Kenshin no Keishousha Vol 1 Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - The Sword Academy

Tokyo Swordia————

Formerly this city was known as the Tokyo metropolis, but currently in the 21st century, the otherworldly Swordies have ruled over the city since the Great War seventy years ago.

Tokyo Swordia was divided into two regions. In other words, the Swordies resided within the Specialized Central Region while humans inhabited the Outer Human Region.

Being the dominant social cla.s.s, the Specialized Central Region where all the Swordies lived controlled all political and economic functions. To everyone else in the world, they had the most elegant districts. In contrast, the Outer Human Region felt quite unbalanced with the quality among the districts being starkly different.

It was already past ten in the evening, yet it was quite rambunctious on this particular bustling street in the Outer Human Region which had rows upon rows of bars lined up for construction.

Slightly away from the ruckus within the corner of this region sits an old-fashioned hotel.

Located underneath the hotel was a parking garage. Parked within its depths was a van with its engine running and the shadows of multiple figures gathered around the vehicle. There were five of them in total, and all of them were wearing what appeared to be white robes.

One of the members, who was currently breathing heavily, appears to have been wounded. Although medical aid was being received from a friend, it seems the bleeding could not be stopped.

"Looks like I’ve already caught up."

For some reason, these words startled the others as they turned towards the sound of the approaching footsteps.

These robe wearing people all reacted in unison, directing their gaze towards the figure that showed up.

"If you want to escape you should be giving it everything you have, not dilly-dallying around in this sort of place."

A young teenager wearing a red long coat appeared within the parking garage.

From the opening in the front of the long coat, one could see that the somewhat short teenager possessed a slender figure.

Along with his disheveled black hair, there remained a childish facial complexion. However, under the fringe of his hair, his eyes carried an exceptionally sharp expression.

"Well, if you guys were to scatter in disarray you would all be interrogated. That said, you guys also killed four police officers which is quite unacceptable to be honest. You b.a.s.t.a.r.ds, I'm pretty strict when it comes to losing my comrades. I will keep on pursuing you all even if you were to run to the ends of the earth."

"Are you one of the Sabers?"

One of the robed members shouted in a sharp tone. Unwavered, the teenager wryly smiled in response.

"As you can see."

The teenager————Kurou, pointed to the silver sword insignia on his long coat with his index finger.

The so-called Sabers were Tokyo Swordia's public security force. They were a separate ent.i.ty from the police force.

"I'd appreciate it if you guys would allow me to make a peaceful arrest. However, if there is any resistance————"

Kurou placed his hand on the hilt of the katana strapped to his waist. Just by looking at its composition, one could tell it was definitely not an ornament or a counterfeit. Instead, it was a thoroughly used and authentic blade.

"This is the end for all of you, followers of the sun."

Even without inquiring, Kurou already knew their true ident.i.ty.

The so-called Sun Cult was just as its name indicated. The religious organization was comprised of followers who worshipped the teachings of the sun.

In the last couple of years, these thugs would frequently engage in terrorist activities. The number of victims from these terrorist activities have already reached triple digits. These Sabers, who were part of the public security force, have made the Sun Cult their number one priority.

Because the van of the Sun Cult followers arrived at a police checkpoint tonight, they decided to forcefully break through. During their escape, they killed four police officers and are currently still fleeing.

Since the Sabers sent out a dispatch request, Kurou, being a member, caught up to them here.

"Hey——, what is this, it hasn't started yet? Fortunately I leisurely walked over here."

Unexpectedly, an extremely clear voice sounded.

Behind Kurou came another guy that entered the parking garage. He too kept a sword by his waist and also wore the exact same long coat marked with the silver insignia.

"Are you an idiot? You’re currently on the job, you better get over here quickly Lars."

"Yeah yeah, you're so stringent as usual Kurou."

He elatedly smiled. Lars was also a member of the Sabers.

Within the Sabers, he and Kurou worked together as a pair. Although he was about five centimeters taller than the short-statured Kurou, his face also seems to have retained a puerile complexion. In fact, he was only a teenager who was fifteen years of age.

His appearance was well-kept and his hair was practically white. However, he claims the color was “platinum”.

Even though Lars followed an alternate path when chasing the criminals, the two pretty much found them at the same time.

"Despite being Sabers, there are only two of you against the five of us! We have complete control here!"

One of the cultists, who was tending to a comrade of his, spoke up in an acute voice. In response, the other cultists all whipped out their katanas.

In j.a.pan, it was to be expected that ordinary people were prohibited from carrying firearms. In fact, the Sabers, police, and even the military's main weaponry was the sword. Likewise, the weapons of the terrorists were no exception.

It was very hard to see clearly into the shadow of the van, but it was without a doubt the voice of a female cultist————she was a very young teenage girl. Upon closer inspection, she was the only one who wasn't wearing a robe. Instead, she wore a white veil along with a blue nun getup.

Her eyes were filled with tears, yet she unyieldingly glared at Lars.

"Hey Kurou, is this the opponent you’re responsible for?"

"It's not really a responsibility......"

Kurou wryly smiled and advanced forward.

He knew this girl, her name was Kido Akari.

She was a member of the Sun Cult's combat forces. However, for some reason they encountered each other numerous times during Kurou's missions. Even though those encounters have all been due to chance, it was true that there did exist some underlying reason for this.

"Akari, every time......we seem to encounter each other. Gradually I'm starting to believe this isn't an ill-fated relationship but rather destiny at work here."

"That seems to be the case. Why does it have to turn out like this......"

Akari lowered her gaze as she spoke————

"Hmm? What's wrong? You seem to have some deeply mixed emotions."

"There's no such thing!"

Inadvertently, her piercing glare fixated on Kurou.

"If it is destiny, then that destiny would also include me slaughtering you, you Swordie dog!"

"A dog......"

"Plus, you Swordies are not even part of this world, how could we accept a nation inhabited with you people!"

Akari pulled out her katana and got into her stance. Despite having a bit of flair to it, Kurou understood Akari's strength. Based on her technique, she was probably incapable of defeating any of the Sabers.

