Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 16 - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Misfortune

After the short and intense fight, we were left behind on our own.

“Master!” Lily shouted, her eyes pleading for a command.

“After them!” I said after a moment’s thought.

We would be safer waiting here for the exploration team or Kouzu’s group to return. However, it was possible the Evil Dragon would reach the Dimensional Cornerstones before then. Nakajima definitely possessed tremendous power, but unfortunately, he lacked my internal compass. If he lost sight of the Evil Dragon, it would be over. Freed from pursuit, the creature would effortlessly destroy the Dimensional Cornerstones. We couldn’t count on anyone else to be able to stop it.

“Mm! Got it!”

Everyone reacted to my orders quickly. Lily leaped high into the air, turned her hand into a feeler, and managed to land in the hole high up in the ceiling.

“Shiran!”

“Right away!”

Shiran responded to her call and used the feeler as a rope to climb up. During that time, Berta jumped toward the wall with the rest of us on her back, then kicked off to jump even higher, using her tentacles to grip the hole’s edge. Berta made her way through just as Lily finished pulling Shiran up. We all came out into the hallway on the upper floor.

“Where did that bastard go?” Lobivia muttered menacingly, glancing around for her prey.

Jinguuji was the bitter enemy who’d destroyed her home. Unlike when we’d met Okazaki, there was no need for her to hold it in. It was reasonable for her emotions to run hot. Regardless, she didn’t charge off and instead focused on guarding me. She had more than enough restraint.

“That way,” I said, stroking her head.

Relying on my connection to this world, I had a grasp of Nakajima and Jinguuji’s location. Even without that, it was easy to glean their general direction from the traces of destruction. They were apparently having an intense battle while on the move. It would be a simple matter to follow them.

“Shall we?” Berta asked, thinking the same thing.

“Hang on a sec,” I said.

“What is it?”

“We might be able to cut them off.”

Having transformed into the Evil Dragon, Jinguuji was headed straight toward his destination. That wasn’t equivalent to using the optimal route, though. He had a Dimensional Cornerstone, so he knew which way to go, but seeing that we were indoors, heading there in a straight line could lead him down inconvenient detours.

This was where we had the advantage. Some time had passed, so the Misty Lodge was slowly encroaching on this world. At this point, I could identify the shortest route to the end. Not having the exploration team was a problem, but we had no choice but to take the risk.

“Please go down the path I point out,” I said.

“Understood. Let’s go,” Berta replied, and just as she was about to start running...

“Wait up!”

Someone climbed up from the lower floor and ran over to us.

“Kubota. That was fast,” I said.

“The guys down there can handle themselves,” Kubota replied, grinning.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m your guard. Our leader commanded me. I gotta do my job right.”

There was no hesitation in his voice. I could feel how tremendous an influence Nakajima had on the exploration team members. Recalling his heroic mannerisms from earlier, that only made sense. In all likelihood, the only ones left in the exploration team were those who worshipped Nakajima. Thinking back on it, Iino and Shimazu were relatively composed despite the immense trust they placed in him. Kubota immediately pulled back his smile and turned a serious look my way.

“So? Where’d our leader go?” he asked.

“He’s chasing Jinguuji. I’m thinking of taking the shortest route to cut them off.”

“I see...” Kubota sank into thought for a moment. “In that case, it sounds like I should go with you guys.”

“I couldn’t ask for more.”

I’d figured he might go after Nakajima on his own, so this was a little unexpected. Naturally, I was grateful to have the support of a nicknamed cheater.

“Right on, it’s decided then,” Kubota said.

“Let’s hurry.”

Now joined by Kubota, we started making our way through the third world.

◆ ◆ ◆

Unlike the outdoor regions of the first and second worlds, the third went through the interior of an ancient castle. Regardless, guardian giants were all over. We didn’t have time to waste, so I’d given orders to bulldoze our way through. Our encounter rate with them was pretty low, however, as there didn’t seem to be many guardians in this world.

Kubota took on the role of our vanguard, so we got through the occasional battles without any problems. His ability was the Multiplex. He could create five of himself at most. Simply having that many fighters at the level of a warrior was a huge boon. Whatever he couldn’t handle on his own, Lily and Shiran more than made up for.

I focused on grasping the layout of the world using the Misty Lodge. As a result, I discovered that this place was something like a castle in the sky. There was nothing around it. It was possible this enormous castle was floating in the middle of a great void with nothing beneath it. It looked like a flat disc on the outside, but that was merely an illusion of scale. The castle’s spires and ramparts reached toward the skies with ample ambition. If I had to guess, in terms of surface area, it was around the size of the imperial capital. Despite covering so much land, the castle itself was around thirty stories high. We were on the sixteenth floor and our destination was near the center of the whole castle. The Evil Dragon and Nakajima were having a fierce battle as they steadily made their way there.

