Editing Ultimate Antihero:Volume 2 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 4===

Homura’s and Sumika and others’ battles started at almost the same time.

During that time, the side where something big happened first was Homura’s side.

Responding to Homura’s summon and appearing from the abyss, was a whitely bloated body without the neck of a giant.

The <God of Corruption> Y’golonac slowly lifted up its fat arms, and directed its palms towards the black tsunami that even now was going to swallow Homura altogether with Ayers Rock.

Looking carefully, there was a mouth lined up disorderedly with teeth on both opened palms.

 

{█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █}

 

Those mouths raised sticky voices crunchingly while beginning to open and close restlessly.

As if they were cursing. As if they were laughing mockingly.

Perhaps because those mouths didn’t have vocal cords, the voice was nothing like sound.

However, even so the voice of that person was audible to everything that was in that place.

And then―a change immediately came.

{AAAAAAAAAAA!!!!}

{GYAAA, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?}

{Shut up! Just because you are the leader, you are always, always just acting big from the safe place! I’ll kill trash like you!}

Suddenly, voices of dispute could be heard from inside the approaching black tsunami, and then friendly fire was starting.

But it didn’t stop in just one place.

{Just why do I have to fight together with the bunch that destroyed my country!}

{You think I don’t know! You bastards insulted me behind my back!}

{I want to vomit when I look at you! Your ugly face makes me vomit!}

{Your breath stinks, die you lizard asshole!}

Quarrels was spreading through the whole army that was cramming the land until the end of the earth in the blink of an eye.

It was as if everyone was forgetting about Homura, they stopped their charge and killed each other with the comrades in front of them.

Before long they finally,

{Besides just why do we have to come here to the human world! Even though I didn’t want to leave from the demon world!}

{Everything is the fault of <Hecatoncheires> that dare to return nonchalantly like that even though he lost to <Asmodeus>!}

{Even though he is just a loser dog, he keeps acting big!}

{That’s right, everything is because of <Hecathoncheires>!}

{Just who is going to follow a failure that lost and escaped from the demon world! Kill him right here, I’ll be the king!}

{ { {UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!} } }

The black tsunami went away from Homura like a pulling back tide, and then of all things they revolted against the three demon kings that were leading them.

Perhaps the demon kings were confused from the sudden happening, they were raising voices that seemed to try to regain control, however the momentum of the army didn’t weaken even for a little.

But it was only natural.

This was exactly the disgusting power of the <Great Old One> Y’golonac that Sumika said.

Driving up malice, fanning hatred, a god of corruption that guided people to destruction.

People, whose ears were whispered to by this person, as long as they didn’t have a considerable self-restraint, they would become unable to control the hatred inside them and their reasoning would crumble. And then they would transform into a rampaging existence following their malice.

Of course, now that it had become like this there was no way to take command of the demons.

And then it was even truer for something like the <Giant Army> that grew large by absorbing a great number of tribes and was united by strength.

Just with his first move, Homura completely overturned the superiority of numbers on this battlefield.

He didn’t reduce the number by killing, but turned the enemy troops mad without leaving a single one sane.

The demons were already unable to hear even the voices of their masters.

They were just merely attacking their masters following the intense emotion inside themselves, they bit at the demon kings and covered them completely.

With number and weight, the demons crept up from the feet of the gigantic demon lords, little by little.

Before long the black army completely covered the demon lords until their heads, making the three giant bodies fall to the ground in a heap.

And then the demon kings that fell down on the ground were further crowded by the innumerable demons.

All the surface of the bodies of the demon kings were already completely covered by the wriggling black dots, they were lost from Homura’s sight.

The sight was like ants gathering on a corpse.

However―

“Are they dead?”

“If that’s the case then that’s great. ―Well, as expected, it won’t be that easy though.”

Homura narrowed his eyes while quietly putting his right hand forward, then he deployed a barrier of <{{furigana|Elder Sign|Ancient Mark}}> to protect himself and Vel.

Instantly, explosion came from the demon kings’ bodies that were turned into small black mountains.

The explosion was made from blood and flesh.

Hundreds of thousands of demons that swarmed the demon lords’ bodies were blown away to pieces like scrap rags.

The force and fierceness made a rain of flesh bits and blood drops pour even until the place where Homura was, several dozen kilometers from the demon kings, staining Homura’s barrier and Ayers Rock with blood.

And then inside that oppressive bloody mist ―that, was standing.

Slowly, from the center of the explosion of flesh and blood.

