Chapter 90: Combat Power 8!?
The scene changes. In a disaster-stricken area that had suffered immense damage from the Ivera Church’s terrorist attack, Shindo Makoto, the founder of the Ivera Church, was diligently working on reconstruction.
Using the Gifts he had taken with Snatch, he was energetically engaged in reconstruction work again today.
Even if he wanted to escape, he couldn’t because Kazuma had bound him with a slave contract, so he worked while complaining.
“Even though spring is almost here, it’s still chilly, huh~”
“Don’t tell me that…”
Working next to Makoto, clearing rubble, was Akatsuki.
He had been instigated by the Ivera Church and had participated in the terrorist attack.
Fortunately, there were no casualties, and since he was Kazuma’s friend, he avoided the death penalty and was now, like Makoto, living as a dog of the government.
Currently, he was using his Levitation Gift to diligently work on the reconstruction of the disaster area alongside Makoto.
“In the first place, we’re not in a position to complain, are we?”
“Well, that’s true, but~. In a way, we’re victims, aren’t we?”
“Victims? Of the Crimson Knight?”
“Exactly! If I’d known he was such an outrageous guy, I never would have messed with him!”
“No, the Crimson Knight’s abilities were posted on SNS and streaming sites, so you should have known that much…”
“That’s true! But I never thought he’d be that strong, you know?”
“I don’t know about that…”
“Well, there’s no point telling you, huh~”
Makoto continued to clear rubble while grumbling, and next to him, Akatsuki also moved rubble with Levitation.
It was simple work, but the sheer volume meant it wouldn’t be finished in a day.
Thankfully, it wasn’t an exploitative company, so they could go home when their shift ended.
Of course, the place they returned to was a government-managed apartment, but as long as they abided by order and the law, they were basically free.
“To think a warrior with a Combat Power exceeding 6000 would be in a place like this…”
As the two were clearing rubble, an unfamiliar voice came from behind them.
There were government overseers, but only Makoto and Akatsuki were working on-site.
And this was a disaster area, a government-controlled zone assigned to Makoto and Akatsuki, accessible only to authorized personnel.
“Who’s there!?”
“Waha~. What a strange outfit.”
“Hmm. Combat Power… 350, huh. I have no business with you. Begone.”
The next moment, the suspicious individual appeared between the two. As Akatsuki’s eyes widened in shock, he felt an impact like being hit by a car.
Unable to comprehend what had happened, Akatsuki crashed into a pile of rubble and lost consciousness.
“Wow… That was sudden, huh~”
“Now then, with a Combat Power of 6000, you should be able to entertain me a little.”
“Combat Power 6000? Are you talking about me?”
“Indeed. However, you cannot defeat me.”
“Heh~. So you’re stronger?”
“That’s right. My Combat Power is 170,000. How about that? Surprised?”
“Hmm… Even if you tell me that, it doesn’t really click…”
Even being told about Combat Power this and that, it was meaningless to Makoto.
Certainly, judging by the numbers alone, the other party was superior and he was inferior, but if he used his Gifts, it wouldn’t be impossible to win. With that judgment, Makoto took a combat stance.
“Hehe, entertain me a little, will you?”
“I’ll try my best~”
Saying that, Makoto activated Appraisal and tried to view the suspicious individual’s Gifts.
However, what reflected in Makoto’s eyes was a scene like television static.
“Uwah…”
“Did you use Appraisal on me? Too bad. It doesn’t work on me.”
“No way~…”
The moment he understood this was troublesome, Makoto used his Smokescreen Gift to vanish, retrieved Akatsuki who had collapsed in the pile of rubble, and fled the scene.
Having escaped to the site supervisor via Teleportation, Makoto immediately explained the situation and requested the Crimson Knight.
“A weird guy is after me, so call the Crimson Knight. I can’t beat him.”
“A weird guy? Could it be… someone like this?”
The site supervisor thrust an illustration of a suspicious individual, received from his superior, at Makoto.
Seeing it, Makoto nodded vigorously and reported that the suspicious individual had attacked.