"Akari, you can choose to fight, however if this wounded person is left unattended to like this then he will die. This kind of emergency care right now is just prolonging his pain."

"Guh......!"

Akari tightly bit her lips.

Perhaps she realized that Kurou wasn’t just trying to complicate matters.

"Hey, you guys can withdraw. Sorry for arriving late."

"Hmm......?"

Kurou slightly tilted his head at the sound of this sudden voice.

With her presence pretty much undetected, at some point a female figure appeared alongside the followers of the sun.

She wasn't wearing the white robe of the Sun Cult. Instead, her attire consisted of a skimpy mini-skirt, a tightly fitted suit, and there was a bizarre sword suspended along her waist.

"Allowing me to deal with these Sabers idiots should be fine. Let me take care of the cargo and that one other thing in the van. The streets are filled with police checkpoints so you'll be instantly caught if you escape by car."

"......Understood, we are counting on you."

After Akari finished speaking, the rest of the Sun Cultists nodded. From the looks of it, they had no intention to continue causing trouble. Akari and the others glanced back at the van every so often before running away.

Both Kurou and Lars had already lost interest in the Sun Cultists who already fled.

Kurou once again inspected the woman.

The woman's age was probably between twenty and twenty-five years old. She had gleaming short brown hair and although she was quite an attractive person, this was not the appropriate time to be taking note of these sort of things.

"Are you a Swordie?"

"Just like the ones you've seen."

The woman nodded in response to Kurou's question. She then retrieved the sword by her waist in one swift motion.

It was a slender double-edged longsword. The sight of this type of sword wasn’t rare, but————

"Ho, is this the light blade?"

Kurou muttered in admiration.

Known as the light blade, the drawn out sword was enveloped by a faint white light. When the light blade was activated, the sword becomes incredibly hard to bend, break, and furthermore it was very keen-edged.

"Ah so you are a Swordie, and a pretty powerful one as well."

Kurou once again muttered.

The Swordies are considered to be residents from the mystifying world of Swordia.

These otherworldly people and earth's human beings practically look the same. Even though many of them possessed hair and eye colors not found in normal humans, but other than that they were essentially alike.

Despite Swordies and humans having nearly identical physique, the Swordies' physical capabilities were quite outstanding. Their strength and speed were both exceptional.

Furthermore, the most frightening thing was their overwhelming natural disposition to the ways of the sword. Hence, all Swordies were inherently sword specialists.

To add to that, if one becomes a first-cla.s.s user they could engage in battle with a light blade empowered sword like this woman.

"It ends right here wanted criminal number FZ405333!"

Suddenly a voice rang.

Just like Kurou and Lars, these guys were also wearing red long coats. There were six of them and each held a sword in their hands.

They were all Swordies and members of the Sabers————in other words, they were also Kurou's colleagues. Presumably they too arrived by tracking the followers of the sun.

"This woman is a wanted criminal. In the past she killed two of our members. Clearly a Swordie, she's actually a lunatic for helping out the Sun Cult."

The one member with the beard spoke up. Kurou also recognized this man. He was one of the older members of the Sabers and possessed excellent finesse.

"You guys can step down. It's too much of a burden for newcomers to face a light blade user."

The man with the beard stated without even looking at Kurou. He then raised his sword and the other five members followed suit.

From the looks of it, they wanted to steal all the glory. Whether it was the bearded man or the other members, it seemed none of them could utilize the light blade. Even so, with it being six to one perhaps they could win.

"Well, it doesn't matter to me how many people I face. Bring it on."

The Swordie woman brazenly smiled as she replied.

Haa——. The bearded man yelled out and charged towards the Swordie woman with the other five members.

The majority of the Sabers members were adept at fighting. The bearded man and the other members probably had numerous experiences fighting enemies with swords. The six of them stormed in simultaneously and while doing so, they had to avoid slicing their own allies in battle.

No one should ever take the enemy lightly due to superiority in numbers. For the sake of killing this one woman, the six men all risked their lives in the attack.

"Haha."

However, the woman was unfazed.

After the woman had seen through the incoming attack from the group of six, she slashed at the bearded man who led the attack, cutting his head off with just one swing of the sword. In quick succession, her sword sliced through a person's torso and then the face of another person.

From the perspective of a normal person, the three of them would seem to have been simultaneously killed. It would be hard for anyone to discern such a high caliber technique.

There was blood vigorously spraying out of the bodies of the men. The part of the body that suffered the violent hit had been greatly carved out.

The woman hardly stopped there. She then slashed at two others diagonally from the shoulders and pierced the last person in the heart————the group of six were now all dead.

Her abilities were indeed extremely impeccable.

"What was that? That was way too easy. Battling against men isn't fun after all."

The woman muttered with an ennui expression. Actually, she probably felt extremely bored. Even though six people attacked her, she still eliminated them instantly. It really was way too easy for her. The difference in their abilities was profoundly visible.

"Hey, that's pretty impressive."

Lars apathetically spoke. At some point in time he retrieved his cellphone in order to look something up.

"Hmm, that woman has a very high bounty, it's at one million. If we were to consider the six members of our group that were killed, the bounty will probably continue to rise."

"Lars, you should have said something earlier!"

"What are you getting all tensed up over. You don't need to worry about anyone stealing your glory now. Oh, by the way, the million is only if you capture her alive. If you captured her dead you would only get three hundred thousand. Well then, good luck."

Lars wryly smiled as he turned off his cellphone.

"Understood. Hence, let me be your opponent. I'll be in your care."

Kurou joyously spoke and proceeded to swiftly pull out the katana by his waist.

"......A katana? You rascal, you're clearly one of the Sabers, why would you still use that kind of thing?"

Having said that, the criminal ringleader’s eyes opened widely, staring intently at Kurou.

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d......could it be, you are a human?"

"Even if I were to say 'just like the ones you’ve seen', you probably wouldn't understand. Well, I guess only humans would use katanas anyways."

Kurou calmly stated as he motioned his katana.

