Another weekend~ Another chapter~
Please enjoy ^^
Chapter E6: The Nocturne
And then it finally caught my eyes.
Hundreds of steel pikes covered the vicinity of the wonder, all with a head twisted in a mask of pain mounted on them.
Saints and witches, alchemists and magicians, even the non-magical folk— all shared their fate equally in the gruesome display.
There were no bodies. Only heads.
Elaine fixed her gaze on the ground, away from the grisly sight. I couldn't blame her.
"It's been a while since I had guests, I think." (Solon)
Solon Ehrenstein, still sitting cross-legged atop the grassy lawn, silently acknowledged our presence.
"Are we correct in assuming that you are Solon Ehrenstein?" (Touma)
Giving us a nonchalant nod, he continued to observe the dark skies of his making with a melancholic gaze.
"I see humanity hasn't given up on braving the temples yet." (Solon)
"How could we give up?" (Touma)
There was naught but a slow extinction waiting for us out there.
"I believe it is about time mankind came to terms with its fate." (Solon)
"…" (Touma)
"Have you… given up?" (Elaine)
His gaze still skywards, Solon nodded indifferently in response to Elaine's query.
"It is mankind's time to perish. The old world and its inhabitants are doomed to fall. What we should do is gladly accept our demise and cheer for the birth of the new world." (Solon)
"New world?" (Touma)
"A world where correct beings exist correctly. A world that is perfect and good. A world where the same mistakes are not repeated. A world where fools are forbidden their foolish actions. A world of eternal peace. A paradise truly worthy of mankind." (Solon)
"…" (Touma)
"…" (Elaine)
It was as if he was talking about a dreamland of sorts. Was he truly unaware of the contradiction hidden behind his words?
If such a place were to exist in reality, it will be completely homogenous and monotone.
Humanity wouldn't need free-will. All they will have to do is mindlessly abide by a system that is inherently "correct" in all senses of the word.
Programmed to be in a state of eternal bliss, mankind won't require free-will or emotions and, thus, would be reduced to a state that is no different than a mannequin or a robot.
"The perfect world needs no past. The only tools that would fit the new world are new themselves; we have to do away with the crumbling antiques holding us back." (Solon)
"…I see. And I assume you group mankind as a relic of the past?"
Solon Ehrenstein gave me a nod.
So, it wasn't like he was not aware of what would happen to "humanity" if his so-called perfect world were to come into being…
…but it was precisely the outcome he wished and sought for.
"Yes. Old relics like mankind have no place in the new world. As such, there is no need for men to crusade or ascend anywhere. On the contrary, being the flawed and broken creatures that we are, it is quite imperative that mankind perishes completely. Only on the ashes of the old can the new be born." (Solon)
"…" (Touma)
Solon declared his intent with iron-clad conviction.
"Yet while it is the most optimal solution, I'm not naïve to think mere words are enough to sway your mind." (Solon)
He grasped the sword that laid next to him and stood up. Just from the looks of it, I could tell it was no ordinary weapon.
"Wh-What's with the size of the thing?" (Elaine)
A most bizarre blade.
Looking like a cross between a Chinese zhanmadao and medieval saber, it was probably a type of "curved" slender longsword of Germanic origins. It seemed to be over 400 centimeters long with the ornate blade alone reaching up to a staggering 350 at least.
Size-wise, it might find an equivalent in Japan's fabled Norimitsu Odachi, but, to be completely honest, I felt like the blade couldn't be categorized into any broad categories.
Anyway, with its dazzling scarlet sheath, the blade looked more like a work of art than a weapon for battle.
Solon tapped the hilt of the blade, and the sheath enveloping it split in two, falling to the ground. Indeed, this wasn't a sword that one could simply pull out of the sheath. The battle would be over long before anyone could draw it.
As I looked more closely, I spotted some weird inscriptions running along the sword's length. Forming an odd geometric pattern on the side of the glinting silver blade, it definitely hinted at some special purpose.
"Das Schwert der Zunkunft— Nocturne. The world's newest nightblade." (Solon)
The world's… newest?
"I see you too have a blade. Splendid. Then allow me to introduce you to the rules." (Solon)
…Rules?
"Here you go, catch!" (Solon)
Solon Ehrenstein pulled a handgun from under his coat. I jumped to cover Elaine with my back.
I caught the handgun that flew towards me out of reflex. Solon meanwhile declared the following.
"Shoot me with that." (Solon)
I inspected the situation.
The distance between us was ten meters. The handgun seemed to be rather normal, it was a fully-loaded silver Desert Eagle that probably used .50 AE bullets.
I couldn't spot a single suspicious thing about the situation.
"…All right. Don't mind if I do, then." (Touma)
And so, I fired it.
I could sense a shudder run through Elaine behind my back.
Just as I aimed, the bullet hit Solon between his eyes, then continuing onwards to devastate his brain into a juicy mush.
"…" (Touma)
"…Huh?" (Elaine)
Solon Ehrenstein toppled over.
Did I kill him? …Just like that?
No… wait… Since when were simple .50 caliber bullets able to take down guardians?
But that being said, Solon Ehrenstein was vastly different from my mental image of guardians.
He was… oddly sane. Or appeared to be so.
At the least, he wasn't suicidal and was in complete control of his mental faculties.
So, there was bound to be a catch somewhere… There was no way he'd die from a simple gunshot.
And just like I surmised…
…the moment Solon's body hit the pavement, the world around us began falling apart.
"Wha—" (Elaine)
The world, and I along with it, shattered to pieces like a sheet of glass hit by a sledgehammer.
I felt lightheaded as if my soul had been forcibly torn from within my body, the nether sucking it into its cold embrace.
"…?" (Touma)
"Huh? Huhh? Huhhh?!" (Elaine)
The two of us were back on the street as if nothing had happened. I was clutching the handgun that had yet to go off.
"The future of me being shot to death was destroyed. Do you realize it now?" (Solon)
"…" (Touma)
I let go of the trigger.
