Chapter 225: The shrine maiden dances

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The earth is gouged out and blown around.

It is the result of kicking the ground powerfully.

This spectacle was unfolding here and there in my field of vision.

“Even Tomoe and the others are surprised. That’s impressive.” (Makoto)

And as it happens, my Magic Armor continues to receive the attacks as usual.

The power and type is changed constantly, and I could feel that she was trying to sound out my defense.

It even felt like she was telling me she was doing that.

She is probably also sounding out my reaction.

Touda.

I thought she was a doll-like shrine maiden, but her current state is pretty forward.

When a fight unfolds, her atmosphere changes.

She is a woman that resembles me.

The attacks I can’t see don’t stop.

With a speed I can’t perceive, she continues her attacks and her endless turn.

What an irrational power.

But…

“…Fuh…well, time to do it then.” (Makoto)

Even if I can’t see her with my eyes, there’s still a lot of ways to deal with this.

I was uneasy doing this with an opponent that seems to be able to increase her power even more, but I changed [Sakai] from strengthening to perception.

I can feel her.

She doesn’t stop in one spot, her movements are marked.

Even so, no matter where she is, she is able to send killing intent without hesitation.

Of course, I can’t narrow the aim like this.

Seriously.

Frankly speaking, there’s no way to aim at a target like this.

That’s why I won’t aim.

I could tell that her marked movements are all centered in me.

I search for the distance.

The limit distance that Touda separates from me.

“You just introduced yourself and I haven’t seen your figure again. This is hard to deal with.” (Makoto)

I set on fire all the area that I have seen through.

A strong light and fitting heat had filled up the area till where Tomoe and the others are.

There was no aria.

I released it, doing my best not to show any signs of my action.

“Fufufu, to think that you would attack me with fire after I introduced myself as Touda.” (Touda)

“I feel like it has been a long time since I have seen that figure of yours, Touda. Was fire a bad idea?” (Makoto)

“Wicked Fire General…that’s an alias that Touda has as well, Goshujin-sama.” (Touda)

Is that so.

Well, since she called herself Touda, I was wondering if it was Enda-san, but maybe it was the name of a God?

Touda is pouring me with bloodthirst as always, and yet, she is showing the same smile she had in the shrine.

“Even so, you seem to be quite used to killing.” (Makoto)

I personally don’t remember doing anything to be hated for.

Does that mean she is the type of person that can go with the intent to kill just because she was told to do it? This shrine maiden-san, Touda.

“Goshujin-sama also seems to be used to being attacked. You don’t look agitated at all. And it seems like you can use a giant barrier I have never seen before. I didn’t know about that.” (Touda)

Looks like she received no damage.

So I only managed to heat her up huh.

That’s perfect.

“For some reason, these few years, I am prompt to being attacked. More importantly…” (Makoto)

“What is it?” (Touda)

“Have you heard about my bow from the Gods as well?” (Makoto)

Seeing the movements of Touda, that’s the only conclusion I can arrive at.

It looks like she knows of my accuracy beforehand.

Did she receive that much information in advance?

If that’s the case, why doesn’t she know about Sakai and the Magic Armor?

It is not to the point of bringing about suspicion, but it does bother me.

“I have been told that you possess a rare talent. But the details of it…” (Touda)

“Ah, I see.” (Makoto)

So she can’t answer me huh.

She knows of my bow, but not about Sakai.

Currently, from my experience, her fighting style resembles that of Hibiki-senpai.

Well, instead of calling it similar, their core style being speed is technically the same.

The only difference would be that Senpai didn’t move around this much, and she wasn’t as cautious against my mid and long ranged attacks as Touda is.

The part about not being able to see Touda even when she attacks makes her even more troublesome though.

“Now then…” (Touda)

“Yes?”

“Let’s continue the killing.” (Touda)

Touda’s figure disappeared again—or not.

She had stopped in place, and from her hands, something string-like that had the color of molten metal began appearing one after the other.

The shrine maiden had stopped disappearing, but in her place, the string-like things had disappeared.

Those were no strings, they are whips!

I could feel a different kind of impact transmitted to the Magic Armor.

I see. The reason why she is doing this without erasing her figure from sight is because I am being tested here.

Heh~.

I am kinda beginning to feel like I am actually fighting now.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

“…”

The three were silently spectating the progress of the fight between Makoto and the shrine maiden that called herself Touda.

It is not like they didn’t feel anything from the fight.

The three followers of Makoto had their own thoughts surfacing in their minds.

(She is good. If she is evenly matched to us even before the pact, she is certainly higher than Mio and I-ja. She is able to maintain her bloodthirst even in the face of Waka, and on top of that, she is trying to test him. A temperament that is still unreadable, but she is definitely not a coward. There’s no doubt that she would become a great help in the battle between the Goddess if she were to become the follower of Waka.) (Tomoe)

Tomoe was observing with narrowed eyes the figure of the shrine maiden as she attacks Makoto with the wild flame whips.

Small throwing weapons, spears, daggers; it felt like a fair of weapons.

She is obviously able to control her magic, moreover, she is able to use a variety of weapons in the intervals of the fight.

It is something that a normal individual would definitely be unable to do.

(What she is showing is different from that of Root, it is not enjoyment. But I can’t feel pure hostility or hatred either. The moment I first saw her, I felt some sort of presence for an instant. Just what was that? I don’t think it was my imagination-ja ga.) (Tomoe)

Her speech and conduct, and her behavior as well; all of them didn’t match with the first instant that she had felt from her.

The presence that Tomoe felt from the shrine maiden in that instant made her hold doubts.

On the other hand, at the battlefield, wind was gathering with Makoto as its focus, and a tornado that reached till the skies had been formed.

Moreover, the fire whips touched the tornado and melted together, changing into a ferocious red pillar.

(Not only Waka-sama, she looked like she was trying to sound us out as well. In the first place, not having a name doesn’t serve as an excuse for not introducing herself. Because she could just tell Waka-sama she had no name from the very beginning. Also, she suddenly gave out a name at this point in time. Right now as well, it feels like every move of hers is trying to test Waka-sama and us, and I don’t like that at all.) (Mio)

Mio felt displeasure at the shrine maiden that was directing surveying eyes at Makoto and his followers, and also, the actions of the shrine maiden that were as if she were testing them.

