"Gah!? It hurts!! It hurts!! It huuuuuuurts!!"
Large amounts of fresh blood sprayed from the stump of his right arm. Unable to bear the pain, the man dropped to his knees before rolling onto his back and screaming at the top of his lungs.
Was he trying to distract himself from the agony?
He thrashed across the floor like a toddler throwing a tantrum. It was annoying, so I planted my foot on his chest to pin him down.
Now, what should I do with him?
I obviously couldn't kill him. If I did, the seal on my Pleasure Killer title would break, and that would be a disaster.
In that case, I wanted to at least knock him out to prevent further resistance... but unfortunately, I lacked the "neck chop" technique. The only way I could think of to knock someone unconscious was to just keep punching them until they blacked out.
Either that, or maybe he’d pass out if I gave his carotid artery a quick squeeze....Wait, where exactly was the carotid artery?
Dammit, if only I knew how to do a proper neck chop, I wouldn't have to worry about this!
No, wait, there was something I had to do before knocking him out. At this rate, the old guy was going to bleed to death.
"Hinata-san! Use High Heal to stop the bleeding!" I called out, glancing back.
"Got it!"
Hinata-san, who had been keeping her distance, nodded and ran over. She held her staff over the man and cast High Heal.
A pure white light enveloped his body. The flesh at the stump of his arm swelled slightly, and the bleeding ceased.
Regenerating a lost limb was out of the question, of course, but it seemed even High Heal couldn't completely close a wound like that. He’d likely need to go to a hospital to have the stump properly sutured.
Still, the bleeding had stopped and the pain must have lessened, because his thrashing finally subsided. With a face covered in cold sweat and tears, he sluggishly tilted his head up to stare at his missing right arm.
"A-Ah... Hieee...!! M-My arm! My right arm!! Why... Why would you... do something so cruel... so horrible...!! W-What did I even do...!?"
"—Hah?"
His incredibly selfish words made my mind go blank for a second.
Is this guy... for real?
Is he actually serious?...Apparently, he was.
Thump! I ground my foot into his chest, putting more of my weight into it.
"Ugh!?"
"Hey, you bastard. What the hell are you talking about?"
I pride myself on being a mild-mannered person.
Back when my classmates were killing themselves studying for entrance exams, I was the kind of peaceful guy who didn't even get angry when a friend went berserk and punched me after I cheered them on by saying, "Go for it! ♡ Go for it! ♡"
Even so, this guy's words were revolting. I couldn't suppress my anger.
He was a total piece of human trash.
"What did you do? Do you have any idea how many people died because of you?"
"Ugh...!!...N-No...!! I am a chosen one!! I did what was necessary to save the world!! The real evil here... the ones in the wrong... are you Explorers!!"
"......"
This was exactly what people meant when they said they were so appalled they were speechless.
I didn't feel like I could have a conversation with this man. It was like trying to communicate with an alien using an unknown language.
"Sigh..."
It wasn't my job to find out why he did this or what his specific motivations were. I was already exhausted. I’d just punch him until he was out cold and then hand him over to the Association.
Just as I made up my mind—
"A-Ahhh...!! H-Help! Help me!! Sensei...!!"
Suddenly, the man began begging for his life.
I had no intention of killing him anyway, but... who was "Sensei"?
"Sen-seiiii...!! Why? Why won't you help me...!! Aren't you watching, Sensei...!!"
Sensei. He clearly wasn't talking about me.
Was he talking about a school teacher? The guy didn't look like he was at an age where he'd be in school, and even if he were, seeking help from a teacher in this situation made zero sense.
Was he regressing to childhood? Was his consciousness clouded?
When I looked at Hinata-san, she looked just as perplexed as I was. I tilted my head in confusion. At that exact moment—
"—Ah, I see... That’s right. I remember now!!"
It happened in a flash.
Immediately after he muttered that in a suddenly calm voice—Fwoosh! Intense flames erupted from his entire body.
"Whoa!?"
"Takeo-kun!?"
Startled, I yanked my foot back and leaped away.
The man's entire body was now engulfed in fierce flames as if he’d been doused in gasoline and set ablaze. He had become a literal human torch.
Hinata-san and I instinctively backed away, staring in bewilderment.
We were utterly confused.
"Uh... was that suicide?"
Had he become unable to bear his crimes and committed self-immolation? He didn't seem like the type to have such a guilty conscience, but...
"I'm sorry. I have no idea..." Hinata-san replied.
"Me neither..."
We could only stand there and watch the burning man.
What were we supposed to do? More importantly, this wouldn't count as me killing him, right? If it did, would the seal on Pleasure Killer break...? Just as that thought crossed my mind—
—!?
Hinata-san and I both gasped.
The man, still engulfed in flames, suddenly sat up and climbed to his feet.
The fire completely shrouded his body. It was so intense I couldn't even see his face. Then, the flames extended from the stump of his right arm, distorting into the shape of a human arm and hand.
The roar of the fire was deafening, yet strangely, the man's voice reached us with perfect clarity.
"Ah... that’s right...!! This is it!! This is how I use my Seed Skill, Fire Artist...!! I remember everything now!!"
...What is this?
I had a very bad feeling about this. My combat instincts, which had been razor-sharp lately, were screaming, You're dead.
Seriously, I wish people would stop doing "second forms" in real life. That kind of thing should be restricted to the likes of Frieza or some final boss in Dragon Quest.
Or was this the trope where a character awakens when they're backed into a corner?
Hey now, no matter how you look at it, that role should belong to me, not some middle-aged terrorist! Think about the narrative logic!
"And these memories... Ah, I knew it. My convictions, Sensei's teachings... they weren't wrong! Dungeons are dangerous!! At this rate, humanity will perish!!!"
I lowered my center of gravity and readied my sword, speaking softly to Hinata-san.
"Hinata-san, please run."
"Eh...?"
The head of the fire-humanoid turned toward us. I could feel a gaze fixed on me, even if I couldn't see his eyes through the flames.
"You Explorers, who bring Magic Stones out of the Dungeon and spread Magic Essence on the surface... you truly are evil."
If the flames covering his body were as dangerous as that Flame Sword... then in my current weakened state, I stood no chance of winning.
Should I have just killed him when I had the chance? There had been a way—I could have asked Hinata-san to deliver the final blow. But asking her to kill someone just to suit my circumstances was...
Well, it was too late for regrets.
"I’ll buy some time! Get out of here!"
Immediately after I shouted to Hinata-san—Fwoosh! Flames erupted from the man's back like a pair of wings.
He accelerated instantly without any telegraphing. He devoured the distance between us as if he were teleporting—and a split second later, he was right in my face.
"Brat, I will not forgive you."
A distorted, elongated arm of fire lashed out like a whip.