NOVEL NEXT Chapter 53
Chapter 53. Battle Begins
Close call.
Had I arrived any later, Igai-san would’ve been killed.
It was worth pushing my speed to the limit when I saw the panicked civilians.
“Hey, you weakling… How long are you gonna keep your foot on me?”
I turned to the voice, and there stood that Shuten Doji from before.
Sigh… That red-haired old guy must’ve been holding back.
I’d hoped he’d dealt with him for good.
“Hah? What’s wrong with resting my foot on a rock by the roadside?”
At my provocation, his face contorted with fury, and the air thickened with his murderous intent.
“Die!”
A massive fist swung at my face.
An attack driven by brute force, simplistic and rash. The more impulsive the enemy, the easier they are to handle.
“Ha!”
I dodged the fist by a hair’s breadth, pivoting on the foot resting on Shuten Doji’s, and delivered a sharp right kick to the side of his face.
“Gah?!”
My kick struck true, sending Shuten Doji flying.
“Whoa… That’s some airtime.”
I must’ve put more power into it than I realized, as his figure smashed through several buildings and vanished from sight.
Taking advantage of the lull, I surveyed the surroundings.
Takamiyama Runa, my protection target, was safely shielded in a barrier with her sister and their guardian.
Nearby, a crowd of civilians had gathered.
They were a bit of a hindrance, but not enough to obstruct the battle. If they died, well… It’d be on them. I don’t have the luxury to babysit them right now.
Turning my attention back to the enemies…
“They’ve multiplied…”
Three… no, four enemies now.
One of them has a faint presence—likely the same type as the monster on the highway.
Then there are two newcomers:
One part-machine, and the other cloaked in a hood.
The hooded one’s ability is completely unknown, but the machine hybrid appears to manipulate metal, judging by the floating steel beams and cars around him.
Still, the onlookers look worse for wear.
When the red-haired old guy showed up, they looked relieved, but now their faces are filled with despair. I guess punting Shuten Doji wasn’t enough to reassure them.
“Not really my style, but…”
You can’t act on instinct if your heart’s not steady.
Time to step up a bit.
I shrugged off my jacket.
“Th-That emblem…!”
The dragon emblem etched on my shirt.
Recognizing its meaning, Igai-san gasped in shock.
“Special Ability Unit, Yanagi Hayato. Commencing enemy sweep as of now.”
The invisible creature’s aura surged with anger at my declaration.
Who would’ve thought I’d ever fight for someone other than my family? Life is full of surprises.
I turned back with a faint smile.
“Rest assured. The enemies are troublesome, but it’ll only take about ten minutes. None of you will be harmed.”
Was ten minutes too optimistic?
…Well, doesn’t matter. Either way, I’m killing them all.
No matter how strong or numerous they are, it won’t change a thing.
I will crush every obstacle standing before me.
That’s a decision I’ve made, one that cannot be altered.
“Now then, what’s first?”
Bearing the weight of countless hopes, I took a step forward.
Some may think, “What can one man do?” and resign themselves to despair.
Others might tremble, overcome by fear.
I won’t offer words to quell those feelings.
I won’t ask anything of you.
Just—
—Watch me.
I’ll obliterate your fears with these fists.
◇
“Boy, don’t get cocky.”
A voice came from nowhere.
“Hey, isn’t your whole gimmick being invisible? Why reveal yourself like this?”
“Heh, I knew you could sense me. Still, to have you interfering after the Absolute One… and now even the Special Ability Unit shows up. How vexing.”
The emotion in the voice was seething.
Fair enough. If I weren’t here, they would’ve easily captured Takamiyama Runa without resistance. His anger makes sense.
“Right back at you. You lowlifes stirred up trouble, so I had to step in. Whatever you’re planning with the target, it ends here.”
I lightly jumped, loosening up my body.
(Not at my peak, but it’ll do.)
My body felt slightly sluggish.
I thought I’d been taking care of it—did I eat something off?
While I pondered, debris from afar came hurtling toward me.
“[Mountain Breaker]!”
With a swing of my right arm, I obliterated the rubble.
Immediately after, Shuten Doji landed before me.
(He’s… bigger?)
His aura had intensified compared to earlier.
Probably strengthened himself with alcohol. I’d rather kill him now before he powers up further.
“You pathetic wretch! You’ll regret kicking me!”
Shuten Doji’s energy clashed with mine, distorting the space around us.
All this rage from getting kicked?
Happens to me all the time.
Driven by fury, he charged, closing the distance in a blink.
Fast.
Too fast for most to even see.
In less than a second, he was in striking range, twisting his body as he thrust his left arm at me.
A hit like that would be lethal.
—Awaken, [Mars].
Elevating my status, I brought myself closer to the war god.
“?!”
I caught the demon’s full-force strike with my right palm, nullifying the impact entirely.
“Did you really think a mere demon could defeat a god?”
Shuten Doji froze in disbelief, his eyes wide.
“Retreat! Get away from him!”
From the sides, the machine hybrid and misty creature lunged at me.
Snapping out of it, Shuten Doji leapt back, retreating.
“Hah!”
“…”
The misty creature swung a weapon, likely a short blade, from the left, while the machine hybrid hurled steel beams at high speed from the right.
“Too weak.”
I deflected the blade with my left hand and evaded the beams with rapid backsteps.
“Reinforce.”
At the machine hybrid’s murmur, swords of steel materialized in the air.
(Not just telekinesis, then?)
Twenty swords hovered in the air, slicing through space as they descended on me.
More weapons won’t make a difference.
I dodged five swords by sight, smashed fourteen with my fists, and grabbed the last one with my right hand.
“Take it back.”
With a deafening roar, I hurled the sword back at the machine hybrid.
[Zero.]
The cloaked creature muttered something.
I tensed, expecting an attack, but nothing happened.
Except—the sword I threw veered off course, narrowly missing the machine hybrid and slicing through a house behind him.
(It altered the trajectory? First, I’ll figure out their abilities.)
This won’t be straightforward.