Only after Yukari Yakumo deeply reflected on her improper behavior, recognized her mistakes, solemnly apologized to the victim in the group chat, and guaranteed she would never do it again, did Esdeath finally relent and reopen the “permissions” for Yukari to enter this world.
The next second.
“Yu-ka-ri Ya-ku-mo!” Esdeath screamed in frustration as she fell once again into the clutches of a certain youkai.
She really shouldn’t have trusted that woman’s promises!
“Esdeath, you really haven’t spent enough time with Sister Yukari in the group…”
“Exactly!
Trusting Sister Yukari in matters like this is about as reliable as believing me when I say I could put Mr.
Byakuya on his back with just a couple of punches!”
Utaha Kasumigaoka and Chika Fujiwara offered their sharp commentary.
“Oh, so you’re all taking advantage of the fact that my hands are full to badmouth me, are you?”
Yukari looked toward Byakuya.
“Young man, Chika-chan is already dragging you into this.
Don’t you have anything to say?”
“You mean…”
Byakuya’s hand paused as he was drawing Rune characters in the air.
“I should just lie down now to prove she doesn’t even need the two punches?”
“Pfft~”
Utaha couldn’t help but let out a snort.
“Tsk…”
Having failed to recruit an ally, Yukari pursed her lips.
“Don’t go too far!”
While Yukari had been talking to the others, her hands had never stopped moving.
Feeling that if she didn’t make a stand now, she might truly be treated as a toy for the rest of her stay, Esdeath grabbed her wrist.
However, this time, she didn’t immediately deport Yukari back—
Annoying as she was, Yukari, like Chika, Utaha, and Byakuya, held no genuine malice toward her.
Furthermore, Esdeath could tell that Yukari had been sincerely trying to persuade her to face the part of herself she refused to acknowledge—the part that wanted to strike the Northern Barbarians for reasons other than “proving she was stronger.”
After the brief interlude, the four humans and one youkai returned to the new Gap Yukari had opened, which still pointed toward the army of Northern Barbarians.
“Now that we’ve confirmed it’s them, what do you plan to do?”
“Hmm…
ignore them.”
After a moment of thought, Esdeath replied, “The barbarians marching south isn’t an uncommon occurrence.
Not just in our northern region—I’ve heard from merchants that barbarians from the west and south frequently invade the Empire’s borders to plunder resources.
The Empire has extensive experience dealing with such things.
As for me, I just need to be careful during my hunts and avoid entering hunting grounds already occupied by the Northern Barbarians.”
She looked at the army on the other side of the Gap.
While their formation wasn’t particularly orderly, they possessed a fierce, savage aura as they marched.
Though she didn’t know if these were the same invaders who had killed her father and kinsmen half a year ago, a cold glint appeared in Esdeath’s eyes.
Before long, the meal ended, and the group split up.
Chika Fujiwara and Utaha Kasumigaoka, whose basic strength, combat experience, and hunting skills were still lacking, continued to follow Esdeath.
The three formed a team; they would handle ordinary Danger Beasts themselves, and if they encountered a powerful one, Esdeath would be there as their backup.
Yukari Yakumo stated that she had discovered some interesting things while investigating the abnormal movements of the Danger Beasts and intended to go check them out.
With that, she stepped into a Gap leading to an unknown destination.
Byakuya, who didn’t have a specific goal like Yukari but didn’t fear the dangers of traveling alone, set off on his own hunting journey.
Along the way, he continued to grind his proficiency in [Rune Magecraft] while traveling, stopping only to harvest blood-food when he encountered First-class or the even rarer Special-class Danger Beasts.
Of course, he didn’t become a complete lone wolf.
Every night, he would reunite with Esdeath’s team, bringing the high-quality blood-food he had hunted during the day to share their spoils with one another.
Bang!
Bang!
BOOM—!!!
A blur of motion.
He possessed extreme agility coupled with terrifying strength.
If an attack was blocked or deflected, the impact was manageable, but if it missed or struck the ground, his fists and palms created violent sonic booms in the air.
Kicks that missed their mark or hit the earth due to a poor adjustment after a dodge would carve craters several meters deep.
This figure, whose strength and speed were both pushed to their absolute limits, was none other than Esdeath.
The one facing her was Byakuya.
It was the third night since he had returned to this world to temper his body using the flesh and blood of Danger Beasts, and Byakuya had finally given Esdeath exactly what she wanted.
After Chika Fujiwara and Utaha Kasumigaoka had returned to their respective worlds to rest, Esdeath had used the excuse that she “had nothing better to do.” When Byakuya heard that…
it actually sounded reasonable!
Thus, the two immediately clashed, and the fight only grew more intense as it progressed.
On Byakuya’s end, he had proactively disabled his Rune Magecraft.
He hadn’t even activated the reinforcement magic—which perfectly complemented his martial arts by boosting his strength, speed, endurance, and recovery—meaning he was fighting purely to exchange techniques.
In terms of raw stats and skill, Esdeath was still no match for him.
However…
as the saying goes, “While some teachers prefer a divine genius who understands everything just by reading a book, many actually prefer the kind of talent who proactively asks for help and grasps concepts instantly.”
Whether it was the application of power, positioning, or anything else, Byakuya didn’t even need to speak.
He only had to provide a slight hint during the fight, and the next time a similar situation arose, Esdeath would optimize her approach based on that previous experience.
The feeling of sculpting a piece of raw jade, watching her gradually reach perfection, was truly exhilarating.
As for Esdeath…
The feeling of being suppressed throughout the entire fight was frustrating, yet she was deeply fascinated by the fact that her combat techniques—which she believed had already reached their peak by merging the Barutes Clan’s striking arts with her experience hunting—were improving every single moment through her clashes with Byakuya and his guidance.
In short: fighting was awesome!
After more than half an hour of intense combat, seeing that Esdeath’s energy was beginning to flag under his relentless pressure, Byakuya timed a gentle push.
With a light yet irresistible force, he sent her sliding back toward the campfire in front of the tent.
“Too much of a good thing is a bad thing.
Let’s call it a day.”
Byakuya ladled half a bowl of meat soup and a few large pieces of tender, slow-cooked meat from the pot over the fire and handed them to Esdeath.
“Alright.”
Esdeath nodded and took a sip of the soup.
Feeling the warmth spread through her stomach, she squinted her eyes in comfort and looked at Byakuya.
“What is it?
Something you want to tell me?”
With such a direct gaze, there was no way Byakuya wouldn’t notice.
“Thank you for today.
And…”
The fact that she gained something every single moment meant the other party was comprehensively stronger than her.
Otherwise, it would be impossible to have the surplus energy to provide guidance during a fight.
In other words, for the past half hour, he had essentially been “playing” with her.
Realizing this, Esdeath’s voice carried a rare hint of hesitation.
“Can I find you again tomorrow, or in a few days?
I won’t waste your time for nothing; I’ll give you all the points I earn from now on.”
“Of course you can.
As for the points…
that’s not necessary.”
Looking at the change in the proficiency of [Hundred Arts] on his system panel before and after the fight, Byakuya had a vague idea of where that proficiency came from.
He smiled and said, “You might not believe me, but I actually gained quite a bit from our fight just now.
So, if you want to continue, I’m always available whenever I’m free.”
***