The Undersecretary of Rhodania’s Bureau of Intelligence and Defense nodded at Rebecca’s question while stroking his beard. Because of a long spell working behind the desk, he had completely developed a middle-aged spread, but this man had also played an active part as a skilled intelligence agent when he was young. He was also the one who had hammered the intelligence techniques into Rebecca. His eyes, which were set into a chubby face, looked sharply at Rebecca.
「It’s an order from Executive Office of the President. I’ll leave the personnel selection to you, the chief」
「Pl, please wait a moment」
Rebecca couldn’t help but to be baffled by this sudden development.
「The person that you’re talking about is that Johann, you know? With just us, no matter how hard we try, there’s no chance for us to win. Besides, Johann is now in the Empire. It’ll be difficult for us to move freely」
「It’s understandable for you to be baffled. A few years ago, thanks to the information brought back by the intelligence agents in the field, we learned the fact that Johann is alive and well in the Empire. But we had been unable to do anything to this day. The reason is as you’ve just said」
「Then, why after all this time……」
「Johann is a valuable sample. All of the research data from that time had been reduced to ashes, and he is also the sole survivor. But if his corpse can be obtained, the project might be able to be restarted. ......It’s simply because someone who thought that way appeared in Executive Office of the President」
「Is that so……」
Just how much damage did that person think was done by the failure of that project, she wondered. It’s human nature to forget God once the danger was past*, but even so, she didn’t think that person was sane.
「It's also not as though there’s completely no chance of success. Johann is the strongest, but the passage of time is on our side. With the right strategy, it’s possible to defeat even that monster」
Information on the operation was placed on the desk. After reading it, Rebecca could only bury her head in her hands internally. She couldn’t help feeling faint at the fact that anyone thought that Johann could be killed with a slipshod operation like this. Had her former teacher fallen so far……
「That’s it for the directive」
「Undersecretary, with regards to the assassination of Johann, may I take charge of it? If I do it, the operation’s chances of success will increase significantly」
At Rebecca's proposal, the Undersecretary had a questioning look on his face.
「……What are you up to? Certainly, you're a top-class intelligence agent even among our organization, but I don’t believe that there’s a need for you to become the assassin yourself. Leave it to your subordinates. There are intelligence agents that are as capable as you among your subordinates, aren’t there?」
「With all due respect, my subordinates lack actual combat experience. I’m the one who is the most suitable」
「Does that mean that you’ll command the team in the field?」
「No, there’s no need for a team. The condition of success for the operation is to assassinate Johann and recover his body, right? In that case, it’ll be easier for me to move if I’m alone」
At Rebecca’s assertion, the Undersecretary considered it for a while before smiling faintly.
「Alright, I’ll trust your judgment. However, even if it’s you that we’re talking about, you know what will happen when you fail, right?」
At the Undersecretary’s threat, Rebecca nodded strongly.
She had pledged her loyalty to the country, but it would be a lie if she said that she had no fear of death.
But to Rebecca, rather than her own life, the lives of the subordinates who she had brought up with great care were far more important.
Them dying in an operation like this was something that must never be allowed――
†
†
Rebecca, who had been stunned by Stun Howl, was able to move after a few seconds. The moment she was freed, she leapt back and distanced herself from Johann.
「Why didn't you attack?」
Despite the fact that Rebecca had been stunned, Johann hadn’t attacked at all. At Rebecca, who was questioning that, Johann shrugged his shoulders.
「But, that wouldn’t be fair, right?」
「What……are you saying?」
「You didn't know about Zero or that I’m able to use my true power. All I can say in the end is that your prior investigation was lacking, but it’s not my style to one-sidedly kill someone who doesn’t know anything. You’ve fully grasped our fighting strength, right? Come on, the real fight starts now」
As if he was saying something really natural, Johann laughed and then beckoned at her. He didn’t even think for a second that he would lose. No, he was enjoying the battle itself. He was undoubtedly thinking that it would be a waste to end it immediately.
「Our side is superior in terms of pure fighting strength, but so long as we’re inside this containment barrier, we cannot use Skills that consume magic power. On the other hand, you guys can use them as much as you want. There must be any number of ways to turn the tide of the battle. Come on, show me your next move. The more time goes by, the more your chances of winning will disappear」
「You……」
As Johann said, Rebecca didn’t even have a few minutes. She would probably lose her reason and become a monster before long. She couldn’t rely on the King of Flies. If she wanted to bet on the slight possibility of victory and fight against Johann, then she didn't have any time to lose.
