NOVEL NEXT Chapter 48
Chapter 48. Three Great Yokai
Tension grips the scene.
An Oni bursts onto the scene, its strength unknown, leaving no clue on how to confront it.
However, there’s one thing everyone does know.
––This thing can talk.
A monster with intent and action.
Such cases have been observed before, but they were almost always S-rank monstrosities that had slaughtered countless ability users.
In other words, the Oni before us is undoubtedly akin to those harbingers of slaughter that could take on entire nations.
This realization paralyzes everyone present.
Every action could decide survival mere seconds ahead; proceeding cautiously is the only option.
“Hey, what’s the holdup? If you’re not coming at me, I’ll come to you!”
The Oni, impatient with our hesitation, crouches slightly, assuming a forward-leaning stance.
(Here it comes!)
In an instant, the Oni’s body blurs, and the road beneath its feet collapses.
“One down already!”
Before we can react, the Oni appears before a stunned bodyguard, raising its arm casually and swinging it down with terrifying force aimed at the bodyguard’s dumbfounded face.
Facing imminent death, the bodyguard cannot move, his eyes fixated on the incoming blow.
BOOM!
The impact shakes the air, creating a massive hole in the highway.
“Huh?”
The Oni furrows its brow.
Despite its certainty of crushing its opponent, there’s no sensation of flesh yielding under its blow.
Scanning the surroundings, it spots a figure suspended mid-air, grasped by sand.
“Well, now! This just got interesting!”
Realizing someone could track its speed, the Oni turns back with an amused grin.
There, sweating and extending his hand to manipulate the sand, stands Igai-san.
“I’m glad you’re entertained. We’ll be your opponents. No matter how powerful you are, escaping alive against this many ability users is unlikely.”
Igai-san delivers his line with a faint smile.
Standing firm despite knowing he faces a foe beyond his capabilities, he epitomizes the ideal butler. Yet, this opponent is no ordinary threat.
The enemy defies even the laws of physics—a rogue force of nature.
Even someone as skilled as Igai-san can’t handle such a foe, not even with the combined efforts of every other ability user present.
This is why someone like me, an irregularity, is embedded in missions like these…
But even I can’t act recklessly.
(Damn it… You’ve got to be kidding me.)
No one has noticed yet, but there’s more than one enemy.
Someone, unseen, is lurking near us.
Someone as powerful as the Oni in front of us.
I’ve never heard of S-rank creatures cooperating.
But looking at the situation, it’s clear: two monsters are working together.
One wreaks havoc to distract us, while the other targets Takamiya Runa for abduction.
“Damn!”
If this were a simple subjugation mission, crushing the enemy would suffice.
But this is a protection mission.
For now, I deter the unseen enemy by focusing my killing intent on it. But the moment I confront the Oni directly, Runa will be taken, and her sister Haruka will likely meet a gruesome fate.
The possibility of additional enemies—the third, fourth, or more—makes it impossible to act.
“What should I do…”
Having so little experience in protecting others while fighting, I’m at a loss.
Anxiety creeps in.
Meanwhile, the battle grows fiercer.
Igai-san blocks the Oni’s blows, while the others seize every opportunity to attack.
Among them, a man wielding electricity stands out, dealing substantial damage to the Oni. He’s likely the ten-thousand-point powerhouse.
“Haha! Not bad! Pretty damn good!”
The Oni laughs maniacally.
It’s an odd sight to behold.
The ability users, though unscathed, grow pale and sweat profusely. Meanwhile, the Oni, despite its injuries, seems to thrive, growing more menacing with each blow it endures.
“Let’s finish this!”
Sensing something dangerous, Igai-san calls for an all-out attack to end it.
Sand surrounds the Oni to restrict its movements, while ability users unleash their assaults.
The collective strike hits, triggering a massive explosion and a cloud of dust.
The blast is powerful enough to severely wound even A-rank monsters.
Shielding our faces from the blast with our hands, we attempt to confirm the Oni’s condition, but its figure remains obscured.
“Stay alert! It’s not down yet!”
Igai-san warns those starting to relax, though his improved complexion betrays some relief.
Naive—utterly naive.
It’s like sweetening boiled sugar with cane syrup.
––If this level of attack could kill it, life would be too easy.
“Enough playing around.”
With that mutter, the Oni’s aura disperses the dust.
Standing unscathed, it crosses its arms in defiance.
Everyone is stricken with terror, realizing their attacks did nothing.
I feel no surprise.
This outcome was obvious from the start. Against an S-rank, numbers mean nothing.
Just as ants can’t bring down an elephant. Or rather, they might—if tens of thousands swarmed together.
This situation is no different.
That’s what S-rank means: creatures that can destroy nations.
“Well, that was fun! A nice warm-up.”
The Oni grabs the gourd at its waist, removing the stopper and bringing it to its lips.
(What’s it doing? Drinking during a fight? Wait… alcohol?)
A bad feeling hits me.
Alcohol and Onis. There was a legend like that in Japan…
As if confirming my fears, the Oni’s aura surges.
The change is so drastic that I shift into a combat stance.
There’s no room for hesitation. Protecting the escort target while fighting is impossible now.
I must step in.
And I finally remember its name.
“Shuten Doji.”
“Oh? Someone knows me.”
The Oni affirms my words.
One of Japan’s Three Great Yokai, alongside Tamamo-no-Mae and Otakemaru.
A legendary Oni who led countless others, plunging people into terror.
Its power grows the more it drinks.
I suspected it wasn’t an ordinary Oni, but to face one of this caliber…
Perhaps this bald head of mine carries some peculiar luck.
I’ll demand ramen as a reward once this is over.
The odds are slim, but I must protect the escort target while defeating the enemy. There’s no room for error.
“Well, whether you know me or not doesn’t matter.”
Shuten Doji charges toward me.
It’s fine—I can see its movements clearly.
Compared to Hattori’s speed, this is nothing.
The distance closes in an instant, and as it takes one last step to strike me—
It retreats, leaping backward.
(What? Why did it retreat…)
“Well, boy. Do you need my power?”
For the umpteenth time today, my shoulders tremble in shock.
(It can’t be… it slipped past my detection?!)
I whip around toward the voice behind me.
There, sitting elegantly on the sound barrier, is a man with flaming red hair swaying in the wind.