To Become a King and a Magician 771-775

Title: Physically Crossing Over, Buddha’s Compassion

“This is really quite pitiful.”

Walking toward the scorched field, Naoki approached a pole that was stuck crookedly in the ground.

This was supposed to be a pillar from one of the houses, but now the house had burned down completely, and the pillar itself was extremely brittle. Naoki gently pushed it, and the pillar immediately broke and collapsed.

“It seems not a single one survived—Musashi, did you manage to find out when this fire happened?”

“I remember it was last night.”

Musashi thought for a moment and then said, “It seems like it was before dawn... But who could be cruel enough to do something so vile? Burning an entire village to the ground—that’s truly inhuman.”

“Who else but the Heroic Spirit Swordsmen?”

Naoki said, “Assuming, of course, that they really are in this Lostbelt.”

Heroic Spirit Swordsmen.

This was the thirteenth time or more that Musashi had heard Naoki mention this in the past month.

“Naoki, did you already know from the beginning that something like this would happen in this world?”

“More or less, though I wasn’t entirely sure.”

Naoki explained: “I’ve been to a place called the Root. There, all the knowledge of the world, parallel worlds, Proper Human History, Lostbelts, the past, the present, and even the future... All knowledge gathers there.”

“I’ve gone there twice and obtained most of my knowledge from it. I also have memories of the situation in this Lostbelt. But honestly, that was more than twenty years ago. I don’t remember everything clearly now.”

“I see...”

Musashi lowered her head with a slight sense of loss. She had thought that since Naoki knew this would happen, why hadn’t he come earlier to save the people?

But if those were memories from twenty years ago, of course there was nothing that could be done...

Huh?

“Twenty years?”

Musashi realized one crucial point that couldn’t be ignored.

Naoki had just said he had gone to the place called the Root twenty years ago. But no matter how you looked at it, he was only about eighteen years old! He was truly a handsome young man with golden hair who hadn’t fully matured yet!

“Naoki, you... how old are you right now?”

“Almost forty-nine.” Naoki answered. “If you’re curious about my youthful appearance, it’s because of my physical condition. Something happened twenty years ago that stopped my appearance at a young age.”

(Forty-nine years old!?)

(Doesn’t that mean he’s practically an old uncle?!)

Musashi couldn’t hold back her sad expression from feeling deceived by the world. For the past month, she had always thought Naoki was younger than her, like a little brother she needed to look after. Turns out it was the opposite— this man’s age could even make him her father!?

“I-I’m... sorry, Naoki. All this time, I might have been a bit rude to you. From now on, I’ll use more polite language when speaking...”

“Why are you suddenly acting weird?”

Naoki shrugged: “Even though I’m almost fifty, both my mentality and appearance are still that of a teenager, and they always will be. Besides, from my race’s perspective, someone who hasn’t even reached fifty is basically no different from a child.”

“Fifty is still considered a child? What race are you exactly, Naoki? An Oni (Demon)? Or a Dragon?”

Having wandered through so many worlds, Musashi had also met many long-lived races. She knew a bit about the stories of Oni and Dragon races. If fifty was still considered a child, could Naoki actually not be human?

Seeing Musashi suddenly become very curious about his condition, Naoki thought for a moment and prepared to tell her a part of his story.

However, just as he was about to open his mouth—

*CRASH!*

A sound like something being touched and falling suddenly came from the scorched field, followed by a piercing cold wind.

Naoki frowned: “Something’s there? Musashi, be careful.”

“A ghost?”

“Maybe, or perhaps—“

Naoki’s voice didn’t fully reach Musashi’s ears, because before that, a gigantic figure three times the height of a person had appeared behind her without warning!

With the help of the moonlight, it was clear that it was a strange creature whose entire body was shrouded in shadows, looking as if it was pieced together from various fragments.

(It feels somewhat similar to the Oni race!)

Musashi immediately placed her hands on both swords at her waist. However, before she could draw her swords, the gigantic figure had already thrown a punch toward Naoki who was nearby!

“Naoki—“

*BAM!*

The loud sound drowned out Musashi’s shout.

But it wasn’t the sound of the giant’s fist hitting the ground—it was the sound of Naoki countering with a punch, sending the giant flying and even shattering it.

“Huh?”

Musashi was frozen in place.