All her words sounded honest, however, Mio felt like there was some sort of faint trace of a different impression, which was also one of the reasons of her displeasure.

(It is also strange that she was specially interested in Shiki. She didn’t look like she was directing love at him after all. Those weren’t the eyes you direct at someone you like. Those were truly the eyes of someone surveying. Even now, she is trying to test out the power of Waka-sama. She is truly a disgusting woman-desu wa. Just what is she thinking?) (Mio)

Looking at the fight, Mio didn’t have much of an impression towards the power of the shrine maiden.    

Because there was no meaning for her in who is stronger anyways.

She already knows that she is not an existence that surpasses Makoto.

That’s why she is only feeling displeased at the fact that the shrine maiden is testing Makoto. She wasn’t interested in her power.

The red pillar was torn up from the inside, and the figure of Makoto’s Magic Armor was exposed.

There were no signs of the Magic Armor being broken at all from the magic of the shrine maiden.

But Touda didn’t falter from that. She held down her agitation in an instant and proceeded to her next action.

Closing the distance, she swings the katana at her waist once.

The Magic Armor obstructed its path, but that attack froze the area it hit.

With a flurry of slashes, the Magic Armor was hardened in ice.

(Not only is it hard to catch her with the eye, she possesses a speed that makes it hard to even catch her presence, and yet, she has shifted her fighting style to one where she personally goes to attack Waka-sama with her figure in sight. Is she testing him? How foolish. But…she didn’t show much interest in Tomoe-dono and Mio-dono, and yet, she seemed to have a strange interest in me and Waka-sama. What was the reason of that? The first fighting style was a choice made because of her knowledge of Waka-sama’s specialty, but it seemed like she hadn’t accounted for Waka-sama’s Magic Armor. I can’t understand. I can’t understand, but…at the very least, I can tell that she is strong. If Waka-sama desires more fighting power, she possesses power that is acceptable.) (Shiki)

Shiki probably understood the gaze the shrine maiden directed at him more than anyone else.

Because it wasn’t something strange for people like Shiki.

Surveying.

The eyes of someone that wants to smell out even the slightest amount of information.

It was an interest that was totally different from that of love.

It is exactly because he saw through the intentions of the shrine maiden, that he could so easily reject that stupid act of hers.

Looking at the fight of Makoto with the shrine maiden, he could certainly see that she is strong.

She says that she is an envoy of the Gods from the other world, but in essence, she is a woman ‘that doesn’t have a single proof of her origins’ and he could only try thinking of her identity and her thoughts, with no result.

He bit his lips.

The reason why Makoto wanted fighting power.

Shiki could easily tell that this was because Makoto was looking out for their and Asora’s safety.

Makoto is trying to fight the Goddess.

However, he also doesn’t want to sacrifice the people close to him.

Then it would be better to have strong people and comrades cooperating.

Shiki doesn’t know how Tomoe and Mio would answer, but if he were asked if he himself has the confidence of coming back safely from the fight of Makoto with the Goddess, he wouldn’t be able to nod yet.

That’s why he was mortified.

If only Shiki had the sufficient strength to declare firmly that Tomoe, Mio, and him could go together with Makoto, fight alongside him against the Goddess, and return; maybe Makoto wouldn’t have thought about accepting this shrine maiden. That’s how Shiki felt.

(If I could at least master the 13th steps…) (Shiki)

Shiki had a self-depreciating smile surfacing on his face.

From the place where Makoto is, intense waves often reached towards Shiki and the other two followers, shaking their hair and clothes.  

The reason why they were let off with only that much was because there’s a barrier enveloping their surroundings.

The fight, which is the origin point, was increasing in intensity at high speed.

Makoto shoots a Rocket Punch with the arm of the Magic Armor that was frozen.

With a short aria, a white light gathers at the hand of Touda and shoots it at the frozen fist.

The light breaks the fist and continued its straight trajectory towards Makoto, and just as it was right before him, it turns into darkness, and dyes his field of vision in pitch black.

Shiki turns his gaze from the fight to his side.

At that place, there’s Tomoe.

“Tomoe-dono, shouldn’t it be okay to break it up now?” (Shiki)

“Hm, yeah, you are right-ja na. It seems like she has the power to make a pact with Waka. Let’s finish it while Waka is still able to hold back.” (Tomoe)

“Yeah, if this continues, Waka-sama will…” (Shiki)

“What are you saying, Shiki? Tomoe-san too. Waka-sama is having fun here, so it is fine to just watch silently until it reaches a conclusion.” (Mio)

“Mio, are you saying that you won’t mind if Waka is soaked in the joy of killing? No, it is certainly true that you wouldn’t have any problems with that though.” (Tomoe)

Tomoe’s expression distorts.

On the other hand, Mio had a surprised expression.

Tomoe and Shiki had an understanding of what happened when Makoto summoned the Gate, and they were worried that he would once again reach that state of mind here.

Shiki also nodded at what Tomoe said.

“Joy of killing? What are you talking about?” (Mio)

“About the Gate that was summoned a few days ago-ja. The one that brought about the wrath of Waka.” (Tomoe)

“Ah, you said he was smiling, right?” (Mio)

“That’s right-ja. Waka himself didn’t seem like he was conscious of it though. If that’s an omen that he is awakening his joy in killing and destroying…” (Tomoe)

“Are you saying the current Waka-sama is showing those signs, you two?” (Mio)

Tomoe and Shiki meekly nod at Mio’s words.

Makoto’s figure was still enveloped in darkness.

However, Brids were attacking Touda at high speed and precision.

“Pu…ufu…ufufufufufu.” (Mio)

Looking at the faces of the two, Mio laughs.

“What’s that, so suddenly.” (Tomoe)

“What’s wrong?” (Shiki)

“You were worrying about something so out of mark that it is amusing.” (Mio)

“…Out of mark?” (Tomoe)

After a slight pause, Tomoe asks Mio back.

“Yeah. Waka-sama is not the type of person that would find joy in killing. The reason why he is having fun right now is because he is wondering about what he should do next, what he should try doing next. He is most likely purely having fun in thinking about the next step he should take-desu wa.” (Mio)

“Why can you tell?” (Shiki)

Even though Mio said ‘most likely’, her tone didn’t hold any signs of being a simple guess.

