Chapter 39: Super Flashy!!!
As if to loosen up his rusty body, Kazuma lightly rolled his shoulders. It was just like a warm-up. To put it bluntly, it looked like nothing but an utterly contemptuous attitude. If the Ibinom had been human, it would surely have been enraged.
“Don’t underestimate me!” it would have shrieked.
However, the Ibinom possessed no such emotions. Or so one would like to say, but that applied to conventional Ibinom. This time, the one Kazuma was facing was humanoid. Though based on an insect, its form was humanoid.
And it had also been confirmed to possess high intelligence. However, Kazuma didn’t know that.
For now, his only perception was that it was just a little stronger than the Ibinom he’d faced before.
“(Well, sorry for underestimating you, but be my practice dummy to get my instincts back!)”
Having loosened his stiff muscles, Kazuma kicked off into the air. The force of it made the atmosphere tremble, enough to astound the students watching from the ground.
“What is that…”
“Which Gifted is that…”
“No way…”
“So cool!”
“Too amazing…”
Kazuma, dancing freely through the air, toyed with the Ibinom. Just moments ago, it had been the one in such a position, but now, finding itself on the side of the hunted, the Ibinom finally understood.
So this is what it means to be strong, it thought.
Before such overwhelming speed, the Ibinom couldn’t move. No, to be precise, its movements were sealed.
Kazuma drew trails of light as he zipped around in the air, as if to encircle the Ibinom.
With this, the Ibinom couldn’t escape. Nor could it move. Likely because if it touched Kazuma, damage to its body would be unavoidable.
The Ibinom, understanding this, could indeed be said to possess high intelligence.
“(Next up…)” Kazuma thought.
What formed at the end of the trails of light drawn in the air was a sphere of light. Inside it were Kazuma and the Ibinom.
The students watched with bated breath, wondering just what was happening inside the sphere.
Then, at that moment, those whom Kazuma least wanted to encounter appeared.
The media. A TV station’s helicopter had approached close to the two of them.
He didn’t know where they’d sniffed him out from, but for Kazuma, this was the worst-case scenario. He wanted to hide his identity, yet these were people whose job it was to publicize or expose it.
He felt like shooting down the helicopter amidst the confusion, but naturally, his conscience wouldn’t allow it. Besides, Kazuma was, at his core, a Hero. As long as the opponent wasn’t clearly evil, he would never lay a hand on them.
“(When did they get here? After I showed up? Could it be… it spread on social media…?)”
In this day and age, if you stood out this much, it was natural to become prey for social media. They couldn’t care less about personal privacy. Simply because it’s interesting, because it’s fun. For those reasons alone, people expose others.
Of course, some might expose others driven by a sense of justice. However, for the one being exposed, it was unbearable.
How irritating it must be to have anonymous people, who weren’t even involved, barge in so rudely.
“(Fortunately, I don’t think I’m on camera yet, but just in case, should I destroy the surrounding electronic devices?)”
Before defeating the Ibinom, Kazuma activated lightning magic to prevent information leaks. He released enough electricity to destroy all electronic devices in the vicinity, successfully keeping his identity hidden.
“Kyaa! What?! What happened!”
“W-Well, the camera suddenly broke…”
“Eeeh?! When there’s such an amazing scoop right there! Why didn’t you check the equipment!”
“No, I did check it! But, I don’t know why, it just suddenly broke!”
“Honestly! Anyway, is the helicopter okay?!”
“No particular problems. Though the electronics are fried…”
“Could it be, that Gifted in the bright red armor did it?”
“If so, that’s incredible! A brute strength type Gift like ‘King’, high-speed flight, and Elec! If he’s a Triple Holder, it’s not just big news, it’s world-shaking news!”
“And we can’t even record it! You idiot!”
“Ouch!”
The cameraman, who was bonked on the head, lightly glared at the unreasonable reporter.
“(That probably destroyed the surrounding security cameras and cell phones. Sorry, but I can’t afford to be exposed.)”
His worries gone, Kazuma turned back to the Ibinom. Kazuma frowned dubiously at the Ibinom, which hadn’t made a single move for a while, but he didn’t feel any particular threat from it.
Finishing it off quickly wouldn’t be bad, but Kazuma had decided to use the Ibinom as a practice dummy to shake off his rust.
