Chapter 5: The Abarabana Showdown

“Then I am a Shougou… Surely a worthy enough opponent for you?”

Mineki Shian’s energy was draining.

Countless bubbles were forming on the surface of her skin, flying off like soap bubbles.

(Bubble Art.)

This was not an Art inherited from the Hiryuuin clan, but one unique to her.

Facing the soap bubbles that drifted through the space after she used her technique, the man also released his energy.

“‘Neito.'”

He channeled his energy into the ground, and from it emerged a puppet with skin of wood.

Considering he was from the Abarabana clan, a family that manipulates plants, it was safe to assume that Asagi Mario’s abilities were also plant-related.

A wooden puppet… Just as it looks. Is his Art the creation and manipulation of puppets?

Bubbles… An ability to control soap bubbles? How absurd.

A battle between practitioners begins with deciphering the enemy’s abilities from the scantest information.

If an opponent’s ability is difficult to comprehend, so much the better.

For this reason, deliberately making one’s own Art complex is a tactical move.

From that perspective, Mineki Shian’s weapon was difficult to grasp at a single glance.

Does her Art create weapons, or does it construct the substance itself? Does it grant an elemental attribute to the weapon? Does the weapon itself contain some kind of mechanism? One is forced to entertain various lines of thought.

Such cluttered thoughts become a major handicap in the middle of a battle.

My opponent created a puppet. The intelligence Mother prepared did mention that practitioners who use an ability called Puppet Art exist… so that man is one of them. However… he declared the name of his technique so brazenly. Is he that confident in his own power, or is he a fool who gets drunk on the act of battle itself…?

Though she speculated, she did not step forward.

To close the distance would require courage.

It was Asagi Mario who made the first move.

With a light flick of his fingers, the puppet began to move, making its way toward Mineki Shian.

I’ll test the performance of her weapon. I’ll attack with the puppet and see how she reacts. My puppets are built for flexibility over hardness, with durability equal to that of a human not channeling energy. Now, what will you do?

Asagi Mario waited to see his opponent’s move.

So he’s coming at me. How convenient.

Mineki Shian released her energy.

After creating a soap bubble, she launched it toward the puppet pressing in on her.

“(‘Utakata.’)”

The puppet made contact with the soap bubble.

Simultaneously, as the bubble burst, the puppet’s head was destroyed.

The soap bubble’s interior concealed a highly diffusive form of energy.

When the bubble pops, the energy contained within erupts and explodes.

I see, exploding soap bubbles… In that case, the other bubbles floating around here must have the same property. Fighting piecemeal is a pain. I should overwhelm her with sheer numbers all at once.

Having made his decision, Asagi Mario released the energy flowing through his body in a single burst.

“‘Shinrin Mokujin Gekidan.'”

An enormous amount of energy was consumed along with those words.

In response, many puppets emerged from the surrounding earth, like zombies rising from their graves.

My Art that brings forth a peerless number of my ‘puppets,’ Shinrin Mokujin Gekidan… It generates a huge number of them, but I can’t perform complex operations with them all. However, I can control them with simple commands. I order you to strike the enemy before you!

Despite consuming a massive amount of energy, Asagi Mario was unperturbed.

This was because he was of the Abarabana clan’s bloodline and, at the same time, one of its vassals.

The barrier Art used by the clan head, the practitioner Abarabana Taiju—’Kyūkon Shūjū Genrei’—could also channel absorbed energy to his vassals.

In other words, energy stolen from others was routed through Abarabana Taiju and poured into his vassals.

Therefore, even when using a major technique, he was taxed, but his energy consumption was lessened.

Faced with a legion of puppets, Mineki Shian did not flinch.

“Don’t you dare act so triumphant… Do not forget that I, too, am a Shougou-class practitioner.”

She brought her fingers together.

A technique that corresponds to the Shougou-class is an expanded Art that carries the concept of a shikigami.

“‘Suiho Daruma Karuma.'”

It was formed by releasing a vast amount of energy.

She performed the summoning of the shikigami that was subservient to her.

A creature appeared, like a snowman made of two fluffy, translucent orbs of foam stacked on top of each other.

This creature was the shikigami she had created.

A shikigami is a technique meant to enhance a practitioner’s performance or provide support, and the one born from her energy had an appearance, much like a mascot character, that was ill-suited for this battlefield.

“Blow them away!”

As she screamed, her shikigami, Suiho Daruma Karuma, opened its mouth and let out a breath.

That breath became a multitude of soap bubbles, which flew toward the advancing puppets and exploded in unison.

A shikigami that enhances her ability to generate soap bubbles!

Asagi Mario narrowed his eyes.

His vision was obscured by the blast.

But then there was a shadow, cutting through the smoke and advancing.

It was Mineki Shian, and with a hand-blade imbued with her energy, she thrust at Asagi Mario.