“What’s wrong, Takahiro?” Lobivia asked, clinging to Berta’s back much like I was.

“Nothing serious... I’m just wondering if Nakajima is all right.”

“Mm. That Jinguuji guy was no joke.”

Her voice remained dark, but Lobivia evaluated her enemy clearly and with no presumption. I had the same opinion. That was why there was something I had to say.

“Sorry, Kubota,” I told the instance of him he was keeping close to me to protect me. “For letting Nakajima run off on his own, I mean.”

“Hm?” He turned to me wide-eyed. “Aaah. That been bothering you? Ha ha. Don’t worry about it.”

“But Jinguuji has thrown away all caution. Knowing that he’s facing Nakajima, I believe he’s squeezed out more than his full power.”

I didn’t want to make him uneasy, but it was best to share what information we had. That was what I thought, but Kubota’s reaction remained carefree.

“Even so, ain’t no way our leader’s losing.”

“But Kubota, you didn’t see the Evil Dragon, right?”

“Nope. But what about it?” he said with a daring smile. “I can say it without a doubt. Our leader ain’t losing.”

“But I’m telling you...”

“He ain’t losing. It’s impossible. You’re the one who knows nothing about Nakajima Kojirou.”

His tone bore an unexpected steel. Seeing me at a loss for words, Kubota gave me a cheeky smile.

“Well, I get how you feel,” he added. “Still, it’s pointless to worry about that guy.”

There was clear conviction in his voice. I did of course know that he had unfathomable trust in Nakajima. I’d had the chance to speak with him in these fabricated worlds, after all.

“Our leader’s on a totally different level. He’s just, like, different from us.

“It’s like he lives in an entirely different world.

“No matter what happens, I’m gonna follow that guy. I’ve already decided.”

That was what he’d said. The situation hadn’t been this bad, though. Now, Nakajima was all alone in this dangerous world fighting against the Dragon Jinguuji Tomoya—a man who’d thrown away everything he was to turn into the Evil Dragon.

“You said he was amazing even back in our world, right?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Kubota answered proudly. “He was amazing. There was nothing he couldn’t do. Some guys were even saying that it’s ’cause of him that the rest of us got mixed up in being teleported to this world. They were half joking, of course.”

“We got mixed up in it?”

“Yeah. Oh right, guess you never really talked about that stuff. Anyway, you’ve at least seen it in some movies, manga, or anime, yeah? The kind where a legendary hero appears in another world and saves it. In stories like that, sometimes the protag has special qualities. It’s pretty common, yeah?”

“Right...”

Now that he mentioned it, I might’ve seen something of the like. Maybe it was common. Mikihiko would be more familiar with recent trends and might have a different opinion, though. I felt like he’d mentioned something like that when we’d once talked about cheaters, but I didn’t really remember. Either way, we were faced with reality right now. Kubota had to understand that much. Did that mean there were those who saw Nakajima as so special that they could make jokes like that? Looking back at what I’d witnessed with my own eyes, it did make sense.

“You really trust him. I guess you have since our school days?” I asked.

“Not as much as I do now. He did feel pretty distant and all... He had that kinda personality, so I just felt that way. After coming here, I joined the exploration team’s upper brass, so he suddenly seemed a lot closer.”

Kubota seemed like the unreserved type, so this was a little unexpected. Or maybe I had it the wrong way around. It was more appropriate to say that Nakajima was so far beyond the norm that even Kubota felt a sense of distance between them. The exploration team’s leader was transcendental among a transcendental group. Faced with the potential end of the world, having him on our side was the greatest blessing. We couldn’t rely entirely on him, though. We had to prepare ourselves to handle any situation.

“It’s the critical moment...”

The operation was almost over. And just like that, we finally reached our target.

◆ ◆ ◆

Our destination was a vast bowl-shaped room. Four human-sized crystals floated within, revolving slowly around the center.

“What’s that?” Kubota asked. “I sense mana in them.”

“Seems those stones are keeping the castle floating,” I answered, using the knowledge transmitted from the Misty Lodge.

“Seems like an awfully important place. They dangerous? I’d rather not go splat the moment we go in.”

“The defensive systems seem to be functioning, but nothing will happen as long as we leave the crystals alone.”

“Okay. Then let’s hurry ahead.”

We went down one of the four long staircases that stretched down to the center of the room from each side. Right in the center was a small stone shrine.