"Hahaha! Originally I had thought the Sabers were just a group of idiotic men. I never would've thought that a human would also be accepted as a member. Has the lack of talent already reached this extent?"

"Jeez, it really annoys me that you would call it a group of idiotic men. I really can't tolerate this abuse towards humans like me."

The Sabers included non-combative members as well. This tiny organization didn't even have a thousand members yet.

The composition of the Sabers consisted entirely of Swordies except for Kurou. On the flip side, the police were practically all humans. It probably would have been more natural if Kurou were part of the police.

There was some reason behind Kurou's recruitment into the Sabers. It wasn't because of a lack of talent, however Kurou wasn't about to kindly explain to that extent.

"Nevertheless, from the looks of it you are clearly a Swordie a.s.sisting these humans."

"If I were to be on the Swordies' side, most likely I’d only be able to face the boring swordsmanship of the humans. I want to battle the powerful Swordies. Is that white-haired boy a Swordie? If you don't battle, this human is going to die."

"I'll consider it, but I'm not too worried over my financial situation."

Lars pretended to joke around, even deliberately shrugging while he was at it.

"......Well, forget it. In the end, both of you will die. Before that happens though, please entertain me for a bit."

"Oh trust me you won’t be bored at all."

Kurou faintly smiled and prepared his stance. Although it was rather mundane, the sword was held straight and centered in his stance.

The criminal ringleader also smiled in the same manner. It was a smile of mockery. She never thought she would ever have to battle against a human.

Kurou inched around trying to maintain his distance. He would never underestimate his opponent. From now on, it will be the relentless pursuit of survive and kill.

"Hey human, I got something to say first. You better not bring your human values into this."

"You mean just because you're a woman? Haha, of course I won’t."

This was the monster who instantly killed six people. Even so, this human boy was still able to think in such a manner.

These sorts of things were only humanity's fallacious logic after all.

From the Swordies' point of view, it was considered utter nonsense.

Basically for the Swordies, when comparing the athletic abilities of men to women, women were vastly superior, even in swordsmanship.

From the perspective of the swordswomen, Swordie males were existences of a lower cla.s.s. Although the Sabers members who were easily eliminated by her had received training and had numerous combat experiences, for this outstanding swordswoman who was also the criminal ringleader, it could hardly be called a fight against the six of them.

Stored within the Swordies was something known as light energy. In terms of physical strength, light was a more superior energy source than what humans were capable of using.

In general, a woman's light quant.i.ty was vastly plentiful. The greater the quant.i.ty, the more physical power one possessed. Precisely due to this, Swordie women were able to utilize far greater combat strength.

Members of the Sabers were practically all male Swordies. If they were up against human terrorists, the male members would be enough to deal with them. However, if the criminal was a female Swordie, many times the situation would develop into a grim battle.

Humans wouldn't even stand a chance. Regardless of gender, it was impossible to overcome a female Swordie. This knowledge was one that everyone knew. Because of this, the male members didn't want the Sabers to delegate this task to Kurou, a diminutive human.

"I am knowledgeable in some matters regarding the Swordies. You don't need to worry."

"Well then, try to put on a frightened expression as best as you can, human."

The criminal ringleader calmly waved around the sword with her hand, perhaps to add psychological pressure. The intensity of the light blade appeared to have increased. The so-called light blade technique was the emittance of light out of the body and transferring it to the sword. If a person didn't have the appropriate levels of light, it would be impossible to use this move.

The criminal ringleader casually walked towards Kurou. Even though this was underestimating her enemy, she still did not leave any openings exposed. Her eyes were br.i.m.m.i.n.g with murderous intent as the tip of her sword flashed by.

A gust of wind blew over————causing a roaring sound.

The criminal ringleader’s wielding of the sword violently stirred up the air————which caused a nearby concrete pillar to be splendidly sliced into two chunks.

Cutting this pillar, whose girth needed two arms to wrap around it, could never be accomplished by humans. She used superlative force, demonstrating the power and skill of the Swordies.

The criminal ringleader smiled. By deliberately chopping down the pillar, she probably wanted Kurou to cower in fear.

"......"

However, Kurou didn't flinch at all. He still maintained his sword in an upright position and never even moved his body.

"Hmph, what a grotesque little kid you are."

The criminal ringleader then shot out like an arrow, raising her sword once again.

Simply put, the Swordie's sword was both swift and thunderous as it came down at him. This blazing attack could slash apart anyone involved in the organization, crushing them into pieces. Then in a gruesome scene, that corpse would be turned into fine powder.

A Swordie's sword literally meant a one hit kill.

However, that was only if————they hit.

"......!?"

An impatient expression was clearly visible on the face of the criminal ringleader.

From the very first attempt, the criminal ringleader’s one hit killer sword strikes were completely evaded by Kurou.

In rapid succession, the blade, which was so sharp it easily cut through the air, came at Kurou's neck and chest at full force.

He did not initiate an attack, he only kept continuously dodging her attacks. Their blades never clashed either.

If a Swordie's sword were to clash with that of a human's, the human’s sword would be sent flying or perhaps the blade would be sundered. Which would it be......

However, to be capable of continuously evading a Swordie's sword strikes and such, this was practically unbelievable for a human. Human eyes were unable to capture a Swordie's sword maneuvers, thus being unable to completely elude the strikes.

"What the heck you b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Just how can a human evade my sword!"

"Hehe, I'm not an alien though. Don't be holding any doubts during battle."

Kurou even wryly smiled. Even though the swings barely brushed past, to be able to see through those strikes that could cut through his entire flesh numerous times without giving off even a single drop of sweat was really quite exceptional.

"I think it's about time......to make my move!"

For the first time Kurou took the initiative. Even though he went at blinding speed from a human's perspective, to a Swordie's dynamic strength it was ridiculously slow.

"Idiot......!"

A smile even surfaced on the face of the criminal ringleader. Regardless if he were to c.o.c.k the blade over his head or slash downwards, in her eyes it would all seem like a slow motion reflection.

However————

"What......!?"

The moment Kurou swung his sword with all his might————

“W-What......!?”

