Ludger looked at the monster smashing apart the entrance of the ruins.
The moment Lexerra mentioned a giant monster, he realized it was Hans.
‘I figured something had gone wrong...’
But seeing Hans’s current state, it seemed that the thing he’d feared had actually happened.
“I did tell you to use it in case of emergency, but I didn’t expect you to use all of it at once.”
Of course, given Hans’s personality, it wasn’t likely he had deliberately used everything.
Most likely, he had been waiting outside when the Church’s holy knights chased after him, and something had gone wrong in the middle of it.
“Your reason?”
Grrrrrr.
“Seems to be gone.”
Ludger let out a troubled sigh.
Well, this wasn’t really Hans’s fault. If anything, the Church bastards were to blame for the situation ending up like this in the first place.
If he’d known it would turn out this way, he wouldn’t have handed over all the byproducts obtained from the spirit beasts to Hans.
‘Hans knows how to control the monster of Jévaudan. And he can sufficiently control even the two spirit beast powers lodged in his own body.’
Of course, that control wasn’t perfect. When a fight grew intense and his mental strength was exhausted, the suppressed savagery would gnaw away at his reason.
Hans knew that himself, which was why he never pushed it to a truly dangerous level. At the very least, he stayed within a stable threshold he could still control.
‘Even so, for Hans to lose his reason like this... I guess spirit beasts are still spirit beasts.’
Everything Ludger had received as a “gift(?)” from spirit beasts contained their factors.
A spirit beast was a kind of higher species—an animal imbued with mana that had evolved accordingly.
Simply using the fangs of a snake spirit beast didn’t just grant snake-like traits. It allowed access to the special powers that emerged when it became a spirit beast.
Those powers looked overwhelmingly strong, but in practice, they were difficult to handle.
Even without experiencing it firsthand.
‘Just watching Hans deal with it up close was more than enough to understand.’
The manifestation of an animal’s instincts.
Savagery devouring reason.
‘An enraged human finds it hard to restrain their anger, and calm thought becomes impossible.’
According to Hans, beastification occurred when situations that provoked such rising anger continued over and over.
No matter how much one meditated or tried to steady the mind, it was difficult to suppress that boiling inner turmoil.
‘If a person could control every surge of emotion at will, they’d be called a Bodhisattva.’
At the very least, Hans had gone through this process many times, becoming proficient enough to handle it now.
It wasn’t an innate talent, but the result of repeated, acquired training.
Following Ludger and getting dragged into all kinds of incidents, going through every hardship imaginable, had also contributed to his mental growth.
Still, no matter how trained he was, it seemed unavoidable when more than a dozen factors entered at the same time.
‘It’s become a form where everything is mixed together.’
In terms of sheer external danger, the monster of Jévaudan still held the advantage.
But in terms of capability and the power contained within, it might be even stronger than when it reigned as the nightmare of the Bretus Theocracy that day.
During the holy war, Hans had spewed out endless shadows, creating cryptids.
That alone could be considered a strategic weapon in large-scale warfare.
‘In contrast, right now it seems stronger for individual combat than large-scale battles.’
Well, with its raw size at that level, it was laughable to even talk about specialization.
Ludger’s figure vanished as if swallowed by shadows.
Hans’s eyes darted around, searching for Ludger. With six eyes, he could scan different directions simultaneously.
Hans turned his body.
That was because Ludger had passed by him and appeared outside the ruins.
“Judging by your current state, it doesn’t look like you’ll understand words. Seems I’ll need to take special measures.”
He called it special measures, but it wasn’t anything grand.
It was simply overpowering him with force.
The way to suppress rampaging savagery was overwhelming violence strong enough to put it down.
Some might criticize that method as barbaric.
‘But lecturing a beast that can’t understand words would be ridiculous.’
Ludger pulled out his staff and aimed it at Hans.
“Come at me. Let’s see what you’re like in that state. I’ll grant you the first move.”
