The Necessary Inoculation
I opened my eyes and cut off everything flowing through the Link from the Hive, then let out a long sigh.
That scared the hell out of me…
The monster’s completeness was far higher than I’d expected. No—more than that, I never imagined Ban Taewung would freeze up that stupidly.
“Did I go too soft on him?”
I never thought that in a life-or-death crisis, the mere death of someone he recognized by face would lock him down that hard. I could praise him for not completely shutting down, but if his perception dropped so low he couldn’t even register an incoming attack, it was meaningless.
He had probably poured every scrap of his thoughts into blaming himself.
Idiot.
He was dull to his own wounds yet hypersensitive to everyone else’s. That wasn’t entirely a bad thing, but this time the tendency had gone way too far.
Besides, Number Two wasn’t even human—it was a machine. No matter how human it moved and acted, the bottom line never changed: it was my familiar, and I could resummon it whenever it died. Ban Taewung knew that, yet he still reacted that way. That was more than enough to become a problem when something far worse came along later.
As long as Ban Taewung was loved by this world—and further favored by the gods—the disasters and accidents around him would never end. The stronger he grew to solve them, the more calamities would swell without limit. An endless vicious cycle. Beating himself up every time would only waste time and grind his emotions down until he burned out.
Measures were needed.
Ban Taewung had to get used to other people’s wounds, at least a little. If I didn’t prepare him starting now, he might freeze at a critical moment and commit a real “mistake.” I needed to give him a preventive inoculation before that mistake became an unforgivable “failure.”
How should I handle it?
I sorted my thoughts carefully, then paused. A massive figure was approaching; I lifted my head.
“Looks like you finished up.”
Harantz Granga. Master of the S-rank guild Hot Hammer and field foreman of the Sirogane Union. He gripped a hammer stained red with the blood of the beasts he had crushed. I nodded.
“Yeah. Not sure how intact it is, but I confirmed the soul returned to the body.”
After dealing with Yashiro Hisame I had checked just in case, and Shirogane Ichiro’s unstable body had fully entered a stable phase. I adjusted the pseudo-soul so it would guard the still-unconscious body and prevent any sense of disconnection between flesh and spirit when he woke, then came straight here. The whole process hadn’t taken long, so no one seemed to have noticed I had left for elsewhere.
“…Hmph. Truly fortunate.”
The giant’s muscles twitched and then relaxed as he digested my words. He had entrusted the matter to me, yet the worry must have been crushing. The blood on his hammer was proof. With the presence he had shown me, he could have subdued or killed enemies without staining his weapon at all. That he couldn’t meant his mind had been elsewhere. The exquisitely delicate power that crushed only the inside while preserving the outer form came from his mental image.
“We should head back soon.”
“Hm? Ah, right. No time to dawdle. I’ll be in your care for the return as well.”
At his words I shaped a massive box from shadow. That was answer enough; Harantz snorted a laugh and poured mana into a shout toward the ones still cleaning up beast corpses on the far side.
“Time to go home!!! You bastards!!!”
““Yes, sir!!””
They came thundering over and began loading the beast byproducts into the shadow’s interior with professional pride.
Unbelievable.
These were people who knew their leader had nearly died, yet their work ethic was so thorough it was almost absurd. They didn’t care about my cold stare; they even called out cheerful thanks as they settled inside. Even I couldn’t help a hollow laugh.
If those materials weren’t all going to become mine, I would have swallowed the shadow whole and turned them into research samples for my Reaper.
Once everyone was aboard and Harantz himself stepped in, I closed the shadow box. Part of me wanted to seal it airtight. They grated on me that much, but I reluctantly left air holes.
I had gotten what I wanted and information on the Yashiro main house as well. Time to finish the rest quickly, recover Number Two, and collect the Yashiro rats before they could flee.
“Shall we go?”
“Tch.”
Lee Se-rin was already sitting on Kallion’s back as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I clicked my tongue, walked over quietly, and fixed a saddle and reins of shadow in place. Kallion confirmed it and immediately seized the box, rocketing into the sky. We punched through the clouds and reached the edge of the stratosphere in moments; Lee Se-rin simply leaned her head against me as though settling in for a nap.
Then she tilted her face up just enough to look at me, eyes curving into a soft smile.
The unique softness of a woman’s body and a sweet citrus scent washed over me at once, demanding that my body relax. I refused and forced myself even stiffer.
“Heh. Stubborn. You could at least hold me a little tighter, you know?”
“Nonsense. We drop them off and head straight for the Yashiro.”