Her right hand was cut off from the base and blood began spurting out everywhere. The hand which had held the sword, fell to the ground. The shine of the light blade also vanished.

From the looks of it, her shock seemed to have surpa.s.sed her pain. She stared at Kurou without even covering her hand which was spraying out blood.

Compared to humans, a Swordie's physical capabilities were vastly superior. Even an injury of this extent wouldn't kill them. As long as a competent medic diagnosed them, the hand could be reattached.

"How could a human's sword......I, that sword, what in the world was that!?"

"Starting from now, you'll have plenty of time to contemplate over this."

This criminal ringleader had slaughtered numerous Sabers and police members. Whether or not she should ever be allowed to step foot in this world again was questionable. There was probably plenty of time to ponder over this later.

"Eh?"

Kurou inadvertently tilted his head.

The right cuff of his long coat was severed. His expression indicated that this must have been the first time he failed in such a manner.

"Haha, this long coat is quite expensive. If they have to replace this long coat again, the boss will surely take a dig at me."

"......You b.a.s.t.a.r.d, that bracelet is——"

Due to Kurou's shirt cuffs being cut, the criminal ringleader directed her vision towards his wrist. Looped on there was a white metallic bracelet.

Engraved on the bracelet was an emblem consisting of a sword and the markings of a plant's vines.

"A Sword G.o.d's engraving! That's right, you are——it was mentioned that the Sword Saint accepted a disciple, that person is......!"

"Sounds like you have a pretty good understanding. Well, this thing is just a decoration."

Kurou lightly stroked the bracelet.

Blademaster Hyouka————was the Swordie's strongest swordswoman and the mentor who taught Kurou his sword skills.

To Kurou, the fact that he will become the successor wasn't really a big deal.

"Kurou, it isn't over yet. This criminal ringleader is an extremely important battle a.s.set to the Sun Cult. Since the Sun Cult intentionally sent her here, that must mean......"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Perhaps they even have a lot of acc.u.mulated treasure on them."

Kurou directed his vision to the van which still had its engine running. If only he had heard the conversation between the Sun Cult followers and the criminal ringleader, then he would have known what was stowed away in the van.

"Hey, one-million, what kind of cargo is in the van?"

"Do you think I'd give a d.a.m.n about that?"

"I suppose so."

Even if the van was stuffed with suitcases full of money, the criminal ringleader probably couldn't care less. She was a being who only showed interest in a sword fight against Swordies.

Lars slowly approached the van.

Gripping the hilt of his sword, he suddenly pulled out his sword in a surprise attack. The sword struck countless times, leaving the backdoor of the van in pieces which were carried away by the wind. Even though he was a boy, a maneuver of this caliber was still extremely simple for any Swordie.

"Goodness gracious, can't you open it through normal means?"

"You never know what might be inside......eh?"

Lars replied to Kurou's frustrated tone while gazing suspiciously at the inside of the van.

"What the heck, there's a person inside. Hey, please come out, we'll just let you go."

Lars stated something beyond expectations. It appears not only was there luggage, there seemed to be a Sun Cult follower sitting there as well. In actuality, tonight's results with just the one criminal ringleader was more than enough.

"Hey, are you listening? You wouldn't want to be slaughtered by him."

In that instant————

The back of the van overflowed with a radiant light, blocking Kurou's vision.

This was different compared to the white light rays from a Swordie's light blade. What was emitted was a glorious golden color————

"Lars!"

When Kurou yelled out, Lars had already backed off from the van by a couple of meters. Since he was a Swordie and a member of the Sabers, he was extremely agile when dealing with abnormal situations.

Kurou redirected his gaze from Lars back to the van. Because the light pouring from the van was so overwhelming, it was impossible to keep your eyes open. Despite this, having not felt any degree of heat was rather strange.

"What in the world......?"

Under the glare, Kurou saw something unbelievable.

Coming out of the blinding light was a girl.

No wait, the girl was enveloped by the rays of light————

She was about the same age as Kurou, somewhere between fifteen or sixteen years old.

She had long black hair, thoroughly pale skin, and a thin white dress.

Was she not wearing any undergarments? Those ample mounds that was her chest shook substantially with every step she took.

Furthermore, there was an awfully tacky set of handcuffs worn around those snappable looking thin hands.

The girl walked in front of Kurou without even a second thought.

"......"

The girl remained silent, extended her hands which were handcuffed, and unwaveringly stared into Kurou's eyes. Her expression never changed.

Without warning, the light vanished.

As he recovered his vision, the girl————gradually revealed a smile.

Kurou pretty much reflexively swung down with the sword he had drawn out from before.

A snapping sound was produced when the handcuffs lock got cut by the blade and was sent flying. Her arms, which now have regained their freedom, powerlessly drooped down.

"Ah......"

Just when the girl was about to say something, she trembled and collapsed. It happened so abruptly, like the severing of a thread.

Kurou instantly reacted by supporting her fallen over body. He carried her by her surprisingly skinny shoulders and hips which felt like they could be broken with the slightest impact.

What in the world was going on? What is the best course of action to take? Who is this teenage girl?

At his wit's end while holding on to the girl, Kurou was at a loss over what to do————

The Sabers' headquarters was constructed near the center of Tokyo Swordia within the Specialized Central Region.

In this center region, there were rows upon rows of towering ministry buildings and large businesses.

Situated within that area was the plainly designed ten-story building that was the Sabers' headquarters. The Sabers was established five years ago when the terrorist activities of the Sun Cult started. Since the organization had not been around for that long, unfortunately the headquarters could only be constructed in this unadorned style due to the insufficient budget a.s.signed.

A teenage figure showed up at the headquarter's entrance early in the morning. It was Kurou.

Only a few hours had pa.s.sed since battling against the criminal ringleader. After the mission was over and the report doc.u.ments were submitted, he went to a certain office in the Outer Human Region. Just when he was about to take a nap there, he was called over by headquarters.

As Kurou suppressed a yawn, he entered through the front doors.

