The Dragon Slayer Appears

For the next few days, Tatsuya successfully managed to do everything in his power to avoid Natsume Torahime. Finally, the weekend arrived. This was his chance to relax after all the effort he had put into keeping his distance from his predator. Although he had wanted to spend a nice, relaxing day at home, the other inhabitants in his house thought otherwise. Aika wanted to go out with him into the city to do some shopping, Kanjomizu wanted to spend the day with him near the bay, and Arashi just wanted to do something interesting that would alleviate her of her boredom. And with Tatsuya being who he is, he quickly gave in to their requests and went out with them on a triple date of sorts.

Aika was quick to latch herself onto Tatsuya’s left right arm. Kanjomizu took his left arm and lightly clung on. Arashi took to the rear and walked closely behind him. She then nonchalantly grabbed Tatsuya’s butt, causing him to jump with a yelp. “W-Why did you do that, Acchan?” he asked her.

“Well, I don’t have anything to cling onto like those two,” answered Arashi with faux-innocence.

“Geez, can you not play your pranks while we’re out in public?” appealed Tatsuya.

“So you’re saying that we should do it in private instead?” inquired the air dragon princess in response.

“Of course not!” protested Tatsuya.

“You’re always so vulgar with your actions,” Aika told the air dragon princess.

“If you truly love someone then you shouldn’t feel too embarrassed about acting intimate,” Arashi replied back. “Especially in the bedroom,” she added with a devious smile.

Aika’s cheeks turned bright crimson as the memory that she had sent down into the deep recesses of her mind began to submerge. “W-W-What do you know a-a-about that?!” stuttered Aika with a shaky finger. ‘How did she know about that?’ Aika wondered fearfully to herself.

“Just woman’s intuition,” answered Arashi with a smile. She deeply enjoyed seeing Aika unable to function normally after suffering a defeat in a war of words. It was one of the most amusing things she had discovered upon returning back to Earth, and a very valuable discovery too.

“Anyway, we should get a move on,” urged Tatsuya.

“We shouldn’t hold up My Love any longer,” agreed Kanjomizu.

The quartet entered the city and stopped at a clothing store. Aika quickly transformed into a kid in a candy store. She swiped various clothes from various aisles and quickly entered the dressing rooms to try them on. After a few minutes or so, she called out to Tatsuya. When he arrived in front of her dressing room, she opened the doors and revealed herself in a stunning red dress that clung tightly onto her figure. “What do you think, Darling?” Aika asked him.

Tatsuya’s cheeks turned a ripe tomato color. “I-I-It’s nice,” he told her dazedly.

Suddenly, the door next to them opened and Kanjomizu came out in a very heavenly blue blouse and miniskirt that exuded innocence and modesty. “How about this, My Love?” Kanjomizu asked Tatsuya.

Tatsuya never thought he would ever see Kanjomizu in an even cuter light than before. “Very cute,” he told her breathlessly in awe. Kanjomizu blushed a light pink color and smiled.

The door on the other side of Aika’s opened and Arashi stepped out in a very skimpy silver dress that ended right around her thighs and left nothing to the imagination. She winked at Tatsuya and asked, “What about this?”

Tatsuya could feel his mind exploding and a huge rush of blood surging down his nose. He suddenly collapsed and fell to the ground. This was too much stimulation for him—he couldn’t handle this level of sexiness. ‘Goodbye, cruel world,’ he cried silently to himself.

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to them, “Ai-chan!” Aika turned to see Toki Nekoyashi happily approaching them with a friendly wave.

“Koneko-chan!” called out Aika with a smile. “What are you doing here?” she asked the cat-girl.

“I’m here shopping with Himeko, nyan,” answered Nekoyashi.

Tatsuya immediately recovered and jumped back up on his feet. “Natsume Torahime is here?” he asked the cat-girl.

“Nyan!” she answered back happily.

The last dressing door opened and Torahime stepped out wearing a very enamoring black dress that perfectly defined her figure and curves. Yet again, Tatsuya could feel his mind exploding and a flood of blood rushing down his nose. He slapped himself and forced his mind to not give in to the pleasant sight before him.

“Oi, Koneko, I don’t think—,” began Torahime, she stopped herself after noticing Tatsuya right in front of her. “Owatatsumi Tetsuya!” she shouted at him. “This time for sure, I will defeat you once and for all!”

