CHAPTER 20: THE MAN OF ABSOLUTE MIGHT
"Eh? Wait for me...!"
Kaji Takaomi was still in a daze, watching the other three already climbing the stairs toward the upper floors.
Baku looked back over his shoulder. "Keep up, Kaji-kun! Or I really am going to leave you behind."
Kaji snapped out of it and scrambled after them. Even though they were technically in a "race" against the team of Ren and the Man of the Divine Realm, they were trapped on the same path. Without tools to cut the piano-wire traps below, the only way was up.
5th Floor. Office.
Q-Taro waited patiently, checking his gold pocket watch. He listened for the music of a trap being sprung—a sudden scream, the sound of flesh being sliced—but the building remained silent.
"Oh... no sound? Did they go up?"
"I planned to use those little wire traps to scare them, to use their cries of agony as an appetizer. It seems I underestimated their caution..."
"Are they heading for the rooftop? What a collection of fools!"
"A logical choice... but a fatal one. There is only a dead end waiting for you at the top," Q-Taro muttered, savoring the anticipation of the slaughter.
Beside him, the Referee, Yagyo Hikoichi, opened one eye slightly. "Master Kujo... although I am a neutral observer and should not interfere, I feel compelled to offer a professional warning."
Yagyo bowed slightly, his voice smooth as silk. "As things stand, you are giving them far too much of an advantage. This gamble is losing its suspense."
"...Huh?"
Q-Taro snapped his head around, glaring at Yagyo. His excitement was being interrupted by this old man's riddles, and his irritation was reaching a boiling point.
"What are you talking about? The game has already begun! I won't have you sabotaging it midway!"
"..."
Yagyo gave a polite, distant smile. "My apologies. Please, continue."
To prove Yagyo wrong, Q-Taro snapped his fingers. The office door opened, and four more men stepped in.
Unlike the masked "Rodem," these four didn't radiate primal, monstrous violence. Instead, they looked like professional soldiers. They wore tactical vests, combat boots, and were bristling with high-end gear—including holstered 9mm handguns and submachine guns.
"Oh?" Yagyo raised an eyebrow.
Q-Taro grinned. "Do you see them? These are former mercenaries. They've fought in wars across the globe, and they share my... hobbies. They love a good hunt."
"Hahahaha! I never said there was only one hunter! I only said I had to stop them from leaving. I haven't broken a single rule, Yagyo-san!"
Q-Taro gloated, but Yagyo simply nodded, choosing not to say more.
"What? No witty comeback?" Q-Taro was annoyed by Yagyo's lack of reaction. "Like I said about the stakes earlier—I know you think highly of these guests. Is there a famous gambler among them? Or is that muscle-bound kid some famous 'Martial Artist'? Does a 'Martial Artist' really have the power to stand against my military force?"
"My 'pieces' on the board are fully armed. A martial artist who fights with bare hands is just a walking target. Am I right, Yagyo-san?"
Yagyo's expression remained as calm as a frozen pond. But as a professional Referee, he couldn't ignore a direct question about the "nature of power."
"Master Kujo... the term 'Martial Artist' is not quite accurate in this context."
"A 'Martial Artist' is a profession. It describes an athlete."
"But if a person possesses a level of 'Violence' that transcends their profession—if their strength is absolute enough to overwrite reality itself—then they are no longer an athlete. They are a 'Man of Absolute Might.' A person who achieves all their desires through the sheer application of physical power."
Q-Taro's brow furrowed. "And what about you, Yagyo-san? Are you one of these 'Men of Absolute Might'?"
"I wouldn't dare," Yagyo bowed. "A Referee's martial prowess is indeed high, but we are still far from 'achieving all desires.' If we were, we wouldn't be working for a salary. I only wish to point out that there exists in this world a level of 'Might' that defies common sense. I suggest you do not drop your guard."
"Hah! Defying common sense? I have a monster right here!"
