010 Conclusion
Higaki, considering the difference in their raw power, and Sakurai, considering his own nature, both opted for a quick battle, and they charged in to settle things with their next move.
“Roar, Flame!”
The flames created by Higaki’s Fire Sword drew eight trajectories as they rushed towards Sakurai. It was a single magic sword that unleashed the flames it was clad in, the ‘Serpent Flame.’ The serpent of flames, writhing across the ground and approaching from all directions, contained enough heat to ignite anything it touched, making it Higaki’s ultimate attack.
Knowing this, Sakurai ran forward.
From the moment the flames were unleashed, there was a brief moment before they followed their attack trajectory. The flames, separated from the sword, drew an arc as if avoiding Higaki. In that instant, a space, a path, where the serpent would not pass, was formed in the direct line between Sakurai and Higaki. The angle and order of the sword strikes, from the attack motion he had seen countless times in the game, matched the events before him perfectly. Even after 15 years, Sakurai remembered the movements clearly and in detail.
Therefore, Sakurai ran through the path to victory he could see without hesitation.
“(I’m in range!)”
He twisted his body into the gap between the serpents, gripped his sword, and with that momentum, he flicked Higaki’s sword upwards. While staring at Higaki’s face, which was contorted in frustration at being left defenseless, he pulled his sword back to his waist, connecting it to a skill.
It was a single flash.
It was just an ordinary slash, but that single flash, honed to the extreme, was elevated to a ‘skill,’ the pinnacle of slashes only permitted to the ‘Sword Saint.’ However, even if it was a normal attack for the ‘Sword Saint,’ the abnormality of Sakurai Toru was that he could learn it if it existed as a ‘skill’ in the world.
‘False Saint’s Flash,’ a skill that allowed him to unleash the Sword Saint’s normal attack… that was all it was.
But its power was deadly. There was no reason why Higaki, who was inferior in raw power, could withstand a single flash that Sakurai could not endure. Higaki’s fate was sealed the moment he entered that range.
However, that didn’t mean Higaki had any reason to give up. He gripped his sword, trying to overturn his fate. His thoughts accelerated, and the world slowed down. A sound like something snapping deep within his brain echoed, and power surged forth as he tried to escape his predicament.
The forced drive of his desperate strength unleashed enough power to pull back the sword that had been flicked away, but the power that removed the limiter on his muscles severed his own muscles from the inside.
“Gooooooaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!”
Along with a beast-like roar, he unleashed the ‘ninth Serpent Flame.’ Sakurai’s eyes widened at the sight of something that did not exist in the game. Because he had already entered the stance for his skill, evasion and defense were no longer possible.
“—!?”
Sakurai was helplessly swallowed by the great serpent of flames. Seeing this, Higaki smiled in victory.
The great serpent struck the ground and exploded. In the rising dust cloud, Higaki forcefully readied his sword and remained vigilant. One second… two seconds… and then three seconds. Higaki could not sense any follow-up attacks, nor any signs of movement. He lowered his sword as if dropping it and exhaled.
“…Haa… Haa…”
He was strong. But he was superior.
No, through his battle with him, he had become even stronger. The fact that he was able to unleash the non-existent ninth Serpent Flame was proof of that, and coupled with the feeling of relief from killing his opponent, a slight sense of gratitude arose within him.
He had been unpleasant, to the point of nausea.
But now, he had become a touchstone to approach the Sword Saint’s back, and a stepping stone. If he could master this ninth serpent, he would be able to reach even greater heights, and get closer to that single strike. Thinking that, he felt like he could jump for joy.
A silver flash passed through Higaki’s body.
“…………Huh?”
It was released from beyond the curtain of dust, and it possessed a beauty that was exactly the same as the blade that remained in his longing. He was aware that he had been cut, but there was no pain. However, Higaki collapsed into a sea of fresh blood that flowed without stopping. In his shocked, wide-open gaze, he saw a charred man standing with his sword drawn.
“Th-that’s, a lie…?”
He had certainly burned Sakurai to death with his serpent.
But Sakurai, after his death, had unleashed the Sword Saint’s single strike.
If Sakurai were to explain it, he would have hypothesized that ‘because the motion was already in progress, even if his HP reached 0, he did not receive a ‘flinch,’ so the movement was executed without being canceled.’ Even if it was accidental, there was at least a path to understanding it.
But Higaki did not understand it. Because he didn’t understand, he could only continue to be surprised.
If his new serpent was a product of his fighting spirit, then that single strike was a product beyond reason. It was unbelievable because it was impossible, but since it had happened in reality, he had no choice but to believe it. His mind understood, but his heart could not keep up, and before he could come to terms with it, the water of his life flowed out.
Sakurai Toru. Higaki Ao. Both of them died here in a mutual kill.
Not even a fragment of their souls remained in the corpses that lay scattered on the riverbed.