It felt like she was talking while being completely sure.

Shiki was bothered by the basis of her confidence, so he questioned Mio.

“Why are you asking something like that so late in the game. In the first place, the ones that feel joy in destroying and killing, are people that have some sort of strong attachment to life and objects, you know?” (Mio)

“…”

“Waka-sama doesn’t have either of them. That’s why it is definitely impossible that he would get drunk in the action of killing. That’s the reason why-desu wa ne. You two, you were at the side of Waka-sama and didn’t notice that?” (Mio)

“…”

“Look look. That shrine maiden has used all of her weapons, and her magic power has been consumed quite a lot. Using magic power like that in Asora is a bad move-desu wa. There’s a difference between utilizing the power in this surroundings and fighting in a place where magic power is overflowing. She probably doesn’t know how to fight here.” (Mio)

“Mio, you…why did you think that Waka has no attachment to life?” (Tomoe)

“…Tomoe-san?” (Mio)

“Can you please tell me?” (Tomoe)

“Why do you have that scary expression? If I had to say it simply, when Waka-sama talks about the importance of life and those kind of things, his words sound so~~ much as if he had borrowed them from somewhere else. As if he had just taken those words from someone else or from a book he read. It didn’t sound like Waka-sama truly thought that way. Ah, of course, there are exceptions you know. Waka-sama is the type of person that really treasures his family. That’s—ah!” (Mio)

“Borrowed…huh.” (Tomoe)

“Tomoe-san, looks like it is ending.” (Mio)

Mio casually answered the question she was asked, and stopped in the middle of her words.

Makoto had come out from the darkness still cladded in his Magic Armor and charged at Touda.

The charge and the arm of the Magic Armor that was swung at Touda, neither of them had touched her.

Makoto looks up.

The figure of Touda was there, with her shrine maiden outfit damaged here and there.

“…Hm. That ability to utilize fire, water, earth, wind, light, and darkness so freely. What was that she said about only being proud of her speed-ja? She has a mastery in everything but her specialties in close combat are with the sword and spear, fire and wind in magic, and her quality is, needless to say, speed. If that’s supposed to be a jack-of-all-trades, that’s a total show off-ja na.” (Tomoe)

Tomoe had a face as if she wanted to say something, but after the words of Mio, she looked at the state of the shrine maiden and evaluated her power.

An existence that could do anything to the point that it felt like showing off.

Tomoe suddenly recalled Root as she thought of this.

“Ah, Waka-sama is planning on using Azusa.” (Shiki)

Shiki’s mutter.

Just like he said, Makoto had finally taken out his bow as he released Brids.

Touda blocked the Brids that came at her, creating a fire whip that was longer than before, she destroyed the Brids just before they are released by Makoto in a skilfull manner as usual, but her state showed agitation.

Even if she tried to make the best use of her speed, she couldn’t find the correct timing with the accurate gatling sniping that was raining at her.

The concentration of the three followers and Touda was gathered on the arrow that Makoto was preparing.

And then…

“He is even using that?” (Tomoe)

As if wrapping up the place where Touda and Makoto are from both sides, what Tomoe referred to, were the silver arms that were opening their inorganic palms.

The space that was being wrapped, distorted in a strange manner.

The expression of Touda had distorted as well.

The blocking of the Brids had stopped, and the shrine maiden changed her defense into a concentrated barrier.

Of course, she wouldn’t be able to defend against everything with only that, and wounds were slowly piling up.

The pair of arms steadily grew closer, and as the wrapped space became smaller, the distortion of the landscape in that space grew denser as if looking at it through lens.

The Brids of Makoto stop.

The shrine maiden was being smothered by something invisible, that’s what her body showed was occurring.

It was clear that the arms were placing some sort of constraint in the space where Makoto and Touda are, but Makoto still maintained his stance holding his bow.

In time, the arms stopped in the place where the shrine maiden had been caught mid-air.

“He had her concentrate on the Brids and the bow, and then, sealed the movements of both sides huh. Splendidly done.” (Shiki)

“We might be in a territory advantage, but it makes it even more interesting that Waka is able to maintain that refreshing face against an opponent of that level.” (Tomoe)

“This was the obvious result-desu wa.” (Mio)

The shrine maiden has technically been deprived of her legs.

Looking at Makoto who had taken aim at her from the ground, Tomoe and the others had judged that this fight was over.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

“It is over then.”

Looking at Touda who was caught in mid-air, I spoke to her.

I have already finished targeting her.

“…Uuugh. Not yet.” (Touda)

“That was an impressive display of physical strength and skill. You said you were the Wicked Fire General, and yet, you used things like ice and wind, and a variety of other stuff. I was truly nervous.” (Makoto)

“Even if I am told this by Goshujin-sama who was able to handle all of it, it doesn’t sound convincing… It is true that I was once called Touda. Also…the fight is still in progress.” (Touda)

“You still intend to continue? Leaving aside your stamina, your magic power seems to be practically empty already.” (Makoto)

It is not completely exhausted, but the magic power that’s left in Touda is faint.

She had used quite a lot of big moves in succession.

She also threw in counters against my Brids.

If it were me, it would be another story, but using arias of big magic attacks like that in Asora and in succession, that’s not good.

The general spell arias, when they surpass a certain point, they borrow the magic power of their surroundings and from the spirits in order to form them.

Because it is not realistic to cover for the whole cost of magic power after all.

Using magic that drops you to the floor with only one use is way too impractical.

Konosuba_-_Megumin_Collapsed
You picking a fight?

But Asora doesn’t have overflowing magic power in its air to begin with.

The grass, trees and animals already have a dense amount inside them, so thinking that this place has thick magic power is a misconception.

If you are careful and pay attention to your magic power, you would be able to tell.

That’s why, to fight in this place normally with magic, there’s the need for a peculiar method.

It seems like Touda didn’t know that.

“I can still move, and I still have weapons remaining. I have not lost them all. I still intent to kill Goshujin-sama.” (Touda)

Words I could only feel bloodthirst from, were thrown at me.

Hah…

I was only planning on using it as a decoy, but it seems like I have no choice but to shoot once.

I was unable to imagine it piercing her, so I could only picture hitting her.

At the time with Senpai, it was strangely hard to do, but it seems like it isn’t only my image that affects, there’s probably another condition I still don’t know of.

