Kays Translations

Chapter 106: Tiamat, Gazer, Hiyori – Great Kaiju All-Out Attack

Mokutan said she wanted me to clean her ears, so I was in the workshop making a metal ear pick.

Apparently, she got jealous after seeing Hiyori and me taking turns giving each other ear cleanings while resting our heads on each other’s laps.

At first, I planned to make a bamboo ear pick. But the moment I inserted the bamboo pick into Mokutan’s ear as she eagerly laid her head on my lap, it burst into flames and crumbled to pieces. So I had no choice but to make a fireproof metal one.

While adjusting it, testing the feel in my own ear canal, Mamono-kun suddenly rang the front doorbell repeatedly and came rushing in.

I heard voices arguing — Hiyori, who had gone to greet him, seemed to be in a quarrel. I stopped working on the ear pick and went to the entrance.

At the entranceway, the kappa was bowing so deeply to Hiyori that his beak almost touched the ground, begging her.

“Please! I’m begging you! The only one who can defeat Tiamat is the Blue Witch — you! No one else can do it!”

I had invited Mamono-kun to the house, but clearly, this wasn’t a casual visit.

Didn’t seem like he came to tour the workshop.

“What’s wrong, Mamono-kun? Want to talk about it?”

“Dairi-san. I know it’s terribly rude to show up unannounced like this, but… I want you to ask her too…!”

“Okay, okay, I’ll listen. Just tell me — what’s going on?”

Listening doesn’t mean I’ll agree to help, but we’re not on such bad terms that I’d refuse to hear him out.

At my prompting, Mamono-kun began his earnest appeal.

According to his story, his pet — a Class-1 monster named Gazer-kun — had gone out to intercept another Class-1 monster, Tiamat, who was approaching from Izu Oshima.

Because Gazer-kun was a hidden and unauthorized “love child,” the general public, who knows nothing, would just see him as a terrifying eyeball monster.

If a kaiju battle broke out in a metropolitan area, even Gazer-kun — fighting on the side of justice — would be killed along with the threat. That must be avoided.

He begged for the Blue Witch to step in and somehow settle things peacefully.

After hearing him out, the first thing I did was question my own comprehension.

“Just to confirm, Mamono-kun… You’ve been secretly keeping a Class-1 monster?”

“Yes…”

“You stupid monster-loving bastard! What the hell are you doing?!”

No wonder Hiyori was arguing with him.

I only knew of two Class-1s: the Great Kaiju and Daidarabotchi. That’s old data, and I’d never seen one with my own eyes.

Still, I knew the catastrophic destruction they’d caused. They’re genuine monsters, capable of wiping out even transcendent beings who surpass humanity. They can easily annihilate two or three cities.

You don’t secretly raise something like that in your basement! The monster you promised to show me down there — that was Gazer-kun, wasn’t it?! Idiot! Damn monster freak!

Honestly, it was surprising Hiyori let it end in just an argument. If it were the old Hiyori, she’d have taken out Mamono-kun, then gone on to freeze both Gazer and Tiamat — city and all.

She’s mellowed out a lot.

“I’m not really in a position to talk, but attacking Gazer-kun would be a bad move. He’s fighting for humanity, yes. But that doesn’t mean he’s sacrificing himself for us. If attacked, he’ll get hurt, he’ll hate it. He’ll get angry. And if he gets angry, he’ll stop helping humanity.”

“I could kill both of them instantly. It’s not a problem.”

Hiyori said indifferently, but Mamono-kun seemed doubtful of the strongest witch’s confidence.

“I don’t doubt that the Blue Witch can defeat a Class-1 monster. But there’s no precedent of one being defeated in an urban area without massive collateral damage.”

“Daidarabotchi… was in a remote area, wasn’t it? No, I recall hearing that a few years ago, Conrad took one down with no casualties.”

“You mean the Midland Incident, fifteen years ago? Three oil tanks exploded, destroying nearby residential and industrial zones. There was only one Class-1 involved, and the lack of people due to a strike was just dumb luck. This time, evacuation won’t be fast enough.

Only by coordinating with Gazer-kun, who’s already ahead of us, can we minimize the damage — no, even then…”

Mamono-kun, who had been explaining things calmly, suddenly dropped to his knees at Hiyori’s feet.

“Let me be clear. I just want to save Gazer-kun. He’s my friend! He’s risking his life to fight Tiamat for my sake. I can’t abandon him. I’ll do anything I can — please, please…!”

Even as he cried and begged repeatedly, Hiyori looked uninterested, stepping over him as she headed out with Kyanos in hand.

“Blue Witch, please! Just spare Gazer-kun…!”

“I don’t care. Just because you believe he’s harmless doesn’t mean I have any reason to.”

“Hmm. I think it’s okay to believe him… maybe 50%.”

Hiyori, who looked irritated by Mamono-kun clinging to her, frowned at my comment.

“What are you talking about? He’s a Class-1 monster. Believing based on this idiot’s word is too dangerous.”

