Chapter 85 – Another Conclusion
In the excitement of the battle, there isn’t much pain. The fangs were thrust into both shoulders, the side was gouged, and warm blood was felt.
But now, the aftertaste of the victory that I earned was greater.
“Honey!”
The woman who watched over me like that…. well, it’s Shinobu, but she came running up to me.
“You’re overdoing it again… seriously, you’re like that red Oni…. I’ll treat you right now…but it’s so cool…your bare bloodstained body, a really nice treat, thank you.”
Shinobu ran up to me with an angry, excited attitude.
But before I get that treatment first…
“Shinobu…… treat Toulowe.”
“…… Yes?”
“…… Ea…… Earth?”
I asked her to give Toulowe treatment, who still couldn’t stand up, rather than me.
Both Shinobu and Toulowe seemed to be surprised at my words.
“Honey… what are you…with how much this Mantis has done to you?”
“…… Well, that’s okay, isn’t it? My fight with this guy is over already…. I don’t want to deal with future consequences.”
“B, but…”
“…… please …… Shinobu”
She seemed a little hesitant, but when I bowed my head down, Shinobu suddenly started to flutter.
“Hah~… that’s terrible, you…. taking advantage of my weakness…. I realized that it’s true that the one who falls in love first loses.”
“…I-Is that so…”
“So, you could at least respond to the exchange diary in earnest.”
Saying that, Shinobu walked over to Toulowe.
To be honest, she said some things that were too straightforward for me to react to.
I’m so embarrassed.
“Now…”
First of all, I left Shinobu alone, and when I looked back, I found Bro and the Dark Elf, both of whom seemed to have already settled the matter.
“Hey, good work, brother.”
“Don’t screw around. Who’s a brother? Like I’d want a dumb big brother I can’t understand.”
“Kakkakka, don’t be like that~. But it was a good fight. I just want us to exchange a sibling’s cup.”
“Humph, you must be joking.”
It seemed he had a good in its own right, and Bro was smiling, though he was injured. Well, Chitsue’s escorts originally attacked him.
And the somewhat sullen-looking Dark Elf sat down upon the floor with a sigh.
“What a mess… I thought I’d go back to the Demon Realm after rampaging as much as revenge on humans, this mess… quickly, kill me, violate me, do as you please, it’s fine.”
“Hey hey, don’t carelessly say things like that.”
“Wh-what?”
“I mean, that was a pretty cool fight, even for a girl.”
“…tch … what are you talking about, you …”
The dark elf Skevern, who didn’t show any intention to resist, seemed resigned.
Even though things appeared to be completely settled now…. I don’t think it’s possible….
“Do you shake hands when the fight is over? This is the Surface world… though you’re a half-breed, but if you inherited the blood of a demon, you understand what’s going to happen after this, don’t you?”
“Yeah…”
“It’s over…I’m done…”
“……………… “
“Or are you going to help me? I can’t… I’m not motivated to join hands with such a person….”
Skevern said so in a self-mocking and offhanded manner.
At that speech, as expected even Bro was at a loss for words.
And that was the time.
“Waha, wahahahahahaha! Really, you all caused such a stir only to go meek in the end, bunch of freaks, see!”
As soon as the scene had finally settled, Chitsue barged into the place.
Yes, this guy is here.
“Earth, you’ll be punished for insulting me, Bro, you’ll pay for disobeying me, but… First of all, you, ah you guys! The insect will be used in Duel Monsters until it dies, and Skevern will be kept in an underground brothel as a pervert utility for the rest of her life, that they will!”
“Minister Chitsue…you know…”
“Shut up, Bro, I won’t listen to you anymore!”
He’s so full of rage that the aftertaste of the victory earned with great pains was erased splendidly.
Now……
“Good Grief… So, what are you gonna do, Bro? Will you still go on with your distinction rhetoric and earn this pig’s pocket money in this gambling den as before?”
“…… You… “
“Skevern, and Toulowe too, as things are they can return to their original lives again…. no, they’ve knocked up a more miserable life, and you’re just going to linger in your hometown like you always have? Even if it’s a hoodlum, would you also say that?”
Bro was unusually silent to the question, which included my sarcasm.
Yes, he was puzzled by this too.
