It turns out that Samurai Carnival is a much more competent fighter than anticipated.
In less than a minute into the fight, Taro had many close calls with death. While Kiseki made sure he wouldn't get sliced to ribbons by the sword of his enemy, he could still feel his heart beat a thousand times a second trying to process what's happening.
Samurai Carnival didn't look intimidating at all when compared to everything else Jack Lieber had to throw at him. That was why Taro suggested that they fight. A suggestion he regretted with every sudden movement of his body.
"Hey Taro?" Kiseki spoke in his mind. "You thinking of fighting back? Or are you planning on tiring him out first?"
That sounded like a good idea. As ruthless as this samurai warrior is, he is still human. Humans get tired.
"Augh! This is going nowhere! Samurai Carnival sheathes his sword. He then goes on to detach an unknown object from his belt.
Seeing an opportunity, Taro focuses energy on the fingertips on his right hand. He shoots the samurai four times, knocking him back a little.
This only angers his opponent as much as it hurt him, however. He pulls out a pin attached to the object in his hand and a large amount of smoke started pouring out.
"SMOKE GRENADE!" Kiseki shouts out as Taro shields his face with his arms. With his sight blocked, he could hear the grenade go off. Thick smoke was quick to fill his lungs as he struggled to breathe.
"Where is he!? Where is he!? Where is he!?" Kiseki shouted as Taro covered his nose and mouth with his shirt.
Ignoring the burning in his eyes, he takes out his bow and arrow, preparing himself to shoot at anything that moves.
"Hahahahahahahaha!"
That laugh he had just heard could be a tactic to scare him. If that's the case, it's certainly working.
On instinct, Taro blindly fires an arrow into the smoke. Then another.
"Can't see shit in this smoke!" "BEHIND!"
He wasted no time and took Kiseki's warning to heart. He got down on the ground just in time to dodge the sword attack that Samurai Carnival was planning as a killing blow.
"What the…"
Taking advantage of his enemy's confusion, Taro turned around and pointed his fingers at the samurai. He fires off another blast of energy, knocking him off his feet and dropping his katana.
This, however, didn't do much as Samurai Carnival got up as quickly as he went down. Taro made a quick note that he's breathing more heavily. He's making progress.
Not taking his gaze off Taro, Samurai Carnival takes out two sharp objects from his belt. Possibly kunai.
"I'm done fooling around!" He screams out. "I'm not leaving this universe until you're-AAUGH!"
Taro drops his bow as he witnesses what's going on in front of him.
It's a woman who looks to be in her late 20s and having shoulder length black hair while also wearing a fine, black dress. She has pierced through the gut of Samurai Carnival from behind with a katana blade of her own.
Blood pouring out of his stomach, Samurai Carnival falls to his knees before the woman pulls the sword out. He only had a single second to breathe before the woman, in one quick thrust of the blade, chopped his head right off his shoulders.
The most surprising part, however, came as soon as his body hit the ground. It completely vanished without a trace. Just like all the other enemies Taro had been fighting all day.
"Whoa! Whoa!" Taro yells as he raises his hands up. "I'm not an enemy! I'm not an enemy!"
His fear quickly subsided as he saw the woman close her eyes and smile at him.
It was a kind, genuine smile. Not any different from the smiles that his sister, Hanako gives him every day. He feels at peace. There's nothing to be afraid of. This woman is here to help him. Not hurt him.
"Hehe… Don't worry. I know you're not going to hurt me. You can relax."
Doing as he's told, Taro breathes a sigh of relief. The first one he's had in a while.
"Thanks for taking care of that guy for me. I don't know who he is or what his problems were, but I'm glad it's all over now."
He sees her slowly shake her head.
"He… may rest for a while… but his connection to the heart of the multiverse… makes it nearly impossible for him to… die.
But in all probability, you'll never see him again. So don't worry!"
"Wait, hold on." Said Taro. "Have you… ever met with Samurai Carnival before? How do you know this?"
"I've never met… him specifically, but I've seen many men and women going through the same thing. Aimlessly wandering the multiverse. Looking for thrills."
Taro speaks to Kiseki in his head. "Kiseki! Is this the goddess that sent you to this world!? You've been really quiet lately!"
