“Don’t come?! Don’t come!?”
“Monster! Die!!”
I want to say, “Who’s the monster!?”…
“It’s sad that I can’t deny it.”
The fact that I can even engage in close combat while dodging bullets means I’m already monstrous by normal standards.
Normally, one can’t react and dodge a bullet after it’s fired.
What’s more, approaching while dodging? What a nightmare.
Just now, I still felt the sensation in my fist.
Seeing the scene that unfolded beyond my full-power punch, I let out a wry smile and accepted those words.
Normally, one would wonder if it’s possible to defeat an armed human with a punch.
If asked if it’s possible or impossible, the usual answer would be “possible under certain conditions.”
Like, if there’s cover, or the opponent’s gun jams, or malfunctions.
It wouldn’t happen unless there were favorable conditions for the unarmed side, such as having allies or being at close range.
What’s important is the ability to close the distance and not get shot.
But such things are impossible in reality.
Fleeing in front of a gun is one thing, but advancing is abnormal.
Furthermore, defeating someone with bare fists is not just nonsensical, it’s outright insane.
Adding to that, the way people are sent flying when they take a punch is also strange, like something out of a battle manga.
Normally, one would imagine knocking someone down at most.
Certainly, it wouldn’t be possible to gouge the earth, create a gale with a punch, and send people flying like bowling pins.
What would the opponent think if that became reality?
Once or twice, some might suspect it was an accident, an optical illusion, or that the person was intentionally flying.
But…
“That makes ten people.”
Ever since then, I’ve been wielding that kind of power constantly. Right now, I grabbed a man nearby by the head over his helmet, swung him around, and threw him.
“……”
Seeing that scene, their mouths twitched, and their eyes showed fear, as if asking, “What kind of nightmare is this?”
At this moment, I must look like some kind of ferocious demon.
Otherwise, no normal human could lightly punch someone flying, toss a grown adult with one hand, shatter the ground, and do it all with a smile on their face as if it were commonplace.
Perhaps if I were on the other side and that opponent were me, I would say the same thing.
“This guy’s dangerous.”
The fact that it is midnight and my figure is indistinct might also be contributing to their fear.
Well, their fear is convenient for me.
The more they fear, the easier it becomes for me to move.
The light sources for the opponents are only campfires placed at even intervals. With no night-vision scope, their vision must be poor.
But that doesn’t matter to me now.
In fact, I can see as clearly as if it were daytime.
Possessing magical power in this world has turned out to be a far greater advantage than I anticipated.
I can see more clearly and vividly than when using night-vision goggles.
Thanks to this, the darkness is now working in my favor.
Poor visibility makes it easier for them to lose sight of me.
“He went that way!!”
“Which way!!”
“Towards the south!!”
“You idiot! It’s the opposite!!”
“Where did he go!?”
By moving back and forth between bright and dark areas at speeds that humans cannot match, I can confuse them.
And I never miss an opening.
I approach at high speed, exhibiting a beast-like agility that cannot be perceived by the naked eye, and close in on the enemy.
“Guh!?”
“Huh? Hey, what happened?”
As he turned, I covered his mouth and delivered a blow to his solar plexus. I took care to ensure he couldn’t even let out air, but the nearby members seemed to have no idea what happened.
This physical ability, which allows me to do such things, must be nothing short of a nightmare for the opponents.
“Oh, hey, stop joking, Hiii!?”
“……”
Perhaps the fact that I crushed heavy weaponry with my bare hands to end this fight also instills fear in them.
While I was casually thinking that I was still within the realm of humanity compared to the instructors, I kicked the man who was collapsing and looking at me in astonishment, confirmed he lost consciousness, and moved on to the next target.
The next target is quite close.
Just by starting to run gently, I can get close to the enemy.
“Prioritize the ritual!! It’s okay to involve allies!! Take down the opponent at all costs!!”
As I took down one person after another, the commander’s instructions echoed through the plaza.
“Whoa, hey, that’s…”
They are giving such casual orders without knowing the trouble I’m going through to wrap things up smoothly.
