LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 251.2
Chapter 251.2. Hakata
The official stance is that participation is voluntary, but those who refuse must pay a special anti-monster tax—also known as the “soldier substitute tax.” To avoid conscription, a hefty sum must be paid. It’s said to cost hundreds of millions of yen, making it difficult even for people living in the inner district of Hakata to afford. This man’s family didn’t pay the tax on his behalf.
In such cases, it’s the captain’s job to console the recruits. The middle-aged man sighed, shaking his head, then stood and approached the young man crouching on the ground, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
“You’ll be fine, kid. The monsters don’t coordinate their attacks; they just come at us sporadically. Don’t worry—you’re not going to die that easily.”
“R-Really? I’m not going to die? I won’t die?”
Hearing the captain’s words, the young man raised his head. His mental state didn’t seem as fragile as expected, and Tachibana let out a breath of relief. He even thought they might become friends, given how close they were in age.
The captain was right. When I was first stationed here, I fought monsters every day, convinced that death was inevitable—but I was wrong.
The monsters don’t swarm us all at once. Their attacks are sporadic, without any coordination. If you have an automatic rifle, they’re manageable. With the walls around us and the surrounding rubble clearing the view, it’s easy to spot them. As long as you keep a good distance, most of them can be shot down.
Occasionally, a strong monster appears, and soldiers get killed. That’s why we’re gradually worn down, and even kids like us are sent to the front lines.
“Yeah, and if a tougher one shows up, we’ve got tanks and helicopters. It’s not that simple to—”
—die. The captain gave the young man another pat on the shoulder, offering a clumsy smile of reassurance. This was the usual scene.
Then, a faint whoosh was followed by a splatter. Something wet struck Tachibana.
What just happened? Tachibana tilted his head, feeling the strange wetness on his body. Touching it with his fingertips, he found it was oddly slimy.
Why is the captain’s upper body missing?
Why are my fingers stained bright red?
Tachibana stared blankly as the captain’s lower half collapsed onto the ground. The scene felt utterly unreal.
“H-Hiiiyaaah!”
The young man, who had seemed on the verge of recovering, screamed, now painted in red, and scrambled backward, desperate to distance himself from the fallen captain.
“Enemy attack!”
Nearby, fellow soldiers raised their voices, quickly aiming their automatic rifles toward the wall.
“An enemy? But the lookout didn’t give any warning…” Tachibana muttered as he rushed to aim his rifle in the same direction as the others.
On the outer wall stood a chameleon—a beast with iridescent scales, about three meters in size.
It had bulging eyes, small sharp teeth peeking from its mouth, and a slick, glimmering tongue flicking out. The chameleon monster had appeared without a sound.
“The captain is down! From here on, I’m in charge as vice-captain! Target: the new monster! Open fire!”
“R-Roger!”
With a sharp voice, the vice-captain barked commands. Tachibana, following the order, squeezed the trigger. Everyone else nodded grimly and unleashed a hail of bullets.
The gunfire echoed as countless rounds flew toward the chameleon monster. Similar gunfire sounded from other positions—apparently, identical monsters had appeared elsewhere too.
Tachibana kept firing, convinced that a three-meter monster should be easy to kill. But what he saw next widened his eyes in shock.
The bullets did hit the chameleon—right on its iridescent scales.
However, despite hitting it directly, the bullets passed straight through, leaving no wounds and piercing the wall behind it. The sharp clink of stone fragments hitting the ground echoed through the air.
“What the hell is this thing? Switch to armor-piercing rounds!”
Astonished by their inability to injure it, the vice-captain issued new orders. Tachibana’s mind went blank as he swapped his magazine for AP rounds.
[Flame Breath]
“G-Gaaaah!”
The chameleon gathered fire in its mouth, then unleashed a blazing inferno. The searing flames swept through the air, scorching the vice-captain and the surroundings in their path.
“Hiiiii!”
Watching out of the corner of his eye as the vice-captain burned like dry wood, Tachibana threw aside his rifle and dropped to the ground. Moments later, the flames roared past him.
He had narrowly escaped. But as he looked around, he saw his comrades writhing in agony, their bodies engulfed in flames on the floor. The stench of burning flesh filled the air, making him nauseous.
However, there was no time to feel relieved—he had only dodged the first attack.
“Kiiee!”
The chameleon stopped its flame breath and began lumbering toward him.
“What is this thing!?”
Panicking, Tachibana scrambled to retrieve the rifle he had thrown. Just as he reached for it, the chameleon’s tongue shot out like a spear, aiming straight at him.
And as the spear-like tongue closed in, Tachibana found himself staring death in the face.