"I merely wanted to demonstrate that my future has already been decided. I will be killed only by a sword ripping through my chest. I refuse to acknowledge "any other" future." (Solon)
"…" (Touma)
"My existence itself will deny any other harm that might befall me. If I die in a fire, the future where it occurred will vanish. If I drown in a lake, the lake itself shall disappear." (Solon)
"I see." (Touma)
"Yes. There is but one road my future has in store. And I shall live until there appears a man that can deliver it to me." (Solon)
This wasn't future prediction… nor was it the type of "defining the future" Anna and I had suspected.
Solon Ehrenstein had already set his future irrevocably. The future where he was killed by a sword.
In effect, it was like writing the conclusion of a story before the story itself takes place.
The world itself would deny any other outcome. Were he to die in any other way, the future would shatter and the return to the past.
That seemed to be the general mechanism behind his power. However—
"Why did you tell us this?" (Touma)
If he didn't, I would be at an overwhelming disadvantage.
Without knowing his powers, I would have most likely ended up being killed upon his "death" when my guard would be down.
"Even I have to strive for my place in the future." (Solon)
"Your future? The one in which you have irrevocably set your death? Hmm. So, am I correct in assuming that you've already come to terms with your fate?" (Touma)
His future world had no place for him or old humanity for that matter.
Solon nodded his head.
"Aye. I have to fight, and die in battle. I'll be satisfied with any end as long as I get a chance to go all out. Even if it leads to my demise, I couldn't care any less." (Solon)
"And what are you going to do if you win?" (Touma)
"Then, I'll just have to wait for another challenger from the past to appear." (Solon)
"None of the owners of those heads you decorate your yard with could lead you to the future, I presume?" (Touma)
Solon Ehrenstein nodded nonchalantly.
I got the gist of the situation and understood my next course of action.
"W-Wait a second!" (Elaine)
Elaine jumped in front of me as I was about to advance. The shiver shaking her frame didn't come from the cold alone.
"You are a non-combatant. You have nothing to do with the issue. You should probably leave my dominion as soon as possible. Continuing to stay in this city is going to become incredibly dangerous in a few moments. You should probably continue your sightseeing afterwards." (Solon)
Solon Ehrenstein was a real oddball of a guardian.
He had no issue with people trespassing into his sanctum and didn't go out of his way to hunt invaders down. He even offered them safe passage back home if they didn't wish to fight him.
Also, it seemed like Solon was privy to what we were doing in the club before our arrival here.
He was completely level-headed— a trait I hadn't come to associate with the deranged guardians.
Anyway, he saw through Elaine in the blink of an eye. Apparently, he wasn't planning to cause her harm… and was even open to let her "sightsee" afterward.
…I took a small breath of relief.
"I-I didn't come here as a tourist! I just wanted to ask you one thing. Is… being killed the only future you have?" (Elaine)
Solon gave Elaine a confident nod as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Yes. My future has been set. I received this power and the Nocturne in exchange for that. It is more than fair. I have no complaints." (Solon)
"Don't you want to live?" (Elaine)
"Do you?" (Solon)
Elaine shrank as Solon cast his ice-cold gaze upon her. Nonetheless, refusing to give in to fear, she took a step towards him.
"Yes. I want to live. I want to be alive in the future." (Elaine)
"So do I…" (Solon)
"Then—" (Elaine)
Solon Ehrenstein shook his head in silence. He could more or less tell what Elaine was trying to say.
Then you should wish to live in that future of yours?
The future is not something you need to go out of your way to set.
Probably something along those lines.
"It's far too late. My future has already been set in stone. He, who entrusted me with this power, has made it so." (Solon)
"He…?" (Elaine)
For the first time, a hint of irritation passed across Solon's face.
"All that is not important, and neither is our talk." (Solon)
Solon turned his gaze to look at me.
"If you die, I shall take your head as a trophy and bury the rest of your body in a proper grave. If I do, you can do what you will with my corpse, I do not care." (Solon)
With that, he raised the Nocturne into a fighting position.
"Elaine, step aside." (Touma)
"…Okay." (Elaine)
Elaine shuffled some distance away from us without complaining. Luckily, Solon had his attention concentrated solely on me.
It was unlikely that he would go out of his way to hurt Elaine.
He didn't seem to be the type to do that… this I could instinctively tell.
With this peculiar type of trust towards my adversary, I pulled the Joyeuse out of the pocket dimension.
His blade was roughly thrice the length of mine. Even though the Joyeuse was already longer than most normal swords; its blade reached to about 120 centimeters.
But being short had its own advantages, namely the effective distance. As long as I could get into close quarters, his Nocturne shouldn't be able to keep up with the speed of my shorter Joyeuse.
I activated my AIM, readying my body for combat. Hot blood filling into my veins, my body heated up from the inside.
However, my skin remained ice-cold. After all, Solon Ehrenstein's murderous aura was simply that strong.
As such, a small fog of frost began to rise up from my shoulders.
"May I ask for your name?" (Solon)
"Kamijou Touma." (Touma)
"Kamijou Touma. I, Solon Wolfgang Herbert von Ehrenstein, the lord of the second temple of Ahathoor shall meet your blade in battle!" (Solon)
He suddenly disappeared from my sight.
There…
"Oryaaaah!" (Touma)
I kicked the ground and lunged to my left.
As I did so, Nocturne's edge, cutting through the air with an ear-splitting sizzle, grazed my clothes at the right shoulder.
"Tch…!" (Touma)
Solon Ehrenstein, having his tremendous downward slash evaded, was completely defenseless. I darted forward aiming my sword at his neck.
However…
Right as his long blade was about to hit the ground, it—
Wh-What…?
—unnaturally changed trajectory and went for my neck instead.
"Gh…!" (Touma)
I jerked my head back with all my strength, saving my life by the skin of my collar.
Nonetheless.
What the hell… was that?
He seemed to have put all his strength in that downward slash.