Yeah.

Hm…

“Then, sorry but, I will be hitting you.” (Makoto)

“Victory can only be declared if you have, at the very least, incapacitated your opponent. Go ahead.” (Touda)

For a second, I felt like her eyes turned challenging.

Maybe she is truly a battle junkie just like Sofia?

It was a referral from Susanoo-sama and Daikokuten-sama, so it is a suspicion I can’t simply discard as impossible.

Anyways, the battle is over.

I move my aim slightly away from Touda’s chest and shoot her shoulder.

There was no scream.

She fell down just like that.

“I will heal you immediately. Good job.” (Makoto)

I call for Tomoe and the others.

“…It was my total lost. It was a splendid attack.” (Touda)

“I see. Ah, about your way of calling me, I don’t really like the sound of Goshujin-sama, so I want you to change it.” (Makoto)

“What should I call you?” (Touda)

“Makoto, or…well, the one that everyone calls me with: Waka.” (Makoto)

I am totally Waka-sama now after all.

It would be hard to change it now.

It is also true that I am getting used to being called that way.

“Understood. Then Makoto-sama, I may be inexperienced, but please take care of me.” (Touda)

“Here as well. Ah Touda, there’s something I want to ask you.” (Makoto)

I was going to ask her in the Shinto shrine, and I have just remembered it.

“What is it?” (Touda)

“The big tree that’s on the grounds, I saw a few on the road to the shrine as well, but…those are cherry blossoms, right?” (Makoto)

“Yes. Unfortunately, there’s no Yoshino cherry blossoms, but there’s a few different types of cherry blossoms there.” (Touda)

“As I thought. Then, is it okay to go cherry blossom viewing when the cherry blossoms bloom?” (Makoto)

“Those grounds are Makoto-sama’s belonging. Please do as you please with it. It may be a bit too soon, but if you want, how about I have them bloom?” (Touda)

For a conversation between a woman that is lying on the ground with an arrow pierced in her shoulder, it felt like an everyday talk, and that created a bizarre atmosphere.

However, there were words I couldn’t just let them slip by.

“Have them bloom, you say?” (Makoto)

“If it is a small thing like that, it is possible.” (Touda)

She said she was fire element, and yet, she had a diverse fighting style and was strangely skilfull in many fields.

Touda really must be only one of the many names she has.

But that helps me out.

“Then please do. I am feeling kind of nostalgic here you see. I was thinking it would be nice to go cherry blossom viewing with everyone.” (Makoto)

Bring everyone to check out the Shinto shrine, and do a cherry blossom viewing.

That’s two birds with one stone.

As we do a conversation like that, Tomoe and the others arrive.

There was no need for me to ask, Tomoe and Shiki begin Touda’s treatment.

“Good work, Waka-sama.” (Mio)

Mio gave me a towel.

I didn’t sweat, but since she went through the trouble of bringing it, I thank her and accept it.

Shinto shrine huh.

I direct my gaze towards the grounds.

There’s a Buddhist temple and a Parthenon temple as well, but they are probably not normal buildings.

I missed the chance to ask, so I should ask if they have some kind of outrageous function at another time.

…No well, I do think normal is best, but the shrine maiden-san here is like this after all.

But I am happy.

I can’t help feeling happy.

I don’t really know how exactly Shinto shrines are made, so I am truly happy that the end product suddenly appeared.

I will do a shrine visit every now and then, and in time, I want to try doing a festival as well.

I wonder if those kind of things will take root in Asora.

How should I explain it to everyone?

An unbelievable gift that came after the sea. I could feel my face was loosening from this.

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269 thoughts on “Chapter 225: The shrine maiden dances

    1. I was wondering will there be a chapter till the end of the week, but we got one. Thank you, Reigokai-san, the cliffhanger was killing last chapter XD

    2. Awesome chapter, so it’s pretty much confirmed that Touda is refering to the fire shinigami. But she’s too OP lol. And I don’t seem to get how not caring about life and object related to not experiencing the joy of killing. That part confused me.

      And this par: “Using magic that drops you to the floor with only one use is way too impractical”. Konosuba’s reference? EXPLOSION!!!!!!

      1. When talking about killing, people always inhibit with concept life and death very heavily. If you play any games, watch animes or dramas, or read manga or novel, people that are used to killing tends to emphasize life and death too much. Unfortunately, for Makoto’s case, he refers life and death just like casino chips on the table, that’s why he don’t find enjoyment in killing, but rather find killing too meddlesome. This kind of people does not value life and death too much thus they don’t have any kind of sentiment, like enjoyment or sadness, in killing.

      2. I think it’s just sort of an investment thing.

        For example, I don’t care about sports at all, so of course I won’t care who wins or loses in a game. If I understand the strategy and maneuvers, though, I can still find it interesting how a team tries to achieve victory.

      3. If you like killing, it meant you want to take it away.
        If you want to destroy, you see the item, awknowledge it as one and proceed to break it.

        With those two scenarios, both life and object has value… If someone doesn’t see much value on something, what’s the point in taking it if it meant nothing at all.

        No enjoyment, no satisfaction, no regret.

        Why’d I destroy? Is there a point to it? Meh. It’s troublesome.

        Something like that~

      4. You can’t really take joy from something you are indifferent towards.
        Take for example a football/soccer game, unless you care about the sport or your team is playing, you don’t care about who wins or loses. In Makoto’ case it takes the form of him not caring for life and, because of that, not being able to enjoy taking a life.

      5. If you are apathetic about somthing you arn’t going to find hate or joy in doing it. If you have no feelings towards life or death then you won’t find it fun nor will you hate it when you kill someone or the opposite save there life. Waka doesn’t treats peoples lives other than his family (asora included) as if they emotionally matter. Thus he won’t go into a killing joy frenzy like Touda thought he did with the door (which unlike Mio’s assertation we know he did because he smiles when hes super super pissed off not because he was having fun thinking of doing new things)

      6. Basically, what Mio is saying is that someone who doesn’t have many attachments to life will not receive enjoyment in destroying it, because that person doesn’t value living to begin with. Someone who finds joy in the destruction of life, values life; therefore, that person receives a perverse pleasure in killing.

