Chapter 17 : Dance with the Fallen

So, I am currently camping inside the forest with my most faithful maid. The weather is good and warm breezes are proof that it is summer right now. Sitting outside the carriage, around the bonfire with tea in my hand is bliss that I haven't thought about before. I am going on the trip more often after this excursion.

"Master, you are monologuing again," Luna told me from behind.

"How do you know that I am monologuing? And stop breaking the fourth wall. Moreover, how do you know the way to break it?"

"I picked up something like this when staying in Gensokyo for thousands of years," she replied coolly.

"Cool," I deadpan at her.

After a while, I break the silence again. "Say, Luna. Do you hate the fact that I gave you a new name?"

"Of course not, Master. It was I who requested it after all. Sakuya Izayoi had already died together with her mistress in Gensokyo. Right now, I am Luna serving the Master named Urien Gregorios. For that, I am satisfied with the name you had given me," she gave me a curt bow.

I know right? When I read some of the fanfic, they simply reuse the name "Sakuya Izayoi" and she follow their orders without saying "No". I mean come on! That name was given to her by her Mistress Remilia Scarlet. If you summon her with the name "Sakuya Izayoi", it can be traced back to her Mistress. And she would never leave her Mistress willingly or without the wellbeing of her Mistress. If one wants to summon her, the memories of her Mistress must be wiped out or summon after her Mistress died. And we need to give her a new name regardless of the choice. The only way to call her "Sakuya Izayoi" while her Mistress is alive is by calling her from the timeline where there is a version of you in Gensokyo.

"Thank you, Luna," I gave her a small smile.

I would need to continue my constant breathing technique. Now that I think about it, I haven't tried 'Dance of the Fire God' even though I've seen it twice as Tanjiro dance it on every new year. And I even remembered all the stances.

"Luna, I will go and dance for a while. Make sure no one interrupts me," I left the stunned Luna. What was she thinking when I said I was going to dance? Did she think that I was going to dance like some pop group?

After arriving at a clear place, I start off with 'Waltz'. Then second form, the third form, I got my momentum and I started doing all the forms. After a while, I noticed that someone is watching and I don't mind it. There is no katana in this world to use this <Breathing Style> after all. Without me knowing, it was already morning when I stopped. The stalker is also gone.

"There was someone who was stalking you, Master. But I didn't act on her because she holds no ill will toward you." Luna informed me about the stalker. And a 'she'? Well, not that I care about that.

I took a rest inside the carriage. By the rest, I mean I slept like a log. It was already night when I woke up. Luna had already prepared all the things needed to explore the ruin.

When I went inside the ruin, there aren't many things to look at. What a letdown. But there are some runes written in the demonic language. I can't read them, so I left them like that. Then I saw the girl who was reading the rune.

Hmm? I think I heard an ouch from her. And she is looking at her hand. Then it means I heard it right. Hmm? A hidden door opened? Is her blood the key to open the hidden door? She went into the door, let's see what's in there.

I told Luna not to follow me and not to interfere if something happens. When I got to the front of the room, I saw the most beautiful thing in existence. The sword, I fell in love at first sight with the sword. But wait, if the door opened because of the girl, then that means it was hers. Nope, I'm gonna take it.

And only now that I see someone with dark wings and a girl. The girl got up slowly with a determined look in her eyes. She looks like a Shonen Main Character who is going through 'I am never going to give up!' phase just to fight the superior opponent. But she got one hit K.O. by a punch to her stomach.

When I saw her having trouble, gears suddenly turn in my brain. The girl is in trouble ► Save her from it ► Take the sword as a prize ► Profit. A grin formed on my face. I quickly rushed toward the place between the girl and a winged bast*rd when he shoots a big ball at her.

I slashed it upward. It is not that hard to direct it upward. I wonder why she is having trouble with this dude.

"Am I late for the party?" I said while turning back to look at her. I gave her the best smile I could make. I need to flatter her for the prize after all. Pride? What is that? I will throw away all of my pride for that sword.

The girl looks stunned. I smell my prize sword here. I look at the winged bast*rd and ask the girl, "Who is that?"

"I don't know. But if I remember what I've read from the books correctly, he is a fallen angel," she replied.

"Fallen angel? Nice target to practice my <Breathing Technique>," I grin. This will be the first time I am using my <Breathing Technique> to kill someone. With all the oni are gone in KnY world, there is nothing for me to kill.

"Breathing technique?" the girl asked from behind.

"The key is breathing. Remember that." Although I've said it, she won't be able to understand a thing after all.

I rushed at the fallen angel while using <Total Concentration Breathing>.

