“What!?”
Kanzaki wore a dubious expression. Yuma had already exhausted his Mana. Going into battle now would be quite dangerous.
Moreover, looking at the Hexagonal Rod returned by Yuma, the blue glow was rapidly fading. It seemed Kanzaki’s own Mana was also depleted.
“Do you understand, Yuma? Your identity might be exposed, and we don’t even know how strong that humanoid Monster is!”
“…Yes.”
Both of them understood. The Red Monster that had come up with the Hell Garm.
If even a barrage of “Roar of the Raijuu” couldn’t defeat it, then it was an incredibly strong Abyssal Monster.
They couldn’t even imagine how much power it possessed.
“I see… but this is the surface. There isn’t a large amount of Mana here; you can’t use the same power as when you fought the Chimera! Are you still going to do it?”
“…………I don’t know how far my power will work. But—”
Yuma stared intently into Kanzaki’s eyes.
“Rui… he’s my friend. There’s no way I can leave him!”
Seeing the unwavering look in his eyes, Kanzaki sighed.
“I guess there’s no choice.”
Saying that, Kanzaki looked up at the sky.
“There are several reconnaissance Drones flying around. They’re probably sending the captured footage somewhere. Go around from the left so you don’t get spotted by them.”
“Understood. Thank you!”
Just as Yuma said his thanks and was about to run off, Kanzaki called out, “Hey, Yuma!”
“Yes, what is it?”
When Yuma turned with a puzzled look, Kanzaki gave him a thumbs up.
“Blast them away!”
Yuma smiled and gave a loud reply, “Yes!” before rushing off to the battlefield.
◇◇◇
Looking at the sky, there were indeed several Drones flying around as Kanzaki had said.
They were probably filming the area around the dome, but there might be other cameras as well. Thinking so, Yuma circled around from the left, taking cover behind abandoned combat vehicles.
He focused his strength and used the ‘Liquid Metal’ ability.
His clothes were absorbed into his body, and the melting black liquid transformed into armor.
Yuma grew about twice his size. Opening his mouth, filled with ferocious and sharp fangs, white steam was exhaled.
—Metal Armor.
In this state, his identity wouldn’t be revealed by his appearance. Moreover, by increasing his body size, his muscle mass would increase, allowing him to exert even greater strength.
Yuma jumped out from behind the car and ran straight towards the dome.
Several Seekers were fighting the Hell Garm. He wanted to support them, but Rui was his priority.
Rui, in his line of sight, was sweating like a waterfall and panting. A Hell Garm pounced on him from the front.
It had gathered a mouthful of embers, ready to attack Rui.
To Yuma, everything seemed to be happening in Slow Motion. He wedged himself between Rui and the Hell Garm.
He had already removed the limiter on his muscles and activated the Bloodstained Ore.
He could fight at full power at any time. Yuma focused his strength on his left arm and looked at the Hell Garm approaching him.
“Get out of the way.”
His backhand strike caught the Hell Garm’s body. The sensation of bones breaking and flesh being crushed was transmitted through his arm.
A Crushing Impact echoed. The Hell Garm was slammed into the ground and rolled away without stopping.
With tremendous speed, it crashed into an adjacent building. A Hole was created in the wall, and blood and pieces of flesh were scattered everywhere.
—Alright! It doesn’t seem to be dead yet, but it will take time to regenerate. In the meantime…
Yuma ran towards the Oni-like Monster in front of the dome.
He certainly didn’t know how strong it was. Still, he was probably the only one who could fight it. Yuma thought so and focused his strength into his right fist.
—Even if I can’t win, I’ll buy enough time for everyone to escape!
He passed Tennoji, who was kneeling with a tormented expression, slipped past Taizen, who was sprawled on the ground, and Ishikawa, who was wielding an axe, and stepped forward.
In front of him was a muscular Red Oni.
Two horns grew from its head, and white fangs were visible in its mouth. Its body was larger than Yuma’s in ‘Metal Armor’ form.
The Oni wore a relaxed smile, but its face suddenly stiffened when it saw Yuma.
It braced itself with its two thick arms. Yuma was surprised that the Monster had taken a defensive stance like a boxer, but he didn’t care. He stepped forward with his left foot and unleashed a full-power right straight.
The fist that cut through the air deflected the Oni’s guard. The powerful fist struck the Monster’s face without stopping.
Its fangs were snapped off, and its skull was crushed. The impact spread, and the Monster’s head snapped back.
But the Oni refused to fall, stopping seven steps back. As it returned its recoiled upper body to its original position, it glared at Yuma.
Its face was covered in blood and horribly crushed, with only its left eye barely open.
Without a moment’s pause, Yuma closed the distance with the enemy. The Oni couldn’t react to his lightning-like speed.
Fluidly, he slammed a left hook into the Oni’s side.
The Spikes-covered fist broke several ribs and deeply pierced its torso. The Oni writhed in agony, bending its body into a U-shape.
The Monster’s wide eyes were filled with agony and astonishment.
Yuma focused his strength into his right fist and unleashed an uppercut aimed at the Oni’s chin. As Kanzaki had taught him, he tightened his armpits and used the power of his knees for a perfect uppercut.
It completely caught the opponent’s chin.
Bones shattered into pieces, its head snapped back, and the Oni’s body recoiled.
Yuma didn’t let up on the attack. Seeing that his opponent had lost his balance, he jumped up and rotated his body.
—Back Roundhouse Kick.
It was a technique with a large motion, so he couldn’t use it easily, but now it would definitely hit.
The momentum-filled right foot struck the Oni’s chest directly. The thick chest plate was crushed, and it was sent flying as if it had exploded.
It crashed into the building opposite the dome, broke through the wall, and disappeared inside.
A large Hole was created in the building, and dust billowed up. Yuma landed quietly and exhaled.
“That had some impact.”
Looking at the outer wall that had collapsed as if it had been bombed, Yuma breathed a sigh of relief.
—It will probably regenerate again, but at least my attacks worked.
Yuma didn’t let his guard down and held his fists in front of his chest.
“Now, let’s continue.”
◇◇◇
—What happened?
Rui was frozen, unable to comprehend what had happened before his eyes.
A black shadow suddenly jumped out. It punched the attacking Hell Garm, sending it flying all the way to the building diagonally opposite.
The Hell Garm was slammed into the wall and buried in the rubble of the destroyed building. After a while, it wriggled out.
Its mouth was torn, its legs were bent, and its whole body was covered in blood.
It seemed to be regenerating, but there was no doubt it had taken heavy damage. Rui shifted his gaze.
There was a black figure there. At first, he thought it was a Seeker wearing a battle suit, but it was different.
It was a figure clad in dull, shining black armor. It had horns resembling a beetle on its head, and its height was the same as or greater than Taizen, the largest in Elceed.
It had easily punched away the Red Oni that even Tennoji couldn’t hold back.
It didn’t seem like a human movement at all.
“A Monster!? …If so, where did it come from?”
Rui looked at the Monster again. What he found most terrifying was that it didn’t seem to be using magic.
Did it overwhelm that Red Ogre with just its brute strength?
“Just… what is that thing!?”