CH 45

45 Pandemic

I don’t want to admit it.

Midway I understood my strength does not work against this man.

However, having a beastman be defeated by a human is unbecoming.

For this reason it is impossible for me to admit defeat.

I have hung onto that with desperation.

I am completely out of both magic power and stamina.

But the man doesn’t have even a single one of his breath disturbed.

I realize the difference in strength.

Even so I cannot accept this.

Miss Roa……That the man suitable to be her husband would be him is something I will not accept.

That is my woman……she’s mine――――――

『Hum……It looks like you’ve gathered quite a lot of love and hate haven’t you?』

Who could this be……?

Even though there shouldn’t be any person who would call out to I who is hanging my head down……beastmen are cruel towards the defeated.

There should be no one who would call out, especially to me who have been overwhelmed by a human.

But this voice is……it is like I can hear it directly from inside my head for some reason……

『I don’t even want to know the beastmen’s habits, but you want that girl don’t you? Then, is it fine to give up in this place?』

It’s not fine……but a frontal attack against him is――――――

『Really now……for what reason did you think I have implanted that <Treasured Tattoo>?』

Tattoo? What are you talking about?

『Ah, that’s right……Sorry, sorry. I’ve made it invisible so it’s not like you can see it I guess. Well, it looks like Setsu has seen it through……』

What have you bastard been talking about until now……? Who the hell are you?

『Hm? Me? Uhm, let’s see there……A passing shaman or something along that line I guess? Do you want that girl at any cost?』

I do want her……however……

『You want her even if you would put your life on the line?』

……If it gets me the girl……Then this life, I shall hand over as much of it as you want.

『It’ll be enough as long as you have that resolve, I will grant you the strength』

……Why are you doing something like that?

『You know I, I also have something I want at any cost. Life, fortune, dreams, partners, whatever I must sacrifice, I want that. And I will get that by you winning from that man. Well, it means this is an agreement of interests. I will provide as much strength as you like if it is for the sake of you winning it. That is why――――――make sure you win, okay? No matter what you have to sacrifice for it……』

◇　◇　◇

“What is it now?”

Ruga is acting strange for some reason.

I take a step back as a precaution and suddenly the tattoo on that guy’s shoulder wriggled.

“Gah……Aaaaaaaaaah!”

“!?”

The wriggling tattoo spread throughout Ruga’s whole body while releasing some ominous miasma.

A black pattern surrounds his whole body and then that guy’s muscles began swelling, slowly changing even that physique of his.

(This magic power……so it was that bastard Touma after all……gh!)

The miasma that is overflowing from Ruga is without a doubt the same thing as Touma’s cursed magic power.

Where the heck did this guy come in contact with that guy……

No……There’s no use in even thinking about that, is there?

That guy’s a phantom; you won’t know where and what he is involved with.

It shouldn’t be a mysterious thing at all even if he has connections with a beastman all the way here.

I mean, he’s at least involved with Shironeko.

At any rate, he really has the nerve to get involved with that racist guy……

Does that mean he’s driven that much into a corner?

“GaaaaaaAaaah!”

“Oops……Ain’t got the time to think about unnecessary stuff I guess”

The tattoo that was spread on the whole body faded bit by bit into that guy’s body.

On the other hand, that body ended up dyeing black as it melted into him. Right now, the former parts of Ruga has become more difficult to find.

His upper body has become misshapen from the expanding muscles and it has become unbalanced with his unexpanded lower body. Both his arms are put on the ground to regain balance.

His image is close to a gorilla, but……it was better when he was a dog……

“……But I guess it’s tough”

“Gaah! Gaaaah!”

Sorrowful tone of voice was also mixed in Ruga’s shout and before long, blood began overflowing from his mouth, probably from his throat being torn.

Even so, his screams won’t stop.

What a painful thing to look at, this scene……

“Tch……I have to do something about――――――wait whoa!?”

“NUGAaah!”

He’s fast, you can’t compare him to just a while ago.

He closed the distance the instant I turned my mind away and came striking with his stout arms.

It’s good I took up a defensive posture by having my arms crossed, but he’s more powerful than I expected so he struck me on the colosseum walls with just that brute strength of his.

“Koho-……hey, that hurts a bit”

『Oooh! That’s the waay!』

『Attack, attack!』

“GAaaah!”

The spectators are an easy-going bunch.

They can’t see Ruga’s changes as anything but becoming stronger.

