Chapter 3: You Lot Aren’t Needed…
Naturally, Japan was no exception. Ibinom appeared in major cities, and the country was in turmoil.
“What in the world is going on!?”
“W-well, it’s reported that Ibinom suddenly appeared in the cities! Currently, the police and the National Defense Force are mobilizing all personnel to bring the situation under control, but the numbers are extraordinary, so it’s uncertain if they can handle it all…”
The flustered upper echelons of the Japanese government slammed their desks in frustration, but this did nothing to resolve the situation, and time merely passed by fruitlessly.
“M-more importantly than that, this place is safe, right!?”
The government’s top officials, gathered in the National Diet Building in the First Area, prioritized their own lives over the safety of the citizens.
“It’s only a matter of time. We have some of the National Defense Force’s most elite members serving as guards here, but we don’t know how long they can hold out. It would be best to evacuate to the underground shelter immediately.”
“I-is it really that bad on the surface?”
“Outside… it’s a hellscape. Even if they try to evacuate to shelters, Ibinom are appearing everywhere, so most citizens can’t move from where they are until help arrives, merely praying they aren’t attacked by Ibinom.”
“W-what…?! W-we must evacuate underground immediately! Bring the outside guards too, and quickly!”
With no time to spare, they abandoned their duties to protect themselves and began evacuating to the shelter beneath the National Diet Building.
The evacuation to the underground shelter was complete. They tried to contact the outside via radio, but it wouldn’t connect. The Minister of Defense, wondering if it had broken at such a crucial time, handled the radio roughly and was about to slam it on the ground when he was stopped.
“What are you doing! That’s the radio we use to contact the outside world!”
“If that’s the case, then please, take it. There’s no point in holding onto such junk.”
“What?!”
The man who took it pressed the radio’s call button, but there was no response, only a continuous electronic tone.
“W-what’s the meaning of this!”
“That’s why I just called it junk, isn’t it?”
“Don’t tell me an Ibinom that destroys electronic devices has appeared!?”
“If that’s the case, we won’t know what’s happening outside!”
“That’s right, you! You there! Go upstairs for a moment and check the situation outside!”
He started shouting orders at the guards they had brought with them when evacuating to the underground shelter.
“What are you saying! If they leave, who will protect us?!”
“This place is safe! Unless something extraordinary happens, we won’t be attacked by Ibinom here!”
“Indeed. Barring anything extraordinary, there’s no safer place than this.”
“Hm? Minister of Defense, is that…!”
What the Minister of Defense took from his breast pocket was a mobile terminal. Now that the latest radio was unusable, a mobile terminal would also be mere junk, but the one he held was something else entirely. However, unaware of this, the eyes of those around him began to shine, wondering if a means of contacting the outside still remained.
“Hello, preparations on this end are complete.”
『Understood. I’ll head over right away.』
“Counting on you.”
The men who heard that conversation swelled with anticipation. As expected of the Minister of Defense. They were impressed, thinking he had a trump card they didn’t know about. Little did they know it was despair.
“Prime Minister! This way! We can contact the outside with this!”
“O-oh! As expected!”
Without a shred of doubt, the Prime Minister walked over to the Minister of Defense and was stabbed in the neck with a syringe the latter had concealed.
“Huh? W-what are you doing!”
The Prime Minister, stabbed in the neck, quickly moved away from the Minister of Defense. He clutched his neck, but a change soon began to occur.
“W-what is this? Th-this is—!”
The Prime Minister’s body began to swell grotesquely, transforming into a giant mass of flesh. Those around who witnessed this had faces contorted in terror.
As the Prime Minister transformed into a giant mass of flesh, the Gifted guards tried to apprehend the Minister of Defense. Just as they were about to restrain him, their arms flew into the air.
“””Wha—!?””””
“Oops, my bad. Seems I’ve taken your precious tools of the trade.”
The one who said that with a laugh was Azrael the Silent. He had suddenly appeared before the Minister of Defense. The guards, understanding their arms had been severed, wore expressions of agony. Azrael praised them, saying it was impressive they didn’t scream.
“Impressive. Normally, one would at least scream, but you’re well-trained soldiers. Still… it’s truly sad. Protecting these shitty old geezers who are worse than parasites, like leeches…”
“That is our job…”
“Japanese people are so stiff, huh~. Well, I guess that’s also a virtue.”
Azrael shrugged and averted his gaze. Seizing the opportunity, the men lunged at him all at once, but his Gift was Spatial Manipulation. Azrael manipulated space and decapitated the attacking guards.
“Well, it doesn’t really matter though.”
“That’s enough idle chatter. It’s about to begin.”