Yet, it changed its trajectory mid-swing.
And instead of crashing into the ground, it shot at my neck.
"…" (Touma)
I put some distance between us.
This was, after all, not a regular bout of fencing.
I remembered his words from when he introduced himself.
The world's newest nightblade.
Solon Ehrenstein raised his sword again.
He made it look like the colossal blade hardly weighed a feather when in his hands.
Taking note of my surprise, a small grin spread across his face as he charged at me again. I gave up on any attempts to counter and concentrated only on dodging.
Doing super-fast mental calculations, I altered my Personal Reality to cause AIM to shoot electricity through my veins. By doing this, I was able to boost the acceleration of all nerves in my body and thus, reduce my reaction time by nearly 50%.
Nocturne meanwhile was assaulting me like a thunderstorm, cutting through the air in reality-defying curves.
"Gh…!" (Touma)
The volley of supersonic strikes launched consequently from my blind spots did not give me any time to breathe.
Both his strength and speed far surpassed any Saint or opponent I have faced till now.
His speed left countless afterimages, all of which coalesced into a violent twister that devastated everything in his vicinity.
I was out of options. I continued to dodge and dodge and dodge, nearly forgetting I had a sword in my hands.
"Kamijou-san, look out!" (Elaine)
But her words still somehow found their way to my ears.
Without stopping to comprehend their meaning, I kicked off the ground with all my strength. Instantly scaling the remains of the Eiffel Tower, I locked upon Solon, targeting his defenseless head from above.
The very next moment, without looking at me… he swung the Nocturne.
His swing— following me from the dirt of the ground to the depths of the sky— looked like a leaping snake.
The action allowed me to finally understand Nocturne's true nature.
I didn't understand the mechanism behind it, but that sword seemed to have an automatic tracking system of sorts. But what was it tracking? Temperature? Carbon dioxide? Or something else entirely?
While I couldn't tell what it was, I now knew that the sword could actually move ahead of Solon's own will.
"Gh…!" (Touma)
I had to sacrifice my right shoulder for this knowledge, though.
Enduring the pain, I finally unleashed the power of my Joyeuse.
[Summon: Gluttony!]
It was the same trick I had used upon Kanzaki once.
As such, I didn't hope for it to injure him. Or, to be exact, I knew for certain it couldn't… I doubt dropping the beast atop him exactly counted as a "thrust" from my sword.
Before the beast could even fully materialize in front of him, Solon jumped straight into its open jaws, showing not a moment of hesitation.
Not to die.
But to dissect it from within.
The beast's lower and upper jaw split in two.
I wasn't particularly surprised he did away with my summon in the blink of an eye.
A mere beast couldn't possibly stop that blade.
His sword might have had an automatic tracking system, but he was still a first-rate swordsman himself.
I jumped high into the air once more, this time perching myself atop a metal bar on the side of the Eiffel Tower. I glanced down only to spot Solon Ehrenstein vaulting after me.
The moment I readied the Joyeuse for a counter-attack, my survival instincts forcefully froze me to a halt.
I'd die.
I'd die. I'd die. I'd die. I'd die. I'd die. I'd die. I'd die.
Definitely. Without doubt. Absolutely.
If I stayed here— I'd die!
I jumped off the side, falling freely to the other side of the tower.
"[Rewrite Fate: Dead-End!]" (Solon)
A straight "line" left the Nocturne's tip as Solon uttered the words. I evaded the "line" by a narrow margin.
But by the time I blinked; a vertical gash had appeared along the entirety of the Eiffel Tower.
And then…
It vanished.
Soaring through the empty air where the world-renowned landmark used to be, I was rendered speechless.
The Eiffel Tower disappeared. It vanished without a trace. It didn't fly away from the blast, nor did it crumble to pieces… it just evaporated into thin air.
A shudder rose up my spine.
Sharpness? Effective range? Those concepts were meaningless in the face of that attack.
Solon Ehrenstein looked up at me.
"Obeying its eventual fate, that tower has just vanished from this world. My Nocturne allows me to alter the fate of all those cut by it. It is therefore able to converge the totality of futures. Regardless of whoever's they are—" (Solon)
"…" (Touma)
"—their fates will be rewritten and converged into nonexistence. This time it was that tower, next time it will be you!" (Solon)
"Kh…!" (Touma)
Solon Ehrenstein kicked off the ground and lunged towards me. I had no other choice but to flee into the city.
Was that all I could do?
Not good. I cannot come up with anything else.
Dodging Ehrenstein's persistent swings, I continued to fly deeper and deeper into the city. Deliberately flying low to hide from Ehrenstein's visual radar, I felt like a fighter jet trying to evade my pursuer's never-ending barrage of bullets.
Once locked on… he would never fail to launch a fate-erasing swing at me.
I dodged the line of nonexistence coming from behind me.
But this time… the buildings next to me, or rather the entire arrondissement, was not so fortunate.
In an idea to flush me out, Solon erased only the lower portion of the arrondissement. As such, the upper portion of the doomed buildings hovered in the air for a few seconds before gravity exerted its merciless will upon it.
Many of which directly fell upon the path I was flying on.
Yet despite facing a rain of buildings, I didn't slow down.
I slid underneath many that hadn't touched the ground, zigzagged through the crumbling interiors of many others while I simply blasted a hole through the ones I couldn't avoid.
Either way, I was able to chart a relatively safe way through the falling rubble.
[Summon: Sloth.]
Now out of the field of collapsing debris, I clutched my Joyeuse and summoned Golden Sloth. The simmering gold rained down on Ehrenstein like hellfire.
"Petty tricks!" (Solon)
A slash from the Nocturne sent the summon to the nether whence it came from.
But Sloth wasn't the only beast I planned to summon.
[Summon: Envy.]
Rotten chains of flesh shoot out from behind me accurately targeting Solon.
"…Hmph. Merely summoning them back to back won't do you any good." (Solon)
After doing away with the molten rain, Nocturne sliced through the rotting chains as if they were butter.
