“[Scatter Flame Bullets]!”

I shoot it as a test, but its power is incredible. My target is one of the bindings(?) to armored warrior’s shoulder guards. I wonder if I can blow it away.

“That’s, the same technique as Kien! How are you able to use it!?”
“That’s a trade secret!!”

I can tell now that I used it, but this technique is incredibly difficult. I doubt he’d believe me even if I said, “I picked it up just now!” Seriously, kami-sama’s learning ability totally makes me feel like I’m cheating.

“The formula for that technique wasn’t on your left arm earlier. Were you only pretending to draw on calligraphy paper when you were instead etching that onto your arm?”

That’s right! Using the ink you got my right hand sticky with!
Still, the design I thought was a tattoo was actually a technique’s formula… Thanks to that, I took this long to realize the truth.

“Your attack was stronger than Kien’s… Looks like you have an aptitude for fire.”

An aptitude for fire? Does he mean I have talent for fire onmyou techniques? Really? I didn’t know.

“Looks like I won’t be able to hold out until Kien arrives if I don’t take this seriously. Link.”

With those words, a thread of spiritual power connects Mitsurugi’s left hand with the warrior.
That warrior, does this mean it was on autopilot this whole time?

“Here I come!”
“Hol- wai- owaa!”

The warrior is much faster and sharper than before. Still, I can avoid its attacks at the last second. The blade needs to be covered in spiritual power before a slash can be sent flying. As such, I can predict them and——

“[Scatter Flame Bullets]!”

——I can fight back with this. Its power is great too. I avoid the attack and scrap a bit off the warrior’s flank.

“Between the two of us, it looks like it’s getting worse for you.”
“Not necessarily.”

I suddenly feel something is wrong and touch my side. There is a thin tear in my clothes. I was cut without realizing it!?

“The one who cut you was me.”

Wha! I realize it after being told. Without my noticing it, the glasses suit’s tachi has been drawn. It’s thin, but there are traces of spiritual power on the blade. Did he send a slash at me while I was busy with the warrior?

“This is not everything.”

With those words, the warrior raises its right leg and takes a stance similar to that of a Muay Thai fighter’s. What the? The heck is he… Not good, this is bad, bad, bad! I’m in serious danger!!

“Uwoooh!!!”

Due to my intuition, I drop down in a panic. I then feel something fly past just above my head. Soon after, the sound of glass shattering rings throughout the venue. When I turn to look, I see deep cuts on the inner most layer of the triple barrier.

“You… slashed it!?”

Did he hurl a slash… with a kick? Even then, isn’t this way too powerful!?

“Cuts from the 2 odachi and the right foot. This is the true appearance of [Three Statue Sword].”

Isn’t this too harsh!? When combined with the glasses suit’s attacks, doesn’t this mean the number of attacks I need to watch out for doubled? I was getting by barely dodging them at the last second earlier. I’ll absolutely lose at this rate.

“I’ll lose if I don’t pull something off too…”

One idea comes to mind, but honestly, I’m not sure if it will work. Then again, I’ll lose if I go on the defense. I don’t want to have any regrets!

“Here I go! [Scatter Flame Bullets] [Scatter Flame Bullets] [Scatter Flame Bullets] [Scatter Flame Bullets]!!!!”
“How haphazard.”

Fuhahahaha! Offense is the best defense!
In the meantime, I take out calligraphy paper and a brush pen from my waist pouch.

“I won’t allow you! Go, Three Statue Sword!”

The warrior batters its body against my flaming buckshot. My rapid fire has lowered my attack’s strength. It’s going to reach me at this rate.

“[Scatter Flame Bullets]!!”
I aim this final shot not at the warrior, but at the floor and create a smokescreen.

“It’s futile! I’ve grasped your position!”

The warrior continues and plunges straight into the smokescreen. That said, my intention wasn’t to hide in a smokescreen.

“What that!?”

I focused all that I could into that last buckshot before releasing it with a roar. As such, there is a 1 meter deep hole in the floor. With the warrior’s physique, it’ll only hold it for a moment, but that’s plenty.

“Alright, I finished drawing the technique!”
“Impossible!? There’s no way a shikigami technique could be drawn that fast!”
“Your right. That’s why, I drew a normal talisman technique.”

