After finishing my meeting with the boss, I stepped outside to find Niberna, who had been waiting nervously by the door, immediately getting up and running towards me.
“─Are you okay?” (Niberna)
“What do you mean, are you okay?” (Eight)
“The, uh, meeting with the chairwoman…”
Hearing that, I let out a half-hearted exclamation as I figured it out. After all, there are people you can’t easily ignore, even if you’re an S-rank hero who can look down on the world with sheer power. The chairwoman of a big corporation and the boss of a villain organization are precisely those types.
Isn’t this world basically like Earth, running on money? Even an S-rank hero like Niberna is fundamentally a being subordinated to capital. The chairwoman of a big corporation can exert more influence than an S-rank hero in some ways.
Not to mention, Regalia holds both the position of chairwoman of the Evilus Corporation and the boss of an evil organization. In the past, if it had been a gathering of the powerless, rusty relics, or the quadriplegic, now it was considered a powerful organization to the degree of calling itself Evilus Corporation’s private soldiers.
“I’m fine. She’s not someone who would particularly harm me.”
“……I see. I guess I didn’t know much about the Boss.”
“You probably know even less than you think, Niberna.”
I chuckled lightly and scanned the surroundings. Considering we were in the waiting room in front of the chairwoman’s office, it didn’t seem like anyone was eavesdropping. Nevertheless, just to be safe, I used a sound-canceling device before opening my mouth.
“My name isn’t Raemon. It’s Eight.”
“……Eight? Why do you have two names?”
“It’s more like I have two identities rather than two names. As you can see, I’ve been under frequent attacks.”
“Ah…….”
Niberna let out an exclamation as she somewhat understood. After all, we had just spent the day together, and what was happening? We were under attack by those with hypnotic abilities, weren’t we?
That alone was sufficient to explain why I had to keep my identity hidden. I threw a teasing remark at Niberna, who seemed to understand.
“Don’t tell me, as a hero, you wouldn’t turn a blind eye to illegal activities?”
“Excuse me? No way…… Even if the Boss is doing illegal things, I will trust and follow him!”
“Don’t worry, that’s not the case.”
What does she think of me? After giving Niberna a scrutinizing gaze for a moment, I sighed and looked for someone else who was with us. That pathetic person who had first fallen victim to hypnosis despite being my escort…
“What about Vira?”
“She was sent to the treatment room after I spoke to the secretaries.”
“Good job.”
Of course, although Vira could be pathetic, I knew it wasn’t her fault. Abilities like hypnotic manipulation are like computer hacking—no matter how much you prepare, you’ll eventually get through.
Moreover, in this world, really, various ability users exist, don’t they? Even simple telekinetics possess different mechanisms, so I wouldn’t expect hypnotic manipulation to be any different.
‘I should create a hypnosis protection device. It’s impossible to distribute them all, so for now, just something for the executives…’
Just as I was thinking that I would make sure not to be caught off guard like this next time, Niberna looked at me with a rather shocked expression.
As I faced her, wondering why she looked like that, Niberna carefully opened her mouth.
“Boss, you’re making that expression.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Your expression right now…”
You’re smiling.
Upon hearing Niberna’s words, I covered my face with my hand.
As she said, the corners of my mouth were subtly lifted.
* * *
Vira opened her eyes an hour after being hypnotized. Fortunately, when she woke up, the hypnotic suggestion had been lifted. I don’t know if the keyword was ‘fainting’ or if it automatically wears off over time, but either way, it was a relief that there was no need to exert effort to free her from hypnosis.
“Puhahahaha-! I heard there’s a pathetic individual who fell victim to hypnosis while being an escort- this is just so embarrassing!”
“Hey- Galm, can you go away?”
“Go away? I came here as an escort for the scientist, you know? Unlike that pathetic someone who fell for hypnosis, I’m confident that I wouldn’t get caught by such things!”
“Ugh…!”
Watching Galm mockingly, Vira started to tremble, but the truth is Galm wasn’t wrong. If it had been Galm instead of Vira in that situation? That muscle tiger, known for his unconventional behavior, would have immediately punched the guy who dared to apologize without a care about protocol.
So whether they fell victim to hypnosis or not, the result would have been the same. Galm would have brushed the crowd aside and preserved himself like a villain. However, this doesn’t mean Vira was less capable; it’s just that Galm was closer to the realm of the absurd.
“……Eight. I’m sorry; it’s my fault.”
“No. It’s my fault for thinking that someone like you, a bodyguard elite, wouldn’t have any defenses against hypnotic manipulation.”
“Ugh, I do have some measures against hypnosis!”
“But you got caught, didn’t you?”
“Well, this time, it was a method that bypassed my defenses…”
There are countless types of hypnotic manipulation. From simply flipping a coin to induce hypnosis to slowly altering perception over time, using neurochemical agents, using superpowers, or even changing reality to manipulate one’s mind.
As so many methods are created daily, how could someone defend against all of them? Defense has always built up through experience after being caught, after all.
As mentioned earlier, this incident revealed not Vira’s incompetence, but rather the enemies’ competence.
“Well, next time, I’ll make a separate protection device for you. I don’t know much about this field, so the methods I have are outdated and have expired confidentiality periods…”
“……Thanks.”
“I need to make them for others too, you know?”
Just as we were talking, Galm suddenly turned his head and spoke up.
