Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 6 - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Battle to Conquer Takaya Jun ~Lily’s POV~

“Master...”

My master appeared before me. He was covered in dirt, and there were many small cuts all over his body. Having said that, thinking of how he’d already encountered Takaya Jun once before this, seeing him safe and sound was a turn of good fortune.

Normally, I was supposed to be protecting him, so him coming to save me seemed like some kind of bad joke...but I’d still expected him to come.

The moment I saw him, unmistakable joy welled up within me, as well as regret and fear for dragging him into this dangerous place. Also, I was unexpectedly bewildered. But that only made sense. For some reason, my master hadn’t brought along any of his servants aside from Asarina, who couldn’t be physically separated from him in the first place.

Right before I’d lost consciousness, I’d seen Rose with him... Where was she now? The only possibility that came to mind was that something had happened when they encountered Takaya Jun. She was my precious little sister. I was worried. The chains binding my body were blocking my senses through the mental path, so I couldn’t confirm how any of my sisters were doing except for Asarina, whom I could see with my own eyes.

What had me even more confused was that instead of my sisters, my master was straddling an enormous wolf. She had two ferocious heads, as well as multiple tentacles coming from her lower back. She looked majestic. She’d changed since last I saw her, but I knew right away that this was the monster named Berta.

But Berta wasn’t my master’s servant. She served the other monster tamer, Kudou Riku. What had brought Berta and my master together? The answer to that question lay within the person sitting in front of him.

“A two-headed wolf... What’s it called again? Hmmm. I don’t really remember,” Takaya said. Apparently, he harbored the same doubts as me as he looked at the hooded figure sitting in front of my master. “Whatever. That thing being here means you’re the other monster tamer. Kudou Riku, right?”

The hooded figure didn’t answer—or possibly couldn’t answer—meaning it really was Kudou. I didn’t know why he was here, but apparently my master had worked something out with him to save me.

Takaya Jun looked at the silent Kudou and shrugged. “I never thought you’d show yourself like this. Long time no see, Kudou. Not that we’ve actually talked up until now.”

Takaya Jun and Kudou Riku had been in the same grade. Judging by what Takaya said, the two of them hadn’t really seen each other much in school, but they at least knew each other’s faces. Not that it made any difference, from the looks of it.

“Did you think I wouldn’t know who you were if you hid your face and kept silent? Did you think you could take me by surprise like that? Too bad. I know all about you. I probably know way more than Majima over there.”

“What do you mean?” my master asked. “You learned of Kudou because news reached Fort Ebenus about the attack on Fort Tilia, right? You can’t possibly know more than that.”

“True, Iino did deliver news to Ebenus. And I heard the same thing when I met up with her in Serrata, but I knew about Kudou before that.”

“That—”

“Can’t be? Of course it can,” Takaya declared with an aggressive smile. “Heaven’s Voice told me so.”

“Heaven’s Voice? What’s that?”

“Maybe it’ll be easier for you to understand if I said they were the one who helped organize the attack on Fort Tilia.”

“No way...” I muttered, my eyes shooting open as I listened to their conversation.

There had been hints that someone had connected Juumonji Tatsuya, who’d gone to Fort Ebenus with the expeditionary force, with Sakagami Gouta and Kudou Riku, who’d been left behind in the Depths. In the end, we never figured out who that was, but we did know it was a cheater in the first expeditionary force who could communicate with people over long distances. And once again, they were pulling the strings here.

I was shocked by this, but my master reacted somewhat differently. He clicked his tongue bitterly as if he’d been expecting this.

“No wonder...” my master said. “That’s how you knew how to knock Lily out. I thought it was weird. That would’ve been impossible unless you knew the details of a mimic slime’s biology.”

For a moment, I was confused by what my master said, but then I suddenly realized. I didn’t remember the moment I’d lost consciousness myself, but Takaya Jun had told me that he’d stabbed me in the head.

It was the quickest and most efficient method to knock me out. Accurate knowledge was necessary to accomplish that. How would Takaya Jun know this, though? Information on us wasn’t circulated much outside our circle. We were a group of monsters, hiding our identities whenever possible.