“I hope the other families don’t interfere.”
Her words carried the implication that other houses might not welcome the Yashiro’s destruction. I laughed through my nose.
“Then we crush those families at the same time.”
“My, how bold.”
She could mock all she liked; the fact remained unchanged. Even if someone beyond my current capacity appeared midway, the justification was already in my hands. I had ordered Comet to prepare the full account of this incident for release at any moment. Even if someone stronger than me showed up, I could call in even greater reinforcements.
This insane world was full of insane people, and among them was one self-proclaimed bard who sang the praises of humanity louder than anyone else. That lunatic would come charging at full power, eyes shining at the new material.
The Yashiro had clearly abandoned human ethics. Objecting to them paying the price was unthinkable. Defending them? That only meant they had something to hide.
I would just keep peeling and peeling and peeling until everything was laid bare. These were famous houses whose names would remain in Japanese history. There was no way their records were clean. They simply hadn’t gone as spectacularly crazy as the Yashiro this time; every other family had almost certainly recruited or quietly eliminated potential enemies—or used dark brokers.
I’ll need a progress report later.
With Haze’s help and Kallion’s own mana we arrived in front of the Sirogane Union in no time. I had heard through the Hive, but they had moved with spectacular thoroughness; the surroundings were completely leveled. No need to spend money demolishing unnecessary buildings.
Still, I would collect what I was owed.
“Those things are all taken care of, right?”
“Of course. They were scheduled to join my company. The insurance money alone should be enough to build about four decent buildings.”
That was plenty. Construction itself would be Comet’s job; all I needed was capital. To make anything move you needed the proper bullets. Even I couldn’t create something from nothing. So I would simply create someone who could.
I confirmed the Lv. 40 figure at the edge of my vision and sent Kallion into a dive without slowing.
“I should be going now. It’s a little annoying that you never once praised me to the end, but I’ll be looking forward to the present you bring back. Darling.”
She pressed her lips to my cheek with a soft mwah♡ and vanished as if she had never been there. The sweet scent disappeared with her. Ordinary perfume would have left a lingering trace, but even that had been constructed by her power and existed only within her domain; if she did not will it, it was not permitted to exist.
Thus every trace of her presence was gone—including the power that had been concealing our forms. Proof came immediately: the people cleaning up the ruined city suddenly began murmuring and preparing for combat.
She’s sulking.
There had been a strange barb in her earlier words; so this was how she paid me back. The fact that I could still feel her gaze watching me confirmed she had done it on purpose. She knew better than anyone that this wouldn’t change the feelings I returned, yet she still pulled this stunt.
Who’s the annoying one here?
Her power was that far beyond the norm. Using something like that just to win the favor of someone who interested her—that woman was the strange one.
I reached the safe zone on the ground faster than they could attack and released the shadow.
“Whoa?!”
“Hmph!”
Thud! Thud!!
The Hot Hammer members dropped from midair, startled yet catching their balance, and looked around. The most eye-catching among them was, of course, the giant who could be called a titan—Harantz. Even after the sudden drop he immediately scanned the surroundings and frowned.
“…I see. There was a reason to hurry.”
Those who had been about to charge recognized Harantz and stood down. That would clear up the complications quickly.
“Handle things.”
“You’re moving again?”
“Bugs have to be exterminated down to the eggs.”
“…Indeed.”
That was the end of the conversation. Even this much was generous; we were not close enough for me to spend time explaining everything. From the moment the Sirogane matter ended, I would have no further business with him. Harantz was entangled with the Sirogane, yet he remained an outsider. Coldly speaking, he was simply one craftsman who still stayed with Hot Hammer because of his bond with Shirogane Ichiro. That he could lead everyone this far was because they all acknowledged his character and achievements. If he left, many craftsmen would follow.
Of course, they were all going to become mine now, so I had no intention of letting them go.
I saw Ban Taewung and the others approaching from the far side, but I didn’t bother waiting. When I glanced at Harantz he roughly scratched his head and nodded. With his agreement to handle the cleanup, there was no reason left to stay. Through Haze and the Hive I recovered every remaining trace of Number Two stored over there, then rose straight into the sky.
Voices called after me from below. I ignored them.
The destination was not far.
“Good work.”
“Grrrr!”
I stroked Kallion’s head, then stood on his back and launched myself into the air. In response his body turned to light and scattered. Recalled.
I felt like I had done something similar before. How had I handled it then? Probably just fallen casually. But then and now were different. That had been ordinary combat; this was assassination.
