새벽녘의 사수 슌란/5권

Chapter 5: Sayu's Fight
Chunlan followed Sayu's pointed finger toward a cliff that towered behind the Oni to see a man.
'Special delivery, Sayu! Your BFF has ARRIVED!'
'There's that annoying-as-crap voice!'
As the Oni's attention turned to the source of this new voice echoing through the mountain, the young man leaped from his place, the sun eclipsing his body with stark shadows that made it impossible to see his face. Chunlan could see he was taller and leaner than him and dressed in all furs—the hooded part further covering its wearer's face—but that was all he could surmise of him.
Well, Chunlan supposed he could surmise one other thing: he knew how to fight.
The Oni snarled as he formed a disc-shaped buckler of stone to fend off the oncoming dropkick. 'Another damned mouse has come to nibble at my toes. Come all you like—the number makes no difference to me!'
The young man, however, simply used this shield as a stepping stone to spring himself into the air a second time.
'Your back's wide open, scribble face!'
First twisting into the air, he then landed behind the Oni and launched a flurry of punches at the towering sun-reddened back before him. The speed of these attacks made it feel as though his fists had multiplied to deliver a veritable storm of strikes.
'A fine effort, but it's nowhere near enough!' The onslaught pushed the Oni back to a stagger at most; he immediately straightened and kicked off the ground, soaring away and summoning a rock wall to cover his retreat. The young man halted in turn, jumping backward to put yet more distance between them.
'You just had to make a dramatic entrance, didn't you, Dau?' Sayu chided with a smirk.
'No way!' Complete coincidence that I showed up just in the nick of time!' Dau answered while dodging a counterattack from the Oni, showing them an unperturbed smile as he did so. He then added: 'I will say, though, I'm glad I showed up when I did. Got to see somethin' VERY interesting!'
Chunlan had no trouble guessing to what he was referring; it was the idea of using their villain's rock walls to stab in his blind sports, just as he had done with his nagasa. As Sayu put it, these earthern walls were not the 'perfect defense' they were made out to be on the surface.
But Dau had also noticed something else. 'And I don't just mean the blind sports you were exploiting. I mean that those walls don't just come out instinctively when he needs 'em!'
'Yeah! If we take advantage of that, he's as good as done!' exclaimed Sayu. She then whistled, turning her relative's attention toward her as she made some sort of shorthand signal. The young man's hood bent forward as he nodded in turn, and then immediately, he began launching sporadically timed attacks to demand the Oni's attention.
'It's almost like you two share one mind,' Chunlan observed. 'Guess he was worth meeting up with after all.'
'Tell me about it,' she agreed. 'Okay, Chunlan. Let's move out!'
Sayu guided Chunlan to a nearby hill that overlooked a snow-covered slope. Atop this was a giant lump of ice balanced uncertainly, with an avalance's worth of snow built up behind it as the frozen shape snatched the moisture from the air surrounding it.
Dau intended to slowly lead the Oni to this very slope. Chunlan questioned this plan with a raised eyebrow. 'I get the plan, but he's not stupid enough to fall for such an obvious trap, is he?'
She returned the question with a cheeky smile and held up the cylindrical trinket to his face to answer his question. 'No sense in me hiding what it can do you now. I'm going to go get things ready—you just wait for my signal. You'll know exactly where to shoot.'
'I'm sure I will.'

Chunlan looked through his binoculars at the point Sayu implied, then put them down and muttered to himself what an abomination this was as a man of the mountain while fixing the scope of his muzzleloader. At the same time, Dau continued drawing the Oni in to their desired point in a merry chase consisting of attacking and retreating, attacking and retreating again.
'I admire the way you so desperately cling to life, mouse.' the Oni growled, swinging his stony fist with a winning man's wild energy. It appeared he hadn't noticed his prey was intentionally leading him elsewhere. 'But I grow tired of playing with you. Oblivion will suit you well—now come here!'
Impatience building, he wrapped a massive wealth of stone around his hand and let loose a single punch filled with a murderous intent unlike any of the previous. A direct hit from such a blow would have been more than any human body could bear.
