This is a more despairing difference in strength than in the matches before with Mirack and Kyouka, or the match with Celestis and Sarasa.

“As I thought, the young Sasae-chan still hasn’t grown enough to challenge her Senpai?” (Haine)

“That be it too, but there be another reason why Sasae can’t win.” (Oba-san)

“Hm?” (Haine)

The words of the Oba-san drew my interest.

“What do you mean by that? Is there another point that’s pushing Sasae-chan into a disadvantage?” (Haine)

“That…just wait fer a bit. This little boy crapped. Have ta change diapers.” (Oba-san)

Eeeeeh?!

In the time the Oba-san had begun to change her great-grandchild’s diapers right in the middle of the battle stage, the life-or-death exchange of attacks continued.

The trait of the third match is that both heroes are violently moving around.

At the previous matches, it was a clash between the fire or the water divine powers respectively, but these earth heroes were going fiercely with physical combat.

This could be called a fighting style of the earth heroes that utilizes the earth divine power’s trait of controlling the body.

“Heave~Hoo~Heave~Hoo-dasu!” (Sasae)

“How pathetic~. Ya already losing breath? That be why they say that Golem users lack training, ya know?” (Yoneko)

Golem user?

“That’s right. That be the biggest difference between Yoneko and Sasae.” (Oba-san)

Oba-san, who seems to have finished changing diapers, was holding her great-grandchild between her arms.

“Just recently, we were in an inseparable relationship with the Golems. Ya also know that, don’t ya?” (Oba-san)

Well, yeah…

The Earth capital Ishtar Blaze had a strange cohabitation between humans and monsters called Golems.

The earth giants that were being birthed by the Earth Mother Monster, Grandma Wood, helped out humans, worked for humans, and were loved by many.

“For the earth hero that protects Ishtar Blaze, Golems be by no means existences they could ignore. After all, that big body and power, they be perfect to leave fer battle-sa ne. That be why the successive generations of earth heroes relied on Golems and fought together with ‘em.” (Oba-san)

Now that she mentions it, I wasn’t there myself, but I heard that Sasae-chan had controlled three Golems at Apollon City, and were overwhelming Karen-san and the others -a total of three heroes.

“In the Earth Church, they began to search fer a hero that had the highest competency in controlling Golems. A good earth hero also means to be a good Golem user-sa.” (Oba-san)

“Then, you were also in your time…” (Haine)

“No. In mah active days, the use of Golems in battle still haven’t gone that far, ya see. It be all about using one scythe to deal with all.” (Oba-san)

The scythe technique of the Oba-san, which I could only see in display for only a moment, was overwhelming after all.

In the time she was young, she utilized that young body of hers to deliver a severing hell huh.

“And so…Yoneko be also the same.” (Oba-san)

“Wa?”

“Yoneko be a rare case in this times. She was an earth hero that didn’t rely on Golems and specialized in physical combat. If Sasae’s type be called a Golem user, then Yoneko be a scythe user.” (Oba-san)

Hearing that answer, the information in my head overlapped perfectly.

The reason why Sasae-chan is at a disadvantage.

It’s not only because of the difference in experience and height.

Sasae-chan has been fighting together with the Golems and has become knowledgeable of their use. That girl is now using a single scythe without Golems at her side, and is fighting against Yoneko-san who is an expert at that type of combat.

That is exactly the disadvantage in this battle; the real reason for it!

After finishing another violent exchange of attacks, the two glare at each other.

“Sasae-chan, yer truly a useless child~. Relying all the time on yer Golems, yer ability with the scythe is practically as if ya haven’t learned how to use it at all. Can’t be helped. I am yer big sister here, so I will be teaching ya for a bit, okay~?” (Yoneko)

The earth scythe Magdala shines with a vicious light.

“Ya know, sickles be originally farming tools~. Waiting for the crops to ripen, ya reap the head that be coming out of the ground. It be a tool that’s made in order to cut as closest to the root as possible. That’s why, at the times when it be used as tools to kill, cutting as close to the ground be easier. I have been doing it just like that all the time. That’s why mah name ended up being ‘Leg Hunter’, ya know~?” (Yoneko)

Saying so, Yoneko-san separated her legs widely and lowered her body, like the posture of a cat that was about to jump onto its prey.

With her left hand, she rolls up her right arm’s sleeve. The thin arm that was now in view was like a white snake biting onto a scythe.

The fighting stance of Yoneko-san that she showed in the team battle.

“Listen well. When yer going ta cut yer opponent, ya have ta open yer legs wide, okay~? To a point where ya can see yer face in the puddles of the rice fields. A good posture ta hunt legs. And from there…!!” (Yoneko)

The wind lets out a scream.

The distance between the two was closed in an instant.

