The King Colossus—the boss-class monster that had appeared during the monster disaster in Itou long ago. Its whereabouts had been unknown ever since, and so it had become little more than an urban legend.
With the dignified visage of an ancient king, he looked like a man in his later years. His features, however, were far from Japanese. His muscular body clad in armor, a majestic sword in hand—his appearance truly deserved the name of “King.” It could be said that all the other colossi existed only to serve as his retinue.
“…Terrifying. That my elite should be defeated so utterly.”
The King Colossus spoke fluent Japanese. Of course—if his subordinates could do so, there was no reason he could not. His eyes, however, pierced past Atsuage and fixed upon Inari.
“No wonder the high priest was so obsessed. That radiance… one could burn to behold it. And burn it does. I know not why such a being as you exists, but now that we stand here, there is no path but battle.”
“Beam.”
Atsuage fired his chest beam at the King Colossus, but it pierced only empty air.
“!?”
Frantically, Atsuage searched the surroundings, but the King Colossus was nowhere to be seen. Not in the sea, not on land, not in the sky. Gone. But how could such a massive body vanish?
The answer was simple—yet Atsuage could not know it. Only Isurugi and one other knew the truth: that the colossi could shrink themselves to human size. And they had never shared this knowledge.
The King Colossus, too, possessed that ability. As befitted a king, he had the skill to calculate Inari’s exact position and distance from their earlier encounter. He raced through the town streets at terrifying speed. The plan was simple—enter a building, then grow, collapsing the structure and creating an opening. Even the mightiest foe could be left vulnerable for just an instant. And an instant was all he needed.
“The path of victory bought by your sacrifices… I shall not waste it!”
At such speed, faster than human vehicles, the King Colossus barreled through a corner—colliding with something and sending it flying.
“Nuaah!?”
“Damn, a local!? Curse your ill fortune…!”
He started to run on, but a chill crept over him.
“Wait. I struck them, and yet they remain intact…?”
Impossible. Even shrunken, his strength was that of his giant form. Anyone struck at that speed should have been obliterated. And yet this one not only survived but even cried out with a foolish “Nuaah”? Nonsense. Unthinkable. Unless…
“Oof, that was quite the blow… But it seems I’ve found the one I was seeking.”
“Kogami Inari…!”
“So thou knowest me. Well, if thou art their master, it is only natural.”
She stood with Kogetsu in sword form, raised lightly. The words spilled from the King Colossus’s mouth before he could stop them.
“Why?”
“Mm?”
“Why are you here? How did you know I was here?”
“I did not.”
“D-do not mock me! Do you expect me to believe this is mere chance!?”
“Mere chance indeed.”
It was the truth. Inari had only run toward Atsuage after noticing the King Colossus’s body vanish. By coincidence, she collided with him along the way. Nothing more.
If anything, it spoke to the King Colossus’s remarkable calculation that he could so accurately track her position. And it spoke to Inari’s defense that she could take such an impact and emerge with only a “Nuaah”—where any normal awakener would have been obliterated.
“Hah… Ha-ha-ha. I can only laugh.”
The King Colossus raised his sword, facing Inari directly. That one foolish collision had erased his once-in-a-lifetime chance. Growing larger no longer held meaning. Stomping her would not kill her, and it would only make his strikes clumsier. All that remained was to channel everything into a single blow. He poured his mana into his blade, shaping it into an aura.
“Aura Blade. Let us see if even you, monster woman, can withstand this.”
“Monster, monster… you wound me, thou knowest.”
“Silence.”
“Well, be that as it may… I shall answer with something in kind.”
Inari slid her fingers along Kogetsu’s blade. It began to shine white. But before the technique could fully form, the King Colossus charged.
“This strike is mine!”
“Secret Sword: Ishikiri.”
Aura sword met blade of light. And the King Colossus’s sword was cut in two.
Inari’s strike continued through, splitting the King Colossus himself down the middle.