Chapter 30: The Sword of Execution is Held Back

Crash!

I hit the wall hard until the contents of my stomach from this morning came back out of my mouth. I had to wipe my mouth. Before I could get up, a kick was launched by Tachibana, almost hitting me if I hadn't managed to roll away in time.

Clang!

A vertical slash with his shears was successfully blocked by the base of my spear. Heavy. That's what I felt. His power had multiplied many times over from before until it was almost impossible to push back with raw strength. I had no choice but to kick his stomach.

Thud!

That rabbit staggered for a moment, I took the opportunity to break free, rolling several times and rising into a ready stance. However, Tachibana had already shot forward like a bullet with his shears ready to swing.

Slash!

A horizontal slash was successfully dodged by leaping upward, then launching a counter-thrust. Unfortunately, he managed to dodge it, leaving my spear blade only hitting the empty ground below.

Not only strength, acceleration, reflexes, and almost all his abilities had also increased drastically. Just as I landed, Tachibana was already running around me, targeting my blind spot from behind.

His shears were swung from behind, but I managed to parry it, tilting my body, and launching a counterattack with a crescent spear spin. But once again, he dodged it easily like a rabbit leaping in a meadow.

His attack pattern was actually monotonous, but the problem was his speed and power were difficult to parry. It was very hard to land a solid hit on his current form.

I have to stop his movement but how?

I looked around, the place was too open. Only miniature plants, vegetables, and flowers. I directed my gaze at the building. There it was too narrow, with many concrete-walled corridors that would only hinder a spear user like me. On the other hand, Tachibana in his rabbit form could actually take advantage of those walls to jump and maneuver.

Where is the right place?

Busy thinking, Tachibana charged at me again, closing the distance quickly, launching a vertical slash from below.

Slash!

I almost got split in half if I hadn't managed to dodge. Luckily the sharp blade only grazed my cheek. Even so, blood still flowed from the long cut on my skin.

Tachibana's attack didn't stop there, he started launching relentless combos that forced me to step back step by step while desperately trying to parry each attack.

The clashing of our metals echoed in the silence of the mirror world. Our feet stepped over each other, dancing in countless slashes. Our blades never stopped parrying, slashing, and countering without either falling.

Still, Tachibana seemed far superior due to his transformation. Even to block one of his attacks, I had to exert a lot of strength. And my counterattacks could always be dodged easily by him.

Slash!

One of my vertical slashes was dodged by him leaping and spinning in the air. Using the falling momentum, he slammed his shears' blade downward. I raised my spear quickly, using its base to block, but it still split in two, slashing my chest in a long diagonal cut.

"Aaaaargh!"

I screamed in pain. Blood spurted like a burst water balloon. Splattering, wetting the ground with a terrifying red.

Not staying still. I used the remaining halves of my spear. Both were thrust into Tachibana's collarbones before he could land perfectly on the ground. For the first time, I managed to draw his blood, mixing with my own blood that had already pooled.

"With this, you can't use your arms." I grinned in satisfaction.

But he only stared at me sharply like a cold slicing knife.

Whether he couldn't feel pain or his muscles could still be used despite being badly injured. He raised his weapon slowly.

"Seriously?"

I knew what he was about to do. Before he could swing those shears to cut off my head, I kicked him as hard as I could. He flew several meters until he hit a tree. But I was sure that wouldn't be enough, he would get up quickly.

My eyes moved quickly scanning everything, my head working hard to find any solution to win. Until finally my eyes landed on one thing. A long hose commonly used for watering plants.

I grinned. "Maybe I can use that."

I got up and turned back toward Tachibana, who had already gotten up and seemed to be pulling out the remaining spear still lodged in his collarbones.

I raised my hand, green light particles gathered in my empty palm. I gripped that light tightly, transforming it back into a new spear slightly longer than before.

Toward him, I put on a mocking grin. "Is that all you've got? You won't be able to cleanse the world like this. You're no better than those humans you consider insects, Tachibana."

"Grrrr..."

Tachibana responded with a hoarse, terrifying growl.

