The Eminence in Shadow, Vol. 2 (Light Novel) Read online

  Plus, enough time has passed for Beta to get a dim idea of Shadow’s plan. He mentioned something about releasing ancient memories slumbering in the Sanctuary. He’d taken action to call forth Aurora. There must be some sort of merit in doing so.

  If her master has judged Aurora to be the key to all this, then Beta intends to follow his lead.

  Beta gently touches the beauty mark on her cheek. That’s the signal that indicates a change in plans. Lurking somewhere in the area, Epsilon has probably picked up on her cue. Even if she hasn’t, Beta is confident Epsilon will act appropriately.

  “It’s about to begin.”

  Prompted by Nelson, Beta turns her gaze toward the arena. There, she sees Shadow with his ebony katana in hand and Aurora with arms crossed and a relaxed smile. It makes her seem so alive and beautiful, it’s hard to believe Aurora is composed of nothing but distant memories.

  “I find it hard to believe Shadow would go down so easily…,” whispers Alexia. Her expression is serious, and she’s watching Shadow closely.

  Beta finds herself ever so slightly impressed. At least Alexia isn’t totally blind.

  The air in the stadium is tense. The silence is stifling.

  Shadow. Aurora. They continue standing there, staring at each other.

  Maybe this moment is critical for them. Maybe they’re each trying to get a read on the other.

  Finally, with an air of seeming reluctance, the battle begins.

  I haven’t felt this way in a really long time.

  As I stand facing the woman with violet eyes, I grin beneath my mask.

  She’s smiling, too.

  There’s no doubt in my mind that she feels the same as I do.

  In my opinion, each battle is a conversation.

  A tremor in their sword’s tip, a shift in their gaze, the position of the feet… There’s meaning to be found in all those tiny things, and seeking those meanings and figuring out how best to deal with them are what fights are all about.

  It’s no exaggeration to say that the most skilled in combat hold the power to perceive purpose in the smallest of actions and prepare a superior response.

  That’s why I think of it as a conversation.

  With stronger communication skills, you can anticipate further ahead, allowing you to respond appropriately, which they can guess before you can follow through and react, and so on and so forth, in an endless exchange.

  On the other hand, if your conversational skills are lacking, or if there’s too big a difference between you and the other guy, you won’t be able to get a dialogue started in the first place.

  One side, or sometimes even both, will act on impulse until the fight ends.

  That’s no conversation. It’s not even a process. Just a result. In my opinion, if you aren’t planning on having a discussion, you might as well just go ahead and decide your fight with a good old game of rock-paper-scissors. Delta, I’m talking to you here. Her rules let rock beat the living shit out of paper and scissors.

  That said, I’m hardly in any position to talk. It’s been forever since I’ve had anything even resembling a conversation.

  Unlike Delta, though, I do at least go in trying to communicate… It just always ends with me playing rock and smashing in their face.

  That’s why this chick is getting me more excited than I’ve been in a while. She’s watching me. The tip of my sword, my gaze, my footwork… While she pretends to smile nonchalantly, she’s watching every meaningful move I make.

  I think I’ll call her Violet. My dear, beloved Violet.

  For the first few moments, our conversation consists of merely staring at each other.

  Bit by bit, we’re learning. She’s the type who likes to keep her distance, and I’m fundamentally the kind of guy who likes to match my opponent’s rhythm. I’m definitely not the type who likes smashing people with my rock.

  And because of that, I begin our conversation by ceding the initiative.

  After you, I imply.

  The very next moment, I yank back my front leg.

  As I do, something like a red spear explodes from the ground where my foot was.

  I retreat half a step. Gotta say I wasn’t expecting her first move to come from below me.

  The red spear splits into two, rushing at me from both sides.

  The first step is to observe.

  I want to judge its speed, mobility, and destructive capacity.

  For these reasons, I dodge the spear on my left, then block the one on my right with my katana. The impact has weight to it. It’s definitely enough to kill me.