“When it comes to this point, the level of talk is different from baguette head’s direct sales. And you already know that, don’t you? Toulowe and Skevern… and the matter with this minister, it won’t be solved simply by bowing your head, taking responsibility and getting beaten the hell up.”
It doesn’t matter to me what happens to this gambling den or what happens to the hoodlums. It didn’t matter.
As for Toulowe, I didn’t feel like taking him to the Demon Realm or letting him escape.
However, I will strike it with all my might. That was about it.
As for Bro, even if I couldn’t agree with him, I felt like we could at least handle this issue together.
“I mean, I haven’t been around as long as you have, but I know that much even if I don’t know the world as much as you do.”
“Certainly… maybe so…but…… even so I can’t simply abandon it, this harsh place…”
“I know. Whatever the reason, you’re so committed to this town and this place that you would risk your life…. I understand that resolution… but you can’t afford to live like that.”
But then I say.
“At first, I wasn’t motivated to go that far with Toulowe. It’s just a matter of fighting as an enemy … and giving cheap sympathy, or at the very least, a serious fight. But, strangely, with Toulowe, maybe because we clashed with each other with all our might… even if he was a criminal… already … claiming ‘It’s nothing to do with me’ was no longer enough.”
Now that the fight is over, my heart was as shaken as it was before the fight.
“Hah~…that’s right…. from hating each other, to acknowledging each other before we realized… to exchange fists and before you know it, you become good friends…there are fights like that once in a while…. can’t stop them. And? What are you going to do?”
“I’m not asking you what to do. I’m just going to do this.”
With that said, I stood in front of the Toulowe who couldn’t get up after being treated by Shinobu, as if to face Chitsue.
“Earth… you… what are you doing…are you?”
“You… what are you trying to do to my rival?”
“You…do you know what you’re doing?”
What am I doing? It means that I’m opposing an Imperial Minister.
The opposition to the minister is, so to speak, an act of betrayal to the Empire.
Well, it’s too late now…….
“It doesn’t matter to me about hoodlum rules or responsibilities. I won’t let a pig like you take away a rival who I had a decent fight with …. I, still have much more before we’re done! So you want to use Toulowe until he dies in this gambling den? Then, such a rotten place, I’ll crush it!!”
“Wh, wha… what will you do!?”
That was my answer.
That’s why……
“You… crush… hey hey…”
“That’s why… let’s settle this… Bro….. right now, the way you hoodlums tend to….”
“What!?”
“You don’t bend. You don’t break. You even risk your life. That’s why you can’t change your mind and let go of this gambling den, right?”
A man who sticks to himself, shows no weakness, and just continues to live as a hoodlum.
That figure showed me a way of life as a man that I had never seen before.
That’s why I’ve already understood that he’s not the kind of guy who can do this with words.
“I’ll make that decision by force.”
In the end, this is the only way to go.
“You…with your body like that, you still…?”
“This is just fine. You’re the same to begin with.”
We were both in tatters. However, the only way to decide the future from here is to use our bodies to clash with each other.
“…… You and I are going to settle it.”
“Hmm… if you win, we’ll disband… if I win, we’ll be as good as ever…. that how you want it to be settled?”
What to do from here on out?
I told him that if he was already a delinquent, he should act like a delinquent and leave it to the winner of the fight from here on out.
“Wha-, h, hey, Earth! Bro! Y-You guys, wh, why are you ignoring me…what are you doing, to do?”
“Ha? He? Hold on, what’s happening? Aren’t you guys friends?”
“Honey?”
“Earth…”
Of course, everyone in this place was surprised with a look of dismay.
But it can’t be helped. This is the only way.
Regardless of the pain engraved all over the body, simply throw everything with this body at the opponent.
So you’re okay with lifting the restrictions, right? Tre’ainar.
『Dear me…』
With this power that was sealed when I fought Toulowe, I’ll give Bro some guidance.
“And I’ll finish it in an instant! 【Breakthrough】!!”
Even if my body suffered a lot of injury, I can use it enough because I didn’t use any magic power.
All that’s left is to throw myself out without fear, just like before.
“….. Geez…. you’re dazzling, you’re really… I wouldn’t have let you meekly stay a delinquent.”
“Don’t talk like you can dream forever!”
I kicked the floor hard and jumped at Bro. I didn’t use small tricks anymore, such as shifting the timing in steps.
