I Don’t Want to Die as a Mob in My Second Life! ～A Story Where I Kept Training from Inside the Womb and Ended Up Being Mistaken for a Monster～ - Chapter 08: The Evil That Must Be Vanquished, Kanata Soranaki

Chapter 08: The Evil That Must Be Vanquished, Kanata Soranaki

In a dimly lit tatami-floored hall, likely a subterranean chamber within the Spirit Conductor Agency, I found myself the center of a sea of shocked stares.

“H-He destroyed Lord Ujimaro’s manifestation!?“

“Impossible…“

“That wicked monster—he shattered a manifestation with a mere hand strike?!“

The Reisoushi erupted in panic. Well, it’s no surprise—they just saw me destroy a First-Class Reisoushi’s manifestation technique.

“Aaahhh noooooo…! This Ujimaro to be humiliated by… by this baby-like creature… guhaaa…!”

Poor Ujimaro collapsed, clearly drained.

The Dagon Whip was powerful, but its strength came at the cost of enormous spiritual energy to maintain. Its destruction had caused feedback, leaving Ujimaro completely wiped out.

Man… I feel kinda bad about this.

Alright, Body, time to show some concern. Say, “I’m sorry, Mr. Ujimaro. Are you alright?”

“Too bad, Ujimaro. You good?”

“?!”

Oh, nice! He actually said it! Not in polite language, but hey, progress is progress.

“Why… why would a monster like you show concern for me?”

Well, because it’s a decent thing to do, obviously. Right, Body?

“Because you’re my slave.”

“Eh!?”

“(Eh!?)”

Wait, why would you say that!?

The goal was to follow your conscience, not to randomly declare Ujimaro your subordinate!

“Y-You’ve got to be joking! Why would someone like me ever obey a brat like you, who’s all looks and no soul!?”

“(…He’s so right.)”

I’m fully on Ujimaro’s side here. Please, Ujimaro, I’m begging you—shut this arrogant body down with logic and reason…!

“Go on, go on. Let’s see you out-argue a mere child.”

“Wha—?!”

“(Awawa!?)”

Stop provoking him like that!

This body’s speech conversion system is utterly broken! It’s gotta be the Conceptual Spirit Trio’s fault. Someone better take responsibility for this mess!

Wait…

Oh no, this situation is really bad, isn’t it?

The Reisoushi gathered here already see me as a dangerous threat.

Now, after I defeated Ujimaro and started spewing arrogant nonsense…

“Exterminate him immediately!!!“

“Kanata Soranaki is indeed a wicked being! Kill him!“

“If we all fight together, we can win!“

Oh no, oh no, oh no! They’ve all gone into battle mode!

This is terrible! Body, quick—say, ‘Everyone, calm down!’

Alright, here we go—

“I’ll silence all of you myself…”

“”!?!?””

“(GAAAH… WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS BODY?!)”

This speech conversion glitch is the absolute worst!

And to make matters worse, I can feel it—my face right now is twisted into the most evil grin imaginable!

“(Ahhh… it’s over. It’s all over…)”

Some people are glaring at me with faces red from anger, while others are breathing heavily, like bulls ready to charge.

Alright, I get it now. Body is determined to go against me at every turn.

In that case, fine—try saying something absolutely villainous, like:

‘Bow before me. All who defy me shall be enslaved and treated like dogs, loyal only to me.’

Normally, saying something that evil would tank my reputation completely, but maybe Body would flip it and say something friendly instead?

Alright, here we go—

“Bow before me. All who defy me shall be enslaved and treated like dogs, loyal only to me.”

“”?!?!””

“(WHY WOULD YOU SAY IT EXACTLY AS IS?!)”

Why are you obedient now!?

If you’re going to go against me, shouldn’t you have turned that into something friendly instead?

Wait… Body… are you only capable of saying evil-sounding things!?

“You cursed child… I’ll twist that pretty face of yours with pain!”

“So you are a monster! Let me show you the fear of humanity!”

“Huff… huff…!”

The Reisoushi were absolutely furious. Reconciliation? Yeah, that’s officially off the table.

And there’s no way Body is going to bow and apologize at this point.