“Oh! Is that so! Kuhaha! I’ve gotta witness the moment Japan’s top leader, the Prime Minister-sama, turns into an Ibinom~!”
The government’s top officials reacted to Azrael’s words. They demanded to know what he meant by a human turning into an Ibinom.
“W-what do you mean by that! The Prime Minister turning into an Ibinom!”
“It’s exactly as it sounds. The Prime Minister, who has become this mass of flesh, will now turn into an Ibinom.”
“What did you say!? No, more importantly, Minister of Defense! Who the hell are you!”
“Hmm… Shall we reveal the truth now?”
When the Minister of Defense touched his own face, it began to distort, melting away as if dissolving. Everyone was aghast at the sight, their eyes widening at the mysterious man who emerged from beneath the Minister of Defense’s face.
“Pleased to meet you. My name is Lunazel the Faceless, of the Ivera Church.”
“The Ivera Church! Don’t tell me you infiltrated us from within!”
“Impossible!? We had Gifted with Appraisal and Mind Reading, yet they didn’t notice!?”
“It’s not that they were incompetent. My Gift is Transformation. I can freely change my form and appearance.”
“W-wait… What happened to the real Minister of Defense?”
“It’s just as you imagine.”
“…!!!”
The fact that he wasn’t the real one meant just that. The real Minister of Defense had already been killed, and Lunazel the Faceless had impersonated him to infiltrate the government’s inner circle.
“More importantly, I haven’t yet explained the reason why the Prime Minister is turning into an Ibinom.”
Everyone was terrified by Lunazel, who wore an eerie, sinister grin.
“What I injected into the Prime Minister-sama earlier was something our Ivera Church independently developed to artificially and dramatically enhance Gift abilities, causing new Gifts to awaken. Well, what I gave the Prime Minister-sama was a failure from that process, you see. That said, it causes quite an interesting side effect. They transform into an Ibinom, though not a humanoid one.”
True to his words, an Ibinom was born from the Prime Minister’s body, which had become a mass of flesh. Its appearance was completely that of an Ibinom, but that wasn’t the terrifying part.
“Fufu, what’s also interesting is that Ibinom born from this drug, for some reason, only attack humans. Our theory is that perhaps they want to return to their original human form. Well, it’s just speculation, so we don’t know for sure… but as a weapon, it’s more than sufficient.”
Having finished his explanation, Lunazel moved closer to Azrael, raised a hand, and bid them farewell.
“Well then, gentlemen. I wish you good luck in your struggles.”
“Later!”
The two vanished. Left behind were the Prime Minister, who had become a grotesque monster, the ministers, and their subordinates. The guards were already dead, and there was no way to overturn this situation. It was here that they came to realize their sins.
『Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!』
They fled in confusion through the underground shelter, heading for the exit, but it was firmly locked from the outside, making escape impossible. They were devoured by the Prime Minister who had become an Ibinom.
Only one man was fortunate enough to escape. It was the man who had gone to Kazuma. Ironically, thanks to the Ivera Church, he had managed to eliminate all his political enemies.
Whether Japan would change for the better because of this was still unknown, but it might become better than it was now.
◇◇◇◇
The Seventh Area. There too, just like in other cities, Ibinom had suddenly appeared in the streets, plunging it into chaos. The National Defense Force, police, and Gifted from private corporations were moving to bring the situation under control, but things were not looking good.
As expected, it was because the quality of Gifted was lower compared to the major cities. Of course, this didn’t mean they were weak, but compared to the First Area, they were less reliable. Nevertheless, they fought desperately. To protect those they loved.
And so, the demonic hands of the Ibinom were also closing in on Ivy Children’s Home, Kazuma’s home. Or so it seemed, but the magic circle Kazuma had set up was taking effect, and Ivy had transformed into an invincible fortress.
The Protective Barrier repelled the Ibinom flying towards them, and magical rays of light were wiping out the swarming Ibinom. Witnessing this spectacle, the children, who should have been terrified inside, were now ecstatic.
“Awesome! Go get ’em!”
“Yeah! Beat ’em up!”
“It’s like fireworks!”
“Flash, flash! Kaboom!”
However, Honoka and the staff members wore grim expressions. This was because they couldn’t get in touch with their friends and acquaintances. While safety could be guaranteed for anyone who made it here, it was pointless if they couldn’t be contacted and thus couldn’t come.
“……Hinata. I’m going to Nanami’s place.”
“Eh!? Honoka-san. It’s dangerous outside! You should wait here…”
“If I don’t come back, please apologize to Kazuma for me.”
“No…”
Honoka decided to head to Nanami, one of the girls she hadn’t been able to contact. Armed with a one-handed sword she once possessed during her time in the National Defense Force, she set out alone into the city teeming with Ibinom.