Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 12 - Chapter 4

Chapter Four: To Each Their Own Duels of Love 
Prism Rider, Ray Starling 
My talk with Azurite was over, so I decided to look around town. 
Festivals didn’t happen every single day, so it’d be a waste not to enjoy this one... especially with the mess we could be in come tomorrow. 
“So, do you have someone you want to walk around town with?” Nemesis asked. Apparently, she’d been awake during my conversation with Azurite, but she stayed within my crest to make the exchange less awkward. Once you looked past her gluttony, Nemesis was actually pretty considerate. 
“Hmm... As far as I know, everyone’s busy today,” I said. 
“And we’re the only ones left with nothing to do, eh?” 
“Well, even if that wasn’t the case, I wanted to walk around with you today.” 
“I see. I also had something I wanted to do with y—... huh?” 
She looked dumbfounded. No idea why, but apparently, she had something planned. “What is it?” I asked. 
“Oh, uh... I was thinking of doing a bit of shopping...” 
“Shopping? For what, Love-Duel-exclusive sweets?” 
“...For some normal clothes for you.” 
...Well, I guess walking around town in armor can be a problem, so... I guess that’s an okay idea. 
“It’s far worse than ‘just a problem.’ Masters don’t seem to mind but don’t you think walking around town in full armor is... unsettling?” 
You have a point. All right, then — let’s enjoy the festival while we keep an eye out for some clothes for me. 
I suddenly began to wonder how the others were spending their first day of the festival. 
 
Gideon, Fourth District 
That day, the ninjas Count Gideon had put in charge of intelligence, counterespionage, and spec ops were busy with a particular mission. 
“This is squad B. We are observing the fourth district’s market. No suspicious people in sight.” 
“This is squad C. We are following the targets. The only dubious people nearby... are those three.” 
They had split into several squads, all focused on following a certain group. Why? To protect it, of course. They were, after all, Elizabeth and Canglong — young royalty going out on a date. 
Because the Love-Duel Festival had its roots in an historical event that had led to the marriage of the founding king and queen, there were many families that used this day for matchmaking. Most of them were wealthy merchants or craftsmen, but occasionally nobles as well. Even the parents of the current Count Gideon had met in this way. 
However, it was nearly unheard of for two members of royalty to take part in such endeavors. 
The Second Princess of Altar, Elizabeth, and Third Prince of Huang He, Canglong... Once it was known that they would be going on a date, Count Gideon directed nearly all of his ninjas to focus on securing their surroundings, which was notable even when considering the fact that some of them had already been designated as Elizabeth’s protectors or watchdogs. 
It was worth noting that the knights weren’t accompanying them. They stood out far too much compared to the ninjas who could melt into the shadows, and having them around would have been like broadcasting the presence of important people. Thus, they had been deployed to guard other areas. 
“It’s so lively here! It really is a festival!” said Elizabeth. “What are Huang He’s festivals like?” 
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t walk out in town like this before coming to Altar, so I could only watch over such events from far away,” Canglong replied. 
“That seems boring.” 
“I can see why you would think that. Perhaps it is.” 
The two young people talked while walking through the lively streets. 
According to the ninjas all around, there were no suspicious people around them... At least, not ones they didn’t recognize. 
There were some shady-looking individuals the ninjas knew well, though. 
About ten metels behind Elizabeth and Canglong, there was a totem pole of three people peeking out and watching over the two from around the corner of a building. 
It was Liliana, Xunyu, and Marie. 
One was there as a knight, one as a friend, and one as a self-proclaimed big sister. 
“Do they truly believe they don’t stand out?” one of the ninjas asked. 
“...Well, they are in disguise.” Liliana had swapped her royal knight armor for casual clothing, but she was quite a beauty, so that only made her stand out more. 
Xunyu had taken off her prosthetic limbs as well as the Fu covering her face and was now wearing clothing more typical of someone her age, but her pale-blue undead skin remained the same. 
Marie had removed her sunglasses... but that was it. 
“I can understand the other two, but Marie...” 
“Best not to say it. She’s panicking... is what I’d like to say, but she always seemed to think that taking off her glasses was a working disguise.” 
Even in her manga, she often had scenes that seemingly introduced a new, beautiful lady character, only to reveal that it was just the protagonist — Marie — without her sunglasses. 
Many readers commented that you could tell it was her just by her clothes or just assumed it was a running gag, but she truly and honestly intended it to be a real disguise. 
Anyway, there was this young couple and three weirdos, and the former seemed to be enjoying the festival. Elizabeth looked over the festival stalls — and not just the ones with food, unlike a certain someone — with gleaming eyes, while Canglong watched her with a smile on his face. 
