ch361-ch380 · 373-ch373

Chapter 373: The Mountain Kata

Japanese armor done up in reds......

Even the face is covered by a red mask like some oni, its expression unreadable.

Obviously a suspicious character—no, a dangerous one.

It's January 5th today; the New Year's visitors should still be coming and going nonstop.

The fact that not a single soul is around might just be this warrior's doing......

(Not Hiramatsu-san.)

Hiramatsu-san is slim; this armored warrior is built like a wall.

Wait—I said it's not Hiramatsu-san, but if he's here, then he's simply a different Hiramatsu-san.

Most likely Hiramatsu-san and Miko-san's elder brother...... Mimiko's father.

The Hiramatsu siblings' father isn't impossible either, but either way, a Hiramatsu-san.

No—there's no such thing as some vengeful ghost, right?

It's broad daylight.

But I can't stand here staring at each other forever, so I approach.

(This aura......)

Bloodlust...... no, plain anger.

I can tell, because it's the same as Kasumi-san's yesterday.

The reason a dangerous character radiating this aura hasn't been reported is probably simply that what he's holding is a wooden practice spear.

Two of them.

Don't tell me this is a two-spear style......

And sure enough......

"Oop."

I catch the thrown spear.

Show me your strength first—that must be it.

I wondered why he was angry, but maybe it's "a whelp like you doesn't get to call himself Hiramatsu-ryu."

"......"

He stays silent even as I walk up, so I set my bag down and take my stance.

'Sword Saint-chan' chewed me out last time, so this time I go full power from the very start.

Well—not the all-my-strength thrust.

It's meaningless unless I show Hiramatsu-ryu.

When his spear comes out at me, I deflect it with everything I've got.

That's where it starts.

(Here I come!)

A sharp thrust from the armored warrior meets my advancing step.

I can do this!

And with everything I have......

(Eh? Ah......)

The warrior's thrust lands on my shoulder as if nothing happened, and I'm blown backward.

(Ow.)

No pulling blows in this dojo, huh?

But—what just happened?

My spear definitely hit his.

The cross blades tangled nicely—mine was on top.

And yet I was pushed back.

Then his thrust landed, and I lost.

So it's a loss by sheer force?

(Grrrnnn.)

I shed my coat and take my stance again.

"Think it's the coat's fault? Fine by me. Come at me!"

He talked!

An unfamiliar voice.

At the very least, the person inside the armor isn't Kasumi-san.

Not a ghost either, then.

Honestly, I don't care anymore.

I'll attack first.

Forget Hiramatsu-ryu for now—full-power thrust.

If he's wearing that armor, I should be able to beat him on speed.

I close in slowly......

(Sudden acceleration!)

A burst of speed to break the rhythm.

But he reacts to that too.

His spear shoots out, and the tips barely graze......

(Ah......)

Again......

Our spears had barely, barely grazed—yet mine was knocked aside.

It still lands on his pauldron...... and gets turned aside by the armor.

His, meanwhile, also finds my shoulder......

And I'm the only one who goes flying.

Raw power...... so it really is the strength?

(Ugh.)

I eat dirt.

This time the other shoulder took the hit.

Meaning he struck exactly where he meant to.

"In a match, you'd call that a double hit, would you? That on even terms, you'd be unharmed too? Ridiculous! On the battlefield, no such thing as even terms exists!"

I didn't say that, though?

Fighting without gear is old hat for me.

Though I probably shouldn't have taken the coat off.

My defenses dropped, and it hurt more than before.

Even so...... I somehow get up and take my stance again.

(Where's my opening?)

Trading blows head-on is hopeless.

It has to be a contest of speed.

Use my feet and circle around.

"Eh? You're still going?"

The armored warrior sounds surprised.

Your speech has gotten pretty casual, you know?

But—a chance.

Run! No—circle!

I skim along the very edge of his range and sweep halfway around him in a wide arc.

Then step in.

But his reflexes are as sharp as ever—he pivots beautifully and thrusts.

However, it's a thrust from exactly the angle I calculated.

(Windmill!)