Yet in the next instant, the Oni's tattooed face twisted with perplexity. His tightened fist was not, as he expected, wrapped by a corpse, but rather swathed in the fur the young man had been wearing.
'We call that 'molting.' See? I got some tricks up my sleeve, too!' Having shed his fur garment, Dau flipped through the air, a provoking smirk on his now-revealed face—a handsome one with close-cropped, dark blue hair. Well kempt though he certainly was, there was no doubting the wild air that accompanied it. His every gesture was lithe, feral, and free.
'Continue this game with your scampering all you like,' the Oni snarled. 'By the end of it, you'll still be smeared across this mountain!'
He aimed his strike toward the ground. Controlling the fragments of stone that rose from it, he slung them toward Dau, bathing the young man in a merciless storm of shrapnel. Dau continued to move backward despite being pelted from head to toe, his movements keeping the damage done to a minimum as he maintained a safe distance between himself and his oncoming foe.
This gap was, in fact, one of the signals to his two allies that the Oni had arrived at the right spot for a full-on assault. Now fully engrossed by the shift in Dau's tactics, the Oni had no time to wonder about the three bolts from a crossbow that flew over his head in the moment.
'Chunlan!'
'Ready!' Chunlan replied to Sayu.
His weapon's scope was fixed on a small chunk of ice with frozen stalactite hanging from its belly. Mere seconds later, fire spat from Chunlan's muzzleloader, the bullet biting into this most vulnerable chunk. The point destroyed, the weight it supported was now too much to bear, forcing a massive mound of ice to begin collapsing inward on itself as it threatened to hurtle down the slope.
As if to follow the lead of the crumbling ice, a range of snow covering the face of the slope followed. No simple landslide would have been a threat to the Oni and his wealth of experience, but this mighty force would be like a beast the size of the mountain itself shedding its wintry coat.
Chunlan could see light dancing through the fog at places along the incline—the three exact locations where Sayu had shot her bolts. The slope began to tremble with greater force.
The moment the light and fog given off by the bolts faded, the earth truly awakened with a terrifying moan. The ice and snow at the top of the slope, now fully collapsed, then rumbled down the mountain with a speed in which nothing could escape.
'Hah!' the Oni cried with amusement. 'An interesting gambit! But you'll—'
The monster of a man had no time for retorts—yet he realized this too late. Before he could finish his sentence, the avalanche had rushed downward to swallow his legs, the buildup around him increasing at far too great a speed for him to summon a new wall of stone to protect him. Cold, wholly violent waves continued to crash into him, engulfing his form until even his vibrant tattoos were buried beneath this silvery-white drifts.
By the end of it, he had been completely entombed beneath ice and snow.
'Did we get him?' Chunlan called out.
Sayu shook her head. 'I doubt that'll kill a guy like him, but I don't think he'll be getting out anytime soon.'
'Great. Too immortal even for an avalanche... But just how did you manage to pull off one of that size?' He was still in awe of just what they had accomplished with a few bolts and a bullet, but the cause versus the effect was still on a seemingly inconceivable scale.
'I adjusted the moisture along the slope and made conditions ideal for the snow to slide,' answered Sayu as she removed the trinket from a custom slot in her crossbow, returning it to around her neck. Each bolt sent had been infused with a kind of energy from it before being fired—and Chunlan now realized they retained this connective energy even after being fired off a good distance away.
'So that little cylinder was the key, huh? Figures,' Chunlan muttered. 'The Oni was after it, too—but even still, I can't believe it has the power to adjust the moisture of the whole face.'
Chunlan's need for answers was now at its peak. If there was some kind of paranormal event behind it all, perhaps understanding it would help him learn more about the mysterious origins behind Raiju.
'Atta girl, Sayu! Your plan got him in one! You're good, though, right? Not hurt anywhere?' Dau hurried over to the two of them, rattling off the questions and commentary once close enough through a chomped leaf that stuck out of his mouth. His hair may have been a different color from his relative's, but their clothing had similar patterns, and their sun-tanned skin held the same natural shade. He, however, had opted to paint over his in a way that very much stood out.
