Chapter 34: Not Humanoid, It’s an Insect!
“I-Impossible… Fujishiro, Tanaka, Takao, Daito, and Yamazaki… all five of them were defeated?”
“Yes. Four of them, excluding Daito, were killed in action. Daito, who survived, is also gravely injured and likely won’t be able to return to the front lines…”
“Ah… What a disaster!”
Hearing that some of the nation’s most skilled individuals were wiped out within mere hours of deployment, the higher-ups were aghast.
A new type of Ibinom. And a humanoid one at that. They had sent some of the National Defense Force’s finest, yet the result was complete annihilation. It was no wonder they were shocked.
“…It’s just as the report says. Let’s send a request to ‘Samurai’.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! It’s not as if we’ve been completely defeated yet. We should resolve this ourselves rather than soliciting outside help!”
“Don’t talk nonsense! This is an enemy that wiped out our elite soldiers in just a few hours! Moreover, they were some of the most skilled individuals in our forces! Even if we gather our remaining strength, subjugating the target will be difficult…”
“B-But, you know, there’s public image to consider, isn’t there? What if the citizens find out about our defeat? The number of volunteers for the National Defense Force has been decreasing year by year.”
“(This is all your fault! How many dirty deeds have you committed up until now! The National Defense Force is rotten because of those blinded by money, honor, and power! This can’t go on. If we don’t drain the pus, this country has no future!)”
Many were reluctant, but one person, realizing that things wouldn’t progress at this rate, made a decision. He slipped out of the conference room and secretly sent a request to ‘Samurai’.
“Hello, sorry, but this is an emergency. I need you to deploy immediately.”
‘The target?’
“A new type of Ibinom. Reports say it’s humanoid. And its combat power is high. It killed four out of five members of our elite team. Don’t let your guard down.”
‘Hohou. Is that so… We’ll prepare ourselves accordingly then.’
“Is subjugation possible?”
‘I don’t know. But we’ll do our best.’
“My apologies.”
‘Don’t worry about it. I used to be with the National Defense Force, after all. I understand the internal situation to some extent.’
“Let’s grab a drink sometime. I’m counting on you.”
‘Heh. Make it a top-shelf one.’
With an electronic beep, the call ended. The man hoped this would resolve the situation, but he was also considering requesting help from overseas if things went south.
Having received the request by phone, Samurai gathered his available subordinates—those who were as confident in their skills as possible.
“Is this everyone who’s available?”
“Yes. The others are currently out on bodyguard or subjugation missions.”
“I see. I would have preferred to face this with a full team, but it can’t be helped.”
“Shall we recall them now?”
“No, it’s fine. Our business relies on our clients; we can’t afford to lose their trust.”
“However, I hear this request is urgent?”
“Ah, that’s right. It’s a new type of Ibinom, apparently. And a Humanoid Ibinom, no less. Furthermore, it’s said to have killed four of the National Defense Force’s elite.”
“That’s! Isn’t that dangerous…?”
“But we can’t afford not to take this on. After all, we are Samurai. This company was founded on the conviction of being the sword that protects the nation. We may be called greedy for money, but our desire to protect the people is genuine.”
“I understand. However, with this case, isn’t it too much even for you, President?”
“Is it because four of the National Defense Force’s elite were killed?”
“That’s part of it, but also because we don’t know the extent of the threat posed by this unknown Humanoid Ibinom. I think it would be wiser to take some time to gather information first.”
“You’re right. A Humanoid Ibinom, with combat power that killed four of the National Defense Force’s elite. We’re lacking information on these two points. We know nothing of the enemy’s abilities or weaknesses. If we fight, we might lose.”
Information is a weapon. It’s so crucial that it’s said the outcome of a battle can be decided before it even begins. Even knowing that, the man could not back down.
“Then!”
“But, as I said, I am a Samurai. The sword that protects the nation. Therefore, I cannot retreat.”
“However, if you were to lose your life because of this—”
“Then that’s that.”
“…! Understood. In any case, we are your subordinates, President. If you say so, we will follow.”
