Chapter 446 – He Sees Something
“W-what is this!? From elder sister and brother… behold, something seething forth, as though a strange force rises within them…….”
“Th, this is… it’s a different kind than mine, but I can tell… this is… an aura of jealousy.”
In the bustling Elven Settlement, full of smiles and excitement, two ominous miasma emanated.
〔Amae, why don’t you sit on Big brother’s lap.〕
Having easily won his first-round match, Earth watched from the stands, enjoying the spectacle from a safe distance.
He sat alongside the sisters he was close with, but since the venue was packed, if Earth took a seat, someone else wouldn’t be able to sit down.
So, with a smirk, Karui said that to Amae, who turned bright red and trembled.
As Amae fidgeted and glanced at Earth’s face, he smiled and said……
〔Here, Amae.〕
〔Is it okay? Oh…… ol…… der….. bro….. uh…~”〕
Earth patted his knees and nodded.
Then Amae started fidgeting again, looking as if she wanted to mumble something.
However, Earth sensed this and……
〔No, it’s fine. You can call me whatever you want.〕
After saying that, Earth gently stroked Amae’s head.
“…… Hmmm……”
“…… Nununu ……”
Espie and Slayer’s brows furrowed more and more.
Regardless of how those two felt, Amae, reflected in the sky, looked dazed for a moment, but then mustered her courage and addressed Earth……
〔O….. older brother…〕
〔Ou.〕
〔…… older brother.〕
〔Ah.〕
〔Older brother.〕
〔What is it, Amae.〕
At first, she was timid. But gradually, as if confirming, and finally clearly referred to Earth as such, and the next moment……
〔Older brother!〕
〔Ah.〕
〔~~~~~~~,yaayyy!〕
Far from just sitting on Earth’s lap, Amae dove headfirst onto his stomach.
〔Mufu! Amae’s older brother!〕
〔Ah.〕
〔Ah, ah!??〕
Amae flashed her carefree, beaming smile to the whole world.
She nuzzled her soft, squishy cheeks against Earth’s face.
Upon seeing that, people all over the world……
――Amae, so cute……
――I want to be called “Big sister” too……
――I want to be her older brother
――Amae-tan, haha, what an angel……
――If I had a sister like that, I wouldn’t need anything else in life.
――Why am I not little Amae’s big brother!?
… various voices ring out.
But in this Elven Settlement……
“Huh… huh… haa! What is that! Huh? Grrrrrrrrrrr! She’s seducing Big brother! You little thief?! Amae…… I knew she was Big brother’s little sister, and she’s cute…… but this is outrageous!”
“How cunning…… she’s acting as if she’s the only one who gets to have Brother all to herself!”
“But chronologically, I was the one who became his little sister first! Hugging big brother, having him stroke her head, and even hogging his lap—what is that?!”
“Putting me, his little brother, aside like that… Grrrrrrrrrr!”
It was exactly like the time Espie and Slayer lost Earth back when they were about the same age as Amae.
Even though they’ve been reunited now, there are still a lot of things they wanted to do when they were little—things that were only possible because they were young.
And right in front of them, a girl they didn’t even know was doing exactly that.
“Huh? What in the world… Ah… Amae… H, hey, hey, Espie, Slayer. What are you guys doing…… Amae is so tiny—”
“Big brother, be quiet!”
“This is a major incident that shakes the very foundation of our pride!”
Earth sat up and turned around to see what all the commotion was about, and looked exasperated at the snorting Espie and Slayer, but was silenced in a firm tone.
“B, brother, sister… never have I beheld them in such a state~”
“…… Being Honey’s younger sister and brother is something they absolutely won’t give up to anyone else. That’s why they exploded when they saw someone other than themselves acting all sweet and calling him ‘Older brother’, and Honey actually doting on them……”
Even Amicus, their younger sister figure, trembled in fear at Espie and Slayer’s unexpected jealousy. Meanwhile, Shinobu looked at them with an expression of understanding and pity.
“W, well… During the war, whenever Hiro and Mamu tried to pat Espie-jou’s head, she would resist with all her might. That wasn’t just shyness—she genuinely hated it, didn’t she……”
“Hahaha, but of course. For Espie-jou, there’s only been one brother for over fifteen years now……”
Mikado and Koujiro had many thoughts about Earth, but seeing how Espie was doing now, they decided not to pry any further. Instead, they looked up at the sky again and enjoyed the moment.
〔【Great Demon Rabbit Punch】!〕
〔O…… Ah… Yes… in a flash! It was a split second decision! Hold on, I watched without time to add the commentary… anyway, it was Earth who won the battle! It was a dignified advance to the semi-final!〕
However, it was inevitable that someone wouldn’t let this pass in silence.
“He’s gone an’ mastered that Magical Breathin’, right… but that ain’t all. I was so caught up lookin’ at that Breakthrough and the Great Demon Spiral lark, but thinkin’ on it now, Earth Lagann’s a proper well-rounded fighter, he is…”
In a distant land, Hakuki, too, had endless questions about Earth.
“From wot I ‘eard, in the Academy, he was written off as nuffin’ more than a watered‑down copy of his old man—just some second‑rate Magic Swordsman. An’ now look at him, throwin’ away the sword altogether an’ still pullin’ this off… can’t wrap me head round it.”
Earth’s growth seemed too logical, too ideal—and precisely because of that, Hakuki’s expression was one of utter seriousness, convinced that something impossible was happening.