Nekoyashi quickly intervened and calmed her friend down. “Now, now, Himeko, let’s not do this with so many witnesses around, nyan,” she reasoned. “Besides, we’re here to have fun shopping, nyan? So let’s do just that, nyan.”

Torahime was literally steaming. But she decided to heed her friend’s words and quickly turned around with her arms crossed. “Let’s go, Koneko,” she said haughtily. “We won’t let our day off from school be ruined by a pervert and his harem.”

“What d’ya say?!” exploded Aika.

Torahime ignored her and promptly walked off with Nekoyashi in tow. The latter laughed nervously along the way and waved goodbye to the quartet.

“Geez, what is up with that girl?” said Aika with a scowl.

“Now, now, let’s just tend to our own business,” Tatsuya told them. The quartet resumed their activities and blocked out any further thoughts about the encounter they just had. ‘Besides, we should be distancing ourselves from her anyway,’ reasoned Tatsuya. This may a different playing field, but the rules remain the same—stay away from Natsume Torahime at all cost!

Torahime and Nekoyashi exited the store without buying anything at all. After that little encounter they had, Torahime immediately shifted into warrior mode and wore a constant aloof and focused expression on her face. Nekoyashi noticed this change and couldn’t help but smile nervously while walking alongside her friend.

“Owatatsumi Tetsuya, next time I’ll get him for sure,” Torahime pledged to herself.

“Now, now, Himeko, today is our day off, nyan. Let's just focus on having fun today, nyan,” said Nekoyashi.

“He’s lucky that I didn’t take him down then and there,” said Torahime arrogantly.

“I think he’s pretty lucky too,” agreed Nekoyashi with an impish grin, “since he got to see you in that drop dead gorgeous outfit. His eyes were all over you, nyan!”

Torahime’s cheeks quickly turned a bright scarlet color like a ripening fruit. “H-H-He saw me i-i-in that d-d-dress?” she stuttered in a flustered state. Sweat poured down her face and her body began to shake.

“Man, we should’ve bought that dress, nyan,” moaned Nekoyashi. “I bet Owatatsumi Tatsuya would love to see you in that again.”

“I-I-Impossible!” protested Torahime. “Besides, I will never give him the gratification of seeing me like that ever again!”

The duo came upon a street corner and turned right. As they walked on, Nekoyashi spotted a bakery and had her eyes glued to the pastries being displayed in the window. She stopped in front of the glass and stuck her tongue out with a hungry and desirous expression. Her eyes were especially fixed on a tray of cat-shaped melonpan.

“What are you staring at, Koneko?” wondered Torahime. She noticed her friend’s strong focus on the cat-shaped sweet buns and said, “Why don’t we get some to eat? I’m getting kinda hungry myself.”

“Oh nyan!” whooped Nekoyashi happily. She went ahead and opened the bakery’s door. “Hello, nyan!” she greeted the shopkeeper.

As Torahime walked to join her friend at the entrance, she caught a glimpse of Tatsuya and his group in the corner of her eye. She turned her head to see the quartet entering a restaurant on the other side of the street. Immediately, her warrior self turned on. The urge to confront her enemy while he was within range built up strongly inside of her.

“Himeko, let’s go in, nyan,” urged Nekoyashi.

Torahime couldn’t let this perfect opportunity go to waste. “You go on ahead, Koneko. I have something to do,” she told her friend as she took off across the street.

“Nyan?” uttered a confused Nekoyashi.

Torahime made it across and went in the restaurant right after Tatsuya and his group. She got a table right behind the group’s and sat down without them noticing her at all. She hid her face inside the menu while keeping her ears open on their conversation. Right now, they were in the midst of discussing popular dating spots. The mere mention of dating spots made Torahime’s ears turn a bright cherry color. Around this time, the waitress came to take their orders. Another waitress had come to take Torahime’s order too. While Tatsuya’s group were calling out their orders, Torahime silently listened for any suspicious keywords.

“Excuse me, ma’am, but are you ready to order?” the waitress asked Torahime.