But when Solon realized what his blade pursued next, he froze in shock.
"A sword…?" (Solon)
The next thing that flew at him was my own Joyeuse. For I threw it at him.
Nonetheless, I already knew the outcome of my attack.
Though soaring in the air like an arrow, my sword would still be deflected by Nocturne.
Without my sword, there was but one weapon left at my disposal.
"…?!" (Solon)
Kamijou Touma. Myself.
"Haaaah!" (Touma)
I kicked off the wall, accelerating to my furthest limit, and lunged at him at a speed that Nocturne's automatic tracking couldn't follow.
[Imitate: God of Thunder— Indra.]
My magical reserves were almost nonexistent.
On top of that, I still didn't know how to utilize properly the very little magic I had.
However, at my very core, I was not a magician.
I was an esper.
As such, I had many other powers that could work as well.
The powers that I was endowed with at birth.
Scientific powers achieved through manipulation of AIM and Personal Reality.
The moment I wished for it, my brain's calculation area was run awash with calculations. Manipulating values in my Personal Reality, I changed the properties of my AIM to match that of a Level 4 Electromaster.
As such, a torrent of electricity blasted forth from my body.
I didn't need to touch him, much less hit him.
As long I had his general direction in mind…
The lightning that bolted from my body took the form of a series of high-voltage arcs as it struck the Nocturne.
The metallic blade, in accordance with the laws of physics, conducted and transferred electricity to the body of Solon Ehrenstein like a lightning rod.
"Ghaaaagh…." (Solon)
Looked like not even him could resist thousands of amperes of electric current now coursing through his body.
His muscles tensing and contracting, Solon was left temporarily paralyzed.
But regardless of its master's state, Nocturne still went after me.
However, with Solon's arm stiff, its swing flew slowly, late by seconds.
I dodged away from him and grasped at my sword embedded deep in the surrounding rubble. In a frantic motion I clutched onto the blade itself, but, at this point, I hardly cared about pain.
"Have another one!" (Touma)
Targeting his chest, I launched the Joyeuse like a javelin.
"…!" (Solon)
The Joyeuse closed the distance in an instant, cleaving the air apart with a metallic sizzle.
However, the moment it was about to hit its target, Solon twisted his body out of the way in a violent convulsion.
The Joyeuse grazed his skin, its edge turning crimson. However, that was far from a fatal hit.
"Kamijou… Touma!" (Solon)
He proceeded towards me with a murderous howl.
For the first time during this fight, I felt like he was taking the entire thing seriously.
It seemed like my less-than-conventional tactics had managed to offend the master swordsman slumbering deep within him.
I no longer had a sword.
And I certainly didn't feel like Solon Ehrenstein was an opponent I could take on barehanded.
Not to mention that any future where he is killed by anything other than a sword was denied to me.
Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to go pick my sword up.
Once again, I had no choice but to rely on my scientific powers. But that was not a problem, really.
The real question was: which ones could actually have an effect upon him?
I tried reading into the future.
I had to either evade or parry his attack.
The latter was nearly impossible to do: Nocturne was a reality-slashing sword. There's nothing, save for the Joyeuse, that's capable of parrying it.
That left me with the former. But was dodging such a good strategy?
My situation wouldn't improve if I merely kept dodging.
Actually, it would only grow worse.
That blade could define fate, and also had an automatic tracking system. The more I ran from it, the more at a disadvantage I'd be.
The longer this went on— the fewer futures I will have left for myself.
So, I had to find a way to outperform Solon Ehrenstein in this situation, but—
Suddenly something caught my eyes. I promptly extended my arm and clasped it.
It was a street lamp that happened to inconspicuously linger in the vicinity. I clutched its pole firm in my right hand.
And with a yank, I ripped the pole free from its concrete foundations and swung it towards Solon. Reacting to my attack, Nocturne went after the lamp.
It felt as if Nocturne was actually controlling Solon Ehrenstein at this point since, judging from his pained expression, his muscles had yet to fully recover.
My lamp shattered to pieces from a single impact.
However, Solon's body couldn't handle the stress from forcing a sudden change in the blade's trajectory.
"Ghuh…!" (Solon)
And, utilizing the time that the occurrence had presented me, I promptly reclaimed the Joyeuse.
Solon landed on the ground and faced me, a repeat of our battle's prelude.
We glared at each other on the soulless street. Surrounding us were the result of countless days of human labor— Paris' gaudy buildings that had turned to nothing but tactical cover for beings like ourselves.
With all the electrical lights in the vicinity destroyed, we could only rely on the pale moonlight to scrutinize each other's movements.
"It seems you're not an opponent I can tackle with no strategy in mind." (Solon)
Solon Ehrenstein took a deep breath.
"Opilio021— For I seek to herd the past to a sublime future!"
The moment he uttered his magic name, everything about him changed.
While it did not take the form of any physical phenomenon, I could sense his killing intent skyrocket. His ice-cold glare pierced through me like a dagger.
"This nightblade, the Nocturne, tracks the movements of all my opponents without the need for me to even pay attention to the battle. And while it is certainly convenient that way, it is also painfully predictable to a seasoned opponent." (Solon)
"That so…?" (Touma)
"Yes. As such, its strikes have no force, no killing intent. Fighting spirit, and so true strength, is an alien concept to it. However, it was more than enough to dispatch all the visitors I had till now." (Solon)
Solon Ehrenstein readied his blade again.
"As a token of respect, I shall show you my true style of Harnisfechten. Have at you!" (Solon)
Glittering in moonlight, the blade went after my neck.
[Imitate: God of Thunder— Indra.]
I answered him by forcing electricity to run through my veins and accelerate me to my utmost limits once again.
The divine sword Joyeuse clashed with the reality-slashing Nocturne. With neither of them yielding their ground, the sparks born from the impact of two otherworldly blades illuminated the night's air in burning red.
Solon Ehrenstein was not a denizen from this world.
