Chapter 27: Takemikazuchi
Kazuyaâs new weaponâan orichalcum swordâTakemikazuchi.
The sword made from orichalcum was completed in about five days.
It didnât seem like something that could be done that quickly, but when I asked Zack about it, he boasted that this speed was only possible because he was a first-class blacksmith.
A sword made of the rare orichalcumânaturally, I asked what its name was, but Zack said it didnât have one. Just like that, totally nonchalant.
Thatâs such a waste! So I decided I would name it.
I wanted to give it a name worthy of the sword Kazuya would wield.
When you think of Kazuya, you think lightning. Even in his awakened state, his sword emitted bolts of electricity.
So it had to be the name of a god connected to lightningâI got it in a flash.
Yeah, the god of thunder and swords. Perfect. It sounds strong too. This is it!
âThis swordâs name is Takemikazuchi! Letâs go with that.â
âTakemikazuchi? What the heckâs that, a name?â
Zack gave me a puzzled look like heâd never heard the word before.
Canât blame him. After all, that name belongs to an ancient god from the country I was born inâin my previous life.
âAhâno, itâs, uh, an old name passed down by the elves. Has to do with lightning,â I said, making something up on the spot to cover for it.
The hilt, guard, and sheath of the sword were all made in collaboration by Fabio and Zack.
Itâs super coolâa single-edged blade that looks razor-sharp. A real orichalcum sword.
Still, I couldnât shake the feeling that Iâd seen this shape before. It was clearlyâ
âStill, heâs late. If itâs Kazuya, Iâd expect him to be here first thing in the morningâŚâ
âNow that you mention it, yeah. He shouldâve been bouncing around all morning going, âIs it ready yet, Zack!?â or something.â
Suddenly, a chill crept over meâa bad feeling in my chest.
Once that thought struck, I couldnât stay put any longer. I quickly got dressed and headed for the guild.
When I asked the receptionist there, I was told Kazuya had taken on an A-rank quest four days ago and hadnât returned since.
The location wasnât that farâjust a bit more than a dayâs distance. And the quest itself shouldâve been no trouble for Kazuya now.
Which made it all the more strange that he hadnât come back.
Something must have happened. My instincts were screaming it.
Sure, if he had no plans, maybe he was just taking his time. But we were making a weapon out of orichalcum! Iâm here too! Kazuya should want to return quickly.
I hurried back to Zackâs smithy and explained everything. When I said I was heading out to go after Kazuya right away, Zack insisted on coming too.
I told him it was too dangerous for someone of C-rank skill like him, but he refused to back down. He said, âI can at least clear the way. Besides, I want to hand it to him myself.â He was firm.
I understood how he felt. Still, I said we needed one more personâsomeone who could fight at around the same level. That way we could watch each otherâs backs.
Thatâs when Fabio made a suggestion.
âWould you take my apprentice with you? Theyâre about C-rank in ability.â
And so, with Zack and Clara in tow, I rushed out of the city to pursue Kazuya.
After a day and a half of travel, we arrived at the destinationâoff in the distance, we could see Kazuya in combat with a giant.
I quickly cast a series of spells, and managed to pull Kazuya out of danger.
Kazuya moved Zack and Clara to a safe spot, then returned.
He pulled Takemikazuchi out from the cloth wrapping, unsheathed it, and stared at the blade in surprise.
âWait⌠is this⌠a katana?â
Kazuya looked at me. I looked back and nodded.
âItâs a shock, right? Who wouldâve thought a katana could be made using Zackâs orichalcum forging methods? Even the process felt like traditional katana-making.â
The blade was 120 centimeters long. By Japanese sword classifications, itâd be called an Ĺdachi.
The blade of Takemikazuchi shone a bright silver, so beautiful it felt like youâd be drawn right into it.
âLetâs see⌠Zack said something like, âUnbreakable, unchippable, flexible but wonât bend, and cuts through anything.â Right? Thatâs what he said. Now, Kazuyaâtry channeling lightning magic into Takemikazuchi.â
At my prompting, Kazuya poured lightning magic into the sword.
The blade began to glow, then crackled with electricity.
Takemikazuchi already held a vast amount of my pure magic. With Kazuyaâs lightning infused into it, it respondedâbecoming a sword in the truest sense of the name Takemikazuchi.
âSo this sword⌠it reacts to my magic? Takemikazuchi⌠this isnât just a good swordâitâs a legendary blade. Zack and Miki made this⌠I really love it. Thanks, Miki!â
Kazuya and I turned back toward Typhon.
A strike from Typhon was comingâan attack using the giant sword he held.
Kazuya had already activated his body reinforcement, and now triggered his golden awakening. He swung across to interceptâand cleanly sliced Typhonâs massive blade in two.
âMan, I canât stop grinning. Takemikazuchiâs edge is insane, and my body reinforcement feels amazing after so longâand with Miki right here next to me? I know I shouldnât get cocky, but I donât feel like I can lose!â
I looked at Kazuya. His cheeks were completely relaxedâhe was glowing with joy.
Yeah, this is definitely one of those times.
I had to put a stop to it.