“This is our target, right?” Lily asked, coming to a stop at the door.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

This was the storage vault for the Dimensional Cornerstones that managed and maintained the whole world. This time, we’d had to force our way through fabricated worlds using the Misty Lodge, but when going through the proper procedures, it was apparently possible to teleport straight into this shrine.

“Seems Nakajima and Jinguuji aren’t here yet,” I muttered quietly. “We barely made it.”

In the next instant, the Evil Dragon flew into the room using a different entrance. An explosive amount of mana suddenly flooded the vast space. Immediately following that, an intense light shone behind the Evil Dragon.

“You think you’ll get away?!”

“Gaaaaah?!”

The Sword of Light came down and slammed into the Evil Dragon’s back. The exploration team’s leader had made it here too. How much destructive force did that elongated blade have concentrated within it? The Evil Dragon’s enormous body crashed into the ground, rumbling the entire room as it screamed.

“Amazing...”

I unintentionally raised my voice. The Evil Dragon was covered in wounds. What were supposed to be extremely sturdy scales were burned and torn off all over. Its right arm had been lopped off at the shoulder, and its tail was missing. The earlier attack had also cut off half of one of its wings. It was probably impossible for it to fly now. Perhaps having taken a vicious strike to the face, it was missing its right eye too.

In contrast, Nakajima wasn’t really hurt. His equipment was just a little frayed. It seemed the evil dragon hadn’t landed a clean hit with its breath, fangs, or claws. The sight of him jumping into this room swinging his sword down heartily was truly majestic. I knew how amazing the Evil Dragon was, so this totally one-sided outcome was a shock. Did that mean Kubota was right?

“Graaaah!”

Regardless, the Evil Dragon didn’t give up. Ignoring its wounds, it immediately kicked off the ground, charging toward the center of the room—to the shrine where we were standing. I’d predicted this, though. I immediately gave my orders.

“Fire!”

“Hyaaah!”

Lily held up her black spear. At the same time, both she and Shiran deployed glyphs. Both were using wind magic. Lily prioritized amplifying the power of her throw, while Shiran controlled its wild trajectory. The shrill sound of metal tearing through the air was followed by half of the Evil Dragon’s neck being torn away. All that power had been focused on the tip of the spear. These two had the strength to fight a visitor individually, so when they combined forces, a single spear transformed into a terrifying bullet. And that wasn’t all.

“All right! I’m joining in!”

It was Kubota. Having multiplied into three, he deployed three glyphs. They were all grade 4 magic. Having predicted the Evil Dragon’s arrival, he’d had enough time to prepare a triplex of blazes, burning the Evil Dragon’s body horribly. It lost its momentum and crashed into the ground with a tremendous thud.

“Right on! We won!”

Kubota pumped his fist as he watched the Evil Dragon crash. I also breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t going to be able to move around much after that. Even if it forced itself to get up, we could probably strike it right back down. Our pursuit operation had come to a safe end. All that was left was to decide what to do with the Evil Dragon. We did manage to capture it alive, so it was best to leave the decision to Nakajima. And just as that thought crossed my mind...

“G-Gaaah...”

I heard a bloodcurdling cry. Despite being wounded beyond recovery, the Evil Dragon hadn’t given up. Perhaps it was better to say it no longer possessed the capability to. In contrast, we weren’t being the least bit careless. If it spat out a torrent of mana, we could dodge it. Lily and Shiran could probably even block it. A second later, Nakajima would strike it down with his Sword of Light. That would end things.

I’d made a miscalculation, though. The wounded dragon was no longer thinking properly. Had it retained its sanity, it definitely wouldn’t have done something so foolish.

“Graaaah!”

“Wha?!”

Driven by some unknowable madness, the Evil Dragon did the unimaginable: it spat out a torrent of mana at the ceiling. There was no way such a meaningless attack would achieve anything. By all rights, that should have been the case. However, by sheer coincidence, the attack pierced one of the crystals floating above us. Fortune seemed dead set on depriving us of our victory. The crystals weren’t inherently dangerous. So long as we didn’t touch them, the castle would continue floating. Conversely, if we attacked them...

“Dammit!”

I felt goose bumps as the defense mechanism kicked in. The traps up to this point were meant to expel those who didn’t have the right qualifications. This one was meant to slaughter those who would bring harm to this world. It had far more lethal force behind it. I’d neutralized all the traps beforehand, but I hadn’t touched any traps that shouldn’t have been activated. I couldn’t interfere with the world fast enough to stop it.

“Master!”

“Takahiro!”

My companions screamed as they desperately tried to defend me in their own ways. And then, the tables turned utterly and completely.