The World Is Overflowing with Monster, I’m Taking a Liking to This Life - Chapter 209: Declaration of War

“Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!”

“Goaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

In a corner of the campsite, the High Orc and I were engaged in a fierce battle.

The High Orc’s weak point is water.

I know that, but I can’t find a way to exploit that weakness.

Perhaps he’s anticipating my movements.

If I try to splash him with water, he will instantly prepare to deal with it.

–How annoying.

I don’t know why he remembers the fight with me, but the experience has made him several times stronger.

“Goaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

“Tsk!”

The High Orc kicked the ground and drew closer.

He used his sword to slice me in half.

I managed to dodge it by a hair’s breadth.

–I can see its movement.

The High Orc’s movements that I couldn’t even follow with my eyes before.

And I can respond to it.

“Zekage!”

“Goa……!”

Previously, his shadows could not stop the High Orc’s moment.

But now, even if the High Orc was in a crazed state, his shadows were enough to hinder his movements.

“Water Absorption Technique.”

The moment his movement slowed down, I activated the Water Absorption Technique.

A turbulent current rose up and tried to swallow the High Orc.

“Goaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

But just before it could do so, the High Orc roared.

For a moment, the water and the shadows’ restraints were interrupted.

The shadows were torn off, and he escaped.

He leaped to a tree trunk, used it as a foothold, and landed in the opposite direction as if he was a master of light footwork.

The shadow’s restraint caused a little blood to spill from his body, but that was all.

“Goa……”

The High Orc smiled and looked at me.

It really is fun.

From the bottom of his heart, he seems to be enjoying the moment.

–Fighting is everything.

For the High Orc, the reason for his resurrection and the accumulation of his memories are just trivial matters.

The only thing that matters is this one battle.

The frenzy and joy of the battle is coursing through his veins and reviving his heart.

“You’re a real pain in the ass……”

“Goaa……”

–If you can’t splash water on me, you don’t stand a chance.

Although a variety of skills can compensate for this, the basic stats of the High Orc are still superior.

On top of that, when they are not drenched in water, their “berserk” status increases their power by several times.

He is strong. It was a miracle and a coincidence that we were able to win that time.

“But if it is now…!”

I clenched my teeth and stepped on the ground.

In my right hand, I equipped the Hammer of Destruction.

It’s a head-on fight.

“Goaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Naturally, he put down his sword and thrust his fist at me, as if he wanted to take me on.

Yeah, that’s right.

That’s the kind of guy you are.

If you challenge him head on, he’ll definitely come at you in return.

So– I’m going to take advantage of that.

Aren’t you forgetting, High Orc?

My fighting style is not a frontal assault, it’s all about surprise and deception.

The hammer and the High Orc’s fist collided.

The recoil is tremendous.

But he, too, hardened his body to absorb the recoil.

“Now! Everyone, attack!”

“Goa……!

It was my clones that attacked the High Orc from both the sides and behind.

Of course, an unarmed clone’s attack would be of no threat to the High Orcs.

–Unless his whole body was ‘drenched’ in water.

I activated my shadow clone before the water absorbing technique I used earlier.

Then, I hid my clones in the bushes so that he would not notice me.

The water that was avoided by the High Orc before ended up splashing my clones which were hiding in the bushes.

“Hold him!”

Even though they can’t use their skills, my clones have the same status as me.

If so, there is no excuse for me to cling to the High Orc by myself.

Their water soaked clothes drenched the High Orc with water.

“Goaaaaaaaaaaaaa?!”

The High Orc couldn’t stand the scorching pain on his face.

The water was making his skin bleed, making him look unsightly.

“Stop!”

I’ll end this!

I took out the Orc knife from the item box and charged forwards.

Just in time.

At this distance, my blade will pierce his vitals before he can scream or attack.

“Goa……”

The High Orc must have sensed this.

Astonishment. Frenzy. Admiration. These were the emotions he felt for the one who had surpassed his own strength.