‘So Owatatsumi Tetsuya is having the gyudon bowl, huh,’ Torahime repeated to herself. ‘The red-haired loud one is also having a gyudon bowl with a side of grounded peppers, the blue-haired basket-case is having a soup, and the silver-haired lewd one is going with the oyakodon. But Owatatsumi Tetsuya is ordering the gyudon. Why gyudon? It’s such a simple dish!’

“Excuse me, ma’am, are you ready to order?” asked the waitress again.

‘But I guess I shouldn’t expect much from the villain who will destroy the world,’ continued Torahime with a nod. ‘A man’s taste in food reveals their character. I should’ve known that my foe is a simple and basic man with no class at all. Still, if I’m looking at this menu, there are still many better choices than a simple gyudon dish. Unless…hah! Unless he’s poor! Is my enemy so poor that he can’t afford anything better than a simple gyudon dish? Then that means that he is a villain who relies on his himself rather than others to do business for him.’

“E-Excuse me, ma’am,” repeated the waitress for the third time.

Finally Torahime had heard the waitress and turned to her. “What is it?” she asked the waitress.

“Are you ready to order?” repeated the waitress with a slight twitch of her left eye.

“I’ll have the gyudon bowl,” ordered Torahime without another thought. She handed the menu to the waitress. Suddenly, the order resounded in her mind and she grew overly anxious. ‘Why did I order the same thing as Owatatsumi Tetsuya?’ she asked herself fearfully. She turned around and wanted to change her order but found that she was too late; the waitress had already took her order into the kitchen. Sweat poured down her face and her cheeks reddened. ‘I’m ordering the same thing as Owatatsumi Tetsuya, my enemy!’ she told herself half-angrily and half-bashfully.

Tatsuya and his group’s orders arrived. They said their prayers and then dug in. A few minutes later, Torahime’s order arrived. The aroma filled her nostrils and she found herself drawn to it’s simple yet appetizing appearance. Suddenly, Aika’s voice from the other side caught her attention. She shifted her focus to her enemy behind her and listened closely to their words.

“Gyudon is your favorite dish, isn’t it, Darling?” said Aika.

“Yes, it is,” happily agreed Tatsuya.

“I remember when we were children, your mother would often make you gyudon to cheer you up whenever something bad happens,” revealed Arashi. “Like that time you were chased by a cat after mistaking it’s tail for a caterpillar while it was sleeping atop a tree.”

“Acchan!” whined Tatsuya embarrassedly. “How was I supposed to know that it was a cat’s tail? The tree branches were covered in leaves so I seriously thought that it was a caterpillar peeking out of the branches!” The group laughed at the story, much to Tatsuya’s embarrassment.

“This is Owatatsumi Tetsuya’s favorite dish,” repeated Torahime quietly to herself. She sniffed the dish and was again greeted with a pleasurable response. She grabbed her chopsticks and said her prayers before digging in. The burst of flavor tickled her brain and encased her tongue in a wonderful wave of deliciousness. It was absolutely tasty and went beyond her expectations of a simple dish. “This is Owatatsumi Tetsuya’s favorite dish,” she repeated to herself in a lighter tone of satisfaction and pleasure.

As she was drowning in pleasure from the dish, Tatsuya’s group had finished their meal and were getting ready to leave. Their voices shook her out of her trance. Torahime quickly finished the dish, paid, and followed the group outside. She followed closely behind them in a clandestine manner, blending as nonchalantly as she can with her surroundings to avoid detection.

Tatsuya’s group made their way to a pet shop and went inside. Torahime sneaked in and entered the aisle next to them. She leaned against the back shelf and perked her ears up to catch their voices. Once she determines their evil intentions, she will stop them and kill Tatsuya once and for all before they can apply whatever method they came up with to take over the world. ‘But why a pet store?’ she wondered to herself.

“Aw, this snake is sooooo cuuuuuute!” gushed Aika.

“That’s a brown house snake,” said Tatsuya, reading off its label.

“Can I have him?” pleaded Aika.

“No! No more pets! You already have your salamander,” Tatsuya told her.

‘A pet salamander?’ wondered Torahime. ‘Could this be his weapon? Is he breeding a dangerous living weapon to take over the world with? Looks like I misjudged him for being a simple man.’ A small and infantile sound caught her ears, leading her to turn towards the source. “Kittens!” shouted Torahime in joy. She immediately caught herself and covered her mouth. And then as quietly as she can, she made her way to the kitten box near window of the store. The sound had come form a small ginger tabby cat with bright blue eyes. She had never set her eyes on anything so cute before! She reached her hand in and petted it. The kitten responded with purring and loving kisses.

