Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 6 - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Connected Hopes

The creature facing me could hardly be called “Takaya Jun” anymore. It no longer had a single hint of reason or wisdom. It raised its left arm, swollen to several times its original size, high overhead.

“Graaaawr!”

The Mad Beast let out a war cry that pierced my eardrums. Its body was covered in wounds, and its right arm was completely broken. A deep gash that went all the way down to the bone ran along the right side of its chest. Countless cuts crisscrossed its entire body. With all those injuries, it couldn’t even bring out half of its full power. At most, I figured it could use twenty or thirty percent of it.

But now that I had Lily in my arms, I couldn’t escape this kind of attack. I couldn’t expect any aid from my fallen companions either. The word “hopeless” was made for situations like this. Still, I couldn’t give up. That was out of the question.

So what if it was hopeless? So what if it was impossible to survive this crisis? I would never yield to such a thing. I couldn’t get Lily back on my own to begin with. Gerbera had hung in there, despite her severe wounds. Rose had fought, even though she had no legs. Katou couldn’t even fight, yet she had carried Rose into danger.

Because of their desperate efforts, I was able to once more hold Lily in my arms. They had made that possible. I hadn’t done it on my own, so there was no way I could arbitrarily decide to give up. I had to struggle to the very end.

I was determined to continue. I began circulating my mana as fast as I possibly could. My right arm was carrying Lily, so the only armament available to me was the shield on my left arm. I couldn’t avoid the Mad Beast’s attack. My only choice was to bear the blow—I just needed the endurance to block a single strike.

Mana constantly enhanced my body during battle, but that wouldn’t be anywhere near enough. I pictured the ultimate monster of the Depths, the Great White Spider. With Gerbera’s herculean strength, which she had used to face Juumonji Tatsuya, I could endure a single strike from the Mad Beast.

Having said that, no human could reach her level. No, not only humans, but no monster could either. She was the strongest high monster of the Depths. The savior legends even wrote stories about her. Still, things were a little different in my case.

My mana imitated the flow of Gerbera’s mana. In this world, specific phenomena occurred depending on how mana flowed. Since my mana flowed the same way Gerbera’s did, it was theoretically possible that I could replicate the Great White Spider’s enhanced physical abilities.

Of course, considering the massive difference between our abilities, it would be unrealistic to use that much mana on a continual basis. But what about for a single instant? If I increased my output to the same level as Gerbera for just a moment, wouldn’t it be possible?

I was in the best shape of my life, so much so that I found it rather mysterious. As I was now, I could even consider an outrageous idea like this. I could do it; I strongly believed in myself. I pictured the girl in white who had entangled my heart with her threads. I pictured her ferocious, beautiful, and bewitching figure on the battlefield.

The feeling from squeezing her tightly lingered in my arms. Her loving gaze remained burned in my mind. I felt her presence nearer to my heart now than I had in all the time we had spent together.

So I just had to imitate her. My heart pounded. My mana matched its rhythm and circulated through me. I replicated Gerbera’s raging torrent of mana at the maximum speed possible down to my every extremity. Unprecedented strength powered my muscles. My bones were sturdier than ever, supporting this sudden surge of power. My nerves sent signals to every cell in me, demanding strength far beyond what I was capable of. This didn’t even stop at me. Heat poured out my left arm where I held up my shield. The one other life living in me—Asarina—made her presence known.

Asarina was a parasite creeper, a variant of a plant-type monster from the Depths. She had mutated by feeding off me, a visitor from another world. Her biology was much like any other plant. An enormous tree couldn’t grow on barren soil. No matter how much potential she had, she had a predetermined limit so long as her roots lay in a human like me.

However, that limit was higher now. Asarina complied with my will and evolved in the most optimal way possible for the situation. A sense of discomfort began spreading through my left arm. Her roots became an entirely separate organ from my muscles and bones, supporting my reinforced arm. I could feel them stretching up past my elbow and halfway up my bicep.

That wasn’t all either. She wrapped around my arm like a snake from my wrist all the way to my shoulder. Asarina’s body was both flexible and strong, so she reinforced my arm even further. Kudou Riku’s servant, the dirty sludge Caesar, could raise another’s defensive capabilities by using her sludge like an external shield. Here, Asarina was functioning like an external exoskeleton, amplifying my endurance and strength. My left arm was now reinforced both inside and out.