    1. Error fix:
      “Killing intend”
      intend -> intent

      Also, this isn’t really a correction, but when we’re talking about Shiki’s thirteen ring powerups, I’ve just noticed that it’s called “The 13th steps”. Can someone confirm to me if this is grammatically correct? 13th implies the final singular step, right? So shouldn’t it be either “13th step” or “13 steps”?

      1. Depends what it is talking about. If it was talking about 13 set of steps it could be correct. You could say you’ve reached the 13th steps in counting order. On the other hand if you where talking about something like power levels or a flight of stairs in a building it would be more appropriate to say 13th’s steps. Um ya I think I am going to leave now 😛

  1. “You were worrying about something so out of mark that it is amusing.” (Shiki)

    It’s Mio, isn’t she?

      1. Yes. True. I veto because I disagree with Mio becoming Makoto’s wifu. She understand him too much that it’ creepy. She can be the ‘stalker’ girl. Let other character become the wife. One that have slight misunderstanding, that’s the key to rom-com.

        I’d choose Komoe.

        1. Riiight.

          *picks up phone* Hello? Yeah, I want to report a suspected lolicon. Consider him extremely dangerous, he’s suspected in connection to at least a few dozen hit and run incidents.

    1. same first waifu! for sure. though her understanding of makoto has a reason as well

      unlike shiki and tomoe Mio was never under de pretense of being an entity below anyone since she have always been strong and sometimes goes berserk but never talked or make contact with a higher being. so her way of thinking of be on top of the food chain make her like that

      and makoto problem with life for some ppl its confusing and maybe i am also confused but what i could understand its that what hibiki things its right. Makoto already realized that its completely away from that world in strenght aside the goddess … no i think he already knows he its far ahead now. he has the lonelyless of always need to hold back and cant use his powers at full.. he without knowing its desiring for always release it ( either its the plan of other gods for asking him to increase his power be either become a higher god or an enemy ) right now Makoto doesnt have anyone that can use his power againt. aside goddess.. so the gate and touda came on a perfect time for stress relieve . but what mio say its indeed true if you read slowly . you notice that after his fight against Sofia (2nd time) he clearly doesnt take life as heavy as before.. whenever someone ask him anything about ppl. he answer like if were reading something. he really doesnt feel like it matters now.

  2. Thank you for the chapter~

    She sure was persistent then again even though she worked for Tsukuyomi. She was a referral from two gods of destruction~

    1. Apparently, she was one of the shikigami used by Abe no Seimei, and her true form is a fire-breathing snake with wings. I generally assume that anything that appears to be draconic in nature is a battle junkie.

      1. Oh right i forgot about that Touda of Abe No Seimei… Now where this trip Will take us this omen can be a bless ir a curse?

        Is a shame that the good and vas point of Mio will not get trought Makoto.

        Thanks for your great work alway get yo tras instalar the morning the past week was great 3 chap😎😎😎

  3. Thank you Reigo-senpai for this chapter.

    Guys, the next chapter is very enjoyable. It’s not a spoiler, Spoiler-san’s still busy being a hikkomori and a NEET right now. And this time I was late because I was gaming. No live streams or preparations, just gaming.

  4. Thanks for the chapter.
    I don’t understand what the Gods are planning. It’s Athena and Susanoo after all. Daikokuten/Shiva is one that doesn’t need plotting, he is the end. So he must just be thinking that this is fun. Well, it’s true that he’s probably one of the most benevolent God’of Hindu Mythology. The god most easy to impress and worst to anger. They seem to be plotting something.

      1. Well, obviously there’s that too, but my assumption was just that they wanted to discretely support Makoto’s conflict with that poor excuse for a goddess as much as possible.

          1. The way I understand their role is mostly damage control though. Daikokuten is the ultimate form of damage control, Susanoo is here representing the victims, which are Tsukuyomi-aniki and Makoto, and Athena has a personal connection to the offender herself.

            Rather than any end game, all I see are a group of people trying to clean up a mess a brat made.

      2. @Coatl45 She did make the workhorse of the divine world collapse from rage induced power loss after all.

        She is the public enemy of every single mythos of earth, Moon bro is popular…

      3. Asora
        White pristine beaches
        Lush forest
        Come!
        Kickback!
        And enjoy your stay!
        ——————- Asora Tourism Board

    1. Just guessing here.

      There are a few possible aims here…

      1. To harass Makoto… The previous chapter suggested that he is kinda agitated(?) when touda claim that she is just a tool.
      He stated that it felt the same when he interact with Sari.
      So, the god (or maybe only Shiva) recommended her to help develop that “emotion” of his.

      2. To seduce Makoto. Well, Makoto prefer a “japanese” older woman.
      So, maybe, she is send to be his guide in life

      3. It may be to observe if hyuman possess the same talents as human, the infinite possibilities.
      That may be the reason why she is interested in Shiki.

      1. Actually, I hopes it turns into a relationship similar to Aqua and Wiz from Konosuba. Her interest in Shiki would be because her Shikigami blood is boiling and wants to exorcise the Lich Shiki. This is just an assumption, but it would be hillarious xDD

        1. I completely forgot the relationship a shikigami would have with an undead. Wasn’t one of the onmyouji main duties cleansing the dead for their funeral rights? Onmyouji were considered holy men on similar level to priests, right?

      1. Yes, if we talk about the lore. But story-wise, we don’t know much.
        Like what is her background in the story (aside from her being a shikigami)?
        What is her true purpose?
        What is she hidding?
        Something like that…

  5. This is what you call a generic op as fsjdudhdhchndhd mc… too bad i have to drop this it was interesting in the previous chapters though…

      1. I dunno if it’s been that long. The scammer coming to mock us in sounded pretty trollish to me.

        From the sounds of it, they’re not going to steal this particular WN translation anymore though.

        1. To be honest, the spammer is one thing, but I’d prefer to keep the scammer’s comments here. They’re just so absolutely audacious and blatant that it’s more or less a confession.

          I feel like they might be worth keeping on record just for the 1 in 1000 chance they could be used against the guy in the distant future.

    1. Hope you enjoy your ride! Spoiler-san said the plot will be more deep and thick as time goes on but… oh well~ if you can’t hang on then its also fine~

      1. *Fun riding the truck with Piklicave*
        *the way to the next chapter (Thursday) seems so far*
        …..
        *truck stops at some deserted place off road*
        *stares at Piklicave*
        …..