As a swordmaster, she could gauge an enemy’s strength to a certain extent. That gigantic figure was clearly an opponent she would have to face seriously, and given its sudden appearance, it might be a strange creature that her swords couldn’t cut.

Yet, the creature was destroyed with just one punch from Naoki?

“Hmm, that’s an evil spirit formed from the grudges of the villagers who burned to death and lingered in this land.”

Seeing the evil spirit left with only half its body after being punched, Naoki immediately understood its essence: “This is a calamity you never asked for. You lived peacefully in this village from generation to generation, yet all died because of a sudden disaster... Go to nirvana in peace, don’t keep wandering in the human world.”

Like a great monk who had achieved enlightenment, Naoki spoke words of compassion, but his actions showed no compassion at all. He threw another punch at the remaining lower half of the evil spirit’s body.

*BAM!*

Just like the upper body, the lower half of the evil spirit was also completely shattered with one punch and disappeared under the moonlight without any resistance.

Naoki turned around: “Alright, that’s taken care of—Why did you draw your swords, Musashi?”

“It’s nothing.”

Awkwardly sheathing her swords again, Musashi let out a slightly helpless sigh: “Being with you, I always feel like there’s no place for me to use my strength.”

“Why, itching for a fight? Want me to spar with you?”

“No, no, no, no need!”

Musashi hurriedly refused—What nonsense, if she had to fight Naoki, she’d be beaten in seconds. That would be asking for trouble! She didn’t have such a bad hobby!

“Rather than that, that monster from earlier...”

“Just the grudges of the burned villagers. I’ve already sent them to nirvana—Let’s head back, there’s nothing else here.”

“Huh?” Musashi asked, “Not continuing the search? Didn’t you say we came here to investigate?”

“I told you there’s nothing else. There’s no certainty about who did it, and no certainty where they went after burning this place. So why stay here? Let’s go back to sleep. I have to work tomorrow.”

To support Musashi, the big eater, Naoki had to work hard to earn money during the day. Otherwise, the two of them would immediately go hungry.

-

Title: Hosting the Round Table in a Foreign Land

A world shrouded in raging flames.

A world where everything has been burned to ashes by fire.

“Hell should refer to a world like this.”

In the endless world of fire, with corpses strewn everywhere, a woman muttered to herself.

In that woman’s eyes, the world was hell. The intense hatred filling her heart made everything she saw appear as hell.

She was never supposed to become a woman like this.

Though her past experiences gave her reason to hate this world, she did not hate it.

Why did she now despise this world so deeply?

Hatred, disgust.

The woman hated the Minamoto clan (Genji), hated the people, hated Japan, hated this world.

Everything that had taken the Great One from her—she hated it. A hatred born from the depths of her soul, overwhelmingly powerful.

Therefore—

“Everything must be burned to nothing.”

The woman thought.

Blazing, scorching flames began to ignite around her.

Because she hated this world, she would burn it all, destroy everything with fire—even if she herself became the fuel.

Turning her entire soul, Spirit Origin, and body into fuel to amplify the rage and hatred within her, transforming into an unending inferno!

“I can no longer stop.”

She would never stop. That was the woman’s resolve. Until her body was completely charred, she would never cease. Her vengeance against the world, her slaughter of the world, would never end.

“Minamoto!”

The woman gripped the hard bow in her hand, hoarsely shouting the name of the entity she hated most.

“—My class name, Archer Inferno. I am the Princess of Flame, who has become fire itself, who will burn you all to cinders.”

The Minamoto clan and Minamoto (the World). In the end, she would incinerate everything with the bow in her hand and the blazing fire in her heart!

For the sake of the Great One who had tragically perished.

Yes, that person... that person... that person... Who?

*CLANG!*

The bow fell to the ground. The woman in the sea of flames clutched her head with both hands.

Who?

Who was it?

The Great One she was supposed to fight for... who was he, really?

“I must... find him.”

“Find the Great One, find the Great One, find the Great One, find the Great One, find the Great One—“

“Ugh—!”

Suddenly waking from her sleep.

Clutching his head, Naoki quickly shook it: “I fell asleep, huh... That just now...”

Tomoe Gozen.

The female general who, due to Merlin’s meddling in the Seventh Singularity, had once made him her Master. Though they didn’t interact much in the end and were only allies at the beginning, she could indeed be called a good friend.

