I Don’t Need to Care About the Enemy’s Miserable Past, and Frankly, I’m not Interested
“Now, the experiment begins!”
Baldo shook his lab coat and spread his arms wide. He flicked a small vial held between his fingers, and just a tiny bit of its contents splattered outward.
The moment the liquid hit the floor, it hissed, releasing white smoke. The sharp, acrid stench stabbed Ale’s nose, burning his lungs.
And he hurled it straight at me.
“Damn…!”
Ale immediately deployed his floating magic hands and caught it.
This magic tool consisted of two white floating hands—a trusty companion-like artifact that Ale cherished.
“Nfufu!”
Seizing the moment, Baldo flicked the hem of his coat and, with a beast-like swiftness that no researcher should possess, slid sideways. The device in his hand gleamed, aimed straight at Ale’s neck.
Ale pulled the floating hand toward himself, grabbed Baldo’s arm with one hand, and deflected the device with the other. The clang of metal echoed through the cave.
“Oh, excellent reaction! As expected of Saint-sama!”
“… Shut up.”
Ale sent the other floating hand to restrain Baldo, then thrust a fist at Baldo’s torso.
But Baldo twisted like a cat, evading the grip while rolling on the floor, and immediately pulled another vial from the pouch at his waist, throwing it at Ale.
“Take this!”
The vial shattered midair, splattering sticky liquid everywhere.
Its exact effect was unknown, but it wasn’t impossible to dodge.
But Riko was behind me.
“Damn it…!”
Using the floating hands, Ale crushed the liquid in midair.
But at that moment, the shadow of the lab coat was already upon him.
“Here I come!!”
Baldo held syringe-like devices in both hands, the dark-red liquid inside swirling ominously.
Reflexively, Ale swung his fists, striking Baldo from both front and back with the floating hands.
“Ugh…!”
Baldo’s chest caved in slightly, a faint creak of bones echoing. Still, he did not retreat. His smile remained, and his eyes glinted with madness as he thrust the needle forward.
“An experiment subject needs a little stimulation, you see!”
“…!”
Ale grabbed Baldo’s wrist just in time, resisting the thrust.
“Reflexes are good, strength is good… heh, this is getting interesting!”
“Gah!!?”
Baldo kicked Ale backward and again gripped several vials between his fingers. Red, green, and purple liquids swirled darkly inside them.
Ale exhaled and clenched his ring through his glove.
*(I want to save this for the last resort…)*
He pulled the floating hands back to his shoulders, readying the two white palms in battle stance.
──This man is troublesome enough in a head-on fight, but the real danger is his storm of chemicals. With Riko behind me, I can’t let a single hit through.
“… I’ll go first!”
Declaring this, Ale stepped forward.
Punching with his body and restraining with the floating hands—a fight less like flashy magic and more like an extension of a brawl. But that is precisely Ale’s greatest weapon. And he… prefers attacking to being attacked.
A red vial Baldo threw swirled through the air.
Ale struck it aside with a lateral swing of the floating hands, carrying it away.
The explosion tore through the wall, sending rock fragments flying.
The chemicals splashed across the floor, smoke rising. Pushing aside the white haze that obscured his vision, Ale leapt forward.
He sent the other floating hand ahead, forming a fist aimed at Baldo’s face.
“Ugh──!”
The mad scientist instinctively blocked with both arms but was blasted backward by the impact.
He slammed into the wall; the cave echoed with the cracking of stone. The hem of his lab coat was dust-stained.
“Heh… I see. That magic tool is quite strong! I wonder whose invention it is!”
Groaning but standing, Baldo licked his lips. Ale gave him no chance to escape.
Step by step, Ale closed in, throwing a straight punch.
The floating hands grabbed Baldo’s legs, and as he lost balance, Ale drove another punch into him.
“Ugh… gah!”
The impact shook Baldo’s head; blood sprayed from his lip.
Still laughing, Ale followed up with a knee strike.
The thud was solid.
No magic barrier protected his body. Ale pummeled the man’s flesh, organs, and bones with fists, knees, and floating hands.
But he was tough. Enhanced body? Or some chemical treatment?
“Haah…! Hah…!”
Ale grabbed Baldo by the neck with the floating hands.
“This is the end.”
“… Ugh… heh…! You’re something, Ale-san…!”
Immediately after those words, Baldo pulled a long syringe from his chest pocket.
