Chapter 99. The Two
The largest skull protruding from the front of the bone monster clacks and rotates ninety degrees.
[There’s no way a mere insect like you was made by our Master, right? Know your place, human.]
As it finishes speaking, four white arms sprout from its back, each gripping a sinister scythe. Each blade is large enough to match three grown adults, making a direct frontal assault seem unwise.
Yet, Jack-san doesn’t hesitate for even a moment as he steps forward.
...Then, suddenly, the ground beneath him collapses, and his figure vanishes.
A high-pitched screech echoes through the air.
Jack-san has already reappeared in front of the monster, where its scythe clashes against his holy sword.
A devastating shockwave erupts, pulverizing the ground beneath them.
From the academy, students scream, and a teacher seems to be shouting for them to retreat.
"This area is dangerous! Everyone, evacuate back into the academy!"
"Y-yes!"
I call out to the people nearby as well.
Even without direct attacks, the collateral damage from a battle of this level could easily kill bystanders.
Once I confirm all the girls have evacuated into the academy, I turn my attention back to the fight.
(That monster is trading blows with Jack-san head-on. It’s strong. But Jack-san still seems to have some leeway, so he should be fine.)
If possible, I’d like to jump in and end this quickly, but that’s not an option right now.
Another monster still lurks in hiding, waiting for the chance to kill Jack-san.
If I leave my position to join the fight, there’s a chance it’ll take the evacuated students hostage. I wonder why it didn’t take hostages before we arrived—maybe it had some condition for revealing itself.
If Jack-san’s arrival fulfilled that condition, then I can’t afford to move.
[Ugh, ugh, you’re so stubborn!]
[Should we increase? Should we increase them?]
[The scythes are too big and unwieldy. We should condense our power instead.]
[That guy’s too fast! Let’s speed up our legs!]
Realizing it can’t win against Jack-san as things stand, the monster stops moving as its heads debate.
Then, two of its four arms retract into its body, and its form shifts.
Its arms remain, but its upper body grows slimmer while the excess bone gathers in its legs. It now stands upright on two legs like a human, though its lower limbs stretch grotesquely long.
"Ugh, my sanity’s taking a hit..."
For now, I just need to keep an eye on the other one.
Jack-san’s probably noticed it too, but it doesn’t hurt to be cautious.
◇ Third-Person Perspective
"Oh?"
(An interesting transformation. Adapting to the enemy? For all its nonsense, its abilities are annoyingly potent.)
The monster in front of Jack vanishes.
Sensing its presence behind him, Jack raises his holy sword above his head. The impact reverberates through the blade, shattering the ground beneath his feet.
(Fast... but not unmanageable.)
Next, a scythe sweeps horizontally, aiming to bisect his lower body. Without looking back, Jack leans his torso back to evade, then twists his body fluidly to counter with an upward strike.
But the monster blocks it with a single leg.
[That didn’t work~]
[Weak? Weak?]
[Still no different from a fly.]
Jack’s eyebrow twitches slightly.
Even if his stance wasn’t perfect, the strike should’ve had more than enough force. Yet, it was stopped by a single leg. The monster’s grotesque limbs absorbed every bit of the impact.
"Encase it, [Rib]."
Judging close combat with the monster’s legs too risky, Jack swiftly summons another sword into his right hand.
An instant later, a barrier surrounds the monster—but the moment the monster slams its leg into the ground, the barrier shatters like paper.
The monster’s leg sweeps through the debris, carving up the earth as it hurtles toward Jack and sends him flying.
"Tch! That packed quite a punch!"
Even after weakening the attack with his holy sword and Rib’s barrier, the sheer force sends him hurtling through the air.
The monster closes the distance, chasing him down.
It reaches his landing point first, swinging its scythe—but Jack uses the barrier as a pivot to spin midair, narrowly avoiding the blade. The tip of his bangs, sliced clean off, flutters to the ground.
Then, as Jack lands, scythes close in from both sides.
