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Tl: Sam

…

“Yes, please stay right like that.”

　Keeping me in check, the masked man approached Suda.
　He was an enigmatic opponent, but the magicules radiating from him weren’t all that abundant. If not for the hostage, I felt I could take him down in an instant, but…

“Who are you? What kind of relationship do you have with Suda?”
“Let’s see… a business partner, one might say. We received substantial financing from him, so we are currently returning the favor.”

　The masked man answered my question.
　I see, so this guy was the one who aided Suda’s escape. It was safe to assume he was also the one who handed over that mysterious cube that spawned monsters.

　Still, “substantial financing”… Had he really handed over the guild’s money to someone this shady? What the hell was this guy doing, throwing away the money we earned?

“Now then, Suda-san, let us return. Or would you prefer to carry out your revenge first? If so, shall I do it in your stead?”
“You, in my place? Haha, that’s rich. Sounds damn great.”

　Suda laughed as he said that, walking closer to the masked man.

“Then please wait a brief moment. I will now… what?!”

　The masked man’s words abruptly cut off.
　And for good reason: whatever Suda was thinking, he had suddenly grabbed the masked man’s neck with his right hand, choking him.

　Then, with his free hand, he freed the captive Adachi.

“Cough! Suda, you…”
“You’re in the way. Back off.”

　Once freed, Adachi followed Suda’s words and put some distance between them.
　Having seen that through, Suda turned his eyes toward the masked man whose throat he still gripped.

“You’re gonna take revenge for me? Don’t talk shit. This is my fight. An outsider like you has no damn business butting in.”
“What foolish behavior… Laying a hand on me is a severe breach of contract, you know…?”
“Hah, who do you think you’re talking to? I’m a criminal, remember? If you didn’t know, let me enlighten you: promises were made to be broken!”

　Saying that, Suda hoisted the masked man up, tightening his grip on his neck even harder. When suddenly,

“…How unfortunate. And after I went out of my way to grant you this opportunity.”

　The masked man produced a syringe from out of nowhere, jabbed it into Suda’s arm, and injected the blue liquid inside.
　Instantly, Suda’s face contorted in agony as he began to writhe. Was that liquid poison? What on earth did he just inject into him?

“Gah, ah…!”
“Death to traitors. Please suffer and die.”

　Suda’s grip loosened, freeing the masked man.
　Suda tried to hold his ground, but unable to withstand it, he collapsed on the spot.

“Good grief, to be bitten by the hand that fed the dog. No matter, I suppose I shall take my leave for today.”
“…Did you really think I’d let you leave?”

　I stepped closer to the masked man.
　Did he honestly think I’d let him do whatever he pleased without consequence? There was no hostage anymore. I had no intention of letting this guy walk away alive.

“Hmm, personally, I have no desire to pick a fight with you right now, but… it seems you have no intention of letting me off the hook.”
“Naturally.”
“Is that so… However, I am a busy person. My apologies, but I cannot humor you.”

　The masked man took out what looked like a magic tool from inside his coat and activated it.
　At once, his body began to turn faintly translucent.

“I have initiated the teleportation magic tool. The moment the transfer begins, my physical form shifts into a different phase. Once in this state, physical contact is impossible.”

　Indeed, I could no longer sense any magicules coming from the semi-transparent man before my eyes.
　His image was visible, but his true substance had likely shifted into a dimension separate from this one. Having encountered monsters capable of similar tricks, I had a pretty good idea of what kind of state he was in.

“Is that so.”
“Yes. Therefore, anything you attempt against me is meaningless. I look forward to the day we meet again.”
“No, that won’t be necessary.”
“What do you mean by…”

　Before the masked man could finish his sentence, I swung my sword.
　That high-speed flash of steel slipped right through his illusory image… and cleaved diagonally across the true body residing behind it.

“Wha…?!”

　Letting out a gasp of astonishment, the masked man tumbled to the ground. As he fell, his translucent body gradually regained its solidity, snapping back into this world. It seemed that sustaining damage had caused the teleportation to fail.

“H-How…”
“Tanaka-Style Swordsmanship, Dimensional Slash. You shouldn’t assume escaping to another dimension is enough to get away from me.”
“You detected the reverse phase without the aid of a magic tool, and bridged the gap with a single slash…?! To think you were this capable…!”

　The masked man made several attempts to stand, but the wound was deep and he collapsed back onto the ground. At this rate, he wouldn’t be moving anytime soon. Taking advantage of the opening, I rushed over to Suda.

　Suda was still conscious and trying desperately to stand up. However, his complexion was ghastly, and his awareness was fading in and out.

“Hey, Suda, are you alright?!”
“O-Of course I am. More importantly, Tanaka, we’re finishing our brawl…”
“Stop talking nonsense. Just stay still for a second.”

　Suda’s complexion was steadily worsening.
　Both his body heat and magicules were draining away at a rapid rate. At this rate, he wasn’t going to make it.

