Chapter 391: Takao Itsuki

<Yomibito POV>

"Takao Itsuki is not a threat."

Until the "anomaly" occurred with Itsuki, I had judged so and fought under this assumption.

The key to this sister pair is Hijiri Takao.

I was convinced of this.

If Hijiri is killed, this battle will be over.

I can cut them both down.

On the other hand, I also felt this:

————-Splendid, Hijiri Takao.

Despite receiving such severe injuries, her expression remains almost unchanged.

This was also as Vysis had informed.

When she had fought Vysis in the past, Hijiri sustained heavy wounds.

Yet, her expression did not change———- Vysis spoke of this.

"She seemed as if she felt nothing."

"She must have used some skill or method to avoid reacting to pain."

Vysis's Analysis———- Judged as incorrect.

From experience———- Vysis's information is unreliable.

Hijiri does not entirely lack the ability to feel pain.

My vision is keen.

I'm not merely speaking about eyesight.

It includes a kind of insight.

Each time Hijiri sustained a cut from a blade, there was a slight reaction from her.

As long as pain receptors exist, people cannot completely ignore it.

Pain is part of a person's instinct———- one that warns of "danger to life."

On the other hand, since becoming a Divine Servant, I no longer have the sense of pain.

Hence, I had to develop an alternative———- the ability to sense danger.

Just earlier, I closely observed Hijiri, whose edge of her ear was torn by my invisible blade.

When the blade cut her ear, she did react.

She certainly had a reaction.

Even a person with formidable mental strength isn't exempted from such instinct.

But in Hijiri's case, this reaction is surprisingly weak.

It's certainly understandable that Vysis did not notice it.

In other words———- Hijiri's will and spirit are in an extraordinary realm.

To put it differently, she's excessively persevering.

She had high control over her instincts———- to an extreme degree.

But since she does feel pain, her movements slow down, even if only for a moment.

Even if she tries to launch a desperate attack, that is.

Instinct senses the danger to life and sends a command to retreat.

Instinct takes precedence over will.

Thus, I can "read" Hijiri's attacks.

She does not show any reaction———- or so she believed.

Yet, I can see it.

I capture the subtlety of her reactions and adjust my movements accordingly.

With composure, I can match her.

And yet......

————-Splendid, Hijiri Takao.

Even now, Hijiri has not given up.

I can tell.

Even after losing two fingers, her quiet fighting spirit remains undiminished.

Rather, she is even concerned about her sister.

She is still desperately trying to find her next move.

Such unparalleled mental strength———-

I must witness it until the very end.

I will not hold back.

In respect of that extraordinary mental strength———-

I too shall put forth my utmost effort in this battle.

————-Ah, so dazzling.

Ahh, how wonderful, the brilliance of her life......

Hijiri's wounds continue to increase.

But she narrowly avoids fatal injuries.

Moreover, to prevent blood loss, she fights while cauterizing her wounds.

Even while burning, her calm expression does not show signs of agony.

Not even a short scream escapes her.

She remains unwavering.

She was undoubtedly———- a true samurai.

It was then......

"I love you."

Hijiri uttered these words to her sister......

Along with the firm resolve expressed through those words.

Like a spell, it surged through me.

Though she has not given up———-

She had determined that this would be a proper place to die huh.

Very well.

Then I shall cut down that resolve with all my might———-

[ < Count Zero > ]

In that instant———-

My danger-sensing ability, at almost full power, sounded an alarm for another threat.

Suddenly, the other Takao seemed to have "transformed."

Yes———- into a threat to me.

My instincts blazed with this warning.

I could not understand what was happening.

Takao Itsuki, enveloped in bolts of lightning on all limbs, approached.

Itsuki———- was crying.

[Elder Sis! My Skill———- My Skill has evolved! I can do it———- I can still do it! Sniff...... I'll do it! I'm gonna do it! Imma do it now!]

The pressure from the lightning surrounding her is beyond anything I've encountered before.

