3 bar menu

High School Hack and Slash Chapter 178 Part 1

Shuten-douji

―― Territory『Outenmon』 ――

―― countdown: 99: 99: 99: 99 ――

I accept the sake cup offered to me carelessly, with neither hostility nor killing intent.

The grinning oni pours it with sake straight from the barrel.

A fruity rice aroma is wafting from the slightly golden liquid.

It’s more like a wine made from rice than sake.

「Hmm? What’s the matter? It’s not like you can’t drink either.」

「…..」

「I’m not human, so I would not do boorish things such as putting poison in sake. 『Kijin have no iniquity』 you know? Hahaha, don’t you know that? I believe it’s listed in Kyoto karuta, too.」

No, hell if I know.

Although I can see the figures of armed oni soldiers around Outenmon, they are only standing there, surrounding us at a distance.

They are by no means ignoring us.

They are probably refraining themselves out of respect and awe.

Of this heavy drinker of an oni.

— Looks like this is as far as I go, huh.

Sitting next to the oni across the barrel, I gulp down the insanely sized cup of sake.

「Hahahaha! That’s a nice drinking manner.」

「It’s good. But the volume is too much.」

If I have to put it, it’s on the sweet side.

The rice is probably not polished that much.

I prefer it to daiginjo, which is made by grinding rice to bits and has no umami.

I’d like to let Saki, the sake-lover girl, drink it.

「Good, good. Let’s call it god-blessed oni-poisonous sake, shall we? … Taste-wise, that one too was superb.」

「Your naming sense is too bad.」

Handing over the emptied sake up, I pour it to the brim with sake from the barrel in return.

「Hahaha, exactly. Certainly, certainly it is, isn’t it?」

The jovially laughing oni looks like nothing but a drunkard.

There’s no way that’s true, but boy, be damned I am.

Even through the Interface, all I can see is his name.

Name, 『Shuten-douji』

Race, ※※※

Attribute, ※※※

Rank, ※※※

Abilities, 『-※ Lost』 『※※※』 『※※※』 『※※※』 『※※※』 『※※※』 『※※※』 『※※※』

Existence Level, -※※※※※※※

「※※※」 「※※※」 「※※※」 「※※※」 「※※※」 「※※※」

He’s the kind of well-known oni that even I know of.

Everything but the name is 『※※※』.

And then, his existence level field is one step more than the homo oni samurai.

I see.

Thinking about it carefully, I guess this would be the first time this has ever happened.

In other words, it seems that it can’t read the information of someone wholly higher-ranked than me.

「Fufufu. What a zealous gaze you’ve got there. Very well, let’s compare them, shall we? My penis is a fine item that will make a lady cry, you know?」

「Stop it. No need to take it out.」

「For you to be bothered by the length of your manhood, you’re still quite the fledgling. Kahaha」

He starts to make a series of old man-ish dirty jokes.

For him to make me play the straight man role, what a terrifying raid boss.

「That’s enough for the farce. Now, let’s get it started.」

「Hmm. What a boring guy you are.」

Shuten-douji drains his cup of sake and lets out a breath that reeks of alcohol.

「Don’t pour more.」

「We’ve especially got this nice sake, you know? Won’t it be a waste not to drink it?」

This, I wonder if by any chance I can just leave this one be and pass by.

For the time being, let’s try throwing the charged Bhaudhara at Outenmon.

「Don’t bother, don’t bother. You’ll only get dust in the sake. Outenmon (that thing) is the cornerstone of the『Onimenuraikyo』, the protective formation, you know? I doubt you can destroy it without breaking the protective law, but if you want to try, feel free to give it a try.」

「If we light it on fire, won’t it burn?」

「Hahaha. I wonder now. It’s something I found, so I don’t know.」

Licking his cup of sake, the distant-eyed Shuten-douji looks at the past, which is not the present.

「That’s the toy that Kidomaru stole from me some time ago. It was the prototype of Rashomon, which the Onmyoji bunch had been working so hard to build. Therefore, I couldn’t care less about how it works.」

「I see.」

It’s starting to crackle nicely, so let’s charge it a little more.