“That’s him! He attacked me earlier, so I tried to Appraise him, but I couldn’t see anything! He might be on par with the Crimson Knight!”
“O-Okay! I’ll contact headquarters immediately!”
“Hurry as much as possible~. I ran away, but he might find this place soon too.”
“Indeed. Just as you predicted.”
Hearing a voice from behind, Makoto spun around to see the same suspicious individual standing there. Apparently, he hadn’t managed to shake him off.
It was highly possible he possessed some kind of detection device.
In any case, Makoto knew he was the target, so he pushed Akatsuki onto the site supervisor and quickly fled.
“Only running away, are you…”
Ignoring the site supervisor’s presence, the suspicious individual glared in the direction Makoto had fled.
“Well, a hunt isn’t so bad, I suppose.”
As if chasing the fleeing Makoto, the suspicious individual vanished.
The site supervisor was bewildered by the sudden turn of events, but as Makoto had told him, he immediately contacted headquarters.
A few minutes later, Kazuma received a call from Ema.
“Yes, hello~”
“Kazuma-kun! It’s an emergency! It seems that suspicious individual has attacked Shindo Makoto!”
“Seriously!? I’m heading there right now!”
“I’ll send the location to your phone!”
“It’s okay! I have a slave contract with him, so I know his location! Well then, I don’t know if I can catch the suspicious guy, but I’ll do my best!”
“Counting on you!”
Receiving the call from Ema, Kazuma used Teleportation to go to Makoto’s location.
Then, the scene that jumped into Kazuma’s eyes was Makoto being held by the neck by the suspicious individual, looking limp.
“Hm? An ally of this one?”
Noticing Kazuma’s appearance, the suspicious individual tilted his head.
Without hesitation, Kazuma leaped towards the suspicious individual and slammed a knee kick into his jaw.
“It’s his master!”
“Guoh!?”
Due to the sudden attack, the suspicious individual released his grip on Makoto.
Kazuma picked up Makoto, who had collapsed with a thud, and checked his heartbeat.
Confirming he was alive and unharmed, Kazuma cast Recovery Magic on Makoto and Teleported him to Ema.
“Alright! Slaves must be treated with care! I’m such a good master!”
“Kuh… Who in the world are you…?”
The suspicious individual, wondering who this Kazuma who had suddenly appeared was, measured his Combat Power with a device.
And the Combat Power displayed on the device was 8. His Gift was Transposition.
“Combat Power 8!? You’re telling me I was kicked by such trash!?”
“Who are you calling trash!!!”
“Guwah!”
Angered by being loudly called trash, Kazuma rapidly closed in on the suspicious individual and delivered a fist to his head.
“N-No way!? To take damage from the attack of trash with a Combat Power of 8!”
The suspicious individual, who had received a fist to the crown of his head, spewed abusive remarks as he fell to the ground.
Kazuma clearly understood he was being mocked, so he continued to beat him mercilessly.
“Stop saying such unpleasant things!”
“Ugyah! Ugi! Gueh!?”
“What trash! Combat Power 8! What does that make you, losing to trash-!”
Kazuma grabbed the suspicious individual’s lapels, delivered a series of back-and-forth slaps, and yelled in his ear. What he was doing was completely childish.
“Th-This must be some kind of mistake…”
“It’s not a dream or a hallucination! It’s undeniable reality! Accept it!”
Kazuma slapped him as if playing a rhythm game.
Receiving back-and-forth slaps repeatedly like in a gag manga, his neck looking like it might come off, the suspicious individual muttered deliriously and lost consciousness.
“Too easy! Anyway, what the heck is Combat Power 8…”
He wondered what kind of standard that was, but since he had managed to capture the suspicious individual who had likely attacked Souji, he decided it was fine for now.
Just as he was about to take the suspicious individual back to Ema, information was simultaneously sent from the golems Kazuma had created.
A large amount of information suddenly flowed into his head, making Kazuma feel dizzy, but he grasped the entire situation and cursed.
“Damn it all…”
Realizing that he was the only one who could deal with this enemy, Kazuma clutched his head.