“Sorry for dragging you into my selfishness.”
“It’s fine. We followed you in the first place precisely because you’re that kind of President.”
“Heh… I’m fortunate to have such dependable subordinates.”
Samurai, Inc. In modern Japan, it is the nation’s top-tier Gifted dispatch service. Their work mainly consists of Ibinom subjugation, and occasionally, bodyguard duties. This is the company that handles these two types of jobs.
And it is famous for being headed by the nation’s strongest Gifted, Sanada Nobuyasu. Sanada Nobuyasu is known as Japan’s greatest warrior and is a man who draws attention even from overseas.
He possesses two Gifts. The first is Body Enhancement, with an astonishing enhancement multiplier of twenty-three times. It’s one of the highest enhancement multipliers in the world.
And the second is the Gift that became the origin of his moniker, ‘Samurai’: [Severance]. Literally, it is the ability to cut through anything.
However, he cannot cleave through all things. Whether it’s due to a lack of his own power or some inherent limit, it’s unknown, but things he cannot cut certainly exist.
Nevertheless, he has cut down every Ibinom he has fought so far. Barring something extraordinary, he would likely never be defeated.
Six employees gathered. Including Nobuyasu, it formed a team of seven.
“Heh, Seven Samurai, huh? We’d better avoid an ending like the movie.”
Nobuyasu said this with a laugh, thanked his subordinates who had gathered, and then they set out.
The newly discovered Humanoid Ibinom was currently moving towards a densely populated area. Its movement speed was extremely fast, and it was likely only a few hours away from reaching its destination.
Just then, the Samurai subjugation team, traveling by helicopter, arrived ahead of the Humanoid Ibinom’s path.
“Three minutes until contact!”
“Understood! Everyone, deploy!”
The Samurai employees leaped from the sky. And the last to land was Sanada Nobuyasu. He was clad in armor that looked as if he had time-slipped from the Warring States period.
The armor he wore was state-of-the-art equipment, crafted from processed carapaces and other materials taken from Ibinom. Its appearance as traditional armor was simply due to his moniker, ‘Samurai,’ and the image associated with it.
Of course, its performance was far superior to the armor of the Warring States period, boasting enough defensive power to deflect even bullets. Naturally, it could withstand Ibinom attacks, but it was uncertain how effective it would be against this particular Humanoid Ibinom.
And there was one more thing worthy of note: the weapon he carried. A Japanese sword. While it looked exactly like a Japanese sword, it too was made using Ibinom materials, so its sharpness and durability surpassed conventional ones.
“All units, are you ready?!”
‘No problems!’
“Alright! Then, take your stances! It’s coming!”
Having completed their final equipment checks, the subjugation team led by Sanada Nobuyasu confronted the Humanoid Ibinom.
“Humanoid? It looks more like an insect, though…”
What stood before Nobuyasu certainly had a human-like form, but it was closer to an insect. To be more precise, the term ‘insectoid human’ would be the most fitting description.
“Bipedal, with four arms… Is its head like an ant’s?”
Nobuyasu calmly analyzed his opponent, sword at the ready.
The next moment, the stationary Ibinom moved.
With blinding speed, it targeted one of the Samurai positioned at the very back. The targeted man, eyes wide and frozen as the Ibinom suddenly appeared before him, was attacked and torn apart by the Ibinom’s sharp claws.
“Gah…!”
“Tomita! You bastard… how dare you!”
As the man called Tomita collapsed, another man beside him, enraged, lunged at the Ibinom. He too was quite skilled among the Samurai, but reality was cruel. The blow he unleashed failed to even scratch the Ibinom.
“Wha—!?”
The man, having unleashed the strongest attack he could muster, was shaken by the fact that it had no effect whatsoever on the Ibinom.
“Asakura! Dodge, quickly!”
“Heh…?”
Even as Nobuyasu shouted, the man called Asakura was sent flying by a kick from the Ibinom.
Two of them had been taken down in a mere instant, and Nobuyasu broke out in a cold sweat.