  The dodged spear proceeds to split again. There are probably a thousand red wires now, and they all look sharp as needles.

  Then, they converge on my position.

  I gather magic in my blade and sweep the lot of them away, obliterating the red spear completely.

  “A swarm of mosquitoes can never take down a lion,” I tell her.

  Violet beams with grace. We go back to staring at each other for a bit.

  With stronger communication skills, it takes less time to gauge the other party, including their condition for the most part.

  I know how this battle will end. Violet probably does, too.

  Suddenly, the silence is broken when a series of spears as thick as logs burst out of the ground.

  There are nine of them in total.

  I’m able to dodge the wide ones, but they can change their shape like tentacles and keep coming—trying to stab at me with spears, wrap around me with string, chomp at me like jaws.

  That’s the way she likes to fight: a lethal, one-sided game with those shape-shifting tentacles.

  I continue observing. As I watch how the feelers operate, I refine my movements.

  By doing so, I’m able to remove any unnecessary motion when I dodge. Full steps turn to half steps. Two moves turn to one.

  Even if I avoid them forever, I can’t win, but evasion is a necessary first step to counterattacking.

  The less I have to move to dodge, the faster my subsequent counterattack can come.

  Eventually, my evasion and my counterattack will coincide.

  With a single step, I bring myself directly in front of Violet.

  At some point, a scythe appears in her hands. It cleaves toward me.

  As I repel the blow with my katana, I kick her in the leg.

  A slime sword extends from the tip of my foot and impales her. As of late, I’ve mostly been using it as a prop for when I want to get theatrical, but it’s invaluable against strong enemies as a way to throw them off-balance.

  For a beat, she stops moving, and a moment is all I need.

  Violet smiles, accepting the outcome.

  “I wanted to fight you at your full strength.”

  As fresh blood sprays through the air, I whisper in a low voice only Violet can hear.

  “Like I said, Shadow doesn’t have a leg to stand on,” says Nelson proudly. Alexia ignores him.

  Since the beginning of the battle, Aurora has been pushing Shadow back nonstop. Alexia gazes in astonishment at the terrifying speed of the red tendrils.

  Those things are unlike any weapon she’s ever seen. They change their form so freely, it’s like they’re an extension of Aurora’s own body. She could probably even extend them out even farther and run an entire group through at once.

  Anyone insisting on fighting her with a sword would be doomed from the get-go.

  So this is the power of ancient battle techniques. Alexia is forced to admit she would be no match for Aurora.

  “He’s more persistent than I expected, but the difference in skill is clear.”

  You’re wrong. Alexia silently rejects Nelson’s observation.

  Although it may look like Shadow is being pushed back by Aurora’s onslaught, he hasn’t actually tried to attack yet. He’s just observing, taking stock of this unfamiliar attack.

  Aurora is strong, make no mistake. She’s powerful enough to give Shadow a decent fig
ht, after all.

  But those red spears haven’t so much as touched him yet.

  “A swarm of mosquitoes can never take down a lion.”

  As Shadow speaks, he blasts away over a thousand slender spikes in a single blow.

  The red spears regroup into thick poles and rush at Shadow from all directions.

  They hum through the air as they rain down on him with enough force to kill a lion, splitting apart and gnashing at him like fangs.

  But they just can’t connect.

  Much to the contrary—with each pass, Shadow’s evasions get smoother.

  Each time it seems they can’t possibly get any more efficient, they do.

  Each moment, Alexia thinks the battle has reached its apex, only for it to be overwritten with an even loftier summit the next.

  “Amazing…”

  “As always…”

  Alexia and Natsume whisper in unison.

  The truly strong are able to drive their opponents into a deadlock with defense alone. Alexia’s instructor taught her that once.

  This fight is a prime example.

  “What are you doing, you stupid witch? Finish him off already!” Nelson screams in a tone tinged with irritation.