Even defeating a large number of enemies is a struggle, and they still think they can manage?
Well, if I do nothing, it might end up that way…
Unfortunately, this power has a time limit.
Once the magical power that Suella, Memoria, and Himik infused me with runs out, I’ll revert to being just a normal person.
The time limit I’ve been given is longer than that of some giant hero from a distant nebula, but it’s not like I have plenty of time.
This rampage is happening under such restrictions.
“As a human, I shouldn’t be doing this.”
That’s why there’s no wasted time.
When I punch, I send three people flying at once. When I kick, I swat away fired grenades without them ever touching my feet.
When I jump, I cover a distance of over ten meters in a single stride. When I receive an attack, I deflect bullets with my hands. The storm of countless bullets fired from triggers pulled right in front of me is so dense that I can count each raindrop, and I slip my body into the gaps in that space.
The way I weave through the barrage of bullets, just as I was told earlier, is indeed the action of a monster.
However, it’s a fact that I can do it, and that I’ve placed myself in an environment where I can do it.
Although it might sound strange coming from me, who completed this without using any weapons, allies are precious.
Even if the enemy is formidable, if we can cooperate, we might be able to defeat them.
“Well, it’s weird for the enemy me to say this, though.”
“Hii!?”
My apologies for phrasing it as encouragement for cooperation.
And it’s certainly ironic, given the scene I’ve created.
They are trembling, looking at me as if I’m not human.
It’s not pleasant to be looked at like that, but I can’t blame them.
“Learn from this and find a proper job.”
I crush the object in my hand with a crunch.
It’s not the hardness of flesh, but the hardness of metal.
What I crushed wasn’t something large. Or rather, it was large.
More accurately, it was what used to be an armored vehicle.
There were two armored vehicles, both smoking, their armor riddled with holes everywhere. What I just crushed was the machine gun mounted on one of them.
“Sssu…”
The area is littered with corpses.
There are still enemies, and I thought it was odd of me to be smoking a cigarette amidst this, but I’m exhausted from doing all this.
I plunged headfirst into a storm of gunfire, dodged RPGs and grenades, endured the light of stun grenades and the smoke of smoke grenades, and tore through enemies one by one, throwing them aside.
As the number of enemies decreased, I went for the big targets and closed in on the armored vehicles.
With a flying kick, I dented the armor of an armored vehicle, overturned it, and then proceeded to pummel it.
In what any normal person would consider an act that would surely break their fist, I beat it until it was literally crumpled, and then pulled people out from inside.
After breaking the machine gun in half and disabling it, I dealt with the other vehicle in the same manner.
The result was two vehicles riddled with holes, barely resembling armored vehicles.
I want to be forgiven for this cigarette, as I accomplished something that normally couldn’t be done.
My body isn’t tired, but my spirit is.
If a competent soldier equipped with modern anti-tank rifles, RPGs, and other weaponry had created this carnage, I might understand.
But what would the opponent think if they saw a human who accomplished this without any such equipment?
“The instructors would probably be laughing happily.”
At least they wouldn’t show me a fearful expression.
Instead, I can tell they would eagerly challenge me to a fight.
Knowing that, and seeing the opponents reduced to such a pathetic state, dominated by fear, I’m reminded of what normal is.
“Well, better luck next time.”
“P-please, just spare my life.”
To them, I am that kind of abnormal existence.
If you were to ask if there are people educated by demons and the undead in modern Japan, most people would say no.
Without a doubt, I am the abnormal one.
Seeing an opponent like that, and knowing that I was aware of my own excitement and laughter during the fight, it’s no wonder they’re scared.
However, this is the first time they’ve begged for their lives.
“For now, just lie down over there.”
Though I thought the words were a bit awkward, I mentally rebuked myself, “I’m not a sadist.”
Still, there’s no reason to let my guard down just because they beg for their lives.
Show no mercy to the enemy; that’s the ironclad rule when challenging a dungeon.