Located in the main hall was the front desk with a female receptionist sitting idly by. There were also employees holding books while conversing and the cleaning staff tidying up.

Everyone in here was a Swordie. Not every Swordie made a living off wielding a sword. In fact, far more of them took on normal jobs instead.

Kurou, who was the only human within the building, was currently taking the elevator to the highest floor.

After Kurou stepped out of the elevator, he took a detour to the lounge before going to his destination. Inside there were numerous benches set side by side and a vending machine that dispenses drinks.

Once Kurou bought some juice from the vending machine, he stood in front of a window. All of the walls within the lounge were made into windows, allowing him to clearly see the situation outside the building. He was really fond of the scenery here.

Tokyo Swordia was established seventy years ago by the Swordies after the Great War.

The place was integrated as district 23 after the war——and was one of the eight districts of the Chiyoda ward. It was then changed once again into its current Specialized Central Region, a place that encompa.s.sed all political and economic functions.

There were also high-rise building areas within the Outer Human Region, but here the greenery was in copious amounts. It even felt like regardless where you were, there would be an obsession to grow greenery in any bit of s.p.a.ce that was present.

What could be considered as a thirst for forestation, appears to be some sort of homesickness.

The lush, beautiful, and vast world that was Swordia, was located in another world, one different from Earth. It was the homeworld of the Swordies.

It happened during the Second World War on Earth seventy years ago. At the time of the deadlock, right when each country's military strength began to dwindle————the door was opened.

Within this world, who knows how many of those ma.s.sive, bizarre doors, or portals rather, linking Earth and Swordia were opened. Swordia's ma.s.sive army rushed through with one goal in mind and that was to invade.

Following that, the Great War changed in a way that humanity could never have predicted.

For the Swordies whose main weapon was the sword, everyone thought for sure they would be instantly slaughtered by the firearm equipped infantry, tanks, battleships, and aircraft.

However————that wasn't the case.

An abnormal atmosphere arose due to the influence of the ma.s.sive portals. The earth's environment immediately turned chaotic as the skies and seas became turbulent. Not only were aircraft and battleships unable to move, each individual nation's front lines collapsed since sea, air, and ground transportation abilities were lost.

The Swordies were able to receive supplies from Swordia using their portals which spanned all over the world. Moreover, the elite Swordie troops were unfazed by this abnormal atmosphere.

What ensued was a wondrous sight————

The Swordie army achieved victory and every nation had no choice but to retreat their deployed armies.

The unthinkable had finally become a reality after the conclusion of the war. Although the reasons were quite unclear, after the Swordies claimed victory they instantly shut down all of their portals. Despite inhibiting the disruptive climate, the Swordies did lose their means of returning home.

The place that the Swordies then decided to settle on was————j.a.pan.

When Swordie troops first appeared, it was during the end of the Great War. However, in the past there would be an extremely few number of Swordies who would occasionally arrive in j.a.pan through tiny portals and a.s.sociate with the people there.

They wanted to turn this country which they were familiar with into their new homeworld.

Following that, the Swordies were successful in placing j.a.pan under their control after the country was weakened by the Great War. The Swordies then implemented a sweeping reform of the government structure and gained a foothold within the country.

Of course, it was an extremely chaotic period throughout this. The j.a.panese would revolt from time to time. There was even civil strife among the Swordies before the new government was established. However, this was quickly resolved within a short time frame————

Upon achieving dominance over the country, the Swordies added the name of their already forsaken homeworld as their capital.

That was how Tokyo Swordia came to be.

Nevertheless, these facts were quite irrelevant to Kurou who was born in a distant time period from the war.

"Alright, time to go."

He left the lounge after he finished drinking his juice. Standing in front of the door that had the "head director" office sign hanging on it, he casually knocked on the door and stepped in without even waiting for a response.

"Pardon me."

There was already a guest in the head director's office.

Kurou apparently noticed the young female member as well. While sitting in front of the director's desk by the window, she was holding on to the report records while discussing some matters.

Kurou instantly noticed something.

The woman's hand was slightly shaking as she held on to the report. A dreaded look clearly surfaced on her face and even the sword by her waist was clattering. It was truly a pitiful sight.

In addition, leaning against the director's desk was a young woman. She was the boss of the public security force, although that t.i.tle of hers didn't really match her ten year-old or so complexion. She continued to listen to the report without interrupting.

"————That's all for my report, Director."

"Very well, thank you."

The female member was startled upon hearing the director speak. She proceeded to deeply lower her head and rushed out of the room as if she was trying to escape. Moreover, she ran right past Kurou like she didn't even notice him.

"......What's going on."

"Ah, you're here Kurou-kun, please come this way."

"Alright."

Kurou replied as such and stood in front of the desk.

At this time, a huge wave of pressure a.s.saulted him.

It was as if his body was about to collapse from this sensation that seemed to be binded to his body. He was under the false perception that if this were to continue, his body would probably be crushed into pieces.

If the user was powerful, a Swordie's light could manifest in other physical forms instead of just the light blade.

The woman in front of him possessed light that had overwhelming power. The force could be felt just by standing around her. No one would blame them for being petrified in front of this female member.

Kurou gritted his teeth, stood up straight, and braced himself in face of this impalpable strength.

"You seem to have calmed down. Are you able to speak?"

Kurou lightly nodded.

Whenever anyone stood in front of the director it always turned out like this. For Kurou, as long as he readied himself he could retract the intimidation to a more manageable level.

"Anyhow, it's like people make me out to be a demonic boss considering how I cause everyone to tremble."

The director of the Sabers, Manaka, wryly smiled.

Manaka was a young woman who was twenty-four years-old.

Although the life span of a Swordie was quite similar to that of a human, they were able to delay the effects of aging since they were existences of light. There were many individuals capable of continuously maintaining a youthful appearance of around the age of twenty or so despite being already fifty years-old. Manaka looked like she was only a teenager. This was most likely due to her powerful light force.

Her long blue hair was a rare occurrence even as a Swordie. Tied on both sides of her head were two delicate and inconspicuous ribbons, which suited her quite nicely.

