Chapter 33: The Sound of Despair

Five days after Gojo had been stationed at the Gifu base, the magic prohibition bill was officially passed in Osaka, enforced under the Emergency Basic Law. From now on, using magic would result in up to ten years in prison.

"Sakagi! What the hell is going on!? I was just thinking we might be able to retake Japan with Gojo-san leading the Self-Defense Force, but now it’s the government holding us back, isn’t it!?"

"What the hell do you want me to do!? I’m not happy about it either!! I’ve protested to higher-ups countless times!"

"Gojo-san still hasn’t been told about the bill, right? You’re going to tell him?"

"No, Captain Yamamoto is supposed to. From now on, they’re planning to put Gojo-san under the Self-Defense Force’s command."

"You really think that’ll work? He’s not a Self-Defense Force member. He’s a civilian. He doesn’t have to fight just because the government says so!"

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I lay on the bed in my room, thinking about what to do next. According to Yamamoto, as long as the government officially approved it and the Self-Defense Force was in command, fighting with magic would be allowed.

I’d love to head straight to Fukuoka or Tokyo—places overrun with monsters—but I don’t want to cause friction with the government or the Self-Defense Force, so I’ll just… wait and see for now…

Just as I was thinking that—

“Huh…?”

Something felt off. Coming from far away.

"Is this… Osaka…?"

My “Enemy Detection” ability was reacting faintly.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

Osaka Prefecture, Osaka City—

At 12:00 a.m., it happened right in the heart of Osaka City.

In the darkness of night, a thin ring of light appears—like a crack in the world. The ring grows, spinning slowly ten meters above the ground, massive and ominous.

Inside the ring, strange symbols seem to be written—but no one can read them.

Osaka City is already overflowing with residents and refugees. Five rings of light suddenly appear across the city, and from each, slowly, a monstrous form emerges.

The report reached the prime minister’s office moments later.

“Prime Minister! Wake up! Emergency situation!!”

Prime Minister Tada, just drifting off to sleep, was shaken awake by his security detail.

“Monsters have appeared inside Osaka City. They’re already fighting with the Self-Defense Force. Prepare evacuation immediately!”

“…Are things really that bad… that we have to evacuate from here?”

“They’re taking heavy losses. There’s a real danger this place could become a battlefield. Please, hurry!”

“Then—before we evacuate—send a rescue request to Gojo at Gifu Base—”

The prime minister started to speak, but froze. Through the window, he saw something he’d never seen, never even imagined.

“W-what the hell is that?!”

The creature opened a massive mouth and let out a roar so terrible it defied this world—shattering the temporary prime minister’s residence in an instant.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

From high above Osaka, using “Thousand-Mile Eye,” I spotted something unnatural.

“That… that can’t be…”

I checked its status with “鉴定.”

Dragon Zombie

Undead (Top Tier)

Lv 98

HP 1028

MP 646

Strength 822

Defense 562

Magic Defense 1496

Agility 230

Dexterity 18

Intelligence 72

Luck 16

【Skill】 Magic Resistance (V)

This is bad… really bad… humans can’t even hope to win at this level.

I was about to teleport straight there, but I figured that might cause problems if I just went off on my own.

So I stepped out of the room, planning to tell Yamamoto and Sakagi, but a Self-Defense Force member stopped me.

“Where are you headed?”

“I need to urgently inform Yamamoto or Sakagi.”

“It’s late at night—can’t it wait until tomorrow?”

“It’s an emergency.”

“I understand. I’ll fetch them. Please wait a moment.”

Then I waited for nearly twenty minutes… no, wait, I shouldn’t be wasting time like this… no, this isn’t the time…

“Whaddya want? It’s past midnight!”

Yamamoto showed up. He looked clearly annoyed—probably just woken from sleep.

“Osaka’s been attacked by a powerful monster. We’ve gotta help now!”

“We haven’t received any report like that. Where’s this info from, anyway?”

“It’s hard to explain, but just believe me—I’ve got the ability. I’m going. Tell Sakagi, too.”

I turned to leave, but the Self-Defense Force member blocking my path stepped forward again.