kscans

It happened when I was drinking with an acquaintance, an old woman (at the time 89 years old). When we were in a good mood, the old woman came up with the following topic.

“Isn’t there a fighting-style boy manga? It’s really well done. It has a lot of realism.”

When I asked her what she meant by that, she explained.

“It’s because the process of special individuals gaining power is accurately depicted. Setbacks and defeats. They are the rites of passage for humans chosen by the great flow to gain new power. You must become stronger through failure and defeat in order to obtain the reason to move forward.”

If it were just an ordinary person, they would stay broken after a setback. There is definitely a possibility of staying defeated after losing. Even if they overcome it, it is rare to obtain something truly remarkable. However, those who are in the position of being chosen as the “protagonist” are different. If they can overcome and grasp what lies beyond, they will achieve results that are many times greater than what normal people would obtain. That’s how this world works.

“By going through such steps, ‘power’ gains meaning and expands,” she said.

If power is likened to a balloon, it will grow larger by injecting the air of “reason” that requires power. Everything has a purpose. A great power should have a proper reason, the old woman said. However, manga is manga. Unless it has a highly twisted storyline, the protagonist will always win in the end. That part is convenient, but it’s entertaining. Well, that’s not important. What the old woman is talking about is the realism of the process by which special individuals gain power.

After finishing that part of the conversation, the old woman frowned deeply and said, “In that sense, you’re the worst.”

She got tired of pouring the drink and started drinking straight from the bottle.

“When you were seventeen, you were undoubtedly in the position of the protagonist in a story,” she said with certainty.

… To be honest, I can’t deny that.

At that time, I often thought that I was walking a life like that of a protagonist.

“In that era, whether for good or for ill, the world was in the midst of a major change. You were undoubtedly at the center of that flow. You had everything that a protagonist should have.”

… Oh, yes. That’s right.

It’s too cliché to say that an ordinary boy suddenly enters an extraordinary world one day.

“They invite you to an extraordinary world. Two friends with different ideologies. If this isn’t the protagonist, then what is?”

The old woman’s eyes are stern.

“Nevertheless, you didn’t fulfill that responsibility, did you? If you were defeated due to insufficient power, that would have been fine. The world must have changed, whether it was for the better or worse.”

Even if the world changes for the worse, it’s the result of a major trend, so there’s nothing we can do about it. There is also the possibility that a new trend will come and things will turn around. It may sound like a joke to someone who is fully occupied with living in the present, but the old woman doesn’t live with that perspective.

“But you kept winning.”

Yes, I won.

“I overcame the process necessary to gain power without experiencing defeat or setbacks. I continued to grow from moment to moment. The inflated power is immense and unparalleled. But there is nothing inside. Well, of course not. I continued to grow stronger without any reason.”

I didn’t have immense power from the beginning. I was also a weakling at first. I even remember encountering several growth events. I thought I would lose here and then escape with my life to become even stronger…something like that. But that didn’t happen. I managed somehow every time those events occurred. There were no dramatic developments. I struggled, thought it was dangerous, hmm? Oh? Wait? Isn’t this going well? And I kept winning with that attitude. It wasn’t overwhelming victory. It was a close victory. But a victory is a victory, whether it’s a close one or not. Victories piled up.

… That’s how I ended up here.

“The result is the current world. Maintaining the status quo. That too was one answer. But without resolute determination to reach that point, it would have been futile. The world cannot move on without it. Because of the damming of the rightful flow, a new flow cannot occur. It’s a lazy stagnation. And yet, you continue to grow endlessly. What are you? Seriously, die.”

Such unpleasant words.

“… That’s me! I am the collective unconsciousness of humanity!”

And so, is it about time? It emerges from the sea of memories. The story is so nonsensical that I was thinking about something else. In front of my eyes, a “darkness” in the shape of a person spreads his arms and makes a grand gesture. Why do people like this always have such long speeches? They should consider the person they’re talking to. You guys talk too much. You should try to understand what it’s like to be forced to listen to you.

Hey, you’re heading to apologize to our business partners tomorrow.

“People desire an end! That’s why I was born! Born from the sea of collective unconsciousness, it’s you who brought me into existence! Who can stop me!? I, who embody the wishes of all humanity! Who can hinder me!”

In a nutshell, the world is on the brink of extinction right now. If that’s left unchecked, the world will truly end.

“Humanity’s strongest! Including you! No matter how strong you are, in the end, you’re just a single human. The difference in scale is massive!!”

… Alright, let’s get this started.

Though I don’t say it aloud, my exasperation has probably been conveyed over there as well. There’s no expression, but you can tell something’s irking them.

“Die!!”

A fist drives into my face. Countless barriers set up by spellcasters worldwide, backed by their full might. Without these, the power could have shattered Japan, causing massive tsunamis and worldwide devastation. However, I remain unfazed. My suit jacket gets blown away, but that’s about it.

“Some middle-aged potbelly geezer can’t even kill one person – what’s the essence of humanity?”

Thump! A punch lands on my abdomen through my shirt. My body’s a mess, even though I used to be skinny back in my teens. My hair is the same. It might not show, but there’s hair falling out after I shower… I’ve been feeling a bit of a crisis lately.

“You… you idiot…”

The ‘darkness’ visibly flusters. Perhaps due to being born to comprehend humanity’s will, their reactions are strangely human-like.

“Well, whatever. Basically, isn’t it like this? If you’re thinking of doing something about me, then go all out with the fervor to wipe out all of humanity, right?”

I rotate my shoulders,

“—Human Annihilation Punch!”

I throw a punch.

“Gah…!?”

“Human Annihilation Kick”

“Giiiiiiiiii!?!!”

“Human Annihilation Elbow”

“Guhhhhhhhh!!”

“Human Annihilation Swastika Lock”

It’s about time to wrap this up.

“Wh- what is this…? ‘The One Who Damns’… What the hell are you…?”

Hideo Sato, 34 years old.

“Just an old man. Just a bit stronger.”

My life as the protagonist who failed to become one continues even now.