I slam on the brakes and ride the momentum, swinging the spear's butt spike up from below.

The swing rises...... no, it doesn't rise?

Again.

I caught his spear at the perfect timing, so why......

Instead he presses my spear down, and a counter comes sliding along the top of it.

No way to stop it.

Between my spear and my arm, one slash lands around my solar plexus.

"Gweh."

A sound escapes me, and I collapse on my rear, unable to endure it.

"Windmill, was it...... Not what I was told. Quite the nimble one, aren't you. But you're drowning in the wind—fitting for my fool of a little brother's disciple."

This isn't the dungeon—it's the surface.

Honestly, even I was surprised I pulled off the Windmill that cleanly.

But what does he mean, "drowning in the wind"?

What he's using on me is......

"A technique to...... kill Hiramatsu-ryu?"

Anti-Hiramatsu-ryu techniques.

As long as a school exists as a school, same-school duels are inevitable.

Only once you have a technique that returns your own school's techniques does a school truly stand as one.

"Precisely. But what it kills is not Hiramatsu-ryu techniques alone. The 'Mountain Thrust' nullifies the parries of every school. Paired with the armor's defensive arts, footwork, and grappling, it forms the 'Hiramatsu-ryu Mountain Kata.'"

There it is—the final kata.

Mountain...... armor......

"The armor's weight? That's what's knocking my spear aside?"

It's simple, really.

When something heavy hits something light, the light one flies.

Boxing splits its weight classes in increments of about 2 kilos—that's how much weight difference can decide a fight.

And between me and the man inside the armor there's already a build difference; he has me on weight.

Pile heavy armor on top of that, and the gap clears 20 kilos.

Twenty kilos in combat sports and it's not even a contest anymore.

But the heavier you are, the slower you move—normally.

To cover that: a way of moving built for the weight, defense using the armor itself, and above all, a way of thrusting that puts body weight into the spear.

So that's the 'Mountain Kata'......

"Hm. Quick on the uptake...... I'd heard you were 'no prospects, but he tries hard.' Seems what people say can't be trusted. Hah! Don't be fooled!"

Well, if you're putting weight into it, you go top-down.

"The spear is not thrusts alone"—Kasumi-san's words.

I keep every attack of mine coming from above, striking downward at every chance.

"Coming at you!"

I rise and take my stance.

"Eh? Still going?"

Of course.

The places he struck hurt, but I'm not dead yet.

︙ ︙

"All right, that's enough, I've seen what I needed...... We stop here for today. Next time. Next time!"

Guhehh.

I'm done for......

Up, down—none of it mattered.

Once that heavy thrust builds momentum, nothing stops it.

Pressing down on a truck from above is pointless—simple as that.

And now I understand "drowning in the wind," too.

He doesn't use only the 'Mountain Kata.'

Wind and Grove and Fire all come out.

Even my downward strike got caught and slipped aside on his cross blades with one little spin of the spear.

Once I've learned Mountain and Fire both, and gotten my gear fully in order—THAT's the actual starting line, I bet.

No, wait...... why were we fighting again?

Couldn't we have just done normal practice?

"I under...... stand...... I'll come again tomorrow, same time......"

Everything hurts.

The practice weapons are wrapped in cloth padding, sure, but I took the full brunt of weight-backed 'Mountain Thrusts' anyway.

I shuffle into my coat.

No—it was good I'd taken it off.

I'm covered head to toe in mud.

The branch is close, but not when you're a mud monster.

"Tomorrow!? No, look at the state of you—that's not happening...... Rest up properly first. We'll talk after that."

"No, I'll come again tomorrow......"

A 【Heal】 and I'm back on my feet in no time, after all.

If I can, I'd like to ask for it in the dungeon, actually.

Then I could train always at full strength, and watch the 'Mountain Kata' in slow motion with Super Mode.

No—with my Status-boosted memory it'd be closer to a recording, huh?

"I see...... You care for Mimiko that much......"

On my way out he murmurs something, but my ear took its share of hits too, so I didn't catch it well.

Come to think of it, I never did ask who that man was......