(If they have thinking ability…… then I can catch them off guard……)

The most effective attack is one they don't expect.

If Yomibito has information on and , it means they're bound by existing information.

So if we have something they haven’t seen before———- that could be the opening we need.

(Itsuki……)

I glance over.

Itsuki looks at me.

While moving, I signal with two fingers pointing downward.

My twin doesn’t need to nod, Itsuki acknowledges with her eyes.

(As expected———-)

She really is the twin sister I'm proud of.

First……

[ ]

Let's create an opening to get closer.

Using , I generate ice in the air and cause it to explode.

(T/N: Skill name: Blizzard, Chant: Wind)