A sound akin to that of a gentle tap resounded from the table, and suddenly, Monica’s songs came to a pause.
Silence lingered for a moment, but it quickly dawned on everyone that the songs were stopped to make the next sound stand out all the more.
“After using us to this extent, don’t tell me you’re still not done— What!?”
It was a shrill sound, the sort that spurred the sense of danger of a person, that made enemies and allies alike wary.
“An emergency call?”
The source was none other than Six’s terminal. Fearfully, he reached for it from the back of his waist, and the moment he saw what was on the screen, his eyes opened wide, and he froze in shock.
“Y-You would actually go this far?”
With a trembling voice, Six lifted his head, revealing a face that had lost all colors.
Upon seeing that he had received the message properly, Masquerade laughed.
『Heh, so it appears you’ve received it.
Actually, there was another reason for this meeting other than to explain the situation to you.
And that’s to kill time until the appointed time came.』
“What happened, Six!?”
Venom could see clearly on Six’s face that the situation was bad, so he asked that question, but Six didn’t respond.
It wasn’t until he shook his shoulders that Six finally noticed him and handed the terminal. When Venom saw what was on it, just like Six, all the blood left his face.
『…What did you do this time? 』
Myuhi casually asked after completing her emergency measures.
『Oh, nothing special. I just crushed a few of their bases.』
But Myuhi found it doubtful that that was all he did. After all, were it only that, then there was no way those two would make such a pale expression. Of course, just the fact that she thought so lightly of such a feat proved that she’d already been influenced by the Mask too much, but even then, when the specifics were given, she too found it hard to close her jaws.
『I took out the bases from East Asia to Southeast Asia and australia. In America, I took out the bases at Hawaii and those along the west coast, including Canada’s. I also took out the bases in eastern Russia.』
『Hah? 』
Silence lingered after that. No one could say anything. Those from the Snake neither confirmed nor denied it, while those from Nameless were just speechless. After all, they could see the maps clearly in their field of vision.
『…Y-You know, that’s not just a few. That’s like a third of all of Japan’s lands— Wait! Oh, I get it! That was the limit of what could be gathered for today! 』
Myuhi was shocked at how absurdly big the scope of the Mask’s attack was, but midway through, she realized something.
Soldiers could be seen all around them, groaning with equipment half destroyed.
There was enough soldier to cover the land everywhere around them.
There was enough of them to be called a large army, but in the first place, just where did Six call them from with so little time on hand?
『Bingo. Six had no choice but to fight me, so he needed to gather his forces in time for the concert.
Of course, there was no way I wouldn’t take advantage of that. Especially since they would be moving in haste.』
Myuhi nodded.
『They were in a hurry, so their movements were naturally sloppier, and they couldn’t hide their tracks as well. When you take into consideration that they would be attacking the concert, the number of places they could gather in could also be narrowed down.
In the first place, someone of your caliber would be able to watch all of Hokkaido, and any camouflage would basically be pointless before your eyes. The same logic works for the transport of weapons and equipment. Once you’ve found your marks, it’s not hard to figure out where they’re coming from.』
And wherever they were coming from could only be their base.
It was an aspect that one couldn’t make light of when fighting the Mask due to his abnormal analytical and investigative prowess. But of course, it could also be argued that the Mask might’ve intentionally made them take that aspect of him lightly.
It was all too easy for Myuhi to imagine the crescent moon smile on that wicked face of his.
A bait had been laid before the Snake.
And so sweet was it that even when they knew that it was a trap, they had no choice but to leap for it.
『…I sympathize with you Six. You picked the wrong opponent.』
Just a few minutes ago, Myuhi and he were desperately trying to kill each other, but now Myuhi was showing concern for him. Despite being petrified, even Six couldn’t help but smile limply at that.
As for what emotions stirred in him, no one could tell.
“Ha, ha ha, I can’t believe that I’m being consoled by someone the likes of you.
