The Druid Who Devoured the Great Nature

The meeting room, with its glass front, overlooked the city. Amidst the dust rising from the shattered walls, we succeeded in finding our target.

“The city government would not have authorized the Public Security Bureau to act. Security officers, do you think this kind of behavior will be tolerated?”

Despite our appearance, crashing through the ceiling, the only change in Demian’s expression was the furrowing of his brow. He was a world apart from the other executives, who, while not screaming, were flinching or had turned pale. It wasn’t the feeling that he had expected us to appear. It was more like the feeling of discovering an annoying bug had finally invaded his private chambers. For someone in a perilous situation, facing down Public Security Bureau officers, it was a telling reaction.

“…”

The security officers simply and silently aimed their guns at them. They had taken down numerous terrorist organizations and gangs until now. Unlike me, whose interests were intertwined, their actions were solely based on orders. There was no need to exchange words with the enemy. The moment they met, all they had to do was put a hole in their heads.

And this time, they did just that. Corporate executives were just ordinary people with quick minds and good business sense. The only reason they couldn’t be touched was the threat of future retaliation and the bodyguards hired with their money. In this place, right now, neither of those things could protect the executives.

Belying the weight carried by the leadership of a megacorp, they fell with a futile powerlessness.

“You insist on causing a scene when this could have been resolved with words.”

From beyond a viscous, black shadow, Demian spoke nonchalantly. It was a suspicious ability that had calmly withstood the security officers’ firepower. The officers exchanged glances.

“That’s…”

“Madhouse. The Shadow Empress.”

“My, what sharp eyes you have.”

The shadow pooled on the floor writhed and rose, forming the shape of a woman. The Shadow Empress, Bianca Melbrick. A top-class criminal monitored by every city. It was only natural that the Public Security Bureau officers recognized her from just a few clues.

“Oh my.”

Spotting me, she gave a bright smile and waved her hand flirtatiously.

…So Madhouse has gotten involved in this situation as well. Considering their recent moves to expand their influence by joining hands with the powerful figures of each city, it wasn’t surprising. However, Bianca stepping forward was unexpected.

‘Didn’t she dislike being ordered around by the Madhouse boss?’

She had nothing to gain by siding with Centream. If it was a request, her actions were driven by material desire. She was the type to risk making an enemy to steal a treasure in secret rather than receive it as payment for a job. This meant her presence here was an order from the Madhouse boss. It was a contradictory action, given she had been reluctant to discuss it back in Brahms.

“The Shadow Empress’s abilities aren’t suited for combat.”

“If it’s just one person…”

“It’s doable.”

Well, there was no point in pondering the reasons for her being here. If she was an enemy, I would just crush her and move on.

Just as I was raising my fighting spirit alongside the security officers.

“Uahahaha!”

“Korta!”

Something massive charged in with the speed of a cannonball. A surprise attack from behind. The wall collapsed, the table shattered, and a gust of wind strong enough to make it hard to open one’s eyes swept through the room. The security officer called Korta was swept away without being able to counterattack, his body exploding.

Despite the futile death of their comrade, the security officers moved like machines. A hail of bullets rained down on the unidentified enemy that had suddenly appeared. It wasn’t just any kind of shooting; lights flashed like stun grenades, flames ignited, and bullets fragmented. It was a web of fire unleashed by the security officers, not holding back their abilities. Any normal enemy should have been turned to dust, not leaving a single piece of their body behind.

“...!”

But the enemy stood firm. The figure, visible only as a silhouette, didn’t even take a defensive stance. He was silently taking the security officers’ gunfire with his bare body.

“Damn it all…!”

Black powder scattered into the air. A security officer aimed his pistol at it. It was his intention to replicate the firepower that had blown a hole in the floor.

The explosion engulfed the enemy. The aftershock, which he took head-on without any cover, was so tremendous that it pushed me back several steps.

“Hehehe, that one stung a little. I’ll give you credit for that.”

“...!”

The enemy was unharmed even within that explosion. A thick, soot-covered forearm reached out from the dust and grabbed the security officer’s head.

And then.

CRUNCH!

Another security officer’s head exploded.

“…”

A suffocating silence filled the room. The perceived time was long, but the actual engagement had lasted only the time it takes to blink three or four times. In that short time, two security officers had died. It meant the opponent was a monster beyond imagination.

“You know the track record of that contractor over there. Did you really think Madhouse would send only one person for support?”

Demian’s lips curled into a clear sneer.

“I’ve finally found you, you son of a bitch! I’ve been counting down the days for this!”

His appearance was quite different from our first meeting, but it wasn’t difficult to see through to his identity.

“…Buggy Vile?”

Madhouse’s mad dog. Buggy Vile grinned, his face so menacing it could give you nightmares.

“Oh, you recognize me?”

“You’re the only ignorant brute in Madhouse who acts like that.”

“That’s true. Why else would they call me a mad dog?” Bianca chimed in with a giggle.

No wonder she had been acting like an outsider in this confrontation with me. It seemed my opponent had been decided to be Buggy Vile from the start.

“It would have been better if I had finished you off completely in our last fight.”

To think he would show up like this in a fight that was almost over and throw a wrench in the works. It was a situation that made me click my tongue automatically.

“Don’t be too disappointed. You definitely killed me back then.”

He seemed to think I was disappointed because I didn’t know about his constitution that allowed him to revive even after death. Since it was all the same anyway, I didn’t bother to correct him.

