[Original Novel] Sword of the Heavenly Wind, Episode 175

Chapter 10: The Window in the Sky, and Towards Each Morning
— Episode 175: Into the Vortex of Battle —

Vivid red staining the snow.
Pain shoots through his entire body. Sparks dance before his eyes, and for a moment, he feels as though he might lose consciousness. Ciaran shakes his head violently, trying to regain his senses.

“Ciaran! Are you okay?”

Hanakonjo shouts while supporting Ciaran so he doesn't fall. Due to the shockwave from Akakuchiba, the skin all over Ciaran's body has been torn, and blood is spraying out.

“I am fine. Hanakonjo, what about you?”

“I'm fine!”

Hanakonjo is also covered in wounds, but he answers with a spirited voice.
From behind Ciaran and the others, the sound of chanting spells and countless lights pierce through.
He assumes they are both offensive and defensive spells. Ciaran focuses his mind, checking on the safety of everyone riding their horses behind them.

The speed of the horses hasn't changed. Everyone is safe...!

A deep sigh of relief escapes Ciaran's lips.
Perhaps due to the distance, the defensive spells, and the effectiveness of the Blue Shield held by Sophia, Amalia and the rest of the guardian army, as well as the horses, seem to be unharmed.

“As expected, you truly do have the blood of the Four Heavenly Kings—”

Gaaaaaaah!

Once again, a shockwave is released from Akakuchiba's mouth.

“I won't fall for the same trick twice!”

Hanakonjo shouts loudly, grips Ciaran's body tightly so he doesn't fall, increases the speed of the white birch trunk, and makes a sharp turn.

“That howling technique seems to have a wide range of effect, but it's better than a direct hit!”

Blood flows from Ciaran and Hanakonjo's bodies once more. However, just as Hanakonjo had deduced, the impact is less than before.

“Hanakonjo, I'm going to fight him on the ground! I'm jumping off!”

Ciaran shouts. He realizes that if things continue this way, not only he but Hanakonjo will also be hit by the attacks.

“But he's fast, and his shockwaves—”

It was just as Hanakonjo shouted back. An explosion that shook the earth occurred, a massive cloud of snow rose up, and Akakuchiba's figure disappeared for a moment.

That was—!

Ciaran spotted a flash of silver in the snowy night sky.

"Silgar!"

Silgar had unleashed a shockwave toward Akakuchiba.

"Ciaran. You made it in time."

"Silgar, I'm so glad you're safe—"

However, Ciaran's joy was short-lived—

Boom, boom!

Roaring sounds echoed from all around.

What is this—!

Beyond the blizzard stood the grotesque Four Heavenly Kings, the one whose arm Ciaran had severed and whose chest he had pierced. And coming toward them, bouncing heavily across the snowfield, was the spherical demon, Kuroretsumaru.

The Four Heavenly Kings and two followers—!

Akakuchiba, who had been in front of Ciaran, was now firing shockwaves not at Ciaran and his companions, but toward the Four Heavenly Kings. It seemed the demons were attacking each other. The enemies that had appeared before Ciaran were not targeting him or the Guardian Army; for some reason, they had all begun attacking one another.

Are we, the humans and the Guardian Army, so insignificant to them that we aren't even worth their notice?

Whether this would be a blessing for humanity or not remained to be seen. The demons continued to fight with devastating destructive power. At first glance, it looked like a chaotic battle, but it didn't seem to be a simple composition. If anything, it looked as though Silgar and the Four Heavenly Kings were fighting together, while the giant wolf-like follower and the spherical follower appeared to be in a loose cooperative relationship.

"I see. So, to those followers, the current Four Heavenly Kings are the enemy."

Hanakonjo muttered in a quiet voice.

"Why is Silgar fighting alongside those Four Heavenly Kings?"

Ciaran asked Hanakonjo instinctively.

"They aren't fighting together. The new Four Heavenly Kings are unilaterally exploiting Silgar's power, using it to hide behind while they exercise their own strength."

Amidst the intense sounds of battle, flashes of light, and shockwaves, Ciaran gripped his Sword of the Heavenly Wind, struggling to decide whether he should dive into the crossfire where the monsters' powers were clashing, or wait and observe for an opportunity.

As expected, Silgar and those Four Heavenly Kings—the attendants are being overwhelmingly pushed back.

Thinking about it normally, I thought the attendants' defeat was only a matter of time.
But, Ciaran thinks.

“Those Four Heavenly Kings, in between their attacks—”

The Four Heavenly King Silgar and the Four Heavenly King Seiran, who darted about as freely as the wind. A slight sense of discomfort within the flowing movements of the Four Heavenly King Seiran. For example, the slight tilt of the head, the movement of the eyes tracking the target—.

The target they are hunting has changed.

Yeah, Hanakonjo nods.

“While using Silgar, they are also looking for an opportunity to kill Silgar, aren't they.”

Silgar!

Ciaran and Hanakonjo's minds were made up.
Just as Ciaran and Hanakonjo were about to dive into the vortex of the demons' battle—.

“Ciaran!”

From the ground, Sophia's voice called out.

“Take this...!”

What Sophia held up toward Ciaran and the others was the Blue Shield.

“That is to protect everyone—”

Ciaran shook her head.

“I'm telling you that I want to protect you guys! Just take it honestly!”

Sophia had thrown the shield with all her might. Even though it was light, there was no way the shield would fly high into the sky with Sophia's strength, so Hanakonjo and Ciaran had to hurriedly dive down to catch the shield.

“Even if I stop you, you guys are going to charge in headfirst anyway, right! That's why you guys should have that!”

“Thank you...! Sophia-san...!”

As Ciaran, who ended up having to take the shield without any room for argument, smiled while feeling a bit bewildered, Sophia swung her sword and grinned back. As the birch trunk controlled by Hanakonjo rose, Sophia's smile grew distant. The moment her mischievous grin became small and disappeared from view, it looked to Ciaran's eyes like a crying face.

Sophia is, in truth, a more delicate and kind-hearted woman than anyone else.

Kieran also looked at the faces of everyone who kept looking up at him.
Amalia, Dan, Reine, and Theodor. Everyone had supported, encouraged, and helped Kieran.

He did not want to lose anyone. Anyone...!

Kieran held the Sword of the Heavenly Wind in his right hand and the Blue Shield in his left, heading toward the Four Heavenly Kings' Seiran.
The healing and protective magic from Amalia, Dan, Reine, and the other mages and sorcerers cast a beautiful, shimmering light as it enveloped Kieran and Hanakonjo.

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