Grrrrngh!
Provoked by the taunting tone, Hans bared his teeth. With features of various beasts mixed together and human teeth among them, the sense of dissonance was overwhelming.
Which only made it more frightening. It didn’t look like a pure beast, but something else entirely.
Boom.
Hans’s long arms slammed into the ground.
It was a display meant to threaten his opponent. Just that alone cracked the earth and sent up clouds of dust.
It was enough to be called a localized earthquake.
Yet even amidst those violent tremors, Ludger gazed calmly at Hans.
Both of his feet were firmly planted on the ground, his posture unmoving.
It was as if time itself had frozen around Ludger.
No agitation. No haste.
Ludger had already said it—he would yield the first move.
So there was no chance he would be frightened into attacking first.
Because he had said so.
That was a declaration, and an unchanging truth.
Grrrk!
Meeting Ludger’s gaze, Hans flinched and shrank back.
Drdrdrdr.
The legs firmly bracing against the ground began to tremble, one by one.
The trembling spread through his entire body in an instant.
“What are you doing.”
When Ludger’s voice brushed against his skin, Hans shuddered.
A bizarre sight unfolded—an enormous monster being completely overpowered by a single human, unable to move one way or the other.
“Where did that ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) initial bravado go? Are you just going to keep standing there?”
At the continued provocation, Hans tried to flare up again.
But the moment he met Ludger’s eyes, he could only drop his gaze to the ground.
The current Hans was moving solely on animal instinct.
An animal’s instinct was destructive—programmed to kill enemies in order to survive.
But this time, that instinct wasn’t functioning properly.
No—it was closer to the opposite.
It was functioning too well.
Instinct whispered. The human before him looked human, but was a monster he could never dare to face.
Every spirit beast factor lodged within his body was screaming the same thing.
The fear of the spirit beasts that had been forced to surrender parts of their bodies was etched deep into their genes.
“If this keeps up, it’ll go nowhere. Or should I come to you instead?”
The moment Ludger said that and shifted his stance—
Hans felt a massive tremor race through him from head to toe like lightning.
At the same time, it was as if the fog that had left him unable to see a way forward suddenly cleared.
With a brilliant flash, like a bolt of lightning, his reason awakened.
[It’s me! It’s me! Boss! Hans!]
Hans flattened his body and prostrated himself before Ludger.
As a massive monster over thirty meters tall collapsed in submission like a dog, the ruins rumbled once more.
The ground sank deeply under Hans’s weight. Yet he paid it no mind, frantically signaling to Ludger that he had absolutely no intention of fighting.
[It’s me, me! I’m back to normal! So please put that terrifying thing away!]
“What is it, Hans. You back to your senses?”
Ludger lowered the staff he’d been aiming at Hans.
“How did it come to this?”
[...While I was running away, the holy knights suddenly attacked, and the things I had tucked inside got driven into my chest.]
“Your luck really is abysmal. Yours, and theirs.”
[...That’s true.]
In any case, the holy knights’ fate wouldn’t change. Even if they hadn’t encountered Hans, the moment they entered the ruins, they would have died by Ludger’s hand.
“Still, you came to your senses faster than I expected. I thought I’d have to beat you around a bit before that happened.”
[I-I don’t really know myself. Everything was pitch black, and then suddenly my vision got bright. I come to my senses, and there you are pointing a staff at me—do you have any idea how startled I was? I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest.]
From Hans’s perspective, it was straight out of a horror movie.
He remembered losing consciousness and being consumed by savagery.
He had fallen into a deep sleep, not knowing when he’d wake up—only to suddenly regain consciousness.
And the first thing he saw was Ludger aiming a staff at him.
Hans knew Ludger’s strength better than anyone.
Who wouldn’t panic at the sight of a walking strategic weapon about to attack them?
Hans quickly ran through the situation in his head, grasped it instantly, and bowed his head.
It was only possible because he was sharp-witted and decisive enough to act immediately.