“An’ tell me this—before the exhibition match, what kind o’ trainin’ d’ya reckon he was doin’? You lot ain’t got a clue, do ya? That’s why you’re all gobsmacked now, innit?”
Glancing sideways, Hiro and Mamu wore expressions of embarrassment.
That’s right, neither of them had any idea what the answer to Hakuki’s question was.
〔Waaacha, Huacha, Wachahowacha ♪ hai!〕
〔Now, the semifinals of the chosen men! Truly, this is a composition of the new era and tradition! Now, do show us what you got! Reveal the outcome of this showdown! Let the semifinals…… Begin!!〕
〔【Great Demon Flicker】!!〕
〔Huacha!!〕
And so, with Hakuki and Hiro’s questions still unanswered, the stage shifts to the semifinals.
There, unlike in the first and second rounds, a nerve-wracking battle of refined, honed techniques unfolds.
A battle with Wacha, a top-tier kenpo master.
Naturally, Wacha’s combat ability itself is far inferior to that of the Six Supremacy or the Seven Heroes, but his fighting technique was remarkable, and Earth was able to hold his own against Wacha in a technical battle.
“Mixin’ feints in with their footwork, readin’ each other’s moves ahead o’ time, counters, sharp eyes… not bad at all. Instead o’ just bashin’ through with youthful brute force against a seasoned martial artist, he’s usin’ proper technique to ’old his own…”
“Earth… I can’t believe he can do that… Moves that delicate are beyond me… they’re as graceful as Mamu’s movements.”
“But his movements have a different sharpness than mine…… It feels like he’s taken a single movement, practiced it over and over, and then applied it in new ways… So I think it feels even faster to someone facing him directly than it does to an outside observer… In fact, even we got completely thrown off by Earth’s feints… I mean, to begin with, Earth right now, against an opponent of that caliber… with only his left….”
It’s not simply a clash of brute force.
If Earth wanted to win, he could overpower his opponent with a Breakthrough and force his way through.
However, Earth doesn’t fight that way.
On the contrary……
〔Ah… no hit! It’s a dizzying technical battle as they repeatedly attack and defend at the same time! No, it’s already amazing that Earth can contend with Wacha in a technical battle!? But Wacha isn’t being overpowered by Earth’s youth and vigor! They’re evenly matched! Such an amazing match!〕
〔Hahaha he is overestimating our chances aye. Such a shame, I’m attacking with every part of my body, whereas my opponent is attacking with only one left hand… I’m appalled to hear that we are evenly matched, aye.〕
〔Don’t worry. I’ll be serious, but the theme is just the left.〕
That’s right, Earth was only using his left punches to attack.
This alone signified that Earth’s rank was in a completely different league, even compared to top-tier martial artists.
〔Seriously? You’ll use the right, aye? Or maybe…… the High Priestess is curious… the secret technique, Break――――〕
〔No, no. Still just the left. But with the left… I’ll hit you with a left that is more focused.〕
〔Nu?〕
〔Not the breakthrough. Not with magic, but… nerves…… and mind…… I’ll show you. The ‘zone’… and….. end it in an instant.〕
And then, while still bound by these constraints, he captivated them.
“An’ on top o’ that, the Zone, eh? Can he slip into it on his own? Well, compared to bein’ able to do that Magical Breathin’, that’s nothin’, innit? Still, once yer reach this level… that lad, he’s somethin’ else…….”
At that moment, Hakuki asks the question again.
“What d’you reckon?”
In response to the question asked again, Hiro bit his lip……
“So…… we don’t know either—”
“Nah. I ain’t askin ‘you lot‘.”
“…… Huh?”
Hiro thought that Hakuki was asking him and Mamu, but Hakuki denied it, saying, “Not you”.
Then, Hakuki’s subordinates? However, even though Hiro and Mamu looked around, Hakuki’s subordinates were not nearby.
Then, who was he asking?
While Hiro and Mamu were still trying to figure out what was going on, Hakuki stood there alone……
“That Earth Lagan… same as me… maybe he’s seein’ somethin’. Hah! So you think so too, eh? Dunno what exactly he’s seein’, but… what’s this then? You look right chuffed, innit?”
“”……????””
“Wot? Me lookin’ chuffed too? …Hmm.”
Hakuki suddenly started talking to himself.
Moreover, it was a strange monologue.
It sounded as if he were conversing with “someone”, leaving Hiro and Mamu —who were already at a loss over their son’s behavior—even more confused.
However, ignoring the two of them, Hakuki looked up at the sky again, with a somewhat pleased expression……
“True enough… I’d like to test it meself. If that lad’s seein’ somethin’ —an’ it turns out to be the same as what we know—well, that’d be somethin’ to smile about, wouldn’t it?”
The moment he muttered, Earth’s flash counter caught Wacha, and Hakuki wore a thrilling smile.
〔This is what I was able to hit by entering the zone… the【Great Demon Phantom Punch】. I’d like to thank you. For the first time, I was able to ‘enter’ in an actual battle… I was able to ‘grasp’ the extreme timing … you brought it out.〕
〔Ah, he can’t stand! And Wacha just fell down to the ground… faint! He’s fainted! A flash on the left, like a bolt of lightning! A new era and history. Today, the decision goes to the new age! Earth Lagann, is headed for the finals with flying colors!!〕
Then, footage of Earth advancing to the finals and his heroic figure were shown, and cheers erupted from all over the world.
Sads Translates 