Kill them all quickly and loot everything worth taking. Leave only the result that a third party had attacked this place, and massacre everyone without distinguishing good from evil.
The air around me stirred gently under Haze’s control. At some point Shiz’s black cloth settled against my body from behind, and I floated as though rising into the air. When I finally touched the ground, not a single sound rang out. It was less silence than the sensation that sound itself had occurred yet refused to spread.
I felt absolute certainty that my surroundings were completely under my control—a collaboration of Space Manipulation and Telekinesis.
I drew out the shadow.
Some technique seemed to be working on the domain itself; murky fog and darkness warped perception. Beyond it, a piercing killing intent waited. It felt as though it were saying, Disappear right now.
Funny.
Who did they think they were telling to leave? They had no idea of their own position. Moreover, I couldn’t shake the feeling they had prepared in advance, knowing someone would come. It wasn’t even a confession of guilt—what could be more ridiculous?
Did they really think they could escape this place, escape their sins, by doing that?
The shadow stretched.
I layered Aura with the power of Battle King and Reaper. I compressed overwhelming mana to the absolute limit. What I needed was an overwhelming aura of death.
I carefully recalled the highest-dimensional death I had ever felt—the overwhelming force that had arrived—and felt the Subjugator that still lent me strength even now. I reconstructed that scene with shadow. The original was the vampire’s shadow manipulation that had once enveloped everything around me.
When Haze’s Space Manipulation was added, not only this place but the entire area began rapidly filling with shadow. The Hive seeped into the gradually encroaching swamp of darkness and shed its white masks. By the time they realized my intent, everything around them already lay within my domain.
They could make the excuse that night had delayed their recognition, but their incompetence remained unchanged.
I had gathered enough information. I had seen the possibilities and personally witnessed the fragments.
Realization.
Construction.
Revision.
These were my specialties—the things I could do best right now.
I added conviction. My own conviction that no one else could interfere with.
Some say an ignorant man becomes terrifying once he gains conviction. Correct. He has no intention of accepting other possibilities; he simply forces his own will through. If that ideology is impure and unrealistic, the world calls him a criminal or a madman. If it is righteous, the world calls him a saint or something equivalent.
In short, it is declaring to the world what one is.
I slowly spread that declaration around me and enforced it. I made them recognize the existence that was me. I forced my mental image into reality. In the end it was no different from making a part of the world my own through what was mine.
That was what a “mental image” was—at least the mental image I had seen and thought about.
Therefore it had to be even firmer. I would not be swayed this way or that; I alone had to be the center of the world.
Shadow covered my body.
Crrrk.
The mask that covered my entire face like a gas mask cracked. The scars looked as though a massive beast had clawed at it, trying to tear it off by force. From those cracks a blood-red eye gleamed within the naturally formed skull shape. What lay inside was no human pupil—it was the eye of a reptile.
Whether it reflected something or not, the light within was far too pale. A pure white-gray glow, almost colorless, flickered in that eye.
Even though no wind blew, the hem of my coat fluttered, and blue-black flames gathered at its tips. The only artificial light glittering in this darkness drew the lingering thoughts of the dead. Screams, wails, agony, curses, regret, mad laughter—all the miscellaneous things tangled and mixed, adding noise to the silence. The temperature dropped another degree, and those things took the shape of blades that joined the coat’s hem.
The path I walked slowly transformed. Intact buildings weathered and changed color, as though they had always borne the marks of ages. Grass on the ground bowed its head. The earth died pitch-black. The common point was that everything waited only to be harvested.
As if resisting the phenomenon, mana erupted from the far side. Gleaming throwing weapons, perhaps poisoned, came from every direction. Hands stretching from the shadow caught and stopped them all.
“Haa…”
I exhaled. White breath drifted in the now-freezing air.
The temperature had fallen. What came next was already decided.
Gray snow began to fall in a place where not a single point of light remained. One flake, two. They piled rapidly, leaving form in the space that had become nothing but black.
Crunch.
I roughly trampled the softly accumulating snow and twisted a rotten smile at the texture, reproduced better than expected.
“…Ah, fuck.”
Just seeing this again made my mood sink flat. Back then I had used the time for such sentiments to kill one more person.
That day’s duty revived simply by facing this.
Kill them all. To protect “humanity.” Survive no matter what. To protect “humanity.”
Yes. Let’s kill them all.
Among those present here, the only “human” was me alone.
“Die.”
For my sake alone.
This place right now is the hell prepared for all of you.