Q-Taro gestured to Rodem, dismissing Yagyo's warning with a scoff. "And even if there is such a thing as a 'Man of Absolute Might,' what does that make the person who owns him? Me? The Boss of Absolute Might?"
Q-Taro vented his frustration by ordering the hunt to begin.
"Go! Get moving!"
He barked orders to the four mercenaries. "Since the Referee seems so worried, let's be thorough. Use your tactical training."
"Split into two teams. Team A, charge through the main stairwell. Team B, use the rappelling lines to scale the exterior. Ambush them from the rooftop and catch them in a pincer maneuver!"
The mercenaries grinned. They weren't Q-Taro's servants; they were "partners" in this sadistic sport. They lived for the hunt.
Minutes later. The Rooftop.
Ren Shiroki, Akagi, Baku, and Kaji reached the top floor. They pushed open the heavy steel door and stepped out onto the roof. Finally, they were "outside."
But it was a hollow victory. The roof was a concrete island in the sky—no fire escapes, no easy way down.
"Hah... huff..."
Kaji was bent over, gasping for air. He was drenched in sweat.
Baku's physical stamina was shockingly poor. After just one flight of stairs, he had been gasping for air. To keep up with the Man of the Divine Realm and Ren, Kaji had been forced to carry Baku on his back all the way to the eighth floor.
"Give me a break, Baku-san... even for a gambler, you're out of shape..."
"Hehe... sorry about that. I was never very good at 'manual labor.'"
Baku slumped against the metal railing, letting the cool night wind hit his face. He looked surprisingly relaxed for someone in a death tower.
Kaji wiped the blood from his nose and looked at him desperately. "Baku-san! Tell me you have a plan! I'll do anything!"
Baku looked at the neighboring building, a good fifty meters away. "In that case... why don't you climb over the railing and fly over to the other side?"
Kaji: "EH?!"
He thought it was a joke, but Baku's tone was unnervingly serious.
Baku was about to explain his crazy plan when he overheard Ren and Akagi talking nearby.
"A leap of faith? Sorry, but that's not my style," Akagi said, shaking his head. "Let's stick to the rules of the game for now."
"A shame," Ren added with a sigh. "I feel like if I really put my mind to it, I could probably leap over to that building... or just jump down and land on a car. I'd probably be fine."
Baku: "..."
Baku: "Wait... what?"
As the "Lie Eater," Baku was an expert at detecting bullshit. And he could hear that Ren wasn't bragging. The kid was 100% serious.
Who the hell is this kid? Is he actually a superhero?
The rooftop fell silent.
Creeeeeak!
The heavy iron door was slowly pushed open from the inside. Two mercenaries appeared in the doorway. One stood tall, the other crouched low, their suppressed Beretta M9s forming a perfect overlapping field of fire.
"Target not in sight."
"Faced with professional hunters, the prey's first instinct is to hide. They're around here somewhere..."
The mercenaries spoke loudly, intentionally letting their "prey" hear them to ramp up the psychological pressure.
"There's nowhere to hide out here. You're either on the left side of the door, the right side, or on top of the maintenance shed. But the sides are too obvious."
"So you must be..."
"On top!"
The lead mercenary whipped his aim upward toward the concrete roof of the stairwell exit.
But while he was searching the roof, the heavy iron door they had just pushed open began to swing shut.
Squeak...
As the door moved, it revealed Ren Shiroki standing directly behind it.
In a real war, a soldier checks behind the door. But when hunting unarmed civilians, no one expects the prey to have the sheer "Insanity" to hide inches away from a man with a gun. It was a complete defiance of instinct.
By the time the mercenary realized the door was closing, it was too late.
"Wha—"
Before the word could form, Ren lunged forward.
[DRIVE IMPACT]!
Ren's body exploded into a lead-step lunge. He unleashed a rising uppercut that caught the first mercenary squarely under the jaw.
CRACK!
The man's jaw shattered instantly. Teeth and blood sprayed into the interior of his mask, geysering out of the ventilation slits in a gruesome red mist.