In the Sub-Singularity that was supposed to occur, she was also scheduled to appear. However, Naoki wasn’t sure if she would appear in this Shimōsa Province that wasn’t entirely the same as the one he knew—until just now.

What appeared in Naoki’s dream was clearly Tomoe, transformed into a Heroic Spirit Swordsman. Her mental state was utterly shattered, and her Spirit Core had been infiltrated by a foreign object, turning her into a path of evil filled with hatred.

“That means the one who burned the village to ashes was indeed Tomoe. Even in this discarded Lostbelt, she was still summoned?”

Come to think of it, the enemies Naoki had to face in this Shimōsa Province shouldn’t differ much from the original.

Seven Heroic Spirit Swordsmen.

Powerful foes who were supposed to engage in bloody one-on-one battles with Musashi, ultimately killed by her.

(However, because of me, Musashi never met Senji Muramasa at all and lost the means to kill the Heroic Spirit Swordsmen. Myōjin-giri Muramasa... I’ll enchant both of her swords after work today.)

Naoki wasn’t a blacksmith; he knew nothing about forging swords. But if it was reinforcement, he was quite skilled. He had once strengthened Okita Souji’s sword, turning it into a divine blade capable of emitting beams of light.

This time should be the same. In fact, to kill the Heroic Spirit Swordsmen, Naoki only needed to grant his own protection to Musashi’s two swords.

Fairy Protection—something he could easily do as a true Fairy.

The seven Heroic Spirit Swordsmen would be slain by Musashi. Meanwhile, Naoki would focus on dealing with Ashiya Douman, who summoned the Heroic Spirit Swordsmen, and Amakusa Shirō Tokisada. Since the Heroic Spirit Swordsmen existed, those two must exist as well.

Let him handle those troublesome individuals.

“Besides... Tomoe is the same.”

If possible, Naoki wanted to handle Tomoe himself. After all, she was his former follower. Freeing her from this painful world was surely her deepest wish.

At that very moment—

*KNOCK-KNOCK!*

The door to Naoki’s room was knocked on, and a woman in flashy attire entered from outside: “Am I disturbing your rest, Natsukawa-sama?”

“No, no. I’ve been awake for a while—Is there work already?”

“Yes, as usual. The princess from that gloomy castle. Please serve her well, our Star Host.”

“Alright.”

To put it bluntly, Naoki’s job in this Shimōsa Province was that of a Host—of course, the concept didn’t exist in this era. Japan at this time was far from such openness. So what Naoki did was simply accompany paying female guests for drinks and listen to their troubles.

Since starting work half a month ago, relying on his handsome appearance and a few sweet words he learned from Merry, Naoki quickly became the most popular Host known to everyone in the jōkamachi (castle town). Not long ago, even the Princess from the Lord of Tsuchiura Castle came from within the castle, spending a fortune to talk with him all day.

Since then, he had become the Star Host here, more effective than a Geisha. His earnings skyrocketed.

And likewise, after speaking with Naoki just once, the Princess seemed addicted. She came here every one or two days, talking with him in the room all day.

Like now—

“Naoki-sama!”

Accompanied by the sound of running in the corridor and a voice filled with longing, a beautiful girl in a blue-and-white kimono rushed in from outside the door and approached Naoki with great excitement.

“I missed you so much, Naoki-sama! I thought of you every moment these past two days!”

“You flatter me, Princess Kiyohime.”

As if already used to it and having done it hundreds or thousands of times, Naoki displayed the Prince Charming smile that could melt most innocent young girls: “This humble one has also been eagerly awaiting our meeting. I truly hoped to see the Princess’s enchanting smile today. It would be the most precious treasure in the world.”

(Haaah, I have to say things like this again. I’m already sick of dialogue like this myself...)

With a slight inner resistance, as usual, Naoki began serving his primary source of income.

-

Title: You Think This Is a Shoujo Manga?

Late afternoon.

At the temporary residence of Naoki and Musashi, tucked in a corner of the jōkamachi (castle town).

“I’m~~~ so~~~ ti~~~red~~~”

Dragging out his words with a face full of exhaustion, Naoki trudged in from outside, utterly drained.

Musashi, who was sitting inside polishing her swords, was startled by the sight.

Not because of Naoki’s helpless appearance, but because of the overpoweringly strong perfume scent clinging to him.

“Naoki, what... what exactly happened to you at work?”

