In the Marvel Universe: I can summon items from all dimensions.

Chapter 94 Don't Ask, It's Magic

The moment Kyogoku Mana saw Okita Souji, the gloom he felt from having to beat a human-looking guy into a slime almost vanished on the spot.

Oh, oh oh oh!! That's right, that posture, that gaze—this person is absolutely an unparalleled top-tier master!!!

The loneliness of a master is a common saying. For ordinary people, it might just be a cringey line they utter when they want to show off. But for someone like Makoto Kyogoku, who is practically invincible in terms of pure strength, it is a real concern.

His talent was too high. His karate skills had already reached the limit before he even graduated from junior high school. Furthermore, his physical abilities far surpassed anyone else in the world. It is no exaggeration to say that if he wanted to, he could easily become One-Punch Man in this world.

If he were the kind of madman who liked to dominate others with his power, he might be satisfied with this situation. But Kyogoku Makoto was a pure-hearted martial artist. Seeking a higher realm was certainly his pursuit, but if he climbed too high and couldn't even find a worthy opponent, it would be too lonely.

It's like playing a game with invincibility mode enabled. Once you've had enough of the experience of instantly defeating everyone, it gets boring. That's how it is with Makoto Kyogoku. He can hardly remember how many dojos he's visited or how many practitioners he's met. But whether it's a vibrant young man or a seasoned veteran, once he gets serious, they're basically no longer considered "opponents"—it's just a matter of knocking them down with one punch or two, so why bother making such a distinction?

Of course, this doesn't mean he's better than anyone else in every aspect. During his journey to find masters, he encountered people with higher martial arts levels and stronger techniques. But the foundation of combat is still physical fitness. Even if an old man has practiced his boxing to the point where he can deflect a heavy blow with a light touch, he still has to run away when facing a dump truck.

But Kyogoku Makoto is different; he can literally send a dump truck flying into the sky with a single punch.

Based on this, he simply couldn't find any serious opponents. Those with better skills but not as strong physical attributes as him, and those with stronger physical attributes—it seemed like there was no such person. In the end, if he didn't hold back, beating anyone would be like a B-movie—you've seen those stories of tearing apart chickens with one hand, right? That's roughly the idea.

So if things continue like this, he'll probably have no choice but to train for tough jobs like catching cannonballs and smashing planes with rocks.

Why artillery shells? Of course, because bullets no longer pose a significant threat to him.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the cyborg seemed to hold out for a long time; in reality, he was being brutally beaten. If it weren't for some moral concerns in Kyogoku Makoto's mind, he probably would have torn the Japanese apart with his bare hands long ago. So, strong vitality isn't always a good thing. When facing an opponent you can't beat, you'll only end up as either a punching bag or a beef ball.

The battle lasted only about two minutes. The physical damage inflicted on Kyogoku Makoto by the cyborg was far less than the psychological damage. After all, the latter was a kind person. He was willing to spar, but he would not kill anyone. However, the cyborg did not care about that. He basically had a "either I kill you or you kill me" attitude. In the end, although he got what he asked for, Kyogoku Makoto, as the victor, was really upset. He really did not want to kill anyone, even if it was just a monster that looked like a human.

However, this low mood was suddenly greatly reduced when he met Okita Souji.

With his keen eye, he could easily see how the wounds on this cyborg were created—without a doubt, only a master swordsman who had perfectly integrated mind, body, and technique could have made such marks.

He had experienced the hardness of a modified human's body. Even he needed to exert some strength to break through its defenses. If it were an ordinary person, even if they tried to cut it with a knife, they would probably only experience the difficulty of cutting through cowhide. What kind of master is this person who can cut through tendons that are tougher than skin like tofu?

Seeing such a master, how could one not be curious?

If this were on the set of Baki, it would probably have turned into a scene of a perverted entanglement. But the Conan world is all about a light and refreshing style, and Makoto Kyogoku is a polite person, so his final reaction was simply to go up and greet him sincerely.

"Did you leave these sword marks? That's amazing."

With the earnest sincerity of a martial artist, Makoto Kyogoku asked, "Could you tell me how you did that? I've never seen such swordsmanship before. If you don't mind, would you like to spar sometime?"

"————?"

Ms. Okita was clearly not good at handling such an attitude, and immediately took a few steps back with a troubled expression. Seeing this, Makoto Kyogoku apologized repeatedly, but this only made her more uncomfortable.