“Setsu! Isn’t that Touma’s!?”

“I know! Roa! You don’t have to come down, got it!”

“Eh!? A- alright……”

I stop Roa who was about to jump out.

I might get her injured after all at this rate……

Considering that punch just now, the current Ruga should have the power and speed rivaling that of the beast king.

Nine out of ten, that should be caused by the power up from that tattoo.

And if that’s something Touma gave him…… then it shouldn’t end with just a power up.

I think I said it before, but he won’t reach the beast king or demon king’s level if he doesn’t wish for power and expend his life.

They hold talent to stand on the top and on top of that they are powerful people who have repeatedly worked hard enough shave off their lives.

In other words, that talent……or rather the lack thereof keeping Ruga from reaching them means……

“That guy……he’s burning away his fucking life……!”

“GAaaaah!

The guy’s muscles tore at the end of its swelling and blood began gushing out here and there.

But the torn parts were immediately regenerated and then a different part got torn, which were also regenerated immediately.

It repeats the astounding cell division and it seems to be increasing his strength in a second by instantly performing destruction and regeneration.

I’m neither good nor bad at physical education, but it should be identical to the theory of muscles becoming stronger.

Doing that in such speed, his body can’t survive it.

“GIRR……KIRR……ERRRYTHING!”

“Don’t start saying disturbing things, you!”

I unsheathe Kuromaru from my magic bag and start running towards Ruga who transformed into a grotesque thing.

“GIRR!”

I slouch and parry the arm that was swung in order to mow me down and then I went to towards his chest.

“That’s dangerous ya know!”

“Gyaa!”

I try to swing up with Kuromaru and cut Ruga’s arm off.

This should break his balance and make him unable to move――――――

“Wha……! Instantly regenerating it.”

“GAaah!”

That plan of mine was an utter failure; his arm suddenly grew from the opening and hit my right side as is.

“Tch!”

Even I can’t let myself get sent flying the second time.

I toss away Kuromaru, hold the big arm twice the size of my own body with both my hands and stand firm by putting strength in my feet.

“Zeyah!

“Ga-”

I sweep away his arm and once again I slip into his body to kick his body flying.

There’s also a wall nearby, so Ruga’s body sunk deeply into the colosseum wall.

But――――――

“……No damage……huh?”

“GIiiiiiiiih!

No, maybe it was a little effective, just that he immediately regenerates.

Even so, I had planned in putting in quite some strength into it.

“DIE……EVRRYTHING……DIEEEeeeeee!”

“W-! Crap!”

Ruga raised a warcry.

At the same time, a jet black wave was released from that guy’s body and spread in its surroundings.

The state of the audience who were covered in that quickly became strange.

『What is……this……』

『My body feels heavy……』

『It’s, it’s painful……』

“Isn’t this <Pandemic>!?”

<Pandemic>―――――― One of the fiendish skills Touma uses. It’s a skill where the one who had a curse planted on becomes a source of infection and would spread the curse around them. Since the guy isn’t planting the curse personally, it would need quite some time until the curse is complete, but even so it will cause the audience to have poor health where they won’t be able to move.

I can pop off this level of curse with my own strength, but if the guys in the surroundings are all basked in it for a long time, then it’ll become a serious incident.

“It’ll be bad if I don’t crush him right away……!”

But ……Killing Ruga with my own hands is……

I know it’s not the time to be fixated on things, but……even so――――――

“Mister Setsu!”

“!? Mineko!?”

Mineko was dashing to the stadium.

Why can that girl move normally?

“Sis, Lord beast king and miss Roa suddenly collapsed and……!”

“Tch, so those guys are no good either…… Why can you move?”

Mineko, who jumped next to me only looks a little unwell, but it didn’t look like there’s any strangeness in her body movement.

Even though she’s come this close to it, why though?

“Well……I do feel a little sluggish, but it’s dozen times better than the time I was violated by the curse.”

“……Oh that’s how it is.”

Antibody against the curse……By continuing to be ravished by a powerful curse for a long time, Mineko’s body has probably become quite strong against cursed magic.

It wouldn’t be strange if her body has made antibodies, since there are many of them that work similarly to pathogens, especially those that give negative influence to one’s constitution like this.

This is……a blessing in disguise.

“Mineko……lend me a bit of your strength.”

“Eh? Ah, okay!”

“GAaaaah!”

We face Ruga who is still raising his warcry and spreading the curse.

I’m going violently……for just a little longer, okay?