But, the fire in his eyes had not died yet.

(This guy, does he still have something up his sleeve–)

He took a deep breath in.

Shouting skills? No, not possible. There was no way he could make it in time.

And the next moment, I realized that I had still underestimated the High Orc’s persistence.

Immediately afterwards, there was a bang.

“Gaha…… what the…..?”

What?

What just happened?

My vision shook unsteadily.

I felt an intense pain and nausea assaulting my senses.

The next thing I knew, I was blown away and was lying on the ground.

Was I attacked? But how?

It should have been perfect. There was no way he could have fought back from that distance at that moment.

“Guh…”

I somehow managed to get up and look at the High Orc.

When I saw him, I understood what had happened.

“Goa……a……a…….”

The High Orc was a battered mess, he was covered in…… scars.

He was bleeding everywhere, his skin was burned and his chest in particular was heavily injured. I could see the exposed bones and internal organs.

“You’re joking…..”

I couldn’t believe it.

But there was no doubt.

–He covered his own mouth.

Just before he was about to scream, the High Orc covered his own mouth.

He must not have known what would happen if he did that.

It was as if he had swallowed a bomb that was about to explode.

The result is the tattered state he is in now.

–But if he hadn’t done that, he would have died.

The explosion that erupted inside his body prevented my blade from reaching him.

And that’s when he punched me in the face.

“But… would you still do that even if you knew what would have happened?”

“Gao…..”

Even in his bloodied and battered state, the High Orc was still laughing.

It’s not over yet, the game is still on.

“You’re completely out of your mind….”

You will go so far just for this?

You like fighting that much?

I really don’t understand.

I hate …… fighting.

I hate the pain, I hate the scars.

But if I don’t want to die, I have to fight.

In order to survive, I have to win.

“Zekage…..”

I cloaked my entire body in shadow, forcing my body to move.

The High Orc rushed in without any regard for his wounds.

The way he came at me with his sword in one hand reminded me of that battle.

“Uaaaahhhh!”

“Goaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Clash.

Our blades crossed.

I was a second faster than him.

I pierced the High Orc’s vitals.

“G-aaah……”

The second death.

Even though he was on his knees, even though he was on the verge of death, he was still smiling.

–It’s a pity. I wanted to fight more.

He wore that kind of expression.

“Thanks… Rufen.”

I really don’t want to say this.

But I think I should say it, at least to this guy.

At least as a sign of respect.

“Goa….?”

Because if I hadn’t met the High Orc in the first place.

I’m sure I would have been proud of myself.

I’m sure I would have become complacent and would have died easily.

“I’m glad I met you…..”

It was because of you that I was able to do my best.

It was because of you that I was able to stay alert, it was because of you I did not get carried away, and kept growing.

I was able to survive in this world.

Because of you.

“……..Aa”

At the last moment, Rufen lightly tapped my chest with his remaining right hand.

It was as if he was telling me to keep up the good work.

And then, his body disappeared.

It’s over.

And so, the second battle between me and the High Orc came to an end.

Meanwhile, at that time.

Goshogawara Satsuki was overwhelmed by the army of monsters that suddenly appeared in front of her and her companions.

“What the hell is this horde of monsters…… and where the hell did they come from….?”

There are too many of them.

Where on earth did all these monsters appear from?

I didn’t feel any signs of their presence or anything.

These monsters really appeared ‘out of nowhere’.

On top of that, there were orcs, goblins, shadow wolves, skeletons, and many other types.

The most eye-catching of them all was the huge golem and the metal lizard.

Moreover, the screams that I heard right after the monsters appeared was also worrisome.

It was a chilling scream that sent shivers down my spine.

There are probably monsters nearby that are more powerful than these guys.

“Any, anyway, everyone, we have to get out of here as quickly as possible…….”

This is not a situation that we can handle on our own.