However, even though she knew that, her body didn’t move. The stun had worn off long ago. Rebecca couldn't move because her spirit had been broken.
「Aren’t you coming? Isn't that appearance the proof that you’ve put your life on the line? Even if we stare at each other like this, the fact that you’ll die isn’t going to change, right?」
Johann asked dispassionately. Rebecca stayed where she was. Suddenly, Johann heaved a great sigh and then looked pointedly at her.
「Don't act spoiled. Till their final breath, my allies never gave up!」
It was a killing intent that was enough to freeze her heart solid. However, due to that intense killing intent, Rebecca resigned herself to her fate. She no longer cared even if she had to throw it all away. If she couldn’t win while remaining herself, then she didn’t need her self. ――She would become a true monster.
「King of Flies!!! Sacrifice all of me!!」
「I’ve been waiting for those words. ――Evil Mutation」
The King of Flies activated the Skill and a torrent of black magic power surged out. The magic power also pulled in the corpses of the bugs that had been scattered away by Zero――the magic power within them, and began to swirl violently like a tornado. And then, it transformed Rebecca, who was at its center, into even more of an abomination.
「A Chimera, huh?」
Johann murmured, squinting his eyes.
Among the summoning or enslavement type Skills, there exists a trump card that fuses multiple familiars together. However, because it consumes a great deal of magic power, and the familiars disintegrate instantly if the material that serves as the core isn’t strong enough, it’s an extremely advanced and costly Skill. It cannot be handled properly unless A Rank or above.
In that respect, the King of Flies was definitely A rank, and Rebecca, who became the core, was also A rank. Now, in this place, the best user and the best material were put together.
Sure enough, the Chimera created by the King of Flies was a colossal monster that was even bigger than Zero in his dragon form.
「KYSHAAAAAAAAA!!!」
Its overall silhouette resembled a praying mantis. Its forelimbs grew into the shape of sickles and were sharp. It stood firmly on its other six powerful legs, which supported the enormous mass of the monster. However, unlike a real praying mantis, it was covered by a sturdy-looking exoskeleton and had a long horn on its head as well. Its appearance could be likened to a white armored praying mantis.
「GUOOOOOOOOOO!!!」
Zero charged at the Chimera. The two giant beasts collided, generating an intense shock wave along with a great crash. The Chimera had not yielded an inch even after taking a blow from a dragon. ――Their mass differed by too much. However, Zero had taken into account something like that.
Zero thrust his sharps claws deep into the gaps of the Chimera’s exoskeleton. Once he had made it difficult for the Chimera to break free, Zero opened his mouth, which had a row of uneven teeth. And from his mouth, he emitted ultra-high temperature heat rays. In other words――a Dragon Breath.
Skills that consumed magic power couldn’t be used inside the containment barrier, but Dragon Breath wasn’t a Skill in the first place, and was a bodily function that dragons had from the beginning. The heat rays, which had been focused on one point, were capable of vaporizing even thick city walls instantly.
But――
「Dragon Breath had no effect?」
Johann furrowed his brow at what he was witnessing.
Despite scoring a direct hit on the Chimera, Zero's Dragon Breath had merely blackened the exoskeleton, and hadn’t been able to penetrate it in the least bit. The sparks bouncing back off the exoskeleton scattered vividly like fireworks.
「SHAAAAAAAA!!!」
「GYAAAAAAAA!!!」
Countless tentacles emerged from the Chimera's back and pierced through Zero. The moment Zero loosened his grip from the pain, at a speed faster than sound, the Chimera flung him off with its sickles. It blew Zero’s huge body away with the shock wave and severed his right arm. The large amount of fresh red blood turned the ground into mud.
「Marvelous. Looking purely at its fighting strength, it’s at the level of a Lord, isn’t it?」
Johann turned the corners of his mouth up joyfully. Behind him, Zero lifted his giant body off the ground and growled savagely. He intended to continue the fight with the Chimera.
His blood had already stopped due to the dragon’s amazing regenerative capabilities. If he stuck his severed right arm back on his body, it would probably be reattached immediately.
However, Johann forestalled Zero with his hand and stepped forward.
「Zero, that’s enough. I’ll accept her resolve」
The moment he declared that in a clear voice, Johann ran forward like a gust of wind. He was targeted by the Chimera’s tentacles, but he dodged every single one of them. The tentacles could only penetrate Johann’s afterimages.