        “You know what to do, Pik. Nothing comes free. It’s money or **s.”

        *silently waiting for answer*

      2. Huuuh… this is a Truck pal. It needs GAS to move, or money to buy gas. We don’t have neither so we’ll have to walk…

        *both gets off the truck*
        *walks towards the sunset*
        *que Logan theme song*

        1. Sorry… it seems our journey to the next chap is still so far away… next time… I will bring enough gas for you Truck-kun! So look forward to it! A high class, first class, premium GAS!!!

  6. Mio being best wife as always(sorry Tomoe). In her own ways, she understands Makoto best.

    From what I can tell interpreting her words, it sounds like Makoto is indeed a bit of a battle junkie, but not so much bloodthirsty fighter. “The Thrill of the Hunt”, or something like that, I guess?

    A more relatable comparison for us would probably be….strategy games, I suppose?

  7. Mio, I think you do not know Makoto so well. The Makoto you describe is just the one you know, that hollow is something totally different.

    Touda, is a very complete warrior. Maybe the gods gave her as a gift, because it represents Makoto if allowed to consume by the hollow. In addition to monitoring Makoto’s movements, Susano was looking for a being near Makoto to be able to see through his eyes.

    The light novel of tsuki ga vol 11 was 8th in the sales ranking at the end of March

  8. Hahaha! Makoto is amazing as always. Waka(White) to the end!

    So we’ve confirmed that his “Not Cause, But Effect Shot” has some more limitations to it than initially appeared and that Hibiki was just too weaksauce to show it. I assume that there’s some sort of resistance to it, to a degree.

    In other news, let’s retroactively give Samal another round of applause(or at least a singular clap), because that fight seemed to have unveiled or awakened yet another ability in Makoto’s Gauntlets(can we give them a temp name already?). They were originally sturdy and powerful, but now there also seems to be some space-distortion ability going on with them.
    Badass. Io should be proud that he was the inspiration for their shape.

    1. I want him to learn how to apply it to his sakai. Since he just stands there and lets his victims attack him, it would be funny to see them rush in for a attack only to get a face full of distorted space.

  9. “You were worrying about something so out of mark that it is amusing.” (Shiki)
    Edit
    “You were worrying about something so out of mark that it is amusing.” (Mio)

  10. Aww. Well Touda joining the party was nice. Makoto got a “fun” fight, and she brought a bunch of lovely nostalgic items with her. We learned something pretty interesting about Asora itself as well. Magically harsh, huh…How do the residents replenish magic power after using it up then? Anyway…

    Fes~ti~val~ Fes~ti~val~
    This’ll be fun. I’d be stoked to see all our favorite characters in kimonos. Top of my list would be Ema.

    A Super Jack-of-all-Trades, huh? ….So she’s basically a Fire Emblem Avatar character. I can dig that. All that’s missing is her having a matchmaking hobby.

    1. The food?
      I think.

      It is mentioned that the food from asora absorb tons of mana.
      E.g. The apple tree actually barren a sizeable plot of land just to sprout.

      So, logically, anyone who stays there can replenish by the act of eating/drinking the food found in asora?

      1. The plants gain magic power from the earth they grow in. The animals gain it from the plants or animals they consume.

        It was a source of experimentation while they were teaching. Anything that consumes food from Asora actually gains an increase in base magic power. The residents that are constantly eating the food in Asora gain base power daily, they then train to use it.

        Asora is overflowing with magic power, however it is not free floating in the air like on the other world, it is mostly locked up in the plants and creatures that call it home.

        1. Kinda like the carbon from Earth before the industrial revolution. The carbon was mostly locked up in the trees and fossil fuels deep underground or under the ocean.

          1. Again though. From where? Carbon stored energy accumulated from nutrients and sunlight. But if there’s no constant outside source of magic, how do the organisms keep that dense internal supply?

            It seems weird to think Makoto is unconsciously letting the entire world siphon from his supply.

          2. From where? From where does Asora gets its land from? It’s plants? Native animals? Sunlight? Air? Water?
            My Wild Ass Guess is that Asora got it’s magic and most of everything else the moment it was created. Though in installments as Makoto’s power grew. And don’t forget that Makoto has the power of creation!

          3. I can buy Creation making plants, animals, and matter. The initial creation was just Makoto’s Sakai merging with Tomoe’s ability though.

            It’s the constantly replenishing source of a type of energy I can’t comprehend. Creation uses a bunch of magical power to create, so can it even be used to make more magic power compared to what went into it? New, yes, but what about more? The initial supply in all living things can be attributed to Makoto, but what about after they use some magic? How does it recover?

          4. Does it recover? Or is it a slow entropy?
            The cycle of mana is never explained after all.

      2. I’m guessing that there is a high total amount of mana in Asora but that it quickly gets absorbed by the plants. There could be some natural distribution system for mana, like veins in the ground that slowly leaks it into the surroundings. We know that there is a difference in supply between worlds so there’s probably some mechanism behind that as well. Maybe earth just happens to be located in the mana desert of whatever is between worlds while Asora floats on a large lake.

        The free amount of mana in the Asoran air probably isn’t zero but rather extremely low, like on Earth but for different reasons (the plants).

  11. Thanks for the chapter Rei!

    Sweet! Such a beautiful development :”). Though many don’t like Touda but i do like her a lot. I kinda understand what kind of person she is :D. I hope Makoto gives her a nice name… Sakura maybe?

  12. Thanks! Touda seems powerful, but those 3 followers got me worried x). Makoto was bribed with cherry blossoms though, so she will join the group anyway. What made me laugh (beside the konosuba reference) was the “i didn’t sweat” from Makoto, after their big battle x).

  13. i felt like Touda Getting More OP After the pact.. and i would like to see (Touda Vs Hibiki).. from my perception that hibiki will lose big time.. Who Knows.. maybe..

    1. Hibiki/Tomoki will be on par with the followers at near the end of the story.
      Afterall, they are planning to opposing Makoto.

      So, when they reached that level, they will challenge Makoto…
      They will be conceited, believing that they had surpassed makoto.

      This are just a hunch. Not facts.

      1. thats i doubtful, since the heroes are improving but his followers are improving as well, and its an abyss in terms of strenght betwen them and the heroes, they can’t even defeat the weakest one banding together, much less getting on par.