We need to leave this place as soon as possible.

Then I heard a voice from a distance.

“Oy! Goshogawara-! Over here!”

“Everyone!”

When I looked in the direction of the voice, I saw my comrades waving at me from a short distance away.

The man Kazuto had described as charming was on the front. He was surrounded by other members who were not suited for combat.

Satsuki quickly joined them.

“Hah…… hah…… you okay?”

”For now, yeah. But if we stay here, we’ll be wiped out. We have to get out of here.”

“Right…… But where?”

“Hey, hey, hey, did you forget? Didn’t Aiba find a few emergency shelters for us? That’s where we’re headed. I’m sure the rest of the team is already on their way.”

“Oh, okay…..”

In the confusion, I had forgotten all about it.

Aiba had always trained them for such a situation.

She was once again impressed by his careful preparation.

” …… I’m glad we had an emergency plan and training for this”

“Yeah, thanks to Aiba.”

“That’s right. We’ll have to thank him once we manage to escape.”

I can’t see Aiba anywhere, but I’m sure if it’s him, he’ll be fine.

No one here doubted Aiba’s safety.

That’s how much absolute trust they had in Aiba.

“Okay, let’s go!”

“Yes!”

As they desperately dealt with the monsters attacking them, they secured a path of retreat.

But it was difficult to escape while carrying non-combatants.

“……! That’s not good……”

The charming guy’s face tensed up as he looked at the sight in front of him.

More monsters appeared and blocked their way.

“No way…… why……?”

There it was again.

There was no sound or sign of them earlier.

They appeared “suddenly” again.

And that’s not all.

There are so many different kinds of monsters standing together, but they didn’t fight each other, they didn’t try to drag each other down, they just aimed for us.

There has never been a case where monsters have fought together.

“Gigi……”

“Goaa…”

The orcs and goblins smiled viciously as they walked towards Satsuki and the others.

It was as if they were saying, “We’re not going to let you go this time.”

“Che… Per-sis-tent… Satsuki!

“We’ll draw the monster’s aggro! Take the others and run!”

“No way ……! No, you can’t do that!”

“We’re going to get killed anyway! In that case, we will buy time and let as many people as possible escape!”

“B, but…”

A brief moment of hesitation.

Monsters do not miss such opportunities.

The monsters attacked the women simultaneously.

But…

“–Irfrit.”

“Goaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

With a roar, a red lotus-like flame engulfed the monsters.

In an instant, the monsters around them were burned to the ground.

“Wh, What?!”

“What is that ……? A flame …… giant?”

A dark-skinned giant with flames floated in the air.

Everyone understood at a glance. This is, by far, the most dangerous monster they’ve ever seen.

“Don’t just stand there! Hurry up and run!”

“Eh? Ah, yes.”

The girls were confused by Irfrit’s appearance, but a sudden voice brought them back to their senses and they started running.

(Ju, Just now, whose voice was that…..?)

It was a voice they had never heard before.

It sounded like a woman’s voice.

And, the voice sounded strange, as if it was coming directly from my head.

No, now was not the time to think about it.

Anyway, we have to leave this place as soon as possible.

While the monsters were distracted by the flaming giant, Satsuki and the others left the scene.

“You’re making me go through a lot of trouble…..”

“Sorry…”

After confirming that Satsuki and the others had left the area, Rebel stepped out from the bushes.

Next to her, Aiba stood there, holding his chest in pain with a look of anguish on his face.

“Everyone….. sorry …….”

Aiba gazed sadly at the backs of Satsuki and the other members who were running away.

If he could, he really wanted to rush to them right away.

However, if his ability was out of control, as Rebel guessed, he couldn’t approach them carelessly.

I didn’t know what kind of effect my rampant ability would have on them.

“By the way, these monsters keep popping up one after another. There’s no end to them.”

When Rebel raised her hand, Irfrit’s flames burned the monsters to the ground.

