What stirred me up that day was a strong presence comparable to a bad scent.
　I immediately grew vigilant and woke up from my sleep which I intentionally kept light.
　I threw my body, wearing my everyday clothes to be able to move at any time, out of the bed and ran inside the house of which I memorized the layout after staying here a few days.
　I ran not caring about the probably still sleeping Cheryl and the others, like someone running out to greet their father who came back home or a lover that eagerly awaited to visit their beloved’s house after a long time.
　As if to calm my mind, I imagined such things in a self-mocking manner.
　The entrance wasn’t far away. Nevertheless, as I really looked forward to meeting it that distance felt long to me.

　–It’s pretty imprudent of me to say I have looked forward to the elves biggest disaster.
　But I put my hand on the wooden door without controlling myself, while still paying attention not to break it, and still send it flying.

　When I opened the door I sensed strong and dense magical power enough to make one unintentionally drool.
　I turned my face towards the source of that magical power as if I got enchanted by the sweet smell of the finest dish.
　There──

“Slava-kun!”
“Aah, you woke up, huh, Sonia? Is it that –?”

　It’s Tarisberg.
　While this creature exceeding all imagination made my heart and voice tremble, I asked Sonia, who came out several seconds later, this question even though I was already convinced.
　Sonia bitterly distorted her beautiful face, which was unexpectedly exposed and not covered by a mask, then she exaggeratedly and meekly nodded.
“Kuku, I see. It’s that……”

　Looking at that giant in the distance appearing like a raging tyrant, I involuntarily smiled.
　I couldn’t help but laugh. It seemed like it was born to fight with those huge, vicious claws appearing like Great Swords. And then there was that magical energy that seemed to shout out its hatred for all living beings.
　In front of that thing, even dragon class monsters would run away. If it starts to move it would take the top of this world’s food chain. That’s the kind of creature it is.
　The only beings, except its own kind, that are on equal footing with it and able to eliminate it are people who thoroughly refined themselves. Such an existence is bound to repeatedly cause destruction and slaughter, so to speak — Ultimate, Violence.

　–That’s the kind of thing I can fight against now.
　What a sensible story. If I didn’t laugh about that, about what should I laugh?
　Martial arts were used to raise the power of weak forces in order to oppose strong forces in the first place.
　If that’s the case, then this struggle will be the epitome of the battles that occurred ever since the creation of martial arts.
　The ultimate violence born to kill versus a martial artist who possesses a weak body but can overcome anything with superior technique. The battle of martial arts.

　Aah, isn’t it tantalizing?
　I want to try it. I want to fight against that violence.

“Sonia”
“This is truly, unexpected — I mean, wha, what is it?”
“My bad, but please don’t interfere”
“Eh, ah…… Hey!?”

　Filling my legs with magical power and kicking the ground, as if to shake off Sonia’s words, I left behind the sound of the stone pavement cracking and with the momentum of a shot arrow I soared into the sky.
While catching a glimpse at the edge of my awareness of the beautiful townscape flowing backwards underneath my feet, I kicked the ground again at a suitable place to regain my height and velocity.
　As that gigantic body I saw in the distance gradually grew bigger in my view, my expectations increased further.

　──I, who dashed through the sky without any obstructions, as if reflecting my impatient heart, was able to immediately reach that monster.
　I chose one of the trees that grew on the mountain and borrowed its height. I climbed the tree, which was several tens of metors tall, and then that gigantic figure crossed my eyes.

　I finally realized that before I knew it, I was so close to that thing, which looked like an ant in the distance.
　Tarisberg, who had been facing the village before, now slowly moved its neck to look at me.

　I don’t know when this creature was born. Monica said that this will rapidly occur when the magic power stored in the crystal has reached its limit, right? If that’s the case, wouldn’t that giant be just like a newborn baby?
　–If so, then it should be like a baby just brought to this world.
　That life from which was supposed to be pure more than anything else in this world aimed its eyes, tainted with hatred, at me– raising its voice as if to curse the sky, the earth and all of mankind in grief.

“OOoooOOooooooOh!”

　In midst that roar hitting my body, I floated a smile as opposed to the monster’s eyes filled with hatred.
　The disaster elves were most afraid of, Tarisberg — its figure reminded me of a dragon in a way.
　The squared red crystal which grew on that long face seemed to have completely broken through the skin and stuck out.
　That ominous crystal can appear anywhere on Tarisberg’s body, it’s what directs that vicious aura and seemed like it was embedded in its skin.
　If one manages to look away from that crystal, which tends to captivate one’s eyes, and takes a closer look at the rest one would see that it was covered from head to toe with muscles of steel seeming like bags full of iron sand.
　It didn’t have feathers or wings commonly seen on members of the dragon race, but instead, its back was closely packed with crystals.
　Its skin was black appearing like solidified blood. It’s adequate to call its appearance extremely evil looking.…… How could such an abominable creature have been born?
　But– because of that, I’m getting fired up.
　It’s not only that magical power I felt, that body roaring with muscles as well – it’s strong. It just eloquently showed that this was an existence worthy of being called tyrannical.
　……I’m glad. To get that excited about having a demonic beast as my opponent — Kuku, when I was young and foolish I even fought with a fire dragon.

“Let’s have a fair match–”

　I muttered those words out of habit, but when I noticed I thought they were a weird thing to say in this situation.
　That magical power smeared with hatred didn’t seem to advocate mutual understanding and trying to speak with a raging demonic beast isn’t even possible in the first place.
　However, if I had the choice to fight either demonic beasts or humans, I’d want to fight with humans until the end. This is my one-sided oath.

“AAAaaaaahh!”

