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Tl: Sam

…

“No way… this is impossible…!”

Looking at the footage displayed on the hologram, Suda cried out in sheer astonishment.
In the video, Amatsuki had cleanly sliced down the colossal butterfly.
While I have the upper hand in terms of raw physical strength, she far surpasses me when it comes to her talent with the soft sword and her mastery of magic. Amatsuki is such an incredible person that she is honestly wasted on a corporate slave like me.

「Kanade-chan was this strong…?」
「Lately she’s mostly seen flustered around Shachiken during office streams, so the image of her being a powerhouse had faded a bit lol」
「Only an elite warrior race can even get into the First Subjugation Division. She’s the chief of that unit, so of course she’s a gorilla」
「Dojima-san was punching the crap out of a massive dragon near the Ministry of Monster Control just now, had me rolling lol」
「Some scary old geezer was slicing up a huge wolf over by the Imperial Palace lolol」
「The issue of Japan’s war potential being way too insane」
「Sudaaa! How’s it feeling right now?!」

Amatsuki was not the only one defeating the monsters that had emerged.
Dojima-san and other top powerhouses from the Ministry of Monster Control, disciples of Tachibana-Style Swordsmanship, and guild explorers were all in the fight. Hoshino and Rin were also battling desperately to protect the city.

“Th-This has to be some kind of mistake! I didn’t just prepare S-ranks, I even brought out EX-ranks, you hear me?! Why the hell are they getting taken down?! It makes no damn sense!”
“…You truly are blind to everything, aren’t you? You haven’t changed a single bit from your days as company president.”
“What did you say…?”

Suda glared at me, but I didn’t feel that stabbing pain in my stomach anymore.
I could see right to the very bottom of what he was. It seemed the time had finally come for me to overcome my past.

“This country is strong. Even without someone like me, they can easily handle whatever you throw at them. The Black Dog Guild had plenty of talented people, but because of you, they never had the chance to shine. You never had the caliber to stand above others in the first place.”
“Y-You bastard…!”

「What a brutal direct hit」
「Suda-kun’s face is bright red lol」
「The Black Dog Guild didn’t just have Shachiken, they had Gouda-kun too, what a massive waste」
「For real, if someone like this was my boss, I’d quit on the spot lolol」
「Tell him off more, Tanakaaa!」

“Run your damn mouth all you want… Don’t you dare look down on me!”

Snarling that, Suda ducked into the nearby bushes.
And when he emerged, to my horror, he was clutching a bound child in his arms. Tears welled in the child’s eyes… they had to be terrified out of their wits.

“Haha! Tying up the brat that was playing in the park was the right move after all! That’s what you get for sneaking away from your mommy to play during a state of emergency!”
“You… just how low do you have to sink before you’re satisfied?”
“Shut the hell up! First, get down on your knees! Crawl through the dirt and lick my damn shoes!”

Just how obsessed is this guy with forcing people to grovel?
If lowering my head alone could guarantee that child’s safety, I would do it in a heartbeat, but even if I did, there was no chance he would actually let them go.
Since I hadn’t told anyone this location, I couldn’t count on rescue. What should I do…?

“Hurry it up, Tanakaaa! Otherwise… hm?”

Suddenly, the grass near Suda rustled violently.
Wondering what was happening, I shifted my gaze, and a figure abruptly burst out, charging straight at Suda.

“The hero has arrived! Take your hands off him!”
“Guh?!”

The figure snatched the child right out of Suda’s arms, then kicked Suda away to open up some distance.
Then, still cradling the child, he came running over to me.

“Phew, look at me go when I actually try. Coming here was definitely the right call.”
“…No, wait, why on earth are you here, Adachi?”

To my utter astonishment, the person who had suddenly appeared was my other childhood friend, Adachi. I had assumed he was waiting back at the office, so why was he here?

“If it were monsters, there’d be no place for a guy like me, but the opponent is Suda. I figured if it was him, even I could be of some use. Besides, pretty much nobody else knows about Miharashi Park, so who else was gonna come?”
“I see… You really saved the day. Thanks.”
When I expressed my gratitude, Adachi replied with a slightly embarrassed “Don’t mention it.”

Adachi, just like me, is Suda’s childhood friend. Back in the day, the three of us played together all the time. I still have vivid memories of running around this very park until the sun went down.

“Alright, you’re safe now. Hurry home and put your mom at ease.”

Adachi untied the ropes binding the child, setting him free. After bowing to Adachi and me in thanks, the kid dashed out of the park as fast as his legs could carry him.
Good. With that taken care of, I can capture Suda without any reservations.

“Adachi… Even you’re getting in my way…?!”
“Pretty much. You went completely off the rails, but you’re still our buddy. I’m a busybody by nature, you see, so no matter how far you’ve fallen, I can’t rest easy until I wipe my pal’s ass for him.”
“Buddy, my ass! I’m gonna slaughter every single one of you right here!”

Howling in pure rage, Suda pulled out a cube and held it up before his face.
Then, after a momentary look of hesitation crossed his expression, he actually shoved it into his mouth and swallowed it whole.
That was the mysterious box that spawned the monster earlier, wasn’t it…? Is it really safe to swallow something like that?

“U-Ghaaaaaaa!!”

Having swallowed the cube, Suda let out an ear-splitting shriek. Alongside that scream, Suda’s skin dyed pitch black, and his body rapidly expanded.
His muscles bulged out exponentially, his skeleton stretching and widening to match the sheer mass. Suda’s physique was transforming into something specialized entirely for combat, just like an Ogre.

「Whoa, what the hell is that?!」
「His body just mutated?!」
「Suda-kun, that is seriously bad news」
「He’s turning into an actual monster…」
「Eeeek」
「I can’t even laugh at this anymore…」
「I’ve never heard of a human turning into a monster before?!」

Having transformed into a grotesque aberration, Suda wore a sinister grin, glaring down at me with blood-red eyes.

“…This feels incredible. It’s like I’ve been completely reborn.”
“Quite the makeover, Suda. What on earth did you just do?”
“By taking this cube into my body, I can assimilate the power of monsters… I have ‘evolved,’ Tanaka. With this power, I will finally kill you and prove once and for all that I was in the right!”
“…Understood. If that will satisfy you, then come. Let’s finish this.”

I sheathed my sword and raised my bare fists.
When it comes down to a brawl between men, it’s all about fists. I won’t let Suda commit any more evil deeds. I’m going to beat him until he comes back to his senses.

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