An Encounter Between Certain Saints

It was a story that happened a long time ago.

—Rumble!

"…Ah~, so fuckin' boring…"

The man—the 'Fist' Saint Shangarula turned around lazily without paying any attention to the giant dragon he had just felled.

Every day was unbearably boring for Shangarula.

On top of having acquired the rare skill "Emperor Fist", he also possessed a combat sense that was unique even among werewolves. Compared to him, everyone else was nothing more than a weakling.

He was a hot-blooded werewolf that loved to fight, yet because most of his opponents died or surrendered before he could go all out, he couldn't even fight satisfactorily, making his every day frustratingly dull and boring.

Hence, he had escaped from the village and gone out of his way to the place where giant dragons appeared, but their movements were too slow that they could only make him yawn at best.

Thinking that such damn boring days would continue made him want to throw up—just as he was about to spit on the ground and then go back to the village…

"—Are you Shangarula?"

"!"

Shangarula was both surprised and exhilarated by the sudden appearance of the sense of intimidation.

It was so strong that it made even him reflexively make some distance.

The other party was most likely an expert of befitting caliber.

He was, without a doubt, the strongest opponent he'd ever met.

And the presence he gave off—

"Kukuku, nice. It's my first time facin' up against a fellow 'saint'."

"Is that so? Then wield your power to your heart's content. It is for that exact purpose that I went out of my way to meet you at this hour, after all."

A man with a solemn face appeared under the moonlight as those words echoed.

Two horns grew out from his forehead, and the tachi he held in his right hand gave off a sense of ominousness.

—Oni.

A race said to have been exterminated in the past under the massacre done by humans.

"Ha, ain'tcha lookin' down at me too much, Oni? You think you can get away unscathed from a fight against a werewolf under the moonlight—no, against me? Haa?"

"Whether or not I can depend on your ability. So, come at me with all your might. Otherwise, I'll kill you." The man said indifferently as he took a stance.

Shangarula grinned with a chuckle and then roared, "Just the way I like it, ya fucking horned bastard! You'd better not cry later!"

Pop-crack! His body growing one size larger, Shangarula completely transformed into a literal beastman.

It was a battle form exclusive for some demi-human—'Beastification'.

In this form, demi-humans' combat power became several times greater than normal, yet…

—Slash!

"Graagh?!"

…the man managed to easily cut Shangarula.

He was the 'Fist' Saint and had even used beautification under the divine protection of the moon, yet still, he was incapacitated with a single slash.

How…?! Shangarula couldn't understand what had happened. The man shook off the blood stuck to his blade with a swing, put his hand on his now blood-stained chin, and said, "Hmm, should I say as expected? Had you taken another half step, I would have taken your head. You're as powerful as the rumors make you out to be."

"You fucker, what the hell did you do…?!"

Shangarula, still unable to get up in the pool of his own blood, asked while gritting his teeth and the man looked down at him as indifferently as ever. "Your question is very natural. Normally, it would be nearly impossible to go against a moonlight werewolf—one in Beastified form, no less, even if one was also in Beastified form. Hence, there is but one answer to your question."

The man stabbed his tachi into the ground.

The tachi had become even more ominous than before, and even after it was released from the man's hand, it was still wrapped in a black aura.

"—'Sacred Treasures'. Divine weapons bestowed by Goddess Phinis, one of the Twin Goddesses of Genesis."

"Divine weapon…?!"

"Yes, that's right. Weapons for us demi-humans; the counterpart of Holy Armaments. However, they are so powerful that they cannot be compared to the likes of the Holy Armaments. Of course, as is the Holy Armament, there is a Sacred Treasure for you who possess "Emperor Fist"."

"My… Sacred Treasure…"

"If I'm not mistaken, you find the world unbearably boring, right? Then come with me. I will give you power and an environment where you can wield said power to your heart's content."

"…You want me to work under you?"

"You just have to help when required, otherwise you can do as you please. However, if you disagree, what awaits you is 'death'."

"Keh, so I don't have the right to veto anyway, huh…" Shangarula clicked his tongue in frustration, but eventually told the man, "…I've got one condition.

"Give me my Sacred Treasure right now. Then we have a rematch. Before that, I ain't accepting anythin'."

The man answered immediately, "Very well. With Sacred Treasure's power, your wound will be healed in the blink of an eye. But fighting you wielding a Sacred Treasure will be quite a difficult task. I cannot go easy. Will that be fine with you?"

"Ha, of course. I'mma kill you, so get ready to die, Oni."

"—Elysium, that is my name. Remember it well, Shangarula."

Afterward, they would fight so fiercely that the surrounding terrain changed until morning, but that was a story for another time.