「Good graciousness, talk about wisdom unthinkable that he’s my own son. I guess it stemmed from how much I couldn’t let off of that guy and accept his demise.」

「…..」

「The law of the undead is nothing but a heresy. Even though by any means, fufufu, that’s iniquity (cheat) in itself. Say, don’t you think so?」

Hell if I care.

I couldn’t care less about it, but I can’t gather as much『power』 as I would like.

The crackling is fading from Bhaudhara as if it were dissipating.

「Ah, guess I’ve run out of sake… In that case, it can’t be helped.」

Throwing away the sake cup, Shuten-duoji gets up.

His physique, which at a glance looks like that of an effeminate man with back-knotted zanbara hair, overwhelms me.

What he slowly takes out from god knows where is a metal club that exceeds his height.

It’s a crude metal club with no shred of stylishness.

「You’re still way too lacking to stand in front of me. So, well, you’d do well to do a do over and come back again later.」

Tapping his shoulder with the club he’s carrying, he floats a wide grin.

「I, Shuten-douji, pride myself as the strongest being in『Yomotsu Hirasaka』. Now, try to defend yourself with all your might so that your spirit will not be shattered!」

「You, talk too much—!!」

Switching『The Ripper (Bhaudhara)』 with the『Gaki Lord War Casket (Over-Greed Gear)』, I step firmly on the ground and brace myself.

If I can parry the power of the first blow, counter with the iron pile—

A dull impact explodes.

Lagging behind the wind and sound, shock pierces through my body.

Along with the War Casket, which bends into a 『く』 shape, I fly through the air as if shot by a catapult.

「… God, damn, it …」

The sweeping blow, which was as simple as a knockback attack, was…

Undoubtedly held back.

As I turn into a launched bullet and fly into the distance, my vision is blacked out as if sucked into it.

◇ ◇ ◇

―― Territory『Dream Bubble Shadow』 ――

―― countdown: -00: -00: -00: -00 ――

・

・

・

Everyone had died and gone.

To the road to Hades, from which they would never return.

It was like cutting the grass.

Like stepping on a swarm of ants on the side of the road.

Like kicking stones piled up on the bank of the river.

Carelessly, without any worth.

If I had to put this emptiness into words, then it ought to be the exact phrase: the impermanence of worldly things.

I just couldn’t stand it.

Being worthless, that was it.

As proof that I had lived, as a comfort to the living.

If I could leave something behind, it would surely be gospel.

Even if it was an illusion.

If they were to be born without meaning and disappear without meaning, that would be just too sad.

「If that is the fate of this world, then you ought to accept it, no?」

That would be too vain.

「That is what a providence is. What the way of the world is.」

That way was unsatisfactory.

That way was unacceptable.

Not for anyone’s sake, I just couldn’t stand it.

Therefore, I looked for it.

And then, I found it.

Ironically enough, it was a machinery that our sworn enemies, the Onmyoji of the Imperial Court, had built up.

It kept the spirits and denied the underworld.

「That is what people call hell.」

It was a ritual instrument of the external law.

Even if there was something we would lose by doing so, it would be better than being reduced to dust and vanishing into nothingness.

「You of all people should know it, do you not?! It is not that you will not die, simply that you cannot die, you know?」

No, this was salvation.

I would accomplish my regret and remedy my chagrin.

With this『Otenmon (Undead System)』.

・

・

・

I have a tedious, drifting dream.

Whose dream it was, what time of dream it was, everything is vague.

The place, the timeline, and even the subjectivity are all over the place, making it a very dream-like dream.

Drifting through such fragments, I lose track of who I am and what I am.

「… Hello there. What is your name?」

That’s why, even when I’m asked such a question, I cannot answer.

Even as I try to take a look at her face, my body is as heavy as lead.

I simply fall flat and dream.

That’s why for sure, holding me in her arms, that person’s…

Gentle, affectionate, motherly smile must have been a dream, too.

・

・

・

◇ ◇ ◇