But it’s true that I underestimated the Mask. To think that he’d be able to mobilize the police, army, countermeasure department, and other underworld organizations in other countries. The Mask being here made me let my guard down,” Six said, but the Mask shook his head.
『Why do you think I showed myself to the whole world?
Obviously, it was to make them move at a time like this.』
“What!?”
『Wow. 』
“…”
Surprise, shock, speechless…
There were all sorts of reaction, but there was no one here who misunderstood what the Mask meant.
The Ladies too understood what the Mask was getting at, and their faces twitched. What was even worse was that none of them could refute the Mask’s words.
『Let me teach you something. World conquest fails often in fiction, but in the real world, it’s actually easy if you know how. 』
The moment he became the threatener of the world,
the moment they came to fear and never his power,
the moment they couldn’t refute his demands,
from that moment on, he was the ruler of the world.
“…”
A long silence lingered.
They might have had their doubts, but when results were shown straight to their face like this, none of them could find the words to argue. It was such a stereotypical term, the ruler of the world, yet an existence of that caliber was actually sitting right before them.
『By the way, I plan to let the details of this incident leak to the underworld.
Prepare yourselves because I intend to make you lose all face too.』
“Damn you!”
“Do you intend to make that woman’s song all the more valuable by showing off and antagonizing us to this extent?”
His objective was solely to protect her.
From the very beginning, he had moved only to protect that girl.
But even if they knew, they had no choice but to move as he wished.
『By the way, don’t think that you can make her sing by coercion and expect it to work on me. The only reason she can produce such a beautiful song is because her humanity, talent, soul, and heart are all able to work together.』
“Tch, well, thank you for your kind reminder.”
Even that method that Six might’ve considered turned out to be a failure.
Like this, there really was no way for them to mess with Monica directly or indirectly. Of course, the Mask offered no proof whatsoever, but the Snake couldn’t afford to ignore his words either given how much damage they’ve incurred.
“What!? What are you guys talking about! Are you telling me that even after we suffered so much damage we can’t seek revenge and we have to do exactly as this damn bastard wants us to do!?”
Unable to accept such an absurd situation, Venom slammed the desk with his hand that was holding the terminal.
But Six didn’t even deign to look at him and just turned around and walked away.
“Give it up. Consider it the price of our conceit for sitting at the top for too long. Someone went over our heads so brazenly and yet we didn’t even notice.”
It was curious if it was out of frustration or humiliation, but sounds of grinding leaked from Venom’s lips.
But as usual, Six didn’t seem to care.
“…Don’t.”
A word slipped from Venom’s lips.
“Hah?”
“Don’t fuck with me!? Even now, the Snake rests at the top of the world! What conceit!?
We still have a way! There’s no way the Snake could lose to a clown like this!”
No light shone from his eyes, but there was a madness in them.
The corners of his lips rose as his face glistened with madness, then without any hesitation, he pressed on the terminal.
Everyone watched him warily, but in the next moment, it was those from the Snake who were affected.
“Hey, what are you doing with my terminal— Ah, gahhhh!”
Six and the others screamed simultaneously.
In an instant, a shocking scene unfolded.
All the users of the apostle armor were covered in silver.
Those that had nothing but ruins left of theirs transformed into a silver liquid that wriggled all over to take over.
Even Six, the only one among them, who was conscious could not resist.
Just like that, the man known as the Immortal was swallowed by the mysterious silver.
『…Ah, it’s too late.』
『Masquerade? 』
Myuhi and the Ladies were shocked, but the Mask woke them up from their stupor.
His chair was tumbling away as though it had been hit by something, while the Mask covered for Myuhi with his fist enclosed in the night.
“This is your fault, Six! The Snake doesn’t need a Fang that doesn’t attack its enemy!”
Venom didn’t have the slightest hint of remorse as he said that. Evidently, he was mad from the start.
He looked at the Mask with absolute pride and pleasure.