[ ............... ————- , ............... , ————- ............... ]

Itsuki's Status had remained displayed.

As a Divine Servant of Vysis, I can see the Hero's status.

While keeping an eye on Hijiri, I checked Itsuki's magic power.

Her magic power———- MP is not decreasing.

Does this new form not consume MP?

Is this...... confusion?

(T/N: Yomibito refers to magic power as yoryoku, instead of the usual maryoku.)

Ahh......

How———————- How dazzling.

My instincts......

My instincts recognized that the current Itsuki is a priority danger.

I return to the battle.

I cut through my confusion and took on the challenge as a true samurai.

I will defeat this enemy.

Of course, I will not neglect vigilance towards Hijiri.

Since she has not given up, she might still do something.

My danger-sensing ability is heavily focused on Itsuki———-

Yet, my eyes are always, always keeping Hijiri in my peripheral vision.

[ ............... ————- , ............... , ————- ............... ]

Meanwhile......

[I'll definitely defeat you! I will defeat this guy! I still got a lot of stupid things I want to do———— together with Elder Sis! She had always saved me...... so this time will be my turn————- I will save Elder Sis! We'll end this all and definitely return with Elder Sis! Together! It has to be us together!]

[Itsuki......]

Takao Itsuki———— started prattling.

It means allocating some of her limited capabilities to that.

Becoming emotional only dulls one's danger-sensing ability.

Despite that......

On the contrary———- Her speed is increasing.

The pressure on me is rising.

The tiny openings that were previously visible are closing up.

Incomprehensible.

Itsuki is slipping through my slashes.

Counter-attacking———- no, it's dangerous.

I try to adjust my movements to distance myself but......

Bam!

My gauntlet was shattered by the compressed lightning strike.

"It has been cleanly ripped away."

That might be the right way to put it.

Three of my four arms are engaged in dealing with Itsuki.

I would like to use all of my arms against her if possible.

However, completely lowering my vigilance towards Hijiri seems dangerous.

I want to keep one arm focused on Hijiri.

Thus, I attempt to transfer the hardening ability to a single point in this situation.

It's the first time I've tried this.

Originally, this is a skill I've seen Wormungandr do.

I thought it was a useful skill.

However, I have never been able to perform it.

But if I don't succeed, I might be faced with my own defeat here.

I have no choice but to try.

I gathered the hardening ability from elsewhere———- and blocked Itsuki's lightning strike.

I succeeded.

————Krzzzttt————-

[ ............... ————- , ! ? , ————- ............... ]

I managed to block the attack.

However, the lightning has conducted through my interiors———- to my core.

A sensation I hadn't experienced in this battle assaults me.

I'm feeling slightly unwell......?

I'm even feeling nauseous———, ......Me, feeling nauseous?

When was the last time I felt such a sensation?

None of the attacks I've received before caused this.

However, if this continues, it will be problematic.

Trapped within my carapace, there is no escape, and my condition worsens......

Well, not entirely problematic ———- but it does feel unpleasant.

I find myself growing increasingly repulsed by fighting Itsuki.

Yet, even now———- I do not lower my vigilance towards Hijiri.

Hijiri still has that <Gungnir> remaining.

To ignore it———- is the height of foolishness.

However......

[Elder Sis! I don't really know why, but it seems my MP isn't decreasing! So———- I'll settle things here! I'll defeat this guy! Let me show you!]

I am forced to make a choice.

I can't shift to offense.

I never expected Itsuki to possess such combat talent.

Completely beyond my expectations.

This strength is likely not limited to just her Skills.

Her combat talent, which was never fully developed, has awakened completely in this situation and gone into a frenzied bloom.

In pure combat, she likely surpasses Hijiri by far.

I never thought that my slashes would miss this much.

She seems like a different person compared to a short while ago.

Yet, even in this situation———-

I do not fully relax my vigilance towards Hijiri.

This is because the earlier coordination replays in my mind repeatedly.

She will likely use <Gungnir> as a finishing move.