“So you’re not just an axe-crazy psycho girl bent on killing one of your classmates,” spoke a voice from behind her. The voice took Torahime by surprise and made her jump. She turned to find Arashi standing by her with a friendly smile.

“W-W-What are you doing here?” stuttered Torahime.

“Oh, just seeing you getting friendly with a kitten,” answered Arashi. “It’s okay, I’ll keep it a secret. Don’t want to ruin your image as the school psycho girl now, do we.”

“What do you mean by that?!” shouted Torahime offendedly.

“You know, I have a feeling we’re going to be best friends,” said Arashi with a friendly smile and nod. She turned around and walked back to rejoin her group. “See ya later then!”

“Hey, wait a minute!” Torahime called out unsuccessfully. ‘Geez, what’s her problem?’ she wondered angrily, ‘Best friend my butt.’ Torahime watched as Tatsuya and his group exited the store without buying anything. She followed suit and remained at a close distance behind them.

The group continued onwards and took a train to reach the beach at the edge of the city. Kanjomizu led Tatsuya by the hand towards the water, dipping her hand into it with a happy smile. Aika and Arashi joined them at the edge of the coast and stared out into the sea.

Meanwhile, Torahime hid behind the nearby bathroom stalls while silently gazing at the group with the eyes of a tiger preparing to pounce on its prey at any time. Her gaze focused especially on Tatsuya—his bright and handsome smile, his warm orange-red hair dancing in the wind, and those glistening azure blue eyes that were purer than diamonds…. Realizing that she was thinking very dangerous thoughts, Torahime shook her head and admonished herself very strictly. “This is no time for that!” she told herself harshly. “Better get your head in the game. This is your duty as a dragon slayer!” With renewed confidence and a stronger will, Torahime walked out of her hiding place to attempt to get closer to them when an unknown figure bumped into her. She fell to the ground on her back. She shook the daze out of head and opened her eyes, coming face-to-face with a pair of bright and beautiful azure blue eyes staring back into hers. It took her a moment to figure out that the person who had bumped into her was none other than Owatatsumi Tatsuya.

“Natsume Torahime?” asked Tatsuya in surprise.

“O-O-Owatatsumi Tetsuya!” exclaimed Torahime frantically. She pushed him off and got back up. “W-W-What did you think you were trying to do?” she said with a huff.

“Sorry for bumping into you,” apologized Tatsuya with a nervous laugh. “By the way, what are you doing here anyway?”

Torahime’s ears turned a bright red color. “W-W-What does that have to do with you?!” she yelled at him furiously with a pointed finger.

“Nothing,” answered Tatsuya honestly. “I was just wondering.”

“Well, I’m out of here,” announced Torahime, turning her back on him with crossed arms. “I have no business with perverts like you. Why is it that you always target me for your devilish deeds? It’s unforgivable!”

“Actually, you’ve been the one that’s been targeting me,” corrected Tatsuya with a small smile of disbelief.

“Of course I’m targeting you,” she told him. “It is my duty to defeat you once and for all for the fate of the world,” she justified herself.

“Natsume-san, I’ve been wanting to ask—,” began Tatsuya.

Torahime cut him off and immediately said, “We’ll settle this another day.” She was about to leave when the sound of screams reached her ears. Both she and Tatsuya turned their heads towards the sound. Suddenly, a huge sandstorm raged through the beach. People ran away for their lives, but the sandstorm made it hard for them to escape and separated groups and families from each other. This was truly a catastrophe.

“What the hell is going on?” wondered Tatsuya aloud.

“A dragon,” Torahime told him.

Tatsuya had turned around to look for the girls but couldn’t find them at all in this curtain of flying sand. “Aika! Mizu! Acchan!” he called out in vain.

Torahime quickly rushed over to the source of the sandstorm on the other side of the beach. Tatsuya noticed her leave and quickly took after her. The both of them braved the storm and pushed forward against the strong winds of sand while shielding their eyes from the flying sand particles. It was a very exhausting journey through the sandstorm, but the two managed to make it to the storm’s center. Here, the strong winds of the sandstorm weren’t present, making it easy for the duo to face their opponent head on.

