Chapter 58 – Head on

“Ya buuurned iiiiiiitt!! I didn’t doooo nothing, ta yaaaaa! But why? The house! The field I worked hard ta raise! My crops! What made ya ruin them, whyyyyyy!!”

Just a scream, like a violent storm blowing through, and if I get careless, it would blow me away.

“Gah, Mo…ster —”

At that time, a man who was in tatters at Mr. Aka’s feet looked up.

That time, at the guild in town wasn’t it, the man who called himself ‘Fuuma’.

“Nii-san!?”

“Eh… Shh… Shino… bu.”

And, I was taken aback by Shinobu’s words.

Then, Shinobu’s big brother… that was said to be a genius… suffered such damage!

“Do ya know how hard it is ta build a house!? Find a quiet place, down the trees by yerself, cut wood, pile it up, and if ya think yer done it at last, rain and wind come, break it easy and ya start over, think about it, and do yer best ta make it work!”

And, Mr. Aka grabs the dying Fuuma’s neck and lifts him.

“Do ya know how hard it is to grow vegetables in the field? Find a good sunny spot, too much rain will wither them and even if I take my eyes off, birds and animals would eat them, but I am glad that it grows little by little. and it’s good…Why do ya do this!!”

Mr. Aka is furious. His expression is ferocious…… No, it’s filled with red tears.

“Why did ya do iiiiiiiiiiit!”

Then, that sincere cry, wrenched at my heart.

Why did this happen? You shouldn’t have done anything.

Mr. Aka did nothing…

“Like that, don’t, play yourself as the victim… you ogre… how many have you destroyed, wounded, slain, ravaged, and violated among those who lived peacefully…”

“Huh!?”

However, Fuuma, who was seized by the neck, hit Mr.Aka with his words while holding on to his life.

They were words directed to the existence of ‘ogre’ rather than ‘Aka’.

“As emotions go… so little made you enraged…… attempting to eliminate such dangers…… what’s wrong with it! Such as a beast that doesn’t recognize itself as dangerous, depart from this world!!”

At that moment, a glint in the dying Fuuma’s eye held his strength, and he tried to do something with his hands folded.

That, he’s using the Seal(Hand Signs) Shinobu was performing earlier.

“Not good, Mr. Aka, watch out ――――”

Then I regretted my delay.

If I had talked to Aka without being scared earlier…

“Fire Art, 【Flame Cannon Blast(Blazing Chorus) 】!!”

A huge flame emanated from Fuuma’s mouth.

Aka was bathed with a tremendous amount of heat that burned and melted everything.

“Ah, Mr. Aka!”

If you’re exposed to such a big flame, normally…

“…… Unforgivable…”

“Huh?”

But Mr. Aka isn’t normal. He’s much stronger than I imagined.

The skin, which had been dyed by scorching heat, became even darker and eventually became completely jet black.

The color of the whole body changed, as if the skin he wore was broken through and the real skin underneath exposed.

Even the sharp horns underwent an ominous transformation, and the eyes became sharper and more violent.

“Ugaogaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!”

The Aka I knew, was not there anymore.

“Gugaraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

“Uuuurghh!?”

The ogre, who completely took off the veil, threw Fuuma with all his might.

His body hits the ground and is violently convulsing.

The ogre flies toward an immobile Fuuma and tries to step on him.

“No-Not good. Nii-san!”

“Oh, ah…”

Shinobu quickly enters the scene and flies off with Fuuma.

However, the ogre landed hard on the ground, breaking the ground with its strength and opening a huge hole, and the ground shook like an earthquake had occurred.

If he had received something like that…

“Gaaaaaa…. Ugaaaaaaaaa!!”

And he never stopped. The eyes of the beast no longer see anything, they just rampage as if they were destroying everything on the spot.

“Th-this is bad… Nii-san, everybody, we’ll retreat for the time being!”

“Shinobu… but…and…”

“You’re in no shape. Right now, there’s nothing to say in this situation with our downed companions!”

Anyway, Shinobu shouted at me that I should run away now.

Friends?

Yes, I…

『There is no end to it. It cannot even hear your voice anymore. All consciousness and thought is lost, and it will not stop until all around is destroyed. Tis that kind of race.』

“Tre’ainar…”

『Even though, tis surprising. I knew he was powerful, but did not know much about the owner of that power, so he did not leave a name for himself in history… he is comparable to the top-ranking officer of the Demon Army ‘Demon General Rokuha’, is he not?』

“What?”

From Tre’ainar’s mouth, the rampaging ogre… no, Aka’s power. The power line’s up with the owners of the legendary title that even I know.

『Do you know what that means? Child.』

“Oh… If he rampages with such power…”

『Not so.』

“Huh?”

『Why do you think, with all that strength, he was buried from knowledge? If I had known that a man of such power existed, I would have made him a senior executive of the Demon King’s Army with exceptional treatment.』

I couldn’t answer that question. Then, with a sad look, Tre’ainar looked towards the rampaging Aka…

『He is probably a former Demon King soldier, but… all through his life, never unleashed himself in a fit of rage…. without using that power in a flashy manner…… he is not one to lose himself in instinctual violence… somehow continually supporting his livelihood, it seems… somewhere without divergence…… after the war, endured on his own and lived quietly.』

“Huh?”

『He is certainly an ogre. The fate of the race cannot be reversed. But still… after all, that ogre might have had a special heart. But that too…… stupid ones have ruined everything.』

I see. He had that much power.

To be clear, more than anyone I’ve ever come across except my father, his power evokes an overwhelming chill.

If he feels like it, he could do anything.

He could easily destroy or rule over one or two cities.

However, Mr. Aka didn’t make a name for himself in the war.

So even Tre’ainar didn’t know about Aka.

Why is that?