She was wearing the female uniform of the Sabers. It was a black shirt paired with a tight-fitting mini-skirt and a simple suit. Under the suit, her white blouse stuck out at the chest region. As it turns out, her ample bosom was quite noticeable.

A strong willpower could be felt in her green eyes, neat appearance, and her well-proportioned stature. It would be fitting to say that Manaka was a splendid beauty.

However, if you were to judge her based on her appearance it could end up to be quite catastrophic.

Among the Swordies, there exists the Seven Swords who were deemed to be the strongest sword users.

Headed by the Sword Saint, the t.i.tles of the other members were the Sword Emperor, Kingsbrand, Dragonblade, Sword General, Sword of Heaven, and Absolute Blade. The Swordies possessed these seven individuals.

Manaka was the director of the Sabers as well as the one who held the t.i.tle of the Sword General out of the Seven Swords.

The overwhelming combat strength of the Seven Swords was capable of matching an entire army. In fact, the activity displayed by the Seven Swords during the Great War was incomparable. Even until now with the Seven Swords symbolizing the Swordie race, they were also authoritative figures reigning over all swordsmen.

"That said, there wasn't really anything that needed reporting early in the morning besides that tsujigiri[1] incident from before in the Outer Human Region."

"Yeah, I heard the rumors. It appears five or six people were already murdered."

Those murdered from the tsujigiri incident were all humans, therefore the criminal was most likely a Swordie. The Sabers had to take care of this incident, which was cla.s.sified under terrorist activities. From the looks of it, they have already dispatched many female members who were highly skilled in using a sword.

"Yes, that's exactly the incident's report. However, the full story still isn't clear to me————well that seems to be it. It's really troublesome to have made no progress in the middle of a case."

Manaka stated as such. She leaned her entire body against the back of a chair and remained silent.

"......Ummm Director, was there something you needed me to do?"

Kurou reluctantly spoke. To have called over someone specifically and then not say a word, this would be quite troubling to any recipient.

"You don't need to speak in such a reserved manner. It's quite displeasing."

"Even if you say so, you are still my superior."

"No need to worry. To me, you are just the disciple of my older sister."

"......"

Kurou's master was the Sword Saint and the Sword General was her younger sister.

In other words, the sisters ascended to the pinnacle of swordsmanship. Even though they were among Swordies, it was an exceedingly rare occurrence to see such an extraordinary sister pair.

"Kurou-kun, how's the job treating you? Have you already gotten the hang of things around here?"

"Just barely. It's still the same as before, just me working individually."

Kurou nonchalantly stated.

Just a moment ago, the female member's att.i.tude exemplified Kurou's position within the Sabers.

What should be const.i.tuted as a Swordie-only public security force had a foreigner mixed in. Clearly a human, they felt awkward battling alongside someone like him, plus they were highly pretentious.

It wouldn't be wrong for Kurou to a.s.sume that all Sabers members were like this.

"Other than during a mission, no one will even talk to me except Lars."

"Well, Lars is the same. He would be perceived as unusual within this organization as well."

Manaka wryly smiled and shrugged.

"Even though it has been over a year, you still feel the same. Well, there are many Swordies with big egos around here."

Aren't you one of those Swordies too? Kurou snarkily thought to himself.

However, Manaka was also a pretty bizarre individual among the Swordies. She would have an indifferent expression in regards to her delicate position when dealing with Kurou. It was mainly due to her informal att.i.tude, not just because she was his master's sister.

"That said, it's been a year......starting from when my sister left here, a year has already pa.s.sed."

"......"

Sword Saint Hyouka————her whereabouts became unknown a year ago.

Manaka became Kurou's new guardian after the Sword Saint left. Although he was within Swordie society, a minor still needed a guardian.

Except, Kurou never easily accepted having another person being his guardian. He decided to join the Sabers with Manaka for the sake of earning money to buy food.

No matter how capable a person was, there would be many obstacles for a human entering a Swordie organization. Because the Sabers was a young organization, there was enough flexibility to let Kurou enter the team. Of course, Manaka's mediation played a huge role as well.

"Well, regardless of what's going on with my sister, if it's her, she wouldn't lose her life to any accidents or things of that nature. Aside from that, let's get right to the main issue at hand."

"There's an issue?"

Kurou had just begun to think Manaka had called him over just to converse.

"Ah right, does it have anything to do with the girl from yesterday's situation?"

"Girl? What are you talking about?"

"......You should read the report once more. Although it's a ha.s.sle, I clearly doc.u.mented it in there."

Yesterday night, a peculiar girl appeared from the Sun Cult's van.

After that, she was handed off to the other Sabers members that came over. Once the criminal ringleader was handed over as well, there was probably going to be a not so pleasant interrogation session awaiting her after she received treatment. However, the Sabers probably wouldn't do anything rash towards a defenseless girl.

"There was no way I was going to read the report that was just submitted yesterday. It's not my duty. Furthermore, I'm speaking to you as your guardian rather than as your superior. In other words, it's about your Dagger."

"The Dagger!"

The so-called Dagger was another name for a Swordie's ID. On the hilt, a special household emblem would be engraved on it. Until a Swordie was ready to a.s.sume personal responsibility, the Dagger would be entrusted to a guardian for the time being.

Out of Tokyo Swordia's ten million population, Swordies only make up ten percent of it. Although there was a degree of discrepancy among the Swordies, anyone could attain "n.o.bility". This meant an increase in various privileges with respect to status and property. The Dagger symbolized this privileged social cla.s.s.

"Kurou-kun is a Sabers member who records these incidents. Moreover, you possess the mark of being the Sword Saint's successor, something no one could have ever imagined. I would think the prerequisites for receiving the Dagger are more than fulfilled......"

"Is there still a problem then?"

Despite being a human, there was still the possibility of him obtaining a Swordie ID. Many decide to pay the huge sum of money to those who oversee the handling of Daggers at the Emblem Management Inst.i.tution, however there were exceptions.

Kurou, who displayed his mastery in swordsmanship and submitted an ID application form, was currently one of the exceptions.