The world he hailed from had a deep-rooted class system.
Those born to politicians lived to become politicians themselves. Those born to soldiers had no choice but to set off to wars.
Robbed of possibilities from birth, the children of that world had their futures defined solely by their parent's profession.
And in a place where such a system might as well have been a part of the natural order, there were still very few children who actually questioned it.
One of them was Solon Ehrenstein.
Unlike the others around him, he was puzzled by the state of his world.
The profession he inherited from his father— that of a Royal fencing instructor— played a big part in him developing so, for it was something mostly obsolete in the modern world.
Solon Ehrenstein pondered.
"Father. Are our skills meaningful in this world?" (Solon)
Indeed. If you mastered the techniques of the Harnisfechten style, you could take on a thousand opponents all at once.
However, that only applied to an age before the invention of firearms.
The world was always cruel and unfair. And with the descent of guns that outperformed blades in all combat situations, swords grew obsolete.
In other words, the various techniques that Solon Ehrenstein shed blood, sweat, and tears to acquire were, in the end, completely useless and impractical.
Yet, his father had his own opinion.
"And what of it? Meaningful? Meaningless? Do you think purpose is the sole thing that defines our lives?" (Solon's Father)
"Yes." (Solon)
"Boy. Do you realize that you've insulted the very nature of our world?!" (Solon's father)
To change the future.
To have humans choose their own fate.
In this world that meant rebellion against society itself. An absolute taboo exceeding that of the sin of murder.
"That is not what I implied." (Solon)
That was no what he implied.
It was not.
However.
He wished to know the meaning of his life.
He wished to know the meaning of the techniques he mastered.
He craved for a purpose to exist.
Was a life of constant questions and no answers the only path permitted to him?
He didn't wish for such a life.
He wanted to hold his head high and declare that the techniques of his sword were meaningful to the world.
That was all he wanted.
Yet, those dreams had been denied to him by his own father, who went on to chastise him for this blasphemy with death.
For Solon Ehrenstein's words denied the norm of society.
For they had the power to turn their noble family into a den of traitorous rabble in the face of the country.
"Die. I will have my second son inherit the Harnisfechten style instead." (Solon's Father)
Father readied his longsword.
As a last gesture of his love, he thought to end the life of his foolish son in a single painless strike.
But what love is there in murder?
There was nothing honorable in killing someone.
Taking a deep sigh, Solon Ehrenstein faced his decrepit father.
"I do not wish to die. And… have you not realized it yet, Father?" (Solon)
That his son's skills had already far surpassed him.
That his son's techniques were already honed to a level of perfection previously thought unattainable by his father and his ancestors.
The arts that took his father his whole lifetime to master, fell prey to Solon Ehrenstein's inherent talent in mere days.
"It puzzled me for a long time, Father. How can anyone possibly struggle to master techniques this trivial?" (Solon)
"Gh… Ngh…! You… You ungrateful knave!" (Solon's Father)
Forgetting his techniques, forgetting it was his very own son in front of his eyes— forgetting everything— the man let out a beastly howl in pure anger as he swung his heavy longsword down like an untrained child.
Solon Ehrenstein regarded his father's outburst with ice-cold eyes, and…
"Harnisfechten: Ultimate Technique— Ballad of the Demon Emperor!" (Solon)
Father split in two from head to groin.
With minimum effort, he sliced through his father's brain, heart, and his longsword all in a single swing.
It must have been instant death. Yet, even in case the death itself hadn't been instant, his father surely couldn't have felt an iota of pain.
It was Solon Ehrenstein's last token of mercy.
"I wonder what I should do next…" (Solon)
He was at his wit's end… that would be a bit of an odd expression to describe his state of mind.
For he simply couldn't think of a single answer to the question of what he should do next.
He only wished to live.
He only wished for a satisfying life.
The castle slumbered in darkness.
In the middle of it stood the nonchalant Solon Ehrenstein, not unnerved in the slightest by the sight of his own father's bisected body.
And it was then that this dry aberration of nature caught the eyes of one certain being.
"Indeed, your wish is truly beautiful." (?)
Solon Ehrenstein's body reacted in a split second.
"Who goes there?! Reveal yourself!" (Solon)
He readied his sword, and it was only then that his thoughts finally caught up to his actions.
There was no one inside the castle.
He could not sense a single soul around.
But then where was that voice coming from?
"The craving to live correctly. That is indeed the ultimate truth of your being." (?)
Solon Ehrenstein felt his vision jammed by static.
"You seek to pursue a life free from the shackles of fate. You seek to shepherd the future: become a champion of the world that shatters the mundane. But be careful, for, at the end of your road, only perdition awaits."
The voice— subtle and sublime yet powerful like the roar of an ancient dragon—resonated throughout his very being, shaking him from his very core.
"…" (Solon)
"The choice is yours. Will you live a life filled with mediocrity and tepid happiness? Or will you seek a satisfactory death worthy of a champion?" (?)
"…" (Solon)
"The time has come for the die to be cast. After all, what you do shall always be the whole of your law. So, what is it that you wish to do?" (?)
The apparition offered him a choice.
It was most probably a mere whimsy on its part.
…yet Solon knew that the words it spoke were no lie, either.
As such, he didn't hesitate a second.
"I choose a satisfactory death." (Solon)
Such was his decision.
A haze veiled everything that followed.
The temples, the magic calamity, and St. Maurice.
A meaningful death over a meaningless life.
As per the orders of the apparition that now gave his life meaning, Solon Ehrenstein began his crusade, initially settling down to protect the fourth temple.
No matter who they were, humans stood no chance against his techniques in battle, for his sheer strength sometimes exceeded that which was mortally possible.
Of course, he himself also gained a new weapon, bestowed upon him by the apparition that saved him.
Already possessing enough magical energy to match an angel's telesma, he also inherited a nightblade to amplify it further, the Nocturne.
Coming from the future as the newest nightblade known to man, it, of course, had many exceptional powers slumbering within its steel.
