It was an unbelievable sight.

The ability to make the mysterious being disappear in an instant was a bit like a magic trick.

However, the phenomenon that occurred before their eyes was not a trick or hallucination. A mysterious being named Mayuzumi Kirika disappeared right before the eyes of Rintaro and Samecchi, without a doubt.

And it was done by a woman who was apparently a non-combatant.

「Tha- that was dangerous, desuwa……. But in the hands of me, the “Great” Chief of Staff, even the most dangerous of mysterious beings are just a little bit more dangerous!　Nfufufufufuuu!!」

On top of a pile of clothes, Komorodo Utako, a flamboyant woman in a suit, posed with guts and declared her victory. In contrast to her, the faces of Rintaro and Samecchi, who had lost a card when they thought they had taken the game by surprise, were beginning to show signs of impatience.

「Mayuzumi…… I should have told her that it’s never a good idea to get cocky before you expose your enemy’s hand.」

「Aaaaaahh!　Kirika is dead, ssu!」

「Relax, shark. If they just wanted to get rid of us, they wouldn’t have bothered to show themselves. Right, Komorodo.」

Despite the upset Samecchi, Rintaro tried to bluff her by feigning calmness so that she would not realize how upset he was.

「Oh, you guessed it, didn’t you?　I was going to make it more dramatic……. As one would expect from the heinous mysterious Death Green, the man who drove Director Morikuni into retirement.」

「I am honored by your compliment, Banquet Manager Komorado.」

「You called me Banquet Manager!? You mere Mysterious being dare to insult me, wa ne!」

「Oi oi, don’t be so angry. It was a pretty cool way to introduce yourself. I think it would be a good performance at a school festival.」

「Mukiiiiiiiiii!!!!!」

Utako’s face turned bright red as she stomped on the floor. She must have always been the type of person who easily gets blood rushing to her head.

「Ooh, are you the type that grows when praised? Barking so happily.」

「Shut up!　I will soon make you regret underestimating me!」

Of course, this is Rintaro’s strategy, and he is not just blindly provoking her repeatedly. It is a tactic to probe the opponent’s attitude and to discover the trick that made Mayuzumi Kirika disappear.　

Rintaro’s eyes were as glazed over as the cloudy sky, but he did not miss the moment when Utako “opened” her fist instead of clenching it in anger.

Worn on both of Utako’s hands were thick, silvery gloves.

No matter how much Utako was wearing a fancy outfit, that glove clearly stood out from the rest.

「I see, So you used that thing to make Mayuzumi disappear. It is literally a ‘hidden art’.」

Utako grinned at him and flung open her jacket to show him.

「Are you saying that you will still attack me after seeing this, kashira?」

A number of palm-sized crystals with a black luster hung from the inside of her jacket. Of course, they were more than just gems. Inside each of the black crystals, something that looked like a human figure was wriggling.

When Rintaro looked closely, they were small mysterious beings trapped in crystals.

『Uooooh! Get me out!!!』

『Fugyaah! Help me, nyaaan!!』

『I am so frustrated, wan…… I am so vexed, wan……!』

The mysterious beings trapped in the crystal raised their voices of resentment. They are all familiar faces to Rintaro since coming to Ark Dominion.

「Aniki! Ojiki and the others, ssu!」

「Tch, I had a feeling it would turn out like this……」

It was the worst possible development Rintaro could have envisioned.

No matter how much the Hero Headquarters gathers all its strength to launch a surprise attack, Bearion is a great mysterious being who bears the name of Hundred Beasts General. The Hundred Beasts Legion led by him is one of the most powerful and well-coordinated in the Ark Dominion. They will not easily fall behind the Hero Headquarters, which is filled with wounds.

That is, however, except for one weakness.

『Sorry, nyan! This kind of thing happened because I got caught, nyan!』

『Damn it!　You promised to release her in exchange for my custody！』

The members of the Hundred Beast Army have been calling their friends family since the time of its predecessor, the “Hundred Beasts Grand Alliance,” and are bound together by a bond stronger than iron.

