༺ Burglar Cat or House Cat? (1) ༻
Baang— Baaaaang—!
Every time Mara’s fist stretched out, explosions rang out.
His fists were as solid as a mace, his body as tough iron.
“…Judas, is this your full strength?”
Mara’s fighting style was purely offensive, abandoning defense.
Just as Enkidus had reached the indestructible state, apostate monk Mara, his brother, also had a superhuman body and an offense-oriented style.
Swoosh— Claaang—!
His fist grazed my cheek as it passed by.
Even though it hit nothing but air, it sounded like a tungsten rod shattering, ringing in my ears.
If such a punch hit my face, my head would surely be turned into a donut.
The strongest opponent I’ve encountered recently.
My first impressions of him were spot on.
However.
Despite being masked, I could sense a nervousness in Mara’s demeanor.
Pop—
He distanced himself and lifted his leg high.
His leg, stretched so flexibly it could reach the ceiling, was about to crash down with superhuman force.
“Mara’s Descent.”
Clearly, it was a destructive technique.
As powerful as a falling meteor.
If that were to hit my garden, everything would turn upside down.
“Don’t break my house.”
Just before his foot could touch the ground, I thrust my own foot forward.
Kwaaang—!
A great explosion occurred, but fortunately, the ground did not collapse nor was the garden overturned.
Pop—!
Instead, Mara was sent flying into the flower bed.
He quickly got up, and while steadying himself, he looked at his hands and fists.
“…To think none of my attacks hit. This is the first time I’ve felt such powerlessness since crossing the realm and becoming superhuman…”
His voice was low and somber.
His masked figure added to the gloomy and depressing vibe, instantly ruining the atmosphere of the party.
Of course, he asked as if he didn’t care.
“Why don’t you attack? The power that defeated the Mad Mage Sabernack and took his vessel. Show it to me.”
He found it strange that I wasn’t attacking.
After all, I was solely focused on defense and evasion.
The reason was simple.
“You’re stronger than I thought.”
Mara, the apostate monk of the Sunlight Ascension sect, was strong.
He was indeed worth Enkidus traveling all the way to this distant Freesia.
That’s why I didn’t attack him.
At first glance, it might seem like I was unable to move a finger against his overwhelming strength.
Things weren’t always the way they looked.
Mara.
I’ll definitely level up if I beat this guy
It’s going to be very chaotic if I level up here.
For that reason, I didn’t attack Mara.
After all, I had made a promise.
“Enkidus, how long are you going to stay holed up? Isn’t it about time to get up? Are you dead?”
I shouted at Enkidus, who had collapsed onto the broken table.
Then he stood up like a spring with a pat—, regaining his composure.
“I was merely meditating. Nothing sobers you up like meditation. Judas, I’ll take care of the rest.”
Enkidus sprang into action, confronting Mara again.
Old comrades.
As the two faced each other, creating a tense atmosphere, Mara spoke first.
“Enkidus, your strength is limited during the night. You, who follow the doctrine of the sun, cannot defeat me, who has retreated to the shadows.”
Crack—
Mara clenched his fist.
That’s when Enkidus looked up to the sky.
“Indeed, the monks of the Sunlight Ascension sect are stronger when the sun is up.”
So there was such a secret.
I didn’t know.
I just thought being bald made you freaking strong.
Since Enkidus was powerful at night too.
But now that I think about it, Enkidus seemed to exhibit far more overwhelming and destructive power during the day.
Could it be that he was under some kind of restriction during the night?
Was it some kind of quirk?
Like me becoming weaker when I was rich?
Then Enkidus spoke.
“Mara, let me ask you. What is the sun to you?”
“…Are you trying to give me a Zen riddle like the Grandmaster? Foolish. You were always like this. Showing mercy at critical moments. That’s why you could never step out of my shadow, always being second best.”
“Your shadow, you say. Who is it that’s hiding in the shadows now?”
Gwaaaaaaa—
Enkidus’s golden eyes began to burn like flames.
Seeing this, Mara was greatly flustered.
“…You can enter a state of enlightenment at night? When the sun hasn’t even risen?”
“The sun is merely a shining star.”
Pop—
Enkidus’s body burst forth like a golden flash.
Probably only I, with my agility stat of 20, could follow his speed with my eyes.
Speed equals destructive power.
Enkidus’s fist, moving like a flash of light, struck Mara’s chest.
Claaang—!
The sound of metal on metal rang out, shaking the trees planted in the garden.
It was the moment when the old swing creaked and tables flew about wildly.
“Gaaaaaah━─!”
Mara bellowed loudly.
Probably a skill that could be called a lion’s roar.
Taking advantage of everyone’s momentary shock, Mara groaned.
Soon his arms, shoulders, and legs began to bulge oddly, stretching and twisting like a grasshopper pulled by a child.
Even Enkidus, who had been on the offensive, seemed tense as he spoke.
“That’s Pandemonium’s… you have ultimately fallen, brother.”
“Fallen? Fell from the heavens? You are wrong, Enkidus. I am the heavens. All of you will fall from me.”
Zzzztzzzt—
The fine hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, signaling the gravity of the situation.
Can a human even change like that?
That’s when Cariote drew her short sword.
“This is no longer an issue of the Sunlight Ascension Sect. That is the energy of a demon. I, Hunter Cariote, will also join this hunt.”
The situation was escalating.
I was anxious.
It seemed the garden would keep getting destroyed!
Should I step in?
How can I quickly defeat Mara without reaching level 50?
Should I just drive him away?
No.
Such a bull-like man would rather die than flee.
