Chapter 91: The Enemy is Beyond the Stars
To think that even the King, the Sun King, and the Overlord couldn’t handle them.
Kazuma felt a sense of urgency and teleported to Ema-san, bringing the suspicious individual with him.
At Ema-san’s place were Masato, who had recovered and was up, and his secretary, Tsukimi-san.
The three of them were wide-eyed when Kazuma suddenly appeared, holding the suspicious individual with one hand, but they sighed in relief upon learning he had safely achieved victory.
“It seems you made it back safely…”
“Well, yeah. It’s good that I managed to capture this one, but it seems they’re not alone.”
“Don’t tell me there are more of them!?”
“Just a little while ago, the talismans I gave to my friends in various countries were used. The King, the Overlord, the Sun King, and the Knight King—all four were defeated. They’ve already reported to their countries, so it’ll probably be another emergency world conference…”
“…You’re not joking, are you?”
“Ema-san. Unfortunately, this time it’s really bad. I’m the only one who can deal with them, and on top of that, the enemy appears and disappears unpredictably. Right now, we’re always one step behind, and it’s impossible for us to take the initiative. We just have to brace ourselves.”
“I see… I see~~~”
Hearing Kazuma’s words, Ema-san, overwhelmed by the helpless reality, sank heavily onto the sofa as if collapsing.
As Ema-san clutched his head, an emergency communication came in from America, and just as Kazuma had said, an emergency world conference was to be held.
Even Kazuma couldn’t afford to be reluctant this time, so he used Teleportation Magic to visit various countries and gather the national leaders and Gifted.
They had just held a world conference the other day, but this time, the survival of humanity, and by extension, the Earth, might be at stake.
Even the leaders of countries that hadn’t been attacked by the suspicious individuals understood the gravity of the situation.
“This time, thanks to the Crimson Knight, we were able to capture the assailants. They are already restrained and pose no danger, but… it has become clear that no one but the Crimson Knight can defeat them in terms of strength.”
The shocking news that the King, the Overlord, the Sun King, and the Knight King—all four—were defeated without being able to do anything, caused a stir among the leaders of each country.
With the appearance of the Crimson Knight, the presence of the former four had somewhat faded, but as everyone knew, their abilities were top-class in the world.
Hearing that such powerful individuals had lost to these suspicious individuals without any recourse, it was impossible for them to remain calm.
“Crimson Knight. Could you bring forth the suspicious individuals in question?”
Being told so, Kazuma placed the suspicious individuals he had captured in the very center of the conference hall.
All of them wore similar white robes that concealed their faces, making it impossible to see their full appearance.
“You intend to torture us, I presume, but we will never talk!”
“Oh? You’re awake?”
“Of course! How much time do you think has passed since we were restrained!”
“Umm… About 30 minutes?”
“That’s more than enough time to wake up! Can’t you even understand that, you troglodyte!”
“Who are you calling a troglodyte!”
“Guah!”
Suddenly being called a troglodyte, Kazuma got angry and brought his fist down on the shouting suspicious individual.
“Guu…! Why does an attack from a piece of trash like you hurt so much…?”
“Calling me a troglodyte, calling me a piece of trash, just how much do you guys want to piss me off!”
“Ugyah!”
Kazuma didn’t particularly mind being made fun of, but he couldn’t forgive being clearly looked down upon, so he delivered a second fist strike.
The sight of the Crimson Knight hitting the suspicious individual with his fists in front of the world leaders was surreal, but Ema-san stopped Kazuma, saying they wouldn’t get anywhere like this.
“Kazuma-kun. We can’t proceed with the discussion, so please calm down.”
“…Yessir.”
Though reluctant, Kazuma obediently backed down, acknowledging that Ema-san was right.
Kazuma stepped back, and Ema-san approached the suspicious individuals and began to question them.
“Well then, let’s start with greetings for mutual understanding. My name is Saito Ema. I hold the position of Prime Minister in the island nation of Japan. Would you be so kind as to tell us your names, your purpose, your place of origin, and so on?”
“Hmph. As if we’d tell you!”
“That’s problematic. I would prefer to resolve this peacefully if possible…”
“Go ahead and torture us or whatever from the start! But you’d better be prepared! You people don’t have a moment to spare!”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Ha! As if I’d tell you!”
“…I see. If that’s your stance, then we’ll do as we please as well.”
And so, Ema-san passed the baton back to Kazuma.
Naturally, they couldn’t put on a torture show in front of the world leaders, so Kazuma summoned Momoko and Sakura Hakanai.
With Gifted individuals possessing Mind Reading and Brainwashing gathered, there would be no need for torture.
However, it was uncertain whether their Gifts would work on the suspicious individuals.
“Please stop doing new things so suddenly! I thought my heart was going to stop!”