At this point, they had lost count of how many monsters they had killed. Perhaps it was in the tens or it was in the hundreds. There were too many to count.

Even so, Aiba’s ‘reanimation’ did not stop the monsters from spawning one after the other.

(There’s no sign of them stopping….)

Rebel pondered a way to put an end to this mess as she and Ifrit wiped out the monsters.

If killing Aiba would have stopped the outburst of the skill, she would have killed him quickly.

But even if the skill holder died, there was no guarantee that the effects of the skill would disappear.

And moreover, the current Aiba was an undead.

Some of the higher level undead have skills, such as “Curse” and “Parting Gift,” which are activated after death, and their effects are often random.

In addition, this world is different from the one she came from.

Depending on the system, there is a good chance that the effects and rules of the skills will also be different from the existing ones.

Worst of all, there is even the possibility that all the monsters that have died so far will also be reanimated.

If that were to happen, it would be difficult to even prepare for a war against the otherworlders.

Even though she had been given knowledge of the system and a spare key to access the system, her knowledge was not ‘all-powerful’.

“Well, there are still things I can do.”

“Goa…..”

After clearing away the small fries, Rebel and Ifrit turned their attention to the monster standing at some distance away.

“—-ruuuuuuuuuu……”

It is a giant cluster of rocks, even bigger than Ifrit.

The Guardian Golem – the name of which is Titan.

It is the monster that once nearly destroyed the city hall.

“Guardian of the Royal Tomb, huh……”

Sensing its power, Rebel smiled.

It is probably equal to Ifrit in terms of simple strength.

If it’s her ability, she can defeat it with one hand.

But,

“Ruooooooooooooooo!”

Rebel just stared in silence at the fist of rock that was approaching at breakneck speed.

She could feel it’s strength and domineering presence on her skin, a tingling sensation crept up her spine.

“Hey, Rebel! What are you doing? Hurry up and block–“

Even the stunned Aiba was taken aback by the scene.

Just what the hell is she thinking?

The Titan’s fist was already in front of them.

This will crush both of them.

“Hey, Iver? Isn’t it wonderful?”

The Titan’s fist paused right in front of her.

No, it had been stopped.

It was stopped by Rebel, who had extended her right hand.

“Wha…?!”

“Ruuu…?”

Aiba was stunned.

The Titan is also equally surprised.

That thin arm was enough to stop his fist?

“Ruo …… Roooooooooooooowwwwwww!”

I can’t believe it.

The Titan raised his fist again and tried to smash the person in front of him.

But no matter how many times he attacked, she was not crushed. She would not fall.

Rebel’s smile deepened as she received the attacks.

“The guardians of the tomb have been recreated. That means they defeated this thing once, right?”

Even in the world they were in, a Titan – ‘the Guardian of the Tomb’ – was a well-known monster.

It had high status and the skill to create alter egos. In addition, it had the skills to mimic and hide itself in the surrounding scenery.

The only problem was that it didn’t do anything unless you approached the tomb it was guarding, so it wasn’t a target for elimination, but its power was more than enough to be called a powerhouse even in the world they were in.

“I’m sure that I and the members of the advance team can easily defeat something like this. But that’s because of the strength we’ve built up over the decades and the knowledge we’ve inherited from our predecessors.”

But they are different.

Unlike us, they defeated this thing completely from scratch, with no strength or knowledge from others.

It was only seven days after the world had become like this, after they had acquired their power.

I wonder if they realize how great of a feat that is.

“Hey, Iver. You said it yourself, didn’t you? You said that you changed your mind after interacting with the people of this world.”

“……”

“I think so too.”

Suddenly, Rebel’s hand shone brightly.

There was a sword of light in her hand.

“They will be much stronger in the future. In six months …… or even less, they will have the strength to challenge us.”

Rebel muttered a small “I’m sorry” and swung her sword of light down.

The Titan’s body was ripped in half.

