NoveLight ™
[Accepted.]
The two bold characters burned brightly on the screen, swelling his chest with pride.
“Kyoooohhh!”
Of course, there was no way this Hashimoto Kenjiro wouldn’t be chosen!
A man who reincarnated into another world, slayed a thousand yokai, and saved the world.
It was time for the great Hashimoto Kenjiro to make his grand debut!
“Ah, is the world calling for me?”
The katana resting silently in its sheath at his waist, Muramasa, thirsted for blood.
“Ku-ku-ku-ku.”
Wait for me. I’m coming. My target is Demon King Berdel!
She was the one.
“I’ll never forget that humiliation.”
The 2nd place holder on the official swordsmanship rankings.
Even within the community, his extraordinary talent was undeniable.
But how could this be?
How could someone ranked 2nd unofficially garner more attention than him, who had battled through thousands of matches?
This injustice! This slander! What does Hashimoto Kenjiro lack? This must be rigged!
Of course, the official rankings accounted for multiple conditions, including formal match participation.
But still.
“I refuse to accept it.”
There’s no way Hashimoto Kenjiro would lose to anyone!
Well… except for the 1st place holder. That person wasn’t even human, after all.
While he nursed his swelling pride and honed his blade—
Tsu-zzu-zzuut—
A strange sound and an ominous presence appeared behind him.
An ambush? An assassination?
Whatever it was, there was no escaping Kenjiro’s senses!
Hashimoto Kenjiro swiftly drew his katana, turning to strike in a single fluid motion.
“Swift Blade: Heavenly Imperial Wave Cleave!”
As always, his graceful blade sliced through the air before his opponent could even blink.
But—
Ting!
“Huh?”
The mysterious woman flicked her fingers, effortlessly deflecting his attack.
“Hashimoto Kenjiro.”
“A sneak attack? Assassination? Who are you?! Reveal yourself! I am not one to fall for cheap tricks!”
“…Is this guy insane? They told me to avoid lunatics….”
“….”
There was something familiar about her.
Wait! Could it be?
His eternal nemesis, the rival of destiny, and the Demon King Berdel—none other than the servant of Ju-ddak herself!
“So you’ve come to serve me, as it should—”
“Hmm. Let’s just skip this one.”
“?!”
The woman began scribbling on a piece of paper with a red pen.
Something about it felt ominous!
“Haha! If it’s the call of Ju-ddak, how could you possibly leave me out? Of course, I accept!”
“…And yet, so arrogant….”
“W-wait a second!”
“Do you have something to say?”
Her detached tone made him falter.
Even with her beautiful face, those cold, uninterested eyes were…!
“Th-this…! A true samurai never backs down—”
Shake, shake.
“This was a waste of time.”
As she turned toward the portal of light, panic seized him.
“A real man knows when to retreat.”
“?”
“P-please!”
“You’re being awfully informal.”
“Ugh… I beg you!”
“Hmm….”
She tapped her chin with her finger, contemplating. Kenjiro’s anxiety soared as he waited for her answer.
Finally, she nodded.
“Well, avoiding the weak is part of the job.”
“Haha! So you’ve recognized my strength after all?”
“Sigh….”
“Ah! A joke, of course!”
“In any case, you understand the rules, don’t you?”
“….”
“…Preserve your own life. Follow the Galactic Empire’s orders, or you’ll face immediate execution instead of a return. And when the Empire makes its move into this world, you will provide full cooperation. Understood?”
Yes, this brief humiliation was bearable.
“I agree!”
“Follow me.”
Kenjiro followed her into the portal of light.
“Urgh!”
Wuuung—
A disorienting sensation overcame him as the scenery around him shifted in an instant.
“!!”
“Follow that guy over there.”
“What?”
Wait a second! He, Hashimoto Kenjiro, slayer of a thousand yokai, had come all this way, and yet he wouldn’t be personally escorted—?!
“Bersia, I’ll leave him to you.”
“Don’t worry, Berdel. I’ll handle it!”
Before he could argue, Berdel disappeared through another portal of light.
Dumbfounded, Kenjiro was greeted by a fully armored man.
“Your name is… Hashimoto?”
“….”
Thwack!
“Gah!”
The man immediately kicked him in the shin.
“Keep your head straight unless you want to die.”
“Ugh!”
The humiliation!
Why—why does it hurt so much? He hadn’t even noticed the moment of impact!
“Follow me.”
“Yes….”
“Well, at least you seem somewhat competent. I’ll overlook your tone for now.”
“….”
What was that supposed to mean?
“Pay attention. There’s a lot to remember here, so stay sharp.”
“….”
Fine. Your armor… hmph. It’s cool, so I’ll let it slide!
At that moment, the armored man glanced back at him.
Wait, could he read minds?
Thankfully, that didn’t seem to be the case.
“Welcome to the World, rookie!”
“Ugh…!”
So began Hashimoto Kenjiro’s initiation—or rather, his ordeal.
And just when he thought the worst was over—
“What?! Recovery capsules?!”
“An interstellar warship?! Holy—!”
“What species is that?!”
“…Such a perfect design… it would suit me, Hashimoto Kenjiro, perfectly—”
Thwack!
“Gah!”
