Chapter 4 Black Magic
The first thing beyond the passage was, obviously, the first place I came to.
It was a circular hall. Up till now all the places, whether it be the prison, passage or the lab, gave of a very cramped feeling, so the hall gave of off an overly spacious and open impression.
On looking around I realized that the masked man that led me here had already exited the room.
Well then, I wonder what kind of pain is waiting for me here. It would be nice if they hold a dance party in this spacious hall instead.
Good grief, it seems if I don’t keep thinking up boring jokes I’ll go insane.
Wait, will it be more peaceful if I went insane instead?
As I thought this, from a door other than the one I came through, while making a *gachagacha* sound, I realized that someone was coming.
The one who came was the usual white masked man. But his outfit was different from the ones up till now. What covered his whole body was not a mantle but a dully shining protector.
Armour might be a better word.
“With this we shall initiate No.49’s manoeuvring experiments. No.49, use Black Magic to destroy the doll in front of you.”
For the first time I got an explanation of the experiment. Does that mean that the results depend that much on what I do? The experiment was, I could understand with even the short explanation, to basically for me to use magic. To go through all the trouble to restructuring my whole body just to make me able to use magic, I had no idea what were their reasons, but at least, I knew that these guys weren’t kind enough to give me enough free time to slowly learn magic by myself.
The armoured man who came in front of me, here should I call him a doll as per the explanation? Well anyhow, I don’t know what kind logic is behind it but they seem to be moving like a human due to the effect of some weird magic.
And so, that weirdly moving doll seems to be moving towards with the same *gachagacha* noisy sound. Basically, I need to use my magic to destroy it quickly otherwise I’ll be beaten to a pulp by those steel gauntlets covering its both hands!!
“Ohh shit!?”
The doll raised its fist overhead and began its strike.
Once when I was in elementary school I punched the classmate in anger who had destroyed my handicraft I had made painstakingly during the summer holidays. Other than that, I have absolutely no experience in fighting.
Obviously, I don’t possess something like skill in martial arts or a hidden talent in fighting. I’m just an amateur with a big body. Still I was somehow able dodge that punch thrown without any feints.
It should be obvious but the attack wasn’t going to stop after dodging just one punch. The doll kept on releasing consecutive punches.
“Sh,Shit—-“
Timidly I ran away towards the back but I would soon reach the wall. Use magic, is what they said, but even if I want to I just can’t use it suddenly.
Certainly, I could sense the presence of magical power in my body but to use it I need more time to concentrate—-
“Guh, Aagh!”
The iron fist of the doll connects with the top of my shoulder. Due to the hardness and shock of the fist, I thought my bones would break with just one attack, but after actually getting hit once, it wasn’t that bad.
Of course, it still hurts. Could it be that the doll’s power is less than I thought? Or like a morphing hero who had undergone secret modifications, I had become sturdy?
Eeh, whatever, either is fine with me.
“Oraa!!”
As revenge, I send a straight right punch with all of my might towards the doll.
The doll without even trying to dodge, my fist hit the white mask as if being sucked towards it. I feel an impact on my fists, and with a dull shock, the doll was blow off behind.
“Ho,How’s that….”
It felt like there was quite some response, but someone like me who has never experienced hitting someone, I had no idea of knowing how much damage I might have done. Still, it was enough to blow it away. It’ll be nice if he stays that—–
“Damn it, looks like it won’t go down that easy.”
The doll easily stood back up. But the mask that took my punch had a crack like a spider web on it.
It enough strength to crack that solid mask yet the doll stood up easily means I have no choice but use magic to destroy it.
It won’t end no matter how much I exchange blows with doll this way. Meaning I’ll have to get serious and try to use magic.
Those guys explained me with the condition that I should use black magic, that means there must be some way to use it. What kind of thing was black magic was unknown but for the time being I’ll try moving the magical power inside my body. For that, I need to highly concentrate…….
“—-guha!!”
In front of the doll who had resumed punching again, there is no way I could calmly concentrate. Even if I try to make it quiet by punching and kicking him away, it’ll get up quickly anyway.
On actually trying it, all my attacks dented the armour but the doll itself seems to be unaffected. But to concentrate I can’t keep on taking punches and there is no place to hide in this hall either. To create a situation where I don’t take attacks—-
“No choice but to grapple it, huh?”
If I stick to the opponent, at least I won’t be punched. I don’t know whether my amateurish thinking would work or not but I don’t have any other choice right now.
Luckily, this doll has only been using punches with a large swing, which means, it won’t use different types of techniques probably. Then, if I grapple it from the back it won’t use a technique to magnificently counter it like martial artists do and only struggle to tear me off him.
“deyaaa!”
I quickly ran around to the back of the doll that has strangely dull reflexes. Before it could turn around, I kicked his back. Before it could get back up, I climbed on his back. With this my plan was a success. Although I cant keep him completely down like judo specialists, I simply made it unable to get back up from its upper body.
As expected the doll only tried to get up with brute strength. My and the doll’s strength is almost equal, if I can keep him down for another 10 seconds at least……….
“gu,u,uooo…..”
Magical power starts circulating within the body, then its flow started accelerating and its volume also increased. I could feel the objects embedded inside my body during experiments reacting to the flowing magical power. I can feel it, magic is strength in itself. If I can release it with this force, I would definitely be able to destroy this doll. I noticed that from my body, instead of sweat, black smoke-like thing was coming out.
I don’t feel anything uncomfortable about it. That’s because it is surging out from my magical power.
*Gigigigi* The sound of the doll’s creaking started coming, and the resistance became stronger. At the same time I also seem to be unable to hold back any longer.
With this, it’s over.
“Daaaaaaaaa!!”
The moment the doll tried push me aside, the magical power compressed in my right hand was released. At the same time my right fist hit the doll’s back, the torrent of black magical power pierced through the hard armour like a drill, and penetrated the doll completely.
Probably, even the floor beneath the doll must have been gouged out with my one attack, or so I got the feeling.
“…….”
Not sensing anymore strength from the doll, I threw myself down on the floor just like that.
“I, I did it……”
What was that magic just now?
I don’t really understand but, I just punched with the flowing magical power. Well it’s fine. The doll has completely stopped working, it’s a relief for now.
—–*kashan*
“Huh?”
The sound hard metal armour along with movement of a doll came to my ears.
I definitely defeated that doll just now; even now it’s still lying there on the ground without moving a bit.
—–*kashan**kashan**kashan*
But, I definitely hear the sound. That’s right; there is nothing weird about it. After all that sound is coming from beyond the gate through which this doll came.
It’s very simple. There wasn’t just a single doll, that’s all there is to it.
“…….haha”
At last the door opened.
And a row of dolls rushed into the hall. A total of 10 of them, and each of them lined up and looked at me still lying on the ground.
All of them were similar to the one I just defeated except one thing. All 10 of them had a double-edged sword in their hands.
“Are you kidding me?”
Up till now, under the effect of the various experiments I had resolved for death countless times, but never as much as I did now.
With shaky movements the dolls took up their swords. And, almost together and at the same time, all of them started to charge towards me.
“……..Fuck.”
Shikkaku Translations 