“Huh? Nothing. Just keeping a little girl company, listening to her complaints, and then being bribed with money to play along with a few things.”

Naoki said casually.

Essentially, his job was just selling performance services; it couldn’t possibly involve physical transactions—especially not in this ancient era. So Princess Kiyohime really hadn’t done anything to him. She just wanted him to hug her, hold her hand, and say a few sweet words.

But even that alone left him half-dead from exhaustion. Trying to squeeze every romantic line out of his brain nearly killed his brain cells. And more importantly, the side effect of saying such things—Naoki felt utterly disgusted with himself!

“I think I need to find a chance to escape from that shop.”

“Naoki, what exactly are they making you say?”

Seeing Naoki seriously considering running away, Musashi grew curious about what he’d gone through during the day.

With a deeply furrowed brow, Naoki made a pained expression: “You really want to hear it?”

“Eh? Am I not allowed? By the way, why do you look like you’re having stomach cramps and are so depressed?”

“It’s nothing... Well, if you really want to hear, saying one or two lines to you isn’t a big deal.”

After all, it was just a demonstration. Clearing his throat, Naoki closed his eyes—at that moment, Musashi’s swordmaster instincts immediately put her on alert. The aura Naoki was giving off had completely changed.

It was no longer the teenage vibe from before, but a feeling... incredibly mature and brimming with masculinity.

Too bad Musashi didn’t know what a shoujo manga was; otherwise, she’d definitely feel a strong sense of déjà vu.

“Musashi.”

Opening his eyes, Naoki used Magecraft to disguise his eyes as deep, diamond-like ones. He stepped closer to Musashi and gently lifted her chin with his finger.

“I love you.”

“Eh?”

“From the very first moment we met, I’ve loved you so deeply that I can’t let go.”

As if forcing Musashi, Naoki grabbed her wrist, leaned forward, and pushed her down onto the tatami mat. And whether it was Musashi’s imagination or not, she felt bright red rose petals start floating around Naoki, and his entire appearance became even more enchanting.

In her ears, she heard ambiguous male “unh-ahh” sounds full of seductive undertones in every sense.

(W-What is this? This storyline...)

Musashi’s face turned completely red. She was a super-innocent girl with zero romantic experience, zero experience with the opposite sex—a pure maiden who only ever thought about swords! Suddenly facing a straight-ball love attack from this handsome golden-haired young man...

At that moment, Naoki’s finger brushed her lips: “Such soft lips. May I taste them?”

“Uh... T-This... this...”

“I want to claim your lips, Musashi. Will you let me be the only man who can have them? My lover.”

“Ugh... No!”

Her embarrassment had reached its limit. Musashi, face blazing red, shouted and pushed Naoki away with all her strength. She quickly scooted to the side, straightened her collar, and said with a flushed face: “I-I get it now! Naoki, at your workplace, you’re saying these indecent things to the ladies!”

Rubbing the back of his head and dispelling the unclear filters and effects he’d created in his mind, Naoki nodded tiredly: “The princess from Tsuchiura Castle seems to really like this style. She keeps pushing me to treat her like that—it’s exhausting me to death. She’s drained every romantic line from my brain.”

In exchange, he was indeed making a lot of money.

Hearing Naoki say this, Musashi frowned slightly: “So... did you kiss her?”

“Huh? Kiss what?”

“That princess—did you kiss her lips?”

“No way! I’m not interested in a little girl like her. I was just joking and tricking her a bit, then it’s over.” Naoki spread his hands and explained, “Speaking of which, where’s dinner?”

“Here. But my cooking isn’t as good as yours—I can only make misshapen onigiri.”

Musashi sheepishly brought over a plate of onigiri that had been sitting nearby. As she said, the onigiri looked shapeless; after all, looking at her, Musashi didn’t seem like someone who could cook.

Fortunately, for Naoki, appearance didn’t matter as long as it was edible.

Picking up one onigiri and taking a bite, Naoki continued: “Oh yeah, while I was with the princess, I also gathered some information. She said that lately, black Oni (demons) have been appearing.”

Black Oni.

On the night of the blood moon, black Oni would ride in on black clouds, carrying out heavenly punishment under the leadership of the Oni General—Princess Kiyohime had spilled this information while completely smitten with Naoki.

“Combining it with what I know, that should be the situation when the Heroic Spirit Swordsmen appear. The Oni General is a Heroic Spirit Swordsman. The black Oni are probably the grudges of people killed by them... or maybe Oni formed from their own power.”