That means I had no choice but to kill.
“Damn it.”
As I was growing increasingly troubled.
“METEOR MASH!!!”
Something fell from the sky like a meteor and shattered the garden.
BOOM—!
The moment I saw the earth and the neatly arranged blocks scatter like dust, I felt my eyes flip.
“M-My garden…!”
What the heck happened?
I couldn’t contain my anger.
The moment the dust and dirt that had risen high in the sky fell to the ground with a rustle and the view cleared, I saw someone standing in the center of the cratered garden.
A person holding a giant sword, as big as a house’s beam.
“Cool landing, right?”
Wrapped in red cloth that barely avoided exposure, her body was adorned with tattoos resembling the Nazca Lines, which seemed to hold religious significance.
Copper-toned skin.
Her body was muscular for a woman, and although her face bore scars, she was beautiful.
Her untamed red hair fluttered wildly like flames, and her eyes were also red.
A warrior woman from a belligerent tribe.
Might that be a good description?
“You are─.”
Enkidus reacted first to the woman.
Soon, the woman laughed heartily and said,
“It’s been a while, guys! How many months has it been? You seem to be living well! Is Brigitte here too? Wow, there’s so much to talk about since it’s been so long─.”
The warrior woman with the great sword leaped quickly.
Her great sword was aimed at me.
“Die!”
“What?”
I quickly lifted my dagger to block her great sword.
Clang—!
Despite blocking the attack, the enormous weight that bore down from above made me feel as if I was being hammered into the ground.
It must be what a nail feels like when it’s hit by a hammer.
“Quiiiin! What are you doing all of a sudden?! Are you crazy!?”
I shouted at my former comrade of the Demon King’s Castle Subjugation Party, the warrior Queen.
But she just revealed her sharp fangs and laughed while keeping her sword against mine.
“No, I am perfectly sane!”
Whoosh—
She swung her great sword mightily and flung me away.
Spinning in the air to regain my posture, I thought it best to fight seriously.
Warrior Queen.
Even setting Mara aside, I wouldn’t stand a chance with a casual attitude.
Hop—
But the warrior woman Queen, who had pushed me away, headed towards the side of Mara.
“Boss, we should retreat first! We can’t win against so many, not even you and I!”
“Tsk.”
“Then, farewell everyone! And Judas, congratulations on your new mansion!”
Caw— Caw— Cawww—!
From somewhere, a swarm of crows gathered.
Hundreds, no, easily thousands of crows fluttered wildly for a moment, creating chaos.
As if on cue, the crows soared high into the sky, and in the now peaceful garden, the figure of Warrior Queen was nowhere to be found.
“What was that all about?”
* * *
Midnight.
With all the guests gone, the mansion quieted down.
I sat in the roughly tidied living room, lost in thought.
Brigitte asked me,
“Queen… are you sure it was Queen? She was with Mara? And she attacked you, Judas? Could it be someone who looks like her or maybe some illusion?”
“No. It was her. Look at my fingers. They’re still swollen. That’s from blocking two of her attacks. No one but her could be this powerful.”
“…Then, what are the chances that she was being controlled or brainwashed?”
“Brigitte, you know better than anyone that she’s not the type to be brainwashed or controlled. Remember how she was the only one untouched by Wizard Valdes’ curse?”
“Then why would Queen…”
Brigitte seemed incredulous that Queen, our comrade, had crashed the party and attacked me.
After all, with both of them being women, Brigitte was closest with Queen.
It was inevitable to be shocked by a friend’s betrayal.
Enkidus spoke slowly on the matter.
“The world is such that there are no eternal friends or foes. Stories of friends and siblings becoming enemies are all too common.”
Enkidus was right.
In a world where even your own family could turn their backs on you, comradeship is but a fleeting connection.
It’s inevitable that when we meet again, we may be enemies.
“…Has she become a follower of Nocturne? Is she now cooperating with Tenebris?”
Brigitte muttered softly.
Then Enkidus shook his head.
“She is a devotee of Yan-Not, the Demiurge of order and madness. She’s not someone who would mesh well with the purely destructive Nocturne. It’s unlikely she’s become his follower.”
“Indeed… That’s why she joined the Demon King’s Subjugation Party. But then why…”
Brigitte was clearly struggling to understand.
Of course, that would be the same for Enkidus and myself.
But what mattered now was not the reason but the plan ahead.
Warrior Queen.
She was a formidable opponent.
If she, for whatever reason, has become our enemy, that’s seriously bad news.
The thing is, she’s different from Brigitte or Enkidus; she absolutely refuses to pull her punches.
My newly acquired mansion was really about to be destroyed!
After a long silence, Cariote spoke.
“What I want to talk about is this. That apostate monk, Mara, seems to be associated with a certain demon. And that demon might be related to the one I’ve been searching for a long time.”
Cariote has been wandering for a long time searching for a demon.
I had never heard of that before.
“Didn’t I mention it? That I became a demon hunter to find and kill a certain demon? A demon with two horns.”
I didn’t know. It’s really the first time I’ve heard it.
As the atmosphere heated up with subjects of betrayal and new facts, Salome, who was listening to the conversation with her legs up on the parlor table, parted her lips as if she wanted to say something.
“More importantly, did you know there’s a sanctuary of Nocturne in the basement of this mansion? And the kids found something. Look at this. 「Nocturne’s Dagger」. It’s a Demiurge’s artifact.”
Swoosh—
Salome extended a crescent-shaped dagger.
It was a striking object with a golden sheath and jewels, with birds of prey engraved on it.
“And the kids said something very concerning about it.”
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