Chapter 311
It Wasn’t Gay
At the same time.
Off the coast of Tokyo Bay.
[Kyahahahahaha!!]
The Apocalypse Red Dragon screamed in agony.
The seven crowned heads opened their mouths wide and howled in pain.
Grrrrrrr!
In response to the dragon’s scream, red lightning crackled down from the ominous clouds.
Leading the charge were Olivia, along with Rin, Eri, Kasumi, Aris, Makoto, and Mayu.
They had just landed a striking counterattack against the dragon.
The Apocalypse Red Dragon’s eyes were glowing with red magic.
It suffered a minor injury.
However, the Apocalypse Red Dragon could not accept that such insignificant creatures dared to inflict pain upon it.
[Kyahahahahaha!!]
The Apocalypse Red Dragon shrieked again.
Red lightning struck from the cloudy skies.
Allied beasts of the dragon species began to rush towards the heroines, drawn in by the dragon’s surge of power.
Twitch.
Meiou Nakayama Sojiro raised an eyebrow.
While the recent attack was flashy, it couldn’t be deemed a decisive blow.
The intelligence of an Omega Rank interdimensional being surpasses that of humans.
These creatures were not mere beasts; they were cunning and diabolical monsters.
For such an Omega Rank interdimensional species to resort to a flashy but ineffective attack was peculiar.
Sojiro narrowed his eyes.
He summoned his magic and used his senses to detect the Omega Rank being.
Through his senses, he detected a massive surge of magic lurking behind the magical wavelengths of the Omega Rank creature.
Sojiro shouted, “That was a fake! The next attack is the real deal! Everyone, scatter now!”
The heroines dispersed at his command.
[Kyahahahahaha!!]
Flash!
The center head of the seven opened its mouth, unleashing a beam that sliced through Tokyo Bay.
[Kyahahahahaha!!!!]
The remaining six heads followed suit and released their breaths.
Whoooooooom!
The magical shockwave shook the sky and turned the sea upside down.
A tsunami, no, a massive tidal wave erupted as the ominous clouds in the sky swayed.
And the world bore witness to a proclamation.
[The Seven Breaths of Destruction]
【Ultimate Rainbow Breath】
This was a power accessible only to creatures of Omega Rank, having reached the pinnacle of interdimensional beings.
A technique capable of eroding the real world with the power of another dimension, transforming reality into an autre monde.
It was a catastrophic skill known as Dimensional Manifestation.
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.
The Apocalypse Red Dragon’s devastating attack, reminiscent of a rainbow, hurtled toward the gathered heroes in front of Tokyo Bay.
The greatest danger posed by Omega Rank interdimensional beings was this doomsday technique.
The range and power of the attack were enough to wipe out an entire city without a thought.
The only means for humans to oppose such destructive power was through Dimensional Manifestation, resisting the apocalyptic transformation of reality.
In an instant.
The vice president, Nakayama Sojiro, gritted his teeth as he witnessed the seven beams of destruction.
“······Damn, it’s like a cursed black company.”
He grumbled as he soared into the sky with the naginata-type weapon, Iwatōshi.
“Seriously, this kind of working environment is the problem.”
Meiou muttered while slamming Iwatōshi into the air.
The moment seven-colored breaths descended near him.
Boom!
A magical shockwave shook the air.
Partzutzutzutzutzutzutsut!
As the air split apart where Meiou struck, the world began to change.
A mantra symbolizing Nakayama Sojiro’s mental projection imprinted itself onto the world.
[Eighth Hell]
【Octagon Naraka】
Eight fiery hells, the Eight Heating Hell appeared on Meiou’s right.
On the opposite side, eight icy hells, the Eight Freezing Hell emerged.
The scenery of Tokyo Bay vanished, revealing a sky stained red and sixteen hells split in two.
Souls of otherworldly beings and villains eternally suffering in the boiling Eight Heating Hell were visible.
In the Eight Freezing Hell on the other side, the forms of otherworldly beings and villains were seen suffering from a bone-chilling cold.
All of them were beings that Meiou had dealt with.
This place, where they would suffer forever, was truly a hell itself.
This was the reason why Nakayama Sojiro, the Vice President of the Japanese Hero Association, came to be known as the King of the Underworld, Meiou (冥王).
“Unfortunately, it’s almost quitting time······.”
Meiou murmured in a voice full of annoyance.
With one hand holding Iwatōshi and the other picking his ear, he said, “Playing with a monster like you ends here. I absolutely hate overtime.”
Snap.
With a snap of his fingers, the souls of otherworldly beings and villains suffering in the Eight Freezing Hell and Eight Heating Hell were temporarily released.