“It’s time to repay the debt. I died once, so it’s only fair that you die once too, right?”

Buggy pounded his blood-stained fists against his chest. That alone sent out a shockwave, shattering the floor and creating spiderweb cracks on the front glass window.

“…”

Buggy was a good match-up for the security officers, and I was a good match-up for Bianca. We were advantageous against the other’s opponent. But unlike them, we didn’t necessarily need to settle our own fights. All we had to do was somehow end Demian’s life.

It was a shame, but if I used the security officers as sacrificial pawns to tie up Buggy, ignored Bianca, and aimed for Demian…

“Hehe, I can hear the gears turning in your head from here. I don’t know what kind of trick you’re planning, but I will kill you with my own hands.”

…That wouldn’t work. Buggy had been fine even in the rain of bullets poured out by the security officers. He would probably ignore everything and fixate on me. If I ignored that monster and went for Demian, my own life would be the only thing in danger.

“Get lost, small fry. Let’s settle this, just the two of us.”

In that case, it might be better to take Buggy’s offer and settle it one-on-one.

“…”

Judging by his uncomfortable expression, it didn’t seem like this was something he had agreed upon with Demian. But Madhouse was a free-spirited group to begin with. Demian, as if having given up the futile delusion of trying to control them, just pursed his lips and ultimately remained silent.

“You won’t have as much time to enjoy this as you expect.”

I made my decision. First, I would settle things with Buggy.

“I don’t have enough time to play with you for long.”

I had no choice but to accept Buggy’s proposal, but we were the ones in a hurry. The best outcome would be if the security officers took care of Bianca while I fought Buggy, but that was an unlikely future. It was more realistic to aim for me to defeat Buggy first and return.

“Khuhu, you annoying bastard. Acting all high and mighty just because you won once.”

With those words, Buggy’s form vanished.

「Synchronization in progress!」

Synchronization, pre-administered drugs, the secretion of accumulated medicinal properties in the body. Only when all these combined could I instinctively sense where he was headed.

Behind me.

“Ever since I got this body, I’ve had even less control over my strength, you know?”

CRACK! CRUNCH!

The multiple layers of defensive barriers I had prepared for his approach were shattered and crushed by a single punch.

“Do your best to struggle so you don’t die right away.”

CRASH!

With the following kick, my body broke through the window and floated into the air. A feeling of weightlessness enveloped my entire body. Then, as gravity began to pull my body toward the ground, Buggy also threw himself into the air after me.

“Uahahaha!”

He even ran down the building’s outer wall. A crazy speed, accelerating to close the distance on me. Madness glinted in his wide-open eyes. The moment he clenched his fist, preparing to strike me again.

“…Huh?”

Buggy’s hand failed to reach me, and his body shot past me and fell.

“Your body has grown, but your foolishness hasn’t been fixed.”

Control of the atmosphere through the divinity of the World Tree. A cushion of soft wind had supported my body, stopping my fall.

Buggy, with a look of dismay, gritted his teeth and dug two fingers into the building’s outer wall. The building was damaged as his body gradually came to a stop due to the friction.

Can he do that with that body? As I had felt when he ran down the building wall, his physical abilities were truly unparalleled.

Since he had stopped his body in mid-air, he could just as easily use the momentum to jump back up. I extended the World Tree’s stems to prevent him from approaching.

It was useless. Whether I sharpened the ends of the stems or swung them down with the heavy weight of a hammer, they were all equally squeezed and torn apart in his grasp. His gaze, fixed on me, was provocative, as if asking if this was all I had.

However, Buggy soon kicked off the wall and moved to the building across from us.

Then, a sticky sap poured down on the spot where he had been. It was a double trap designed to tie up his feet. It would have been great if he had been careless and gotten covered in it. It was a shame that his sharp senses were still the same.

He jumped between several buildings and landed safely on the ground. It was the first time in my life I had seen someone disperse the shock of jumping from such a high place in that manner. I didn’t think he was that much of a monster at this time.

How much had he trained after his defeat to me? He was displaying the combat capabilities that ranked him among the top tier within Madhouse. Of course, his outlandish rampage was likely also intended to show off his power. Or maybe it was true that he couldn’t control his strength.

In any case, thanks to that, I had seized an opportunity to land a big blow on him.

The surrounding buildings were not as sturdy as Centream’s, and wherever Buggy stomped, the ground caved in, revealing the bare frame. As a result, the ground supporting the buildings shook and rippled like waves. I didn’t stop the shaking of the earth’s axis but induced it even more violently.

And so, a massive flow was created.

The sunken ground trembled and then, in reverse, rose up, soaring high into the sky like a tidal wave. The screams of the earth covered the area, and the rumbling of the ground pierced through my entire body.

Buggy was at the center of it.

The massive upheaval of the earth’s crust collapsed as it was, burying Buggy.

“Hooo.”

Like a mushroom cloud rising after a nuclear explosion, a pile of debris mixed with building frames, vehicles, and asphalt soared high into the sky. The fatigue that washed over my body was as immense as the tremendous aftershock. I had essentially materialized the maximum power achievable with the divinity of the World Tree.

Even a superhuman should have been swept away and died without being able to resist… but Buggy was a monster who had transcended the limits of what a human body could achieve. I didn’t let my guard down and prepared my next move.

“Domain Declaration.”

As expected, the mountain-like pile of dirt scattered shortly after, and from within, Buggy emerged, dripping with blood.

(End of Chapter)