Was that the three demon kings?

No.

The standing up giant shadow, was several times larger than them.

That form, was exactly far larger than even the highest peak of earth, Mount Everest… an ogre.

“Awesome. If it’s just the size then it’s bigger then even Ithaqua. The head looks blurred from here see…”

Matching the three overlapping pulsations that shook the atmosphere, a gold-copper skin that faintly shined from the twilight.

The big frame of the upper body that would pierce the clouds if there were any in the sky had countless arms growing from it, then there were several faces that looked enraged from its neck till the chest.

And then on the neck there was a head with a noticeably giant horn growing from it, both the eyeballs in it looked exactly like stars of the sky from its height that looked hazy from the ground. The eyes were looking down on its own army that was crawling on the ground.

Correct. This was exactly the demon king that battled for hegemony in the demon world leading the <Giant Army>, the army that brought together the [Giant race] which was one of the best battle races in the demon world. The true form of <Hecatoncheires>, the giant with fifty faces and a hundred arms.

{―――――――OOOOOOOO…!}

<Hecatoncheires> that showed its true appearance raised a voice that was like the howl of the wind.

That howling voice had an indignation that could be understood even without [Concept Translation].

It was its rage towards its own army that revolted against it.

And then, it didn’t have any reason to endure that rage.

The giant demon king moved following that rage.

It slowly raised its giant leg.

And then it advanced half a step forward, and with that trifling act―

<Hecatoncheires> crushed thirty percent of the million troops that were crawling on the ground.

A bloody footstep was carved on the wasteland.

That overwhelming violence made even the army that was taken by Y’golonac’s madness shrink in fear.

The demons started to run away in all directions like baby spiders.

But <Hecatoncheires> didn’t even glance at those rabbles anymore.

The giant demon king’s glowing red eyes in the sky shined ominously like evil stars and straightforwardly―stared at Homura.

And then―

 

{OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO―――!!!!!!!}

 

The fifty heads howled all at once.

It was a scream of rage that split the earth just from the sound pressure.

And then it swung. It grasped tightly one of the right arms that looked noticeably bigger, and pulled out a boorish giant sword that looked as if it was made out of a split mountain.

“Master!”

“I know.”

The blade was swung down while literally splitting the sky into two.

It was a strong sword that would pulverize the human body into dust just from the wind pressure that was raised from it.

Even Homura was not an exception against that.

But facing that overwhelming violence, he didn’t show any nervousness or hesitation at all.

He calmly embraced Vel beside him in his arm and used <Teleport>, instantly moving from to the sky from atop Ayers Rock.

He slipped through the slash just in time.

Yes. Homura was not an exception only if it hit.

No matter how much power it had, it was meaningless if it didn’t hit.

It was meaningless, but――

“……-!”

The next moment, a fatal sound of destruction right from below that they never heard until now stole the gaze of even Homura.

Of all thing, <Hecatoncheires>’ strong sword split into two the Ayers Rock where Homura stood before and also Y’golonac that he summoned, and it didn’t stop there ―with just one blade, the land of the Australian continent was smashed open until far beyond the horizon.

“The, the continent is, splitting-!?”

Vel that was floating beside Homura opened her eyes wide from the much too abnormal destructive power.

It was understandable.

After all the number of people that possessed this much destructive power could be counted by hand even among the existences of the <Evil Gods>.

She surely felt it.

That <Hecatoncheires> was a powerful demon king that couldn’t even be compared against Typhon or Jambure.

But―

“Don’t get distracted. The next one is coming!”

“-!?”

The fierce attack of <Hecatoncheires> was not stopping there.

In no time after the sword miss the target, the fifty mouths opened―

{KYUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!}

Along with a piercing cry that tore the ear, beams made up from magic power energy were fired.

Flashes like white lightning rained down. Homura grasped the scruff of the neck of the dumbfounded Vel and soared right and left in the sky, evading the beams as if weaving through them.

The fifty beams fell to the ground without even grazing Homura, twinkling explosions were produced in the darkness and transfigured the continent below Homura’s eyes including Ayers Rock into bright red lava from the heat.

“…Chih-“

Homura clicked his tongue from looking at the state of the desolated wasteland that was trampled down by strength back into the primeval earth.

“Just because this is not the hometown of you bastard ain’t you rampaging too much here. Are you a yankee that goes wild on a field trip! ―Vel!”

“Nn.”

Vel whose name was called took action just as Homura wished without being told.