“Now, come! Bring forth divine punishment to the fool who dares claim himself as the ruler of the world! Know and fear! These are the noble guardians of the Snake!”
At those words full of excitement and joy, the silver pillars stood up.
The wriggling silver metals transformed into a giant nearly 20m tall, completely unlike their earlier form,
transforming into a shape that could easily be understood.
“The silver giant!”
It was curious if it was out of surprise or fear, but someone said those words with trembling.
The humanoid giants that released a dull silver light had no eyes or nose or mouth. It was a massive block with no unevenness on them, engendering an eerie and overwhelming aura. Yes, that was none other than the mysterious monster that alone wiped out an entire patrol unit, leaving behind nothing but a sandy mess.
But this time, there were five of them, and they stood next to each other like a wall.
Everyone gulped. As the ground beneath turned into soil, Venom alone stood boldly in front of the giants as though he were their master, his face twisted in a mad smile. Meanwhile, no one else could make a move out of fear of antagonizing the giants.
『──────So, it really was a failure.』
But of course, the Night, or rather, the Mask, did not put them in his eye the slightest.
And when those words left his lips, a crack surfaced on Venom’s smile, and Myuhi and her subordinates heaved a breath of relief.
Though he beheld the same giants that everyone else saw, the only words he had to spare were that of exasperation.
『I figured the mysterious giant would be either a failure of the apostle armors or a unit on rampage. I suppose you left this part of it as a last resort? But I suppose given how you couldn’t afford to throw those away unless it was against an opponent like me, it must simply be the limitation of your tech.』
“S-Shut up!”
Venom yelled angrily, but that just made it sound as though the Mask was right on the money. Moreover, the Mask didn’t seem to care about him and just continued to evaluate the piece of trash before him.
『Perhaps, you want to make these as your apostles eventually, but calling them as such in their current state is laughable.
Evidently, you didn’t have enough resources to manifest them in the physical world. Oh, so is that why they need to constantly steal in order to maintain themselves?
What cheap goods. No, the only thing right is the shape, but really, they’re nothing but fakes. 』
Not an imitation, but purely a sham.
Tacitly, the Mask mocked the Snake for boasting over such inferior goods.
“Just how far do you intend to mock us!? Crush him!”
It was curious if it was because the giants heard his command, or simply because they’d judged the Mask to be their opponent, but the five giants extended their incomplete arms.
Just as the videos had shown, the giants moved with an agility that far transcended their size.
It felt as though the very sky was falling on them, yet despite that, the elite of Nameless were elites indeed, and they still responded accordingly.
However…
『It’s fine.』
Those words stopped them, and the silver giants stopped at those small shadowy hands.
“…Hah?”
A foolish voice leaked out of Venom, but internally, the women too were shocked.
The Mask raised his left hand. That was all he did, but the giant arms stopped as though there was something keeping them from moving.
In fact, it seemed as though the legs of the giants were being pushed back.
『Even if fake, the lot of you are nothing but apostles. Kneel.』
Without even raising his head, a sound akin to something being deflected between the Mask and the giants resounded, and in the next moment, the giant arms sprung up, punching them with such intense impact that they collapsed limply to the ground.
“…Huh?”
As sands rose with their fall, the shocked voice of a man resounded, but no one bothered to look at him.
Of course, there was no one here who feared these giants anymore since they were defeated so easily.
Instead, fear turned to the source of their defeat.
That was true for the soldiers of Snake, who could only watch helplessly, and the members of Nameless.
The only exception was Myuhi, who stood next to him. She was exaggeratedly face palming without the slightest hint of wariness for the Mask.
Even when the giants stood back up, the illusionary headache she felt herself coming up with was a bigger problem.
“…Ha, ha ha! Of course! There’s no way the apostles of the Snake would lose just because they fell!”
It was curious if he was seriously praising them or was simply running away from reality.
No one cared about him anymore, but he didn’t seem to notice even that.
