Interlude 5
Since Kengo’s return to the battlefield, he has often acted alongside the wolf soldier as his buddy.
Normally, it would be more efficient to assign separate missions, but—
“‘White Sorcerer’!! Fire away!!”
“...!”
—Since wielding her newly forged sword, the combat power of the ‘White Sorcerer’ has skyrocketed, leading to the conclusion that both ‘Feather Hunter’ and ‘Heaven’s Armor’ should be tasked with thoroughly countering her.
In reality, Kengo’s ‘Blessing’ and ‘Guardian Nioh’ excel at defense, able to directly take on, deflect, and shatter the ice bullets launched by the ‘White Sorcerer.’
“‘Heaven’s Armor.’ I’ve retrieved the Fallen Feathers, retreating now.”
During this time, the wolf soldier, having evaded the ‘White Sorcerer’s’ attention, provides cover and quickly retrieves the Fallen Feathers.
In the past few encounters, the two of them have been securing victories for the Shishima Organization.
“We’ve only just begun! If we defeat the ‘White Sorcerer’ now, rendering her incapacitated, we’ll be safe for the long haul!!”
“That’s an unnecessary risk. Even you can’t completely defend against her sword strikes.”
“A scratch like that? I could take it a hundred times and still be fine!!”
Kengo’s bad habit is showing. He’s true to his fighting instincts—he genuinely enjoys battle. It’s probably this trait that makes him strong, but when it comes to missions, he loses control and becomes rather troublesome.
With a sharp click of his tongue, the wolf soldier connected to the communication line.
“Still in combat, ‘Feather Hunter.’ What’s the matter?”
“Stop Kengo.”
“Again... Sigh.”
The superior on the other end of the line sighed tiredly. Meanwhile, Kengo, frustrated by his inability to land a hit, was engaging the ‘White Sorcerer’ in hand-to-hand combat. The opponent is quick and equipped with defensive mechanisms, making it hard to land a hit. Instead, Kengo’s wounds were increasing.
A few seconds later, Kengo, with a pale face, threw his earpiece and destroyed it.
“Hey, don’t break it…”
“Uncle’s scary, no matter what he says! I’m ignoring it for now!!”
“You’re just going to hear more from him later.”
“Just because we’re winning doesn’t mean you can talk that much... It’s infuriating...!”
‘Blessings’ are unique, never appearing the same way twice. In other words, for every ‘Marked’ individual, there is a different ‘Blessing,’ and with that, combat matchups are created.
Kengo and the ‘White Sorcerer’ are clearly at an advantage over him. No, Kengo’s ‘Guardian Nioh’ is above most other ‘Blessings,’ so the situation is as such. That confidence leads to unnecessary conversation, but it never opens a weakness, which especially irritates the ‘White Sorcerer.’
“—Don’t get too angry, Ritsuka.”
“...!”
Kengo jumped back. The wolf soldier aimed his gun. Something large had fallen from the sky.
The site of the Fallen Feathers was a deserted factory in the outskirts. The factory had been fully dismantled, leaving a wide, barren land. There should have been no signs of life nearby, but—
“Why are you here?”
“Well, a hero’s gotta come to the aid of their beloved in times of danger, right? Don’t you think?”
“...I don’t know you.”
“‘Feather Hunter,’ do you know that man?”
“No, I don’t recognize him. Looks like fresh reinforcements.”
On top of a large, several-meter-tall ‘statue’ made of earth or something similar, the man was sitting. The shape of the ‘statue’ closely resembled a ‘shakōkī dogū’ (a type of clay figure), which could be described as a gigantic clay figure.
The man had fine features, narrow eyes, blond hair, and spoke with the distinct Kansai dialect. The fact that neither Kengo nor Rouji recognized him meant he likely wasn’t part of the local Organization’s retrieval team. While Fallen Feathers appeared across the nation in varying frequency, both the Shishima Agency and the Organization maintained branches throughout the country. If this man had indeed come from the west, as his dialect suggested, it wasn’t surprising they hadn’t encountered him before.
“But one thing is certain—he’s a Marked,” Rouji said.
“No doubt about it! I’ve never seen a giant clay figure like this in any textbook!”
“Well, well. You two must be the famous Feather Hunter and Heaven’s Armor, huh? I’ll admit, you look strong,” the man said, tilting his head. “How about this—if you hand over the Fallen Feathers, I’ll let you off easy. No harm done.”
“Do all Organization agents receive training to spout nonsense right out of the gate?” Rouji sneered. His contemptuous gaze matched the mocking tone of his words, clearly unimpressed by the man who parroted the same demands as the White Sorcerer.
“Hmph!”
Kengo didn’t waste time on words. His fist, hardened by his Blessing Guardian Nioh, slammed into the enormous earthen figure’s midsection with full force. The impact, powerful enough to shatter concrete like brittle candy, hit the clay statue squarely. A structure made of such weak material couldn’t possibly withstand the blow—
“Wha—!?”
—Or so they thought. The statue didn’t shatter; it rippled. The surface flexed, bent, and instead of crumbling, it scattered. Kengo’s expression twisted in confusion as he pulled back his fist, while Rouji’s keen eyes immediately discerned the material.
“Clay...!?”
“It’s softer than I expected!”
“Ritsuka,” the man said, glancing over his shoulder. “From here on out, you focus on supporting me. We’re in the perfect spot, and honestly, that Feather Hunter is so damn annoying, I’m going all out.”
“Understood.”
The clay statue collapsed into a shapeless mass, leaving the man to land lightly on his feet. He took a deep breath, then spoke—
“Form of the Earth Mother.”
“...!”
Unfamiliar words. The tension in the air grew thick. Both Rouji and Kengo instinctively held their breath.
Among the Marked, there is a shared rule: speaking the name of one’s Blessing serves as the trigger to unlock its full potential. For this reason, that name is often referred to as a “key,” something to be guarded and rarely shared with others.
“That idiot...! Does he have no sense of strategy!?”
“This is a first—a Marked this reckless!”
Unleashing a Blessing at full power comes at a great cost to the user. For Marked individuals, their abilities are often bound by time and consequence. For those like Rouji, who lacked a Blessing, exploiting this limitation was essential, while others like Kengo had to carefully manage their power in battle.
The man’s utter disregard for caution left both of them stunned.
“A man who holds back’ll never be strong! What’s wrong—are you scared!?”
“Reckless idiot...”
Around them, the barren ground began to shift. Countless massive earthen statues, all resembling the original clay figure, rose from the soil, surrounding Rouji and Kengo. Not strength, but flexibility; not quality, but sheer quantity. The abundance of clay in the area amplified the man’s abilities. It was clear that this confrontation wasn’t driven by his personal vendetta but was part of a calculated move by the Organization. His Blessing was tailored specifically to counter Kengo, a particularly troublesome adversary.
(Facing an unknown ability in its full power is too dangerous.)
“Interesting! Then I’ll meet your full power with mine!” Kengo roared, his body radiating energy as he prepared to unleash his own Blessing.
“Stop, Kengo! This is the time to retreat—!”
“Alright then—let’s see how much you can take before I beat you down and break your form!”
