{TLN: The title means "But I Refuse".}
The neon-lit nightlife district buzzed with the voices of drunk office workers and club-goers, blending into the noisy urban atmosphere as Takeru made his way down the street toward the location specified by Hebikawa. Takeru, dressed in casual clothes and walking alone, caught the attention of a young man hustling for customers nearby, who fell into step with him.
Watching this unfold from a distance, the man’s fellow hustler sighed at his friend’s poor decision to approach what was clearly an underage target.
“Are you alone? We’ve got some cute girls wai—ahh!” The hustler's cheerful pitch faltered when he caught a glimpse of Takeru's face, recoiling in fear with his face frozen in terror, his feet planted in place.
Ignoring him entirely, Takeru continued walking ahead without a glance. Watching his companion freeze, the other hustler called out in frustration.
“What are you doing, man? It’s obvious that kid’s underage even from the back.”
His friend responded shakily, "A...a demon..."
He kept staring, transfixed, at Takeru's retreating back.
Following the directions, Takeru finally arrived at a seedy-looking establishment. Standing at the entrance was a striking woman waiting just for him.
“We’ve been expecting you,” she said, offering a warm smile.
"...And you are?"
“I’m Echidna, Vice Guild Master of Ouroboros,” she introduced herself, smiling with an unsettlingly familiar warmth.
Takeru sensed an aura about her, one he had only encountered in the presence of demonic beings from the other world he once fought in. But he said nothing.
"Is something the matter?" she asked sweetly.
“No...so, you're my guide?”
“Yes. This way, please.”
Inside, the empty club led to a large hall furnished with only a few sofas and tables, then onward to a VIP room, and further still into an inner chamber with nothing in it except a black portal shimmering ominously in the air.
“The master awaits you beyond that gate.”
Stepping through the portal, Takeru found himself in a volcanic wasteland surrounded by rugged plains.
“Yo. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, Irregular...or should I say, Kusunagi Takeru,” Hebikawa greeted him, an air of confidence in his sneering grin.
“And you're Hebikawa.”
Flanking the Guild Master stood an array of creatures—ogres, orcs, snakes, boars, wolves—all arranged in ranks behind him, as if awaiting orders.
“Quite the spectacle, right? These guys are all mine—every one of them will follow my command without question.” Hebikawa gestured to his collection of monsters with a childish pride, as if flaunting his most prized toys.
Ignoring the display, Takeru’s gaze instead shifted to a massive pit nearby.
"――Aaaah....aaaah...."
From there black, twisted creatures writhed and squirmed, their ghastly voices echoing like wails from the pits of hell.
Some of the blackened monsters, struggling to climb out of the pit, were knocked back down by ogres wielding thick clubs, ensuring nothing escaped from the dark abyss below.
"That is..."
As Takeru’s gaze lingered, Hebikawa laughed and snapped his fingers. In response, a magic circle appeared mid-air, summoning a snake that coiled around one of the ogres pushing black monsters back into the pit, binding it in place. Though obedient, the ogre began thrashing about in fear, providing just enough distraction for one of the black monsters to leap from the pit and enter the ogre's mouth.
“Gah...b-b-boh!” The ogre's body expanded as if its very cells were being transformed, morphing into an even larger, more powerful creature—a cyclops.
The cyclops did not rage or attack, instead joining Hebikawa’s ranks as another ogre took its place at the pit to keep the black creatures at bay. Watching the cyclops’ transformation, Takeru’s mind returned to the incident where the Great Boar had transformed into a minotaur.
"...So that was your doing."
“Of course! Yesterday’s minotaur, those cocky C-ranks getting crushed—it was all my handiwork!” Hebikawa sneered, showing no remorse for the damage he’d caused.
The image of Minotaur’s evolution, along with the vision of Gatou’s injured and tear-streaked face from the cyclops attack, flashed in Takeru’s mind.
"Heh, that big oaf crying out in pain, unable to move—what a sight!" Hebikawa chuckled.
“What... are you trying to accomplish?”
Suddenly, Hebikawa’s demeanor shifted, growing darker.
“Simple. I’m gonna tear it all down.”
“What?”