Truly, the biggest clown here was Venom, who continued to speak with glee on his own.
“Okay, let’s try this again. Kill them! —!?”
In the end, or perhaps by intention, it was the Snake itself that stopped his madness.
────A flash of jet black.
A giant blade blacker than even the dark cut into the giant of silver that glistened beneath the night sky.
It was a mere flicker, only a single slash. But it struck from the right hand of the Mask like a whip, slamming on the torsos of all the giants lined up, despite every one of them being at least 5m long.
Like scything grass, the Mask casually cut them all down.
“A-Ahh…!”
As though a black snake had eaten through them, the giants tore in half, dispersing into a mist of silver,
and Venom cried out in lamentation.
When he collapsed, there was no one to support him.
『…You enjoy scaring people, don’t you?』
After the snake belly sword returned to the Mask, Myuhi casually made that remark.
The sight of so casually defeating five silver giants that were thought of to be invincible was not something that could be so easily shaken. Even her subordinates were yet to pick up their jaws. In fact, they weren’t even breathing. Those from the Snake were in a similar state.
It was even more shocking than when he took down a satellite that was in outer space or when he took down an army all by himself.
After all, this was much simpler to comprehend. A one-sided stomping by an overwhelming power. When such reality was shown to them in such a simple manner from right in front, it was only understandable that they would be shocked to this degree. As for Myuhi being able to shake it off with a wry smile, she might’ve simply gotten used to the Mask’s antics.
『Anyway, you guys heard all of that, right? 』
Whether they heard her or not, when the Mask looked at the remaining Snake members, they all cowered, unable to even avert their eyes or faint. Not being able to see the object of their fear was much more terrifying, after all.
『Take this man and have him report to your superiors.
Do that, and we’ll let you off.
Or would you rather fight us until there’s nothing left of your sanity? 』
No one dared to object to the commands of the Mask. In fact, a few Snake members rushed to Venom.
“Let go! It’s not over yet! Kill him! Kill the enemy of the Snake!
What’s the point of you being soldiers!? You need to fight for the Snake! You need to kill the Snake’s enemy!”
Venom, completely blinded by his objective, brushed aside the men, but of course, such weak resistance was meaningless to these trained soldiers.
“Enough! Just shut up already! We need a named like you to report, or we’ll be the ones made to take responsibility!”
“So, shut up and sleep!”
“Gah…”
Perhaps out of fear that the Mask would turn on them if they failed to hurry, they handled Venom roughly and knocked him out, then they fled with their tail in between their legs.
Some of them carried their comrades back with them, but most of the army was left behind.
The Mask let them off as he said he would, but that was not something he did out of kindness.
Everything was to ensure that the main forces of the Snake would find out what happened here.
But of course…
『I wonder where those guys are going to report. 』
『Hah? 』
『I crushed all the nearby bases already.』
『…Wow.』
Myuhi suspected that he really just wanted to pull this prank on them.
Meanwhile, the Ladies disarmed and captured the remaining enemy soldiers despite no one ordering them to. They also made sure to request for help in transferring them, though they also added that the reinforcements shouldn’t be in a hurry to come, and that they should come fully prepared, fearing the fate of the Snake. But of course, if the Mask were serious, it wouldn’t matter however cautious they were.
『…Masquerade, your schedule should be free now, right? 』
As Myuhi left the arrangements to her subordinates, she asked the Mask that question.
Although no one could see her expression because of her helmet, concern was written all over her.
In fact, one could tell as much just by listening to her voice.
『I still have my guard duties to attend to. Are you telling me to rest? 』
『I know you said you’d watch over her today, but there’s no need for that anymore, is there? You can just leave her to us. Let us take care of her for you. You should be at your limit, after all, right? 』
『……………』
The Mask turned to her, but for some reason, he didn’t say anything.
So, Myuhi took this opportunity to say how she felt.
『It’s true that Six was used by you, but I think he was right that you’re not having an easy time.