“Heroic Spirit Swordsmen and Oni—speaking of that, I heard something too.” Musashi said seriously: “Hitachi Province has turned into a desert. It happened exactly yesterday. Not a single survivor—everything burned in a sea of flames.”

Hitachi Province, separated from Shimōsa Province only by the Tone River, had vanished in a sea of fire last night.

This was clearly the work of a Heroic Spirit Swordsman.

“Want to go check it out tonight, Naoki?”

“Yeah, we might find traces of the Heroic Spirit Swordsmen there. It might be a bit late to say this, but we really can’t let the Heroic Spirit Swordsmen run loose—also, Musashi, give me both your swords.”

“Eh? What are you going to do with my swords?”

“Reinforce them.” Naoki explained. “Last night you said you were struggling because you couldn’t cut intangible things. I’ll add some Magecraft to your swords that targets situations like that. So if you encounter something like that again, you can easily slaughter them.”

Hearing that she wouldn’t have to be bothered by unkillable weird creatures anymore, Musashi immediately placed her swords in front of Naoki with a grin: “Hehehe~~~ Then I’ll leave it to you, Naoki. Please make my swords super awesome!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah~~~”

-

Title: See You Again, Tomoe

Night fell completely in an instant.

In this peaceful era, there was truly no nighttime entertainment. The moment darkness arrived, the entire jōkamachi (castle town) quickly grew silent. Most residents retired into the dark. Only one or two samurai patrols rode through the streets on horseback, carrying torches.

Thus, leaving the town proved effortless for Naoki and Musashi.

After confirming no one was watching, the two shot into the sky with the aid of wind, heading straight for Hitachi Province.

“We’re really flying.”

Though she had experienced it for the first time last night, soaring through the air with wind assistance was still a thrilling novelty for Musashi: “At this rate, we’ll reach Hitachi Province in no time.”

“Yeah. Walking might take a full day, but like this, just a few minutes.”

Sitting in front, Naoki asked: “Have you tried your swords yet?”

“Not yet.” Musashi touched the two blades at her waist.

After Naoki finished dinner, he had begun reinforcing both swords.

Specialized Anti-Spirit Attack Magecraft, Quasi-Eternal Slaughter Magecraft, Mana Barrier Magecraft—every spell that could close the hardware gap between Musashi and the Heroic Spirit Swordsmen in battle, Naoki poured his effort into installing.

Beyond Magecraft, Naoki also bestowed Fairy Protection on both blades. As long as Musashi held them, she would receive his protection—an effect practically equivalent to granting her an A-rank Mana Burst.

Musashi, of course, knew nothing of these enhancements. All she could feel was that the two swords at her waist now brimmed with an overwhelming Sword Aura and Sword Intent, ready to explode the moment they were drawn.

Musashi planned to turn this into a Battōjutsu (Iaido) surprise, delivering a massive shock to the Heroic Spirit Swordsmen upon meeting them!

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

After a short flight, crossing the Tone River below, the two officially entered Hitachi Province.

Landing with wind assistance in Hitachi Province—

“...”

“...”

Naoki and Musashi fell silent in unison.

The rumor they heard in the jōkamachi was that Hitachi Province had been burned to ashes by fire summoned by]{\ the Heroic Spirit Swordsmen, the entire province reduced to a desert.

But what they saw now...

“The rumor might have actually sugarcoated it.” Naoki sighed. “This isn’t a desert at all—it’s a battlefield.”

Unlike the village they saw near Shimōsa Province last night, what stretched before them now was an endless battlefield.

Though scorched beyond recognition, faint traces remained: charred earth littered with fragments of wooden barricades. Countless samurai corpses were impaled on sharpened stakes; countless more lay dead on the ground, riddled with arrows.

Heads, torsos, arms, legs—innumerable arrows pierced the fallen samurai, as if trampling the dead, defiling their bodies as thoroughly as possible.

“Is this the work of a Heroic Spirit Swordsman?”

Musashi tightly gripped her sword hilts.

“Unforgivable... Doing something this vile is truly unforgivable!”

“Calm down, Musashi.” Naoki patted her shoulder. “Rage here is useless. Save your anger for when you face the Heroic Spirit Swordsman. That’s when you’ll need a furious heart to fight with everything you’ve got.”

