Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 15 - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Their Respective Time

“I’ll take Takahiro.”

“Hah. Do what you want.”

Kaneki Mikihiko took the initiative and Edgar yielded the role with unexpected ease. By the looks of it, he’d intended it to go this way from the start. Or perhaps he considered this another opportunity to weigh the caliber of the man known as Majima Takahiro. In either case, so long as Edgar couldn’t be completely trusted, his acceptance was convenient.

“He’s here.”

Edgar stood up and pointed at the entrance with his chin. Passing through the corridor, Majima Takahiro stepped into the large room. He held a drawn sword in one hand and Asarina had her fangs at the ready. Next to him, Kudou Riku sat atop Berta, Friedrich’s inorganic wings spreading out behind him and Caesar’s defensive membrane lingering around him. He smiled, concealing all emotions, and upon meeting his eyes, Kaneki Mikihiko’s lips curved bitterly for a short instant.

Why wasn’t he the one standing there? He knew there was no point dwelling on such impossibilities, but he found it hard to erase such thoughts from his mind. Regardless, this was reality. The one who stood next to Kaneki Mikihiko was Edgar, and he’d been ordered to murder his best friend.

“Oh come on. That wolf is really with him too,” Edgar said.

By all rights, Berta’s meeting up with Majima Takahiro before he was isolated should’ve been unexpected, but Edgar didn’t look surprised. Harrison had already informed them of that particular development. As for how he knew, it was thanks to the power of the Dimensional Cornerstone. Its wielder was capable of perceiving those within the fabricated world. In this sense, it was similar to Majima Takahiro’s Misty Lodge when deployed over a wide area.

That magic came from forming a contract with Salvia. Her Misty Lodge was able to create another world, much like the Dimensional Cornerstone. The two were so similar that upon being teleported here, it’d interfered with his magic and rendered it unusable for a while. As such, it wasn’t strange for it to possess the same perception capabilities.

That said, the accuracy was no match for the Misty Lodge. Majima Takahiro had a near-perfect grasp of everything happening within. Salvia was the magic itself, and her miraculous harmony and affinity with Takahiro only sharpened their keen senses.

In contrast, when Harrison used the Dimensional Cornerstone, he was only capable of gathering information in blocks of several hundred meters, getting only vague glimpses of the subject’s location. As such, the enemy’s condition could only be known by seeing them in person.

“Hang on... Majima don’t look injured,” Edgar said dubiously.

Kaneki Mikihiko gulped in surprise. It was true—Majima Takahiro showed no signs of bearing a severe wound. How could that be? It turned out Majima Takahiro hadn’t shown the full extent of his power during their mock battle the other day. Not an unforeseen outcome, but...

Naturally, there was no asking how this had been accomplished. Kaneki Mikihiko wasn’t even permitted to exchange words with him, for starters.

“Kill him.”

A ruthless command came over the magic communication device he carried. Thus, Kaneki Mikihiko’s end began.

◆ ◆ ◆

“Let’s go.”

Edgar was the first to make a move. At the same time, Majima Takahiro and Berta split left and right, breaking into a run. Just as they’d discussed, Edgar targeted Kudou Riku.

“I’ll leave Majima for later. First, I’ll butcher you for getting in the way.”

“Like I’ll let you.”

Berta picked up her speed, but by that time, Edgar had already manifested his true power.

“Grrr.”

His hair turned red and his skin took on a black, metallic sheen. His muscles swelled, giving birth to an explosive stride, closing the distance in an instant.

“What the?!”

“Graaaah!”

Berta dodged to the side, but the Battle Ogre kept up with her and swung his sword with a roar. He aimed for Kudou Riku’s neck. Berta placed her tentacles in the way to defend. The blade cut right through them and dug into Caesar’s sludge where it came to a stop. However, the ogre’s brute strength couldn’t be held back so easily.

“Take this!”

“Guh?!”

Edgar pushed on his sword with all his might, sending Berta and her master flying away. Berta righted herself in midair and landed.

“Hah! C’mon!” Edgar howled. “What’s wrong?! This ain’t even a decent warm-up for slaughtering Majima!”

“Keep running, Berta. We’ll shoot him down from a distance,” Kudou ordered, ignoring the taunt.

This enraged Edgar even further. Keeping a corner of his eye on that battle, Kaneki Mikihiko also made his move. He smoothly pulled a two-handed sword from one of the two magic bags dangling at his hips.

“Aerial Knight.”