Komorodo Utako took advantage of their cohesion and blackmailed Bearion by holding the handy mysterious beings hostage. This is the true story behind the series of incidents that occurred.

After getting into the Maebashi branch, the game was decided when Utako took Beerleon into her hands. No one could resist the Hundred Beasts Legion, which was being organized under the leadership of Bearion, with him as their hostage.

「Nfufufufu. Despite being a mysterious being, saying something like a bond, so I’m grateful to be able to take advantage of it, desuwa.」

「Even if you’re an amateur in combat, you know the way to fight, huh. I can’t speak for others either, but I didn’t realize how nasty it can be when they’re your enemy.」

Utako adds another crystal to her collection of bad taste with a laugh.

『Senpai! Kuh, to think I lost to a Zako mob like her！』

「Who are you calling Zako mob, desuno!? I will crush you, wayo!」

A naked Kirika was punching the crystals from the inside out. Seeing that the crystals were not even cracked by the power of Kirika and Bearion, it must mean that their power was being taken away as the body shrinked. Utako, protected not by a human shield but by a mysterious being shield, smiled proudly as if she had won.

「Now, if the lives of these mysterious beings are so precious, quickly crawl down and beg for their lives――」

「Megalodon Kiiiiiiiiiiiiick!!!! Ssu!!!!」

「Bugyuruh!!!!」

A small sneaker stomped through Utako’s big smile. The “Great” Chief of Staff tumbled down from the pile of equipment, blood spraying from her nose, and hit her head on the side.

The mysterious beings were slammed in all directions while shouting “Uwaaaaa” in the jingling crystals that scattered.

The blue shadow spun around with the force of the kick and landed with a flourish, then straddled Utako’s writhing belly.

「Gyaaaaah!!　Why did you kick me, desuno!? Didn’t you hear what I said!?」

「Samecchi’s amphibious fist will show no mercy to allies of justice, ssu!」

「Hey Samecchi, do you know what the word “hostage” means?」

「It’s okay, ssu! Samecchi will properly help everyone, ssuyo!」

Although she said it’s okay, the shark mysterious being, a former member of the Hundred Beasts Legion, was furious.

Samecchi ripped off the remaining crystals from Utako’s jacket and threw them away.

Each time, voices like “Uh” or “Gah” could be heard from the crystal that was slammed onto the concrete floor of the abandoned factory.

「S- Stop that!! Gueh!!」

「It’s so trouble some so Samecchi will just take off the jacket, ssuyo」

「Aaaaaareeeee!!!!」

Even the chief of staff probably did not expect the hostages to be treated so carelessly.

Utako desperately clutched the last of the crystals. If it were to be taken away from her, she would lose her advantages completely, so Utako was desperate.

Although her nose was bleeding, Utako still had enough strength left in her to resist the child’s arm strength.

Despite the ostentatious name of the kick, such as “megalodon kick,” it was a child’s flying kick. The back of her head where she hit after falling from the pile of materials was more painful.

「Mugigigigigi, Let it go, ssuuuu!!」

「Ngigigigi, No, desuwa!! You…… I won’t hold back even against women or children, wayo!!」

Gritting her teeth, Utako tried to grab Shark with her silver hands.

Mysterious being will disappear in an instant… in reality, she would instantly shrunk into a smaller crystal if the hand touches Samecchi’s shoulder, At that moment.

――Gogah!

「Magyuruh!」

On the face where Utako Komorado’s footprints had been, this time a larger footprint was clearly visible.

「Remember, those who don’t hold back against women and children will not be tolerated, even if they are women and children. I guess you can’t hear me anymore.」

It was just a fighting kick, not something that could be called a technique, like Rintaro’s, megalodon kick. It left a large and small double footprint clearly visible on her face, Komorodo Utako fell on her back and passed out.

「Nice work. Are you hurt, Samecchi?」

「Don’t worry, ssu, aniki! The problem is solved, ssune!」

「……This person, let’s see, How about we strip her naked, tie her up, and let her swim in Tone River.」

Utako fainted and clutched the last of the crystals, which was the last one. Inside the crystal, which looked like a black glass case, a familiar face looked up at Rintaro.