With a vicious grin, Hebikawa unleashed a torrent of dark purple magic that distorted the air around them.
“The Association’s top brass are nothing but fat pigs focused on preserving their power! I’m gonna crush their pathetic rules, all those idiot guilds and hunters who follow them, and take control of this country myself!” Hebikawa declared with malice, his voice resonating with dark amusement.
Ogres were suddenly immobilized by constricting snakes as black creatures burst from the pit, overwhelming and fusing with the beasts. The cacophony of the transformed monsters’ pained wails filled the air as they mutated further.
“I’ll use these monsters as my army!”
The words, tinted with madness, were accompanied by Hebikawa’s malicious aura, filling the wasteland with a chilling sight. Before Takeru stood a veritable army of monstrous beings, each as powerful as the minotaur that had given Byoudouin such a hard time. For any ordinary hunter, the sight alone would have been enough to crush their spirit.
But Takeru looked at the scene with cold indifference, meeting Hebikawa’s gaze with eyes devoid of interest.
“That’s still not enough to beat an S-rank hunter.”
The only S-rank Takeru knew was Sakura, but seeing her in action made it obvious that not even a horde of these monsters could pose a threat to her. And if the Ouroboros guild truly posed a risk, the Association would rally every S-rank across the country to crush any uprising, leaving Hebikawa with no hope of success.
"Well, you’re right about that,” Hebikawa said, unexpectedly calm, as if the words didn't sting.
Hebikawa’s steady response didn’t surprise Takeru. Clearly, he was aware of this weakness in his plan.
"I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve for them, sure… but those S-rank hunters are genuine monsters.”
With that, Hebikawa pulled a vial from his pocket and tossed it to Takeru, who caught it and studied Hebikawa suspiciously.
"...What’s your angle?"
The vial contained a pale green liquid, which Takeru suspected was the antidote, but he couldn’t fathom Hebikawa’s motive.
"See, I was planning on giving it to you after this little show anyway. I’m not interested in making you an enemy,” Hebikawa replied nonchalantly.
“You held my family hostage and now expect me to believe that?”
“I know you’re hiding your strength,” Hebikawa interrupted, ignoring Takeru’s irritation with a serious expression, eyes intent as if he genuinely thought he could persuade Takeru.
“Think about it, Kusunagi. Why should someone as powerful as you have to keep your head down? Isn’t it because if people found out about your ‘inhuman power,’ they’d collar and control you under the guise of public safety?” he said, feigning empathy.
Hebikawa had no way of knowing the truth of Takeru’s situation—that he was harboring another soul. He assumed Takeru was keeping his power hidden to protect his family and avoid scrutiny.
“They don’t understand… They don’t get why we were given such power,” Hebikawa continued, weaving his words with a dark allure.
“And what would that reason be?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Deep down, you want to use that power to its full extent, don’t you?”
"..."
Seeing Takeru’s expression, Hebikawa smirked, thinking he’d piqued Takeru’s interest.
“I’ll give you the freedom to wield that power. I’ll create a world where people like you can thrive, where power rules over all. I’ll protect your family with everything I’ve got, so come to my side, Kusunagi! There’s nothing holding you back now—”
“If all you’re offering is the chance to run rampant under you, then I’ll pass.”
Without a second thought, Takeru dropped the vial, watching as it shattered against the ground and its liquid seeped into the dusty soil.
Hebikawa’s expression shifted from disbelief to a sharp glare.
“…What the hell are you playing at? Without that—”
“The Basilisk’s Eye.”
“Wha—?!”
Takeru murmured a single word, cutting off Hebikawa mid-sentence.
Hearing the name of a poison from another world—one that shouldn't even be known in this realm yet—Hebikawa’s eyes widened in surprise.
Beside him, Echidna also froze, then raised a hand to her lips in an attempt to conceal the rising thrill in her expression. The excitement in her eyes betrayed her astonishment; this unexpected revelation had given her a new appreciation for the young man standing before them.
As Takeru recalled his visit to the hospital before arriving at his current location, he remembered finding his parents quarantined, stricken by a poison modern medicine and magicians alike couldn’t understand. A sign on their door warned of their isolation, but Takeru had forced the lock and entered, disregarding it.