'I'm fine. I was more worried about you, Dau. Just where were you?'
'Sorry about that,' he replied with a humble smile. 'I'd actually stopped by a village near here to gather some info first. Some luck, though, huh? First some wolves were running wild, then the Oni showed up...but they should be behind us now. Still...'
Sau took Sayu by the shoulders, enfolding her securely in his arms as he fixed Chunlan with his gaze. 'You a local? A hunter, maybe? Thanks for helping Sayu.'
'I should be the one saying thanks,' Chunlan replied. You're...Dau, I think it was. You're Sayu's, what, brother?'
'Close enough. We're technically cousins, but we may as well be brother and sister. And you might've heard of me—'Tornado Dau' ring a bell?'
'It sure doesn't, but it's a pleasure,' Chunlan offered his hand, which Dau took. Dau's other hand was off the side with Sayu, preventing this stranger he only just met from getting too close to her.
Chunlan followed up. 'Well, I've got an awful lot of questions after all this, but we can save that for once we're not outside. The weather's only going to get worse tonight.'
He then looked up at the sky, watching as the wind carried clouds of snow. To him, it said the spirits of the mountain had seen the whole affair, and they were in a frightful rage for it.
To Be Continued

第５回　サユの闘い
「頼りになる家族……？」
サユの指し示した、《鬼》の背後に聳(そび)える崖。
その上に、彼の影は立っていた。
　　「待たせたなサユ！　頼もしき兄貴、ここに見参だぜ！」
　　「その腹立たしい声は……！」
影は良く響く甲高い青年の声で《鬼》の注意を引くと同時に、崖を蹴っていた。
崖からひらりと跳躍する影を沈みかけた太陽が照らし出す。獣の毛皮を被った、シュンランよりも長身の青年であった。フード状になった毛皮の頭部分を深く被っている事と、既に辺りが暗くなりつつある事からその顔は伺い知る事はできない。しかし、《鬼》の頭上に躍りかかる身のこなしだけでも、彼の実力は疑いようが無かった。
　　　「しつこい山猿の青年か。いつにも増して小癪(こしゃく)な……！」
《鬼》は自身に向けて放たれたドロップキックを、岩で作った円盤状の小楯で受け止める。しかし青年は、その岩の盾を足場として空中で再び跳躍した。
　　「背中が空いてるぜ、ヘンテコ刺青(いれずみ)野郎！」
そして宙で身を翻し《鬼》の背後に降り立った青年は、目の前に聳える壁の如き赤い背中に連続パンチを打ち込んだ。拳が分け身をしたかの如き打撃の嵐が吹き荒れる。