“...He’s lookin’ like a brother watching over his little sister as she enjoys the festival,” Xunyu commented. 
“I-I don’t think that is bad,” said Liliana. 
“But it doesn’t seem like a date, does it?” Marie asked. “I think we should join them and enjoy the festival togeth—” 
“Stop,” the other two shot down her idea. 
“What kind of date involves the company of a friend, a bodyguard, and a pervert all at once?” Xunyu said. 
“...If I may ask, which of those is which of us?” Marie asked coldly. 
Is that even a question? thought everyone who heard it, even the surrounding ninjas. 
As this continued, the couple arrived at a mask stall. 
Because the first queen was said to have worn a mask, and also due to the desire of many ladies and gentlemen to mingle anonymously, many people spent this festival wearing a mask. Elizabeth excitedly examined one mask after another, seemingly pondering which one she should buy. 
“She also wore a mask the first time I met her. I guess she likes them,” Marie said. “Ah... Ellie, no. Not the bear mask.” 
“...I suppose it’s in the blood,” Liliana commented. 
“The founding king’s queen and ex-princess of Gideon was a masked swordswoman, right? Does she get it from her?” 
“...I had someone closer in mind,” Liliana said with a clouded expression. Marie didn’t understand what she meant and just tilted her head, while Xunyu, having actually seen the “someone closer” wear a mask while on the way to Gideon, knew exactly what Liliana was referring to. 
“Hrmm... Should I pick the bear or the cat?” Elizabeth wondered. At her side, Canglong was looking at another mask. It depicted a dragon... specifically, the eastern “Ryu.” Masks like this were often seen in festivals on the eastern side of the continent — not so much here. 
Canglong looked at it as if to compare it with something. “Did you pick one, Canglong? Hm... That one’s a bit scary,” said Elizabeth. 
The man behind the stall smiled and said, “Little lady, that is a very precious mask. It’s based on the one The Draconic Emperor — the duel champion of Huang He to the east — wears whenever dueling. I got them from an eastern merchant, and they’re selling great. Would you two like one, as well?” 
“I want a bear or a cat mask.” 
“Oh? Then how about this? It’s another one I got from the east, and it’s like a fusion of a bear and cat... a panda mask!” 
“What is this wondrous animal?!” Elizabeth exclaimed, her eyes gleaming at the sight of the panda mask that the man took out of his inventory. 
Canglong smiled as he watched her before slowly putting the dragon mask back. He whispered “Zifu Longmian” as he did, but no one heard him. 
Elizabeth donned the mask, and they went on to walk around the market in the fourth district. It seemed less like a date and more like two friends enjoying a festival. 
This continued for several hours before the two sat down to take a break in the shade of a tree. 
“Mrgh... You have so little energy, Cang.” 
“I’m sorry... I’m not used to walking around like this,” Canglong replied. His face was flushed and sweaty, possibly due to fatigue. This would happen to any normal child who walked around for hours on end on a sunny day — Elizabeth was actually the anomaly here. The girl was still full of energy despite not being old enough to even have a job. 
The heat had caused Canglong to undo the upper buttons of his shirt and fan himself with a fan he was carrying. 
Elizabeth looked at him, and at that moment she noticed something in the gap he’d opened. 
“Hm...?” She stared at it, blinked a few times, and realized that it was black bandages, wrapped around him so thoroughly that you couldn’t see his skin. 
“Canglong, what’s that?” she asked. 
“Eh? Ah...” Canglong realized his mistake and hastily buttoned up his clothes again. 
“Are you hurt or sick?” 
“...I suppose you might call it an illness. These bandages are a measure to hold back a certain handicap I was born with.” 
Hearing these words, Elizabeth realized that Canglong had been born with a disease, just like her little sister Theresia. 
“...I’m sorry,” Canglong apologized. “I didn’t intend for you to see something so unsightly.” 
“Don’t apologize! What’s so unsightly about being sick?!” Elizabeth snapped at his apology, as though actually angry. “So what if you were born with an illness?! If you think that bothers me, you’re sorely mistaken!” It was possible that she wasn’t talking to him, exactly; She might’ve just been seeing some part of her sickly sister in Canglong. 
Even so, Canglong could tell that she was being completely honest. 
“...You really are a gentle person, Your Highness,” he said. 
“Altimia and Liliana would say the same thing I did.” 
“I see...” 
So you must be gentle because you were raised by gentle people, Canglong thought, as his heart ached at the fact that he was responsible for splitting such a family apart. That pain also made him realize that he couldn’t treat this pure and gentle girl the same way he treated everyone else. 