Immediately, Kazuma approached the Ibinom and demonstrated the combat techniques he had cultivated in the other world. It wasn’t something like “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” but rather something primitive.
Rush. Overwhelming punches, kicks, headbutts, and more, so relentless it didn’t even give it a chance to breathe. Kazuma unleashed them like a storm. The Ibinom tried to avoid them, but couldn’t keep up with the sheer number and speed, and ended up getting beaten to a pulp.
“Ghii…!”
“Not yet.”
True to his words, Kazuma launched further attacks. Wild Dance, Wild Strike, Rush. It was a scene truly befitting those descriptions.
The Ibinom was simply being trampled. It wasn’t allowed to counterattack, defend, or evade. It was being destroyed with no way to resist.
“(Phew… Is that enough for close combat practice? I wanted to use weapons too, but I left them all over there. What a mistake. I should’ve brought a few back.)”
Kazuma had obtained many weapons and armor in the other world. The kind that appeared in legends and myths.
However, when returning here, he had returned some to their original owners, or rather, to their countries, losing most of them.
Of course, some remained, but Kazuma, thinking he wouldn’t use them in his original world, gave them to his companions or donated them to countries, ultimately losing all of them.
As he fought now, Kazuma deeply regretted that decision, though it was too late.
“(Well, can’t be helped if I don’t have them. Besides, I can probably find weapons and armor in this world if I look…)”
Of course, this world also had an abundance of weapons and armor. In fact, if it were just about variety, this world would win out compared to the other world.
However, regarding performance, the other world was unfortunately superior. And that was no surprise. After all, in that world, there were higher races like dragons and spirits.
Weapons and armor made from their materials were items worthy of legends and myths. They undoubtedly possessed the highest level of performance in the other world. Though, Kazuma no longer had them.
“(Alright then, shall I try using magic next? I’ve confirmed fire attribute, and tried lightning too… For now, guess I’ll use all the attributes I can!)”
It was so brutal that one almost felt sorry for the enemy. Kazuma mercilessly unleashed all the magic he had acquired in the other world upon the Ibinom.
Water magic’s Aqua Spear, wind magic’s Air Cutter, earth magic’s Rock Impact. The list was endless, but Kazuma continued to fire a vast number of spells at the Ibinom.
“(My remaining mana is… yeah. Barely touched. At this rate, I could probably use even more powerful magic. As for mana recovery rate, I guess I’ll test that later.)”
It wasn’t just overwhelming. It wasn’t even a match anymore.
Those watching from the ground doubted their own eyes, wondering if they were dreaming.
That was understandable.
Although many Gifts had been confirmed in this world, those who possessed multiple Gifts were extremely rare.
Currently, the one said to be the world’s strongest Gifted was America’s ‘King’. He was the only ‘Triple Holder’, possessing three Gifts.
An existence surpassing even him had been hidden until this very moment. It was only natural for them to doubt their eyes.
“GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!”
“(Is it angry?)” Kazuma wondered.
The Ibinom, which Kazuma had been toying with without delivering a finishing blow, suddenly let out a shriek. As Kazuma watched, wondering if it was some kind of intimidation or perhaps surrender, the Ibinom pulled off its own arm.
Then, from the spot where it had pulled its arm off, a new arm grew. Unlike the claws from before, its shape had changed to resemble a sword.
“(Could it be, it intends to fight with a sword?)”
In that instant, the Ibinom closed in on Kazuma with terrifying speed. Its target was a single point: the neck. If it could just sever the neck, a human’s vital point, the match would be decided. Understanding this, the Ibinom unleashed a glittering flash.
“(Woah! That surprised me. I never thought it would deliver a strike like a veteran swordsman.)”
However, unfortunately for it, with Kazuma as its opponent, even its supreme strike wouldn’t work. Just how much had Kazuma fought? As long as it didn’t know that, the Ibinom likely had no chance of victory.
“(Dragging this out any further would be bad, and I’ve shown too much. Let’s end it around here.)”
Kazuma reflected that he had overdone it a little with the flashiness. It wasn’t just “a little.” All-attribute magic, high-speed flight, and overwhelming close-quarters combat. Far from just flashy, it was super flashy.
Unaware of this, Kazuma caught Ibinom, tossed it upwards, and then unleashed a non-elemental magic cannon, completely annihilating it.