“Uwa-dasu!” (Sasae)

Sasae-chan quickly reacted and stopped it with her earth scythe. It also means that she had no leeway to even evade it, but the earth scythe and earth scythe scrape against each other as they release sparks.

“Dasuuuu!!” (Sasae)

Sasae-chan used all her strength to somehow manage to deflect the blade.

And then…

*Slash*

Stone blocks of the battle stage had been cut into two.

“Geeeeh?!” (Sasae)

“This is…!!” (Haine)

A gap that ran deep and far in length.

The blade that Sasae-chan diverted had left a remain like that deep on the floor.

We are at the moving city, Rudras Metropolis. Below us, there’s a giant ethereal machine construction.

The speaker soon sounded and a report came in. Fortunately, there were no casualties, and it seems that there was no damages with the Rudras Metropolis’ mechanism.

But that blade cut apparently ran all the way down the 15th underground floor.

“Ara, can’t do. It has been a long while, so I ended up overdoing it~. Next time, I gotta be careful and just aim to cut off yer legs. A good sickle can properly cut apart weeds and crops; and a good scythe can properly cut down legs and their owner after all~.” (Yoneko)

• 201: Loving Golems

Sasae-chan was in dire straits.

I -Kourin Karen- was watching this in worry along with my friends.

“Ah geez! What is Sasae-chi doing?! I didn’t ask for a battle that is this bad for the heart!!” (Celestis)

“Blade attacks that, just by receiving one, it will be the end; and she is being continuously attacked by those kind of attacks without leaving a chance to breathe. She is currently managing to evade them all, but honestly speaking, it is a situation where it wouldn’t be strange for it to end anytime soon.” (Mirack)

Mirack-chan and Celestis-chan, who had already finished their fights in a victory, were drawing cold sweat at the terrible situation before their eyes –as if they were the ones in it.

“A physical combat specialist and a Golem user; I knew that the earth heroes of successive generations were divided in two, but then, why is Sasae-dono not using Golems? She is already fighting an opponent whose skills are above hers. If she fights against her on her specialty, there’s no way she would have a chance of winning!” (Hyue)

Hyue-chan had a plausible question and everyone else agreed.

“That’s right! Sasae-chi should just use the Golems to drag it into her own territory!” (Celestis)

“Because of the age, Sasae is seen as the weakest one in our group, but if we were to add Golems to the equation, that view is completely wrong. In Apollon City, she actually fought on equal grounds against Karen, Celestis, and me at the same time.” (Mirack)

If she were to use the Golems, Yoneko-san wouldn’t be an impossible opponent to defeat.

But…

“Sasae-chan won’t use the Golems. She absolutely won’t.” (Karen)

My words gathered the attention of the other three.

“Eh? Why?” (Celestis)

“Now that you mention it, in the Rudras Metropolis fight before, Sasae didn’t show any signs of utilizing Golems.” (Mirack)

I speak out the words that Sasae-chan herself told me before.

“Golems were born from the Earth Mother Monster, Grandma Wood, right? But that Grandma Wood was erased by Haine-san. Golems won’t be born anew anymore and the ones remaining are all that’s left. They won’t be increasing in the future, and they will decrease in number as time goes, and in a few decades, they will be gone, she said.” (Karen)

“Well, yeah…” (Celestis)

“It was indeed that kind of situation.” (Mirack)

That’s why Sasae-chan decided on this.

She won’t be using Golems to fight anymore.

The number of Golems is already limited and they are only going to continue decreasing. By pushing them to the frontlines of battle, it will only accelerate the decrease even more.

Fighting will make them stand at the front of blades, damage them, and degrade them.

“…Sasae-chan said that Golems have a more important role.” (Karen)

‘Golems be necessary to rebuild the Ishtar Blaze that has been destroyed by the incident of Great Pillar-sama-dasu! Smoothin’ the jagged ground and rebuilding the houses-dasu!’

‘Using the Golems in battle when they have that duty would not be good-dasu! Golems won’t be born anymore, so the numbers be limited-dasu!’

‘Of course, if monsters attack, there be the need ta protect the people-dasu. But, in those moments, I have ta protect the people on my own-dasu! Because I be the hero after all!’

‘Heroes are there ta protect the people-dasu! It be no good if I be protected by the Golems! It would have been okay if the times still be when Golems were born one after the other, but it already be different from before-dasu!’

‘The heroes that have the power ta protect ‘emselves, have ta manage something by ‘emselves-dasu! And the Golems will help the people of Ishtar Blaze with that share! The Golems that protect the people will be protected by me. That be my duty as a hero-dasu!’

That’s why Sasae-chan stopped using Golems for battle.

And so, she began learning the way to use her earth scythe from square one under the tutelage of the Earth Founder Oba-san, learned from Yorishiro-sama, and is beginning to obtain her own style.