Silence then came over them and continued for a good while. 
It was broken by Elizabeth, who said, “I don’t want to go to Huang He.” 
“...I’m aware.” 
“I don’t want to leave Altimia and Theresia... or this country. I want to support and protect them.” 
Though Elizabeth had some particular talents, she was just a child without any special job, so there were few things she could do to help Altar in the war. 
Even so, she wanted to support her older sister and protect the younger one. 
“I love Altimia. She gives her all and works harder than anyone else to protect this country and us. And...” 
Elizabeth paused and looked to the north... in the direction of the mountains, beyond which lay the capital. 
“...I love Theresia, too. She’s my dear little sister who’s always stuck in the castle, and I want to protect her so that she can smile at least a little.” 
Of course, she didn’t actually know how she could do that. 
“I’m still just a weak little girl, so I can’t do either of those things.” A child like Elizabeth could do little to save her family or Altar in its time of need. 
“But...” 
However, now she’d been given a certain way to do exactly that. 
“But if I go to Huang He with you, I might be able to support Altimia and protect Theresia.” The support Huang He would give to Altar in exchange for Elizabeth traveling there could help ensure the safety of the country and her family. Young as she was, she had a vague understanding of her situation and the negotiations between the two countries. 
After the shocking news from Altimia had caused her to run away from home last evening, Elizabeth had spent a lot of time thinking about it all, until she finally made her decision. 
Through both her calmness and tears, she finally realized that there was no other way, so she resolved to marry Canglong for the sake of Altar. 
The girl was too young to understand romance, yet she’d already chosen her significant other. In terms of matchmaking, this date was over. 
Canglong couldn’t find what to say in response. He couldn’t refuse, for that would go against the will of his father, the emperor. 
But he also couldn’t accept, for that... would go against his own heart. 
His soul and heartache told him that he could not “acquire” this pure, gentle, sun-like girl as his wife in such a cold manner, like a trade agreement. 
“That’s why I will—” 
“There is still time until I return to Huang He,” Canglong said, cutting Elizabeth off. “I will give you my response before then.” 
It was neither refusal or acceptance — he merely delayed it. 
“I will know how I feel by then.” 
“...Very well,” said Elizabeth. Thus ended their date that doubled as a formal marriage meeting. Basically, it ended on a note of “Could you give me more time?” which was quite common for such events. 
 
“Yo. You feElin’ good?” 
“Master Xunyu. Thank you for protecting us all this time.” 
“Well, that’s pArt of my jOb. Are yoU sure about that, thOugh?” 
“With what?” 
“You fell for hEr at first sight, didn’t yA?” 
“...” 
“And yet yoU didn’t accept her chOice. I know how yA feel, though. Forcin’ sOmeone into a mArriage doesn’t automAtically make them lovE ya.” 
“Master Xunyu...” 
“That’s exActly why I recommendEd the date. If she starts likin’ ya, too, thEn that’d be prOper love. Doesn’t seEm like it happened, thOugh.” 
“...” 
“Ya constAntly closed yOurself off, didn’t yA? She actEd like herself, but yOu weren’t you. Ya were nEither The Third Prince Canglong nOr the other you. Ya werE just a coward hidin’ yoUrself. Ya can’t show off tO the girl you like likE that, can ya?” 
“...It hurts how right you are.” 
“If you undErstand that, then show hEr what you’re reAlly like... and think of hOw to charm hEr. You cAn do that, right?” 
“...I can!” 
 
Gideon, urban area, KoD’s Popcorn Factory 
“...Man, how should I handle this?” While Ray and Azurite were having their conversation, Shu heaved a sigh, standing in a facility he’d rented for his popcorn production. 
He currently had three major problems to deal with: keeping an eye on the “bomb” that had been lurking since Franklin’s Game, the potentially-bloody romance between Hannya and Figaro, and the marriage between Elizabeth and Canglong. He intended to entrust the last one to Ray and the rest. Considering his relationship with Altimia and general suitability, Ray was the best man for the job. 
However, the first two problems had to be handled by Shu alone. This festival was actually a golden opportunity to earn big money selling popcorn, but he ended up having zero spare time to dedicate to it. 
“The situation with Figgy and Hannya is especially bad. It won’t end with just a talk... Do I have no choice but to lead them on a ‘date’ outside of Gideon and have them settle it there? But how do I lead them out of Gideon when the Love-Duel Festival’s goin’ on? There’s no tourist attractions or anything outside.” 
As Shu worried about the approaching calamity... 
“Excuse me. Is Shu Starling here?” 
