Volume 9 Chapter 62 Stick Vs Fist, Part Two
The battle between Shikin and Kougarou had reached its climax from the start.
Both sides had simple attack patterns. Accelerate, punch, kick, throw.
It was as if they didn't need any fancy techniques, as they trampled each other's territory and slammed their attacks.
If this weren't a created space, the wooden floor would have been torn apart by their intense fighting.
Kougarou, suspended in mid-air, swung his stick like a giant tree, aiming for Shikin's head. Meanwhile, Shikin didn't flinch and countered with a powerful punch to Kougarou's stomach.
The explosive force sent both of them flying.
"Gah gah gah!" Shikin's feet scraped against the floor, but he didn't fall, enduring the impact. Kougarou, who was falling at meteoric speed, kicked the ground and charged at Shikin.
――Bite to kill.
With his fangs bared and stick raised, Kougarou's appearance was undoubtedly beastly.
"(You're amazing) Kougarou!!"
As the words suggested, Kougarou's speed was so fast it seemed to surpass time itself.
"'(This is hell)'!!"
To counter the beast, Shikin unleashed a demonic punch. Even Yuusuke's magic power, which could disintegrate with a "Stella," couldn't keep up with Kougarou's accelerated speed.
The plan was simple and clear.
Deflect the fatal attacks and ignore the rest.
The path ahead was treacherous, but Shikin's footsteps showed that he was determined to reach his goal.
After escaping the chaos of hell, Kougarou readied his stick on his shoulder.
Shikin had been defeated by Yuusuke at Kouya Castle, caught off guard at this very moment.
"I won't fall for the same trick."
As if expecting it, a whirlwind kick was unleashed.
"I know that!!"
The stick swung.
The kick was deflected, and the accumulated time sent Shikin flying.
"Goh!" The giant body bounced off like a ball, hitting the wall and stopping with a "thud."
"Well done. I must praise your spirit and power to destroy my technique with a single blow."
With that, Shikin descended to the floor as if nothing had happened.
Even his broken leg was regenerating.
"..."
On the other hand, Kougarou was in a pitiful state.
His entire body had turned blue and red, and every part of him was swollen. Just looking at him made it clear that he had broken bones.
The damage he received from Shikin wasn't the only issue. The continuous activation of '(Accel)' had caused a backlash that was ravaging his body from the inside.
"Words of praise from the enemy are nothing but flattery, aren't they?"
Kougarou readied his stick again.
For him, who grew up in the depths of the vast demonic forest, fighting was a wordless conversation with nature.
He walked with his own legs, cut through with his arms, and explored with his head.
A beautiful world of survival of the fittest, where there was no excess, and his instincts were honed to a sharp, needle-like point.
Praise was something he earned from his (corpse) enemy's acknowledgement.
"Huu... "
He exhaled, letting go of worries about the future or his friends, and poured magic power into his stick.
Don't be weak. Don't be afraid. But don't be arrogant either. The enemy was always stronger than himself.
"Was that an insult? I didn't mean to, but if I've offended you, I apologize."
"It's okay, I was the one who messed up. I got caught up in fear."
The stick trembled, as if the magic power infused in it was screaming.
His stick was a dragon's horn from the forest, forged by the nation's top blacksmith over a month.
It was letting out a low, growling voice, as if it was about to shatter.
He was going to strike with full force.
"You talk about being weak? But your eyes haven't given up yet."
"Of course not."
Shikin casually formed a fist, his movements so natural that they seemed careless, but the magic power swirling within was extraordinary.
"Let's settle this. My 'Mukyuuren (Infinite Forge)' has honed my power to perfection. I'll ride on the power of a hundred years in this fist."
"That's bold. I'll compress acceleration into this stick. Its speed will surpass the speed of sound and reach light speed."
"A single strike of light, how delightful."
No signal was needed between the 2.
They sensed that the time had come, and simultaneously unleashed their techniques.
"'Alba Cross'!"
"'One Hundred Union Cannon'!"
The stick became a pillar of magic power, just as Kougarou's words said, and it was swung at the speed of light.
Leaving sound behind, the light erased the distance.
Speed is an unfair advantage in battle, allowing one to attack unilaterally without giving the opponent a chance to react.
And even the smallest mass can be turned into a weapon with speed.
As long as one is human, it's impossible to recognize a single blow.
That's why it's called a miracle.
Shikin had released his technique a few moments before recognizing Kougarou's attack. If he had hesitated just a little, the result would have been different.
In fact, the "(One Hundred Union Cannon)" had perfectly timed its encounter with the "(Albacross)".
Converting a hundred years of training into energy, he infused it into his fist.
The straightforward, intense battle ended with a pure white light enveloping everything, causing a collapse in space.
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