In the center of it all was a giant yellow-brown dragon with giant claws, a lion-like mane around its neck, legs the size of tree logs, sickle-like fangs, and a long brush-tipped tail that seemed to be about half its own body length. Its eyes were an intense and powerful brownish yellow and two long bone-like spiked horns protruded from its forehead. This dragon was a new one for Tatsuya. It wasn’t like the ones he had fought before. He was a little apprehensive about facing it head on.

On the other hand, Torahime appeared unflappable with dangerous eyes brimming with confidence. “A Python,” she said.

“Python?” inquired Tatsuya.

“An Earth Dragon,” explained Torahime. “Tch, why am I explaining it to you?” she said irritably.

“What do you plan to do?” Tatsuya asked her.

“The only thing I can do,” she told him grimly. “I have to slay it. I am a dragon slayer after all.”

The words ‘dragon slayer’ took a bit to process in Tatsuya’s mind. He wondered if he’d heard it right. Could it be that he had misheard her words because of the swirling winds around them? ‘Maybe she meant dragon saver,’ he told himself. But if she really was a dragon slayer, then everything that had happened could be justified. However, Tatsuya still doubts that possibility and refuses to believe that those words really came out of her mouth.

Torahime brought out a scroll from behind her back and opened it. “Hear my prayers, O Great God Susanoo! Give me your blessing so I can vanquish thy foe! Shake the Heavens and make the Earth quiver in fear before your mighty power! Sea, Storm, Calamity, Vanquisher!” Black clouds suddenly appeared in the sky and gathered above her. A gale of wind blew around her and formed a closed circle with her in the center. Black ink began to appear on the initially blank scroll, coming together to create the image of a katana. Upon completion, the image glowed a brilliantly light blue color. With her other hand, Torahime reached into the scroll and pulled out the katana that the image depicted. It was a brilliant blade of a beautiful silver-blue color with a black and gold hilt. A red tassel hung from the bottom of the hilt and seven beautifully etched characters adorned the right side of the blade, which read: “Kamigami Ryugoroshinoken” (Divine God Dragon Slaying Sword). The scroll disappeared in a flash of light. Torahime handled the katana like a true expert, as if she had trained with it her entire life.

Tatsuya was amazed beyond belief at the entire thing. He had seen dragons, magic, inhuman abilities, but never before had he seen something of this caliber—a human summoning a badass sword from a scroll using what can only be surmised as magic. Once again, the world he knew crumbled before his eyes and was slowly being reconstructed to accommodate for this new normal he had just experience.

With sword in hand, Torahime fearlessly rushed forward towards the dragon. She drew from behind her a paper talisman and threw it in front of her. The talisman disappeared and was replaced with a glowing projection of the word “Armor”. She passed through it and her clothing was magically transformed into a black kunoichi uniform: knee-length black stockings, black shoes with orange edges, a black knee-length skirt with thin orange lines, a black sleeveless top with orange edges over a fishnet undergarment, black fingerless gloves with orange stripes that covered her entire forearm, and an orange sash around her waist that had the image of a tiger and the words “Chikyu no o ga kunrin suru” (The King of Earth reigns supreme). Her hair was also magically tied into a ponytail after passing through the talisman’s projection. Around her mouth was a black mask that greatly brought out her intense orange-amber eyes and gave them an extra level of dangerousness that was almost beast-like.

The dragon took notice of Torahime’s advancement towards it and opened its mouth to attack with a huge torrent of sand. Torahime expertly dodged the attack with the grace and elegance of a true ninja. She then proceeded to dash forward with the katana ready for attack. Once she was within range, she jumped up and brought the katana above her head. She brought the sword down on the dragon and struck it on the side of its face. The giant creature stumbled back and roared in pain. It swung its tail and knocked Torahime backwards in the air. The dragon slayer flew backwards and landed right next to Tatsuya.

Tatsuya bent down and asked, “Are you okay?”

Torahime blinked and quickly sat up. “I’m fine,” she told him.

“Say, when you said that you were a dragon slayer—?” asked Tatsuya.