Her human form crumbled into pieces of paper and danced in the wind.

And then the pieces of paper gathered in Homura’s both hands as if being sucked―

The shape transformed into two black handguns.

Homura clutched the <Liber Legis> that transformed into two handguns and put his fingers on the triggers,

 

“The power of the sparkling golden sun      exercise authority and destroy the impurity with the world destroying conflagration of light”

 

While chanting the spell, he aimed at the giant demon that was so big the tips of its head was blurred and fired rapidly.

The aim was of course, the weak points that Elfiena told him.

The right chest and left shoulder where the hearts were located.

Homura couldn’t handle a gun as skilled as Sumika, but with a target this big there was no way he could miss.

But, would a large mountain shake just by driving a stake into it?

No.

The giant <Hecatoncheires> was also the same.

With a bullet that was fired from the gun of the size that a human hand could hold, it wouldn’t even pierce through its skin.

Even in the case that the bullet pierced through, it was just like being stung by a fly.

Surely it wouldn’t feel any pain.

Correct, that was―if the bullet didn’t come from the <Evil God User> Kamishiro Homura.

{OOoo… O!?}

Instantly, <Hecatoncheires> that was proud of its body and didn’t even try to evade Homura’s bullets, trembled as if being struck by lightning.

At the same time from the left shoulder and right chest that Homura shot with his bullets, blinding light scorching twilight began to leak out.

That was the light of fire element fifth grade sorcery <{{furigana|Ancient Zero|Flame of Origin}}> that Homura shot along with the bullets.

Ancient Zero―energy that rivaled the sun was created inside <Hecatoncheires>’ flesh and dissolved its flesh and blood. Expression of agony appeared on all fifty of its faces without exception, before long―

{AAAAAAAAaaAAaAaaaaaaa!!!!!!}

Just when it raised a remarkably loud shriek, the energy that couldn’t be stored inside the flesh anymore finally broke through the skin surface and caused heat explosions at the shoulder and chest.

Wind hole was opened from its right chest that reached until its stomach, while the left shoulder was blown away from its base and its arms tore apart like trash.

Squall of blood and flesh rained down onto the ground.

But, inside that storm there was not even a flicker of flame.

The reason was―

“――”

While the bloody mist hadn’t even cleared yet, rust-colored granulation tissue gushed out like bubbles from the cross section of <Hecatoncheires>’ torn shoulder and the hole of its chest, filling out the wound in the blink of an eye, new giant arms that had no difference at all from the ones before were growing from the blown off shoulder.

The damage from <Ancient Zero> didn’t remain at all.

As expected, what Elfiena said was not a lie.

Certainly it was an absurd regeneration power.

“I might get worried if I got shown this without any information at all beforehand.”

However, Homura right now understood where the source of that regeneration power came from.

It was from the last heart.

Then,

“When it’s regenerating, the blood and magic power should be flowing from its last heart towards the damaged part. ―Vel. Can you search for it?”

Vel whose form was transformed into two handguns returned an affirmative through <mind communication> for Homura’s question.

“Somehow or other. Even now, certainly, there is magic power flowing from somewhere in its body. There is no mistake that this abnormal regeneration power is a certain [divine protection] that has its origin in magic power. If Master can destroy the hearts two more times, I think I can understand it.”

“Then I’ll leave that to you. After all, I’m bad at searching for things like that.”

“Understood.”

After determining their battle plan like that, Homura newly created bullets of <Ancient Zero> with alchemy and loaded it into Vel’s magazine.

But, at the same time,

{……I see now. As expected you are the <Evil God User> huh…}

“Hm?”

A low voice that was similar with basso continuo reverberating from the deep bottom of the abyss entered his earlobe.

It was a [Concept Translation] from <Hecatoncheires> that until now had never tried to exchange words with him.

{The power that defeated Typhon and Jambure… it seems that it’s not wholly a foolish rumor. …It’s something considerable with a body that small. …It surprised me a little.}

“…Even I’m surprised here. You can talk huh. I thought that you cannot say anything other than ‘uooouooo’.”

{I don’t feel any necessity to converse with a lower race. Even without understanding words it’s fine to just make them obey with force. …But, …it’s fine to even exchange words if it’s with you.}

“What’s with that? A friendship that grows from punching each other?”

{In the first place… my arrival in the human world is because of you as my objective.}

“What?”

Homura’s eyes opened wide from these unexpected words of <Hecatoncheires>.

“What d’you mean by that?”

