The C-rank boss, the Great Bull, transformed into an A-rank boss, the Minotaur.
In this abnormal situation, Byoudouin was shocked and panicked, but the Minotaur didn’t care. It grabbed a nearby pillar with both hands, wielding it as a weapon, and charged at them.
'Buraaagh!'
Both Takeru and Byoudouin simultaneously jumped back, narrowly avoiding the attack.
"…"
— The monster evolved? Then… was that Cyclops from before the same?
Takeru, keeping his calm, tried to make sense of the situation. He had fought Minotaurs before in the other world, but this one was different—black mud-like ooze dripped from its mouth, giving it an unusual appearance.
"That mud…"
As he thought that, Byoudouin suddenly stepped in front of Takeru, shielding him.
"I’ll hold it off here… You need to run, Kusanagi-kun!"
"…Huh?"
Takeru couldn't comprehend Byoudouin’s words for a moment. After their sparring match, Byoudouin should have known how much stronger Takeru was, yet he was telling him to escape.
"Byoudouin. That thing is not something I can’t—"
"The purpose of the Ouran Society is—"
"—!"
Unlike his usual easygoing demeanor, Byoudouin's voice was filled with fierce resolve, almost enough to tear his throat.
"—to honor and uphold the ideals of Takamine Sakura-sama! Just as she protects the people of the city from ferocious monsters, we, the Ouran Society, exist to protect peace and the citizens!"
Byoudouin held his spear horizontally to block Takeru from stepping forward, turning back with a gentle smile.
"I know well that you're far stronger than I am, and that you could probably defeat that Minotaur on your own…"
"Then—"
"But you’re not a hunter. You’re a ‘civilian,’ and as the embodiment of her ideals and the president of the Ouran Society, it’s my duty to protect you from the monsters!"
— "No matter what special power you gain, you are still someone who deserves to live a peaceful life as a 'civilian.'"
Byoudouin's words weren’t just empty talk.
He wasn’t merely a fan of Sakura; he was showing what it truly meant to be a protector of the people, upholding the correct values of a hunter.
The Minotaur hurled the stone pillar.
"Hah!"
Byoudouin deflected it with his spear, spinning it at high speed, and flashed a confident smile.
"I’m sorry for dragging you into this when you’re trying to hide your strength, but I had to get stronger, no matter what."
— So that I can stand by her side…
Byoudouin smiled wryly at his foolishness, then glared fiercely at the Minotaur.
"Uoooooooh!"
With a fierce shout, he closed the gap and thrust his spear toward the Minotaur’s heart. But the Minotaur’s tough hide blocked the blow, leaving only a small wound.
"Tch—!"
The Minotaur swung its massive fist down in retaliation, and Byoudouin barely dodged. However, before he could regain his balance, the muscular arm swung horizontally.
"Kuh—!"
Byoudouin managed to block with his spear but was sent flying backward. Despite the creature's size, its speed was shocking, and every blow could be fatal. He narrowly dodged, attempting counterattacks, but his strikes weren’t making a dent.
"This is reckless."
Takeru muttered, watching Byoudouin struggle. The Minotaur was far beyond something Byoudouin could handle alone. He had to know that himself.
"You want to get stronger? Protect others? That all ends if you die…"
The Minotaur picked up another stone pillar, clashing with Byoudouin’s spear in a pure contest of strength. Byoudouin was slowly being overwhelmed, his body battered and worn.
"Come… on…"
"Buraaagh!"
"Gwaah—!"
Finally, a direct hit sent Byoudouin flying back toward Takeru. Covered in wounds, Byoudouin knelt on the ground, using his spear to try and stand.
"Byoudouin…"
"Hm? You didn’t run yet? Don’t worry, I’ll take care of that thing on my own…"
Byoudouin smiled reassuringly at Takeru.
"Why do you—"
—Why are you so obsessed with what it means to be a hunter?
Takeru's unspoken question seemed to reach Byoudouin, who gave a small, bitter smile.
