Arifureta/ From Commonplace to World’s Strongest Vol. 11 Ch. 1

Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest Volume 11.

Chapter 1: The Demon Lord’s Invitation.

Bright sunlight poured down from the heavens. Under normal circumstances, the warm light would have been a reward for escaping the Schnee Snow Fields, which was perpetually trapped in winter. Especially if the people in question had just cleared the Frost Caverns, the final labyrinth left to conquer. However, Hajime and the others found that welcoming light blocked by an army of gray dragons flying overhead.

Freid Bagwa, commander of the Garland Empire’s demon armies, led the flock, riding his white dragon, Uranos. A grinning Eri Nakamura hovered behind him. Her hair had turned gray, and there were now gray wings sprouting from her back.

Tch. Of course there’d be more of them… Hajime thought to himself as he looked at the most dangerous element of Freid’s army, five hundred apostles. They filled the sky, their silver wings glimmering as they absorbed the sun’s light. Even though it was still midday, they looked like stars speckled across the night sky.

Though the apostles were all beautiful, the fact that they looked identical and had the same expressionless faces made them more terrifying than charming.

“Hold your horses, Irregular. We aren’t here to fight.”

“Really? It sure looks like you’re here for a fight, coward,” Hajime snorted dismissively, and Freid narrowed his slit-like eyes.

For someone who wasn’t there to fight, he had brought a large force with him. Freid knew perfectly well what Hajime was implying.

“So you don’t even feel safe enough to talk unless you bring this many bodyguards with you?”

“I’m simply taking the appropriate precautions for dealing with an insane monster like you.”

Freid couldn’t have Hajime whipping out a weapon like the laser he’d used to reduce the demon army to ash during the invasion of Heiligh. The only way Freid could hold a conversation with Hajime was if he brought an army so strong that Hajime couldn’t instantly obliterate it.

Still, while Freid’s voice remained calm, he couldn’t hide the emotions simmering underneath.

“If you’re here to talk, then calm the fuck down. The look in your eyes says you’re dying to kill me,” Hajime retorted with derision.

Not only had Hajime ruined all of Freid’s missions, but he’d also killed thousands of Freid’s comrades. The demon general’s rage was understandable. In fact, it was little wonder he couldn’t hide his desire to murder Hajime.

While the two of them exchanged snide remarks, Hajime surreptitiously activated Riftwalk and started formulating a plan.

Now then, how should we handle this?

He could tell that his comrades were on edge thanks to this unexpected encounter.

Yue, Shea, Tio, and Kaori were veterans of a thousand battles by this point, and they were ready to fight at a moment’s notice. However, the rest of Hajime’s party wasn’t.

Kouki was still shaken by the fact that he’d been unable to conquer the labyrinth, and had even ended up attacking Hajime, so the sudden arrival of Freid and Eri had thrown his thoughts into total chaos. In fact, he was so rattled that he couldn’t even formulate a response to the repeated confessions of love Eri kept showering him with while Hajime and Freid talked.

Suzu, whose entire reason for challenging the labyrinths had been to meet with Eri again, was dumbfounded as well. Their reunion felt all too sudden.

Shizuku and Ryutarou had managed to at least draw their weapons, but the overwhelming pressure emanating from the apostles had left them frozen in place.

For a moment, Hajime considered a temporary retreat. After all, here was an invisible barrier that separated the Schnee Snow Fields from the rest of the world.

A perpetual winter where a blizzard constantly raged existed within the barrier, but the warm climate of the southern continent returned as soon as they took one step out of it. Not a single snowflake drifted outside the barrier. It was like the blizzard was a white wall separating the two zones.

If they went back into the Schnee Snow Fields, Hajime and the others would be able to hide themselves decently well. Unfortunately, Hajime doubted they would be able to buy enough time for him to use the Crystal Key to teleport them somewhere far away.

“Don’t try anything. You’ll only be wasting your time,” an emotionless, inflectionless voice cautioned Hajime.

The apostle next to Freid looked down at him with her glassy eyes. It was as if she’d read his thoughts.

Guess they’re not gonna let us run.

Uranos beat its wings once and glided forward. And as the wind whipped around him, Freid declared, “I bear a message from the Demon Lord. ‘Come to my castle. I have prepared a reception for you.’”

“What, so the Demon Lord’s inviting us over?”

“Yes, and we are here to escort you to him.”

Well, that’s a surprise…

It seemed Freid really wasn’t there to fight. Hajime had really thought Freid had appeared with his army of apostles to crush him once and for all. After all, the fact that the Holy Church’s apostles were working with Freid proved that the demons and Ehit were connected in some way. It was only natural to assume they’d come to avenge Noint.