...someone outside asked, with a knock on the door. 
Before Shu could even respond, the person opened the door, (twisting off the knob in the process) and entered Shu’s office. 
It was a woman with a porcupine in her arms and a crest on her left hand, marking her as a Master. 

 

“I heard your voice, so I figured you were in,” she continued. “Aren’t you glad, Behemot?” 
“...You better pay for the door,” Shu said with a glare. 
“soz,” the porcupine — Behemot — said, as the woman threw a gold coin towards Shu. 
This was the “bomb” Shu was watching over. The strongest pawn of the imperium, which had been here since Franklin’s Game — King of Beasts the Physical Apex, and her partner. 
“So, what’s your business? I’m not sellin’ pawpcorn today.” The porcupine’s face was hard to read, but anyone could tell that those words shocked her. 
“Behemot, we didn’t come here for popcorn.” 
“...kk” 
“Whaddya want, then?” King of Beasts was a major threat to the kingdom, but she was also a regular customer at Shu’s popcorn stall, and they had talked many times as they ate. 
Shu wondered what they wanted this time... “I’ll get right to the point. Come on a date with us.” 
“...” 
...And the answer was one he could have never expected. 
He quickly considered how he ought to handle this sudden situation. 
For better or worse, the issue of Hannya will come to a head tomorrow. I’m free today. And I have no idea what they’d do if I refuse. I guess it’s best to accept the invitation and watch over them, just in case, Shu thought in two seconds and accepted. 
At the same time, he sincerely hoped that a certain egg-woman who often messed with him wouldn’t add anything to the pile of troubles he already had. 
Though he’d agreed to go on a date, he had no idea why they’d invited him in the first place. 
He went and asked, and the response went as follows: 
“Well... the biggest reason is that you can only fully enjoy this festival as a pair.” 
According to her, The Love-Duel Festival was full of things you could only do as a couple. 
For most such things, the gender of either party didn’t matter — but obviously, it was hard to make a cool-headed beauty and a porcupine pass for a couple. It would’ve just made her seem like a profoundly sad and lonely woman. 
Considering Shu’s costume, it didn’t look all that different with him; he was relatively famous, however, so it was at least understandable. 
The three still ended up looking like they were orbiting a lonely lady who’d gone to an amusement park by herself, but they all actually ended up quite enjoying the Love-Duel Festival. They looked over the many and varied stalls opened by tians and Masters alike, and they participated in a duel-ranker charity event at the third arena. 
Once that was done, they’d bought honey castellas at a stall marked “couples only” and went to the second arena for an event Behemot wanted to see. 
Naturally, the strangeness of the pair drew some weird looks. Shu’s costume stood out, and the pretty lady with the porcupine also attracted a lot of attention. The lady looked around, as though irritated. 
“Sorry for makin’ ya stand out,” Shu said. “But this was your decision, so bear with it.” 
“Believe it or not, you were the most reasonable option,” the woman replied. “Though, I must say that I don’t understand it.” 
“Don’t understand what?” 
Not even looking at him, the woman said, “A newspaper article said that you refused to participate in the previous war because you didn’t want to reveal your face, yet you participated in the game set up by that weakling while dressed in an outfit that was one step away from doing just that. Now everyone knows you’re the King of Destruction, yet now you don’t seem to care if you stand out at all. Your words and actions contradict one another.” 
“...True.” It was said that Shu had refused to participate in the previous war because he didn’t want to needlessly reveal his face. 
That wasn’t entirely wrong. Shu had indeed said that, and he had indeed avoided participation in the war. It would’ve also been a lie to say that he hadn’t been afraid of revealing his face if his gear had been destroyed. That was exactly why he’d also said the same thing to Ray. 
However, there had been another reason why he absolutely couldn’t participate in the war. 
“Well, it doesn’t matter to us,” the woman said. “But do participate in the war next time. If you don’t, we won’t have anyone to fight.” 
“...I’m sure you won’t.” Shu fully agreed with her words. The pair next to him were no doubt the strongest people around. They were on par with the other two monsters he’d fought — the Magical Apex and the Technical Apex. 

There existed a theory of the ultimate synergy between Embryo and job — the Guardian-Jaguarman theory. These two were the strongest beasts to arise from this theory, and Shu knew full well that he would have to give his all to fight them. 
They eventually arrived at the second arena. It had been converted into a theater stage for an event where various groups displayed various acts. There was a schedule off to the side. 
“What did we come here fur, anyway?” Shu asked. 
“A hero show. Behemot liked them quite a lot.” 
