Strongest Among the Heavens
Chapter 352: Princess Otohime’s Castle

Chapter 352: Princess Otohime’s Castle

The moat of Princess Otohime’s castle had no bridge. So Kazin stopped his sprint at rhe foot of the water and took in the breathtaking beauty of the structure. The front gate was strangely white and peace. The castle’a colour flickered between white and blue. How strange. Kazi sensed powerful magic emanating from the gate too. As well, the gate was the sole exception to the flickering colours, being a deep shade of black.

His left eye pulsed.

The water in the moat rippled with gentle grace and from it the Nure-onna stood and unfolded its full height. A black-haired woman with the body of a snake and bobbing on the moat like a guardian, it was a monster that did not seem like a monster. There was emotion in her eyes. Anger and agitation and passion. The Nure-onna’s tongue lashed at him and Kazi would block it and skid back.

The Nure-onna hissed, her forked tongue flickering out. "Intruder... you shall not pass—"

This was the future.

He would take advantage of the future. He leapt back, his white-silver sword surged with blue-yellow electricity. As he foresaw, in two seconds time, the Nure-onna emerged from the water. Slow and gradual and menacingly.

’Super Spark Strike!’

Kazi dashed forward with blinding speed.

The Nure-onna barely had time to react or hurl her tongue as Kazi zipped over. The blade connected with her neck and she screamed in agony, her body convulsing as the electric energy coursed through her.

Kazi didn’t let up.

’Not a one-hit kill. She’s tough.’

Still in the air, the world slowed, he followed through with a series of precise, electrified strikes. She could not lash out or counter. She was struck, struck, struck, until one final swing crashed into her hard skin.

The Nure-onna let out a final, pained cry and collapsed back into the moat. Kazi stood over her on tiny mana platforms, his sword still crackling with residual energy. He took a moment to catch his breath.

"Sheesh, her skin was hard. I should probably skin it for..."

Kazi stopped. The human head of the monster had turned to him. She was crying.

"Please...pleasse...don’t kill the Princess....don’t kill my friennnd..."

She sniffed, she cried, and the Nure-onna died. Kazi stared down at her lifeless body. It drifted in the moat.

"...what am I doing?"

What was he doing? Why was he dropping in the water, picking up this monster’s corpse and putting it into a grave? Why did he waste a minute of time?

Why? Why?

He didn’t know. He tried not to think about it. He checked his sword which had done the digging incredibly fast. It was wide and too white to be of normal steel. There was definitely magic involved. He turned his attention back to the black castle gates.

Kazi walked up to the gate via tiny platforms. By touching it with a hand, he felt resistance. This resistance was spread to the whole castle but it was this gate that started it all. The origin.

He could feel the barrier’s power. Ordinarily, it would take an army to topple over this gate. But Kazi was no ordinary intruder. He was a one-man army.

Summoning his mana, Kazi channeled his magic into a concentrated burst. The mana platforms underneath his feet needed to thick to compensate. Mastered Flow of Mana was strengthening Super Spark Strike

With a single thrust, the black gate punctured. As expected, when he jumped through, dispersed floating symbols rained. They had been attached to the backside of the gate.

"Here we are," Kazi said.

The castle’s inside was divided into three pathways. Everything was either white or blue and as magnificent as the outside. It smelled like the sea and the sound of waves somehow echoed through the halls. Among the pathways laid out in front of him, four on the first floor and four on the second floor, he went for the furthest right on the second floor.

’I sense strong magic from there.’

Kazi moved quickly, his footsteps barely making a sound on the polished floor. If someone was aware he was here, they likely wouldn’t know where unless they had CCTV or a psychic ball. This castle was huge with countless rooms and areas, so to suddenly hear singing caught him off guard.

’Music?’ Kazi did not stop but did spread his senses thin. ’That’s...a koto.’

Someone was singing. The Princess was singing. He stopped to listen. The distant, haunting melody of a koto being played somewhere within the depths of the castle was his only guidance. No footprints were left behind by the army.

’Must be magic.’

So he ran and ran and followed after it until he found i: a huge set of double doors with what appeared to be the same symbols that protected the black gate. Double-doors that were closely guarded by two young men.

Kazi’s eyes widened and a smile spread across his face.

"Well, well, well." Kazi actually stopped to address them. "Akihiko, Kenzo. It’s been a while."

The two Japanese teenagers were dressed in traditional warrior attire that he had not seen among any of the army players. This was the best armour Princess Ototimhe had to offer to her otherworld protectors. Dark chest pieces called haramaki and gauntlets too. There was Akihiko with a katana that was astonishingly long.

Beside him was Kenzo, taller and skinnier, with a quiet, contemplative look in him. His dark hair fell in straight locks that partially obscured his eyes. He wore the same armour except in a shade of dark green rather than blue. He wielded a polished, wooden staff instead of a katana.

The two exchanged looks. No surprise, only smirks. Akihiko spoke up. "We figured you would be here first. We talked extensively about you."

’Ha. Of course.’

Knowing his luck, Kazi figured the two Japanese teens were on the enemy side; and if they were there, that meant they discussed on how to deal with him. The others probably didn’t believe that there was a player like Kazi Hossain. The princess must have believed it.

Seeing him here so early in the battle, the Japanese teens felt vindicated. They were right about him. Kazi was the first here. He was...

"We’re not stupid. We remembered the way you beat those monsters. We noticed how much you held back during Gate 17," Akihiko said. "You’re probably the strongest player right now."

"We intend to make you go all-out," the quiet Kenzo declared.

Wielding A-class weapons, their threats were not empty. Kazi smiled. He had never found fighting to be fun, and yet...right now, a tiny thrill crept up his wrist. He wanted to fight them. He wanted to have fun.

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