Freid nodded in an exaggerated manner and added, “Normally the likes of you would never be granted the honor of an audience with our god.”

“Your… god? You make it sound like the Demon Lord and your god are the same person,” Yue muttered quizzically. Freid turned towards Yue, an ecstatic smile spreading across his face. A moment ago, he’d been struggling to contain his rage, but his expression was suddenly full of joy.

“That’s right. Our king is undoubtedly a god. He is the one and only kin of the great creator, Lord Ehit.”

The Demon Lord’s name was Alva. Until recently, the demons had simply seen him as the head of their country, and as a shaman who received oracles from their god. The other nations had believed that was all he was as well. But in truth, the Demon Lord had been a medium for their god, meaning his orders were the direct word of god. This was something that not even Freid, the most important man in the country after Alva, had been aware of until the apostles had descended upon the capital.

“For thousands of years, god has been on our side. And now he’s even summoned his apostles to aid us. He chose to bring his salvation to us demons! Do you understand what this means!?”

Freid spread his arms wide, looking like an orator addressing a crowd.

“It means we demons are the chosen flock who are destined to inherit Tortus. It is we who deserve to rule this world!”

Freid’s speech rang out through the plains.

Chances were the demons had cheered loud enough to be heard across the country when he’d given this same speech to them in the capital. But of course, no one present was impressed by his words. In fact, Hajime simply cleaned his ear with his pinky, looking bored.

The fury returned to Freid’s eyes, but before he could say anything, Tio stepped forward. Then, she shot a quick glance back at Kouki and the others to see if they’d recovered from their shock.

At some point, Shea had gone over to Suzu and Shizuku, while Kaori was now next to Kouki and Ryutarou. The two of them were probably trying to calm the others down while Hajime and Yue conversed with Freid to buy time. Tio realized they’d need to stall a little more, which was why she’d stepped forward as well.

“May I ask you something?”

“What do you want, survivor of the dragonman race?”

The inflection vanished from Freid’s voice, and his expression went blank. The way his emotions swung from one extreme to another in the span of a few seconds seemed wholly unnatural. It was enough to make Hajime wonder if he’d gone mad.

“You have conquered two labyrinths yourself. Shouldn’t you be aware of the true nature of this world by now?”

At that, Shizuku and Kaori looked up in surprise.

That’s right, Freid should know that this world’s gods are evil… Kaori thought to herself. Anyone who’d conquered a labyrinth had to have seen the messages the Liberators had left behind.

Hajime and the others had already heard the story half a dozen times, so they’d ignored the paintings and statues in the Frost Caverns that explained the truth, but Vandre Schnee had also left behind records of the Liberators’ struggle.

Moreover, Vandre Schnee had been a demon, albeit one of mixed blood. Plus, he’d been related to the Demon Lord. It was strange that Freid would side with Ehit when he knew that one of his proud ancestors had joined forces with other races to overthrow Ehit.

Freid picked up on that implication, and he replied coldly, “What makes you so certain their words are the truth? Why don’t you doubt what the Liberators, nay, the Mavericks, told you?”

“I see. So you believe their tale to be false, then,” Tio mused.

“Well, it’s not like they provided any real proof,” Hajime pointed out with a shrug.

Shizuku and the others turned to him in surprise. They’d thought that Hajime had believed the Liberators’ words.

In truth, Hajime didn’t care one way or another if the Liberators were telling the truth or not. It didn’t matter if Ehit was good or evil, or even really a god. The only thing on his mind was if Ehit planned to impede his path.

Of course, Freid seemed far more invested in the veracity, or lack thereof, of the Liberators’ words.

“In that case, Freid, what makes you so certain their claims are false? Was Ehit not meant to be your sworn enemy? Why do you now follow him?”

Originally, the demons hated Ehit, since he was the god humans worshiped. It was strange for Freid not to believe that Ehit was the root of all evil in this world. If anything, he should have felt vindicated that demons were indeed in the right when he learned the Liberators had all united against Ehit.

“Fools. Why can’t you understand that this has all been part of Ehit’s grand plan? Everything until now was a trial we had to overcome in order to gain the honor of following him.”

“Oh, I get it now,” Hajime said as he nodded in understanding. Of course, he wasn’t agreeing with Freid. He just understood the demon general’s true nature at last.

The idea that Ehit was actually the god the demons should be worshiping, and that everything thus far was a trial was ridiculous. It flipped everything the demons had believed in on its head, but most importantly, it meant that all the soldiers who’d been sacrificed in the name of their holy war had actually died in vain, since Alva was linked to Ehit. Freid knew better than anyone how many men and women had given their lives for the cause. And yet, he accepted this new reality without complaint.

“I pity you,” Hajime muttered quietly.