  14. Mio has a brain? I’m shocked! And btw, are u sure that was just loosening or was it a dark smile on ur face Makoto?

  15. Is it only me that finds it odd that Makoto doesn’t recognize Touda’s name? He knows all these obscure details about Mediterranean mythologies off the top of his head, and yet, he doesn’t recognize the name of one of the shikigami of the most preeminent onmyouji of Japan? Even if you discount Seimei’s stories about how he was the half-blood son of a nine-tailed kitsune and being a yokai called the Nue, he was still famous. Unless I completely misjudged how famous he was in Japan…🤔

    1. Well, i think i know why he hasn’t realize it yet though. First is because the moment of battle is overpowering his memory retrieval of not an everyday thingies. Second, even i find it hard to find about the name of Abe no Seimei’s shikigami you know. Most of the literature focus on just stating the ’12 shikigami’ he had bit rarely were there a mention of their names. Third, she is still someone suspicious so it is hard to find the reliability of Touda’s word even if she tell him one of her names.

      1. You make a good point. I know I haven’t found much on their names. I just wrote it off on me being in the US, and eastern legends and stories are difficult to find, even on the internet (I’ve tried looking up some of the old tales I’ve heard from Japan, China, and Korea, and I can’t find anything just jumping on a random computer).

  16. Thanks for the hardwork.
    Ah, I kinda want to see Hibiki’s reaction if by chance she get to know about Touda’s origin…guhehehehe

  17. ty for the chap
    dawww i wanted the next one to be a man too =( the shiki faction (male) is getting smaller and smaller

  18. hmmm can’t help but thinking that all this gift from Gods are smells fishy.
    if i remember right, after athena tested makoto strength all three make a conversation about changing god but it’s risky and can make an all out war between gods, and makoto strength is already godlike. so i can’t help but thinking all this gifts is to tie down makoto?

    1. Roping him in? That’s a possibility. Shiva-sama said that he wants Makoto to remain human, but gods are always playing some angle. It might not be detrimental to the mortal in question, but getting involved with the game is the price for coming into contact with gods. They might be building bridges with Makoto on the off chance he can do them a favor in the future.

    2. Aren’t they just trying to use him to kick that Bug’s asses ?

      There might be some kind of Non-fighting law between gods, so they’re using MC-chan who’s still mortal to do the job as a mortal on par with gods…

      That would be a boring development though.
      There are surely other reasons as well.

  19. Thanks for the translation and the post of the chapter.

    Wow, Mio really is a genius for understanding Makoto huh. Because she is a genius she can see through the simplicity of Makoto. He is not someone that can be easily understood by an intellectual type like Tomoe, Shiki, and Hibiki.
    That’s the difference between genius who follow their hunch / instinct and intellectual who think thorough of what they perceive huh.

    1. That Mio…. the one and only true girl for Makoto, again and again she’s able to understand Makoto than anyone, even when Tomoe is clueless and confused, Mio can directly point a good and bad thing about Makoto…… just marry him already.

      So…. we still don’t have a definite description of Touda backstory ? Or did I miss some side chapter for this ? I know we’ve been speculating since last chapter, but I really want the author to say it.

  20. Touda:Turn undead~ Turn undead~ fire’s beauty~
    shiki: it hurts! ma….makoto-sama! my body…my body become transparent! it hurts!

  21. Thanks for the great work as always Regokai, this was a fun figth, the servants analysis was on point, but it was great to see how the most simpleminded of the three seems to be the one to understand Makoto the best, it would be nice to see a point of view from Touda and her inner thinking, and loyalties. If she is that strong now, I can’t imagine how mutch she would be after the pact,, and poor Shiki still the weakest of the servants even thoug he is no longer the junior.

  22. Act, i wanna ask reigokai abt this:

    As we all knows, the wn had not being updating due to the poor health of the author.

    However, the publishing of the ln of tsuki is still on going.

    If the ln advance beyond the last chapter of wn.
    Will you continue the translating…

  23. you cant really blame her, serving gods one after another who knows what she had to deal with. this time she have a chance to fight with her employer, she release all that pent up anger from some of the gods’s bullshits

  24. thanks for the chapter!

    Mio seem to understand makoto the best because she is like him in that sense, they doesn’t care about life or death, but if they is a reason to kill someone, they will do it without batting an eye or feeling any guilt

    and look like there will have a third person in the “bully shiki” group

  25. didn’t expect her to be more powerful than tomoe or mio. i’m guessing the bug/goddess will only be able to seal shrine maido if the great bug war ever comes.

  26. This is not my final foooorm~

    Good Fight~

    Thanks for the chappie~

    PS Iron Blooded Orphans just ended, it felt right but begs to have a sequel~

  27. well i can already see makoto sayng to todoa han bo behave just like the others , i mean having theyr own agenda , doing things whitout telling makoto .And kiling everyone they wish if it is not in front of makoto =) but i wonder if todoa chan isnt a tool to control him =)

  28. Eeh~ These chapters were quite fun and I like that new follower !

    But somehow, I feel that something is amiss… But what ?
    Tch ! I’ll definitely find what it is !

    Seems like that Battle-Miko will make some changes in Asora’s ranking ! AHAHAHAHAHAHAH !

    Thanks for your work !

  29. Thanks Reigo-sensei, another good day for me, and I was expecting this result, but makoto really have his own way of think, soo, i can guess at least why Hibiki fell’s worry when Makoto is involved.

    What it really surprised me, was that Tomoe worries, but maybe shes is right and at same time wrong… only time will give’us answer’s and chapter’s from Reigo-sensei.

  30. Thanks for the chapter. This whole battle between the followers with Makoto reminds me a little of Pokemon style in a way. After he fights them they later on join him. If I would to say what kind of Pokemon the followers would be it would be Tomoe is a dragon type, Mio is a spider type, Shiki is a ghost type, and Touda would be one of those robotic types (since she refers herself as an object).

    1. Huh…I’m not sure. This is the first human-like follower.

      It’s possible she might lose the pale skin, now that I think about it. Ooo…I wonder if something similar to Shiki’s situation might happen where Touda loses the traits that causes her to define herself as an “object”?