"After all Kurou-kun, you haven't even received any formal compulsory education. For you to have received the basic rights of a city resident is already quite the accomplishment."

"......I suppose so."

It was pretty much a given that his master Hyouka's abilities in swordsmanship carried safeguards. Even within the Sword Saint's history, she was particularly outstanding.

However, her temperament was a bit of an issue. "Speaking of practice, we should live in seclusion deep in the mountains", she harbored these types of outdated methods. Just like that, she took her pupil away from the village and into the mountains to train. During that time, Kurou couldn't attend primary school or middle school.

"I understand where you're coming from......ultimately, this is the course of action they want me to take."

"The Emblem Management Inst.i.tution's verdict was very simple. They just want you to attain a Swordie's education."

"What!?"

"Today is April 25th. Even though the new school year has already begun, it should be no problem for the inst.i.tution to turn a blind eye towards something of this magnitude. Starting today you'll be enrolled in a Swordie academy to attain your diploma."

"......!"

"Well, that's all I have to say. Good luck!"

Looks like there won't be any room for reb.u.t.tals.

However, Kurou had always aspired to attain his Dagger.

The nation was under Swordie control, that was the reality.

If he were to continue living here, Kurou would want to live a comfortable lifestyle.

Because of this, he decided to resume life among the Swordies.

The Sword Academy————

Although it was an academy for Swordie children, it had received much praise as a higher education inst.i.tution by prestigious individuals.

Despite humans and Swordies being segregated into separate schools, the difference in their education system was quite minimal.

The Sword Academy was the equivalent of a high school in human society.

However, only those who were highly adaptable with a sword could enroll in the academy since there was more to the school than just academics.

For the sake of honing their swordsmanship, an optimal environment was created. This environment was known as the Sword Academy.

The academy was situated in the northwest section of Tokyo Swordia's Specialized Central Region, near the border to the Outer Human Region. There was a forest and numerous parks and such nearby. Plus, it was an extremely tranquil location.

The students were walking along the road to school quietly as they headed towards the school gates.

"Haa......"

Kurou sighed deeply as he arrived at the school gates.

Today he was not wearing his intimidating Sabers long coat, instead he was wearing a school uniform.

He wore a red tie at the collar of his beige suit.

Along with that, he also carried a heavy backpack filled with textbooks.

The tie hung all the way down to his waist and he also kept the scabbard to his sword suspended from his belt. However, there were no other students who carried a katana on them.

On the second day when Manaka called him over to headquarters, Kurou woke up early in the morning and hurriedly made his way to school.

Ever since yesterday, the days of fighting off terrorists were long gone. Now he was just a student. Although it was for obtaining his Dagger, to the working civilian, it did feel like a step backwards.

It was quite beyond expectations to be forced to enroll in the prestigious Sword Academy for his studies.

Even though Kurou felt he was being made a fool of by the people around him, there was no escape.

“Come on Kurou, put away that gloomy expression. Let’s get a move on.”

“......Jeez.”

Kurou couldn’t help but direct his focus onto Lars who patted him on the shoulders.

He was also the same, wearing the same Sword Academy uniform as Kurou. What was he thinking enrolling into the academy as well.

However, both of them were teenagers who would turn sixteen this year. It could be said that compared to getting in street fights every night, it would be more ordinary to go to school.

“The Sabers work wasn’t so bad, but for it to be filled with so much killing is really quite a b.u.mmer————, if we’re here, at least there are plenty of girls. You must actively look towards the future Kurou.”

The Sword Academy was the Swordies' highest educational system standard. There were many outstanding fledgling swordswomen. A female becoming a swordswoman would of course be more outstanding so the student body was practically all girls. Despite there being a small population of guys studying there, they haven’t seen a trace of their existence yet.

“You’re right......we should monopolize all the girls.”

“You’re getting way too ahead of yourself!”

Lars habitually replied with a snark remark towards Kurou’s statement which completely revealed his desires. However, this portion of the conversation was clearly heard by the girls pa.s.sing by.

The girls whispered amongst each other while coldly eyeing Kurou and Lars as they walked past them.

“Kurou, looks like we’re not really welcomed here.”

“That’s always been the case for me.”

Kurou referred to himself in this manner. It was true though, it has always been like this for him. Because of that, there was no point in minding such matters.

Moreover, it was just as Lars said, it probably felt pretty exciting to be in an environment filled with cute girls.

A commonly pa.s.sed around rumor in Tokyo Swordia was that the female students of the Sword Academy were all beautiful individuals. Although Kurou had never put in any effort to confirm this, it would seem the rumor was true.

The uniforms for the girls were the same as the guys in terms of the suit and tie. There was a discrepancy between grades though. The ties were split into three colors, red, green, and blue.

There were also some people who chose to wear a belt. However, since their swords were all kept away, none of the students carried a sword on them. It seems that even though it was a prestigious sword academy, most of the times the students would avoid carrying their sword within the school.

Kurou had visited other Swordie schools before. Seeing these otherworldly girls wear a tie to school was quite intriguing.

It was said that the other world where Swordies lived resembled medieval Europe.

The people would live in wood constructed houses and wear clothes made out of silk and linen. Their diet was comprised of bread and soup and their means of transportation consisted of walking and horseback riding. Those in the upper cla.s.s would ride in carriages.

Compared to earth, this kind of civilization lagged way behind.

However, after the Great War and gaining control of j.a.pan, the Swordies adapted to and absorbed the cultures of earth at an alarming pace. In a sense, there was no moral integrity in the way they handled things.

The Swordies now live in reinforced concrete houses and wear clothes woven from chemical fibres. Whether it was Western food, Chinese food, or sushi, they would eat it all. Of course, they now drive cars, fly planes, and shop at convenience stores as well.

The girls at the Sword Academy wore beautiful ties. Their fair, succulent thighs were moderately exposed from the miniskirt.

Ignoring the rights or wrongs of the drastic cultural changes to the Swordies for now, to Kurou, he had no reason to shun Swordie girls.