This situation is so awful I almost have to laugh.

“Wahahahaha!”

“”!?””

“(!?)”

No, seriously, don’t laugh out loud like that…!

Ahhh… this cursed body has completely ruined everything.

I get why everyone is glaring at me with pure hostility. But still—

“(I don’t ever want to die again.)”

That thought echoed in my mind as I steeled myself. The only way out of this mess was to fight and survive.

“I’ll kill you, Kanata Soranaki!”

“Hah, how should I deal with you? (Why did it come to this…?)”

And so, just as I and the Reisoushi were about to charge at each other—

“Stop, all of you.“

In an instant, a blinding flash of lightning filled the room.

My vision was overwhelmed by light, followed by a deafening roar and the force of an explosive shockwave.

The Reisoushi were thrown back with cries of “Gaaahhhh!,” crashing into the walls like ragdolls. Even my overly powerful body felt the impact, causing me to plant my feet firmly on the ground with a sharp “Hmph!” as I steadied myself.

Body, could you not look so smug about it?

And then—

“Both sides will stand down.”

Standing at the center of the room, where the explosion had left a charred, star-shaped mark, was a man. His jet-black hair swayed like wet silk, and he wore an elegant cloak over traditional Japanese attire.

“(Wait, isn’t that…?!)”

I recognized him immediately.

Actually, anyone affiliated with the Spirit Conductor Agency would know who he was.

After all, this man was essentially the CEO of the entire organization…!

“The Spirit Conductor Agency’s Supreme Commander—this Ouma Shiranui—will take charge of this matter.”

W-Wow… it’s the Great Ouma, the Supreme Commander!

“(The ultimate guardian of Japan… in his younger years, no less…!)”

It felt like meeting an idol in person. While Body’s face remained stoic, I was internally fangirling hard.

This was Ouma Shiranui, a Special-Class Reisoushi.

Among the elite Special-Class, he was said to be the absolute strongest.

The first time I saw him in person was during the graduation ceremony for the Spirit Conductor exam. By the time I became a Reisoushi in my previous life, he’d already been weakened by various circumstances, but I still vividly remember the burning intensity in his gaze.

Lord Ouma’s philosophy has always been singular:

“Avoid unnecessary conflict. I cannot bear to see the beautiful land of my homeland stained with blood.”

His fiery red eyes, like pools of freshly spilled blood, glared at us with unwavering resolve. Those eyes radiated a profound and absolute love for his homeland.

“(Ohhh… this is the real deal…!)”

A relentless Japan supremacist.

A protector of his nation, a demon warrior.

The warlord of Yamato.

Ouma Shiranui is a man who has dedicated his life to defending the nation, safeguarding its people, and relentlessly driving its prosperity.

“(A man willing to use any means to ensure his country’s happiness. Feared by neighboring nations, yet adored by his people.)”

A gallant protector willing to risk his life for the nation—of course, the people would rally behind someone like that.

Even the enraged Reisoushi began to calm down at the sight of Lord Ouma. One after another, they knelt on one knee, shouting, “Ooh! Supreme Commander!” and “As you command!“

Even Ujimaro, who had been all fired up, clung to him desperately, crying out, “Lord Ouma~~!“

“Lord Ouma is here! With you by our side, we’re unstoppable! Come, let’s defeat Kanata Soranaki together!”

Wait—hold on! That’s a problem! I don’t want to fight, and there’s no way I’ll survive against the strongest Special-Class Reisoushi!

While I was panicking internally, Lord Ouma quietly looked down at Ujimaro and said,

“You were hasty, Ujimaro.”

“Eh? Eh?”

“I said, you acted against Kanata Soranaki.”

His reprimanding gaze was fixed squarely on Ujimaro.

Wait… what? Is Lord Ouma… siding with me? What is this unexpected joy I’m feeling!?

“B-But…! That’s…”

“It’s true that he must be treated with caution. But you were instructed, were you not? Until he acts first—or until his ‘evil’ is confirmed—you are to refrain from executing him.”

“O-Of course… my deepest apologies…”

Ujimaro turned pale, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

He’s normally so arrogant, but when faced with the Warlord of Yamato, even he had no choice but to fall in line.