[Seems the beast factors inside me all got scared stiff of you and bowed their heads.]
“Hm. Is that so.”
[You’ve beaten up more than one or two spirit beasts on the way here, haven’t you? The owners of every factor inside me have all been smacked around by you at least once.]
Hans paused mid-sentence, falling into thought.
After seeing what Ludger had done to spirit beasts, was it really appropriate to describe it as “smacking them around”?
A thug grabbing a preschooler by the collar and stealing their candy looked far more gentle by comparison.
[That’s probably why, the moment they faced you, every last instinct tucked its tail. That’s how my reason managed to wake up again.]
“I see. It’s a bit ambiguous, but it’s a sufficiently convincing explanation.”
[Not just convincing—it’s probably the truth. How should I put it... I can feel it.]
It was all thanks to Ludger. And yet, at the same time, it felt absurd.
No matter what, he had become a colossal chimera monster, a fusion of spirit beast factors—and yet instead of fighting, it tucked its tail and surrendered.
“That’s a shame.”
[Huh? I think I misheard you.]
“I was looking forward to a different kind of fight, seeing as you were an aggregate of spirit beasts.”
A chill ran down Hans’s entire body.
Just hearing the word “shame” made it feel like ten years had been shaved off his lifespan.
[Y-you’re joking, right? Boss.]
“I wasn’t joking before you came to your senses.”
[H-hahahaha.]
Hans realized then—animal instincts weren’t sharp for no reason.
They knew. The moment they fought Ludger, they knew exactly what kind of end awaited them.
At this point, the spirit beasts’ savagery almost seemed intelligent.
‘Good grief.’
Hans felt the new beast factor lodged inside him cowering silently in a corner.
If the mind was a house, it was like the ones that had barged in and rampaged around before had suddenly become docile.
Terrified that Ludger might show up at any moment.
Rampaging freely against weaker opponents, only to flee in panic the instant they encountered the real thing.
Should he call that cunning, or smart?
“So you’re fine now, right?”
[I-I said I’m fine, so stop looking at me like that! I’m really scared here!]
Judging by appearances alone, Hans was far more terrifying and violent.
It was just funny because he was lying flat, begging to be spared.
Ludger snorted and put the staff back into the shadows.
“Judging by how strongly you’re reacting, it looks like the beast factors have completely bowed their heads.”
[...Yes. It’s absurd that an aggregate formed from regional overlords would react like this, but still.]
“On the contrary, that’s strength. A half-baked fool gets drunk on their own power, fails to recognize a predator, and charges in. But that thing instantly grasped that its opponent was stronger and immediately lowered its tail. It adapted to the situation.”
[That’s strength?]
“Refusing to bend and breaking instead might look admirable. But that’s far from true strength. If anything, it’s reckless bravado. True strength begins with acknowledging one’s own weakness.”
[I don’t really get philosophical talk like that.]
“I didn’t say it expecting you to understand.”
Ludger pulled a green ampoule from the shadows.
“To think I’d end up using this again. Take it, Hans.”
As Ludger tossed it, Hans caught the ampoule swiftly with his tail.
Though it was long and massive, it moved smoothly and precisely enough to catch the small ampoule.
Hans injected the healing agent into his body. His form began to boil like foam, then gradually returned to its original shape.
“Ugh. I’m dizzy.”
Perhaps due to the aftereffects of the transformation, Hans staggered for a moment, clutching his head even after returning to human form.
Ludger tossed him clothes from the shadows to change into.
“All changed. More importantly, what happened inside? Did you find the relic?”
“We did. But we decided to leave it as it was. It was awkward to touch.”
“Ah. I see.”
As Ludger spoke while looking at the forest, Hans nodded in understanding.
“More importantly, boss. Take a look at this.”
From the corpse of the black mage he had killed, Hans gathered the materials the man had taken from the ruins and handed them to Ludger.
“What these ruins were built for.”