Devouring Angels with Demon’s Sword - Chapter 14
After finishing the delivery, I parked my bike at a lot near the high school and casually blended in with the students on their way to class.
I walked into the classroom, sat by the window, and stifled a yawn.
—
“Wow! So, after you graduate, you’re going to become a demon swordsman, Isumi-kun?!”
A loud voice suddenly jolted me out of my drowsiness.
I glanced over to see a crowd gathered in the middle of the classroom.
Ah, it’s that same old thing again.
—
“Well, it’s just that I got scouted by the association. I haven’t decided whether to accept or not yet.”
“You definitely should! If it’s you, Isumi-kun, you’ll be at the top in no time!”
The loud voice came from a sycophant, eager to flatter.
Meanwhile, the boy being praised looked quite pleased with himself.
—
Isumi Kuro.
The de facto leader of our class. You could say he’s at the top of the school’s social hierarchy.
It’s a common sight—he loves to brag loudly, so everyone can hear.
To be fair, though, he has plenty of accomplishments to boast about.
He’s a top-level kendo fighter, having won all three of the high school kendo tournaments: the Inter-High, the National Championship, and the prestigious Gyokuryuki.
In short, he’s the strongest high school kendo student in Japan.
And he only started practicing kendo after entering high school. Talk about a talent powerhouse.
…
But being scouted by the Demon Swordsman Association, huh?
What a timely topic, considering my current situation.
—
Yeah, that’s right. Only a handful of prodigies, like Isumi, can become demon swordsmen.
Ten years ago, when the Heavenly Prison first appeared, around a thousand Void Swords were discovered surrounding its perimeter.
Now that they’ve all been collected, the only way to obtain a new one is through the sporadic occurrences of Abandoned Prisons, yet these swords are essential for creating demon swordsmen.
—
Since the number of swords is extremely limited, and once a sword fuses with a host it can’t be removed until the host dies, it’s only natural that the criteria for selecting recipients would be strict.
My impression of the Demon Swordsman Association is that it’s made up of an elite group of battle-hardened fighters.
This is one of the reasons why I’ve decided to keep my own Void Sword a secret for now.
—
If someone like me, who has no achievements in martial arts or combat sports, joined such a group, what would happen?
I don’t need to think too hard about it—it’s obvious that things wouldn’t go well for me.
And realistically, it’s probably impossible to keep it hidden forever.
I have a feeling that the day will come when I’ll inevitably have to deal with the Demon Swordsman Association.
—
That’s why I need time.
Time to gain enough strength so that when I do face those rough and tough people, I can hold my own.
—
“So, the scout wanted to see my skills firsthand. They set me up with some opponents, and I just tore through them one after the other—”
“That’s amazing!”
Isumi, surrounded by his group, started recounting his tale of triumph for everyone to hear.
Honestly, that kind of straightforward, attention-seeking behavior doesn’t really bother me.
—
“…Kendo, huh?”
I pulled out my phone and opened a video site.
I typed in a few kendo-related search terms and watched some clips to kill time until class started.