The one controlling the Chimera was the King of Flies. Normally, if the user was killed, the Chimera would also die. However, Johann had seen through the fact that the King of Flies in this place was also a familiar.
Even if he killed the familiar, the Chimera wouldn’t stop. In other words, for Johann to win, he needed to defeat the Chimera. In view of the difference in their fighting strength, it didn’t seem likely that Stun Howl would work. For that reason, he had to defeat it using only direct attacks.
Johann, who had closed the distance to the Chimera completely, jumped in order to cling onto its giant body. However, intercepting sickles flew at him in mid-air, where there was no escape.
The instant he was about be to cut into two, Johann swung his own spear with all his might. That one blow that didn’t rely on Skills shattered both of the Chimera’s sickles, which had even withstood the Dragon Breath, and bent the Chimera’s giant body backwards.
The spear had also shattered into pieces, but Johann had succeeded in clinging onto the Chimera's head. Then, he thrust his right arm into its eye socket.
「KYEEEEAAAA!!!」
The Chimera went into a rampage from the pain of its eye being crushed and impaled Johann repeatedly with its tentacles. But without even a groan of pain, Johann merely muttered calmly.
「My magic power――I don’t care even if it explodes」
An enormous amount of magic power concentrated in Johann's right arm. Because of the effect of Trick Room, he couldn’t activate his Skills. But the exploding magic power blew off not just his right arm, but also the Chimera’s head――
†
†
――She was having a good dream.
「Welcome home, Mommy!」
The moment she opened the door of her house, her daughter threw herself into Rebecca’s arms. She was still a pampered child, and would come out and greet her like this every time she returned.
「I'm home. Were you a good girl?」
「Yup! I was making dinner with Daddy!」
「I see, that’s so admirable, isn’t it?」
When she patted her daughter on the head gently, she narrowed her eyes happily.
「Here’s a reward for the princess who is able to help out diligently」
「You bought me a present!?」
She handed the paper bag that she had to her daughter. Looking at the store's logo printed on the paper bag, her daughter showed her a smile that was like a sunflower.
「It’s cake! Are there also strawberries!?」
「Of course. You love strawberries, right? Let's eat it together after dinner」
「Yay! Hooray!」
Rebecca smiled wryly as she watched her daughter run off with the paper bag in her arms.
「Even Mommy can’t win against strawberry cake, I see」
「Welcome home. You’re back early today, aren’t you?」
Her daughter had ran off, and her husband, who was wearing an apron, appeared before her. With a gentle smile, he walked up to Rebecca and helped her out of her coat.
「Thank you. I finished my work early today」
「That's good. I’ve just finished cooking the beef stew, so let’s eat it together quickly. Before that girl starts secretly eating the cake」
「Fufufu, you’re right」
Her husband was a novelist. In place of Rebecca, who tended to be away from home, he had taken on all of the housework. Rebecca had met her husband when she was still in her late teens. When her hat had been blown off by the wind and had fallen into the river, he had went out of his way to retrieve it while getting soaked to the skin.
He was a gentle and kind person. Thanks to her husband, Rebecca could leave her home with peace of mind. However, not telling even their families their true job was part of the rules. She had told her husband that she was a merchant.
「I'm going on a business trip for a period of time because of an important business negotiation」
「When you say, for a period of time, how long do you mean?」
「About a month」
「Got it. Leave the house to me」
「......Yeah, as always, thank you」
「In return, I'm counting on you to bring home a souvenir for that child」
「I'll pick out something lovely. Of course, for you as well」
I’m looking forward to it, her husband said with a laugh. Unable to bear it, Rebecca hugged him from behind. Rebecca could feel with her body his gentle warmth and smell.
「……Did something unpleasant happen at work or something?」
「……Umm, that’s not it」
She couldn’t tell him the truth. If she did, it would put her family in danger.
「But just for a while, let me stay like this――」
Her husband put his hand on hers, which were circled around his waist.
Her gentle husband didn't ask her anything. They had been married for a number of years, and he had probably become vaguely aware of some things. Her husband was a laid back person, but he was smart. Nevertheless, he always respected Rebecca and kept his doubts and anxieties in the depths of his heart.
Her husband and daughter could manage even if she wasn’t around. She had left them lots of money. They would probably want for nothing for the rest of their lives. If she could have one wish, she wanted to come back alive. She wanted to grow old with her beloved husband and also watch her daughter grow up with her own eyes.