“Guh—the hell!”

He reacted instantly.

He moved in response to her action.

Asagi Mario grabbed her hand.

He caught her by the wrist.

Mineki Shian’s energy was heightening the power of her hand-blade.

To the point where it could easily tear through human flesh.

If I’d let that attack land, I might have died. Too close, Asagi Mario thought.

But Mineki Shian put power into her fingertips.

“Take this.”

Energy shot forth from her fingertips.

A bubble was created.

Asagi Mario was dumbfounded.

(Was I checkmated? I, Asagi Mario, was…!)

And then… an explosion.

Asagi Mario took a blast with enough force to blow his head off.

For an instant, his grip on her wrist tightened.

But it immediately went slack.

And then, Asagi Mario collapsed, a corpse.

Mineki Shian had struck down one of the Shougou.

“Hah… hah…”

She fell to one knee.

A soldier approached, looking concerned.

“It’s… nothing. Advance! All of you!”

Mineki Shian shouted.

The enemy was just ahead, and it wouldn’t be long now until they were vanquished.

“Go, my fluffy one!”

At Mineki Shian’s command, Suiho Daruma Karuma fired a soap bubble at the gate, which then exploded.

With the castle gate destroyed, the Hiryuuin clan was finally able to invade the main estate.

Mineki Shian surveyed her surroundings.

The place was like a shrine.

Roots grew from the center of the patchwork-like estate, which looked like several shrines stitched together.

That was likely the main hall, where the head of the clan was seated.

(The entire area is threaded with trees… The clan head’s barrier is strong! It’s draining more than double my energy!)

Breathing heavily, Mineki Shian began to walk.

The energy drain from maintaining her shikigami, combined with the energy absorption from the barrier, was rapidly accelerating her physical exhaustion.

“Shian.”

A voice called to her from behind.

Wondering who it was, she turned to find Hiryuuin Yakumitsu standing there.

“Nii-sama… We’ve managed to rendezvous.”

“Inui isn’t here yet…? Then it can’t be helped. We’ll split into two groups and strike down the clan head.”

They had just spoken of striking the clan head as one when it happened.

“Quite a crowd you’ve brought with you.”

A girl with flowing silver hair spoke to the Hiryuuin clan.

On either side of her stood two high school girls, one with black hair and one with brown.

“Ngh!”

“Hello, my name is Abarabana Tenri. Oh, and I’m not looking for a duel. I’ll take all of you on at once… However.”

With her appearance, the soldiers in the area collapsed.

Like puppets with their strings cut, they crumpled from the knees, fell to the ground, and began to twitch violently.

As Hiryuuin Yakumitsu and his two attendant swordsmen swung their blades to cut down the approaching threat, Mineki Shian watched her own soldiers fall, glaring at the enemy and preparing to attack with her shikigami.

But she heard the flutter of wings by her neck, and a sharp pain stung her.

At that same moment, Mineki Shian felt herself about to collapse.

A syrupy consciousness circulated through her body. A pain spread from her neck as if taking root, then gradually dulled. Mineki Shian understood what it was.

(My body is… breaking down… poison…! I have to circulate my energy… do anything to detoxify… even if it’s useless, I have to… slow the spread…!)

Gasping for breath, she turned her gaze to Hiryuuin Yakumitsu.

He was the only one currently unharmed, in perfect condition to press onward.

“Ngh…! Nii-sama!!”

Mineki Shian screamed.

Hiryuuin Yakumitsu reacted to her voice.

“I will… hold them off here…! Nii-sama, you must hurry… and take the Abarabana clan leader’s head!”

Mineki Shian declared that she would be the decoy.

“…Understood. I’ll leave this to you, Shian.”

Nodding at her words, Hiryuuin Yakumitsu put his faith in his sister and ran toward the main hall.

“Fufu…”

In response to Hiryuuin Yakumitsu’s sprint, Abarabana Tenri’s face twisted into a mocking sneer, as if to say what a pity.

Breathing raggedly, Mineki Shian commanded her serpent to block the enemy’s path.

“What’s so funny?”

Her laugh must have grated on Mineki Shian, who shot back the question.

“The barrier is even stronger inside the main hall. It’s a tangled, labyrinthine barrier; he’ll never reach his goal… As time passes, too much of his energy will be drained, and he’ll die. It was impossible to defeat my father from the very beginning.”

He could not win.

That was why she was laughing at his recklessness.

“Still, thanks to your little attack, all of our precious preparations are in shambles. You even managed to kill one of our executives… I won’t be giving you a clean death, you know?”

“Nonsense. We exist to fight. You must have understood this day would eventually come… We could never choose a proper death for ourselves, other than dying on the battlefield.”

Mineki Shian directed her serpent forward.