"Darkness Breathing Third Form: Shadow Dance!" I disappeared from his sight and appeared above him. With this form, I am able to teleport in short distances. This is more of the support form in this breathing. Believe it or not, out of all six forms, there are only two offensive forms.

"Darkness Breathing First Form: Shadow in the Noon!" A single strike aimed at the head while holding the sword backward. Like a single tree in the field, a single place to take a rest from the heat of the sunlight in the noon.

Fallen angel dodged to the side but I got to cut off his arm. Then I distanced myself from him.

"Die!" The wing bast*rd said. Then fired many wind bullets and some dark bullets at me.

"Darkness Breathing Fifth Form: Darkness Veil!" I lowered myself a little by bending my knees and hold out my sword to the side. Then, I spin 360 degrees. Some darkness formed from the tip of my sword and covered me like a veil. This form can be called <Void> because it sucks in all of the offensive spells thrown at me. The downside is that it can only be used to absorb long-range attacks.

"My turn!"

I then again rushed toward him. "Darkness Breathing Third Form: Shadow Dance!"

He looks up. Dumbass! Who would use the same move twice?!

I appeared right below him, "Darkness Breathing First Form: Shadow in the Noon Яeverse!"

This time, I thrust my sword upward to the direction of his head. Why am I only aiming at the head? Dumbass, of course, it will aim at the head. These sword forms are created to kill oni after all.

This time, he couldn't avoid it fast. But I couldn't stab through his head either. I was only able to cut his right eye.

I distance myself from him again and stand in front of the girl. I glance at her and take her sword.

"I will be borrowing this," I said. This sword looks pretty expensive. She might not be a normal girl then. I don't know if I have enough money to pay back if the sword broke.

This time, the winged bast*rd doesn't even bother to shoot me with magic. He came to me himself. His remaining arm turns into a wind blade and proceeded to cut me with it.

"Darkness Breathing Fourth Form: Crouching Darkness – Protect!" This is the form that needed super speed control of the sword. Whenever the opponents come and attack in melee, this is something that gives me absolute defense as long as the opponents' strength is below me.

And right now, this dude's attacks are just speed. But the good thing is I have two swords in my hand. Even when he is attacking me with his remaining three limbs, I can protect myself easily with these two swords.

But why am I feeling that something bad is going to happen? Murphy, I swear if you dare to –

*Creak*

Just before I finished swearing, the girl's sword broke. Fu*k! Murphy, I hope you slip down from the roof and fall on other's car just to get caught by the police!

I forgot that even if I can handle the strength, the sword might not. I got slashed to the abdomen.

"Cough," I spat out the blood. And <Althea> had started working on her miracle. I am healing. No, I am already healed. Damn, this girl is OP!

I distance myself from him again. I put the broken sword in my <Inventory> not to distract myself.

I lowered myself again. And this time, I am holding the sword tightly. I am now going to use my strongest offensive technique.

After preparing my breathing, my eyes look sharp.

"Darkness Breathing Sixth Form: Starless Night!"

This form begins with seven consecutive stabs in a straight line from the bottom right to the top left. Then I draw back and dodged the attack he threw at my way. I readied my sword again to continue another seven consecutive stabs from the top right to the bottom left perpendicular to the prior seven. I then jumped and did an axe kick on his head to drag him down from the sky. The two lines together form an X shape with their fourth hit overlapping. I then did some awesome somersault in the air and direct myself at the center of the X and stab my sword at that place by falling down from the air like a comet.

This move is a shameless copy of Mother's Rosario from Sword Art Online. I don't know how did that former user of this <Breathing Technique> copied the move but meh. I have something to worry about. Now, the dude is not moving and I had won. "Return back to the star," I said to the Fallen Bast*rd.