“But look — remember the fire lizards? We thought they were dangerous and almost wiped them out, but in the end, it was better we didn’t, right?”

That reference to the past made even Hiyori fall awkwardly silent.

Mamono-kun is undeniably a nutcase, but he’s also surprisingly sensible. I wouldn’t say you should believe him blindly, but maybe… halfway. When I visited his Kappa House, he was super careful to make sure I didn’t get hurt.

“Okay. Let’s prioritize killing Tiamat first. After that, we observe Gazer-kun. If he seems safe, fine. If he shows any danger signs, we kill him too. If backing Gazer-kun causes more damage, Mamono-kun takes full responsibility. Hiyori makes the detailed judgment calls. That’s about the best compromise I can think of.”

Illegal possession and mismanagement of a Class-1 monster.

Offset against Mamono-kun’s past merits and behavior — with my personal gut feel thrown in.

I wonder if this is a fair middle ground.

As Hiyori nodded reluctantly at my proposal, Mamono-kun grabbed my hand and cried so hard it looked like the water in his head dish would dry up.

Whoa, that’s a bit dramatic. I did come up with a compromise, but honestly, I still think there’s a 90% chance Gazer-kun’s going to get killed.

Can you really be “friends” with a Class-1 monster? The fact that you managed to raise him till now was probably some kind of bug in the system. Still, I guess it’s worth hoping that bug doesn’t get patched.

Hiyori, responding to our thanks while ushering us out the door, said:

“I’ll follow Dairi’s plan. But you said you’d do anything for Gazer, right? No matter how this ends, don’t forget those words.”

We headed straight for the coastal area using self-enhancement magic and Hiyori’s tailwind spell. Along the way, just before Ome, we passed by Mamono-kun’s younger brother and a huge tiger monster who were wandering around near the “Mist of Confusion.” We called out to them, but with all the Doppler effect going on, I’m not sure they really understood us.

Since I wasn’t very used to self-enhancement magic, Hiyori ended up carrying me halfway, speeding up even more.

In just about thirty minutes, we arrived on the rooftop of a general trading company building in Shinagawa Ward, overlooking the ocean.

On the rooftop, a magical operations unit dressed in rigid combat gear—somewhere between robes and armor—had set up a command tent. They turned around and murmured warily when the three of us suddenly barged in.

However, when Hiyori held up her Kyanos staff along with a card made of vacuum-silver holow silver, the mood shifted to something more excited.

Hiyori put the card away in her coat, dusted off my clothes, adjusted my collar, and began lecturing me.

“Dairi. Don’t even think about going any closer, alright? From this distance, I can absolutely protect you no matter who the enemy is. Any closer, and I can’t promise anything.”

“Okay, okay. Man, I’ve always wanted to see a live kaiju battle!”

“You’re way too relaxed about this.”

Mamono-kun muttered something, but it’s not like I was totally carefree either.

I only looked calm because Hiyori said it would be okay. I trusted her. Hiyori would never bring me into a danger zone. So yeah, I really do think it’s safe here.

When I leaned on the rooftop railing and looked out toward the sea, the battle between the four-headed dragon Tiamat and the glaring eyeball monster Gazer-kun had just begun over Tokyo Bay. The enormous golden dragon, easily over 100 meters in wingspan, and the equally massive eyeball monster, about half its size, were firing huge beams at each other.

Tiamat’s lightning-like golden beam and Gazer-kun’s purple beam collided midair, exploded, and sent out a massive shockwave that created huge waves.

A few seconds after the impact, the pressurized wind reached us, letting us feel the sheer force of the clash on our skin.

“Whoa, that’s insane…! But wait, isn’t Mamono-kun’s basement kinda huge?”

A basement that can hold a 50-meter-long monster is more like a shelter.

While I muttered without taking my eyes off the kaiju battle, Mamono-kun stood beside me, looking surprised.

“Gazer-kun expands by inhaling air when he gets angry. But until now, he’s only ever reached about three meters… This is my first time seeing him get this big.”

I see. So this is Gazer-kun in full combat mode.

After the initial beam clash, the two Class-1 monsters closed in and grappled with each other. Tiamat’s four jaws sank into Gazer-kun’s massive body, while Gazer-kun wrapped his seven long tentacles tightly around Tiamat’s necks, squeezing hard.

The violent clash of these titans created wave after wave in the ocean. We could see tsunamis crashing into the coast, flipping ships and flooding the piers.

Welp, so much for “zero property damage” this time.

Just then, Tiamat suddenly split into three and surrounded the struggling Gazer-kun.

Startled, Gazer-kun released his grip, only to be blasted by a massive beam and let out a furious roar.

I couldn’t help but lean forward. Oh no, Gazer-kun!

“Wait, that dragon can use clone magic!? That’s cheating!”

“No, that’s likely the illusion magic of that magician.”

“The illusion of… who?”

“You know, the invisible person from the Tokyo Witches’ Assembly.”

“…Right. Got it?”

I had no idea who that was, but apparently such people exist nowadays.