<Hecatoncheires> answered Homura’s questioning back.

The true motive of it marching to the human world. That was―

{I have no interest in a world this small… The one that holds my interest in this world is only one. The human magician that had been showed able to defeat even two demon kings of the demon world. …You have shown me your power enough. You pass. I have no more need for an army that is only numbers… <Evil God User>. Come to the demon world as my subordinate……! And then, together with me, how about trying to control the whole demon world……!}

Correct, the reason was none other than this.

<Hecatoncheires> was not coming her to rule the human world.

In order to participate once more in the conflict for hegemony of the demon world, it came to headhunt the hero of the humans whose name resounded wide even in the demon world―the <Evil God User> Kamishiro Homura.

Hearing this even Homura was dumbfounded from a great shock,

“――…hahahaha-! Oi, oi, you serious there?”

After a while, Homura burst out laughing.

“Never thought a demon is gonna headhunt me. As expected, I never expected this development at all.”

Homura clapped and laugh from the amusing event that he couldn’t endure.

Really, it was truly a laughable story.

Even though Homura fought for humanity’s sake, even though he exorcised demons for humanity’s sake, yet despite so―

Whether it was Elfiena or <Hecatoncheires>, the evaluation of him socially was higher in the demon world than in the human world.

There was no funnier story in the world than this.

However―

“…Well, I gotta decline though.”

Homura bluntly refused <Hecatoncheires>’ invitation.

{Why……? This world… is too cramped for you. You should know that.}

“Certainly that’s true, …but you, you got no eyes at all. To call out to me of all things, that’s a no no, yeah. Really.”

{What are you saying… The only one who possesses power fitting for the demon world on this small planet is only you… Stop your clumsy modesty… I have properly evaluated you―}

“That ain’t my meaning, idiot.”

{What……!?}

<Hecatoncheires>’ eyes quietly narrowed from that sudden scorn directed to it.

But Homura didn’t pay it any mind,

“A strong fellow won’t obey any fellow except one that is stronger than him. Then… there ain’t any way me that is stronger than you bastard will obey you, get it. The time when you cannot understand that already told me just what kind of decoration you have as eyes. Besides… haha-, come to the demon world? Control the demon world? That’s a laugh. You idiot cannot even see the situation. Y’think there is any way you can return back to the demon world or anywhere?

 

―After all, you are gonna get killed by me right here, right now.”

 

He replied with the greatest provocation.

Naturally <Hecatoncheires>’ voice trembled with rage from this behavior of Homura.

{…………Now you said it. ……An existence that is just a speck of dust at best… saying that he is going to kill this king of the [Giant race] <Hecatoncheires>……. Don’t get conceited human……-! I don’t know how you can know about my heart somehow but……, to try to oppose me alone with that tiny body, …know your place……-!}

<Hecatoncheires> who announced that suddenly threw away the giant rock sword that it held.

“……?”

It threw away its weapon in front of the enemy.

Homura tilted his head towards this action that was in reverse from its words.

But, he soon understood what <Hecatoncheires> was going to do.

<Hecatoncheires> bended that gigantic body and thrust its giant arms and several of its additional arms to the ground.

“Don’t tell me……-“

Vel leaked out a stiff voice from the worst premonition.

And it was exactly like her premonition.

{NuuUuuUUuuuUUUUNNNNN……—!!!!}

<Hecatoncheires>’ muscles in its whole body were projected out and exhibited its whole physical strength.

Instantly, together with a sound of destruction that was hard to describe ―the earth crust was torn and lifted off.

The earth crust was lifted highly above <Hecatoncheires>’ head, it was a mass of rock that was a little bigger than even an island that might reach a diameter of 10 kilometers. The <Giant Army> remnants that still barely survived even after receiving the shockwaves from the battle of Homura and <Hecatoncheires> were thrown off into the air from the momentum of being lifted up and scattered like dust.

But the demon king of giants didn’t even pay any mind towards those demons who were once its underlings.

{OOOOooOoooOoooOoOooooo――――–!!!!}

The lifted up earth crust was thrown just like that to Homura.

Just like the legend from the time of Titanomachia, that was told in generation on the earth without titans, where a rock so gigantic to the degree it shook the earth was thrown by titans, it must have looked exactly like this.

Looking at it from the point of view of the small Homura, it was a sight that even looked like a planet falling at him.

Against this overwhelming destructive power that came from pure mass,

“……-!”

As expected even Homura had his expression tensed from it.