『Well, I care not about the past anymore… tis too late… no voice can reach him anymore…. until the rampage ends.』

Well, now, I don’t know what kind of life Mr. Aka has led.

What is important is what I do now by seeing this situation.

『Well, child… What will you do?』

Tre’ainar once again tries to ask me.

He’s asking me to show my answer again.

I’m scared of Aka’s transformation….

“Goodness … really, I am… useless”

『Child?』

“I was scared of Aka’s powers, he’s more powerful than I expected… I was afraid …. I dangerously came close to doing the same thing.”

Yes, I remembered.

“You pointed out a boomerang to me last night, didn’t you?”

The boomerang that Tre’ainar pointed out.

I used Tre’ainar’s technique, and my father and everyone in the Imperial city despised me.

To those guys, I spit up, ‘Don’t bring up the war of the past’.

But on the other hand, when I was surprised last night by the fact that Aka might be a former Demon King soldier, Tre’ainar grinned and said, ‘are you concerned about the war that ended before you were born’.

It’s the same as that.

“Because I used unexpected power …”

That was also yesterday.

“The more fear you see in the face of your loved ones, the more you hurt…”

Sadiz’s outcry in the match comes to mind.

I will never forget her expression at the time.

That’s why I can’t let Aka taste the same thing.

Don’t be scared. Don’t give up. Rather step on!

“Mr. Aka…”

I stepped forward and finally called to Mr. Aka.

“Hey, you!? What are you doing!??”

“…… He…… surely…”

Shinobu, who was about to leave the scene, quickly tried to stop me, but I stepped forward.

And Aka turns and looks at me.

“Grr?”

“Mr. Aka… I’m sorry I’m late… it was hard… I’m sorry… The cake, too… I messed it up somehow.”

“Gugaaaaaaaaahh!!!”

Aka, who has forgotten himself in his rage, can’t seem to recognize me anymore.

Even when he saw me, he just raised a roar like a beast and started attacking me.

“Ugaaaaaaaaahhh!!!”

“Whoa!?”

Fast. Reflexively activated breakthrough to defend. However, even in the breakthrough state, Aka’s powerful arm blows me away.

“Gah, tah…ah, Mr. Aka…”

My back crashed into a tree, numbing my whole body, and stopping my breath for a moment.

“Yes… he’s kind…… with skillful hands, a good cook… and yet, so strong…. Mr. Aka… amazing.”

“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!”

Fast and strong. The breakthrough state was wiped out in an instant.

This is Mr. Aka’s true power.

But that’s why I can’t run away.

“Oh, that’s okay, Aka. Mr. Aka did nothing wrong. Even humans go wild when they get angry and snap. They hit things, destroy them, and abuse their parents…. Mr. Aka… he’s just a little stronger than other people… What you’re doing is normal.”

“Ugaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!”

Aka swung his fist toward me as I got up.

A ridiculous right strong swing. If I get hit straight, I’ll be splattered into pieces of meat.

But strangely, I had no fear at this time.

The angle of Aka’s fist and the movement of his muscles came to me naturally, and I was able to evade without using the breakthrough this time.

“I’m sorry… because we humans are too weak…… our mind is too narrow… even though Mr. Aka is such a big guy… he said he wanted to be friends with us…”

“Urgh! Gaaaah!! Grrraaaaaaaaaahhh!!!”

“I’m really sorry… Mr. Aka… that’s why, I am!”

This time, it is Aka’s left full swing. But before the punch, which was obviously too big, I thrust my right straight up Aka’s vacant face.

A punch that projects out diagonally. It’s less powerful than a normal straight.

However, it struck like a counter.

“Ga, ah… Gaaaaaaahhh!!”

Mr. Aka took a blow from me, but he doesn’t look frightened. Even if I hit him with the counter, this is it.

Not only power, but also the hardness and toughness of the body are clearly different.

If you’re going to fight, theoretically it’s best to take a good distance and fight with speed.

But this is not a battle.

“Mr. Aka is too strong… If he gets a little violent, it’s disastrous to humans… you can’t even have an argument with each other…. really, it’s a lot, isn’t it?”

“Ugaaraaaaaaaaaahhh!!!”

“That’s why I at least… when Mr. Aka gets angry, I’ll be the opponent who can fight him openly. And I’ll make you feel refreshed! To the point where Mr. Aka can vent his anger! I’ll face this Mr. Aka, not only the one who’s kind!”

It’s not a battle. It’s a fight. It’s not a fight to win, it’s a fight to hit at your opponent’s thoughts.

To reach Mr. Aka who loses himself and rages.

Such is my answer, to Tre’ainar’s inquiry.

『Is that your answer?』

“Ah.”

『Why do you go so far? After all, you just met this ogre yesterday, right?』

“Oh, yes. But…… the ogre I just met…”

Why am I here? My answer was simple.

― still, isn’t he the son of the hero?

―it’s not a skill used by warriors

― Warrior disqualification!

― Permanent expulsion from the warrior world!

All the voices that I have been bathed with until now are words directed at ‘The Son of the Hero’.

My life up to this point, praise and criticism were all words said towards my title.

But the ogre I just met yesterday… Mr. Aka…

― Earth, you’re amazing.

He knows nothing about my identity or title….

“Because he said the words I wanted the most in my life.”

He recognized me not as the son of a hero, but as Earth.

That’s why I have to respond!

You should respond!

『Is that so?』

At that time, Tre’ainar, who was beside me, laughed.

“Now, let’s keep going, Mr. Aka.”

I’m not taking a step back. I’ll show you that determination.

“I’m not running away.”

“Garr?”

“Come on. Don’t hold back, don’t hesitate, go all out, Aka!”

There was no such thing as winning or losing.

Simply, to reach him!

With that in mind, I roar as well.