The fact that she used the past tense stood out to Shu, but he didn’t ask about it. 
“?” Behemot suddenly noticed something and dashed off. 
“Behemot?” Shu and the lady went after her and arrived at the arena’s staff entrance. 
There was a gathering of Masters there, and they were all wearing costumes fit for the stage. It was clear that they were on next. 
However, their expressions were gloomy. 
“Gh... This is a nightmare. We can’t do this if Gin doesn’t come online. Why did he have to get food poisoning now, of all times?!” 
“I should’ve stepped in when he posted ‘I’ll best this vile pufferfish!’ on his account.” Apparently, one of the acting Masters was in no state to come online. And even in the current year of 2045, you had people itching to flaunt their recklessness on social media. 
“What do we do? Should we get help from some other acting troupe?” 
“But we’ve only got an hour left. It’s too late to get a replacement for a main player, isn’t it?” 
“Why not bring the hero count down to five?” 
“We already advertised it as a squad of six...” 
“We either have to call it off or change the whole thing...” The people in the colorful outfits seemed quite troubled. 
“They are...” 
“As far as I know, that’s the Hero Club clan.” Shu recognized them from their sentai-hero-like apparel. 
The Hero Club was a clan of hobbyists built around hero show performances. They were popular among tian children and Master enthusiasts alike, and their performances gathered a good amount of views on video sites. 
Apparently, they had a show planned for the Love-Duel Festival, but it seemed like they’d run into some trouble that might force them to call it off. 
“wtf,” Behemot said and collapsed where she stood, shocked by the fact that she wouldn’t get to see the hero show. 
It made her seem more like a small child than a porcupine. 
“Behemot is sad. Do something about it,” demanded the lady. 
“You just assume that I would, huh...?” Shu spent a good moment thinking about it 
“Beary well, then,” he said as he walked up to the Hero Club members and asked, “How about I be the stand-in?” 
The Hero Club were surprised by his offer... and the very fact that he was here, for that matter. He was one of Altar’s Superiors, famous for constantly wearing a costume. They all knew him, obviously. 
While they were surprised by his offer, he asked for the script, and they just went and gave it to him without thinking too hard about it. 
Shu went on to flip through the pages. As they watched him do that, the Hero Club members whispered among themselves. 
“That came outta nowhere... It’s a nice offer, but what do you guys think?” 
“Can... Can he even act?” 
“Having the walking playground as a guest star would make the kids really happy, though.” 
“It’d be a real news hook, too. Why not just let him act? If he’s bad at it, we’ll just pass it off as a character quirk... That’s about the only option we’ve got, right?” 
“Hold on, that’s a bit—” As they talked, Shu closed the script. 
“Was there a problem with it?” one of them asked. 
“I memorized it,” Shu said. 
“...Huh? But you only read it for five minutes...” 
“It ain’t beary hard to memorize a hero show less than thirty minutes long. Name a page and a line.” 
“...All right. Page fifteen, sixth lin— Ah,” one of the Hero Club members said, only to realize that he gave Shu a line of the leader, not of the sixth they had to replace. He tried to switch to another one, but... 
“As long as there are children to protect... WE WILL NEVER LOSE!” Shu exclaimed, making the Hero Club gasp. 
That was indeed the correct line, making it evident that Shu had memorized not just the sixth hero’s lines, but the entire script. 
More importantly, Shu’s acting was simply spectacular. The fact that he was in an animal costume did nothing to detract from the heroic aura he emitted as he delivered the line. 
The Hero Club had actual aspiring actors among them, so they could easily tell just how good Shu was. 
“All right,” he said. “We have a little over fifty minutes until the show. I wanna pre-bear fur it with a complete rehearsal. Let’s get to it.” 
“Y-Yes!” 
And so, Shu and the Hero Club began their practice. 
Behemot silently watched them with excited-looking eyes. “Did you hear that? It seems you’ll have your hero show after all.” 
The lady holding the porcupine was quite happy herself. 
“So, what should I wear? If I need to change, I—” 
“Oh, just equip this accessory with Clothing Switch on it,” one of the Hero Club members gave Shu a mechanical bracelet. “You will switch from your costume into a hero suit when you say ‘Transform.’” 
“That’s beary convenient.” The hero suit produced by the accessory seemed very high-quality even to Shu, which showed just how passionate they were about their hero shows. 
“Do I get a transformation pose?” Shu asked. 
“In our performances, we use transformation poses from old sentai hero shows. It’s so we can show off the cool poses to tian children and get some grins out of tokusatsu fans. Oh, if you have a pose you like, just feel free to use that one. If you don’t, I can show you some to choose from.” 