“I meant it,” she answered back. Tatsuya could tell that she was serious and those words were true without any deeper meaning behind them. “I have to do my job. If I don’t, many people will lose their lives,” she told him. Torahime got back up and was ready to get back into the action when Tatsuya put a hand on her shoulder.

“I’ll help,” he told her.

She quickly shook his hand off and asked, “You’re going to help me slay this dragon? Are you crazy? You’re willing to slay your own kind?”

“First of all, dragons are not my kind,” Tatsuya told her with a wag of his finger. “Secondly, we’re not going to slay it. We’re going to help it.”

“Are you crazy?” she repeated in shock.

“Listen, I’ve faced these dragons before,” he told her. “This guy has been doped on Dracolax. That’s why he's going on a mindless rampage.”

“How are you sure?” asked Torahime condescendingly.

“Dragons are a little bit like us,” he told her. “They are capable of thought and reason. However, there is a drug that causes them to revert back to being primitive creatures who rely only on instinct and takes delight in destruction.”

“And this dragon is one of them?”

“I’m sure he is,” Tatsuya told her. “Dragons don’t normally attack for no reason like this.”

“As if I’ll believe something crazy like that,” scoffed Torahime. “Dragons are destructive creatures who are a threat to the safety of the universe,” she told him grimly. She took one step forward and was once again stopped by Tatsuya’s hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry, but you’re not slaying that dragon,” he told her. “Instead, we’re going to save it.”

“Where did you get the ‘we’ from? There is no ‘we’!” she yelled at him angrily.

“Well I think that having two people helping each other is better than charging in blindly, don’t you think?” reasoned Tatsuya.

“I’m not charging in blindly!” protested Torahime. “I have everything I need to know about taking down this dragon,” she told him, turning her head away with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Two people is still safer than one,” Tatsuya told her.

“Ah! You’re so annoying!” exploded Torahime. She noticed that Tatsuya wore a serious expression devoid of anything that suggests otherwise. It made his azure-blue eyes all the more precious and heavenly to behold. She turned her face away and blushed a bright scarlet color and said softly, “Okay.”

“Huh? What was that?” asked Tatsuya sincerely.

“I said okay! I’ll work with you to defeat the dragon!” yelled Torahime in his ear. “Geez, are you deaf or something?” Tatsuya gave her a smiling nod to express his support of her decision to fight together. Torahime turned her attention back to the dragon and asked, “So we just have to knock it out or something?”

“Something along those lines,” he told her.

“Geez, this is really going against my teachings as a dragon slayer,” moaned Torahime.

“Sorry, but it’s got to be like this,” said Tatsuya with a small smile. “Anyway, you said that you know how to deal with this dragon?”

“Of course,” Torahime told him, “All dragon slayers are well versed in the many type of dragons there are in the world and how to deal with each of them.”

“So what’s the best way to take this guy down?” inquired Tatsuya.

“Pythons are Earth Dragons. The best way to take them down is by weakening them with wind,” Torahime told him. “All dragons have an elemental weakness. That weakness is directly related to its own elemental origin.” She rushed forward and took out another paper talisman from inside her top. “Dragon Slaying Ninja Art: Roaring Tempest!” called out Torahime, throwing the talisman into the air. The paper suddenly disappeared into nothingness and a very strong wind blew in from above them. The tempest attacked the Python and forced the mighty dragon to bow its head with a groan. However, like a mountain, the dragon refused to fall and braved the wind as much as it can. “This one is pretty stubborn,” muttered Torahime with a click of her tongue.

The tempest continued its assault and managed to bring the dragon down on one knee. Torahime took advantage of this opening and rushed forward with her katana drawn. She slashed its left front knee and cut open a very deep wound. The dragon roared in pain as golden drops of its blood fell to the earth. The drops quickly turned into sand upon hitting the ground.

Tatsuya had never seen anything like it. He was utterly amazed to see this magical transformation happening right before his very eyes. ‘No, got to focus,’ he told himself. He grabbed the silver pen from pocket and opened the cap. Immediately, it transformed into a beautiful golden blade. With his own weapon in hand, he rushed forward to attack. The dragon saw Tatsuya coming straight for it with a sword and stomped the ground with its other front leg. A huge column of sand grew from the Earth until it reached well above twelve-feet, towering above and preventing Tatsuya from advancing forward. Tatsuya gripped the hilt of sword and faced the column head on. With a mighty swing, he brought the edge of the blade against the sand column and immediately shattered it like a tower of glass. With this obstruction out of his way, he rushed forward towards the dragon once again.