Makes sense, I guess. Some transcendents have passed away, and new ones have appeared. The Tokyo Witches’ Assembly probably has new faces too.

But hold on—if that illusion was summoned by someone, doesn’t that mean humanity is siding with Tiamat?

What the hell is going on here?

I wanted to yell at whichever humans were siding with Tiamat instead of supporting Team Gazer-kun, but I didn’t have the guts to pick a fight with the tense mage unit nearby. They all seemed busy inspecting cannons, magic circles, and ingots made of enchanted metal.

So instead, I tuned in to the conversation between Hiyori and someone who looked important and was making a serious face.

“—Emergency deployment of a prototype biological weapon? Who authorized this?”

“Ashizawa-san from the monster research company Kuranom. He said it was to respond to the terrifying threat that appeared in the city by deploying a Class-1 monster under study.”

“That’s a lie. I received intel from another Kuranom employee, and their story is completely different. According to my source, it’s the opposite.”

“The opposite?”

“Tiamat is the aggressor. Gazer is intercepting it to protect Tokyo. Kuranom is trying to dodge responsibility for Tiamat’s rampage, which resulted from their own negligence.”

“……… Are you sure?”

“You verify the intel yourself. But given the situation, I’ll take down Tiamat first. I won’t touch Gazer unless he starts going wild. Pull back the illusion mage—I don’t want to cause unnecessary casualties.”

“Hmm… Understood. Tsukiori Petty Officer! Contact the illusion mage—tell them to retreat! The Blue Witch is taking action!”

The communications officer, surrounded by eyeball familiars and in a bit of a frenzy, nodded at the superior officer’s orders and sent out the command. Hiyori began stretching and loosening her legs with deep squats and lunges.

Once Hiyori steps in, the giant monster battle will be over.

Well, this isn’t exactly a spectator event. Even though I wanted to keep watching a bit longer, I knew better than to say it out loud.

As I turned my eyes back to the rare giant monster fight, trying to etch the scene into my memory, Gazer-kun had just gotten above Tiamat. Now with one less tentacle—down to six—he bundled them together and fired an aurora-like rainbow beam at the four-headed dragon.

But the Tiamat struck by the beam vanished like an illusion, and in its place, the real Tiamat, previously invisible, appeared and fired a powerful golden beam directly at Gazer-kun.

Despite the mistaken assist, the Illusion Mage’s bad support ended up helping the enemy. Gazer-kun took the full brunt of the beam, was blasted away, bounced off the sea surface, and crashed into a large warehouse in the coastal area.

Blood poured from Gazer-kun’s body as he writhed weakly, deflating.

“Ugh…!”

Mamono-kun leaned forward and let out a pained cry, as if he had been the one hit.

This is bad. Gazer-kun is in serious trouble!

“Hiyori, hurry up!”

“Leave it to me.”

At my frantic wave and call, Hiyori nodded and shot off like a bullet.

No, maybe even faster than a bullet.

She burst from the rooftop, rocketing through the air, closing the distance to Tiamat with a sonic boom trailing behind her.

She’s fast! Too fast.

Even the battle-hardened magic troops around us froze, mouths agape and eyes wide, unable to do anything but watch in stunned silence.

Mamono-kun said in disbelief:

“No way. She’s creating a path with magic power…!?”

“Is that a big deal?”

“It’s—It’s divine. The flow of magic is completely different from chant-based magic. What in the world is she doing? I can only say it’s beyond human comprehension!”

Unlike Mamono-kun, who looked like his eyes would pop out of his kappa mask from the shock, I couldn’t see the flow of magic power. But I did understand what she was doing.

Hiyori was using chantless magic to create a path in the air and enhancing herself to the max, dashing at supersonic speed.

I always thought my girlfriend was amazing, but to people who can see magic power, she seems less “amazing” and more “godlike.”

Hiyori, you might as well call yourself a war goddess at this point.

Hiyori, who was now transcending even the transcendents, closed the distance to Tiamat in seconds. Looking like a speck compared to the 100-meter golden dragon, she slammed into it again and again with massive shockwaves, driving it away from the coast.

Tiamat, enraged, fired a golden beam that was reflected by a giant, mirror-like circular shield, scorching its own body.

Unable to bear it, Tiamat flapped its wings, gaining altitude and trying to reset its stance—but then, the sea below its belly began to freeze white.

I recognized the telltale sign and shouted:

“Go, Hiyori! Finish it!”

As if in response to my cheer, a single white beam shot up from the ocean.

That white beam was far thinner than those fired by Tiamat or Gazer-kun.

But it was the signature high-tier spell used by the Blue Witch.

Tiamat, struck midair by the massive glacial magic, died instantly, wings spread wide, frozen solid—and transformed into a stunning ice sculpture of a golden four-headed dragon.

Losing the ability to float, the massive sculpture fell, crashing through the sea ice and into the water, sending up an enormous column of spray.

With the rainbow drawn by the spray in the sky and the cheer rising from the command tent, the giant monster battle came to an end.

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