He blocks them with his holy sword and Rib, but—
[Death’s Breath]
The monster’s torso splits open, unleashing a vile mist-like attack at point-blank range. With both hands occupied, Jack clicks his tongue and tries to neutralize it with the sacred aura of his left sword.
But at that moment, thunder crashes behind him.
Instantly, an oppressive pressure crushes the space, suffocating everyone present.
Right on cue, the other monster reveals itself.
(Perfect timing—from the enemy’s side, no less?!)
Even with his holy sword’s power, he can only fully block one attack. Trying to defend against both would leave neither properly countered.
Clicking his tongue at his own misstep, Jack chooses to take the frontal attack head-on while guarding against the one from behind. The unknown factor is the greater threat.
Jack turns his head to look at the monster behind him.
It is a lion.
Its body gleams gold, wreathed in blue lightning. Five times the size of an ordinary lion, it looms over Jack from above.
Its massive, tree-trunk-thick arm swings down, claws crackling with electricity. The speed tears through the air, creating a deafening explosion.
"Die."
A heavy, woven decree.
Absolute One confidence that nothing in this range could surpass its speed.
Hearing that declaration, seeing the claws descend upon him—Jack... smiles gently.
The lion feels doubt at that smile—and in the same instant, the answer is forced upon it.
—Finally, you showed yourself.
No voice was heard. No sound reached its ears.
Yet, its instincts scream at it.
Run. If this continues, all will be lost.
In less than a fraction of a second, the lion weighs its absolute speed against its instincts—and chooses the latter.
Aborting its attack, it leaps skyward with all its might.
And there, it sees what had been standing behind it.
Though shadows obscure its face, two glowing eyes pierce the darkness, violet lightning trailing like phantom tails. A single sword rests at its waist, already drawn in a flash.
"Lightning Cut."
Space splits.
At first, the lion mistakes it for the scenery below being torn apart. Its sibling’s attack is effortlessly erased, and its sibling’s body is bisected in the same motion.
The intruder—Hayato—sheathes his blade, then prepares to draw it again.
His next target, of course, is the lion in midair.
Realizing the danger of staying airborne, the lion kicks off the air and lands at blinding speed.
Hayato closes the distance in an instant, drawing Chidori.
"Thunderclap Flash."
The lion meets the slash with its claws, and the two lock gazes.
After a brief pause, they clash violently.
Purple and blue lightning races through the battlefield, melting the ground beneath them.
Only four seconds pass—but in that time, dozens, perhaps hundreds, of blows are exchanged. Then, Hayato and the lion disengage, returning to their respective allies.
The bisected bone monster groans as its body regenerates.
"...Yeah, I waited all that time and didn’t manage to kill a single one."
"Nah, I’m grateful. I would’ve taken that hit otherwise. More importantly, you’re here to help, right?"
"Of course. Not that Jack-san would lose either way, but I’d like to reassure them as soon as possible. Sigh... And my duck hoodie got burned up too."
Jack smiles wryly at Hayato’s grumbling, his reliable junior’s presence easing his mind.
[What is that thing?!]
[A mere human, yet it wounds us... A thousand deaths won’t suffice!]
[Let’s tear off its arms, then its legs, and feed it to the horses!]
[Fun! Fun!]
The fully regenerated bone monster trembles with rage, its entire body clattering.
In contrast, the golden lion beside it watches Hayato with wary, unblinking eyes.
"Come to think of it, you two came here to kill an Absolute One, right?"
Jack grins provocatively at the monsters.
"Welp, color me impressed. I walked right into your trap."
But this outcome wasn’t part of their calculations.
And for good reason—Absolute Ones usually operate alone. Their overwhelming strength scatters them across the world, each acting as a solitary force that saves nations.
But there is one exception.
An Absolute One whose power remains unquantified, whose aid the world has yet to formally request.
The world’s first Absolute One with a power level of 0.
"So, did you really think you could take on two Absolute Ones and win?"