Momoko had teleported with Kazuma many times, but she had never experienced a summoning Magic Circle suddenly appearing at her feet and being whisked away to another location, so she panicked.
She knew it was Kazuma’s doing, but it was an unprecedented experience, so Momoko was so surprised she felt like her heart would stop.
“I was surprised too~. Just when I thought my feet suddenly lit up, a geometric pattern emerged, and when I closed and opened my eyes, I was in an unfamiliar place~.”
“Sorry, Momoko-chan. It’s a bit of an emergency, so I didn’t have time to teleport you over and explain things first.”
“…Looking around, I can understand the situation. However, please give us a heads-up next time. It would be a disaster if we were summoned while in the toilet or bath.”
“Roger roger.”
After that, Kazuma explained the situation to Momoko and Sakura Hakanai.
He told them there were things he wanted to ask the suspicious individuals, so they would conduct an interrogation using Mind Reading and Brainwashing.
He asked for their cooperation for that purpose.
“Understood. Let’s give it a try.”
“This sounds interesting~.”
The suspicious individuals were restrained, but just in case, Kazuma stayed by Momoko and Sakura Hakanai’s side as their guard.
Momoko and Sakura Hakanai activated their Gifts and questioned the suspicious individuals.
“Well then, could you please tell us your name?”
“Changing the questioner won’t make a difference! As if we’d talk!”
“……”
Momoko turned to Kazuma with a dubious look on her face. Had she managed to read the mind of the suspicious individual in front of her?
“What’s wrong, Momoko-chan? Don’t tell me you couldn’t read their mind?”
“Yes. I tried to read their mind, but I couldn’t hear anything.”
“Has this happened before?”
“No, there have been times when it was chaotic, like with you or Sakura Hakanai, but complete silence… that’s never happened before.”
Momoko bowed her head, apologizing for her inability to help.
Kazuma, who had already heard from other Gifted that their Gifts didn’t work on the suspicious individuals, didn’t blame Momoko and thanked her for fulfilling her duty.
Then, seeing Sakura Hakanai, who had similarly been attempting Brainwashing, shrug to indicate no success, Kazuma became convinced that the suspicious individuals were using some kind of ability or device to nullify Gifts.
“Haa… This is a pain~.”
If Mind Reading and Brainwashing, let alone other Gifts, didn’t work, there was only one thing to do.
Kazuma decided to use magic to extract information from the suspicious individuals.
“Guess I’ll get this over with quickly~.”
“Hey, something’s been bothering me for a while now.”
“What is it? If it’s not important, I’d rather you save it for later.”
“It’s strange how those suspicious individuals have been so belligerent even though they’re captured~. Listening to them, they should understand the position they’re in~.”
“Isn’t that just how it is?”
“That’s true in fiction, I guess~. But couldn’t it be just like in fiction? That even though they’re captured, their overwhelmingly advantageous position hasn’t changed at all…”
“!!!”
Hearing Sakura Hakanai’s words, Kazuma was struck with a sense of impatience, wondering why he hadn’t considered that possibility.
Those suspicious individuals were restrained and should have understood their situation, yet their defiant attitude must mean they were confident of victory.
In the first place, the suspicious individuals possessed overwhelming power and had built a civilization far more advanced than Earth’s.
“Damn it! Have they already contacted their home base?!”
Predicting the worst-case scenario, Kazuma flipped up the hoods of the suspicious individuals.
There, he saw the faces of the suspicious individuals, peering at him through pure white, sunglass-like visors.
They were probably using those visors to measure their Combat Power, learn languages, and then translate and speak.
And at the same time, they must have been transmitting data like video and audio to their home base in real-time.
“So you’ve noticed… But it’s too late!”
“Shut up!”
“Guah!”
Kazuma snatched the visor from the suspicious individual, who wore a triumphant smirk, intending to destroy it, but then he reconsidered, thinking it was a chance to steal enemy technology, and stored it in subspace.
“Ema-san! You heard all that, right?!”
“Yes! I heard. I clearly understand that this situation is even worse than we imagined. Kazuma-kun. I will take full responsibility. Do as you see fit!”
“How generous of you! Just try not to foam at the mouth and collapse when you see the damage bill!”
“You don’t need to worry about that. Everyone present here will guarantee it.”
“Mr. President! Is that really true!?”
“This is a crisis for Earth. We can’t let Japan hog all the glory, can we? Though, when it comes to actual combat, I doubt I’ll be of much use…”
“That’s more than enough! If the rear support is impeccable, I can fight without any reservations!”
Kazuma had destroyed the visors the other suspicious individuals were wearing, halting the data transmission, but it was likely too late.
Nevertheless, steeling his resolve that he must fight, Kazuma glared at the ceiling, as if fixing his gaze on the enemy that was surely far beyond, in the distant sky.