The talisman’s technique was simple. I drew the symbol [火] in the center and then completed it by decorating the corners some. Normal onmyou techniques seem to use talismans like this as intermediaries. I’m pretty sure the incantation went——

“——Flame, excess, ignite, wall [Flame Blazing Wall]!”
“Wha—, you can even use that technique too!?”

No, no, no, this is a talisman usage technique only.

The slip of paper bursts into flames and a gigantic ball of fire appears. Looks like my chant was a success.

“Fly, make a wall here!”

I can control the ball of fire’s trajectory to an extent. I have it trace an arc and create a wall of flame that separates me from the glasses suit. Naturally, the warrior is on the other side of the wall too. Bye, bye.

I will draw the shikigami technique during this opening. If I can finish before the wall is torn down, things should somewhat turn for the better.

With trembling hands, I hold down the calligraphy paper and run the brush pen over it.

—The Diamond of Wrath attends every anger management class in existence and gets every attendant so angry they never go back—

“For real?”

Two spears have pierced into Kien, but he stands up like nothing happened. Furthermore, his substitution tag has not lost its effect. It has accumulated damage, but the amount isn’t enough for him to be considered dead.

“I should have blocked all 3 of those water spears of yours… I get it, there were actually 5 spears, right?”

Kien quickly arrives at the answer. First, he intercepted Uruna’s enormous lance of water. Uruka then made use of the water that had been scattered around to create and launch spears at Kien from behind.

“There was spiritual power remaining in the water splashed around by your imouto… You made use of that too?”
“That is correct. Since we are sisters, the wavelengths of our spiritual power are similar.”

Uruka tells him that, but another factor is what truly made her technique possible. That water was 10 meters away. Transforming it into spears required an uncommon degree of spiritual power manipulation. Her skill is what truly made materializing that technique possible.

Kien isn’t told anything more than what has been said, but his intuition also makes him aware to that fact. Thus, his grin sharpens.

“You were an interesting guy too. This is getting fun! Flame, release, multi, bullet [Endless Flame Wall]!”
“Dine! [Wall]!”

The approaching fire wall crashes against a water wall and a tempest of vapor bursts.

“Uruna! Your right!”
“Tch!? [Wall]!”
“Scatter flame bullets!”

Uruna defends against Kien’s close ranged buckshot at the last second.

“This close, in an instant!?”
“His scatter flame bullets technique, he fired it from the soles of his feet. Doing that allowed him propel himself forward.”

Uruka exposes Kien’s technique in an instant and calms the flustered Uruna.

“Bingo! The [Scatter Flame Bullets] technique has been inked into all four of my limbs. I could even fly across the sky if I felt like it!”
“I am not in the slightest bit jealous! Dine, [Blade]!”

Countless blades of water rush Kien. They, however, don’t even touch him as he accelerates.

Afterwards, before Kien’s overwhelming flying prowess, a one-sided defensive battle develops. Uruka sets up a web of spiritual power to predict Kien’s attacks and Uruna relies on that web to defend. Despite that, there isn’t a single opportunity for a counterattack.

“Even if just for an instant, if there were an opening…”

During that one-sided defense, Uruka had finished chanting a certain technique. Yet, the moment she activates it, the spiritual power maintaining the web will be cut. Should Kien take advantage of that opening, the 2 of them will lose before she can even activate it.

“onee-chan, I’m sorry. A few more times may be [Wall]’s limit…”
“Uruna, thanks. You’ve really given it your best.”

Uruka resolves herself. After Uruna prevents the next attack, she will activate her technique.

“[Wall]!”
“Che! Again!?”

She dissolves her web of spiritual power and focuses on invoking her technique, however——

“…Ah? You looking down on me?”

——Kien doesn’t overlook that opening.

“I won’t let you get close to onee-chan! Dine! [Blade]! [Lance]!”
“That’s just rain![Scatter Flame Bullets]!!”

Kien shoots down the approaching blade and lance before passing by Uruna. Before Uruka can invoke her technique, he’s already in front of her.

“Later.”
“onee-chan!”

The next moment, the barrier breaking echoes. Kien turning away at the sound is an opportunity Uruna doesn’t miss.

“[Supreme- Dragon King Manifestion]!”

Absorbing all of Uruka’s the spiritual power, a coiled dragon reveals itself.

---

<13. Y0uTube-sama, Thank You!
15. That’s Scary! Throw it Away!>