Once his ability activated, the sword ran through the air as if it’d been given a life of its own. The knack behind handling this ability was much like playing a video game. By moving the character behind the screen and assuming there was an invisible avatar of himself, he was capable of controlling it with his mind. By doing so, he could wield the sword with the exact same precision as if he was holding it himself. It was almost as if he’d created another Kaneki Mikihiko.

“Here I go!”

The imaginary Kaneki Mikihiko gripped the sword in both hands and slashed at his best friend. This was a preliminary strike to test things out. During the mock battle the other day, he’d been in a somewhat disadvantageous position, but...

“You’re kidding me?!”

With the grating sound of metal clashing, the two-handed sword was repelled with ease. What’s more, he’d been gripping the sword tight with two hands, whereas Majima Takahiro had swung his using only one. Kaneki Mikihiko had tried warding off the blow, but he hadn’t managed to. That was because Majima Takahiro’s speed and strength were a step above what he’d displayed during the mock battle. Did that mean he’d been holding back at the time?

No, he hadn’t given that impression. That meant he was the type to manifest more strength than he possessed when faced with a life-or-death situation. It was unexpected. Kaneki Mikihiko had known him for a long time. Never had he gotten the impression that his best friend possessed this hidden reservoir of strength. This was a facet of him that he didn’t know. Or perhaps it was something that he’d developed due to the harsh environment of this world. This was a quality he’d obtained by overcoming death.

“Mikihiko!”

After repelling the attack, Majima Takahiro charged in. This was a bit of a relief. Kaneki Mikihiko was a little concerned about whether his friend would be able to fight him seriously as an opponent. It seemed that he’d had no cause for concern. There was no hesitation in his friend’s stride.

That was how it should be. With that in mind, Kaneki Mikihiko stepped back and prepared his next hand. He started by pulling a combat knife from each of his magic bags, and activated them using Aerial Knight. Next, he pulled out a spear, and without holding it at the ready either, he let go of it. He followed up with a hatchet and a mace. His brain managed five controllers. That was his current fighting style.

“No way!” Realizing the situation, Majima Takahiro’s eyes shot open. “Multiple weapons at once?!”

Twinned knives, a spear, a hatchet, a mace, and a two-handed sword. All these weapons hummed in the air and came rushing in.

◆ ◆ ◆

During the mock battle, there was something Majima Takahiro had misunderstood. After crossing blades with Kaneki Mikihiko’s two-handed sword, he’d been delighted to see that his best friend had surpassed him in terms of technique.

However, reality far surpassed his impressions. He should’ve put more weight on the fact that the Great White Spider of the Depths had recognized this boy’s talent for fighting. In truth, Kaneki Mikihiko hadn’t only learned swordsmanship. Knights in this world were expected to master all forms of combat. As such, he’d also learned to use every kind of weapon he could get his hands on. After all, his inherent ability didn’t show its full potential when applied only to a single weapon.

The more weapon types he was capable of wielding, the more he could manipulate at the same time. That was the true power of Kaneki Mikihiko’s Aerial Knight. It wasn’t all positives, however. Naturally, by splitting his focus, he wielded each weapon a little slower. Still, in terms of technique, he’d surpassed Majima Takahiro’s swordsmanship.

Kaneki Mikihiko had learned to use a sword in the early stages of training, so he couldn’t wield his other weapons with the same level of skill. Nevertheless, he wielded each with more skill than Majima Takahiro’s single sword, making each of them a serious threat.

Naturally, this wasn’t purely talent. If he was seen as useless, there was no telling what would happen to the woman dearest to his heart. It was possible she would be released without question, and also possible she would be eliminated without hesitation.

Without knowing which way things would go, he’d had no choice but to continuously prove his worth while under such fierce pressure—the last few months of his life had been almost entirely dedicated to suppressing monsters and training. He hadn’t had any time to catch his breath. This had been a necessity, and was also what he’d wished for.

He tormented himself as if it was a form of atonement. Ironically, to the boy who was incapable of protecting the woman he loved, the talent he’d seen as worthless and meaningless was forged in the depths of hopelessness and despair, shining here with a clear radiance.

“Go!”

Feeling a dull pain in his brain, Kaneki Mikihiko wielded all the weapons at once. Obviously, manipulating ten arms aside from his own was a significant burden compared to what he’d done before. However, he also had much to gain from doing so. His skill with each weapon differed, but this was still like being attacked by five people at once. In all practicality, this amplified his combat strength far more than five times over.