âHey! You know what Iâm talking about, right!?â
As soon as he heard that, Kazuyaâs face snapped back to seriousnessâbut his cheeks slackened again almost immediately.
âAhânope. Even though I know, I canât stop my face.â
Yup. This is bad.
Canât be helped. Guess Iâll just have to jolt him back myself.
âKazuya.â
I called his name, making him turn toward me.
Then I placed both palms on his cheeks and gently pulled him forwardâuntil our foreheads touched.
Pak! Bonk!
âGet it together! This isnât an opponent you can beat if youâre all giddy! You planning to lose again!?â
I squeezed his cheeks hard, then let go.
Kazuya stood there frozen for a second.
ââŚYouâre right⌠youâre totally right! Thanks to you, Iâm all clear now. You really are the best, Miki!â
He bounced back fast, smiling as he rubbed his cheeks.
Kazuya always compliments me and lifts me up⌠Not that I hate it, but stillânot the time for that.
âSave the sweet talk for later!â
Seriously. What a handful he is.
âGeez⌠canât take my eyes off you. Letâs go!â
Alrightâtime to resume the battle!
"So, youâre quite different from just a moment ago. Is that the power of the elf?"
Typhon said this as he tossed aside the halved sword.
"But donât get cocky just because you managed to break my sword."
With that, Typhon increased in size. Earlier he had been around five meters tall, but now he had grown to roughly ten. For an ordinary giant, that would be their maximum size.
Then, just like that, he launched a kick. Normally, getting bigger would slow down your movementsâbut Typhonâs speed didnât change. It was the same as before, but now his kick carried more than ten times the weight.
I wasnât expecting that and reacted too slowly. Iâm a mage, after allâphysical reflexes arenât my strong suit. Most of the time, I just barely manage to hold out by putting up barriers or wards.
But Kazuya scooped me into his arms and leapt away, landing us at a safe distance from Typhon.
"Miki, support me from here. Iâll handle close combat."
He said that and, without waiting for a reply, closed the distance between himself and Typhon.
Honestly, if I stayed close, Iâd only get in Kazuyaâs way, so this was the right call. It stung a little, but this opponent was too dangerous. If I got caught in the attack, I wouldnât survive.
Even Kazuya couldnât take those blows head-onâeach one packed overwhelming force.
Switching mental gears, I launched explosion magic straight at Typhonâs face to assist Kazuya. The plan was to ramp up the firepower and keep firing in rapid succession to obscure Typhonâs vision with smoke and explosions.
Kazuya was slashing at his legs, but the cuts were shallowânot enough to deal serious damage. And to my surprise, Typhonâs body regenerated almost instantly. His healing was fast. Shallow wounds closed up right away.
I seeâthis guy's a real problem. Quick for a giant, tough skin, regenerative powers⌠definitely worthy of being a Demon King's executive.
As I wracked my brain on how to deal with him, Kazuya made a suggestion.
"Miki! His weakness is lightning! He regenerates, so Iâm going to end it in one shot with a big move! Fire off a lightning spell in sync with me!"
So lightning is his weakness. That means Kazuya is a good match for him, isnât he? And if we both hit him at once with lightning-based techniques and spells, we might be able to finish this in one go.
Sounds good. Yeah, very good.
But now that Kazuya has Takemikazuchi, thereâs an even better option than me casting lightning magic myself.
"Got it! Iâll sync with you!"
While dodging Typhonâs attacks, Kazuya seemed to be waiting for the right moment to strike. I, meanwhile, kept firing explosion magic while locking onto the target, making sure I didnât miss.
Typhon rarely showed an opening, but I fired a stronger explosion spell than beforeâand it looked like it created a small window.
"Nice!"
Kazuya shouted as he leapt, raising Takemikazuchi high above his head.
At that moment, Takemikazuchi shone brightly, crackling with electricity.
That was my cue. I fired an enormous lightning spell directly at Takemikazuchi, which I had been targeting this whole time.
It looked like a massive bolt of lightning struck Takemikazuchi.
The lightning was absorbed into the blade, and Kazuyaânow in golden awakened modeâshone even more brilliantly. His physical abilities received another major boost.
This was the ability that activated when Takemikazuchi combined with the magical power I infused into it.
In this state, Kazuyaâs lightning-based techniques and spells are significantly enhanced, and his body becomes even more powerful.
This would be far more effective than me casting lightning spells separately.
However, the drawback is that this state only lasts a few seconds.
Thatâs why we timed its activation precisely for the instant heâd go in for the kill.
"Go, Kazuya!"
"Heavenly Blade Absolute Slash! Lightning Flash Sever!!"
Kazuya shouted, and in a brilliant flash of lightning, Typhon couldnât even react before his head was severed.
From the point of the cut, lightning surged across his entire body, incinerating it completely.
His massive frame collapsed with a heavy thud, crushing the remaining monsters beneath it.
There was no regeneration this time. The body was now just a charred, smoking hulk.
Kazuya landed, disengaging his awakened state, and stared at Takemikazuchi in a daze.
The blade was still crackling, softly glowing with residual energy.
The few surviving monsters scattered and fled, leaving only Typhonâs corpse, Kazuya, and me.
The battle was over. Kazuya had defeated one of the Demon Kingâs top generals.
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