That was to say nothing of the conditions needed to overpower us. That being the case, it meant someone had to have actually seen it to pass on the information. There hadn’t been many occasions to witness this. One such occasion happened in the battle against Juumonji at Fort Tilia.

Back then, after Juumonji had cut me down, he struck me with his fist, pulverizing my head and knocking me out. Someone there must have passed this information to this “Heaven’s Voice,” who then told Takaya.

“Sakagami Gouta...” I muttered.

“Oh, you noticed too, Miho?” Takaya said, grinning.

I remembered now. The boy Kudou Riku had used as a decoy had been present at the time. After that, he’d fainted from his wounds, and the Alliance Knights had taken him away. Then Berta recovered him and ultimately ate him at Kudou’s command.

During that time, Sakagami Gouta had plenty of opportunities to relay the information to his helper, this Heaven’s Voice. Perhaps I was overthinking things, but maybe Sakagami had chosen not to run away at the time because he’d been communicating with this voice and the voice had been instigating him.

In a sense, this supposed Heaven’s Voice was more like the devil’s whispers. Considering their methods during the attack on Fort Tilia and this incident here, it was enough malice to send a shiver down one’s spine. Who exactly could it be? My master seemed to be wondering the same thing.

“Takaya. Do you know the identity of this Heaven’s Voice?” he asked, his expression grim.

“Who knows? When I asked for a name, they merely told me ‘Heaven’s Voice.’ I could tell right away that they had no intention of answering me from the get-go. As long as I could get information on Miho, nothing else interested me. So I didn’t really care, to be honest. That’s why I don’t know their name, or whether they’re a boy or girl.”

“Even though you spoke with them?”

“They’re simply calling themselves ‘Heaven’s Voice,’ but there’s no voice to hear. It’s not like speaking on the phone. It’s more like words being directly inserted into your head... Something like telepathy, I guess? They didn’t say anything else about themselves either. Well, they sure did jabber on about other people, though. For example...” Takaya paused and turned his gaze to Kudou. “Kudou, about you and Todoroki Miya.”

Todoroki Miya? I was bewildered by the sudden mention of that name. I felt like I’d heard it somewhere before, but I couldn’t remember who she was exactly. My master also looked puzzled. However, Kudou’s reaction was entirely different. His face was hidden by his hood, but his shoulders jolted. Berta’s reaction was even more straightforward.

“You scoundrel... You dare mock our king?”

Berta’s growl was full of hostility and wrath. She was seething to the point where she was liable to attack at any moment. Our masters were different, but there were things we had in common as servants. This here was a display of her unbearable fury at someone trampling on the sacred soil that was her master.

I found her reaction a little unexpected. Kudou Riku’s ability allowed him to force servants under his rule. They were all tools to him. This was no different for the monsters in his service who possessed wills. However, Berta was angry for her master’s sake. In other words, their relationship was more than forced obedience. In this instance, though, it backfired.

“Calm down, Berta,” my master said. He was the only one of the three who maintained his composure. “You too,” he added, slapping Kudou’s shoulder. “He’s just trying to shake you up. You’re letting him get to you.”

“I know...” Kudou answered. His voice sounded dry, and it was difficult to hear him.

Kudou gave my master a nod, though it was hard to tell because of his hood. Watching this exchange, Takaya let out a dissatisfied snort. Much like how my master was trying to extract as much information as he could from this conversation, Takaya was trying to use this opportunity to agitate Kudou.

Currently, my master didn’t have his servants by his side. None of the monsters who were connected to each other by their hearts were here. Instead, he had a hastily built team. He couldn’t afford for things to fall apart here. In that respect, Takaya’s judgment that Kudou would react was sound, regardless of his insanity. It was extremely troublesome.

The fact that Takaya could make such a calm decision meant it would be difficult for my master to prod for openings in his mind. Even though Takaya was burdened by my bound body under his arm, it was questionable whether my master could make up for the difference. I’d hoped that we could find another path to victory...but now that Takaya’s plot to agitate Kudou had failed, he had no more reason to continue this conversation.

“It would’ve been easier if you’d lost it and attacked me. Oh well,” Takaya grumbled, then his expression changed completely. “So... You said something earlier. What was it again?” he said to my master. His voice sounded bloodthirsty. “Oh yeah. You said something about taking back Miho... Right, Majimaaaa?!”