Still, all of them only supplemented the inherent skills of the wielder.
When, in light of the recent developments, Ehrenstein decided to descend and infringe upon the second temple, not even a fellow guardian could withstand his overwhelming prowess.
This was not the result of some magic trick, but the genius of swordplay he had perfected meticulously over time.
Watching was all Elaine could do.
But, at the same time, she was the only one who could see through.
And because of that, the girl could positively tell that, despite being the epitome of calmness, Solon Ehrenstein's brand of madness was indeed beyond all help.
"Shyaaa!" (Solon)
"Tch…!" (Touma)
He was fast.
He had far surpassed the limits of biological organisms.
Under normal circumstances, his body, already moving at hypersonic velocities, would instantly catch fire due to air friction. Yet with air magic coming into play, none of such situations came to pass.
In other words, nothing limited Solon Ehrenstein's speed anymore. The air resistance that would incinerate anyone else attempting his feats had no jurisdiction over him.
But the most terrifying thing… was the fact that Solon Ehrenstein could actually react at such speeds.
He could plan and launch nearly ten different swings in the time a normal person would take to blink.
"…!" (Touma)
Kamijou Touma parried six of the hits and evaded the other three. The last one, however, cut several strands of his hair.
Elaine could only see ten strikes come at her comrade pretty much at the same time.
Negating them all was already an absurd feat.
While Kamijou Touma was managing to hold his ground against the monstrous Solon Ehrenstein… it was undeniable that he was at a serious disadvantage.
All he could do was defend himself. He was left with not even a chance to launch a counterattack.
Yet, nonetheless.
There was a hint of change in Solon Ehrenstein's metallic countenance.
Something he himself had yet to realize.
He was growing more and more impatient.
Locking his gaze on the young man before him, he threw multiple feints and then went to definitely cleave his neck off.
And he had him!
Or so he thought; the very next moment he was forced to freeze in astonishment of his failed attack.
He wouldn't show it on the face, of course.
He could come to terms with the reality of his ineffective strikes. But he couldn't dispel the doubts cropping up in his heart.
(What…What is this?) (Solon)
His blade came at the young man in volleys, like a barrage from a Gatling gun.
Yet the young man still seemed to observe them with his eyes, judge them with his mind, and sort out feints from the real attacks with mind-boggling precision.
And then he would form a pattern to parry each and every single "real" attack with his single sword.
His style was far from that of a swordsman.
If anything, his form resembled an amateur lumbering across the fields. He seemed to know the basics of fencing, but that was about it.
(But then… how on earth can he keep up with me?) (Solon)
Solon Ehrenstein was not the vain or egoistical sort. He simply knew the reality of his strength.
That is what made the sight before him illogical.
He, a master swordsman, had thrown everything he had at the young man, an amateur.
Yet, Kamijou Touma, nonetheless, would still somehow barely escape from the caress of his steel.
He'd evade any attack by the skin of his teeth.
Still, Solon Ehrenstein knew full well that such freakish luck could not possibly go on forever.
He'd have to make at least one mistake eventually, and lose his neck in the process.
And yet.
And yet…!
And yet…!
"Haaah!" (Touma)
A feeble blow that would unlikely cause much damage even if it did hit its target.
Yet it was still a blow that somehow found its way through Solon Ehrenstein— a master swordsman's impregnable defense.
"Ohh…" (Solon)
He refused to believe it.
Such a thing should have been impossible.
After he initially mastered it, he spent years polishing his craft. He spent years perfecting his techniques.
Through rigorous training and unmatched genius, he was able to surpass every single opponent— be it his old world or the new one.
So, there was no way he could succumb to an amateur of all things.
"Ohhhhhh!" (Solon)
Howling like a beast, he added even more speed, ferocity, and strength to his barrage.
However…
… the amateur, as if not knowing the concept of fatigue, only grew faster and faster himself.
The history and descent of the person called Kamijou Touma were slightly different from those of a normal man. One could call my heritage peculiar, or even abnormal.
To tell the truth, I had nothing to call "experience."
All the knowledge I had was information imprinted on my brain at birth using a machine called the "Testament."
For example, I was no better than an amateur at fencing.
But I knew everything there was to know about it.
I knew the whole history of fencing, how it split into different schools, and what techniques it gave birth to.
Even though there was no data on Solon Ehrenstein's particular style, I could still find information on one extremely similar to his.
It was a very evolved-version of Harnisfechten-style of German fencing with a longsword.
I searched for martial arts that can be used to counter this particular school of fencing.
And I found one… in a nameless Japanese style that used a nodachi.
Developed during the Edo period, it was adjusted to one-against-many battles to the field of war and armies.
Solon Ehrenstein was a genius master swordsman.
He wielded a nightblade capable of predicting the future and ending anything it grazed— the Nocturne.
Challenging such an opponent with no plan in mind, or relying on my own puny skills with the sword would mean almost certain death.
That's why I came up with an alternative approach.
Firstly, I would categorize Solon Ehrenstein not as a human being but as an army.
As such I would be able to use one-vs-army strategies against him.
Secondly: I would try to predict the future myself.
Predicting the future in this case only amounted to analyzing the information you had at hand at inhuman speeds to make swift and precise assumptions of the things to come.
If you had enough information on how one moved, thought, and what he had to do to survive, you could predict his behavior in real-time.
Solon was trying to duel me.
By treating him as an army instead, I jumbled up the information he had at its disposal.
This was the limitation of masters pursuing a single martial art.
Lastly: I was a Level 4 Electromaster.
Normally, I used electricity to stun my opponents or boost my physical properties.
But this time I made use of two passive skills that every Level 4 Electromaster possessed to give birth to an exceptionally extraordinary phenomenon.
These passive skills were their field of perception and control of reflexes.
An Electromaster had no blind spots, and I was making use of my AIM to control my bioelectricity.
The orders that the human brain relayed to its body were conveyed primarily through neurotransmitters and calcium ions that triggered muscles to contract.
