Chapter 27: Takemikazuchi

Kazuya’s new weapon—an orichalcum sword—Takemikazuchi.

The sword made from orichalcum was completed in about five days.

It didn’t seem like something that could be done that quickly, but when I asked Zack about it, he boasted that this speed was only possible because he was a first-class blacksmith.

A sword made of the rare orichalcum—naturally, I asked what its name was, but Zack said it didn’t have one. Just like that, totally nonchalant.

That’s such a waste! So I decided I would name it.

I wanted to give it a name worthy of the sword Kazuya would wield.

When you think of Kazuya, you think lightning. Even in his awakened state, his sword emitted bolts of electricity.

So it had to be the name of a god connected to lightning—I got it in a flash.

Yeah, the god of thunder and swords. Perfect. It sounds strong too. This is it!

“This sword’s name is Takemikazuchi! Let’s go with that.”

“Takemikazuchi? What the heck’s that, a name?”

Zack gave me a puzzled look like he’d never heard the word before.

Can’t blame him. After all, that name belongs to an ancient god from the country I was born in—in my previous life.

“Ah—no, it’s, uh, an old name passed down by the elves. Has to do with lightning,” I said, making something up on the spot to cover for it.

The hilt, guard, and sheath of the sword were all made in collaboration by Fabio and Zack.

It’s super cool—a single-edged blade that looks razor-sharp. A real orichalcum sword.

Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d seen this shape before. It was clearly—

“Still, he’s late. If it’s Kazuya, I’d expect him to be here first thing in the morning…”

“Now that you mention it, yeah. He should’ve been bouncing around all morning going, ‘Is it ready yet, Zack!?’ or something.”

Suddenly, a chill crept over me—a bad feeling in my chest.

Once that thought struck, I couldn’t stay put any longer. I quickly got dressed and headed for the guild.

When I asked the receptionist there, I was told Kazuya had taken on an A-rank quest four days ago and hadn’t returned since.

The location wasn’t that far—just a bit more than a day’s distance. And the quest itself should’ve been no trouble for Kazuya now.

Which made it all the more strange that he hadn’t come back.

Something must have happened. My instincts were screaming it.

Sure, if he had no plans, maybe he was just taking his time. But we were making a weapon out of orichalcum! I’m here too! Kazuya should want to return quickly.

I hurried back to Zack’s smithy and explained everything. When I said I was heading out to go after Kazuya right away, Zack insisted on coming too.

I told him it was too dangerous for someone of C-rank skill like him, but he refused to back down. He said, “I can at least clear the way. Besides, I want to hand it to him myself.” He was firm.

I understood how he felt. Still, I said we needed one more person—someone who could fight at around the same level. That way we could watch each other’s backs.

That’s when Fabio made a suggestion.

“Would you take my apprentice with you? They’re about C-rank in ability.”

And so, with Zack and Clara in tow, I rushed out of the city to pursue Kazuya.

After a day and a half of travel, we arrived at the destination—off in the distance, we could see Kazuya in combat with a giant.

I quickly cast a series of spells, and managed to pull Kazuya out of danger.

Kazuya moved Zack and Clara to a safe spot, then returned.

He pulled Takemikazuchi out from the cloth wrapping, unsheathed it, and stared at the blade in surprise.

“Wait… is this… a katana?”

Kazuya looked at me. I looked back and nodded.

“It’s a shock, right? Who would’ve thought a katana could be made using Zack’s orichalcum forging methods? Even the process felt like traditional katana-making.”

The blade was 120 centimeters long. By Japanese sword classifications, it’d be called an ōdachi.

The blade of Takemikazuchi shone a bright silver, so beautiful it felt like you’d be drawn right into it.

“Let’s see… Zack said something like, ‘Unbreakable, unchippable, flexible but won’t bend, and cuts through anything.’ Right? That’s what he said. Now, Kazuya—try channeling lightning magic into Takemikazuchi.”

At my prompting, Kazuya poured lightning magic into the sword.

The blade began to glow, then crackled with electricity.

Takemikazuchi already held a vast amount of my pure magic. With Kazuya’s lightning infused into it, it responded—becoming a sword in the truest sense of the name Takemikazuchi.

“So this sword… it reacts to my magic? Takemikazuchi… this isn’t just a good sword—it’s a legendary blade. Zack and Miki made this… I really love it. Thanks, Miki!”

Kazuya and I turned back toward Typhon.

A strike from Typhon was coming—an attack using the giant sword he held.

Kazuya had already activated his body reinforcement, and now triggered his golden awakening. He swung across to intercept—and cleanly sliced Typhon’s massive blade in two.

“Man, I can’t stop grinning. Takemikazuchi’s edge is insane, and my body reinforcement feels amazing after so long—and with Miki right here next to me? I know I shouldn’t get cocky, but I don’t feel like I can lose!”

I looked at Kazuya. His cheeks were completely relaxed—he was glowing with joy.

Yeah, this is definitely one of those times.

I had to put a stop to it.

“Hey! You know what I’m talking about, right!?”

As soon as he heard that, Kazuya’s face snapped back to seriousness—but his cheeks slackened again almost immediately.