But Rebecca knew, better than anyone, that her wish was impossible.
†
†
When Rebecca, who had separated from the Chimera, woke up, at the edge of her blurred vision was Johann’s face, with a cigarette in his mouth. The right arm that he had lost due to the explosion of magic power was regenerating right before her eyes. Johann's regenerative capabilities were amazing, and it took only a few seconds for his arm to return to the way it was before.
Berserker Skill: Regeneration(Self-Regeneration)
A Skill that self-regenerates all kinds of damage so long as the user has magic power left.
「Any last words?」
Johann looked down at Rebecca and asked in a gentle tone.
She had lost. It was a complete defeat. It was a foregone conclusion, but she had been completely no match for him. Even if she had formed a team with her subordinates and fought him, the result would likely have been the same.
「……Can I have a cigarette?」
Rebecca had stopped smoking ever since she became pregnant. But at the very end at least, she would probably be forgiven for smoking freely.
「Here you go」
Johann put the cigarette that he had been smoking in Rebecca’s mouth.
「……It’s got a weak taste, doesn’t it? You’re smoking this kind of stuff?」
「Unfortunately, this is all I have」
When Johann shrugged his shoulders apologetically, Rebecca smiled wryly.
「Well, it's fine. I'll make do with this」
Under the bright moon, the cigarette smoke fluttered in the night.
「……It was a good life」
Rebecca murmured with a smile――and then turned to ash. Blown by the wind, the ashes disappeared along with the cigarette smoke. In the direction the wind was blowing, was Rhodania.
「Well then――」
Johann looked backwards. In the direction of his gaze, was the King of Flies.
「What are you going to do?」
「Now that my client has died, my job has also ended」
All of a sudden, the King of Flies’ body floated up into the air.
「As expected from the『Messiah(Savior)』. For the likes of Rhodania’s dogs, they probably can’t win no matter how many of them are gathered together, am I right?」
「Don't insult those who fought with their lives on the line」
With a quiet anger, Johann glared at the King of Flies.
「You, who doesn’t have the courage to stand on the battlefield in person, have no right to look down on others」
「Hahaha! What a very naive thing to say! Can you win against Snake like that?」
The King of Flies flew higher into the sky while mocking Johann.
「I’ll do my utmost to enjoy watching the two of you devour(cannibalize) each other」
Alright then, said the King of Flies, who was just about to disappear. However, the King of Flies noticed a certain abnormality.
「Th, this is!?」
Multiple layers of chains were coiled around the King of Flies’ body. Chains that there had been no traces of until just a short while ago had materialized, binding the King of Flies in mid-air.
「Who said that you could go?」
Johann lit a cigarette and then put a merciless smile on his face.
「Punishment Skill: Slave Chain(Chain of Soul Binding). They’re chains that bind the soul itself. If the one restrained is a familiar, the true body can be put under its effects as well」
「Impossible!? There were no signs or anything of the chains!」
To the flustered King of the Flies, Johann shook his index finger while clicking his tongue.
「Certainly, I suppose that even you would have noticed it if it was only the Slave Chain. However, at the same time, I had the Magic Bullet Skill: Royal Road(Path of the Gunner King) activated. This Skill, which can be used by the Gunner series A Rank Job, Black Shooter(Magic Bullet Shooter), is able to ignore distance and make attacks hit. In other words, you were bound at the same time the chains were activated」
「What, a combination of Skills!?」
When the King of Flies shouted in surprise, Johann’s smile deepened.
「Isn't the combination of Skills the basic of the basics? Or were you under the impression that Skills of different Jobs couldn’t be used at the same time or something? If that’s the case, that’s a serious fallacy」
With his eyes fixed on the King of Flies, Johann raised his right hand. What appeared in his hand was an ominous black spear formed using magic power.
「Dark Skill: Fatal Strike. Those who are penetrated by this spear will definitely die. Even if it is, for example, a familiar, it can kill the true body through the connection of magic power. I wonder if you understand the meaning of what I’m saying, King of Flies?」
「You……」
The King of Flies, who was bound by the chains, muttered with a mixture of rage and frustration.
「How does it feel when the place that you thought was absolutely safe turned into an execution ground? Oh, you don't have to answer. Because I'm not really that interested」
Johann snorted with laughter at the King of Flies and then put strength into his right hand.
「Goodbye, King of Flies」
The magic spear of certain death was thrown. However, just before being pierced through, the King of Flies shouted with full force.