　──Thus, this match got started with Tarisberg’s roar followed by a swing of its Great Sword like claws.
　Its movements were agile, unbecoming of its huge body. With its sword-like claws covered in magical power surrounded by clear killing intent, Tarisberg swung down on the much smaller me.
　What I felt form that one blow was “A lion hunting a rabbit”…… That’s not it. This killing intent isn’t something as sweet as giving one’s all to fight even a small opponent, but rather — Right, it was a body-shredding shout of resentment as if it finally cornered its century-old mortal enemy covered in wounds and being able to finally land the finishing blow.

　Tarisberg’s three blades it swung down nearly caught me.
　In order to distance myself from the line of impending, definite death I turned mid-air.
　While moving from tree to tree, I could see Tarisberg easily bisecting the trees I was standing on before.
　It was a smooth movement like a hot knife cutting through butter. Those could probably tear through iron as well.
“(……Fumu, that agile, big body is troublesome)”

　Tarisberg, which created three crevices on the mountain in the blink of an eye, after having confirmed that my corpse wasn’t on the scene turned its red eyes, seeming like two scars in the night sky, towards me.
　Those were the first things that entered my view — I who was challenged to this unyielding battle looked composed contrasting that hot-bloodedness I felt inside.

　That big frame is more annoying than it looks.
　It’s not the first time that I fought a gigantic beast, though it’s been quite a while — I’m talking about before I died — and that Tarisberg is bigger than any of the demonic beasts I fought so far.
　Not to mention that difference in reach, but that large body messes with my sense of distance. At first glance, the attacks unleashed by that giant appear slow, however, its speed is actually violently fast and simply very difficult to avoid.
　Additionally, that attack power caused by its body weight will also become a problem. In the world of human boxing, just about 3 kiulograma …… just that much weight difference puts one into a completely different league.
　It easily surpasses 10 metors in height, even supposing it’s not as heavy as it looks, it probably weights hundreds or thousands of kiulograma more than me.

　However, to overturn that is the strength of mankind.
　In the wilderness, something is considered strong if its body is big. That’s natural.
　–Still, mankind was able to survive until today. That’s because we possess magical power and the ability to use technology.

　Certainly, Tarisberg also seems to be able to use magic. It possesses a huge amount of that vicious magical power.
　Besides, it’s said to be able to cancel out sorcery and magic which are mankind’s weapons. If that especially refined technology is also neutralized, it’s understandable why one would call it the strongest and worst creature alive.
　It forcibly reduces the fighting style of humans into that of animals. That’s the terror of the demonic beast called Tarisberg.

“But so what”

　That incarnation of violence caught me in its eyes again.
　No matter how much I think about it I’ll never know what’s reflected in its eyes or what the thoughts of that creature, which shared no common features with us, might be.
　What I knew was that that creature is trying to kill me and comes straight at me — without thinking about its own defeat.
Again, those violent claws gave off a dull glow and flew towards me.
　For the sake of slaughtering all the elves — and all of mankind, it seems like it plans to make me its first victim but not the last.
　Tarisberg took one powerful step to close the distance of dozens of metors. It didn’t use any special technique, it was only its sheer size that filled the gap between that itself and me, brandishing its claws.
　I have to avoid that hit. If that hits me I’ll die. That doesn’t change, even for me. That’s how tyrannical that body is.
　……However.

“Don’t underestimate me, youngster”

　In order to intercept those claws swinging down, I kicked the tree I was on and jumped in front of those Blades.

　Concentrating my senses to their utmost limit, I thought while looking at the approaching claws.
　Because its body is big it’s strong? Because magic is ineffective one can’t win?

　–What foolish things those people were spouting on their own!

　Tarisberg certainly is an unreasonable existence.
　It’s the simplest and most unreasonable display of “violence” in this world making it a very, very troublesome monster.

　However — Violence can only be crushed under the power of martial arts!
　To us — the martial artists, it’s always only been this fist!

“Sei!”

　Putting my whole heart into it, I twisted my body.
　Though the centrifugal force my whole weight, which seemed dwarfish compared to that guy, gathered in my right foot.
While the magical power, which wrapped around me, swelled until my body was about to burst, changed into sparks giving of cracking sounds.

　–Cherry Blossoms Prototype.
　As the magical power was over the limit of what this small body could handle, it was like a weapon filled to the brim and about to explode.
　That right leg which swung out with the momentum of my rotation — crushed the monster’s claw.

　With the sound of cracking glass, the claw of Tarisberg’s middle finger out of its three crumbled.
　Even though its body is huge, but taking on just one finger is no problem.

　I, who escaped the verge of death — Nay, overcame the verge of death in a simpler way than before, landed on the open ground as the trees around that place got mowed down.
　Looking into Tarisberg’s eyes filled with anger, I hurled these words towards it without reaching it.

“I’ll say it one more time. Don’t underestimate martial arts and don’t underestimate mankind”

　We don’t understand each other’s words. In the first place, it’s questionable if such a monster ruled by hatred, a slaughter machine, could converse even with its own kind.
　However, I wondered if it could slightly grasp the meaning of my actions because of its hatred for mankind?
　Seeing the corners of my mouth raising fearlessly, Tarisberg let out an angry roar.

　At that time that magical power which aroused discomfort in oneself, like that crystal, merged with the wind and struck my body.
　It was like the rotting stench of a corpse hit my face, I felt strong discomfort.

　But other than that — I realized that the fight had just begun.

“(Looks like it finally got serious)”

　Promoted from prey to enemy. I knew that the perception of me has changed inside the monster as I received its “murderous intent” which I received I don’t know how many times from various people up until now.
　Twisting the corners of my mouth I took a stance while that thing’s appearance turned even darker.

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