Under Meiou’s command, the freed souls surged towards the Apocalypse Red Dragon like a wave.
[Kyahaahaha!]
The Apocalypse Red Dragon roared.
The seven-colored breath pouring from its mouth intensified.
The souls of otherworldly beings and villains hit by the breath of doom disintegrated in an instant.
But Meiou’s expression didn’t waver.
The souls sent were merely fodder for the enemy’s attacks.
The real assault was about to begin.
“Hell── Drop it!!”
The moment Nakayama Sojiro’s mouth unleashed the skill name.
From the eight fiery hells and the eight icy hells, eight flames and a freezing gust surged up, clashing with the rainbow breath.
Kwah-kwah-kwah-kwah!
The moment the two ultimate attacks collided, the explosion shook the heavens and earth.
*
Bam.
The world split apart.
The magical shockwave surged, upending the sea and slicing through the overcast sky.
“······Guh······.”
As the world crumbled, Nakayama Sojiro fell, his body battered and broken, closing his eyes.
It was the price of blocking the apocalypse’s manifestation.
“Vice President!”
The moment a hero affiliated with the association caught the falling Sojiro.
[Kyahaahaha!]
With a roar, the Apocalypse Red Dragon burst forth from the broken space.
The heroes watching were frozen in shock.
The seven mouths of hell’s entrance loomed ominously.
With the annihilation attack thwarted, the enraged Apocalypse Red Dragon roared.
Whoosh.
The Apocalypse Red Dragon swung its tail.
The tail, infused with red magical energy, flew through the air like a whip at supersonic speed.
Swooshhh!
The overwhelming pressure of the tail unleashed a magical shockwave that tore apart the surrounding space.
It was not just a tail; it was a weapon of mass destruction.
If it continued like this, death was inevitable.
For the Vice President, and for the heroes rushing to support him.
Despair filled the heroes’ eyes.
Behind them stood a figure.
The black-haired boy wielding a Japanese sword, Kurosawa Yuji.
He bit his lip.
“I guess it’s time for me to step in.”
Kurosawa Yuji murmured in a low voice.
[No! Master. The current Master can’t block the Apocalypse Red Dragon’s attack.]
Kusunagi’s worried voice echoed in Yuji’s ear.
A worried voice can be heard.
The tail attack cannot be blocked.
[So, we should retreat and call the Association President…]
Let’s call someone else.
It was a reasonable suggestion.
At the same time, it was a proposal made by Kusunagi, who loved Yuji more than anyone else.
But Yuji shook his head.
“They will be annihilated before the Association President arrives.”
The tail was striking down at supersonic speed.
If no one steps up, they will die.
[But Master, then you will…!]
Kusunagi’s voice echoed in his head.
A voice full of worry.
But Yuji didn’t flinch.
“Kusunagi, I don’t care if I die.”
Yuji bit his lip.
In his mind, the words his father had often repeated a decade ago came to him.
[Yuji. As a man of the Kurosawa clan, as a hero, you must not turn a blind eye to injustice, nor can you avoid the responsibilities that come with your power. You must save even one more person.]
His father had burned his own life to stop the strongest, worst villain, just as he had said.
It was a life saved in that way.
But that wasn’t all.
The most wonderful man in the world.
His friend and hero, Kim Deok-Sung, had done the same.
When the Professor appeared, and everyone hesitated while allowing the sacrifice of Chairwoman Yoshizaki Seira, he alone stepped forward.
He alone faced the injustice without flinching, prepared to die fighting an EX-rank villain.
That wasn’t all.
During the school trip and even during the summer camp activities before that.
He always took the most dangerous position, without caring for his own life, to protect everyone.
That was the true hero that Kurosawa Yuji longed for.
A reflection of his father, the Sword Master Kurosawa Akira, the most wonderful man in the world.
In front of Yuji, the sturdy back of Kim Deok-Sung appeared.
His posture reminded him of his deceased father.
“If I turn a blind eye to them to save my own life here, I won’t be able to face Kim in the future… I won’t be able to face my father in heaven.”
Whoooosh!
The blade of Kusunagi’s sword mournfully wailed.
Kurosawa Yuji gripped the hilt tightly.
He raised his magical energy.
The Magic Core vibrated as magic was drawn forth, and the amplification gift explosively increased the magic power.
“So at the very least… to stand beside him… to carry on my father’s name… no, a hero must never turn a blind eye to injustice. Kusunagi.”
[Hehe, Master really is an irresistible person.]
Kusunagi’s laughter filled Yuji’s mind.
She had known from the start.
That Yuji would never back down.
[There’s no helping it then! I, Kusunagi, will assist you with all my power! I’m Master’s loyal spirit slave!]