“─Vira. There’s an attack. Engage with maximum force.”
“Excuse me? Galm, what do you mean by—”
Before I could even ask back, Vira immediately deployed the most extensive barrier she could muster. A barrier enveloping the entire Evilus headquarters emerged, and shortly thereafter, a loud noise and trembling hit the building.
A rumble that shook the entire structure. Galm smiled, as if he found it amusing.
“An attack in broad daylight? They aren’t sane.”
“……An attack? Is this really it?”
“Yeah. An attack.”
Saying that, Galm stood up. He gathered the genetic spheres and energy potion from inside the lab, leisurely stretching as he exited the facility.
“I’ll be back shortly for a drink.”
Boom—!
Once again, the quaking vibration roared through the building. Yet surprisingly… I didn’t feel worried.
The top force of the evil organization had just set off. Instead, the ones who might need to worry were the attackers.
‘It would be troublesome if they get killed.’
I prayed that Galm would return with at least the corpse intact and deployed the drones. With cameras attached, the drones began circling the Evilus headquarters, broadcasting the surrounding visuals.
* * *
A man wrapped in an anachronistic robe blocked the road. Upon seeing this, the vehicles honked loudly in uproar.
“You crazy bastard! Are you looking to die!?”
The blaring horns that pierced the ears and the furious voices of the drivers did not reach the man in the robe.
He ignored all the sounds and quietly gazed up at the Evilus corporation building.
This place was perfect for him.
“Devil… I dedicate this soul to you.”
As the man spoke, he rolled up the sleeves of his right arm. Beneath it lay something horrific that couldn’t be imagined as a human arm, something far more hideous than a beastkin or an arm mutated by superpowers.
The devil’s right arm, Diestra del diablo.
Exposing the right arm bestowed upon him by the devil as an apostle, the man swung it, and the devil’s arm sliced through everything in sight, disregarding perspective.
In an instant, all buildings surrounding the Evilus headquarters, except for it, were shattered, while citizens, screaming, hurriedly fled.
“What, what is that!?”
“There wasn’t even an alarm today!?”
“Report this to Evilus immediately!”
Citizens began to scream and run away. Some brave individuals sensed that the man standing in the road was the culprit and attempted to ram him with their vehicles. If he hadn’t been stopped by just one arm, it might have been a commendable attempt.
The apostle lightly tossed aside the vehicle that tried to hit him and furrowed his brow, glaring at the Evilus headquarters. Even having struck the building with the devil’s right arm, it didn’t budge. It was probably due to the barrier surrounding the building…
If he were a reasonable person, he would either eliminate the one who created the barrier or find a place where the barrier doesn’t exist—but for a demon worshiper, thinking that way is hardly normal. Their common sense is exactly this.
“I dedicate my soul to the devil.”
Wielding the devil’s right arm, he swung as hard as he could until it broke. They believe there is no being more omnipotent than the devil, and no being greater than the devil. That belief was precisely their strength, returning to them in kind.
Indeed, the barrier that had just blocked the apostle’s blow began to crack slowly. The apostle realized that just a few more swings would shatter the barrier, allowing him to achieve his intentions.
“─Is that as far as you’ll go?”
“……Hmm.”
But it was too late.
This place is the Evilus headquarters. Their territory.
Even a stray dog claims half of its home, but Evilus wasn’t even regarded that high.
“Making noise in front of someone else’s house is unacceptable. Don’t you think?”
“The Beast King.”
“Hmm— it’s the Beast King, to be precise.”
Galm, seemingly faintly annoyed by the demon worshiper’s tone, glared at the apostle’s arm. This was something he had never seen before, even with all his battle experience. An arm that didn’t seem like it belonged to a human.
As he was momentarily fixated on the arm, the apostle swiftly swung it. Thinking he would be fine since it was at a distance, to his surprise, the apostle’s arm disregarded distance and struck Galm’s body.
Letting out a groan, Galm staggered back, shaking his limbs while erupting into hearty laughter.
“Puhaha-! Now that’s something I like!”
An attack that disregards distance; sheer power that could hardly be believed to be contained within just one arm. It was something a martial artist would yearn for.
“I want one too.”
Galm said that as he shoved the genetic sphere into his mouth. The scientist had explained that this genetic sphere allowed one to evolve their body in the way they desired.
He had previously fired beams from his eyes when he sought range attacks. What would happen if he consumed it while wishing for the same ability as the man before him?
With a look filled with anticipation, Galm bit down on the genetic sphere.
Crunch-!
The genetic code that promised evolution stirred within Galm’s body.
“……I dedicate this beast to you.”
Ignoring Galm, the apostle lifted his right arm once more. Just as the same attack was about to hit Galm—who also lifted his arm to swing, the oncoming attack froze mid-air.
The moment the Devil’s right arm was neutralized, the apostle gazed at Galm, unable to believe it. Galm, twirling his right arm, stepped forward.
“─Good.”
The Devil’s right arm, Diestra del diablo.
It had merged with the disbelief-ridden beast.
Seeing that, the apostle roared in disbelief.
“You, you- you- how could a beast like you—!”
“Because I asked nicely. Why? Are you jealous?”
“Ughhh—!”
It sounded like a beast was howling.
In the next moment, the demon-imbued beast and the beast-turned demon clashed.