So, I kicked the man, whose mask had fallen and revealed the upper right part of his face, to the edge of the plaza.
I went easy on him, but the force was still far greater than that of a professional fighter.
He wouldn’t walk away unscathed.
Seeing a human fly in a parabolic arc is something Kaido and I are used to. Finally, I’ve moved from being the one receiving attacks to the one inflicting them, which is rather profound.
“Well then, the main target is over here.”
With that, the guards have been eliminated.
The Onmyoji who were with them were likely skillfully led away from here by my mother, judging by the sounds of explosions in the distance.
From the sounds of battle, I can sense that guerrilla warfare is being conducted, and I have a confident premonition that my mother is gaining the upper hand.
Worrying is pointless. With a wry smile, I shift my gaze from the direction of the explosions to look at the object of my interest.
With a cigarette still in my mouth, I gently change my gaze, and the object I saw from afar is now visible closer up.
A pulsing, throbbing object.
“It looks even grosser up close.”
The raw appearance of internal organs.
Perhaps it’s because my first impression is so visceral that it appears even more repulsive.
“Now, what to do with this?”
It obviously looks dangerous to touch, and I know I can’t just punch it. H
No one would be stupid enough to punch a bomb, thinking it would break.
Similarly, physically powerful as I am, there isn’t much I can do when faced with something like this.
However, by observing, I might notice something. As I stared intently, I suddenly realized something.
“…Hasn’t its pulsing sped up?”
I thought it was pulsing slowly, “dud-dud,” but now it’s “dud-dud-dud” with a faster rhythm.
“It doesn’t seem like a mistake.”
If this continues, it might explode. Should I punch it?
As I considered such a short-sighted action, and the pulsing sound threatened to fill the plaza,
an out-of-place sound echoed.
“A flute?”
Should I call it the sound of the wind?
At first, it was a single melody, but it gradually increased, and soon a chorus of flutes resonated.
And then…
“……”
I could immediately tell where the flute music was coming from.
Turning my face in the direction of the sound, I knew instantly.
It would have been nice if it felt out of place.
But in a way, that group fit the scene.
Their faces were covered with cloth like kuroko, they wore white traditional Japanese clothing, and they held transverse flutes, walking towards me while playing.
Around them were women, like dancers, their faces also covered, dressed in flamboyant traditional Japanese clothing, and dancing slowly to the rhythm of the flutes.
In this place, performing such actions.
The bizarre scene didn’t feel out of place.
“Ah, I see.”
And seeing those actions, although I didn’t fully understand, I came to a realization.
I didn’t know their intentions, but I understood what they were doing.
And I surmised that only I could deal with it.
“Ah, this has become troublesome.”
I crushed the cigarette in my hand and extinguished it, then threw it on the ground and ground it under my foot with anger towards the idiots who had disrupted my rest, breaking the manners I usually uphold.
This job was supposed to end with reconnaissance and a swift victory.
But it didn’t end there.
My mother is probably fighting the Onmyoji right now.
Since she said she would take care of them, she probably will.
So, I’ll just do what I need to do, while calling out to that group.
“Hey? Don’t you think so?”
My question received no answer. The flute music and dance didn’t stop.
Yes, of course, they wouldn’t answer.
They couldn’t answer.
After all, they are…
“Oni.”
Not humans.
From within the swaying cloth.
Horns and fangs grew.
Unlike goblins and orcs, these were Japanese Oni, similar but not quite the same as Instructor Kio.
Today’s word:
Unexpectedly, I would meet residents of fairy tales.
That’s all for this time.
Thank you as always for pointing out typos and for your comments.
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*The first volume has been decided to be published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
It was released on October 18, 2018.
The e-book version was also released on October 31 of the same year.
Volume 2 was released on December 19.
Volume 3 was released on February 20, 2019.
The content has been revised and expanded from the original submission on Shōsetsuka ni Narō, with the inclusion of an unpublished interlude.
Please also check out the new releases!
In addition, a comic adaptation has been decided for Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.”