Meanwhile, the dragon smartly used its tail against Torahime’s blade. With each swing of her blade, it brilliantly matched it with its tail. Torahime reached behind her back and brought out three silver-blue shuriken. She threw them at the dragon, who responded with a swing of its tail to swipe them away. As it did, she ingeniously jumped up at the last minute and slashed its undefended side. Once again, the dragon unleashed a mighty roar of pain. And then, in a flash like lightning, it brought its tail and threw Torahime into the air with a mighty swing. The dragon slayer didn’t anticipate that at all and was blindsided by the attack.

Tatsuya had by then made his way to the dragon and quickly slashed its other front knee, bringing the dragon down to the ground. Its golden blood dripped to the floor and turned into sand upon contact with the ground. “Now the dragon is down!” he announced in celebration.

Torahime got back up from her fall and brought out another paper talisman. “Dragon Slaying Ninja Art: Eye of the Tornado!” she called out. She threw the talisman into the air and it quickly disappeared into nothingness. Suddenly, strong winds began to swirl around the dragon, resulting in a massive tornado with the creature in the center of it all. “This should weaken him some more,” Torahime said to herself.

The strong winds from the tornado forced the dragon to fall on all of its knees. The tornado dispelled itself, leaving only the dragon with its head on the ground and its will to attack greatly diminished. It’s eyes drooped wearily like a tired out dog. The massive sandstorm it had caused quickly disappeared.

Seeing the dragon lying lamely on the ground ignited a spark within Torahime’s chest. The dragon slayer in her was urging her to finish the job. She already has a blade in her hands; all she has to do now is stab it in the heart. If she completes the job, then she wouldn’t have to worry about it causing trouble ever again. Without a second thought, Torahime dashed forward with her blade in front of her. She reached the dragon’s body and was about to unleash a stab into the beast’s shoulder when an unknown blade clashed with hers. She looked up and saw Tatsuya with his sword in his hand, repelling her from dealing the final blow.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked her in a grave tone.

“Finishing the job,” she told him.

“Sorry, but I can’t let you kill him,” Tatsuya told her.

“And why is that?” she asked. She pushed forward with her blade, trying hard to knock him out of the way.

“Because he's innocent,” he replied. Tatsuya responded with his own firm push, determined to not let her pass.

“This creature is capable of killing thousands and has already caused a massive panic here,” she argued. “What part of that is innocent?”

“You’re right. The dragon is capable of that and he was the main cause of that sandstorm,” he agreed, “but I’m telling you that he didn’t do this on purpose. He wasn’t in his right mind when this happened. He was coerced into doing this.”

“Really? I bet he was coerced into doing this by that drug you mentioned earlier,” mocked Torahime with a smirk.

“That’s exactly right,” Tatsuya told her seriously.

“Whatever,” dismissed Torahime. “Now that I got you here, I might as well kill you too, Dragonborn.”

“Let’s just see you try, dragon slayer,” obliged Tatsuya.

Torahime jumped back and got into a ready stance with her katana drawn and ready. Tatsuya did the same. The two of them rushed towards one another and clashed. The difference in their skills was evident: Tatsuya had never used nor trained with a sword before and this was his second time wielding it; on the other hand, Torahime had trained with swords and practiced various sword styles throughout her entire life. Torahime easily had the upper hand and expertly executed very precise moves that were as deadly as they were beautiful. However, Tatsuya still had martial arts knowledge and experience and efficiently used his body to avoid danger with a series of flips, rolls, dodges, and blocks. He still suffered cuts and bruises, but they were either light or non-life threatening. Meanwhile, Torahime remained uninjured and saw through each of Tatsuya's amateurish attempts to strike her.

Their blades constantly clashed with none of them really gaining the upper hand. Torahime’s relentless attacks were expertly avoided by Tatsuya’s expert body control. “This is impossible!” she exclaimed. “I’ve trained for many years in the way of the sword. I can see that you’re nothing but an amateur based on our fight. Yet, how are you so nimble and quick to avoid all of my attacks?”