“Now then… Kanata Soranaki.”

“(!)”

Whoa, he said my name. Something like this would’ve been unthinkable in my previous life…!

Come on, Body, at least try to flash a polite smile!

“What is it, Ouma Shiranui?”

Instead, Body looked up at the Supreme Commander with a wicked grin.

This is the worst…!

“…You really can speak. Hard to believe you’re a mere infant. Is it prenatal influence, or perhaps the effect of the Conceptual Spirits you harbor?”

“(!)”

His question jolted me into realization.

That’s right… I need to tell him about The Meat Angel, the highest-ranking Conceptual Spirit of Regression. I was sent back in time by its power, after all.

If something that twisted exists in the future, then Japan could be in serious trouble.

I should warn him. But…

“I have no intention of explaining. It’s irrelevant.”

In the end, I kept quiet.

Why? Because I remembered something critical about Conceptual Spirits.

“(Conceptual Spirits… they’re born when enough people consciously focus on a specific concept.)”

For instance, if a massive earthquake were to occur, the entire population would naturally become hyper-aware of the concept of Earthquake.

And within days—or months at most—a Conceptual Spirit of Earthquake would materialize.

“(If I were to warn them about the Conceptual Spirit of Regression, I’d just end up summoning it to this era instead.)”

That would be the worst-case scenario, especially with someone like Lord Ouma around.

You see, Conceptual Spirits don’t always require widespread awareness to appear. Sometimes, just a handful of individuals with overwhelming willpower can bring one into existence.

Take the vengeful spirit [Sugawara] as a prime example.

Long ago, a man named Michizane Sugawara, who was mistreated and cast aside, fixated so intensely on the idea of himself as a spirit of revenge that he actually came back as a Conceptual Spirit.

Even now, he still resurfaces about once a year. Normally, when a Conceptual Spirit is defeated, it takes at least a century for a strong one to reform—but not him.

So yeah, cases like that exist.

Which means I can’t risk casually mentioning [Regression].

“(Alright… I’ll keep the existence of [Regression] a secret. But that doesn’t mean I’m doing nothing. I’ll train hard until it appears—and maybe even…)”

…Help the Reisoushi who are destined to die in this timeline.

If I can save those people, maybe they’ll become allies who can help in the future.

“(That’s it. I’ve decided. I’ll use every bit of future knowledge I have to make the most of this second chance.)”

I refuse to die ever again.

That’s my driving force, but it’s not the only reason. I may not be as noble as Lord Ouma, but I still have a sense of justice.

I won’t let monsters ruin the land I was born into.

I’ll prepare for them, thoroughly.

“(Lord Ouma, you’re an ally who protects Japan just like me…!)”

I gazed at him with admiration, directing my earnest thoughts to the Supreme Commander.

My eyes locked onto his gallant crimson ones, filled with resolve.

“Hmm…”

It seemed my feelings got through, as Lord Ouma nodded and said, “Understood.“

Wait, really?!

“Kanata Soranaki. You are… the embodiment of ‘evil’ to be vanquished, with black flames lurking in your eyes.”

…Eh?

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[Tips]

Conceptual Spirits:

Manifestations born when many intelligent beings consciously focus on a single concept.

Their power depends on the amount of awareness they receive.

This makes disasters, urban legends, and diseases particularly dangerous when they become widely discussed, as they can result in the creation of strong Conceptual Spirits.

In rare cases, even a small community’s awareness, if combined with an individual’s intense willpower, can bring one into existence.

As a result, this world is especially wary of cults or dictators who wield extreme and chaotic determination.

Supreme Commander:

With extensive authority and influence, the Supreme Commander’s political power is said to surpass even that of the Prime Minister.

The 99th Supreme Commander, Ouma Shiranui, is especially revered, enjoying overwhelming national support.

When Ouma declares someone “evil,” it’s game over for them.

Kanata Soranaki:

A guy who was mistakenly labeled “evil” because his body’s creepy smirk and piercing glare made him look like a villain.

Honestly… an expected outcome.

Game over (!?).

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