Without suffering or letting out a cry of despair, the Titan’s body collapsed.

“Haha….. you’re still as amazing as ever.”

The overwhelming power made Aiba break out in a smile.

The next moment, however, that smile froze.

The tip of Rebel’s light sword was pointed at him.

“…! Wha, what…?”

“Don’t worry, Iver. I’m not going to kill you. I just need to deal with the fucking idiot inside you.”

“……?”

Aiba nodded his head in confusion.

Rebel was not concerned about him.

“I know you can hear me, ‘Randall’. You’re a meticulous person, aren’t you? I’m sure you’ve got some sort of system in place to transmit the information that Iver sees and hears back to you, right”

“Wha…?!”

Aiba’s expression tensed at those words.

Then, unexpectedly, a voice echoed inside Rebel and Aiba’s minds.

[…… I’m surprised. I didn’t expect to be spotted.]

It was a man’s voice with a slight noise mixed in.

It was probably being transmitted from the other side of the world through Aiba and the system.

[How long have you been aware of this?]

“Since the beginning.”

Since I heard Aiba’s story, to be exact, but I didn’t bother to mention it.

[My my, you really are amazing. As expected of the current King of Death.]

“Thank you. It’s a shame, though. If you had been here, I would have torn you to pieces in a heartbeat.”

Rebel did not even try to hide her anger.

Of course.

The owner of this voice is the kind of person she hates the most.

It’s the kind of asshole who tries to accomplish his goals without getting his hands dirty.

[Why are you angry? He volunteered to do it himself, right? What’s wrong with that?]

“You’re the one who coaxed him into it.”

[No, no, no, not at all. But I didn’t expect him…… to be so easily won over by the local monkeys.]

“……!”

Aiba’s expression changed at those words.

“Please change your mind, Randall! They are not lowly apes! They are human beings just like us! We should stop the invasion plan now and find a way to live with them!”

These were words that came from his heart.

Aiba could no longer see Satsuki and the others as enemies.

He could feel him considering it for a bit.

[…… Hmm, you’re right, Iver. You’re right. The people of your world are not lowly apes. I’ll change my mind.]

“Randall…..”

He felt relieved for a moment.

But, that was a mistake.

[Let’s identify them as definite ‘enemies’ of ours. We will eradicate them without leaving a single one alive.]

“Wh……?! Randall ……?”

[It’s not a bad idea to collar them and keep them under control if they’re just monkeys, but if they can use their power the same way we do, that’s a different story. After all, we shouldn’t leave any undesirable creatures in our new home.]

“……”

Aiba was speechless.

After involving the people of this world in this mess for their own selfish reasons, this is what they say.

And they don’t feel guilty about it at all. He is speaking about it as if this is a matter of course.

I thought he would understand if I told him.

I thought that if he knew the people of this world as well as I did, he would change his mind.

But I was wrong.

The man he had thought was one of his own was a monster that he could not understand.

Aiba gulped and despaired at that fact.

[Well, I don’t care about that useless trash anymore, but you, Lady Rebel, are different. Are you still going to help the people of that world?]

“What does that…… mean?”

[It’s not too late to come back here. It is true that your power is great, but do you really think you can defeat us all by yourself?]

“……fufu”

[……What’s so funny?]

“No, because what you said was so far off the mark……  Hey, Randall? I’ll tell you what you seem to have misunderstood.”

Rebel breathed in.

“–The people of this world are not as weak as you think.”

I’m going to say it. Clearly.

And then she heard a sigh of exasperation.

[……Well, well, well… I didn’t expect the King of Death to speak such nonsense.]

“If you want to think that, go ahead. But it’s true.”

Rebel is convinced.

They are strong. And they will get stronger.

The system has given them a power they should never have.

“Come if you will, Advance Team. You’ll be dealing with me and the people of this world.”

These were words of farewell.

It was a farewell, and a clear declaration of war to the other world.

*****