His interruption eased the tense atmosphere.

"I suggest you deliver a few more blows."

Mason stood up, stretching as he said, "He may have collapsed, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's dead."

"A U.S. military combat team is on its way; they'll freeze this guy with liquid nitrogen."

Shuichi Akai, holding the walkie-talkie, said, "But for now, to prevent any further ambushes, let's retreat and find a safe place first."

"Good idea."

Mason agreed, then raised his hand and rubbed his temples.

Although she is a high-level Spirit Origin Shadow with self-awareness, her basic attributes will not change. As her "Master", Mason can communicate with Okita Souji to a certain extent through the "Spirit Origin Chart", which is the crystal plate. Originally used to give commands to the Spirit Origin Shadow, it can also be used as a private chat tool at this time.

"I am Mason, the employer this time."

Mason thought to himself, "I'll be relying on you for a lot of things during this time."

"Ah, I'm Okita. Nice to meet you," Okita Souji replied calmly. "I will do my best in anything I can do."

"Then for now—you'll stay by my side," Mason said. "Your role is that of a bodyguard I hired from the mountain dojo. Please try to act as naturally as possible. If anyone asks you anything, just try to brush them off, okay?"

"Okay."

Okita Souji agreed.

The initial application of the Spirit Origin Map was, after all, ever-changing. On the battlefield, where a group of Heroic Spirits, even the weakest of whom were dozens of times stronger than ordinary people, were fighting each other, a sufficiently fast communication speed was naturally a necessity. Therefore, Mason immediately discovered that the mental communication through the Spirit Origin Map was a bit more advanced than what Lorna was using—the speed could be adjusted by him, the "Master," and at its fastest, it could exchange about 500 bytes of information in the blink of an eye. Even though he had practiced with Black Stone Kasumi, this efficiency still made him a little dizzy, so he only tried it once before slowing it down.

However, Okita Souji was quite talkative. Mason casually started the conversation, and she continued talking along with it.

"Hmm, this must be another world. This is the first time I've ever traveled to another world through the Mercenary Book." Her expression remained calm, but her thoughts were extremely active—even jubilant.

Is this the personality of the genius serial killer from the Bakumatsu period? Or did he completely turn into a comedian after spending too much time in Chaldea?

"Wow, I was in such a rush to kill people that I didn't notice how thin the magic in this world is—tsk, it's pitifully thin. I doubt it could even sustain the most ordinary youkai." She exclaimed, somewhat surprised. "Master, well, even though it's a temporary contract, I'll still call you Master. You don't mind, do you?"

"...

"1

Mason looked down at his chest, a slightly sorrowful expression on his face. The light energy he had just replenished after being illuminated by a box of flashlights for almost half an hour was almost gone, and he was about to reach the warning line for his hoarding party. So after getting safely down, he was somewhat restless.

Never mind, I'll chat with Ms. Okita instead.

"I don't mind," Mason replied. "May I call you Ms. Okita?"

"I like this title," Okita Souji said with a grin. "So, what is your purpose in hiring me, Master?"

"Saving the world?"

Why is it a question?

"After all, I haven't fully figured out the situation myself. All I know is that I have to defeat a villain who is going to harm the world."

There was no need to hide anything about this, so Mason told the truth directly: "The guy you just killed was probably one of that bastard's henchmen."

"I see." Okita Souji said cheerfully, "Then leave it to me! Miss Okita, I've participated in several world-saving missions, so I'm practically an expert in this area! As long as I don't have a breakdown, even in my current state, I can take on five of those things that looked like some kind of android.

To be fair, when it comes to saving the world, few people are more professional than the Chaldea.

"That's great," Mason praised. "What I'm going to do shouldn't involve too many conspiracies. It's basically the kind of plot where you go to one place, kill a few people, then go to another place, kill a few more, and finally defeat the final boss by whatever means you want to clear the game."

"Oh, that's something I'm even better at!" Okita Souji exclaimed, even more delighted. "That sounds like something the Shinsengumi should be doing!"

After their initial conversation, they both felt that they got along quite well, and the atmosphere became more harmonious without them even realizing it.

Of course, other people wouldn't be able to tell.

"The car is ready, let's go." Akai Hideaki tucked the walkie-talkie back into his belt and walked outside first.

The others followed cautiously.

The short distance of a dozen meters was quickly covered. After peeking out of the alley, there was indeed a sturdy-looking van parked there, large enough to fit everyone inside.