I just ran straight to Bro.
“Let’s go, Oraaaa!”
“tch, uooooooh! 【Arcane True Zenith Crescent Kick】!!”
Counter with a front kick. It’s driven into my liver…. But…
“Gah… d, don’t care!”
“Eh!?”
“【Great Demon Temple】!”
For a moment, I was stopped by Bro’s foot, but I didn’t care, moved forward and hit a blow into his defenseless temple.
“Tsu, gu… you…”
“Hehe, I learned from the fight against Toulowe. When we had fought in town… I tried to avoid all of your kicking techniques, so there was a lot of useless movements and I was tossed around. So if I jump in like this without fear of being hit a little, I can do as much as I want!”
Bro, who rolled down the floor after being struck by my fist, smiled while distorting his face in pain.
He looked like he’s going to say “You did it” to the way I let him cut my flesh and bone.
“Geez, growing up in such a short time…I envy you! 【Arcane True Zenith Three-Stage Series Roundhouse Kick】!!”
“If you stay in the same place forever, you won’t be able to do it!”
“Ke, you don’t know anything about my life!”
“Let your feet do the talking! Hoodlum Hoodlum Hoodlum, you use the word Hoodlum as a convenient excuse!”
Tre’ainar said that the kick has three times as much power as the punch.
In other words, it wasn’t worth taking one shot to give one punch back.
I’m the one who’s going to get hurt first.
But I can’t fall down.
“I don’t use being hoodlum as an excuse…you may not understand this way of life I’m living… but because of how we are, this place that we got is more important than anything else…it may look like a rotten lust-filled space swirling with filthy human desires to you, but it’s a treasure to us. That’s why we can’t easily give it up.”
“That’s why I said I’ll destroy it!”
Bro stepped in and aimed at my side, which was gouged by Toulowe.
“【Arcane True Zenith Middle Kick】!”
“Here!”
“Nu, wh, at?”
Bro’s right middle kick. But I saw it coming.
I didn’t evade it, I dared to take it once, and I caught it with my left arm tightly against my leg.
After that, I thrust into the inner thigh of Bro’s right leg with my free right hand.
“【Great Demon Screw Hook】!!”
“Nu, ga… ah, Ngaaaahh!!”
The smile disappeared from Bro’s face and only had a painful expression. And at the same time, the feeling that remained in my fist….
“Gu, ah…” Tsu… You….”
Destroy the right leg. Bro’s footwork stopped…. I thought so, but…
“As I said before…for you… it’s a waste…. to stay here forever.”
“That’s why… don’t make it easy for me!”
“Oh!?”
Bro dared to hit a high kick with the right, which should have been broken.
I quickly defended with my arm, but my arm went numb. Bro still had a lot of power left.
“As you can see, I’m a half-demon… I’m not a human or a demon. There was no place for someone on the Surface or the Demon Realm… but we had a fight once…. we clashed into each other… I was able to understand the hoodlums… they accepted me as a comrade who protected the community together, and they fought with me… they laughed with me…. sometimes they cried with me… I can’t leave them alone and pretend I don’t know!”
The moment I defended, he immediately swung his leg with a low kick.
“This place is not only mine, yeh!”
Taking it straight, really hurt after all.
With one shot, my leg went numb and my knee collapsed a little…
“You’re a great chap. I’m glad you put your body up, but… it’s over!”
Bro ran up my collapsed knee like a stepping stone, and with that momentum, he threw his knee at my face…
“【Arcane True Zenith Shining Wizard】!”
“【Great Demon Head-butt】!”
“Iyaaaa!!??”
At that knee, I launched ahead-butt.
I’m used to it. If I don’t close my eyes, the impact I’ll receive is clearly within expectations.
“Uo, oh, gut … tsuu …”
But, it would be a painful blow for Bro.
I heard the sound of Bro’s right knee getting completely crushed on my forehead.
And with the destruction of his knee and thigh, Bro’s right leg is of no use anymore.
“Hehe…maybe because of a friend who understood me… like that…… it’s not hard to understand. Me, too… I wanted someone who would recognize me, as ‘myself’, regardless of my title or house… that’s why…… if such a person emerged… somehow… and if it’s for that person, I’ll risk myself as much as I want… I know… that feeling.”