“Hey, you bastard! What the hell did you just do to Suda!”

　Adachi grabbed the fallen masked man, demanding an answer.
　That was right. The masked man had injected something into Suda with a syringe. If we knew what it was, there might still be a chance to save him.

“…What I injected was a ‘drug that accelerates monsterization.’ We conducted numerous tests, but the mortality rate of a monsterized human is one hundred percent. That man, Suda, cannot be saved.”
“You bastard…!”

　I see, so that was it.
　The reason Suda was on the brink of death was because his body’s monsterization had progressed too far, not because he was injected with poison. In that case…

“If the monsterization is halted, Suda can be saved, right?”
“…Yes. However, even we found such a feat impossible. I highly doubt someone who is not even a doctor could accomplish it.”
“True, I’m no doctor… but when it comes to cutting people open, I consider myself far more experienced than any doctor.”

　Drawing my sword, I observed Suda closely.
　I focused not just on the surface, but deeper still, into his internal anatomy. It wasn’t as if I possessed X-ray vision, but by observing the movement of his cells, I could roughly extrapolate what was occurring inside his body.
　With his body undergoing monsterization, it was quite difficult, but… by no means impossible.

“Tanaka… what are you planning to do?”
“Suda, I won’t allow you to throw everything away and die. You’re going to live and atone for your crimes.”
“Heh… If you think you can pull it off, then just damn well try.”

　Bring it on. I’ll show you.
　Focusing even deeper, I located the root cause of Suda’s monsterization.

　It was located right at the core of his heart. “Something” residing inside his heart was driving Suda’s monsterization. If I excised that portion, Suda should revert to being human.

　However, that part was situated in the most delicate place possible, the center of his heart. If cut open by ordinary means, Suda would die from blood loss. I had to slice it away without leaving a wound or causing any hemorrhage.

“Tanaka, can you do it…?”

　Adachi asked anxiously.
　Suda was a friend to Adachi as well. I couldn’t let him lose a friend in a manner like this.

“Yeah, leave it to me.”

　Answering briefly, I pointed the tip of my blade toward Suda.
　The decisive moment would be over in a fraction of a second. It had to be swift, rapid, and above all, precise.
　Focusing all sensory awareness into my eyes, I grasped every minute detail of Suda’s flesh. Then, aiming for the microscopic gaps between cells, the path where the blade would meet the least resistance and inflict minimal harm, I thrust the sword inward.

“Tachibana-Style Swordsmanship, Kokorozashi.”

　Without making the faintest sound, the blade was drawn directly into Suda’s chest.
　Threading through the microscopic crevices of his cells, the steel slipped toward the heart shielded by muscle and sternum. If my hand slipped by even a hair’s breadth, the blade would tear his innards apart. Failure was not an option.

“…Right here.”

　The single path I had discovered.
　Tracing it with absolute precision, the blade drove forward. Reaching the heart, slipping through it to the deep recesses within, the tip captured the ‘core’ nesting inside Suda’s heart, the root cause of his monsterization, and severed it.

“…Alright, it worked.”
“Impossible…”

　Hearing the masked man’s stunned voice, I drew the sword out.
　Passing strictly through the gaps between cells while evading every blood vessel, there was zero bleeding. Not even a scar remained. It was safe to say there was virtually no damage.

　With the core destroyed, Suda’s body began gradually reverting to its original form. While the shock of having the core broken knocked him unconscious, his breathing was stable and he seemed out of danger.

“Adachi, can you keep an eye on Suda?”
“Yeah, of course. Also… thanks. You really are my hero. Dependable as ever.”

　Receiving such an embarrassing compliment from Adachi, I walked over to the masked man. I wanted to pry plenty of answers out of him while I had the chance.

“…Magnificent. I previously assumed raw strength alone would never hold my interest, yet when strength surpasses all bounds, it transforms into the realm of the mystical. What the culmination of that power shall become… I look forward to witnessing it.”
“What do you mean by… hm?”

　Suddenly, the masked man’s body began to crumble away.
　Within seconds, his flesh had completely vanished, leaving behind only the mask and the suit he had been wearing. Beyond that, not a single speck of dust remained.

“…Sigh. Seriously, it’s just one incomprehensible thing after another.”

　A masked man and an enigmatic organization. Plus, mysterious technology capable of controlling monsters. I had seen far too many unknown things in this single day alone.
　For a single corporate slave to shoulder, these issues were far too immense. Even though I only recently went independent, I desperately wanted a proper vacation.

“Hey, Tanaka! Suda’s waking up!”

　Adachi’s voice reached me from behind.
　It had been exhausting with all these bizarre developments, but… well, I was able to bring this battle to a close without losing anything or anyone along the way.

　That alone was more than enough, a job well done. Thinking that to myself, I made my way back toward my two childhood friends.

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