But faced with the giant snake, Abarabana Tenri was unfazed.

“I’m personally quite irritated right now… so I won’t kill you. I’ll make you my toy and keep you alive to torment ever… so… slowly.”

Abarabana Tenri released energy from her palm, producing a swarm of poisonous bees as she glanced at the two high school girls beside her.

The girls produced vines from their fingertips, stretching them out to restrain the serpent.

The high school girls’ bodies began to wither.

It felt as if the fat and muscle beneath their skin were being siphoned away.

As they visibly weakened, the vines extending from their fingertips grew thicker and thicker.

(The vines are… stopping the serpent’s movements!)

Like a net, the vines entangled the giant serpent, sealing its movements.

It writhed its body, trying to escape its bonds, but thorns sprouting from the vines dug into its flesh, making it flail in a bloody agony.

“It’s useless to struggle so desperately, you know? These girls are special among practitioners. I gave them a nectar mixed with my blood. They have unlocked one of the Arts from a past generation of the Abarabana clan.”

The high school girls possessed abilities that belonged to past Abarabana practitioners, she explained.

“Ngh!”

The vines began to advance toward Mineki Shian.

She started to move to escape them, but from her blind spot, a male student appeared.

“Damn it—!”

Mineki Shian was grabbed.

She was thrown to the ground, her arms and legs pinned, unable to move.

(Their Arts are perfectly suited for capturing a target alive. They can absorb the strength of any living thing the vines touch… Of course, since they don’t have true Abarabana blood, they’ll die if they overuse it. But sacrificing two of them to capture a single Shougou-class practitioner is a reasonable trade.)

Abarabana Tenri thought this as she looked at the serpent, then began to walk toward Mineki Shian, leaning on her staff.

Pinned by the male student, Mineki Shian bared her teeth and glared at Abarabana Tenri.

“How pathetic. You don’t even have the strength left to resist… yet you’re still putting on a brave face. It’s so earnest it’s almost cute, you know?”

Abarabana Tenri sneered, looking down on her.

“So high and mighty… just for catching me. Do you want a prize?”

Mineki Shian no longer had any energy left to move.

Even now, as the male student held her down, her strength was being drained away, likely an effect of the Art.

“…You have a smart mouth, don’t you?”

Abarabana Tenri stomped on Mineki Shian’s head with the sole of her shoe.

She ground the mud from the bottom of her shoe into her—a humiliation. Mineki Shian clenched her jaw.

“But I don’t dislike strong-willed women, you know?”

Abarabana Tenri released energy from her fingertips, creating several bees, and then plunged their stingers into Mineki Shian’s neck.

“Gah, ah!”

“That’s because it’s so very amusing when they become bitches in heat, shaking their hips and fawning over men.”

A smile spread across her face.

A nectar that induced mental abnormalities flowed into Mineki Shian.

(Poison… poison, is it? M-My se-secretions… circulate my energy…!)

A heavy gasp escaped Mineki Shian.

Her face flushed crimson as she fought to suppress the throbbing ache throughout her body with sheer willpower.

Saliva dribbled from the corner of her mouth as she bit down hard.

“Come now, little bitch, there are plenty of men around, you know? Why don’t you wag your tail, fawn over them, and show me a nice little orgy?”

Watching Mineki Shian squirm, Abarabana Tenri prodded her in the back with her staff.

“Guh, ugh!”

A crawling itch spread through her, as if her entire body had become one giant erogenous zone.

Watching Mineki Shian squirm, Abarabana Tenri prodded her in the back with her staff.

“Guh, ugh!”

A crawling itch spread through her, as if her entire body had become one giant erogenous zone.

She’ll break any second now, Abarabana Tenri thought.

But… even then, Mineki Shian desperately resisted.

“This… level of… pleasure… doesn’t even count as pleasure! I… I know a night of passion more melting than this…!”

What supported her was her one night with Shiga Inui.

Compared to that, she seemed to say, this throbbing in her body was nothing.

Abarabana Tenri looked on, bored, as Mineki Shian endured and resisted.

“Oh… is that so? Well then, I’m done with this. I wanted to see you become a bitch… but perhaps forcing myself on you until you break is more my style, anyway?”

She snapped her fingers.

The male students tore at Mineki Shian’s clothes.

“Go on and cry while you’re violated all day long.”

A wicked smile played on Abarabana Tenri’s lips.

Even on the verge of being assaulted, Mineki Shian kept her sense of self.

She would never yield. That man was in her heart.

And then, Mineki Shian looked toward the gate. In her eyes, she could see the phantom of a man.

No… it wasn’t a phantom. Nor was it a delusion born of escapism.

He was truly there.

Stripped of her clothes and left naked, she paid it no mind and called out the name of the man before her very eyes.

“To-ku-rou.”

At her words, Abarabana Tenri turned around.