And when they did, the voltage in their cells would change slightly.
Now, however, I wasn't relaying orders to my body from my brain.
With complete control of the electrical impulses within me, I had transformed my very body into a makeshift brain. I needed no reaction time at all.
If Solon Ehrenstein switched off his autopilot to face me seriously, my response would be to turn on autopilot to face him seriously.
This was a very risky approach… I understood that much fully well. Some of my actions were beyond my grasp.
With my body moving before I could think, I might very well crash into Solon's blade without realizing what I was truly doing.
Which would mean certain death.
…Yet there was no other choice.
Putting my muscles, bones, and even my own will into overdrive… I had entered what could only be referred to as an electrically induced "berserker" state.
I kept clashing against Solon Ehrenstein, bouncing off the walls of the buildings of Paris— ignoring the laws of gravity.
"[Rewrite Fate: Dead-End!]" (Solon)
"Gh… Ghaaaah!" (Touma)
Letting out a wild cry I dodged the linear AOE attack he launched by the skin of my teeth. Solon's swing, however, completely sliced through a yet another part of the city we were currently inhabiting like it were a sponge cake.
Goddamit.
Was this all I could do at my full strength?
Was this the extent of what one could cheat through using talents alone?
Was it so that imitation and knowledge, however precise, could never parallel experience and years of refinement?
"Kamijou-san!" (Elaine)
My body reacted to Elaine's cry with a sudden flinch. I didn't let Solon Ehrenstein out of my eyes, but a part of my mind wandered off towards her.
"It's alright! You'll definitely get through this! Be confident in your abilities! It's working!" (Elaine)
My feelings of inadequacy vanished as soon as I realized the meaning of her words.
She trusted me.
There was not a shred of doubt in her eyes.
Her expectant look was more than enough to infuse me with more power than any petty trick or honed technique ever could.
With power by the name of valor.
"Kh…" (Solon)
Solon Ehrenstein winced in pain. With my anti-army strategies, his brain had been forced to recalibrate me as a miniature army in a body as well. This forced him to recalculate several conflicting parameters to predict my course of future actions.
Yet, despite his brain being in the midst of overheating, he still refused to let himself take a moment of rest.
Well, that was very good for me.
Not letting the opportunity slip, I lunged toward him at my fastest speed— and swung!
"… Not yet!" (Solon)
He, too, dodged my strike by the skin of his teeth. But my strike seemed to graze the surface of his sternum. Blood seeping through his chest, he leaped away from me, his face contorting in anxiety.
Just a bit deeper, and his future would have come to pass.
(Wh-What is going on… What is this?!) (Solon)
He glared at me in bewilderment.
The inconsistency of my physical prowess and techniques completely jumbled his mind.
Who could blame him?
It was not every day that you meet one "jack of all trades but master of none" type of martial artist.
I was designed to be invincible.
I was created to be unstoppable.
I was birthed to be omnipotent: to guide them.
This was what they wished upon me.
I always thought it to be a curse, yet now, I found it a blessing.
For my inborn physical aptitude seemed to be actually enough to keep up with the honed skills of a monstrously genius master swordsman.
"I see…" (Solon)
Solon Ehrenstein took a deep breath and the anxiety vanished from his features.
I thought of pursuing him while he was still overtaken by bewilderment, but my instincts stopped me.
"You're trying to outperform me using your inborn natural talent." (Solon)
"I had a very endowed birth." (Touma)
Solon gave me a wry smile.
"For being so well-endowed you sport a terribly twisted expression on your face. Could it be that you did not wish for this power?" (Solon)
"I have no obligation to answer that." (Touma)
I couldn't mask the tinge of anger mixed into my voice.
"I can only wonder why you would do that? You can win the most arduous of battles with your innate talent alone. There is not a person in this world that would not envy your powers." (Solon)
"Be that as it may… but I've never wished for this." (Touma)
"SPOILED FOOL!" (Solon)
We clashed again.
Unlike the start of battle, Solon Ehrenstein no longer lingered at my sword's reach.
It was as if he was the one trying to challenge me. To be honest, there was something flattering about being treated as a monster by a bonafide monster.
Anyway…
He'd strike me once, and then, promptly take a safe distance. Two such strikes fell upon me like that already.
Now was the third.
If he was planning something special, now would be the time.
Launching another strike, Solon once again leaped backward, but this time he kept his blade at shoulder height.
Then he suddenly proceeded to launch a swing from a distance that even a nodachi couldn't possibly cover.
"Vacuum Cleft!" (Solon)
His blade suddenly lengthened?! No, that wasn't it.
He cut through the air, and launched a vacuum blast at me…!
"Like what I just did?!" (Solon)
Solon Ehrenstein suddenly stopped in place.
And, with a bitter smile on his lips, urged me to answer his question.
"…You cut through the air with your blade, and sent a blast of sharp vacuum flying towards my direction. I assume you used some air magic to prevent that vacuum from collapsing upon itself." (Touma)
"And you'd be right. Can you believe that the person who came up with this actually wanted to counter firearms with such a joke attack?" (Solon)
"Not fond of sweat and tears of your ancestors?" (Touma)
"Of course I'm not. They were ridiculous fools. Did they expect guns to be restricted to matchlocks forever? Did they not realize that in a few years the world would be full of swifter, stronger, more terrifying new weapons?" (Solon)
Solon Ehrenstein let out a dry laugh.
"A ridiculous self-gratifying technique that should be found in a circus show, not a serious battle. I told my father once; I assume he didn't agree from the way he hit me." (Solon)
"My apologies." (Touma)
"Ahaha~ Please, don't be. But, you know, with magic and this Nocturne here at my disposal, now I must admit that this technique was not entirely useless." (Solon)
Solon Ehrenstein prepared his weapon again.
This time, however, I spotted a peculiar glow around the edges of the blade.
The next moment, I saw myself die in my mind's eye.