It seemed he had lost the ability to speak, but not entirely the ability to communicate, he must have understood most of what I said earlier. Good, because that meant it would be easier to provoke him with words after this.

Sure enough, Tachibana immediately charged at me. I immediately ran toward the hose, hoping that by grabbing it and channeling my power into it, that object could become strong enough to use as a tool against Tachibana's speed.

Tachibana chased from behind.

With the tip of my spear, I struck the ground beneath me then threw it at Tachibana. Of course he wouldn't bother dodging because it was just ordinary dirt. Also wouldn't bother parrying it.

And because of that, I managed to divert his attention for a fraction of a second. I used that time to make a sharp turn at the last moment. Tachibana immediately reacted, but due to his speed and momentum, he couldn't stop suddenly. As a result, that rabbit had to pause briefly and use the tips of his feet as a pivot to make a sharp turn.

At the same moment when he was ready to push his body, I also shifted my footing to turn around and run straight toward him with my arm bent backward and the spear tip pointing forward, ready to push in one thrusting motion.

Tachibana also prepared to thrust like me. He would definitely think I was really going to thrust. But wrong.

Before our blades truly met at the last second, I released my spear and slid low, passing right under him. Got up, rolled, grabbed the hose and channeled all my power until the entire hose was enveloped in green light and transformed into a restraining rope.

My grin widened. "Good, now this can be used."

I quickly threw the hose forming a cowboy lasso, precisely binding Tachibana's ankle as he came to a stop. The other end I threw, binding his neck. I pulled the rope hard to tighten it.

Tachibana tried to break free, struggling, pulling away, until there was a tug-of-war between us.

"Hah! How do you think an ancient warrior got his horse, huh?! Of course by rodeoing against the horse."

His raw strength was so troublesome. I was dragged several centimeters from where I stood. Realizing I would lose in a raw strength contest, I leaped, spinning in the air while using my weight and momentum to roll the rope, mercilessly dragging Tachibana who was defeated by the laws of physics.

Seeing Tachibana already fallen. Not wanting to waste a golden opportunity, I pulled Tachibana once more before he could break free from my binding. Then in one quick motion, drew the sheathed sword and thrust it right at his solar plexus.

"Kugh..."

His mouth spewed blood, staining my battle robe. But there was no time for disgust or pity. I was already about to press the sword down and pin his body to the ground, but his hands were still trying to resist in vain with his remaining strength.

Heavy. Even though he was dying, it was still hard to pin him down.

Having no choice, I raised my foot and stomped on the hilt of my sword, turning it into a sledgehammer until my sword was embedded deep through the earth and his body.

Feeling it wasn't enough, I picked up my spear again, broke it with my foot into two pieces, then thrust them into both his hands so he would stop struggling. Just like the sword, I used my foot to pin them to the ground.

"It's over."

"Grrrhhh!"

"Sorry."

I clenched my fist in the air, sat on top of his body, then started punching his face with the remaining strength I had. Continuously punching him without stopping. His face began to shatter. Pain also began to assault my own hands.

But I didn't stop even as my fingers went numb. With full awareness I kept punching him. There was no joy. This was entirely me. Not Xiang Yu, the loser.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

My hands were now full of blood. While Tachibana began to stop moving, limp and powerless. Slowly, his transformation faded, leaving the figure of a small, weak boy. That beauty still remained even though his face was covered in bruises.

I stood up, pulling my sword still lodged in his stomach. Then raised it high as if offering it to the gods watching above the sky.

"Se...n...pai..."

His weak, hoarse voice slowly tore at my heart. But I had already made up my mind, Tachibana had to be finished. He was too dangerous for the world, for too many people. No choice, no chance to back down.

I knew this wasn't my style. I knew I wasn't a hero. But if not me, who would do it? Who would eliminate the threat to the world?

I took a deep breath, holding it as if it were my last breath.

"Once again... sorry."

That sweet boy only stared at me blankly. After that, there was nothing more I could do. The sword fell slowly like cherry blossoms falling from their tree.

Clang!

Another sword glinted under the sun, parrying my sword before it could truly stain its blade with blood. The thin red line on the blunt part of that katana deflected my final slash.

"Rena... what are you..."