Or she might expose the core with <Gungnir> and let Itsuki finish with her <Zero>.

Currently, I cannot shift to offense.

By keeping up my defenses, I can maintain the current situation.

No———- Was this perhaps their aim?

To buy time and wait for something?

It's better I consider it as buying time until <Gungnir> could be reused......

I don't take Hijiri's stated reuse time at face value.

I believe she might use it at any time..

Even so———-

————Krzzzttt————-

Itsuki's fierce assault, enveloped in a thunderous sound......

Power......

Speed......

Sensitivity......

All of these have entered an extraordinary realm.

From the way she looks, it's almost as if she's fueled by her own life force.

Now, Itsuki has such an intimidating presence.

This sister duo.

For each other's sake......

Could they both———- be putting everything on the line?

Their lives along with it.

Itsuki's relentless, deadly lightning attacks amplify their ferocity.

And then———-

Boom!

Finally.

The moment has come.

Itsuki, slipping through my slashes, has gotten inside my defenses.

Without summoning those two End Thunder Fangs......

With just a single strike from her Zero Thunderbirds———-

The carapace covering my abdomen is destroyed, and the core is exposed.

This is bad.

Feeling the threat to my life, my survival instincts are fully mobilized.

Yet, my eyes still firmly track Hijiri.

No———-

That's wrong!

Itsuki can destroy the core with her own hands......!

I messed up.

I was too focused on guarding against Hijiri.

I should have dedicated all my attention to Itsuki.

Will I make it in time———-No———- I won't make it in time.

———————-Ahh, she is truly——— dazzling.

At this moment, I.

Once again————-

A sign of evolution is emerging.

From the threatening Itsuki Takao, I must protect my life with all my being———-

Now......

That omen is about to......

......it was supposed to begin.

Kshk!

[ ............... ————- , ? , ————- ............... ]

Around the flank area of my carapace———- a bit diagonally behind.

Closer to my back side......

Something had made contact with my core.

Is that——— a hand?

Emergency.

My danger-sensing ability———- my instincts.

I realize the mistake.

It starts beating.

But———- How come?

Why are you there?

How are you————

——-touching my core?

What about my carapace?

When was my carapace in that area destroyed?

My danger-sensing ability?

Was it not working because I was focusing on Itsuki?

However———- I should have seen her movements.

I definitely should have seen it.

How did I miss it?

The timing.

This isn't po————

[ <Gung———-]

□

The omen of Yomibito's evolution was intended only for facing Itsuki.

In other words, the starting point of this evolution did not take into account a confrontation with Hijiri at all.

However, their survival instinct has now been sharply drawn towards Hijiri.

As a result, Yomibito has lost the "starting point" of their evolution———

The opportunity has been missed, and the "starting point" has lost its direction.

The moment of brilliance has been lost.

Yomibito, their evolution......

They were thwarted not with the Zero Thunderbird———-

......but by the user of the Divine Spear who once bared its fangs against the Goddess.

<Takao Hijiri POV>

I had been contemplating the information shared between Vysis and Yomibito.

It's highly likely that they had shared information about our past battles.

Even if I'm dead, wouldn't that Goddess talk about it?

About her "military exploits" of repelling the pitiful rebels and eventually killing them with poison.

I've confirmed during battle that Yomibito has excellent vision.

Their field of view is surprisingly wide.

The reason for our movement, flanking them with Itsuki, was first to verify this wide field of view.

On the other hand, their reaction to parts of the field that couldn't be seen———- how they dealt with them———- was also confirmed.

They probably sense presences or dangers intuitively and react accordingly.

Good vision.

Danger detection ability.

Yomibito possesses these two traits.

I made these assumptions as a baseline.

Could we create an opening by utilizing these?

I spun my thoughts around.

Then I noticed something.

Yomibito's movements were more precise than I had anticipated.

Precision, in turn, makes it easier to create openings when it's disrupted.

So, how should I disrupt their precision?

