Chapter 50 Do You Really Remember It?

Chapter 50 Do You Really Remember It?

The Kansai faction was once the ruler of Japan's magical society.

The Onmyoryo (Bureau of Yin and Yang), established by the first Emperor Tenmu, was the predecessor of the Kansai faction. The elite class of this faction mostly consisted of descendants of court nobles.

Similarly, the modern Four Great Clans of Japanese Jujutsu, which dominate the Official History Compilation Committee, are descended from samurai families.

Unlike the ancient Chinese civilization across the sea, Japan's magical society has always adhered to the concept of bloodline supremacy from ancient times to the present. The most refined parts of its sorcery are, even today, mostly held—or monopolized—by those formerly known as nobility.

Therefore, even though the Kansai faction has lost its dominant position, it has not truly fallen.

Japanese jujutsu is best represented by Onmyoudou (Yin-Yang arts), and to a great extent, Kansai's Onmyoudou is synonymous with Japanese Onmyoudou.

However, now this group of people felt mixed emotions in their hearts.

They were pleased because the Hime-miko of the Mariya family was finally freed from the hands of that eccentric old man, and would not have to go abroad on a life-threatening journey. This was not just because the divine ancestor's blood was obviously precious, but also because the Mariya family was one of the most legitimate and pure-blooded lineages within the Kansai faction. That the divine ancestor's blood from Kansai avoided meaningless sacrifice was, for these regionally chauvinistic, certainly a cause for celebration.

Their concern, however, was that two God Slayers were about to duel in Kyoto.

When this news was confirmed, it was quite literally a pain in the balls for those who had them, and pain in the chest for those who didn't.

Even if a God Slayer does nothing, their mere existence is a kind of invisible disaster—this is universally acknowledged.

When an individual's power exceeds a certain threshold, it becomes a calamity for all others. The individual's character or moral quality becomes irrelevant; those traits only hold value if the weaker individuals need to interact with such a powerful being.

So this situation was seriously aggravating. Just what kind of strange stuff got mixed in when the solar system formed? Why would such a bunch of freaks suddenly appear out of nowhere all these years later?

"Miss Mariya, do you know when those two plan to fight?"

In a certain place in Kyoto, a group of people wore bitter expressions. Before them stood the now-freed Mariya Yuri, bowing her head.

"I'm sorry, I don't know." Upon hearing the question, Yuri quickly waved her hands.

However, she was also puzzled in her heart. This man was the top figure in Kansai, and although she was a Hime-miko, there was no need for such a man to use honorifics when speaking to her.

She couldn't recall doing anything that would warrant him treating her with such respect.

"I see…" the man said, clearly with regret in his tone.

"This era is terrible for us. Seven Rakshasa Kings… it must be due to the Twilight Hour, right?"

Someone suddenly spoke up like that, but was immediately interrupted by the man.

"Don't speculate wildly. That didn't happen last time. Don't say such things again."

After a pause, the man continued:

"Then Miss Mariya, though it may be unfair to you, may we ask you to go to that young man's side?"

"Eh?"

"Though it may sound strange in this era, as long as he exists, he is the king of Japan. His every action determines the fate of this nation. If it's Miss Mariya, you may be able to influence him positively. After all, you are both young people—it should be easier for you to communicate."

After another pause, he continued:

"Also, he will be fighting the ancient Western king here. It has been confirmed that the other possesses the power of Apollo... the deity considered most emblematic of Greek myth. For the power of a foreign god to rampage on this land is truly a desecration."

The man's voice seemed to stir the others emotionally; their breathing grew heavier as his tone grew more impassioned.

But while Mariya Yuri also heard this, the first thing that came to her mind was a doubt that absolutely should not be voiced in such a setting—

—because the powers of Japan's own Rakshasa King also seemed to come from a foreign god, just as ancient as Apollo.

She glanced one last time at the increasingly agitated crowd, then quietly excused herself from the room.

Once outside, she let out a long breath and felt much lighter.

Compared to Tokyo, this place often made her feel suffocated.

That was probably why she had agreed back then to the committee's request to be stationed outside Kansai.

Kansai's jujutsu practitioners always seemed to become suddenly and unreasonably passionate in ways that made her uncomfortable.

But…

"Rakshasa… King…"

She murmured the title softly.

Her fear of those people originated from what Voban had done in the past. Yet she also knew that God Slayers varied widely in personality.

It was said that the demon king across the ocean was both feared and loved by the people. In that land existed villains known as heretic gods who actively harmed ordinary people without remorse. But ever since that mysterious demon king appeared, these heretic gods had been suppressed and slaughtered. That king, without a doubt, was using the name of demon king to act as a protector.

If only this nation's Rakshasa King could become someone like that…

But whether she herself could help make that happen—she honestly wasn't very confident.

After all, she remembered what Ena had once told her: never approach that boy just because someone asked you to.

He might not be an evil person, but he definitely wasn't a good one either.

"…I should go see Miss Liliana." Lifting her hand, she gently slapped her cheeks and gave herself a little pep talk. "Come on, Mariya Yuri! Miss Liliana needs help."

After doing this, she felt the weight in her heart lift, and her body and mind relaxed. Then, with a spring in her step, she left that place.

However, in contrast to the now-relieved Mariya Yuri, someone else at that moment was anything but relaxed.

Not that it was a bad situation, necessarily.

Because Kansai is mountainous, Hikigaya quickly found a location that satisfied him as a battleground—or so he said, but in truth, Voban had been trailing not far behind him the whole time. It was questionable whether this even qualified as a formal duel.

Almost as soon as Hikigaya found a suitable location, the impatient old man could no longer wait and rushed to confront him—he didn't even need to be informed.

"This place is great!" Voban said, even though he hadn't glanced around at all.

"We're really just sparring, right? Senpai, you look pretty excited…" Hikigaya felt awkward, chuckled dryly, and reminded him.

He felt uneasy without that reminder—because this guy looked like Hikigaya had just stolen his girlfriend or something.

Damn it! Can you actually control yourself? You're not going to forget this is supposed to be a sparring match once we exchange a few blows, are you?

"Wahaha, you're just so interesting! Watching you fight last time, I learned something." Voban laughed heartily. "Just by watching, I gained insight—that hasn't happened to me in a long time. So please indulge me a bit."

In Hikigaya's eyes, at that moment, the old man's body seemed to swell with power.

"Come, let's clash, boy. You've obtained the power of resurrection from Osiris, haven't you? In that case, there's nothing to worry about."

As expected… this guy wasn't thinking about "sparring" at all.