  But the moment has passed.

  Aurora is no longer capable of stopping Shadow.

  The fight was decided in the blink of an eye.

  Alexia was only able to make out a fraction of the exchange.

  Shadow stepped in, Aurora swung her scythe, and before Alexia knew it, there was blood everywhere.

  And the one who’d gone down…was Aurora.

  The result was quick and unsatisfying. It was like watching a lion snap a lamb’s neck.

  Nobody could tell what Shadow had done or what happened in that final exchange.

  That was why it was so disappointing.

  The stadium is dead silent, as if that fierce fight never happened.

  “Did she…just lose? That’s impossible! She was on the attack!” yelps Nelson.

  He probably thought Aurora was the favorite up until the very last moment.

  When the tables turn in the space of a single instant, it takes a minute for people to process the situation. Nelson isn’t alone in that. Most of the spectators still aren’t sure they haven’t mistaken the defeated for the victor.

  “What just happened? There’s no way Aurora could lose! She’s…!”

  Shadow’s ebony long coat flutters behind him as he leaps into the night sky.

  “S-stop there! After him! Don’t let him get away!” cries Nelson after returning to his senses.

  The confused paladins rouse themselves into motion and scramble after Shadow.

  Alexia suddenly realizes she’s been holding her breath. As she exhales, she tries to memorize Shadow’s sword work so as not to forget it.

  “His tricks are as astounding as always…” Rose’s voice escapes her like a sigh.

  Just as Alexia is about to concur, a blinding light pours into the arena.

  Chapter 2

  Investigating the Sanctuary!

  Rose narrows her eyes and waits for the light to die down.

  A massive white door looms in its place.

  “What is that…?” whispers Rose. “Is it opening…?”

  It is. Slowly but surely, the door opens, glowing dimly as it does.

  It makes for a rather strange sight.

  “Impossible… Did the Sanctuary respond?” murmurs Nelson, audibly flabbergasted.

  “What do you mean by that?” asks Rose

  “As you’re aware, today is the one day a year that the door to the Sanctuary opens.”

  “But I’d heard the door was located inside your church.”

  “True, there is one in the church. But it isn’t the only one. Depending on who comes knocking, there are multiple doors the Sanctuary can send to receive them. The Unsolicited Door, the Beckoning Door, the Welcoming Door… And until we go in, there’s no telling which one it is,” replies Nelson. His gaze is fixed on the white portal. “Now that things have come to this, we cannot allow the Goddess’s Trial to continue. Remove the spectators from the grounds.”

  Upon receiving Nelson’s orders, the officials begin directing the audience outside. The special guests begin leaving as well.

  All the while, the door continues to open.

  “Don’t let anyone near it!” barks Nelson. Once the door is open wide enough for a person to fit through, he calls out to Rose and the others. “Please evacuate the premises.”

  As he does, Rose draws her sword. Alexia does the same, and the two stand back-to-back as they ready their blades.

  “What are you…?!” cries Nelson, flustered. When he looks around, he discovers a group of people clad all in black have already surrounded them. Even Rose and Alexia only notice a moment before Nelson does.

  A clear, sonorous voice rings out. “Sorry. I’m going to have to ask that you all remain there until the door fully closes.” The speaker is a woman whose garb is noticeably different from the others’.

  “You… Are you from the damn Shadow Garden?!”

  In her dress-like robe, the woman steps forward from her comrades in black bodysuits and strides gracefully toward the door.

  For a moment, her gaze lights upon Rose and Alexia.

  Their shoulders shiver, and their spines freeze up, locking them together.

  She’s strong…!

  Her gaze carries with it a terrifying intensity, and her presence is so overwhelming, it feels as if she commands the very night.

  Rose and Alexia both consider Shadow to be pushing the limits of strength, but this woman has reached at least his footing. That much they know.

  “Epsilon, I leave the rest to you. And as for the two princesses, be good.”

