Awakening to a Special-Grade Explorer
Vol. 5 - Ch. 236

“What an ominous looking horn. ……Hmm, so a Oni? I seeeee!! So you’re actually Oni!! So you’re not a human at all. Amazing, you’re thoroughly a monster.”

Hai exclaimed in a high-pitch tone as he saw Tenji’s transformation. Whether it was out of delightness, or rejoicing over something, he skipped on his steps as if dancing.

“Well, that goes both ways.”

While his guess wasn’t spot on, the not-so-far-from-truth answer had Tenji slightly impressed.

One wouldn’t be able to make a clear picture just from a glance of his appearance. Though, people capable of seeing MP could tell. There was the maelstrom of MP around Tenji which had taken the shape of Asura, like a devil.

“So your calling is…….to turn yourself into an Oni huh. Now your secret is longer.”

“Well, I would have liked to say it’s not the correct expression, ……but whatever.”

Recalling that he had no obligation to explain, while in midst of battle, Tenju shifted his glance to the blade of Demon Executioner Blade.

The blade was in its pristine state, yet to bear the hell fire.

Then Tenji seemingly turned some kind of switch on, and suddenly embers of hellfire danced on its edge. The following moment, white hellfire started spreading on the blade, starting from the base near hilt to the top, bursting with an explosive energy.

A tiny ember dwelled on the tip of sword, which suddenly gave an illusion of giggling only for an instant.

“Hey, why’re you not speaking anything? It’s so quite. Everything so. It’s unsettling. And what the heck is with those flames?”

“............”

“Hey…… how long are you continuing to hype up this battle?”

“What’re you saying, this is barely even a start.”

“Ohhh, I like that spirit. Yes, isn’t this tension the best? This time, it would be a clash with everything out, we’re not going to stop even for a moment, alright? If I want to meet the goddess, I need to fall more into the darkness, so……let’s battle to our content.”

No sooner than the words had dropped out, the area was once again dominated by their battle sound.

　†　†　†

—Seeker Olympic, the final qualifier's operation room.

A huge crowd of management staff had gathered in a room, supposed for surveillance department and investigation department.

A rapid exchange of information was taking place in that room, focusing on gathering field situation updates.

"How long until this network interference is fixed up?!"

"Unknown, we're still facing network interference everywhere."

"Hey, any update from first-grade professional Kazama?"

"There's still no contact; the SOS transmission is the last recorded communication."

"What the hell is going on out there! Report even the slightest communication immediately, and DEFINITELY don't try to handle it between yourself!"

"Yes, sir!"

"What about Ukai-san?! Has he not arrived at the centre of ruckus??"

"The last we heard, he said he's dealing with the rampant dolls."

“What are the other professionals doing!?"

"Everyone has already been dispatched!They are deploying a wide encirclement to prevent attacks on civilian areas by the dolls that have fallen into enemy hands. This had been the order from Mr Ukai."

"They still have not made any progress in tightening the net?! Some of the contestants are still without the protection from professionals!"

"Due to unexplained radio interference at the centre of the encirclement, we can't pinpoint the players' locations. Unless they take action, we can't find them from our side."

"Oh for god's sake...... Is there even anything going right then?! Why the hell dolls suddenly started rampaging? Weren't they supposed to be under Ukai and other professionals!?"

"The report from Ukai-san says 'someone else with better dexterity than them had override the circuits of dolls'... And, err, a drone camera had a glimpse of who might have done it, and he's......"

"Hai Ukai, right?! Just be straight with the name! If he's the little brother of Renji Ukai, there should be information about his abilities. It's no wonder...... but how the heck did he, who was supposed to be lying in his grave, alive?"

The mastermind behind the incident was a supposedly dead person.

It was so ludicrous, incomprehensible that the small room fell into silence for a few moments.

And, it was then a change occurred.

One of the association members, headbutting with the machines to bring back the communication capability, suddenly operated frantically.

"Report! Network interference has suddenly disappeared from certain areas. Attempting to restore the setup cameras."

A few seconds after the staff's word, several screens were projected onto the giant there in the surveillance department room.

A total of six cameras were restored. Four of them only provided narrow-area footage, which wasn't useful in this situation. However, the other two could capture a wide area of the venue.

"......There seems to be multiple enemies. Confirmed the sighting of destruction caused by battle in multiple places."

Suzuki quietly murmured as he analysed the situation.

The zoomed-out projection of the live video displayed a forest and desolate townscape. The traces of fierce battle could be seen on some spots. The telephone polls had been snapped in half. The asphalt from the road had been coming out, while the trees had been smashed to pieces.

“Zoom-in on that spot!”

And among the projected screen, there was especially one area with more intense signs of destruction than anywhere else.

The area had been on the outskirts of the desolate town. Barely many houses stood erect there, with fields and patches of trees spread out, but not enough to call it wood, in the surrounding.

Somehow, that area alone was devoid of anything else, burning in intense fire as if someone had dropped incendiary bombs one after another.

“W-What the hell had happened here……”

The sight had been so startling Suzuki lost his words to continue…when suddenly a call sign appeared in the corner of the display with multiple screens.

The caller's name showed it was from «chariot»’s Kirie Kujou.

“Chariot? …Answer it.”

The association member tapped the caller sign, and next moment, Kujou’s quiet but tense voice echoed in the room.

«Phew, I finally got through. I’m Chariot’s leader, Kujou.»

“This is Suzuki.”

«Oh, hey, it’s been a while Suzuki. But let’s leave the pleasantries for another time. I have called in to ask for permission to allow ‘Chariot’ to intervene in the incident. The final preliminary’s security had been in «Class»’s hand, so I wouldn’t want any allegation later.»

“Hadn’t Chariot been spread across the globe for their large scale exploration’s pre-preparation?!”

«The team which had Itagaki just happened to be there, and they have already left for the venue in helocoptre. I hope it’s not a problem, or is it?»

“N-No! Of course the more the better!”

“Thanks. I will also contact Mizue there… or so I would have said, but I bet he’s already up on it. Oh well, I will be there by tomorrow. Hope the best for the situation, and take care of it.”

Beep-Beep.

After finishing her business, Kujou cut the call.

“Now Chariot, and White Scar’s Brilliance from before, are already moving to contain the situation. I hadn’t expected professionals to be so quick on their movement. But it’s better that way.”

Patting his chest in relief, Suzuki then continued the observation of the situation and began sorting out the details he had found.

　†　†　†

——Katsunari Mizue’s POV.

“So many.”

Mizue muttered as he pinned down the black doll in a straddling position. A moment later, the blade of his azure sword, one of the two sword he had been carrying, appearing like a decoration, accurately smashed the core of the doll.

It should have barely been a second when a gust of fiery wind, hot enough to burn the skin in its exposure, struck Mizue’s right cheek.

“......This seems familiar…Amagi, eh?”

Mizue swiftly got up to his feet, and then bolted in the direction of its source. As he passed by, he came across the trees being turned into charcoal, and noticed their dwindling numbers.

(I imagined his growth would be striking……but this much is stellar.)

Though this thought only lasted for a moment as he finally arrived at Tenji’s location. As soon as he reached that—he stopped on his track.

“............”

Mizue was left gobsmacked at the otherworldly battle that unfolded there.

The spreading tremor and aura all turn to indicate this wasn;t a battle for the mortal.

In Mizue’s eyes reflected a battle between monsters.

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