Hatred seeped from his body as if someone had laid their hands on the most precious thing in the world to him. He was like a boiling witch’s cauldron. Every negative emotion muddled together inside him, seething in a violent rage that corrupted his surroundings. My master didn’t falter at this, though.

“Yeah, that’s right. You’ll give her back to me,” he replied calmly, as if he had long made his resolve. “That’s why I came here.”

“You son of a...” Takaya’s expression twisted. I could hear him grinding his teeth. “Don’t misunderstand. Miho doesn’t belong to you.”

“No,” my master said with a light shake of the head. “Lily is mine.”

“—!”

I was unexpectedly shocked by his statement.

“Lily is my servant. I’m her master. Nobody has the right to say anything about that.”

An overbearing declaration like this didn’t suit my master. It showed just how strong his determination was in coming here. It made me happy. I really was happy...but his opponent was a warrior, a cheater.

By nature, the monsters Kudou could force into his service had a limit to their individual strength. From what I could tell, Berta was stronger than before, but she was still weaker than me. It would be hard for her to take on a warrior just by combining forces with my master and Asarina. If Gerbera were here, and in perfect condition, maybe they could fight on equal ground... No, that was still far too reckless.

I bit my lip, coming to a conclusion I’d already been aware of. Was there any way of overcoming this situation? My thoughts ran wild as I remained bound in Takaya’s arm. There had to be a way to protect my master. There had to be something I could do. I didn’t care what happened to me. If I couldn’t find a way, my master would... If so, my measly life didn’t—

“Lily.”

I suddenly heard my name. I raised my head and met my master’s eyes. I was sure my expression was stiff. Having interpreted this as a show of anxiety, my master smiled at me.

“It’s okay. Just wait a little longer.”

“Ah...”

I tried to say something back, but before I could, Takaya Jun’s anger and insanity exploded.

“Don’t...fuck with...me... Don’t fuck with me, goddammit!”

His face was horribly contorted now. It was like he’d suffered unbearable agony just from us exchanging a few words. That only stood to reason. He only saw what he wanted to. He didn’t recognize reality. From his perspective, every word we spoke to each other created cracks in his delusional world.

“I won’t hand Miho over to anyone ever again! Not anyone! Never again!”

Takaya Jun roared and denied the reality before him. His bejeweled sword shone with a dazzling light, calling forth death.

“Dodge it!” my master yelled.

A pillar of earth burst forth from beneath Berta’s feet. The wolf twisted her body and dodged the earthen thrust. However, Takaya was nowhere close to done.

“More’s coming, Berta!”

“I know. Grab on tight.”

Berta dashed at my master’s command. In an instant, her figure became ashen wind. A normal person wouldn’t have been able to keep up with her speed. Despite having a much larger physique than the common firefang, this grotesque beast ran through the forest several times faster than one. However, that wasn’t enough to surpass the kinetic vision of a warrior.

“Get the hell outta my sight! Majimaaa!”

Takaya poured his tremendous mana as a cheater into the bejeweled sword. Pillars of earth sprouted from the ground in Berta’s wake. They looked like a manifestation of the fiendish fury and madness rampaging within Takaya Jun.

“Grrr...”

Berta’s enormous body soared about as she dodged the pillars. My master was seated behind Kudou, and he was desperately clinging to his back. Berta had wrapped her tentacles around their waists to help stabilize them on her back. Asarina was also entwined around them to help. If not for all that, they would have been shaken off.

Countless pillars erupted from Berta’s shadow. The mundane scenery of the mountain transformed into an otherworldly sight. Berta was trying to somehow get closer to us, but Takaya’s attacks didn’t permit her to. By channeling his overflowing mana into the blade, he maintained a one-sided offensive through long-range magic. Berta was sure to slip up over time. The situation was getting worse and worse.

“Graaawr!”

Berta had also judged that she was getting nowhere. One of her heads turned our way and opened its jaws. Flames came pouring out, closing in on us in a straight line. At this rate, I would also get caught in the raging fire, but there was plenty of distance between us, so Takaya wasn’t going to let such a measly attack through.

“Hah! Pathetic!”