Anger might rob someone of composure, but undeniably, when enraged, raw power surges to a certain extent.

At that very moment—

*BUZZ!*

Without warning, the entire world around them plunged into darkness.

Though already deep in night, Naoki and Musashi distinctly felt their surroundings dim further. Moments later, the clear moonlight vanished, replaced by a crimson moon radiating an ominous blood-red glow.

On the night of the blood moon, black Oni ride in on black clouds, executing heavenly punishment under the Oni General’s command—the intel about the Heroic Spirit Swordsmen they’d gleaned from Princess Kiyohime at the shop that afternoon flashed through both their minds.

“Naoki, this situation...”

“Looks like the Heroic Spirit Swordsman has appeared.”

Naoki smiled, raised his hand, and snapped his fingers. Centered on him, a brilliantly lit area instantly replaced the domain of darkness. Thanks to this sudden light, the scenery hidden in shadow revealed itself before them.

A black army.

Just like the evil spirit Naoki destroyed last night, hundreds—no, thousands—of evil spirits stood in perfect formation in the darkness, unknowingly surrounding the two in the center.

“There are so many!”

Musashi gripped her sword hilts, ready to draw: “That many will be a real hassle. Should we retreat, Naoki?”

“No need—leave it to me.”

As Naoki’s words fell, the ground beneath their feet suddenly trembled violently—and then, beneath the feet of the thousands of evil spirits—

*PU-CHI!* *PU-CHI!* *PU-CHI!*

A chorus of piercing sounds rang out.

Iron spikes erupted from the earth in unison, instantly impaling every evil spirit. The moment they were skewered, the densely packed horde transformed into black mist and vanished into the air!

In a single instant, the entire encirclement of evil spirits disappeared!

“Numbers mean nothing before me.”

Facing the now-empty front, while Musashi still reeled from shock, Naoki shouted: “Come out, Heroic Spirit Swordsman—Demon who burned this land to cinders with fire—Archer Inferno!”

*BOOM!*

A burst of flame ignited in the darkness. Accompanied by faint footsteps, a silhouette emerged before them.

A figure Musashi had never seen, yet intimately familiar to Naoki.

White robes, red armor, a massive red bow on her back, a sword at her waist, and a naginata (long spear) clutched in both hands.

Hair white as snow, a beautiful face, a pair of sharp Oni horns on her head, and tears of blood streaming from both eyes.

Armed to the teeth, that was the woman who approached them.

“A-a-ah... I found it... I finally found it...”

Eyes brimming with blood-tears fixed on Naoki before them. Tomoe Gozen—her sanity lost, consumed by the karma of slaughter—felt, in this moment, an emotion called Serenity in her heart.

She had found it.

It was right to stay here. As long as she remained, she would surely meet the Great One who followed the trail she left behind.

“At last, I’ve found you, Lord ■■!”

-

Title: The Purpose of Fighting Is to Survive and Eat

(Staying here was the right choice.)

Tomoe, now transformed into Archer Inferno, thought as much.

After annihilating Hitachi Province, she was supposed to move on to the next province as ordered—but she forced herself to stay.

Because she had a premonition: if she remained here, she would surely meet again with the Lord ■■ in her heart.

And now, she had seen him.

“A-a-ah~~~~ Lord ■■, finally... Gozen has finally... met you again...”

Seeing Tomoe gazing at Naoki like a girl drunk on love, Musashi frowned: “Naoki, you know her?”

“I did, once.”

Naoki explained: “A Heroic Spirit Swordsman is a foreign entity formed when a Servant is infiltrated by something. Its origin is a Servant—a copy of a Heroic Spirit from the Throne of Heroes.”

“I met the same Servant before. Perhaps the memories from that time returned to the main entity on the Throne, and this new Servant descended carrying those memories.”

Even so, if a Servant appears repeatedly in the world, memories from the last summoning aren’t carried over. But seeing Tomoe’s condition...

“Mental chaos, mistaking me for Minamoto no Yoshinaka?”

“Minamoto no Yoshinaka?! Then this female general is—”

Musashi knew who Minamoto no Yoshinaka was. A military commander from the late Heian period. And when it came to a female general associated with him, the first that came to mind was the legendary warrior woman in Japanese history said to be worth a thousand soldiers.

“Tomoe Gozen.”

“Exactly, her.”