“It’s true that I’m not a swordsman,” he told her, “but I have trained in martial arts since I was young. Therefore, I’ve already mastered my body.”

“This is getting nowhere,” muttered Torahime to herself. ‘If he wants a martial arts battle, I’ll give him a martial arts battle,’ she thought angrily to herself. Torahime reached reached behind her back and brought out two kunai. First, she swung with her katana. This elicited a backwards somersault from Tatsuya. As he was making his way back down, Torahime quickly threw the kunai straight at him.

Tatsuya noticed the kunai at the last minute but was quick enough to at least deflect them with his blade. He landed on his knee and saw Torahime jumping into the air for an aerial assault. She brought down her right leg for a kick but Tatsuya used the side of his sword to block it. Seeing now that she had decided to use more than just swords to fight, Tatsuya decided to reply back in kind with some moves of his own. He jumped up and threw two consecutive forward kicks at her (Technique 33: Forward Dragon Rush). Torahime blocked with her blade and stumbled back. She responded with a spinning side kick aimed for his ribs. Tatsuya quickly ducked under it and unleashed a vertical kick under her chin (Technique 11: Rising Dragon Spout).

Torahime flew into the air and fell back down on her back. She got back up and her eyes burned with anger and hunger. It was about time that she put an end to this farce. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and rushed in with her sword drawn in front of her. “This will end it!” she declared confidently. She positioned the blade for a straight stab and gripped the hilt tightly with both hands.

“I won’t let it end here!” declared Tatsuya adamantly. He knew that he probably won’t survive this next clash. One of the cuts he had suffered in their clash of swords a few moments prior had begun to open and lightly seeping blood. He brushed the blood away from his cheeks and tightly gripped the hilt of his sword. ‘I can’t let her have her way,’ he told himself, ‘This is not the end!’ Suddenly, as if responding to his strong feelings, the golden blade began to change to a dark crimson red color. Bright powerful crimson flames then surrounded the blade like a contained yet potent wildfire. Tatsuya was caught a little off guard by this sudden magical change. Torahime’s blade would’ve done him in then and there if he hadn’t blocked her stab with his own sword at the very last second.

“So you’re still standing, huh,” said Torahime with an impressed smile.

The fire from Tatsuya’s blade traveled onto Torahime’s katana, encasing the dragon slayer’s blade in its powerful flames. Torahime’s katana suddenly turned hotter than a steaming tea kettle, causing her to drop it to the ground so she won’t get burned. ‘What just happened?’ wondered Torahime in disbelief.

Tatsuya was a little surprised by his blade’s new ability too, but he quickly realized his victory and pointed the blade straight at Torahime’s throat. This battle was finished. Torahime had suffered total defeat at the hands of Tatsuya.

“I surrender,” said Torahime in acceptance of her defeat.

“Thank you,” responded Tatsuya with a smile.

‘Tch, I can’t believe I lost to my enemy,’ she cursed to herself. ‘Is he actually strong after all? I guess I underestimated him too much.’ She picked up her katana and the said, “Blade born of dragon’s blood, your god calls your name.” The katana slowly dissipated in a cloud of smoke until it was gone from sight. “I will be taking my leave for now, Owatatsumi Tetsuya,” said Torahime, turning away from him. “Next time we meet, I will take you down for sure. And I won’t be accommodating either when it comes to slaying dragons.”

“Thank you for understanding this one time,” Tatsuya told her. Torahime left the beach and Tatsuya contacted Ingrid about the dragon. It wasn’t long before the maid arrived and helped by casting a spell to disguise the dragon while also changing the memories of those at the beach to erase any recollection of the sandstorm. Aika, Kanjomizu, and Arashi also rejoined Tatsuya and was brought up to date with what had happened.

“So Natsume Torahime is a dragon slayer,” said Aika pensively.

“Yup, she told me so herself,” Tatsuya told them. “What do you know about them?” he asked the girls.

The princesses exchanged worried knowing expressions. “W-W-We should discuss this at home,” Kanjomizu told him. The others nodded in agreement. Tatsuya also agreed to that suggestion. It appears that this was going to be a very lengthy conversation. Once again, Tatsuya found himself thrusted into an even bigger world where everything he once knew and considered normal has been supplanted by a new standard of normal. Indeed, his world is going to change and become even bigger whether he wants it to or not.