「DON’T LOOK DOWN ON MEEEEEEEE!!!」
In the blink of an eye, countless meteorites pierced the clouds and rained down. They were all attacks by the bugs that the King of Flies had on standby above the sea of clouds. If they hit, not just Johann and Zero, the surrounding area would likely be blown sky-high at the same time. Even the other clan members, who were a distance away, would not be spared from the destruction.
Johann immediately activated a new Skill.
「Ex・Invincible(Absolute Sanctuary)」
Paladin Skill: Ex・Invincible.
A Skill that can reflect all types of attacks over a wide area just one time.
The barrier deployed by Johann reflected all of the meteorites back up into the sky.
「……Fuu, that was close. Looks like the King of Flies had shrewdly concealed a trump card」
Johann wiped his cold sweat and breathed a sigh of relief.
「You’ve let the King of Flies escape, I see」
Zero, whose injuries from the battle had recovered completely and had returned to human form, muttered in frustration. The King of Flies had succeeded in avoiding Johann's Fatal Strike by getting blown to pieces. There was no sign of the King of Flies, who had already left this place.
「Fatal Strike missed, but the familiar was being bound by Slave Chain. The damage to the familiar should have an effect on the user as well. Even if it’s not enough to cause the King of Flies to die from shock, the King of Flies will likely be bedridden for some time」
Besides, said Johann with a laugh.
「When the familiar was bound by the chains, I learned the true identity of the King of Flies」
「Really?」
「Yeah, thoroughly, I dare say. However, it’ll take time and effort to kill the King of Flies, I suppose」
「Does that mean that the King of Flies is a person of importance――or a relative of one?」
「That’s right」
It was when Johann nodded. A crowd of people ran over shouting Johann and Zero’s names. It appeared that Lorelei's members had noticed that something was wrong because of the back and forth with the King of Flies.
「I'll sleep for a while again. I’ll leave the rest to you and him」
「Understood」
Zero nodded, but he looked glum.
「Is there some sort of problem?」
「I don’t like him」
At Zero's reply, Johann laughed out loud.
「Hahaha, you and he have always been on bad terms, isn’t that right?」
「Until the very end, he’s the only one that I couldn’t form a mutual understanding with. Can't you leave it to another person?」
「He is the most suitable person. You’re by his side, so you should understand that」
Johann threw away the half-smoked cigarette and patted Zero on the shoulder as if showing his appreciation.
「Alright then, good night」
「Good night, Johann」
Johann collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. Zero caught his body in his arms.
「Even though we have our hands full just having Snake as an opponent, to think that even Rhodania and the King of Flies would come out of the woodwork…… It’s not easy to make dreams come true, is it?」
It's not easy. But that's why it's fun. I’m able to experience the feeling of being alive. Just like Zero, who felt that way, Johann too, was sleeping with a look of enjoyment on his face.
*I’m referencing the Scottish proverb, “the danger past and God forgotten“. What it implies is that people only pray when they’re in trouble, but forget everything as soon as the crisis is past. And the meaning is that people tend to forget the problems that they had encountered once the crisis is past and not learn from them. And yes, it’s me referencing it. The original saying in Japanese, which has the same meaning, is “people forget that it’s hot once it passes the throat”. Other English proverbs with the same meaning are, “once on shore, we pray no more” & “vows made in storm are forgotten in calm”. To have so many sayings with this meaning, it’s a reflection on human nature, isn’t it?
More FMA vibes, with chimeras and human experimentations galore. Rhodania is really starting to look like a super shady country, isn’t it?
I hate the King of Flies. Not the character, just the fact that, in order to continue avoiding gendered pronouns, the character is forcing me to phrase things weirdly, not accurately, or just vaguely. Thanks to Johann, the King of Flies will likely be out of action for a while though, so there’s that.
And speaking of Johann, it may be weird, but I kinda like the inner Johann. He actually strikes me as a pretty good person, though a bit of a battle maniac. In fact, it kinda makes me think that Dark Scale might not even be bandits, but human guinea pigs who had escaped with Johann. And there are so many similarities in the way he acts and thinks with Noel. Btw, did you think from the last chapter that he was just a Talker? I sure did! What the bleep, he’s able to use Skills from every Job!? No wonder everyone was saying that Noel had no chance of winning against him! And the only person who can let Noel know is Loki, who has disappeared into thin air. Will Noel find out in time? Well, next chapter is finally Noel’s pov again, and btw, the twists are still coming! Stay tuned!
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