With that final change, I heard something quietly snap within my body. Was it screaming because it couldn’t cope with the sudden change? Or was it some auditory hallucination? Or maybe...

“Oooooh!”

I bellowed to shake off my anxieties. I focused on the sensation of Lily’s body in my right arm. She was soft, warm, and ever so dear to me. I prayed with all my will that I wouldn’t lose her. That single thought drove any fear out of my heart.

“Graaah!”

The Mad Beast brought its tree-trunk-like arm down at me with a roar. I glared up at it and devoted every ounce of my strength into thrusting my shield forth. A beastly hand crashed into it in a head-on collision.

“Haaaaaah!”

The Mad Beast’s strike was horrific, but my shield bash, powered by the Great White Spider’s mana, was just as dreadful. The terrifying impact ran down my left arm and through my entire body.

◆ ◆ ◆

My consciousness returned.

“Huh...?”

I couldn’t grasp the situation right away. It seemed I had passed out for a second. I was still standing there with my left arm held out, my shield at the ready. My arms and legs were all in place. I still had Lily in my right arm. The Mad Beast was still facing me.

The moment before I’d lost consciousness, the Mad Beast had staggered back a step, as if it had slammed into an unexpected wall. This was the fruit of my all-or-nothing gambit. Or perhaps I should say that this was the only fruit.

From what I could see, the Mad Beast hadn’t taken any damage. It was only staggering. It was just a little slow reacting to the unexpected event. As proof of that, it had only fallen back a single step, and the sole of its foot was planted firmly in the ground.

It unleashed a furious howl, its yellow eyes bloodshot. Its madness was increasing. Another attack was sure to come. Regardless of whether I chose to run or stand my ground, I had to act immediately.

“Hak!”

I struggled to breathe as blood surged up my throat. My diaphragm convulsed. I was numb all the way to my fingertips. I couldn’t move properly. Furthermore, an abnormal exhaustion assaulted my entire body. My trembling knees buckled and I fell to the ground.

“Fuck...”

I gnashed my teeth and bit down on my own ineptitude, tasting the blood in my mouth. Gerbera could have easily fended off this wounded beast’s attack and followed up with an immediate charge. Even in my peak condition, I couldn’t use my mana to its full potential.

Furthermore, the difference in specs between Gerbera and me was likely a major factor. Normally, the Mad Beast’s strike would crumple me like paper. The fact that it hadn’t meant I’d gotten closer to Gerbera than ever before, even if just for a moment. Nevertheless, I was still far away from the Depths’ Great White Spider.

“Grrrr!”

The Mad Beast once more raised its arm. This time, it would certainly end my life.

“Ugh...”

I took on a defensive posture, albeit a stiff one. I had no intention of giving up. I couldn’t discard this one last hope created by my companions’ actions. I tried lifting my arm, my shield feeling as heavy as lead, and then...

“It’s okay now, Master.”

A quiet voice brushed against my ear, followed by a destructive clang. It was the sound of fetters breaking, the death cries of binding chains. With this, all of our hopes connected to their final bearer, the last link of the chain.

“Gyah?!”

The Mad Beast’s humongous body blew back with a yelp. As I kneeled there on one knee, something supported my outstretched arm. It was a slender, soft, and reassuring sensation. This was the very first thing I had felt when I decided to survive in this world. It was the arm that had continued to protect me all this time.

The owner of the arm kicked off the ground, backing off somewhat from the Mad Beast. She gently lay me down on the ground as I smiled bitterly.

“In the end...you’re the one saving me, huh?” I said. I had every intention of saving her...but it hadn’t gone my way. “I’m pretty lame, aren’t I?”

“No. That’s not true.”

Now liberated from the manashackles, Lily shook her head. Her flaxen hair swayed in the wind. Her face, slightly dirtied by mud, displayed such a beautiful smile it looked like a flower in full bloom.

“Didn’t I tell you before, Master?” she said. “I love the way you try your hardest for our sakes. That hasn’t changed. Not now, not ever.”

“Lily...”

“You’re really cool, Master,” she said, running her fingers lovingly down my cheek. “I love you with all my heart. Leave the rest to us.”

With that, Lily rose to her feet. The enraged yellow eyes of the Mad Beast glared down at her dignified form.

“We’ll do something about that.”