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——————– What is the definition of a Brave?
Broken down to its characters, it probably means something like “a courageous person.” But if that were the case, people would be more accustomed to using “Warrior” for that.
Or maybe the distinction is this: a Warrior is “one who has fought,” while a Brave is “one who chooses to fight”?
There are always new interpretations being proposed.
One of them holds that a Brave is [one who forges a path into the unknown].
Beyond the courage to face what lies ahead, this adds another element , the desire to explore it.
But all things considered— The word “Brave” itself doesn’t seem to contain anything like “nobility,” “selfless dedication,” or “empathy.” Demanding those qualities from a Brave is really asking too much.
And yet…
[For someone as perfect as me, it’s hardly impossible!] The Brave Himmel said as much.
……………
……..
“Brave Himmel.” “Are you two my Masters?” Having witnessed the disasters and suffering of countless worlds through the Goddess, Himmel no longer carried the comfortable feeling of my mission is done.
He didn’t want to steal the spotlight from the younger generation.
But if he stood by and watched children cry for help without moving , well, not just his former companions, but Himmel himself couldn’t forgive that.
So he came.
Through the Goddess’s Summoning Circle , exact mechanics unknown to him , he crossed the barriers between countless worlds, descended into this pitch-black cell, and formed a contract with the two young girls before him.
Hmm.
Two girls.
Himmel tilted his head.
According to the Goddess, Himmel had already “died.” He had simply signed an agreement to continue protecting humanity after death, which made him an existence known as a Heroic Spirit.
When a being like him descended into a world, he would typically select one Master, anchor himself to her, and receive “the common sense of this world” as a gift from the Goddess , a language package, the unique rules of this particular world, the circumstances of his own Summoning Magic.
So why had he ended up with two Masters…
“Hmm~…” He tilted his head and thought about it for a while.
No answer came.
Oh well.
Probably because I’m just that exceptional.
His body had returned to youth, and his thoughts were a little more carefree for it.
That was his conclusion.
But at that moment, the three people outside the cell had already reacted.
“Wh — what is that!” “Gah!
Jujutsu Sorcerer-sama!
I told you those two girls were trouble!
Hurry up and deal with them!” The two ugly villagers squawked and chattered.
Suguru Geto, as a Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer, understood considerably more than those two old scoundrels.
(Is this…
a Cursed Spirit?
No — a Shikigami?!) In his eyes, the man who called himself Himmel was unmistakably not among the living.
He was something closer to a Cursed Spirit.
But he was also clearly unlike any conventional Cursed Spirit.
Cursed Energy is energy born from negative emotions.
Subject, verb, object: Cursed Energy is energy.
Negative emotion is only the source.
Which meant if someone carried no Cursed Energy at all, and yet radiated some other kind of energy entirely…
(This pressure…) (Summoned by those two girls?
A technique?
Summoning Magic?
Or is it something like my own Cursed Spirit Manipulation?) Geto’s thoughts moved fast.
In that instant, he forgot his self-destructive urges from seconds ago.
His body acted on instinct , shielding the two civilians behind him, delivering orders quickly and cleanly.
“Step back.” “Leave this to me.” He waved his hand to usher them away.
No one was there.
He glanced sideways.
Those two had already bolted.
“…” Fine.
Whatever his inner desire for destruction said, Geto cared more about whether this Shikigami was going to turn on its hosts , those two girls.
That question came first.
He could try communication, of course.
But the risk was too high.
There were Cursed Spirits that did exactly that , stalled with conversation, masked their instincts behind a calm facade.
Shikigami were never absolutely safe for sorcerers.
For Suguru Geto, a man who considered himself second only to one person in this world, the correct answer was: [Capture him alive first.
If I’m wrong, apologize later.] The most rational choice available to someone with his strength.
“Ubume!
Nobusuma!” He called the names of his Cursed Spirits.
A ripple spread from his body like ink bleeding through water , and in the next instant, immense Cursed Energy flooded the chamber.
A female Cursed Spirit in a feathered robe dove toward the Kamo Sisters.
A flying squirrel-shaped monster closed the distance to three steps from Himmel in the blink of an eye.
Everything happened too fast.
While Geto was still analyzing, the two terrified girls finally snapped back to reality.
Nanako and Mimiko both looked up at the gentle-faced young man above them.
Their fear seemed to dissolve the moment they met those aqua-blue eyes , their hearts strangely, inexplicably steadied.
They reached out toward him without thinking.
Their hands had barely lifted when the attack arrived.
Ubume drove between the three of them, wedging herself between Himmel and the girls, positioning her body as a shield over them.
And Nobusuma , five-meter wingspan, eyes like lit lanterns , lunged straight for Himmel.
Time stretched.
In that suspended frame, the Brave noticed something.
(This room is very damp.) (My hair’s gone a bit flat.) The next moment , BOOM , !
.
From outside, the wooden house swelled for one instant like an inflated balloon, then the deformation hit its limit and the structure exploded apart with a roar.
Cursed Energy blasted out in every direction.
Wood splinters, chunks of stone, shredded straw matting , all of it caught the shockwave and tore upward into the sky.
Geto didn’t spare a thought for these scumbags’ house.
He fought without restraint.
The man’s technique was Cursed Spirit Manipulation.
Exactly what it sounded like , subdue Cursed Spirits, then wield them.
Ubume to shield the girls.
Ubume: a fixture of Japanese yokai mythology.
The spirit of a woman who died in a difficult childbirth, forever seeking to steal another’s child.
As a Cursed Spirit, she clings to children and, when an adult draws near, curses them , dragging their body down with supernatural weight.
Nobusuma: a flying-type yokai from Japanese folklore.
Among the fastest.
One to restrain.
One to attack.
Both Grade 1 Cursed Spirits.
Offense and defense working in tandem, versatile, airtight from the first move.
This was one of the finest Jujutsu Sorcerers alive.
And yet…
“…No way.” Splintered wood climbed into the sky.
In the howling storm, Geto stood wrapped by his own Cursed Spirits, hair whipping wild in the air currents , and his normally half-lidded eyes were open wide.
Because in front of him…
“Launching an attack before even saying hello.” Himmel’s aqua-blue hair swept upward in the gale, his white cape snapping in the wind.
“You’re quite enthusiastic.” He had Nanako and Mimiko tucked against his left side.
His feet found a large piece of debris and held it steady.
He faced Geto across the open air , both of them airborne now, moonlight between them.
Under that light, everything about him carried a quality that resisted description.
Something like sanctity.
A handsome face alone wouldn’t hold Geto’s attention , his most powerful classmate was so absurdly good-looking it bordered on offensive.
What stopped him was what had just happened.
While Geto was still arranging his three-pronged response, Himmel had already moved.
He’d moved later than Geto , waiting for the Kamo Sisters , and yet he arrived first.
Right hand closing on empty air, drawing the sword from his waist.
The blade was slender, radiating a faint halo of light.
Nobusuma’s lunge had started three steps away.
For a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit at the top of its speed class, that distance was a fraction of a second.
And in that fraction of a second, this is what Himmel did: He raised one hand to his forehead and swept his hair back with a small smile.
With the other hand, he swung the blade.
A dense lattice of light blazed through the air, tore straight through Geto’s position, and unmade everything in its path.
In an instant, two Grade 1 Cursed Spirits were exorcised.
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