"Good vision"

This doesn't only refer to eyesight or field of view.

Their observational and insight abilities are also excellent.

In other words, it means they can "fill themselves with information" from those within their field of view.

So, I displayed extremely faint reactions every time I was injured.

The "omen" of an injury is indicated by the flow of wind around me.

And every time I was injured, I showed a faint "pain" reaction.

As planned, Yomibito seemed to notice this.

The reaction to pain normally can't be completely erased.

Even if fear is overcome, the body will still react.

As long as there is a sense of pain, that is inevitable——— an absolute certainty.

I knew this too.

I wasn't free from pain when I fought Vysis.

I just endured it.

If there's pain, it's impossible to completely erase that reaction.

But what if————

If there actually were no sense of pain———-

If the reactions I displayed were fake.

But then, what could make that possible?

It's said that the HP correction value has a pain-relief effect.

Yet, it still doesn't completely erase the reaction.

So what made it possible?

That is————

"Ability enhancement for multiple targets and ability weakening for a single target."

"The ability to lower the status of the touched opponent to the same level as hers."

These are the unique skills of Ikusaba Asagi.

And she actually has one more Unique Skill.

During the great invasion by the Great Demon Emperor's army in the past.

After the defense of the Jonato's Royal Capital......

Yes, it was a Skill Ikusaba Asagi used at that time on Yonato's injured————

< Pain Suppression >

(T/N: Chant: Queen Bee)

Having heard about it, I requested Asagi to grant me this ability before the raid.

"Can I take this request for cooperation from Hijiri-tan as proof of trust nyan?"

"Since Mimori-kun decided to include you in the raid team, I have no choice but to trust you. If so, I'll use whatever we can———— What do you think?"

"There's a chance I might whimsically cancel it before the effect time ends, nyou know?"

"If that happens, it happens. Well, if you don't want it, you don't really have to. Let's both do our best. Goodbye then."

"No, no, can you please not leave so coolly like you're Speedywagon-san? Then, can I ask you one question? Asagi wants to at least have some kind of reward nya!"

"Go ahead."

"Hijiri-tan, you got boys to choose from? Romantically, I mean."

"Well, I suppose I do."

"Ah, is that so? Heehhh......"

"......You're asking that question here? That's a strange thing to ask. The way you asked it also made it seem like you were only interested in the opposite gender."

"But Hijiri-paisen, aren't you like Onee-sama type?"

" ? We're twins, but Itsuki technically considers me her older sister. Also, what does paisen mean?"

"............Onee-san, don't you actually got this airheadedness to you? Did I slightly misread your character? Ehh, seriously...... I thought you were all perfect, but you actually have this side to you...... Seriously?"

Putting aside how she treated me like I'm someone airheaded.

Asagi granted me the ability.

So, as a result———-

I actually wasn't feeling any pain.

I was merely listening to the wind I created around me, sensing presences, and feigning reactions.

To put it simply——— It was all an act.

I was pretending to feel pain.

This was an incredibly nerve-wracking task.

Making sure I avoid fatal blows,

"I match the reactions."

Only when I felt I could do so, I would intentionally avoid fatal injuries and let the blade cut my skin, then react.

I was quite startled when my fingers were cut.

Even though it was unexpected,

"Delaying the reaction was not an option."

I felt a bit anxious.

But it seems I managed to successfully match the pain reactions.

From Yomibito's reaction, it appears that my lack of pain was not exposed.

Their attacks were easier to evade than I had thought.

The wind surrounding me indicated the trajectory and range of the blades.

Of course, I can't say I can deal with their attacks with composure.

It was quite close.

By the way, when I clashed swords with Yomibito using a longsword......

I felt numbness———apparently.

My senses interpreted the numbness as "pain."

So, at that time, I judged it as "numbness" from my hands feeling cramped.

And when I launched the final strike, I stopped the "false reactions."

Yomibito incorporated this reaction to pain and structured their movements accordingly.

This allowed them to handle things precisely.