“Alright Kurou, stop gazing and let’s go. There will be countless girls for you to gaze at in the future.”

“Alright.”

Kurou nodded and walked through the school gates alongside Lars.

At the same time he offered a prayer in hopes that there will be much exhilaration awaiting him.

The cla.s.sroom was silent.

“My name is Kurou. Although I transferred into this cla.s.s at an odd time, please take good care of me.”

In front of the blackboard, Kurou did his best to maintain a smile as he greeted the other students.

“......”

There was no response. All the students within the cla.s.sroom remained quiet.

Kurou was not disheartened either. He sustained his smile and proceeded towards the designated seat the teacher a.s.signed.

How troublesome, Kurou was seated in the middle of the cla.s.sroom.

There were only girls around him. Furthermore, all the girls within his line of sight did not wish to even look in his direction. Rather, it felt as if the surrounding area was saturated with a subtle sense of tension.

Judging from the looks of it, everyone held a firm resolve to ignore Kurou.

Cla.s.s immediately started as soon as the extracurricular activities ended.

The first period was mathematics. Even though Kurou had not gone to school before, he had at least learned basic math skills and such from his master. Despite this, he lacked confidence in himself when it came to understanding any mathematics related topics.

With this kind of tense environment, how could anyone even consider going to cla.s.s.

“Haa——......”

In order to prevent anyone from hearing him sigh, he suddenly turned towards his side. Sitting alongside the window was the other male student, Lars.

Lars introduced himself in front of Kurou and the others. He did not receive any reactions either but he completely brushed that matter aside. Even right now he maintained that apathetic expression of his during this tense atmosphere as he looked out the window.

There was nothing Kurou could do about it. He could only try to bear through this sort of abnormal atmosphere.

Kurou understood that within the Sword Academy, which was comprised of many capable swordswomen, the other students would definitely not be receptive to the idea of a human being weaved in. That was because they already find Swordie men to be intolerable, yet Kurou was actually a notch lower than that————a human.

However, Kurou was already used to this type of response. He had been treated similarly while he was with the Sabers. That was why he showed hardly any interest for this current predicament.

With that said......

“Ah.”

The girl sitting in front of him dropped her eraser and the eraser bounced towards Kurou’s seat.

“Hey, you dropped your————”

The moment Kurou was about to bend over to pick up the eraser, the girl sitting in front of him moved at a blinding speed. After she swiftly picked up her eraser, she returned her attention to the blackboard as if nothing happened.

“......”

Typical of Swordie girls————from the moment she took action to her expressionless demeanor, it was all done with breakneck speed.

Although Kurou was quite accepting of things up until now, he did feel a bit crestfallen.

To be openly rejected by girls of the same age clearly vexed him a great deal.

Moreover, the Sabers female members were practically all older than Kurou. Since he held little interest in older women, he was callous towards being ignored by them.

However, his interest spiked when it came to girls around his age. Plus, the girls in his cla.s.s were all beauties. If possible, he wished to improve relations with them.

In spite of that, seeing the att.i.tude the girl sitting in front of him had, he knew his chances of improving relations were slim.

Kurou once again heaved a sigh as he pondered.

At the very least, he felt that living a type of school life where he would not be shunned was pretty much out of the question.

“Haa~Haa”

Kurou had already lost count of how many times he sighed today.

Currently it was period three, sword cla.s.s, during the first day of his transfer.

During the morning, the extracurricular activities along with period one mathematics and period two language cla.s.s all came to a stagnant end. At the end of it all, Kurou became thoroughly isolated by the girls around him.

The Swordie students wouldn’t even look him in the eye, even the teachers would only engage in formal conversations with him the entire time. Of course, the teachers were all Swordies.

All the girls would evade him as he walked along the hallways. Regardless of where he was, he always heard derisive words being spoken behind his back.

Apparently there was a large barrier between Swordies and humans.

“Oh my G.o.d.”

As for his options, he could do nothing besides bemoan to himself as such. Since the cla.s.s did not involve lectures, he figured there might be a change of pace during sword training. However, nothing exciting really came to fruition.

Sword training took place in a special cla.s.sroom that differed from a gymnasium.

The girls wore an ordinary yet easily maneuverable attire that consisted of a t-shirt along with tight purple ballet pants while the guys wore t-shirts and shorts.

“However, the equipment we use is surprisingly rough.”

Kurou calmly waved the wooden blade around.

Sword training utilized wooden blades instead of the safer bamboo blades. It was known as a wooden sword to the Swordies.

A Swordie’s physique wasn’t as hard as iron but their light reinforced bodies practically received no damage from bamboo swords. It seemed that wooden swords were incapable of delivering a fatal wound to them as well.

As a result, the students would use wooden swords in cla.s.s......

“I really wish they would step in the shoes of a human and rethink this. If I were to be struck by a heavy blow with a wooden sword I’d be dead.”

“Well, isn’t this for the sake of your goals? You can probably just endure that kind of thing for now.”

Lars, who had his wooden sword rested on his shoulders, laughed as he spoke. He was unlike Kurou. Being a Swordie, he probably would not die from an attack by a wooden sword. Because of that, he appeared to be completely carefree.

“However, having this number of people wielding swords at once is really quite a sight.”

Lars commented while looking at his surroundings.

Sword training comprised of two conjoined cla.s.ses with about sixty students in total. The teacher who was instructing everyone only occasionally stepped in. This training appeared to be just letting the students find their own mistakes while at the same time honing their own techniques. Besides Kurou and Lars, the other students found suitable sparring partners as they engaged in practice.

There was no one who feared practicing with a wooden sword. Every student gradually became well-versed in swordsmanship. This was quite understandable considering how outstanding the students who gathered at this school were.

“Hey, that kid doesn’t seem to have a sparring partner.”

“......!”

He searched left and right amongst the girls walking by. As soon as the girl realizes the person she was about to greet was Kurou, she would definitely make a lightning fast escape.

“......That’s quite hurtful of you. That being said, do you think I’d be easily thrashed by her?”

“I’m not quite sure myself. However, your situation seems to have been spread around the school.”<>