CH 73

Chapter 73 – Shiki’s Surprise Attack

“…Quite the skillful woman, aren’t you? But your strength… Could it be that you’ve got a skill, too?” (Kuroki)

“Well, I wonder?” (Komon)

That was a close call. If my scabbard strike hadn’t landed there, I might have been in trouble. Well, Shiki would have dealt with it if that happened, so it wasn’t a big problem.

“But it definitely isn’t normal. The amount of strength you can exert with those thin arms of yours… Even though you’re using a weapon, it’s quite impressive,” Kuroki said while moving and flexing his arms, which he had used to guard the scabbard strike. I had struck with the intention to break his bones, but there didn’t seem to be any damage whatsoever. Even though a strike of that caliber would have killed a goblin… Is this guy even human?

“Looks like I can’t be careless against you.” (Kuroki)

“You weren’t careless from the beginning though.” (Komon)

If he had let his guard down, then things might have been over by now. The reason I was in the form of a woman was to catch him off guard, but this man had been wary of me from the start.

Maybe he had fought against a strong woman in the past.

“Milady, should this one step in here?” Shiki’s voice echoed in my head.

At times like these, I might have responded with ‘I still have a few things up my sleeve’ or ‘let me take this guy alone’ to hype things up. But unfortunately, this was reality, where our lives were on the line.

“…Right. Then next time we make contact, take him by surprise.” (Komon)

That way, I would definitely be able to gain control of the fight. If it was an ordinary human, I would have been able to easily handle it on my own, but it seemed that it would take longer against a person like Kuroki. I was also concerned about Kuzuhara and Chake, who had gone in ahead of me, so I wanted to clean up this mess quickly and go after them.

“I’ll go next then.” (Komon)

The moment he narrowed his eyes, I rushed forward and closed in on him. I ran in while thrusting my katana at him, but Kuroki knew that I wasn’t the kind of opponent who would attack like that.

He eyed the tip of the katana and dodged it by a paper-thin margin, then shot out his thick, log-like arm. It seemed that he was planning on grabbing me.

But right at that moment―a surprise attack came from a place that Kuroki didn’t expect.

Shiki appeared from the shadow extending from my feet and swung the scythe on his right arm at a speed that even I couldn’t even follow.

“―?!” (Kuroki)

Kuroki’s face twisted in shock. It was to be expected, given that a mysterious creature suddenly appeared from the shadows.

An instant later, Kuroki’s left arm from the elbow down flew through the air with a splash of blood.

But then―gururu!

I was still unsure what happened when I saw Shiki tumble across the floor before my eyes and disappear into the bushes in front of us.

“―Shiki?!” (Komon)

I called out his name, but I suddenly felt a tremendous fighting spirit beside me. I turned my gaze and saw Kuroki right there, raising his right leg for a kick before I could even react.

…! No way, he managed to kick in that instant?!

Come to think of it, he hadn’t shown any kicks in the fight so far. That was when I remembered. This guy’s specialty wasn’t punching or jiujutsu.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that it was his kicks that were the reason for his fame and the reason he was once considered the strongest person in the world.

…In other words, he… was holding back against me until now.

I hadn’t seen that blow at all just now. That meant that in the earlier exchange, I would have had no choice but to send out Shiki.

He had the leg strength to kill a man in a single kick. I wasn’t sure if he was holding back because his opponent was a woman or something or if he thought that he could win with that one kick alone, but…

The only thing I could say for certain was that Kuroki had far more power than I had imagined.

So this is the so-called strongest man in the fighting world!

Shiki had severed Kuroki’s left arm, but the man hadn’t lost his will to fight. His expression didn’t even change. Naturally, Takasu and Tengawa had aghast expressions on their faces, but who cared about them.

Just like the ignition of an engine, Kuroki’s fighting spirit seemed to be set ablaze by the situation instead.

…This guy is just on another level compared to me…

As expected of someone who had once been a figure admired by my father. At that moment, Shiki immediately returned to my side.

“Milady, are you alright?” (Shiki)

“What about you? Didn’t you take an attack just now?” (Komon)

“It’s not a problem. This one was only sent flying because it was difficult to maintain my foothold due to the rain.” (Shiki)

It seemed that he still managed to block the attack properly.

“However… this human is quite the opponent. That counterattack earlier… It was impressive.” (Shiki)

“W-W-What the hell is that thing?! Where in the world did it come from?” (Takasu)

“I thought I saw it jump out of the ground, but… is that even possible?!” (Tengawa)

Finally, Takasu and Tengawa began to squabble in unison again, but…

“You two… You’re being too noisy, so shut up.” (Kuroki)

Kuroki glared at the two of them, causing them to clam up and shrink back in silence. Then, Kuroki turned a sharp gaze back in our direction and began to focus on Shiki.

“…Your ally, I presume?” (Kuroki)

“Yes, this is my trusty bodyguard.” (Komon)

” I see.” (Kuroki)

“Ara, you won’t call me a coward?” (Komon)

“In combat, anyone who calls another person a coward is just a third-rate fighter. The ones who have the last laugh are always those who don’t hesitate to use hidden attacks, surprise attacks, poison, and such to win.” (Kuroki)

“…You really are an unusual one.” (Komon)

At the very least, back when he was still active on television, he wouldn’t have said something like that. Even though he was looked upon by the public as a villain, he had been a man who always fought with pride and dignity.

“I just want to ask you one thing. Why are you, a former world champion, following a man like Ryudou?” (Komon)

“I have no obligation to answer that.” (Kuroki)

“…Ryudou-san gave me a place to belong. I’m grateful to him for that. That’s all it is.” (Kuroki)

A place to belong…?

He didn’t seem to be lying. He must be telling the truth. But that was the extent of what I could determine. I couldn’t see why he would obey a brute like Ryudou.

Perhaps Kuroki was really just an exceedingly honest man who possessed a strong sense of duty.

“Milady, this one will take this man on as an opponent.” (Shiki)

“Yeah, finish it up quickly.” (Komon)

I didn’t doubt Shiki’s skills in the slightest. In the end, there was no way that Kuroki could win. But Kuroki himself seemed to think differently. He took off the belt at his waist and tightened it around his severed arm to stop the bleeding, his fighting spirit not the least bit shaken.

His appearance gave me the impression of a warrior who had withstood many battles. No, perhaps if he had been born in an earlier era, his valor might have allowed him to conquer nations.

“….Come.” (Shiki)

“….Then prepare yourself.” (Kuroki)

As if it was arranged beforehand, the two of them spoke in turn.

“”―Let’s have a fair fight!””

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