The Revenge of the Soul Eater

admit defeat.

 

  “I would have won if I could use my soul equipment”――As long as Sora thinks that, he will not walk the right path again.

 

  In order to set him straight, he has to beat Sora’s soul equipment in a crushing manner.

  If he takes Sora down fair and square while he can use his soul equipment, it would show him that there’s always someone better out there, getting rid of the arrogance that is eating at his heart――Gozu believed.

 

  「Becoming aware of anima, controlling it, and then materializing it into something.
That’s what we call soul equipment――That’s what I told you in the past, Sora」

 

  「……What?」

 

  Sora gave Gozu a questioning look from his sudden words.

 

  Gozu continued without minding his opponent’s reaction,

 

  「I was going to tell you more when you learned to do that someday.
The soul equipment is only the beginning.
In other words, nothing more than the entryway.
I would have told you to not be satisfied just from achieving that.」

 

  「……Just the entryway?」

 

  「Yes.
The moment you obtain your soul equipment, you become in sync with your anima.
How someone harbors their anima varies per person, but that power is immense overall.
It brings a person to a height that surpasses what a human can reach」

 

  「……」

 

  「You turn that immense power into something you can handle with your hands, and that is what the soul equipment is.
But all you’re doing still is just turning a power that you can’t handle into something that you can――It’s a forced method no matter how you put it.
That’s what I meant when I said soul equipment is just the entryway.
The people who manage to bring out their soul equipment have a new mission assigned to them the moment they are able to do so.
That mission is to overcome the inherent forcefulness that’s in your soul equipment and bring out the full potential of your anima’s power」

 

  Gozu said.

 

  Soul equipment is like the wooden swords you give to a child who can’t handle real swords.

 

  Soul equipment users use those wooden swords to improve themselves and learn how to draw out the power of their anima. 

 

  Then when they finally can draw out the full power of their anima, they will obtain power that can surpass human limits and kill even mythical beings.
That’s what it would mean to control a power that humans can’t reach.

 

  Gozu then weaved together some words as if he was chanting a verse.

 

  「Delicate makes formless.
Soulless makes limitless.
Without form, therefore infinite.
The domain of surpassing humans and killing mythical beings, that’s what we call the domain of “void” in the phantom blade style」

 

  「Void……」

 

  「Sora.
Your name embodied the wish of Lady Shizuya.
That is certain.
And I believe Master Mitsurugi had also put his wish in you.
He had definitely named you Sora because he wishes for the son that’s born in this world to be on the same level as his father someday」

 

  「……」

 

  「You probably won’t believe what I’m saying right now.
As I said, I’ll show you how I will crush your arrogance with you at your full power.
From here on, I will show you the domain of void, the essence of the phantom blade style――Prepare yourself」

 

  Gozu raised Juzumaru in his hand high into the sky.

 

  Then, he said,

 

  「Kuusou reiki」

 

  The moment his voice was heard, the string of beads that was wrapped around his sword guard snapped, scattering the numerous bundled beads in the sky.

 

  At the same time, Sora felt as if there was an invisible hand grasping his heart.
That illusion-inducing pressure was distorting the space of the surrounding area.

 

  Juzumaru started to change its form before Sora’s eyes.
The ordinary-looking sword was contracting in a creepy manner like an amoeba.

 

  It was as if “something” that was sealed by Juzumaru was being set free, Sora couldn’t help but realize that.  

 

  Right now, a mythical killing power was about to descend on the city of Ishka.

 

◆◆◆

 

  At the same time, in the deepest parts of Titis forest.

 

  “It” was dozing off quietly.

 

  Like thunder, tornados, earthquakes, or erupting volcanos.

 

  It was a phenomenon that is triggered when the world’s conditions were met.
A mythical disaster born of flesh and blood.

 

  “It” had been manifesting little by little since a few months ago.

 

  The stake that obstructed its manifestation until now has been pulled, and there are no signs of that stake going back in.
Therefore, there’s no stopping its manifestation now.

 

  After just a little more time it will fully come into the world.

 

  Until then, it intended to doze off a little longer.

 

  However, it noticed an unpleasant presence today.

 

  It sensed that a being that can kill it is nearby.

 

  “It” being born when the world’s conditions are met means that it’s the same as a natural phenomenon in that sense.
However, in “that thing” that has flesh and blood, there is the instinct to ensure its own survival that a natural phenomenon won’t have.

 

  It cannot tolerate any existence that can destroy it.

 

  “It” raised its head.

 

  Slowly, in the shape of a sickle――it lifted all 8 of its heads.

 

 

TLN: The domain of “void”(空) – read “kuu”, also uses the same letter as the name “Sora”(空)