　　　「やりおる……だがまだ甘いわ！」
背後からの絶え間無き打撃を受けた《鬼》は大きくよろめくも、すぐさま地面を蹴り、真後ろにも岩壁を形成した。青年は拳撃を中断し、バックステップで間合いを取る。
　　「ダウ兄……見計らってた？」
　　「いやいや、偶然さ。ようやく見つけたところだぜ……っと！」
サユがダウ兄と呼んだその青年は《鬼》の反撃を軽やかに躱しつつ、余裕の色を顔に浮かべて見せる。
　　　「だが、お陰で良い所で来れたのも事実だ。
さっきの戦いで良いモノが見れたんでな」
彼の言う「良いモノ」が何を意味するか、シュンランはすぐ察した。敢えて岩の盾を作らせて、死角を突く。シュンランが山刀(ナガサ)を使った時と同じだ。サユの「防御が絶対ではない」という言葉の意味。それは――
　　　「……奴の岩壁は死角があるだけじゃない。
　状況に応じて勝手に発動する訳でもないって事か」
　　「そう、そこに勝機があるはず……！」
サユはすくっと立ち上がり、指笛でダウなる青年を振り向かせる。そして何やら短いハンドサインを彼に送った。
青年がフードの中で強く頷く様子が見える。そして彼は間もなく、《鬼》を引き付けるべく散発的な攻撃を始めた。
　　　「まさしく以心伝心だな、確かに頼もしい」
　　「ダウ兄には何かと色々付き合ってもらってきたから。
さ、シュンランも行くよ」
サユはシュンランをある場所に誘う。向かう先は、ある雪に覆われた急斜面を見渡せる高台であった。斜面の上には、危うい安定性の上に屹立する氷塊があった。さらに上からの雪崩がもたらした雪の塊が水を吸って形成されたものだろう。そして青年は、《鬼》をかの斜面に誘導しようとしている。
　　「……なるほど、察しはついた。だが――」
　　「そう簡単には誘発させられない、だね……？」
シュンランが合点すると同時に抱いた懸念に対し、動きこそ小さいながらも得意げな笑みを返すサユ。手にした筒はシュンランに見せつけるかのように顔の前に掲げられていた。
　　　「またその筒か……」
　　「まあ……もう隠しても意味無いしね。
わたしは“下準備”をする。
シュンランはわたしの合図に合わせて“あれ”を撃って」　「“あれ”ね……今は信じよう」
　双眼鏡でサユの指し示したものを確認したシュンランは、邪道だが、と呟きつつも、その愛銃にスコープを装着した。
一方、ダウと呼ばれた青年は《鬼》を相手に一進一退の攻防を繰り広げながらも、着実に《鬼》を斜面の下に誘導しつつあった。
　　　「さっさと楽になれば良いものを。
諦めの悪さだけは見上げたものだ、山猿共めが」
《鬼》は勝ち誇ったように岩の拳を振るう。明らかに相手が意図あって後退している事に勘付いていなかった。
　　　「いい加減、貴様の相手は飽きた。終わりだ……フンッ！」　
しかし同時に苛立ちを見せ始めた《鬼》は一際重厚な岩の手甲をその手に纏う。そして、他の追従を許さぬ殺意に満ちた一撃を放った。直撃すれば人体の耐久限界を容易く超えるだろう。
だが、刺青に覆われた貌(かお)は拍子抜けしたように歪んだ。《鬼》の拳……そこに青年の屍は無かった。毛皮のみが纏わりついていた。
　　　「空蝉(うつせみ)ってヤツだ、この程度の手品ならおれにも出来るぜ！
驚いたかい、奇天烈(きてれつ)カリアゲ野郎！」
毛皮を脱ぎ捨て、宙を舞う青年――ダウはその露わになった顔に、挑発的な笑みを浮かべていた。濃紺色の角刈が様になった、面長で端正ながら野性的な容貌だ。彼の身のこなしや蛮勇さへの、ある種の説得力をも内包している。
　　「なるほど。山猿とて愉しめる程度の知恵はつけたか。
なら望み通り遊び、そして屠るのみよ！」
　《鬼》は次なる一撃を地面に打ち込む。舞い上がった石の破片を操り、ダウに無慈悲なる石飛礫(いしつぶて)を浴びせかける。だが、ダウもそれを全身に受けながらもさらなる後退によってそのダメージを軽減させた。同時に更なる《鬼》との間合いを確保する。
そしてそれは、《鬼》が然るべきところに誘導された合図の一つでもあった。
――ダウの戦い方の変容に気を引かれていた《鬼》はこの時、何気に自らの頭上を通過した三本の矢が何を意味するか、考える余地も無かった。