『As expected of senpai, I believed in you.』

「When you get home, you’re going to write the words “strategy” and “collaboration” a hundred times each in your notebook.」

A moment later, Rintaro was about to retrieve the crystal with Kirika in it.

「Aniki, dangerous, ssu!!」

「…………Uwah!?」

Samecchi pushed Rintaro over to the side. A pink arrow grazed the space where Rintaro’s head had just been.

「What was that, ssuka!」

「Ara, what a pity… you’ve got a surprisingly good instinct.」

From the darkness of the abandoned factory, Rintaro heard a familiar voice echoing quietly. The voice, which could not have been mistaken, belonged to Rintaro’s former colleague.

「That voice, Pink…… Momoshima, huh!」

「It’s been a while, heinous mysterious Death Green.」

The timing of her appearance was too late for an ambush.

Momoshima Ruru, aka Victor Pink, appeared before Rintaro and the others as if she had been waiting for this moment. However, Rintaro’s eyes widened in astonishment at the sight of her, even more than at the appearance of Pink.

「I’m sure this is also the guidance of Desmos Agappi Agriopappa-sama」

「……Mo- Momoshima? Are you really that Momoshima Ruru……?」

No wonder Rintaro was stunned.

Although she was wearing a victory suit, she wore a pure white Samue robe over it, a rosary around her neck, and a small pyramid on her head. No matter how you think about it, her strange appearance that isn’t practical for battle is at least not the Momoshima Ruru that Kuriyama Rintaro knew.

「Ooo Ooo Ooo Ooo Ooo Ooo Ooo」

「Anikii! That is the scariest thing so far, ssuuu!!」

The strange pink’s voice was so powerful that Samecchi hid behind Rintaro and squeezed the hem of his shirt.

「Don’t make bad jokes, Pink. You’re scaring the kids (Samecchi).」

「My faith is always mega-max fully charged. Please don’t make too much noise. I can’t hear Desmos Agappi Agriopappa-sama.」

「No, Agriopappa might be a duck, you know. You yourself might be a sucker(duck) yourself,」

「Shut up. And take this, our purifying fire. Ganjanhoram, Ganjanhoram」

As Pink shook her body from side to side, smoke began to billow into the abandoned factory.

「This is, a smokescreen…… Not! This smell is, could it be, you are setting this place on fire, huh.」

「Yes, that’s right. As a prize, I’ll give away 10 copies of the Korin Seihou Friends Association Bible, which costs 150,000 yen per copy.」

「Don’t need it! You must be at a loss as to how to get rid of it! Throw it in the fireplace!」

Meanwhile, red flames began to flicker around Rintaro and the others. At this rate, it seemed as if the abandoned factory itself would burn to the ground within a few minutes.

「Aniki, this is bad, ssu! Everyone will be on fire, ssu!!」

「Damn it, you’ve done it!! Pick them up, Samecchi, don’t leave a single one behind!」

「Ah Ha Ha Ha Ha! Well then, good luck, Mysterious beings.」

At the same time Pink gave the signal, a huge body, perhaps over three meters in height, emerged from the flames. The giant monster grabbed Komorodo Utako, who was still unconscious, and disappeared back into the flames.

Rintaro, who was struggling to pick up the more than 30 crystals containing the mysterious beings, was unable to stop himself from looking at the figure from the side.

――A few minutes later.

Against the backdrop of a burning abandoned factory, the recovered crystals were carefully arranged one by one. Although the mysterious beings in the crystals were all limp, they did not seem to be in any danger of dying.

This was a blessing in disguise, but the problem was the number. The number of crystals did not match the number of mysterious beings that had disappeared.

「Samecchi, how is it there? Did you find any?」

「Aniki, as expected, only Kirika’s crystal isn’t here, ssu……」

「…………Damn  Banquet manager, I see you’re still holding it in your hand.……」

The flames lit up the winter night sky brightly and eerily.

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<108: The Missing Mysterious Beings
110: The Blue Light That Shoots Through Evil>