"I have no idea who this woman is!" Shouted Kiseki. "And the goddess who sent me was blonde! She must have sent her too!"
"No… I'm afraid that's not what happened."
"AAAHH!" "WHAT THE FUCK!?"
The woman smiles at Taro again. Making it evident that she can read his thoughts. And Kiseki's voice.
"Kiseki…" The woman continues. "If I remember correctly, it's a word that means… 'miracle.' That's a great name to have."
"You… just spoke to me in my mind just now." Taro points at the woman. "Are you… Are you a goddess!? I know that sounds crazy, but…"
He stopped talking when heard the woman start to giggle. He couldn't help but draw a comparison to how Hanako giggles. It's a pleasant sound to hear and he's not afraid to say that to himself.
"Not… a goddess… Though once I was…
I willingly gave up that title when I discovered my… true reason to live."
Taro smiles as he began scratching his chin.
"Ah, a true reason to live. It's good to know all about your true purpose in life. I remember this girl back… when… I…"
His smile vanishes from his face. A million thoughts ran through his head all at once; leading him to a single conclusion.
"You… spoke with Ayano Aishi."
The woman raises her hands and began giggling again. Sounding every bit as pleasant as she had before.
"Hehe… Guilty as charged… I had plans for her, you see… but I didn't count on her going off to search for you. She completely ignored me! For a minute, I considered giving up and having to do everything myself, but that's when I discovered you."
Ignoring the pain in his chest. Taro went on to say what was on his mind.
"Jack Lieber." He sees her head pick up a little. "He said… a woman is going to protect him from me… Is he referring to you?"
After a brief silence, the woman nodded. "He's such a marvelous man, isn't he?" She brought her hand to her face and began biting on her thumb, frightening Taro.
"I mean, I never would have thought… This world… This world is… Special. To say the least. I don't know how else to describe it in a way that wouldn't warp your… perception. He thinks he can get away from me by declaring new rules… As if I'd allow him to actually DO that!"
As usual, like every other day in his life, Taro is left with more questions than answers. What's so special about the world he lives in? And what did this woman mean by 'warp his perception?' He then proceeds to ask another question.
"Do you know where Ayano is? And if so, can you take me to her?" Pleads Taro. "Please. I… I just need to see her again. I need to know that she's alright."
"Hmm…" The woman tilts her head to the side.
"I'll tell you what… Jack Lieber… Hehe… He's speaking with somebody right now. This somebody is the backbone of his entire plan. You deal with them… and I might just let you see your girlfriend again… I'm gonna enjoy watching you try to get to her. I only wish Jack would do that for me. Now, I believe I've explained more than enough. It's been nice meeting with the person the current goddess they replaced me with decided to keep alive. Goodbye for now!" "WAIT!"
Again, more questions than answers. Taro was lucky enough to prevent this… former goddess from leaving him, but he's got to make this last question count.
"One more question… Do you… have a name? Like, what should I call you!?"
The woman smiles again. "That's a very good question, Taro. I'm glad you asked it!
You may refer to me as… Ta-im!
Bye bye!"
In an instant, Ta-im was gone. Having vanished from Taro's sight. Half a dozen tulips sprouted from the ground from where she was standing.
Taro puts his hands in his pockets. "Ta-im… yeah, that sounds like a name for a former goddess."
He hears Kiseki speak. "Hey man, I think we should go back inside. This rain's REALLY pouring down on us right-WHOA!"
Taro takes a step back as he witnesses the sight unfolding.
A large pillar of light breaks through the clouds in the sky far off in the distance. Almost immediately, he has a good idea where in Buraza it's taking place.
"Whatever Jack's plan is, I think it's entered its next phase." He says to Kiseki.
"Alright… cool. So I'm NOT the only one seeing that strange light in the distance. Where do you think it's coming from? Like, where do we go next?"
Taro takes a deep breath. His journey isn't over yet. Ta-im is keeping Ayano away from him. And he's probably on his way to die.
But hey, he's made it this far. Something good should happen with any luck.
"You're gonna love Akademi."
Hey guys I got a little bit to say before I go. The next chapter is going to be a flashback but it has nothing to do with Taro or Kiseki. I'll get to it as soon as I can.