A pillar shot up in front of us, easily obstructing the blaze. This was the difference between a cheater and a monster. That was the harsh reality. In fact, Takaya Jun laughed as if this attack had given him a splendid opportunity.

“Eat this!”

A slanted pillar burst from the ground, rushing toward Berta’s blind spot. Having just unleashed her flames, her reaction was just a moment too late. The pillar slammed right into the enormous wolf’s abdomen.

“What?!”

Suddenly, a green membrane stopped the blow. It collided with the pillar, the two forces throwing each other off, scattering green sludge into the air.

“Well done, Caesar!”

This had only bought a split second of time, but that was enough for Berta to slip past the pillar. Takaya froze up. He’d been sure his attack would strike home. Using that chance, Berta quickly closed the distance. By the time he came back to his senses, it was already too late. At least, it would’ve been for a normal person.

“Fuck!”

Takaya Jun had the physical abilities of a warrior, so it wasn’t so simple to get close to him. Berta swooped down on his flank, but Takaya leaped back, opening the gap once more. With that momentum, the battle turned into a hectic melee moving through the mountains.

“Graaawr!”

One of Berta’s heads spat incandescent fire, while the other shot intensely cold hail.

“Like hell I’ll get hit!”

Using pillars of earth and foliage as cover, Takaya Jun continuously dodged the breath attacks. He kept Berta at a distance with devilish agility, making it seem like he wasn’t carrying me under his arm at all. So long as he could maintain this distance, he could probably dodge forever.

“You won’t get hit? Hmph, that goes both ways.”

Berta had also been continuously avoiding direct hits from Takaya’s magic. His sword didn’t seem capable of creating more than a single pillar at a time. Still, there wasn’t a gap between attacks to take advantage of. Using Takaya’s incredible mana, the sword could unleash another pillar by the time Berta had dodged the previous one. Berta couldn’t evade them all on her own.

However, a green sludge wrapped around her body blocked the occasional hits she couldn’t get away from. The monster called Caesar was likely Kudou’s servant. The green defensive membrane scattered every time it was hit, but that was more than enough to buy Berta time to dodge. The fight had become a stalemate; neither side could deal a decisive blow. As long as they maintained this distance between them, that wouldn’t change. Takaya Jun knew this better than anyone else. I could hear his teeth grinding together.

“Annoying...” he grumbled in a deep voice. “Annoying. Annoying! So damn annoying!”

“Urgh?!”

A sudden acceleration crushed my lungs as Takaya Jun charged forth impatiently.

“I’ll kill you.”

He went from prioritizing safety above all else to taking just the tiniest teaspoonful’s worth of risk. That small change greatly tipped the scales of battle.

“Graawr!”

Berta spat flames from both her heads to intercept him. Takaya Jun created a pillar in front of him at the last second to defend against it.

“Raaah!”

He then kicked his own pillar over with astounding strength.

“Graah?!”

Berta’s flames couldn’t do anything more than scorch the falling pillar. The moment before it crushed her, she leaped to the side to avoid it. However, by that time, Takaya had run across the top of the collapsing pillar and was right by her side.

“Die.”

He was well within range to use his sword. Takaya didn’t specialize in magic, so this was actually his most lethal range. All I could do was watch the scene unfold before me.

He swung his sword. Berta came to a stop to try and intercept him, opening her jaws and baring her fangs. Atop her back, my master glared at Takaya. His face was stiff from the hopelessness of the situation. However, his eyes hadn’t given up yet. On the contrary, his pursed lips almost seemed to be curved in a cocky smile.

“Wha—?!”

In that instant, a new figure jumped out from the shadow of the tree where Berta had stopped. Seeing the new arrival, Takaya Jun gasped. A pleated skirt fluttered in the wind. A beautiful slender sword glimmered in the light. Glamorous long black hair drew a trail through the air, and honest eyes reflected the insane boy’s image.

“U-Uoooh?!” Takaya Jun shrieked and leaped back with all his strength. “N-No way! Why are you here?!”

Dignified eyes glared at him. The situation had been overturned in an instant. That was perfectly natural. A heavy weight had just been placed on the scales of battle.

“Iino?! Why are you here?!”

The Skanda, Iino Yuna, one of the strongest fighters in this entire world, stood before the boy who had fallen into insanity.