“I have one I’m used to, so I’ll just go fur that one.” 
“I see... Wait, ‘used to’?” the red-clad actor tilted his head, but Shu ignored him and hit the pose. It involved a swing of the hand, a raised leg, and a spin, and it was done with great liveliness and fluidity. 
“Ohh, the transformation pose of Cruise Gold, the extra Cruise Five member. You did it great! None of the other members are using it, so please go with that.” 
“Gotcha.” The pre-transformation Cruise Gold was played by a child actor. Because of that, it was surprising to see the pose done by an adult man in a large bear costume, but it was done so flawlessly that the red-clad member instantly gave it his seal of approval. In fact, he found it a bit amusing. 
However, if Shu’s old friend, Lei-Lei, was here, she would be amused for a totally different reason. 
After all, the child actor who’d played Cruise Gold was none other than Shu himself. 
It was a particularly noteworthy role Shuichi Mukudori had played as a young acting prodigy. 
Shu using this transformation pose was basically just the actual actor revisiting his old role, but no one in the Hero Club could even entertain the idea that they were in the presence of the actual Cruise Gold, now grown up. 
Shu, on the other hand, only thought, I haven’t done this in years. I guess the body remembers. 
The two girls watching him, however, now seemed to feel something other than joy. 
Once done with the rehearsal, they went up to the stage. The audience were surprised by the presence of Shu and his animal costume, but thanks to the acting prowess of the Hero Club and especially Shu, they thoroughly enjoyed the show. 
Thus, Shu had successfully saved the hero performance. 
 
It was already evening when the show ended. The city was still brimming with life, but Shu was in an empty place, far away from all that vitality. 
He had been invited for a post-performance party, but he’d refused. 
“Phew... I’m so beary tired,” he said, making a sweat-wiping gesture despite the fact that his costume never exactly produced any sweat. 
He had Behemot in his hands. The lady that was holding her before had given the porcupine to him, saying that she would go buy him a drink. 
“Did you enjoy the hero show?” Shu asked Behemot. 
“...yea.” There was no lie in that. Behemot had fully enjoyed the show. However, there were signs of a different emotion in those eyes. 
Shu could sense it, so he asked, “What’s wrong?” 
The scene of a big bear talking to a porcupine might’ve seemed like something out of a children’s tale. However, Behemot said nothing, as if she was nothing more than an ordinary porcupine. 
“Sorry for the wait.” That was when the lady returned with juice cups in hand. Once she drew near, Behemot jumped from Shu’s hands to the top of her head. As though used to it, the lady didn’t miss a beat. Behemot was still completely silent, making it clear that she didn’t intend to answer Shu’s question. 
“Here, this one’s yours,” the lady said as she handed him the cup in her left hand. 
While still watching Behemot, Shu grabbed the juice with his right hand. He skillfully took it with his bulky paws, but the next moment, she dropped her own cup in her right and thrust a spear-hand towards Shu’s heart. 
A second later, you could smell a mix of fruit juice and the metallic scent of blood everywhere. 
The blood belonged not to Shu, but herself. 
“...Well done,” she said. The spear-hand had been shattered. The fingers were pointing in unnatural directions and the skin had been torn open, letting blood drip freely to the ground. 
Her right hand had directly clashed with Shu’s fist. Shu had expected this surprise attack and placed his fist in the path of her spear-hand. 
That was what had broken her hand. Some would say that this was an expected outcome, considering she’d hit the fist of the King of Destruction — the player with the greatest STR. 
However, some would claim it was amazing that she had the offensive power and endurance to make it out of this clash with just broken fingers. As long as they weren’t END-focused, even ordinary Superior Jobs would have simply lost their entire hand. “What’s this about?” Shu asked without a hint of his usual humor. 
“Well, I suppose you can call it a reconfirmation. I simply did a final check to see if you truly are the kind of person who wouldn’t die to a surprise attack from someone like me, as I am now. The result speaks for itself. What a relief.” 
“...” 
“It appears that you always thought that we might come for your life. Your usual outward attitude always made me somewhat worried and very irritated, but I’m so, so glad to see that I have no eyes for this kind of thing.” 
For some reason, she smiled as though actually happy. There was now a grin on her face and no trace of the composure from before. It felt as though she was a monster whose human skin had begun to peel away. 
Shu had prepared himself to summon Baldr out of his crest. If worse came to worst, he thought that Gideon might once again have a Clash of the Superiors, except greater than any battle before it. It would certainly come to that if he were to retaliate — so for now, he refrained from attacking. 
However, if she wanted to start it here and now, Shu would have no choice but to oblige. 