"The world does not need this future. Harnisfechten: Ultimate Technique—" (Solon)
The sensation defied the scope of language. All I can say is that I knew I would vanish from this world if I stayed in this place.
Not considering the contrary I proceeded to flee the vicinity with all my might.
Then I realized there was one matter holding me back. One thing I could not ignore no matter the circumstances.
There, at a distance of about 450 meters from me, was the place where Elaine was.
If I ran, Elaine would undoubtedly die.
Whatever Solon was planning to unleash was simply that powerful…
As I realized that, the notion of me running away vanished without a trace.
In that case, I had no choice but to try stopping the attack head-on with one of my seven sins.
But which one could truly prove effective in this situation?
Think Kamijou Touma, think, think!
"—Ballad of the Demon Emperor!" (Solon)
An attack worthy of bearing a name as flamboyant as the Demon Emperor.
He rained terror upon all alike with all five modes of darkness available at his disposal: divine, ethereal, earthly, emotional, and ephemeral.
However…
…the thing that gushed forth from Solon Ehrenstein's blade was far removed from some natural phenomena like darkness.
It was a wave of condensed all-destroying ablation energy.
It was something that would turn anything, regardless of their physical durability, regardless if they were animate or inanimate, to mincemeat.
Imbuing his inherent magical abilities with the nightblade, and adding his honed techniques to the mix, Solon Ehrenstein created something that would instill terror in the hearts of supernatural beings, rendering them as helpless as mere mortals in its path.
That was all I— Kamijou Touma— had time to comprehend.
I had less than a millisecond to think.
And I had but one choice left.
A single means of attack.
Summoning one of the seven deadly sins.
I sacrificed what could've been the last millisecond of my life to analyze my options.
Which of the beasts could possibly withstand this attack?
The Beast of Gluttony?
The Golden Sloth?
The Azure Wrath?
The Rotten Envy?
The Lion of Pride?
The Knight of Lust?
No.
None of them.
Neither could do a thing in this situation.
But I felt I was close.
The answer was lying there somewhere, in their abilities, in their respective roles.
Seven deadly sins. Six deadly beasts.
What was the seventh?
The Chimera of Greed.
Being the seventh, it was the weakest and the least deadly of the beasts.
According to Anna, it possessed no powers at all, yet…
[Summon: Greed!]
Chimera, a hybrid beast.
…its forte lied in giving birth to new ones by combining the other sins.
The ingredients it required were the other six deadly sins.
By combining two of them, the Chimera would display its true potential.
For example. If you combined Pride and Lust—
Almost as if laughing at his fruitless attempt to struggle, the tremendous blast of pure energy obliterated Kamijou Touma with an all-decimating whoosh.
"Hahh." (Solon)
Solon Ehrenstein let out a long, exhausted breath.
He used too much energy. More than he should have had, really.
He put all his magical energy, every last drop, in this attack. Even the Nocturne couldn't do anything with its master having zero mana in reserves.
Solon Ehrenstein couldn't stand him.
He couldn't stand the audacity of the gifted fool for trying to oppose his honed techniques with inborn talent alone.
It felt as if the young man somehow insulted all of the hard work Solon Ehrenstein had put into acquiring his techniques, insulted the concept of swordsmanship itself.
Solon's lips curled in a self-deprecating smile.
Wasn't he himself the one who loathed the Harnisfechten style more than anyone?
Wasn't he himself the one who kept insulting its inferior techniques?
Didn't he throw his past away long ago already?
The existence of that young man itself was so abnormal, it irritated him beyond all reason. He couldn't help relying on his wretched techniques like a hypocrite and even cheat with magic tricks to completely obliterate the fool.
…His head might have made for a nice souvenir, but it was all too late for that.
There was nothing else for him to do here.
The girl over there was a noncombatant— if she tried attacking him, he could slay her in a split-second— definitely not an opponent to be concerned about.
Nonetheless, Solon Ehrenstein was oddly satisfied with the result of today's work.
Kamijou Touma.
It was a name he'd never forget.
It wasn't like Solon never harbored scorn towards a fellow human being— he certainly didn't feel much of anything towards his father— but this was the first time he felt this much malice towards another.
"Aah…" (Solon)
And when Solon Ehrenstein was about to take his last relaxing sigh, commemorating the achievement of this day—
"Going somewhere?" (Touma)
The calm voice coming from behind him turned his blood to ice. He turned back, blade at the ready—
—but it was far too late.
For the sword of the opponent had already finished its thrust.
"Ah…?" (Solon)
Instead of pain, it was an extreme chill that he felt first. As if his body started turning to ice from the inside. Trouble breathing was what assaulted him next.
The Joyeuse— Kamijou Touma's trusty sword— was sticking out of his chest. Piercing through his body, its obsidian blade had impaled straight through his heart.
It seemed like the young man that he scorned so deeply had brought him to the future he so deeply cherished.
Author Notes and Guest Reviews:
Mr. X: Thanks a lot for your review as usual. It made me really happy ^^
1. Yeah. I kinda wanted to test myself as well. Every time I try to write fluff it gets too cringy for comfort jaja. So, I was trying the waters basically. Umm… Anna, huh. I'm planning to make her a maiden in a b*tch's clothing. Like she's trying to be a gadfly to mask her insecurities (she's that "unwanted" Awan at heart, after all). Therefore, I think Elaine will be the most forward of the bunch. Not pervo, but really aggressive :D
2. Yeah. I've heard the chatter. Btw I have caught up to my original point… currently I'm heading into the rescue arc, and I can't wait to read it all already ^^
Anyway, thanks a ton for reviewing as usual. It means a lot, really.
Now to move on to the trivia section:
Some research into German fencing schools had to be made. Rather than magic, this one involved Touma using his scientific abilities to fight, so it was a bit refreshing to write as well…
Other than that, it's all the usual stuff.
That other "Extras" story is running a bit late, but it should be up soon. Been quite busy lately :D
Anyway, I'll see you guys next time…
Until then~
Mata ne~
~VG out~