Inside, his parents lay suffering. Calmly, he cast his analysis spell—Analyze. The result revealed the poison to be the petrifying toxin of a monster he had encountered in the other world.
"Good… I can cure this," he thought, relief washing over him.
Ever since his soul had been reincarnated into this new life, Takeru had grappled with the trauma of his past. But now, embraced by the care and warmth of his new parents, he finally felt a semblance of peace.
With a gentle touch, Takeru cast Recover, neutralizing the petrification poison coursing through them. As he watched the tension ease from their faces, his heart softened with gratitude.
“I’m sorry… for causing this,” he murmured.
Confirming they were safe, Takeru cast a protective barrier spell—Protect Guard—around them. Then, before anyone could catch him, he slipped away, resolved not to put them at risk again.
He left the room quietly before anyone could discover he had been there. Determined not to drag Kusunagi Takaeru or the people around him into further danger, he steeled himself with resolve.
"If it's poison, I've already cured it."
"Then there was no need to come all the way here—"
As if to interrupt Hebikawa's words, an overwhelming flare burst released with tremendous magical power blows away a large portion of the monster army.
This was the moment when Takeru, who had been suppressing his power out of concern for the surrounding damage, showed a glimpse of his true strength.
"You bastard..."
Hebikawa glares at Takeru with a furious expression, his veins bulging.
In contrast, Takeru calmly confronts Hebikawa.
"You asked earlier why I was born with such great power, right?"
Takeru recalls the people he has met in this world.
His parents, Sawamura, Sakura, Gato, Byodoin—everyone he encountered had once smiled at him, despite having betrayed him.
—He was betrayed by the world once, but...
"To prevent my precious everyday life from being destroyed."
He unleashes another flare burst.
Despite his calm voice and movements, the force of the attack blows away Hebikawa's army with incredible power.
"Come at me. I'll wipe out you and this entire monster horde."
"I see..."
The overwhelming aura of a powerful warrior emanates from Takeru.
In contrast, Hebikawa, who had previously exuded madness, now looks at Takeru with cold, calculating eyes.
"Then give it a try."
A large number of monsters suddenly charge at Takeru.
The massive hole resembles a bottomless swamp, with black monsters continuously crawling out and evolving.
In the midst of this, Takeru enters the horde of monsters and starts to reduce their numbers, but he begins to feel something amiss.
—Aren’t the numbers decreasing? Rather…
When he glances at Hebikawa, he sees summoning circles being created in a horizontal line, from which more monsters keep appearing.
S-class hunter Hebikawa is a master of super-powerful summoning techniques. When he suppresses his usual madness, he becomes a cold and calculating individual who focuses solely on killing enemies without letting his guard down.
"I'm going to keep this up until your stamina runs out."
The monster horde bursts apart from the explosive flames unleashed by Takeru.
"Ugh—!?"
As the blast reaches him, Hebikawa squints against the force, and for a moment, he feels a chill seeing Takeru's eyes amidst the swarm of monsters.
"I'll say it again..."
—You and this entire horde of monsters will be 'completely' obliterated.
Explosion
A massive explosion occurs centered around Takeru, far surpassing anything seen before, and the monsters are blown away in one go.
Hebikawa, who instinctively took refuge behind a summoned giant serpent's shadow to escape the disaster, is approached by Echidna, who seems somewhat amused.
"What are you going to do, Jin? At this rate, all the monsters you prepared will really be killed!"
Annoyed by Echidna's words, Hebikawa grinds his teeth in frustration.
"I'll use that one you gave me."
Hebikawa's trump card.
It is the strongest monster prepared to take down the S-class hunters in case Takeru wasn't around.
"Sure. Do as you like. That one is already yours."
A gigantic magic circle, on a scale unlike anything seen before, floats in front of Takeru.
"What is this…?"
"Killing monsters is the job of a monster."
From the space filled with an overwhelming amount of magical power that creaks and groans, a massive eight-headed serpent—Hydra—appears.
"Kill him, Hydra!"
Reacting to Hebikawa's voice, the heads of Hydra turn toward Takeru and roar.