“Shut up.”
There was no end to his surprises. He felt utterly overwhelmed.
But more than anything—
“Haha, a newcomer?”
“Welcome, rookie!”
“Such a noisy one.”
“Whoa, calm down, let’s welcome him.”
“You’re too relaxed, Baron.”
There were already so many others.
Most of them were hard at work training in the arena.
“Bersia! We should test the newcomer’s skills and combat power.”
“Of course, Mephir. That was the plan.”
Community users began gathering in the central arena.
“Hmph! I’m officially ranked second in swordsmanship!”
“Bersia, who will his opponent be?”
“It’s already decided. Averico!”
“Yes, I’ll take care of it.”
Crack, crack—
A wolf-like beastman stretched as he stepped into the arena.
“Hah….”
“….”
Kenjiro didn’t know what the scoreboard meant exactly, but he could guess.
He was being paired against a bottom-tier opponent?
“Hmph! Is this hazing?”
Comparing himself, with his combat power of 12,000, to this weakling?
The audacity!
Still, throwing a tantrum here would be unbecoming.
“…Fine. Let’s begin!”
He would show them what it meant to wield a blade that had slain a thousand yokai.
“Begin.”
At Bersia’s signal—
“Chaos Blade Style: Heavenly Moonslash— Gwah!”
Before he could finish, pain surged through his body, and he crumpled to the ground.
“What… what just happened?”
When he looked up, Averico was grinning.
And he looked completely at ease.
“Your movements aren’t bad. You even tried to counter me for a moment. But… you’re weak right now.”
“…?”
Kenjiro couldn’t believe it. He tried again. And again.
Each time—
“Gah!”
“Oof!”
“Ugh!”
“Cough!”
Defeat.
Every single time.
Impossible.
Was this really happening?
He couldn’t help but think of home.
“I think I came to the wrong place.”
From the leader of the backstreets to a lowly foot soldier. Reality was harsh.
Still, it wasn’t as shocking as encountering the other two.
The overwhelming presence that surged from the depths of his subconscious.
Pure, unrelenting dominance.
True strength.
“Damn… are they even human?”
The kind of power and aura that could turn the Yokai King Orochi into a gecko.
“Hmm? Is something wrong?”
“Hmph….”
Ju-ddak and Maxien.
The world was vast. And he had a long way to go.
But Hashimoto Kenjiro wouldn’t give up. One day, he would surpass them and rise to the top!
And so—
“…I acknowledge my shortcomings. Let me return and hone my skills before participating again. Please.”
“Hahaha.”
But then—
With Ju-ddak’s words, Hashimoto Kenjiro’s dreams were thoroughly crushed.
Tahhuk!
***
"What Do You Think?"
“How is it?”
“Hmm, honestly? Aside from Berdel and Perfe, no one else really stands out.”
“Isn’t your standard a bit too high?”
“Well, it’s a necessary standard if we’re going to take on a proper Named enemy.”
“I get that, but still.”
Srrk—
Kalstein sat at his desk, flipping through holograms and reports, steadily working through his tasks.
“But what’s that? It doesn’t look ordinary.”
“Hm? This?”
Kalstein gestured to a platinum-colored orb hovering above his head.
“…I have no idea. I stole it from Prohydan.”
“…Prohydan?”
A tangible wave of killing intent emanated from her.
Ah, crap.
To Maxien, Prohydan was nothing less than her mortal enemy.
Kalstein opened his mouth to diffuse the situation, but it was already too late.
Swish—
Maxien had already drawn her blade, slashing it fiercely through the air.
“You’re keeping something so suspicious nearby?!”
“Grr…”
But her sword cut through nothing but air—the orb remained unscathed.
“…It dodged?”
Without any warning or sign of teleportation, the platinum orb had relocated itself, now floating further away.
Swish! Swish!
Maxien swung several more times, but the results didn’t change.
“Leave it alone. Investigating it might help you resolve some of your frustration better than destroying it.”
“….”
Her astonished eyes met Kalstein’s calm gaze.
Well, it was understandable.
The orb’s ability to evade wasn’t anything ordinary.
“…A Single Number?”
“Hard to say. That might be jumping to conclusions.”
Teleportation on its own wasn’t necessarily a rare ability.
Across the galaxy—and even in the interdimensional community—teleportation wasn’t anything groundbreaking.
But this orb was different.
Its movement wasn’t merely teleportation—it felt as though it had always been there, naturally in place, as if its prior location had never existed.
“This… is definitely the work of those who bend the rules of reality.”
“Hmm. That’s why I’m still studying it.”
Kalstein lightly tapped the orb with his pen.
“…?”
“Maybe it’s because I’ve infused it with a ton of Ether, but unlike others, I can actually touch it.”
“Doesn’t that make it even more suspicious? Shouldn’t you destroy it?”
“It’s also a clue to tracking down Prohydan.”
“…Fair enough.”
“Maxien.”
“…Yes?”
“I’ll make sure we catch your enemy, no matter what. Trust me.”
Maxien nodded quietly.
Prohydan had destroyed Stella, the homeworld of Maxien’s people, the Asterians.
Although Prohydan had slipped through their fingers this time, giving up wasn’t an option.