“Sasae-chi…she looked like an idiot, but was actually thinking properly…” (Celestis)

“When she returns, let’s hug her and praise her a lot!” (Mirack)

“I thought she was just a kid, but she was actually a splendid little girl!” (Hyue)

Everyone was moved.

Sasae-chan…from a hero that was protected by Golems, you have now begun to aim at being a hero that protects those Golems.

Your fight today with Yoneko-san will no doubt become an important trial for you.

A super-specialized physical combat earth hero that doesn’t rely on Golems.

Win or lose, that experience will become something meaningful.

But in order to even obtain that, she has to fight with her all without hesitation.

***

And so, Kuromiya Haine at site.

The conclusion felt like it was already visible.

Sasae-chan was evading the blade by a hair’s breadth everytime, and all the attacks that she didn’t manage to completely evade had taken a piece of skin along.

Those kind of cuts had accumulated, and as of now, she was filled with cuts all over.

Blood was flowing, and the blood loss was draining away her stamina.

“Your speed ain’t keeping up at all~. Do ya know why?” (Yoneko)

Compared to that, Yoneko-san who didn’t have a single scratch spoke.

“Your earth scythe Seeta is way too big for a single human to utilize~. It be created with the intention of having a Golem swing it around after all~. There be way too much difference in comparison to mah scythe that be made for human use~.” (Yoneko)

It is true that the scythe of Sasae-chan is way too big, therefore, her moves end up being way too wide. She can’t surpass Yoneko-san who is using a size fit for her at the shortest distance possible and at the fastest of speeds.

By the time Sasae-chan attacks, Yoneko-san’s attack has already finished and she has already fallen back to a safe distance.

“Are ya not gonna use Golems, Sasae-chan? I be looking forward to that today, so I requested my husband to look after the oldest child, and Sobo-chan to look after the youngest one, and yet…” (Yoneko)

“I won’t be using Golems anymore-dasu!” (Sasae)

Sasae-chan declares as if tackling back.

“Golems are ta be used for the sake of the people of Ishtar Blaze-dasu! The heroes can’t interfere with that-dasu!” (Sasae)

“…I see.” (Yoneko)

There was a sound of something falling on the floor.

Something had fallen from inside the clothes of Yoneko-san. It looked like bricks; hard rectangular-shaped things.

“That’s…!!” (Sasae)

Sasae-chan was surprised at the sight of those numerous bricks.

“Life Blocks! Ain’t those Golem cores-dasu ka?! Why?!” (Sasae)

“I got ‘em from Sobo-chan as a condition to enter today’s battle~. Sasae-chan, if ya ain’t gonna use ‘em, I will be using ‘em, okay~?” (Yoneko)

The Life Block gathered the rubble from the floor and was forming a giant body. It was a familiar Golem creation scene.

“That be unexpected-dasu! Even in the active days of Yoneko-neechan, ya never used Golems ta fight, didn’t ya?!” (Sasae)

“I wanted ta try it at least once~, this kind of fighting style.” (Yoneko)

Yoneko-san once again lunges towards Sasae-chan with a posture that resembles that of a wild cat, however, at its trajectory, there was one Golem that had finished forming.

Sasae-chan, the Golem, and Yoneko-san were lined up in a straight line.

At that positioning, the Golem would be in the way and Yoneko-san shouldn’t be able to attack Sasae-chan.

But contrary to expectations…!

*Slash!*

Yoneko-san had cut down the Golem with her scythe.

“Wa?!” (Haine)

“What-dasu?!” (Sasae)

Yoneko-san approaches Sasae-chan as she pushed pushed aside that opening she sliced open. Because the vision was blocked by the Golem, Sasae-chan’s reaction was late and, even when she retreated, she received a deeper wound than before.

“Gyaa!!” (Sasae)

And then, the Golem that was cut down must have been cut along with its Life Block.

It crumbled and turned back into rubble.

“Yoneko-neechan! Just what have ya done-dasu!” (Sasae)

Sasae-chan shouted at the crushed Golem rather than her own injury.

“Great Pillar-sama be gone and no new Golems will be born-dasu! They be important-dasu yo! And ta use them in such an unreasonable way, no matter if it be Yoneko-neechan, I can’t forgive that-dasu!” (Sasae)

I have never seen Sasae-chan this angered before, but Yoneko-san received that with calm and composure. Or more like, I could even feel eeriness from it.

“That be something natural for me, ya know~. If it be important, more the reason ta destroy it~.” (Yoneko)

“Wa?!” (Sasae)

“Why do ya think I became a scythe user hero? ‘Why didn’t I use Golems when they prospered?’, the answer be simple~!!” (Yoneko)

Yoneko-san laughed in an eerie way that couldn’t get anymore ominous.

“Because I hate Golems to the core~. That be why I want to erase them from this world as fast as possible!” (Yoneko)