  “Understood, Alpha.”

  “Stop right there! I won’t let you enter the Sanctuary!!”

  Ignoring Nelson’s shouts, the woman named Alpha slips through the door of light.

  “Oh, that’s Alpha…,” Rose hears Alexia murmur. She barely holds herself back from crying, “You know her?!”

  “And what do you intend to gain from all this?” asks Alexia.

  “All we want from you is to stand down until the door disappears. Acting Archbishop Nelson will be coming with us,” replies the curvy woman named Epsilon.

  Hearing his name, Nelson begins panicking. “What are you people planning to do to the Sanctuary?”

  “It’s not a question of what we’re planning on doing but what we expect to find. Do as we say, and nobody needs to get hurt.” Epsilon holds Rose and Alexia at bay with her gaze alone. Her eyes are like still lakes, and they’re focused vigilantly on the two of them.

  She’s strong, too. Not to the same extent as Alpha, but she has that intensity to her that only the powerful possess.

  That said, if it came down to it…

  “If you so much as move, what happens to her will be on your heads.” Epsilon clearly senses their hostility. She’s looking straight at Natsume, who’s been captured by one of the women in black.

  “I-I’m so sorry…” Natsume casts her gaze down apologetically.

  “Miss Natsume…!!”

  Seeing Natsume choking back tears, Rose feels her chest tighten.

  Their ability to fight back has been neutralized…or so she thinks.

  “We could just abandon her,” suggests Alexia quietly enough that only Rose can hear.

  “Absolutely not.” Rose’s veto is firm.

  “Honestly, we’d be better off. I don’t trust her.”

  “Absolutely not, I said.”

  As the two of them argue back and forth, the door to the Sanctuary stops opening. This time, it’s swinging shut.

  Slowly but surely, it closes.

  The group in black enter the door one after another, dragging Natsume and Acting Archbishop Nelson along with them.

  Rose and Alexia can do nothing but stand by and watch.

  Their foes show no op
enings.

  Not only are the members of the group in black all powerful on their own, they’re also working together in perfect harmony. By moving in three-woman units, they’re able to cover one another’s backs. Even if Alexia and Rose found a chink in their armor, it’s clear their adversaries would seal it immediately. The group’s teamwork is polished to a sheen.

  The door keeps closing.

  “No! Please! Don’t hurt me!” As she’s being shoved through the door, Natsume lets out a pained cry.

  “Miss Natsume!!”

  “I-I’ll be fine! Please don’t worry about me!” Natsume bravely calls out, her voice trembling, as she’s dragged through the portal.

  Rose watches her go with tears in her eyes.

  She hears someone mutter, “Fishy, fishy, fishy,” but chooses to ignore it.

  The last ones to move are Epsilon and Nelson, bound.

  After glancing around to make sure everything looks normal, Epsilon makes for the door with her captive in tow.

  But he resists, distracting Epsilon momentarily.

  It happens in a flash.

  A dark shadow swoops down and cleaves through Epsilon.

  “Excellent work, Executioner Venom!!” Nelson booms with a laugh.

  As Epsilon watches herself get cut, her concentration is at its peak.

  Although she was taken completely by surprise, her skills are sharpened to the point where she’s able to bend her torso backward to evade the blow. However, this movement gives birth to tragedy.

  Epsilon’s life flashes before her eyes.

  She remembers being an elf of noble bearing, becoming a “possessed,” and being cast aside and hunted by her people.

  Then, she remembers the day her life began anew.

  On that fateful day when Shadow rescued her, everything Epsilon thought she knew crumbled around her, and her life received new meaning.

  From childhood, Epsilon was strong-willed. She never once doubted her exceptionality, and her personality was such that she couldn’t help but show off her talents.

  She came from a well-off family, and her beauty, brains, and martial arts talent were all the pinnacle of her generation.

  Though she had an abundance of pride, she always had the skills to back it up.