    1. those 2 idiots are not HEROES .THAT BITCH GODDESSE CHOOSE BECAUSE PRETTY FACE
      A RICH BITCH WITH SHIT FOR BRAINS
      AND A IDIOT MORON WITH A DICK FOR BRAIN.
      cmon they are not heroes just stupid kids that have no idea what a hero is
      MOKOTO IS THE REAL HERO

      1. Really? You are saying all this again when the other heros of the world of the Goddess/Bug are not even mentioned? The MC doesn’t even want the title of a hero either…

      2. They are real heros. Hero in this is a title, a denotation of status, and has nothing to do with how you act.

  31. thanks for the chapter, also love how Mio knows how Makoto feels more than Tomoe and Shiki soon Mio will take the number one spot from Tomoe.

    1. People who scheme have difficulties in understanding Makoto. Mio is very observant and insightful as well though, yeah.

      1. You make a good point there, people like the nobles merchants Hibiki and Chiya have a hard time understanding Makoto because they try to see hidden meaning and secret messages in words that have none.That freaks them out and they only see a monster most fans are not seeing.

  32. Thank you for the chapter! I was really waiting to read this one after all. This chapter made my respect for the author of this series go even higher, not just Makoto’s personality is so well thought that I can’t help but wonder how could he create a character like that, simple at sought but at the same time profound, easy to follow but hard to understand, someone with strenght above gods, yet proud of nothing that he doesn’t obtain through his own hardwork. My vocabulary is too poor so I can’t say anymore than this, and maybe some of these thoughts are half explained or poorly explained, however I still wanted to post this comment for the sake of show how much I love this novel. 225 chapters by now and still not a little bit repetitive, if this novel keeps this way then 400 chapters should be easy to reach, however big part of this world was already brought and the conflicts with the characters will start growing from now on when this reaches it peak the end will be near. I think it’s still a long way till then, yet i can’t help feeling a little anxious. Thank you very much Rei for bring this masterpiece to the english language, I will definitely learn form this series and build my own world once it’s over. Hope you keep translating till it ends. Haha, here I am asking that even if I’m not doing nothing to help, sorry too lazy to help, its probably better like this, after all people hardworking like Makoto should do these things. Cya in the next chptr!

  33. I have a feeling that the fact that there’s a 4th building (reminding him of the Goddess temples) is going to bite him in the ass here, pretty soon.

  34. I like how Mio seems to understand Makoto the most. Since Tomoe is always busy working in thousands things, it’s only fair that Mio, who does most things with Makoto in her head, to pay more attention.

  35. Intereating. I believe she is hostile towards Shiki for two reasons. She is a shikigami. As a goddess of death she both abhors an existence that is undead and shiki can be written as the character from death inside shikigami.

      1. Imagine if they can also compress space. It’s basically teleportation with extra steps and damaging effects. That would be so cool when used in combat

    1. I think they’re giant hands that look like a dragon claw (dragon hand) not gloves . I’ve only seen the illustrations so far, so that’s what I could make out 🙂

    1. Just be grateful if you were to be shot in the shoulder, because that means he is still planing to keep you alive.

  36. Love the Megumin GIF! Also, pretty good comedy having that dialogue all the while she’s lying there with an arrow in her shoulder.

      1. well there is no actual illustration of her face before the pact with Makoto, so i think this is better for reader to imagine her face before the pact with different hair color

  37. Mio once again proving she’s best girl. Everyone assumes she doesn’t care or know what’s happening but she always understands Makoto the best.

    1. Part of it has to do with the others still being scared about stuff. Till the mc said it in the few chapters before. They were still worried about the mc leaving when he was able to. But he said he wanted to be by their side forever. So that was one thing off their minds. The mc just has to talk with them a bit more. In how he wants to do stuff and is feeling about stuff in general.

      1. Yes but as followers they failed to understand their master and family member and started to overthink and went completely off mark about Makoto.

  38. MiO really lightened the atmosphere here i mean seriously at first she was like a Suspicious ‘person’ but that uncomfortable that They feels probably her true nature? Like what both of Tomoe and Shiki mentioned that she came to “test” not just Makoto and them as well? The author really lightened the mood with MiO there

  39. I don’t really like how he is just standing there and taking blows… It makes it feel like he is just disregarding techniques and martal arts complerely, and it is a waste, something like that. Just standing there and then overpowering his enemies makes for boring fights^^

    1. Remember his innate mental traits. He doesn’t really care about life or death, he has no issues sacrificing himself, specifically for family, and it reflects that way in his combat.

    2. That’s his fighting style and for some reason you weren’t able at all to understand throughout the story that Makoto DOESN’T USE MARTIAL ARTS

  40. I have a feeling he might one day make a bow with the same Creation ability he did with the hands. And considering how powerful they seem to be it’s probably gonna have a similarly bonkers strength to it.

    Also, Mio best girl. I was worried about her 100% faith in Makoto might make her ignore his downsides but she seems keen on helping him grow.

    1. It’s more that Tomoe wants him to grow at his own pace. Which i actually agree with more. Than Mio not caring about that aspect.

      1. Well no that’s not it.
        Tomoe wants him to grow at the speed that she herself wants and intentionally hindered it.

        While Mio didn’t care and only acted because the method of Tomoe started to do more harm than good so she done a better job tha Tomoe.

    2. Despite being a bit crazy in some respects, she’s definitely especially based in Makoto’s circle. If it weren’t for her bullying of Shiki, I wouldn’t have anything to complain about her character. She’s definitely her own character with her own unique traits.

  41. I see his subordinates do have some fears still. But the main one is at least gone now. About them fearing the mc will leave them. Since he told them he wants to be with them forever. But they still have a fear or two about other stuff. Especially about the fight against the bug goddess. But the mc knows he’s not ready yet. I’m sure he will know when he is.

  42. Well after 2 and half years Tomoe and Shiki finally understand Makoto and Mio as always knew from day 1

    Now for some people to understand the shrine maiden is at the moment the strongest follower but in the span of 6 or so months Tomoe and Mio are revealed to be way stronger, showing that they grow the fastest.

  43. ? hmm… isnt this nigga suppose to be teaching students right now? or did he quit? or are they on break right now? someone explain. i thought he was going back to teaching after he got back from limia but then he made a hot spring and fought a talking gate then… here we are. is he like, teaching off screen?

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