　　　「……シュンラン！」
　　「準備万端……！」
スコープの中央に捉えたもの――氷塊を支える土台部分とも言える、氷柱を含んだ小規模の氷塊。猟銃が炎と共に吐き出した弾丸は、その最も脆弱な側面部に喰らいつく。正確に弱点を撃ち抜かれた氷塊は、自らが支える大氷塊の質量に押し潰され、文字通りに粉砕された。
そして基部を失い自重を支えられなくなった巨大氷塊は、自己を崩壊させながら斜面を転げ落ちる。斜面を覆っていた雪の一部は、追従するように巻き込まれ、流れ落ちた。
本来ならこの程度の崩落が《鬼》の脅威になるはずも無い。だが、それは今まさに雪山の怪物に脱皮しようとしていた。　
雪に覆われた斜面の数ヶ所から光と霧が放たれていた。その起点は、まさしくサユが事前に打ち込んでいた三本の矢の着弾地点だ。
「滑って……！」
矢から放出される光と霧が絶えた刹那、大地が震える。まるで地の龍が目覚めたかのように。しかし実際に目覚めたのはこの山における脅威の象徴が一つ――雪崩であった。
小規模な雪滑りを起こしていたその山肌が、一瞬にして斜面を覆う全ての雪を同時に振るい落としたのだ。
　　　「く……何たる搦め手ッ！　だが――」
《鬼》は雪崩の正体を察するも、時すでに遅し。彼の足は雪の暴流に捕らわれていた。深さを増す白い奔流の中に在っては、《鬼》と言えど自慢の岩壁を作る事も叶わない。容赦なく襲い来る冷たい暴力が《鬼》を呑む。やがてその禍々しい刺青も白銀に覆われ、彼は外界から完全に隔絶されてしまった。
「……やったのか？」
　　「多分死にはしない。でも、しばらく封じる事なら……」
　　「復活するかもしれないって事か……
しかし驚いたな……一体どういう絡繰りだ？」
目の前に冬山の災厄を顕現させる一端を担ったシュンランは自身の一撃が引き起こした事象の規模を信じられなかった。この山を知るからこそ、因果間にあるその差を理解できない。　「……雪が滑るのに最適な状態にした。水分量を調整してね」
サユは得物のボウガンに設けられた窪みにはめ込んだ筒を首に戻しつつ言った。彼女が雪面に打ち込んだ三本の矢……それらは射出される前に筒から何らかのエネルギーを供給されていた。そして射手を離れてもなお、実体無き導線によって筒と連動し続けていたのだ。
　　「やっぱりその筒がカギか……奴も狙っていたようだし。
それにしても山肌の水分量を調節したって……
よくまあ、しれっととんでもない事を」
いよいよ事件の背景について看過出来ぬとシュンラン。一連出来事の裏に何らかの超常的な事象があるならば、その出自に謎の多い《雷獣》についても何か判るかもしれない。
　　「やったなサユ、作戦勝ちだ！　お前もケガとか大丈夫か？」
と、そこでサユが「ダウ兄」と呼んでいた青年が二人のもとへ駆け寄ってきた。今ならシュンランにも、彼の容貌もよりはっきりと見える。髪の色こそ対照的ながらもサユと同じ意匠の装束に身を包み、少し日焼けをしている。彼の場合は素肌にペイントを施し、口には葉っぱを咥えている点が強く目を引く。「わたしは大丈夫。ダウ兄こそ、割と心配してたんだけど」　「すまねぇ。ちと情報収集がてら、近くの村に寄っててな。　
まあ、とにかくお互い狼共も《鬼》も撒けて何よりだ。
ところで……」
青年はサユの両肩を掴んでその存在を噛み締めつつ、シュンランに視線を向けた。
　　「あんたは地元のモンかい？　見たところ猟師みてぇだが……
サユを助けてくれてたってんなら礼を言うぜ」
　　「ああ、こっちこそ加勢に感謝する。俺はシュンランと言う。
えっと……ダウ、で良いのか？　聞く限りサユの兄か？」　「おうよ。何を隠そう、つむじ風のダウったぁおれの事よ。　
　サユとはまあ、正確には従兄なんだが、実質兄妹さ。
ま、仲良くやろうぜシュンランとやら」
　　　「ああ、こっちこそよろしく頼むよ。
渾名の方は聞いた事も無いけどな」
シュンランの差し出した手を取るダウ。握手のどさくさに紛れ、もう一方の手でサユをシュンランから離そうとしているようにも見える挙動だった。
　　「ともあれ、聞きたい事は山々だが……
とりあえず場所を移さないか。今夜はさらに荒れるぞ……」
シュンランの見上げる、昏い空に雪雲を流す風。それは、山の精霊が荒ぶる様を物語っていた。
　　続く