For Naoki, the Seventh Singularity had only happened a month ago. He still remembered it clearly. Tomoe back then had looked stunning in his eyes.

But now, she could only be called grotesque.

“Musashi, even though I reinforced your swords so you could face the Heroic Spirit Swordsmen, sorry—can I take this one?” Naoki said. “Since she’s an old friend, let me handle it. You take care of the others.”

“You sure know how to order people around.”

Turning her back to Naoki, Musashi stared intently into the darkness behind her. She didn’t have senses like Naoki’s—only a swordsman’s intuition. And that intuition told her another Heroic Spirit Swordsman lurked ahead.

“Hahahaha~~~~”

A chilling laugh echoed from behind the curtain of night. Accompanied by the sound of footsteps on soft earth, a monk wielding a long spear appeared before Musashi.

Like Tomoe, tears of blood streamed from both his eyes.

“Lancer Purgatorio—True Name: Houzouin Inshun.” Naoki’s warning came from behind. “Successor of the Houzouin-ryū spear style. A Servant said to have reached the realm of gods and Buddhas with his spear, now a Heroic Spirit Swordsman.”

“You’ve got to be kidding...”

Musashi couldn’t laugh anymore. She knew all Heroic Spirit Swordsmen were powerful foes, but she wasn’t supposed to lose. Yet now she faced a fighter whose skill had reached divine levels?!

“Are your swords still usable?”

“Don’t be stupid. Swords are ultimately just external power—they can only close the gap between you two. If you cut him, he dies. If he hits you, you die. I’ve only brought you to that level. The rest—cover it with your own swordsmanship.”

The current Musashi was not the Miyamoto Musashi who had reached the Void. Her blades were far from legendary. Technically, she would lose against Inshun. In raw power, thanks to Fairy Protection, it wasn’t an issue.

But battle isn’t just numbers. With Musashi’s strength and her twin blades, the odds of defeating Inshun weren’t low. She just needed to find a way to land a fatal strike—that would be her victory.

“By the way—” Naoki continued, “It’s fine if you lose. I can easily fight one-on-two. After that, I’ll take care of your corpse and bury you. It’d be nice to have one less freeloader at home.”

“You’re heartless.”

Musashi laughed in anger.

It was just cheap provocation—words Naoki said to rile her up so she wouldn’t be burdened. Musashi wasn’t fooled by such tricks—but this time, she’d play along.

Being underestimated to this extent was a first. Since it had come to this, she’d win this fight, then keep clinging to Naoki, eating his cooking! Stuff herself full! Make him work himself half to death outside every day, and use his hard-earned money to support her at home!

*CLANG!*

Both swords were drawn from their sheaths by Musashi. Golden light swirled through the air along the arc of the drawn blades, coiling around her like twin silk strands.

Sharp sword intent radiated from Musashi’s body. And she herself felt it—something had been added to her the moment she drew these blades.

(Naoki really loaded all sorts of Magecraft onto my swords. Judging by this, it feels a bit like cheating. Using external power like this in a one-on-one duel.)

(But since my opponent isn’t human either, I don’t need to overthink it.)

Assuming the Niten Ichi-ryū (Two Heavens as One) stance, Musashi grinned: “I’ll win. When we get home, give me extra food and a midnight snack.”

“You weren’t even full from dinner. Talk after you survive.”

“Roger~~~!”

Winning meant survival—and Naoki’s midnight snack. At that moment, Musashi’s fighting spirit blazed!

“Then let’s begin, Heroic Spirit Swordsman Houzouin Inshun. I’ll let you taste the essence of my Niten Ichi-ryū and Gorin, Miyamoto Musashi!”

“Take this—!”

Both swords swung. The sword aura stored in the sheaths and blades erupted in an instant, transforming into a raging torrent following Musashi’s swing!

*SWOOSH!*

The roaring torrent of sword aura surged forth, charging at Inshun like two roaring dragons!

Thunderous echoes resounded beneath the veil of night.

Hearing the sound from behind with a hint of resignation, Naoki sighed: “Glutton. At least appreciate the effort I put into earning money outside. I’ll make her get a part-time job too later.”

“Then—”

Sky-blue light pierced the daylight domain. Terrifying freezing air gathered in his hand.

Naoki faced Tomoe before him.

“Come, Gozen.”

“You who drown in suffering and hatred because of this form—let me set you free.”