“Ah—nope. Even though I know, I can’t stop my face.”

Yup. This is bad.

Can’t be helped. Guess I’ll just have to jolt him back myself.

“Kazuya.”

I called his name, making him turn toward me.

Then I placed both palms on his cheeks and gently pulled him forward—until our foreheads touched.

Pak! Bonk!

“Get it together! This isn’t an opponent you can beat if you’re all giddy! You planning to lose again!?”

I squeezed his cheeks hard, then let go.

Kazuya stood there frozen for a second.

“…You’re right… you’re totally right! Thanks to you, I’m all clear now. You really are the best, Miki!”

He bounced back fast, smiling as he rubbed his cheeks.

Kazuya always compliments me and lifts me up… Not that I hate it, but still—not the time for that.

“Save the sweet talk for later!”

Seriously. What a handful he is.

“Geez… can’t take my eyes off you. Let’s go!”

Alright—time to resume the battle!

"So, you’re quite different from just a moment ago. Is that the power of the elf?"

Typhon said this as he tossed aside the halved sword.

"But don’t get cocky just because you managed to break my sword."

With that, Typhon increased in size. Earlier he had been around five meters tall, but now he had grown to roughly ten. For an ordinary giant, that would be their maximum size.

Then, just like that, he launched a kick. Normally, getting bigger would slow down your movements—but Typhon’s speed didn’t change. It was the same as before, but now his kick carried more than ten times the weight.

I wasn’t expecting that and reacted too slowly. I’m a mage, after all—physical reflexes aren’t my strong suit. Most of the time, I just barely manage to hold out by putting up barriers or wards.

But Kazuya scooped me into his arms and leapt away, landing us at a safe distance from Typhon.

"Miki, support me from here. I’ll handle close combat."

He said that and, without waiting for a reply, closed the distance between himself and Typhon.

Honestly, if I stayed close, I’d only get in Kazuya’s way, so this was the right call. It stung a little, but this opponent was too dangerous. If I got caught in the attack, I wouldn’t survive.

Even Kazuya couldn’t take those blows head-on—each one packed overwhelming force.

Switching mental gears, I launched explosion magic straight at Typhon’s face to assist Kazuya. The plan was to ramp up the firepower and keep firing in rapid succession to obscure Typhon’s vision with smoke and explosions.

Kazuya was slashing at his legs, but the cuts were shallow—not enough to deal serious damage. And to my surprise, Typhon’s body regenerated almost instantly. His healing was fast. Shallow wounds closed up right away.

I see—this guy's a real problem. Quick for a giant, tough skin, regenerative powers… definitely worthy of being a Demon King's executive.

As I wracked my brain on how to deal with him, Kazuya made a suggestion.

"Miki! His weakness is lightning! He regenerates, so I’m going to end it in one shot with a big move! Fire off a lightning spell in sync with me!"

So lightning is his weakness. That means Kazuya is a good match for him, isn’t he? And if we both hit him at once with lightning-based techniques and spells, we might be able to finish this in one go.

Sounds good. Yeah, very good.

But now that Kazuya has Takemikazuchi, there’s an even better option than me casting lightning magic myself.

"Got it! I’ll sync with you!"

While dodging Typhon’s attacks, Kazuya seemed to be waiting for the right moment to strike. I, meanwhile, kept firing explosion magic while locking onto the target, making sure I didn’t miss.

Typhon rarely showed an opening, but I fired a stronger explosion spell than before—and it looked like it created a small window.

"Nice!"

Kazuya shouted as he leapt, raising Takemikazuchi high above his head.

At that moment, Takemikazuchi shone brightly, crackling with electricity.

That was my cue. I fired an enormous lightning spell directly at Takemikazuchi, which I had been targeting this whole time.

It looked like a massive bolt of lightning struck Takemikazuchi.

The lightning was absorbed into the blade, and Kazuya—now in golden awakened mode—shone even more brilliantly. His physical abilities received another major boost.

This was the ability that activated when Takemikazuchi combined with the magical power I infused into it.

In this state, Kazuya’s lightning-based techniques and spells are significantly enhanced, and his body becomes even more powerful.

This would be far more effective than me casting lightning spells separately.

However, the drawback is that this state only lasts a few seconds.

That’s why we timed its activation precisely for the instant he’d go in for the kill.

"Go, Kazuya!"

"Heavenly Blade Absolute Slash! Lightning Flash Sever!!"

Kazuya shouted, and in a brilliant flash of lightning, Typhon couldn’t even react before his head was severed.

From the point of the cut, lightning surged across his entire body, incinerating it completely.

His massive frame collapsed with a heavy thud, crushing the remaining monsters beneath it.

There was no regeneration this time. The body was now just a charred, smoking hulk.

Kazuya landed, disengaging his awakened state, and stared at Takemikazuchi in a daze.

The blade was still crackling, softly glowing with residual energy.

The few surviving monsters scattered and fled, leaving only Typhon’s corpse, Kazuya, and me.

The battle was over. Kazuya had defeated one of the Demon King’s top generals.