“So this is your true strength now?” Having an accurate grasp of the situation, genuine surprise was evident on Majima Takahiro’s face. He didn’t falter, though. “I can’t go falling behind.”

Majima Takahiro, too, had made great strides over the last several months. He swung his left arm.

“Asarina!”

During the mock battle the other day, he hadn’t had Asarina’s assistance. As such, Kaneki Mikihiko was unaware of the mobility she granted him.

“Sttter!”

Her viny body slammed against the ground hard, sending her master soaring forward.

“Wha?!”

There was no predicting such inhuman movement. The five weapons struck at empty air. The overbearing action seemed like it would throw him off balance, but Majima Takahiro had complete control of his body. He then activated the mana building up within him.

Kaneki Mikihiko felt a chill run up his spine. He had overcome hellish battles multiple times when going out to suppress monsters at the church’s command. His experience was shouting at him now that he was facing a formidable enemy. His premonition was correct.

“Misty Lodge.”

Majima Takahiro activated the one and only magic he was capable of. White mist poured from the boy’s body, filling the air. This entire space became his field. Kaneki Mikihiko was shocked by the results this brought forth.

An attack from behind by the mace was avoided by crouching. The sword and dual knives that followed were immediately repelled. Asarina slammed against the ground again, getting him above the spear’s thrust and the two-handed sword’s horizontal slash. Before the hatchet could come into play, Majima Takahiro thrust his hand forward.

“Asarina!”

With perfect timing, a vine shot out like a spear.

“O-Oooh?!”

Kaneki Mikihiko moved immediately. He jammed a hand into his magic bag. There was no time to be picky. He pulled out the first thing he could grab, promptly readying a halberd with the same deftness as a competent knight.

“Oooh!”

He stepped forward and slashed. However, right after being decapitated, Asarina grew another head from her severed stump, snapping at the halberd.

“Wha?!”

It was as if she’d known she would be cut down. No. This terrifying reaction speed was precisely because she’d known, thanks to the Misty Lodge. Kaneki Mikihiko let go of his weapon a second late.

“Ssster!”

“Whoa?!”

He couldn’t win in a contest of strength. Kaneki Mikihiko was thrown like a pebble, tumbling across the stone floor.

“Guh!”

The fact that he could maintain a firm grip on his ability despite having been caught off guard was worthy of praise. He kept Majima Takahiro in check using the hatchet that’d been chasing him, while also controlling the halberd in Asarina’s jaws with Aerial Knight to prevent any further attacks.

He got to his feet, breaking out into a cold sweat. An invisible collar had been placed around his neck. If he was defeated too easily, it was possible they would see it as him holding back. If so, the woman who was dearest to him could be in danger. He had a reason to give everything he had in this fight. Nevertheless, he was being handily beaten. His opponent was far stronger than expected.

“So this is your current strength...?”

In terms of pure talent for combat, Majima Takahiro was in fact weaker than Kaneki Mikihiko. What’s more, his inherent ability was even more unsuitable for battle than Aerial Knight, which wasn’t particularly strong itself.

But it wasn’t as though Majima Takahiro had simply become more skilled at wielding his ability, nor had he learned some new magic of which Kaneki Mikihiko was incapable. In fact, Majima Takahiro had never had much aptitude for magic in the first place, and he’d been so desperate to learn close combat for the sake of survival that he’d never put time into learning it either.

The only magic he could use was the one he’d gained through his contract with the Misty Lodge Salvia. This was more than just magic; like the mana of his servants flowing through him, it was proof of the bonds he’d forged in this world.

“Man, you really got me...”

Kaneki Mikihiko quietly muttered to himself. He hadn’t meant to underestimate his best friend. However, here he found he hadn’t gauged Majima Takahiro’s abilities with any precision whatsoever.

Just maybe, the time they’d spent together in their old world had blinded him to the reality in this one. The Majima Takahiro he knew was the one who’d lived a peaceful, quiet, and common everyday life. But now things were different. And that wasn’t all.

Kaneki Mikihiko finally had a real sense for it. The boy in front of his eyes was now, without a doubt, the visitor who’d been thrown into the jaws of certain death more than any other and had overcome it every time. Setting aside exceptions like cheaters, he had already reached the peak of strength as an individual fighter in this world. If Kaneki Mikihiko didn’t put his entire soul into this, he would be defeated in an instant.

“Now’s not the time to be worrying about him, huh?”

Muttering quietly, Kaneki Mikihiko broke into a smile.