Whether it was the first attack you made since coming here, or defeating those giants with a swing of your arms,
it felt as though you were rushing to end things.』
As such, he tottered and fell.
So much so in fact that it was obvious he was collapsing despite the shadowy mist that veiled his figure.
He fell straight on his back, and unable to take his weight, the table behind broke.
『Icch— Masquerade!? 』
As the pieces of the wooden table scattered, and the noise from that filled the place, gazes gathered, but among those, Myuhi’s were the most panicked.
She blew away what remained of the table and knelt beside him to embrace him.
The eyes that could be seen on the Mask have turned into dots. His eyes were open, but it seemed as though he couldn’t see.
『…Don’t worry. I’m not hurt. I did take care on that front.
But I have no idea if I’m sitting, standing, or doing a handstand right now.』
『You fell!
Though I guess the fact that you couldn’t even list that as one of the possibilities means that you really don’t know! 』
『Well, more or less.』
He was speaking flippantly, but he was basically confessing the degree of his disorientation. Moreover, his accent and intonation were off. Myuhi had an idea what sort of symptoms the Mask suffered upon listening to Monica’s song.
That’s why she could understand how he ended up like this. That’s why she pondered for a moment what to do, but then she frowned.
──Is this guy doing this on purpose?
『Hey.』
Myuhi cupped Shinichi’s cheeks and made him face her.
『How much of your five senses are working? 』
『…Most are gone. My sense of touch is somewhat work, but the sense of directing is off, so I can’t tell what orientation I’m in right now.』
He must have realized what Myuhi was getting at, as he smiled at Myuhi as though he were grateful.
The exchange between the two shocked Myuhi’s subordinates such that they found themselves pausing.
Myuhi herself was so shocked that she almost fainted.
But there was an emotion in her that surpassed that and mad her head butt him.
『Ow!? 』
『So your sense of pain works at least.』
『Didn’t you have another way of checking?』
The two people in question acted as though nothing were amiss, but the sudden act of violence on her part made her subordinates freeze, eyes swimming, before they ran off to go back to their work. They continued to eavesdrop on the two, but neither Myuhi nor the Mask cared.
『I’m surprised you managed to do that much while in that state.
I doubt you would’ve been able to go that far just with the terminal. What trick did you rely on? 』
『Why do you think I erected so many barriers and granted you girls power？ 』
Myuhi was smart enough to put two and two together.
『…I see. So, those also act as external observation systems. 』
The Mask nodded. He extrapolated the information gained from inside the barrier along with the information from those around the girls to figure out the situation. No wonder she occasionally felt his presence and voice from up close.
『Well, that makes sense. But after working hard, where are we supposed to drop you off now? 』
She was basically telling him that enough was enough, but Shinichi’s response couldn’t be simpler.
『The concert venue.』
『Okay. You girls continue with the clean up. We’re going back to the venue. Be sure to contact me if anything happens.』
After Myuhi left those words for her subordinates, she lent her shoulder to Shinichi and stood up somewhat violently.
Then she flew and made a beeline into the barrier.
She moved twice as fast as she did during the fake chase, though out of concern for the Mask, she made sure to deploy an anti-wind pressure shield.
『…Overprotective.』
『It’s because a certain someone refuses to protect himself. Anyway, it’s better like this, right? 』
She was basically implying that this was a better way to appeal that he was weak, and Shinichi nodded his head.
He had been too honest in confessing that he didn’t understand his body’s own orientation after he collapsed.
The place back then was one where the eyes of the Snake and Nameless yet remained.
It was doubtful that he would truly allow himself to be vulnerable there, so all of that was again likely just so he could show how weak he was.
『Why do you push yourself so much?』
Hadn’t he done enough already? But Shinichi firmly rejected her words.
『It’s necessary.』
『…Why? 』
『Because in the end, this is all just a means to buy time.』
But that was less him answering her question, and more him talking to himself, as though he hated himself for being unable to do any more than that.
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