Hagakure Sakura Does Not Lament

Translated by LyraDhani

Edited by LyraDhani

After breaking out of the wall, Tsugumi observed the place where the Demonic Beast had fallen from a remote perch.

He broke its neck so that it could not act, but that would not have killed it instantly. Tsugumi supposed he should have just stopped it, but he was hesitant to spread blood all over that small space.

–Because he felt something disgusting in the red and black blood of that Demonic Beast. Unfortunately, Tsugumi’s intuition was often right. It was best to be wary of them.

In addition to that, Hitsugi who fought Irregular last time was hijacked by a Demonic Beast that took over her consciousness because she inhaled a poisonous mist.

Then, it would not be good to touch the bodily fluids of this Demonic Beast which was also an Irregular, would it? He thought so.

But fortunately, Hagakure Sakura’s combat uniform was not very revealing, and there were few places where his skin would come into direct contact with the Demonic Beast even if he attached himself with it. He broke its neck because it was the easiest thing to do. …The appearance might have been a little shocking, but it was much better than being cut in half with a piece of thread.

He paid some price to get through the Demonic Beast’s defenses, but it was still a satisfactory result.

“…My neck is tingling. Maybe I should have cut it more cleanly.”

With side hair blowing in the wind and hanging down over his face, Tsugumi tousled his hair that had been messed up around his shoulders.

And the other hand touching his hair – his left hand – was stained with a considerable amount of blood, and looking at it closely, it appeared that several fingernails had been peeled off. A thread tied around the fingertip seemed to have stopped the bleeding, but the fresh scars on the white hand were painful to look at.

“…From the looks of it, it seems you’ve managed to tame it somewhat.”

Bell called out to Tsugumi, who was holding his hair down in an annoyed manner. She tilted her head at an angle and crossed her arms, giving off an aura of “grumpy”.

Watching Bell like this, Tsugumi chuckled a little.

“Well, it’s better than before. It didn’t even take my soul. –After all, [Gluttony] skill is very powerful.”

This injury was not inflicted by a Demonic Beast, but by Tsugumi himself, in order to be offered as a sacrifice for the [Gluttony].

Since the battle against Radon six months ago, Tsugumi had been banned by Bell from using the [Gluttony] skill except after the battle was over.

But recently, Bell has had her own thoughts about the instantaneous enhancement of his abilities – as long as the offering could easily be repaired, like hair, nails, a piece of skin, etc.

Tsugumi himself had been feeling threatened by the existence of Irregulars and other Demonic Beasts, and he had been experimenting several times with the use of [Gluttony], thinking that the more cards he had, the better.

Needless to say, what was strengthened by [Gluttony] this time was [Invisibility].

“Invisibility” was a very effective ability to get close to the enemy and set traps, but it often did not work on high-class Demonic Beasts. Perhaps it wasn’t able to erase elements that could be detected by Demonic Beasts other than his appearance and presence, such as spatial fluctuations.

It was the same with this transforming Demonic Beast. It seemed that the Demonic Beast had a rough idea of Tsugumi’s movements that were moving through the transportation. To fool its detection, it was necessary to enhance Invisibility.

As for Tsugumi, he was prepared to have all the nails on both hands taken away by this strengthening, but fortunately, it was only half of his hair and three nails. This level of injury was not particularly problematic, as it was automatically repaired when the barrier was released.

–But, I am really glad that I succeeded.

No matter how much control he had gained, this [Gluttony] was still unstable and dangerous.

He still remembered well when he had his limbs fed into the mouth of [Gluttony]. The pain as if half of his body was shredded, and the feeling of elation and bliss that overshadowed it. The fear of having his body eaten away mixed with the sensation of losing his soul made him feel as if his brain was melting. It was enough to make him want to give it all up.

…The payment was physical, but if he was not careful, he could end up surrendering his soul as well. It was the only thing he needed to avoid. Because Bell also knew its danger to Tsugumi, she had banned the use of [Gluttony] until now.

“The signs of the Demonic Beast are slowly fading. It’s almost over”

At Bell’s words, Tsugumi gently patted his chest. The long hours of endurance had already exhausted his body.

Perhaps because the end was like a kind of deception, there was a sense of indigestion, but if this was how it ended, he was fine with that.

–The moment he thought of this, his instincts rang like a warning bell.

Quickly, Tsugumi grabbed Bell’s hand and moved to hide behind a tree in the distance. He caught his breath as he held his right hand over his heart, which was making a loud, banging sound.

“Hey, what are you doing all of a sudden? You normally wouldn’t be allowed to touch me without my permission.”

At the same moment as the irritated Bell complained to Tsugumi, the view below burst into life. The entire coastline where the shrine was located was covered in a cloud of dust and smoke, and nothing could be seen. A beat later, the sound of an explosion reached his ears.

“….Bell-sama. Didn’t it have no power left?”

“That’s how it’s supposed to be…”

Tsugumi stared at the center of the explosion–where the Demonic Beast was supposed to be. In the darkness, a cloud of dust cleared with a rattling sound.

What appeared there was a reddish-black flame. Or, to be more precise, a flame-like object was surrounding the humanoid monster. The humanoid was swaying unsteadily from side to side, lighting up its surroundings with flames that burned itself like a devil’s fire.

–It’s wrong. That’s not the same Demonic Beast I was fighting before.

The presence of the Demonic Beast was so different that it made him think so. Whether in the form of the Boar or Hitsugi, the underlying atmosphere of black malice was the same.

However, he could not read any malice from that fiery Demonic Beast. Only pure fearlessness swirled around it. It looked more like a Demonic Beast makeover rather than a simple transformation.

While he was staring at the Demonic Beast that looked as small as a grain of rice, a red flame flickered in the back of his field of vision. Unintentionally, he took a few steps to the right as if to avoid the flames. It was almost an unconscious action.

–But it turned out to be the difference between light and dark.

Tsugumi stumbled over an exposed tree root and floundered on the spot.

Just as he took his eyes off the Demonic Beast for a moment, a strong wind suddenly blew, and he was blown away by it. The wind-driven momentum rumbled and rolled over the mountainside, but he managed to catch himself.

“Kuh, what in the world…”

Holding down his confused mind, Tsugumi stood up on the spot. The red blood flowed unceasingly from his forehead, which had been cut by a rock.

He bent his head and glanced to the left, there was a deep gash, like a valley. Then he turned his gaze further up – part of the mountain rising behind him was broken into five pieces.

“…Huh?”

The shredded remains of the mountain collapsed like a rock avalanche, making a loud noise. He could feel his body shaking, even though he didn’t want it to. If he had moved to the left at that time, he probably would have suffered the same fate as this mountain.

-This thing might be more aggressive than Radon.

Sweat broke out on his body with impatience and fear.

Tsugumi didn’t mean to underestimate the power of the Irregulars. He knew in the back of his mind that there was a possibility they could be revived like the Blue Ogre at the Amusement Park. However, he had not expected that the Demonic Beast would return in such a powerful form.

Desperate, such a word came to his mind.

–His condition was terrible. There was little divine power left. However, Tsugumi was stubborn. No matter how unreasonably strong the opponent was, he would never give up living. It was what he promised to God.

With this resolve in his heart, Tsugumi quietly concentrated his spirit, spreading his thin threads over a wide area. Round two had begun.