CH 72

Chapter 72 – Komon vs. Kuroki

“….That’s a name I haven’t heard in a while. I never thought I’d be known even by a young lady like you,” Kuroki declared expressionlessly in a bold voice.

“I saw you on television at the time. The strongest man who wielded peerless strength. A legendary champion who retired without suffering a single defeat.” (Komon)

“…What an old memory.” (Kuroki)

“It makes me question why someone like you is listening to Ryudou.” (Komon)

“…….” (Kuroki)

It seemed that he had no intention to answer me. As a kid, I had been puzzled by Kuroki’s sudden retirement. He ended up being labeled as a complete villain because he had killed a popular champion, but I liked him a lot as an athlete.

He never gave in, and his strength was inspiring to behold. I certainly couldn’t commend the fact that someone had died, but it didn’t matter to me because it was just an incident that had happened as a result of the match.

Even my father had been a fan of Kuroki and cheered him on as he fought. It was a pity that he retired even though he wasn’t ill or injured.

“Listen, woman! Kuroki is someone who conquered not only the public world, but also the underground world!” (Takasu)

Underground…? Takasu’s words caused my eyebrows to furrow, but….

“Takasu… don’t say anything out of line.” (Kuroki)

“Hyiii!? I-I’m sorry, Kuroki-san!” (Takasu)

Receiving his glare, Takasu bowed his head in a pathetic manner.

“Who cares about a story like that? Well… if it’ll help you buy time, I don’t mind.” (Kuroki)

“…! Don’t you want to defeat me quickly and go after Ryudou?” (Komon)

“The next… new race of mankind?” (Komon)

“….You don’t know? I’ve heard from Ryudou that Kuzuhara is also one of them.” (Kuroki)

…! So that’s what he meant. He was trying to say that people who had skills were no longer ordinary people, but a new race of mankind chosen by the times.

It was true that people who had the ability to freely manipulate impact or turn people into zombies and control them were special.

“You make it sound as if people like us are already outdated and will eventually be weeded out.” (Komon)

“That’s exactly what will happen. In fact, many people around the world are beginning to die. No, they’re being killed—by the calamity called monsters.” (Kuroki)

A calamity… It was a fitting phrase. That was exactly what it was.

“Only those who have powers will survive. It will be exactly those who manage to conquer dungeons and monsters who will be the next rulers of the world.” (Kuroki)

“…You mean those people who have skills?” (Komon)

“Huh. So you were listening. That’s right. I think that Ryudou-san and Kuzuhara-san are people that have been chosen by the world to be part of the new order of mankind.” (Kuroki)

“That’s quite the far-fetched conclusion you’ve got there. Even if that were the case, would you really acknowledge it so easily? That you’re on the side of the humans being weeded out?” (Komon)

I would definitely never accept it so easily. Even if there were some divine decree in place, I wouldn’t yield to such an unreasonable reality. Even if I didn’t have a skill, I would still resist until the end.

“I’m just someone who has yet to be eliminated… So I’m prepared to eventually be weeded out as well.” (Kuroki)

“…What about the former champion that you killed, or the people who challenged you?” (Komon)

“In the end, to be strong is to trample upon others. The weak cannot coexist with the strong. If you want to survive, you have to be strong.” (Kuroki)

Well, I didn’t disagree with that idea. In fact, in a world like this, that truth was becoming more and more prominent, strikingly so.

A world where those with powers were left to do as they please. In a world where order had collapsed, the antiquated rule that ‘strength is justice’ had once again come to the fore.

These were truly turbulent times.

“…You’ve changed. When I saw you at least a decade ago, you looked scary on the outside, but you were still kind to children and your fans.” (Komon)

He was also the kind of person who would donate his prize money to poor children abroad. He would even go around to poverty-stricken villages and do volunteer work.

A friend to the weak… He had been someone who fit those words well. I could never have imagined that one day, he would be speaking the way he was now.

“Times change people. Things happen in an instant, and in that instant, peoples’ values change. And I… am also someone who has changed in that way.” (Kuroki)

After smiling at me in a self-deprecating manner, Kuroki suddenly tightened his expression and charged at me.

―So quick?!

He dashed forward with a single bound, closing the distance of several meters with his ridiculous leg strength. Even though he had been retired for years, his incredible physical abilities were still going strong. In the blink of an eye, he slipped under my reach and thrust out his long, thick arms at me.

But in physical ability alone, there was no way I was inferior. After all, I had the benefits of a certain cheat item.

Carefully gauging the distance from the arm that was reaching out to grab me, I counterattacked, thrusting my katana underneath his reach with a flash.

Just as I thought it was about to hit, a knee came flying at me from below. I immediately backed away and tried to land a somersault kick on Kuroki’s jaw in the process. However, Kuroki used his amazing reaction speed to dodge the kick.

Having taken a certain distance from each other, we both stopped and glared at each other. Takasu and Tengawa were staring at us in disbelief upon seeing this exchange of moves.

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“…As expected of the famous hakama-wearing katana user. It seems that you dealing with those monsters isn’t just for show.” (Kuroki)

“I could say the same. The speed of your attacks were extraordinary.” (Komon)

In terms of pure speed, I should be the faster one. But perhaps his ability to read the speed of my attacks was raising the speed of his own attacks. I was thinking about each attack as I released them, but for him… it felt almost as if his unconscious instincts were telling him what to do.

Because he didn’t think, he fought with his reflexes at full throttle, bringing his speed to an abnormal level. It was a talent he was born with, but it was also the crystallization of the hard work and skill that he had honed in his matches.

There was no way that I could compete with him in this regard. Compared to Kuroki, who was originally blessed with an amazing combat sense, I could only make up for the difference with fantasy items.

“K-Kuroki-san! We’ll help you too!” (Takasu)

“T-That’s right! If we fight with you, that woman’ll be a piece of cake!” (Tengawa)

Takasu and Tengawa showed their willingness to join the fight, but…

“No, you guys will just be a burden instead. You guys stay where you are.” (Kuroki)

“B-But!” (Takasu)

“You guys haven’t even killed someone before, have you? …Could you do that?” (Kuroki)

“”….!””

“…Let’s do this, woman.” (Kuroki)

This time, he went out of his way to say something before charging at me. I readied my katana and took my stance, devising a counterattack.

I swept my sword sideways at the approaching Kuroki, but the sword cut through the air vainly. He was charging at me at a tremendous speed, but just before the tip of the sword grazed him, he completely stopped, instantly bringing his speed to zero.

That move couldn’t have been accomplished with ordinary muscle strength. Normally, it would have resulted in a muscle tear.

Damn, this guy’s eyes are too sharp!

As expected of a pro fighter. The insight he had gained from continuously reading his opponent’s fists and kicks was no joke.

From a momentary standstill position, he immediately pushed his speed to maximum and shot forward. I was still in a position where I had just finished swinging my sword, so if things continued like this, I would get grabbed defenselessly.

However―Booom!

A moment later, Kuroki was blown backwards in a defensive stance.

“….You even managed to block that. Impressive.” (Komon)

That attack with my katana just now might have looked like it was full of gaps, but I had used the momentum to swing the scabbard in my left hand.

This was known as the two-step sword-drawing technique. I had seen this technique before in a manga, but after using it a few times, I thought it would be useful and kept practicing it.

(TL: I think the manga being referenced here is Rurouni Kenshin. The author is probably referring to the Battōjutsu technique known as Sōryūsen, where the user strikes first with the sword, and then uses the scabbard of the sword as a blunt weapon following the same path.)