“What do you mean, ’final check?’” he asked, looking to find out her motive while keeping an eye on her actions. 
“We received an order yesterday. We will now return to the imperium,” she said. 
“...What?” Shu couldn’t have possibly expected that reply. 
“Don’t worry. We won’t do anything here anymore. Consider today’s date and the attack just now to be a little something to remember us by.” 
The very fact that they would receive an order telling them to retreat wasn’t strange. It had always been obvious that they were in Gideon on Dryfe’s orders. 
However, Shu didn’t understand why it would happen now, of all times. 
Why had they stayed here until now? 
“Anyway, Behemot and I are now leaving Gideon. It might be a clichéd thing to say, but I can’t wait until we meet again and fight to the death... Oh? Ah, yes...” 
As she tried to take Behemot off her head into her hands, she remembered that her right hand’s fingers were broken. 
She reached into the inventory on her hip, took out an ampoule filled with healing liquid, broke off the top with her thumb and downed it. It instantly healed her right hand, right down to the bone. 
Shu had watched it with Identification on and noticed that it was not a special medicine, but a standard potion that healed a certain percentage of health. It was a low-tier healing item that you could acquire on the market quite easily, and one that only healed about five percent of the user’s maximum health. 
That weak potion was enough to completely heal the damage her clash with Shu had inflicted. 
He knew exactly what that meant — the lady before him was so strong that an attack which could instantly kill Legendaries dealt only minor damage to her. 
To win against her head-on, Shu would have no choice but to use his ultimate skill. That would be a repeat of the ultimate battle against Gloria, and it would be a calamity matched by few before it. 
He’d been troubled by the problem of Hannya the whole day, but whatever she might cause was small compared to what could happen with this woman. 
Even if a fight with her was unavoidable, he couldn’t have it here in the city. Thus, he had no choice but to agree to do it the next time they met, just like she’d said. 
However... before she walked away, Shu called out to her. 
“Answer me one thing.” 
“Only if it’s something I can answer.” 
“Why have you been in Gideon all this time?” That was something he’d started to wonder just recently... if not the entire time they’d been here. 
“At first, I thought you were waiting for some golden opportunity, like the arrival of the First Princess or something,” Shu said. “But you didn’t do anything when she showed up, and now you’re saying that you’re leaving. You basically spent the past month and more just hanging around Gideon. What did you hope to achieve with this stay?” 
“Phew...” she sighed, as though remembering something boring, before continuing. “We’re the same as you.” 
“...I see.” Those words didn’t seem to mean much, but Shu instantly understood. As though to reinforce his understanding, she continued, “You couldn’t leave, could you?” 
The mad smile on her face had vanished and was replaced by a cold expression. 
“That weakling’s... Franklin’s act of terror on Altar was a failure. It’s only natural for us to be wary of counterattacks from the kingdom, isn’t it? And the ones who would perform them would be Superiors... most likely the wide-scale extermination type — yourself — or the wide-scale suppression-extermination type like the High Priestess and her Lunar Society.” 
“...True.” 
“However, the kingdom’s relationship with The Lunar Society isn’t favorable, so you are the one we have to be most wary of.” 
Lei-Lei came to Shu’s mind, but it was hard for her to be relevant to this conversation when she was hardly ever online. 
“If I don’t intend to commit any terrorist acts, this is basically a waste of good fighting power, isn’t it?” Shu asked. 
“It isn’t. We were an anchor.” 
“...An anchor?” 
“You were so wary of us that you almost never left Gideon. You mostly did it when you trained that rookie.” 
It was indeed true that Shu had almost never left Gideon during this time. He hadn’t even moved from here when Tsukuyo Fuso had kidnapped his brother. It was all because the King of Beasts was here, and the result of that was... 
“You couldn’t leave Gideon and couldn’t gather the materials for your ammo. Am I wrong?” 
Shu’s reply was silence, but she was on the mark. 
“We can fight at full capacity at any time, but that isn’t true for you. Your wide-scale extermination firepower is the same as that weakling’s monster creation in that it relies on outside Resources to be effective. However, since we’ve been here, you haven’t been able to go to any high level monster areas to gather rare materials. Your only option was to buy what you could find on the market. However, Altar now has few veteran Masters, so the supply is limited. Well? Are your ammo stocks high enough that you’d be able to fight for the entirety of the coming war?” 
It would be quite difficult. Baldr really didn’t have much ammo left. He only had enough for three armies of the same scale that Franklin had unleashed upon Gideon. Considering that the war would mean a rematch with Franklin and possibly a fight against the Hell General, who could create monsters even easier than the mad scientist, three seemed like a very small number. 