Inside, a thick, black, swirling liquid waited.
“Hehehe… If I fall here, I might as well die as experimental material!”
Without hesitation, he drove the needle into his chest.
The liquid flowed in with a wet gush.
“… Ugh… gah…!”
He convulsed, muscles bulging. Veins blackened and throbbed under the skin.
Ale tried to strike with the floating hands, but Baldo grabbed him and hurled him aside.
Bones creaked; his back swelled. The lab coat tore as his form grotesquely expanded.
This was no longer a human.
“… Second form, huh? That’s so cliché…”
Ale reset his fists and deployed the floating hands on both sides, recovering from the throw and explosion.
“Now… this isn’t over…!!”
The cave trembled, filled with lethal intent.
A beast-like roar echoed.
Baldo’s transformed body swelled; black, thorn-like bones protruded from his back. His face retained a human outline, but his eyes were blood-red, pupils unnaturally slit.
A lizardman? No… more like a dragon forcibly squeezed into human shape.
“GAAAAAH!!!”
Baldo surged forward, kicking off the floor with explosive force.
His speed was incomparable to before.
“…!”
Ale spread his floating hands. But upon impact, a tremendous shock shattered the stone floor.
He braced with his own arms, yet was pressed backward.
“Ugh… monster…”
Blood seeped from his mouth.
Still, Ale held his ground, kneeing the winded Baldo in the solar plexus.
A strike from point-blank range.
Baldo staggered with a dull thud, but his claws swiped across Ale’s cheek, leaving a trail of blood.
“Heh… How’s that!? This is… my perfected form!!!”
The insane voice lashed out again.
Like a beast devoid of reason, strikes rained: fists, kicks, claws. Unrestrained but devastating with each blow.
Ale couldn’t just take it.
“The villain’s last stand in second form always ends in defeat!!”
He maneuvered the floating hands, punching from left and right.
Adding his own punch, he attacked from three directions.
The strike hit Baldo’s face; bones creaked.
“Gah… ahh!”
Ale uppercut his jaw in the stagger, then drove a knee into his solar plexus.
Baldo coughed blood but laughed on.
“… Heh… impressive…! But it’s not over!!”
Punches flew again.
Ale narrowly dodged, wrapping the floating hands around Baldo’s arms and pulling him toward himself.
He slammed a headbutt with all his might.
“──!!”
The impact split Baldo’s forehead, blood gushing.
Yet the smile remained.
“Persistent fuck…!”
Ale gritted his teeth.
A prolonged fight would exhaust him. Time to end this.
He flung the floating hands aside, positioning himself just out of Baldo’s range.
Light gathered, growing brighter.
“Th-That…! Ugh!?”
Baldo tried to remove the floating hands, but Ale struck with a kick, breaking his stance.
For the first time, fear flickered in Baldo’s eyes.
“──[Shatter, pierce, spear of God]!!”
The beam of light shot straight, piercing Baldo’s chest.
“… Ghh… ah…”
Burned, exhaling black smoke, Baldo slumped against the wall.
“… Still… alive…”
He muttered, but against his will, his form slowly returned to human. Midway, he collapsed, still grotesque.
“… Damn… I didn’t want to use this because it’s expensive…”
He looked at the ring on his now colorless right index finger, bowing his head. The ring had contained high-level magic.
Using it with the floating hands also fried their circuitry, meaning astronomical repair costs.
He had also used the light and body-enhancement rings; recovering Riko alone had already put him in the red.
These magic rings could only be used once. Ale had wanted to conserve them, but a surprisingly strong enemy forced heavy expenditure.
Still, seven rings remained unused. He had room to spare.
“… I… still… can’t… die…”
Yet Baldo continued to crawl, desperately reaching for Ale.
“I… must… accomplish… my… goal…”
He had been an excellent researcher.
At the forefront of research in a certain nation, supported by his wife and subordinates, healed by his daughter, living a fulfilling life.
Then one day, tragedy struck───
“… I don’t care. Farewell, you damn mad scientist.”
“Ghh… no… mercy…”
Ale brought down the other floating hand on Baldo, completely halting his movements.
And just like that, the battle ended.
“Talk about missions or goals all you want, but do it alone. Don’t force that burden onto others.”
Ale left without killing Baldo, oddly detached, carrying the still-sleeping Riko with him.
What do you think about this chapter?