“What?”
“But it means I understand, too…. in other words, it doesn’t have anything to do with being a hoodlum or staying in your hometown, right?”
“Tsu… you’re saying that… you’ve lost your mind”
Even if he couldn’t use his right leg, Bro’s will to fight hasn’t broken yet.
He flew high with only the left foot, swung the left foot as it is, and tried to hit me.
“【Arcane True Zenith • Sky Axe Drop】!!”
The foot technique swung with the power that made me think it could split my head in two, I…
“Here! 【Great Demon Smash】!”
“Eh!!??”
“You, how long have you just lingered in your comfort zone!!”
Eye wide open, identify the foot technique, and strike with the fist.
“―――――eehh!!??”
My fist and Bro’s foot collide. At that moment, a few fingers in my knuckle probably broke…
“Guh, gaaaaaahh!!”
The sound of Bro’s Achilles tendon being torn and a loud groaning voice echoed.
And to Bro, whose legs are destroyed and distorted in pain….
“Clench your teeth, and fly!”
“Eh!?”
“【Great Demon Overhand】!!”
The Finishing Blow.
I never hit it in town. The form is also a mess, just a big swinging punch with a lot of momentum.
But it finally hit.
“Hah~ hah~… Well, if you still want to stay here forever, then it’s fine…. to begin with, I wasn’t one of you…. simply…… I’m just going to have to do what I have to do.”
Bro was punched in the face and violently hit to the ground after crashing into the floor wall.
He doesn’t seem to have lost consciousness, but…
“Kak… ha… you know…geez, ‘Master’ and ‘Same’…… blurred…… only just passing through…Gaha… I stopped…. the former path I was trying to go towards…. strength…… the way I used to be…”
Bro, who was hit against the wall, no longer had power in the body, and showed no sign of coming towards me.
“Yes… I already… when the Mafia was destroyed… I was already burned out…and….. I stayed knowing that there’s nothing ahead of this road… at the very least, I tried to protect my place with my friends….and I couldn’t win… “
However, Bro looked at me and muttered something as if somewhat refreshed.
“…… Hey, what are you grumbling about? Isn’t it enough?”
Then, Bro slowly looked up at my question.
“Hey, you… have been taking care of a lot of extra things or doing some kind of extra work… I don’t think you’re a fool… Why is that? Is that how well you got along with that Toulowe Mantis?”
I chuckled at the question.
Yes, I’m not the kind of guy who would normally do this.
I’m not a hoodlum, so why am I doing this?
“The other day…met a demon, but… he had a bigger heart than anyone else and we’ve become good friends.”
“…… What?”
“But it’s because he’s kinder than anyone else… he disappeared, saying he would be a nuisance to me if he was around. I couldn’t reassure my good friend because I was weak… it’s related to the racial barrier, maybe it’s because I could only prove it with my mouth…”
Yes, I’ll never forget the regret and helplessness of that time.
“That’s why, even if it’s a demon…we were able to connect with each other with our fists to some extent…. If I turn a blind eye to them and say that they are nothing to me… I will never be able to repay Mr. Aka, who considered me his best friend … if I think so… after all…… I have to do something about it…that’s what I thought.”
“…… That’s right… You, too… you’ve been through a lot, yeh.”
After listening to my words seriously, Bro exhaled as if somewhat convinced.
“…… I can’t help… the man who watched us as we were dazzling…. got to give my final notice.”
“Huh? …… Are you sure?”
“Oh. That’s enough… I’ve got the answer.”
Then Bro said that and smiled. It was a bit dumb with teeth falling out, but he had a bright smile like a kid.
“…… H-Hey, hey, wh-what’s going on? Hey, wh, what’s the meaning of this, see? Bro! Earth! You guys go off on your own, what the hell, what is?”
In the end, the two of us finally calmed down, and Chitsue shouted at us saying, “Enough!”
Then, Bro, who has already given his answer, and said with a neutral expression.
“Sorry, Minister Chitsue… I don’t think I can beat this guy who says he wants to destroy this place……”
“…… What!?”
Bro’s answer made at the end of the fight.
“I’m really sorry… And…..thank you for taking care of me.”
“You… punk!”
And as he dragged his broken legs, Bro said so as he protected Toulowe, Skevern and the others, and turned to face Chitsue.