"…Because I want to fix this weak, pathetic, disgraceful self of mine."
"—!"
—Four years ago.
"Gwaaah!"
"That’s enough! The winner is Byoudouin Souma!"
"Heh! So much for being a hunter—what a joke!"
—Byoudouin Souma, first-year middle school student.
Byoudouin looked down mockingly at the adult warrior who lay defeated before him. With spear skills that surpassed even grown men, he was truly deserving of his title as a prodigy.
"This strength… Truly, young Souma-sama is gifted with divine talent."
"Indeed, among the adults here, only the head of the family stands a chance against him."
The other martial artists in the Byoudouin dojo agreed.
Hearing such praise made Souma happy. Surrounded by such an environment, he grew arrogant with his talent, refusing even to listen to the advice of his father, the head of the family.
"Souma! No matter how skilled you are, if you don’t show respect to your opponent, you’ll never become a true master! A true master is one who—"
"—possesses a heart unbroken by any adversity and protects and guides others with righteousness. You’ve said it so much, I’ve heard it a million times."
"Then you should—!"
But his father’s words didn’t reach him. In reality, by the time he was in his first year of middle school, he was already stronger than anyone except the head of the family, and he was proud of his abilities.
"Souma! You skipped training again, didn’t you?"
Due to his situation, Souma had developed a habit of skipping training and running off to change into casual clothes, wandering around the city for fun.
"Father says the same thing over and over. It’s not about the heart—if you're strong, you're strong. Maybe he’s just panicking because he's about to lose to me soon… Hmm?"
Souma noticed a crowd gathered around a black gate.
— Not only the party that went in earlier but also the rescue team that followed has been gone for over a day. — Then... they’re probably...
Listening to the despairing chatter of the crowd, Byoudouin grinned.
"What I need isn’t more training; it's real battle experience."
Souma dashed past the onlookers toward the gate. A few people noticed and shouted at him.
"Hey! Kid—!" "Stop! Get back here!"
—You need to wait for an A-rank party!
Their voices faded as Souma disappeared into the gate.
"Oh no… What have we done?"
—What happened here?
A voice called out to the distressed crowd—a girl’s voice. They turned, recognizing the speaker.
"It’s just… a child went in alone… Wait, are you—?"
Seeing Takamine Sakura, the onlookers gasped in surprise.
— I’m the heir to the Byoudouin family. I’m stronger than most hunters; I’ll be fine.
Thinking that, Souma passed through the gate, finding himself in the ruins of a collapsed castle.
He fought through the monsters and reached the throne room, only to be greeted by hunters’ corpses strung up like puppets and toyed with by laughing marionettes.
Suddenly, strings wrapped around Souma, binding his body. He crumpled to the floor like a puppet, with the marionettes below preparing to play with him. Nearby, hunters, already dead, were continuously impaled.
"Ahh—! Somebody! Please, help me!"
Just as the monsters raised their weapons to strike, a flash of lightning swept through, wiping them out.
Even after being freed from the bindings, Souma’s body was frozen in fear, unable to move. In front of him, Sakura fought the marionettes alone. Souma watched in a daze as a marionette with a scythe approached him. As it swung down, Sakura rushed in to shield him, taking a severe wound to her back.
"Ah—!" "—!"
After swiftly defeating the remaining monsters, Sakura stood protectively in front of Souma, her back drenched in blood. She turned to him with a reassuring smile.
"Are you hurt?"
"Ah... um, no…"
"That’s good. Then please stand back for a moment. Things are about to get a bit intense!"
—A true warrior possesses an unbreakable heart, able to protect and guide others with righteousness.
Despite her grave injuries, Sakura stood tall, defending Souma while fighting off the horde of monsters. Watching her courage and strength, Souma felt utterly ashamed of himself, paralyzed by fear.
"Why… why am I so…"
—So weak!
Time passed as Souma remained immobilized. Meanwhile, Sakura had annihilated all the monsters.
"Now, it’s safe. Let’s head back."