“No, you don’t have to call yourself a slave… Hahaha…”
Yuji awkwardly laughed as he held the hilt of Kusunagi’s sword.
Whoooosh!
As if responding, the blade of Kusunagi’s sword trembled happily.
“Thank you, Kusunagi. For following my reckless suggestion.”
The moment Yuji spoke seriously.
Flash.
With a burst of light from the blade, Kusunagi materialized and appeared.
A beautiful girl with black hair in a hime cut, wearing a splendid kimono, hugged Yuji from behind and whispered in his ear.
“You’re welcome! Kusunagi is master’s lovely spirit! Hehehe, I won’t be taken away!”
Hearing Kusunagi’s words, Yuji bit his lip.
He faced the incoming tail with determination.
A massive tail flew forward, accompanied by overwhelming wind pressure and a shockwave that tore through the space.
Yuji quietly raised his sword and closed his eyes in mid-air.
“You are…”
“Son of the Sword Master?!”
“Get back! It’s dangerous!”
“It’s dangerous!”
“No matter how much you’re the Son of the Sword Master…”
Ignoring the heroes’ voices coming from behind.
Kurosawa Yuji’s consciousness focused entirely on the flow of magic and the sword.
[Yuji, there are no limits to the Kurosawa Divine Sword Style. Even if it’s the sun and moon in the sky, as long as the blade of your heart is firm, you can cut through anything.]
The words his father once said during training at the dojo echoed in Yuji’s ears.
The blade of the heart.
At first, he thought it was just nonsense, even coming from his father, the Sword Master.
But it wasn’t nonsense.
The blade of the heart definitely existed.
He could feel it now…
[Master. Are you sure you don’t have romantic feelings for Mr. Kim Deok-Sung?]
At that moment.
Kusunagi’s voice rang in his head.
In the dark space, Kusunagi’s face appeared.
A neatly arranged black-haired hime-cut, a young girl with a sad-looking face came into view.
Yuji couldn’t help but smile at Kusunagi’s concern.
Romantic feelings, huh?
Was that really what this cute sword spirit was worried about?
“No. Kim is just a guy I admire; of course, I don’t have romantic feelings for him.”
Yuji draw the line firmly.
He wasn’t gay.
[Really? Kusunagi. I’m relieved… ]
“… The only one I have romantic feelings for is you.”
Yuji said with a trembling voice while looking at the lovely face of Kusunagi.
Kusunagi’s face turned crimson at Yuji’s sudden confession.
[Huh?]
“… It’s you. Kusunagi. I’m sorry for worrying you all this time.”
Yuji answered softly with a flushed face.
He hadn’t liked Kusunagi from the start.
But her sincere affection gradually opened his closed heart.
And now he liked her too.
But he hadn’t had the chance to confess, and in the meantime, he had been caught in that ridiculous misunderstanding of liking Kim Deok-Sung.
He couldn’t trouble the person he liked.
He had to confess his feelings clearly.
That was the reason Yuji confessed to Kusunagi now.
[Really?]
“Yes. Really.”
[Ho, hoeeeeee… Master, Kusunagi… my heart… ]
Kusunagi’s face turned bright red.
Yuji smiled awkwardly.
At that moment when their true feelings connected…
Wuwuung!
Yuji finally felt completely in sync with his spirit, Kusunagi.
[Master… This is… ]
“Yeah, Kusunagi…”
Flash.
Yuji opened his eyes.
He saw the tail of the Apocalypse Red Dragon approaching within reach.
Still overwhelming presence.
But to Yuji, it no longer felt overwhelming at all.
As he gazed at the dragon’s tail, feeling light as a spring breeze, Yuji declared.
“It’s unity.”
The moment Yuji declared that, his and Kusunagi’s consciousness intertwined, and unity was achieved.
Flash!
Colorless magical power erupted all over his body.
A sense of omnipotence filled Yuji’s body.
The overwhelming magical power amplified and radiated from Yuji, distorting the surrounding space.
[Aaaaaaaah! Kusunagi! I’m so happy that Master and I are finally connected in body and mind!]
Hearing Kusunagi’s strangely enchanting voice, Yuji quietly raised his sword.
“Kurosawa Divine Sword Style, Secret Technique…”
The moment the overwhelming colorless magical power transformed into the shape of a gigantic eight-headed serpent monster.
“Eightfold Origin Sword!!”
Flash!
With Yuji’s shout of the skill name, the magical slash in the form of the eight-headed serpent soared into the sky above Tokyo Bay.
[Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!]
Soon after, with a painful scream from the Apocalypse Red Dragon, the massive red tail was severed in one strike and sank into the depths of Tokyo Bay.
It was the moment Tokyo Bay was stained with the dragon’s blood.
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