So I disrupted that.

The reaction they expected did not come at the time they expected.

The very moment I began to move for the final strike———-

One blow would cause "pain" and slightly slow my movements.

Even a minor wound would suffice.

"That would delay my reach by just a moment."

"It would buy me enough time."

Yomibito must have thought so.

The timing of my attack would be slightly delayed in reaching Yomibito.

Therefore————

They think there would be enough time to handle me.

Their focus would then shift more toward Takao Itsuki now.

Yomibito must have made such a judgment———-

And misjudged the timing.

Yes, it went according to plan.

A tiny gap in their awareness that brought me close to a "fatal position."

Now, how was Yomibito's carapace destroyed?

I created a hole like a drill by using the wind blade at the maximum speed ever.

Additionally, as preparation, I had already slightly worn down their entire carapace with the wind blade.

Was this unnoticed by their danger detection ability?

Throughout the battle, Yomibito had ignored my wind blades.

They continued to be attacked by the wind blades, but they paid no attention to it.

"Even if the carapace is slightly worn down, it will regenerate soon."

"It doesn't have the power to reach the inside."

During the fight, Yomibito must have adjusted their senses toward that direction.

They judged it would be pointless to divide attention on unnecessary things.

Yomibito seemed to be fighting very rationally.

"So, they wouldn't use unnecessary resources."

I judged it this way.

As planned, Yomibito's vigilance toward my wind blades gradually diminished.

"The wind blades aren't a problem."

I had already confirmed during the battle that they don't feel sensations with their carapace.

There was no reaction to heat or cold either.

"At a certain stage, judging by the reactions during the battle, it's as if they're not even conscious of it."

I came to this conclusion.

Thus, even when I created a hole with my wind blades, they were still unaware of the "wind blades"———-

This was the reasoning I had in mind.

If Yomibito had a means of evasion———-

They would have thought about it and come to this realization.

When Itsuki's <End> allowed for enhanced attack power through compression———-

Perhaps my wind blades could do the same too.

I had done the same with my other wind-based attacks.

However———- I had never done so with wind blade for this purpose.

To make them think it was impossible.

However———- some of these factors could just be my guesswork.

It's uncertain whether this could be the key to opening the breakthrough.

After all, after Itsuki's skill evolution———

Most of their danger-sensing ability was directed toward Itsuki.

It goes without saying that Itsuki's presence was the decisive factor in this battle.

The unexpected factor in this battle was indeed Itsuki's MP issues and skill evolution.

Itsuki probably ran out of MP to cast <End> twice during the battle.

This could be inferred from Itsuki's gaze and reactions.

At that time......

I resolved to take on the risk of handling one cast of <End> myself.

I had no intention of blaming Itsuki.

It was probably because too much MP was spent on evading with <One> that they couldn't completely avert this situation.

The sudden evolution of the enemy in a critical situation was clearly beyond our expectations.

But then came Itsuki's skill evolution.

It completely changed the course of the battle.

No———- thanks to that, we reached "this outcome."

Furthermore, with Itsuki's awakening, the probability of victory increased.

Seeing my sister's movements, I was assured that my readings were correct.

As I thought, Itsuki's battle talent far surpassed mine.

With the three katanas focused on her, Itsuki also took on most of Yomibito's danger-sensing ability.

Yomibito must have been recalling the coordinated attack from the previous encounter.

Thinking "I might shoot <Gungnir> into the hole Itsuki created".

Or, even if the order is reversed, we might still repeatedly attack the same spot.

If Itsuki hadn't awakened, that would have been our only option.

A more challenging path————- one that would have required preparing for the possibility of losing my life.

But Itsuki———- my twin sister......

She opened the path to a new future.

Therefore, without considering sacrificing this life———

I was able to reach this single strike.

The miracle of being born into this world as your other half......

From the bottom of my heart, that's something I'm really proud of.

Now————————- With my incantation, pierce that enemy.

[ < Gungnir > ]