One swing of the sword leads to the next. I align my mind and body, yearning for yet another strike.
I am in the castle courtyard, relentlessly swinging my sword. My mental state fluctuates between mindfulness and mindlessness, hovering somewhere in between.
I know. Swinging a sword with such an unfocused mindset isn’t ideal. But I can’t help myself from swinging.
Burned into my mind is Ryufa’s sword technique.
The perfection in each of his movements far surpasses my own. I’ve learned that even the techniques I thought were my limit have room for improvement.
It may be inappropriate to say, but this preoccupies my mind even more than my concern for Shuri. That bodily control, the arc of the sword, the movement of bones. Everything about it is etched into my being.
That is truly what you’d call the realm of genius. The secret must lie in mastering the movement of bones themselves after thoroughly training the body.
The movement of bones—that is the primordial power of the human body, something that has been gradually lost as history unfolds and culture and technology advance.
Without obtaining that power, I cannot defeat Ryufa.
Master the technique, master the body, master the bones.
Only then will I be on equal footing with Ryufa.
Therefore, I must obtain what lies beyond that, what exists beyond that point!
What do I need? What exists beyond mastering technique, body, and bones…! The answer seems just within reach, yet it slips away like mist…!
“What am I missing…! What am I lacking…! It’s almost within sight…!”
Swing, swing, swing, swing, swing, swing…!
The speed of my sword becomes so fast that even I can’t track it, making countless swings while time seems to stand still, and then—
“Kuuga!”
That voice snaps me back to consciousness, and I execute one final downward strike.
A sharp, tiny ‘pit’ sound rings out. My sweat-drenched gaze fixes on the sword’s tip.
“…Gungrave, what do you want?”
“You’re pretty worked up. Couldn’t you hear me calling?”
Gungrave approaches with a somewhat sarcastic tone.
“…No, I couldn’t hear anything in my current state. As a loser, all I can do is swing my sword endlessly.”
“So? Have you grasped anything…?”
“…”
I don’t—can’t—answer anything.
Even though I can see it, I can’t grasp it. Its true nature remains undefined.
It’s like seeing an illusion, like seeing an ideal, like seeing the dream I want to pursue.
When can I make it reality? No, I must do it immediately.
“Never mind about me. So? What do you need?”
“We’ve found Shuri’s location.”
The moment I hear those words, my eyes lock onto Gungrave.
…However, Gungrave himself wears a troubled expression.
“So? Where is he?”
“He’s already in Grand-Ende’s capital, apparently. We found a note he left behind.”
“How did he manage that under such tight surveillance?”
“Well, it seems Lill had a hand in it. We’ll need to ask her about the exact method she used.”
Lill’s achievement, huh… well, that doesn’t matter right now.
“So? Realistically, how do you plan to rescue Shuri?”
“Diplomacy is impossible. Given that they’ve attacked and kidnapped someone from another country without any prior relations, this won’t end peacefully.”
“I figured… so infiltration then?”
“That’s right.”
“And that’s where I come in?”
My arms are itching for action. Who would’ve thought we’d end up going all the way to Grand-Ende to help Shuri.
However, Gungrave’s troubled expression doesn’t fade.
“About that, Shuri says not to help him yet.”
“What? Why?”
“He says, ‘I want to use this opportunity to investigate Grand-Ende. I want to know why I was kidnapped.’“
“…He’s quite the man, isn’t he?”
I almost laugh at the unexpected rejection of rescue.
“So? What are we going to do?”
“Still thinking about it…”
I see, in that case.
Until then, all I can do is perfect my sword technique.