So everyone immediately filed in.

Shuichi Akai immediately got into the driver's seat, stepped on the gas, and drove the van with the speed of a sports car, quickly leaving the crime scene and driving onto another highway.

Once you get here, you should be safe no matter what.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to chat.

"Konek, aren't you going to introduce this expert to us?" Vermouth spoke first, her voice carrying a hint of sarcasm. "Looks like you're hiding quite a few secrets."

"How can someone navigating the world without a few trump cards?"

Mason curled his lip: "What, you're allowed to hire Makoto Kyogoku as a bodyguard, but I'm not allowed to hire a skilled person I know to provide backup?"

"I am Okita, nice to meet you all." Okita Souji introduced himself in a very cooperative manner, but he seemed very cold, a stark contrast to his lively demeanor during the Heart-to-Heart Talk.

"Okita? And a master swordsman?" Conan blinked, clearly making a connection, and said jokingly, "Could his name be Souji?"

"Think what you want," Okita Souji replied coolly, and then fell silent.

She was acting according to Mason's instructions. As long as she opened her mouth and set the tone, no normal person would want to mess with her. Then, she maintained a serious expression throughout, as if someone owed her a lot of money. That's how you show off your expert demeanor, isn't it?

Conan clearly sensed that Ms. Okita didn't want to talk, so he changed his target, looking at Mason and starting with a riddle: "Hmm—I think you should know what I want to ask—"

If you can say it, why not say it now?

The meaning is quite obvious; it's simply asking oneself what one really wants and what this immortality is all about. But asking directly might seem aggressive, so this riddle-like approach that you and I both understand is used instead.

Perfect timing. Mason has already come up with a plausible explanation over the past two days, so if Conan wants an explanation, it's fine to say it now.

"Hmm—let me think about where to begin."

Mason stroked his chin, pondered for a while, and then suddenly snapped his fingers: "Like this—I was an undercover agent who infiltrated the organization from the very beginning!"

"ha?"

Vermouth blinked, confused. "You've been living in the organization since you were five, haven't you? What do you mean by 'from the beginning, an undercover agent infiltrated the organization'? Where did this five-year-old prodigy come from?"

"Don't rush me, let me finish."

Mason shrugged and said casually, "What makes you assume I'm really an orphan who grew up in the organization?"

"?" Vermouth's expression changed, clearly recalling a classic plot from certain spy dramas. "You mean—?"

"Pretty much," Mason said, raising his head. "About two and a half years ago, the real Konecker died in a mission, and I happened to be there. So I cleaned up the scene, disguised myself as him, and infiltrated the organization."

"Are you kidding me?" Vermouth raised her voice. "Once or twice is one thing, but how could I possibly be fooled by disguises indefinitely?"

"Who said I was in disguise?"

Mason slapped his thigh and uttered a shocking statement: "I used magic to change my appearance, okay? You know about disguise, that's true, but do you know about magic?"

Vermouth: "?"

Everyone except Yusaku Kudo: "?"

"If you don't want to explain, then don't!" Vermouth said, somewhat annoyed. "There's a limit to fooling people!"

"What, do you really think my regenerative ability came from the organization's human modification?"

'

Mason stroked his chin and smiled, "I never said anything like that, did I? Haven't you considered this? If I were using the organization's channels, would the boss let me wander around like this?"

Vermouth got stuck in the shell.

She's not stupid; she's thought about this question countless times these past few days, but she still hasn't come up with a clue. If you try to explain it from the perspective of magic, it could indeed explain his bizarre ability that makes him practically immortal. But we're all adults; how could anyone seriously consider the concept of "magic" as a series of possible answers?

No way, really?

Just then, she caught a glimpse of Yusaku Kudo, who looked thoughtful, out of the corner of her eye, and her heart skipped a beat.

error?

What did you do? You don't really think there's any credibility to that, do you?

"Yusaku Kudo, magic shouldn't be a particularly unfamiliar concept to you, right?" Mason crossed his legs and said slowly, "After all, your brother is that Kuroba Toichi, it's hard to imagine that you haven't come into contact with anything related to magic."

Vermouth: "?"

She wasn't surprised that Kudo Yusaku and Kuroba Toichi were brothers; after all, that wasn't a secret to her, and she could easily find out by checking. What shocked her was Kudo Yusaku's unconscious nodding slightly after listening to Mason's words.

Could it be that—