"Y̴̝͕̠̰̩̪̻̫̳͙̅͗̈̃͜͜͝ͅo̴̡̧̬̯̤͚̺̮͙͕͙̟͖̽͆́̅́́̾̊͒̈́͜͠͝u̴̧̖̹͍͖͚̳̼̳͎͙̖̻̲̖̿̋̋̍͗͛̾̆̋͝͠ ̸̱̰̓́͆̅̉̏͗̍̂̋͠ḧ̷̡͎̺̻́͐͂̈̇̈́͆̕͘a̷̱͛͗ḑ̶̯̳̹̰̟̜̮̤̒͝ ̴̧̤̻͇̗̦͓̣̣̻̤̜̈̔̈́ͅͅͅw̵̨̲̥͔͔̩̑̊̏̊̔͒͐̏͐́͐͗̑͘ơ̴̢͕̤̤̬͍͛͂̐̾̒̐̀͆͝͝n̶̪̍̍̾.̵̢̲̳̼͚̹͔͔̗̼͆͛̐̅̏̊̅͒̈́͑̏͜͠ͅ ̷̛̩̘̞̲̞̆̑̌̄͋̍̈̌̋̊̚͝Y̵̘̎̑̃̀̈̉͌ơ̷̢̪̭͉̬̮͔͚̗͇̮̙̲͐̾̈́͂̓͝u̴̡̢͔͎͓͓͎̙̯͓̗͓̠͗̔́̄ ̵̰̊̃͒͋̂̀͛͌̐̄̀͒͠ͅa̶̛̛͎̩̱͚̳̓̈́̉̉̈́̏̋͌͜r̵̫̹̠̮͍̅̾̀̒̊̆͊͑̀͝ĕ̸̢̢̢̢̨̛̤̬̫̟̰͔̦̹̼̔͛̒̈̃̓̂͘͝ ̸̛͓͈͚̘͎̭̩̘̹͓̰̱̱̑̒̈́͒̓̔̌̋͌̀̊̄͌͘͜ñ̶̙̪̰̎̏̏̅̑o̴̬̊͂̊̇́̆͊͌̒͌̓́̐̕w̴̯̺͚̠͙̺̪͈̬̯̤̌̓̈̆͗́̃̚̕͝͝ ̴͓̝͓̝̣̻͖͎̻̰̲̟̾͂ṱ̷̛̛͍̄̒̈̔̀̉͝͝ḩ̵̧͉̦̭̤̝̞̫̯͖̦̐͌̀̅͋͂́̐̓̚ę̶̼̠̆̀̑̄͝ ̶̧̨̜̦̗͉́̃́́̓̄ͅĥ̸̢̧̡̨̰̯͓̱̖̠̥͕͙̮̳̄͐́͗̕͝ö̷̧̳͍̹̱̬́̔͌̋̽͜͝l̷͈̝̮̬̟̣͈͍̣̹̖̄͊̏d̷͔̰̈́̈́̂̎̑͂͂͋̒̊̀̔͘͜͝ḛ̸̬̰̭͑̄̂̓r̶̨̡̪̠̫̖̀ ̶̫͈̹̠͎̀́̈́̇o̴̭͎͈̩̘̪̙̟͙̭̜̜̼̠̓͑͑̉̃͒̈́͝f̷̡͕̫͔̥̩̳̫͛̈́̉̀̀̾̄͛̓̀͜͝ ̵̮̼̖̩̭̲̲͉͚̓t̶̢̡̢̢͔̼̠͔͚̂̃̽̀̀̇͝ḫ̷̻̺͙̖͈̠̳͎͍͖̍̔͗̀̕ȇ̴̞͎̎̏ ̷̲̪͚̳̙̘̬̼͌͒́̉͒̚͝s̵̡̪͇̤͕͖͇̰̟̐̾́̊͑̊͂ẉ̸̧͖̼̍͐͜ǫ̸͚͚̬̞̲̺͉̩̩̱̟̟̮̯̂͑̈́̈́̔̈̉̉̓̆̚r̶̰͘d̶̦̤͋ ̸̠͇͉̘͉̲͚̼̺́͒̈̿̄̇͒̍̄o̴͙̜̫̓̀́̉͂̔̈́̔̉͝f̵̲̗̻̮͙̓̌͑̃̓́́̚͜ ̴̢̩̖͙͉̼̹̱̬͙̳̎́̾̅̽̈́̇͂̅̑͠P̵̼͖͔͓̅͆͛̉͆̽̀̀̈́͝͝͝͝r̶̳͓̬̹̲̅̒̈́͋į̵̙̥̟̯̌̂̈́̕̚͜͝ḑ̵͕̖͇̓͐̓̋̾͆ȩ̴̢̙̗̭̠̘͓̒̉̆͛̂͋̌̂̉̊͑͆̾̕͜͝ͅͅ.̶̖̟͚̦͖͖̀̓̂̑̈́͝"

(You had won. You are now the holder of The Sword of Pride.)

I don't under what he was saying but what I know is I am going to ask for the sword from the girl as a prize. But wait, her sword also broke. I need to give her something back. The sword looks so expensive that I won't be able to pay it back without asking for help from Delfina. I look at my <Night Sky Sword> and I got a perfect idea.

I grabbed the sword stabbed it in the ground. This sword is hers. But I want it. I turn and walk toward her and gave her the sword. Mind you, not the sword I want but I gave her my <Night Sky Sword>. Goodbye, <Night Sky Sword>. You did a great job protecting me. Now, you got a new job to protect a new master.

"I will take your sword. And here, you can take this," I told her. I quickly walk out of the room because I'm afraid that she might change her mind and ask for both of the swords back.

But what I didn't see was her blushing face that was redder than tomato.