Sakura extended her hand, her entire body covered in blood. It was clear the battle had been grueling for her. But even then, the comforting smile she gave was strikingly beautiful.
Present Day.
Byoudouin, battered and bruised, continued to challenge the Minotaur.
“I admired that strength! I admired that brilliance!”
There was a vast wall of talent between S-rank and A-rank hunters.
Even the techniques that the Byoudouin family had spent a thousand years honing were easily surpassed by an S-rank hunter, born from a sudden mutation—cruel reality.
Byoudouin, haunted by the fear that no matter how much he trained, he might never catch up, had not missed a single day of practice since that fateful day.
“To stand beside and protect Lady Sakura! I must become stronger! Much, much stronger!”
—To protect everyone, I need to be strong.
Takeru momentarily recalled his own past.
The Minotaur’s attack struck Byoudouin, sending him reeling, the damage from even a glancing blow substantial. Yet Byoudouin pressed on, undeterred.
“Ugh—! Not yet…!”
“Byoudouin.”
Takeru approached the struggling Byoudouin and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“What is it? I’m not dead yet…”
Byoudouin brushed off Takeru's hand and attempted to rise.
“The Byoudouin family has wielded the spear for a thousand years. Its essence is—”
“You’re too fixated on technique.”
“…What?”
“The technique your family has refined over a thousand years may be effective for defeating ‘humans.’”
The Minotaur roared and charged, bringing down a massive fist.
“Dodge—!”
“But the opponent isn’t human.”
Takeru deliberately allowed his magic to become visible, raising it to an overwhelming level and catching the Minotaur's fist in his hand. The sheer force radiating from him caused the Minotaur to recoil in shock.
“When facing a monster, what you need isn’t ‘technique,’ but raw ‘power.’”
Then, with his other hand, Takeru placed his hand on Byoudouin’s shoulder once more and forcefully awakened his latent magic.
The surge of magic coursed through Byoudouin’s body, leaving him stunned as he felt the overwhelming power within him.
“Wha—!? This… this power!?”
“I’ve temporarily awakened the magic sleeping inside you. It’s only for now, and you’ll feel like hell afterward, but—”
—If you get used to it, you might even reach S-rank.
With that, Takeru pushed back the Minotaur’s arm, completely throwing the beast off balance and leaving its heart exposed.
“Well, I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“I can feel power flooding through me! With this, I can—!”
As Takeru stepped aside, Byoudouin firmly gripped his spear, pulling it back for a powerful strike, far stronger than before.
“Haaaaa! Take this!”
Without any fancy technique, Byoudouin delivered a simple, raw attack, pouring all of his magic into it. The strike that had once been blocked by the Minotaur’s thick hide now pierced through its body, impaling it deeply.
“When facing a superior monster, sometimes sheer determination and force are the best weapons.”
Unbeknownst to them, a small snake had been observing their battle.
In the underground bar at Ouroboros headquarters, the table was littered with photos of Takeru, his parents, Sawamura, and Araki. Sitting on the sofa, a man named Hebikawa smirked.
“Heh… so this makes two failures, huh?”
“I even made the monsters stronger for you, and still, they couldn’t kill a single person,” a woman purred from behind him.
A stunning woman with long, purple hair covering one eye, dressed in a revealing gown, wrapped herself around Hebikawa’s neck as she looked at the photos.
Her snake-like eyes gleamed as she spotted her prey in one of the photos and smiled wickedly.
“Think you can catch him next time?”
“Oh, I will. No matter how strong an S-rank hunter might be, humans have weaknesses.”
Hebikawa’s words deepened the woman’s sinister smile. She ran her tongue along his neck, a show of affection.
“Don’t let him get away.”
“Who do you think I am?”
Hebikawa dropped Takeru’s photo, watching it flutter to the ground.
“Just you wait, Irregular, or rather—”
—Kusanagi Takeru.
Hebikawa and the woman shared a sadistic smile, their eyes gleaming with anticipation.