“...I always took you for a meathead,” Shu said. 
“I can’t deny that. Instead of wasting time on craftiness, I believe it’s easier to simply crush things with our power. This wasn’t just our idea, but part of the imperator’s strategy. After Franklin’s Game, we were simply ordered to live here. We didn’t know the reason ourselves until we were contacted yesterday.” 
“...I see.” It might’ve seemed like Shu had been taken for a fool, but his actions actually wouldn’t have changed even if he’d known about it. If he’d ignored the King of Beasts and went to gather materials, the imperator could’ve easily issued them a new order, possibly causing another incident in Gideon. He also noted the craftiness behind the fact that not even these two knew why they were here, for the lack of information made it impossible for Shu to actually outsmart the imperator. 
Also, this move had probably been made right after Shu had revealed his identity at the battle against Franklin, which made him understand how cunning the ruler of Dryfe really was. 
“It is quite troubling that you won’t be at your peak in our coming battle,” said the lady. “However, the ultimate skill that you used to defeat Gloria can be used without any ammo, right?” 
“...Yeah.” Indeed, Baldr’s ultimate skill, The Unmatched God of War — Baldr, wasn’t as dependent on Resources as ammo. As a solo fighter, he was still almost at his best. 
“Then I don’t mind. All I want is to face you in a contest of pure power.” 
“Is that something you say after trying to kill me with a surprise attack?” 
“Like I said, that was just a final check to see that you were truly a worthy opponent. If that had worked, you would’ve been unworthy of a proper fight... A pebble just like the rest.” 
She smiled again, but not in a cruel, monstrous, or crazy way. 
It was a smile of actual joy. 
“You are indeed worthy,” she said before turning away and walking off, holding Behemot in her hands. If her back could speak, it would surely say, “This ends our conversation. Next time, we will merely fight to the death on the battlefield.” 
Behemot said nothing and simply looked at Shu from within the lady’s hands. 
Shu watched them leave, but then remembered something. 
“Sorry, there’s one last thing I forgot to ask.” 
“...What is it?” she turned around and asked, looking somewhat irritated that he would continue this exchange after she’d said everything she wanted. 
Shu went and asked her something that had somehow never come to mind before now. 
“You still haven’t told me your name, have you?” And that was despite them being in close contact for over a month. Shu still had never figured out the name of the lady holding Behemot. 
“We aren’t foolish enough to show our hand.” She tried to avoid answering that, but... 
“np.” 
“...I suppose you’re right. I guess you may have my nickname, at least.” 
Behemot’s urging made her quickly change her tune. 
“Behemot calls me ‘Levia.’ You can use that, as well.” 
“Levia, eh? Behemot and Levia... I see. What a pair,” Shu muttered as though that was enough for him to understand everything. 
The lady calling herself “Levia” turned around and left without saying anything more. 
Behemot, however, stuck her head out from her arms, looked at Shu... 
“See ya, Mr. Bear.” 
...And gave a farewell actually understandable to humankind. 
“Yeah. See ya, Behemot,” said Shu. 
King of Beasts, he added in thought. 
After parting ways with Shu, Levia went north through the Nex Plains. Her speed exceeded that of sound, and it was growing so dark that no one could see her. She held the porcupine in her hands, but moved at supersonic speeds, occasionally turning any obstacles — meaning, monsters — to dust as she moved towards the imperium’s capital. 
“Behemot, I can’t go at half of my maximum speed in this form, but it should be enough to get us to Vandelheim by tomorrow morning.” 
The porcupine in her arms had been silent the whole way so far, but she finally spoke up. “...Cruise Gold.” 
There was no one around, so rather than the usual Earth internet slang she’d ordinarily employ, she instead used human words. 
“The transformation pose reminded me of Dad.” 
“...Yes, it does seem similar to what you see in your memories.” Levia looked through the memories she shared with Behemot and concluded that what she’d seen at some point definitely bore a resemblance to what Shu had done at the hero show. 
The movements were the same, but the actor was different. 
“It was so nostalgic and made me so happy.” 
“If it made you happy, then I’m happy, too.” 
“But it also reminded me of something dark... and sad.” 
“I understand. We will kill that bear the next time we meet, no matter what,” Levia nodded with a gentle smile on her face. 
And, after canceling the Crest Disguise skill and making the mark on her left hand vanish, she declared, “Queen of Beasts, Leviathan was born to protect all that you are.” 
Thus, they left the city of Gideon without having caused a single incident. 
However, both they and Shu were certain that the day of their clash was drawing near.