Somewhere down the line, Freid had lost his way. Of course, that was just speculation, since Hajime had no idea what kind of person Freid had been in the past. However, the current Freid closely resembled Ishtar and the other bishops Hajime had met. After seeing the fanatic devotion in Freid’s eyes, he was certain the demon had been corrupted.

Hajime’s words had been soft enough that there was no way Freid could have heard him. But the demon could tell what Hajime was thinking from his body language. The fact that his sworn enemy pitied him infuriated Freid. That was the last thing he wanted.

But just before his rage boiled over, Eri stepped in.

“Come on, Freid, cut the pointless chatter and get this over with already. I want to snuggle with Kouki-kun as soon as possible.”

“Tch… I know…” Freid clicked his tongue and wrestled his emotions under control. At the same time, Suzu finally recovered from her shock enough to confront Eri.

In a trembling voice, she said, “E-Eri! I… really wanted to—”

“Hm? Oh, you were here?”

“Ah—”

Eri’s dismissive tone hurt more than any insult could have. She looked down at Suzu as if she were a pebble on the road and not her former best friend.

Of course, Suzu had been expecting that, but it still hurt. It felt like she’d been stabbed in the heart. But even so, she didn’t give up. She’d promised herself she’d never avert her gaze from the truth again.

“That’s right, I’m here. I wanted to meet you, Eri.”

“Hah… What, so you could chew me out? Go for it. But don’t expect me to pay attention.”

“N-No! I just wanted to have a proper conversation with you!”

There was so much Suzu wanted to say, and so much she wanted to ask. She wished she could just pour everything out at once. But their reunion was so sudden that she still hadn’t figured out how to put all of her feelings into words.

Unfortunately, before Suzu managed to organize her thoughts, Eri turned her gaze back to Kouki. It was clear from her attitude that in Eri’s eyes, Suzu had long since exhausted any use she might have had, so she didn’t care the least bit about her anymore.

“Eri, you bitch! You can’t just—” incensed on Suzu’s behalf, Ryutarou started shouting at Eri, but she ignored him.

“Kouki-kun! What do you think of my new look? I’m way prettier than before, aren’t I?”

Eri’s voice dripped with a toxic sweetness. A warped smile spread across her face and she twirled around midair. There was no indication that she’d even heard Ryutarou.

Suzu grit her teeth and gripped the hem of her skirt. Shizuku gently hugged her in an attempt to console her, while Kouki just stared at Eri in a daze.

“E-Eri… What happened to you?”

“Oh, the Demon Lord made me waaaaaay stronger. I just want to spend the rest of my life with you, but there are all these worthless parasites that keep getting in the way. Luckily, there’s nothing to worry about now! I’m strong enough to get rid of all the garbage around you! We’ll be together foreeeeeeeeever!”

“E-Eri…”

Eri cackled maniacally, her now-gray hair whipping in the wind. Kouki couldn’t think of anything to say. Since revealing her true nature at the palace, she’d only gotten worse. What little shred of humanity she’d retained back then seemed long gone.

Shocked, Shizuku quietly muttered, “What’s happened to you?”

A few gray feathers fell from Eri’s wings. As they touched the ground, they obliterated the grass and ground around them, creating tiny holes. It seemed like Eri possessed the same disintegration ability that Noint once had.

“You’re… not the same as me. You haven’t transplanted your soul into a new body. Instead, you’ve had your body modified…” Kaori muttered, her expression pained.

This time it was Freid’s turn to step in.

“That’s enough small talk. It’s time you accepted the Demon Lord’s invitation. Just so you know, Irregular, you don’t have the right to refuse.”

The gray dragons howled in unison, attempting to cow Hajime and the others into submission. The apostles increased the pressure they were applying on the party as well.

However, none of those intimidation tactics had the slightest effect on Hajime.

“Fuck off,” he spat. Hajime had no idea what the Demon Lord wanted with him, but he had no obligation to meet with him, either. If anything, the invitation was most likely a trap.

He couldn’t think of a single good reason to follow Freid, which meant it was time to fight. And so, he casually drew Donner and Schlag.

Red sparks ran down the revolvers’ barrels.

“What kind of idiot would head straight into the enemy stronghold when they know it’s a trap? If we’re gonna fight anyway, we’re better off fighting here. Let’s settle this once and for all, Freid!” Hajime roared as he grinned fearlessly. He didn’t seem the least bit afraid of the fact that there were five hundred apostles before him.

In truth, he intended to kill them all. Of course, he realized it would be his hardest fight yet. Chances were, he wouldn’t come out unscathed.

Still, he wasn’t the same person who’d fought Noint months ago. After mastering evolution magic, he’d heavily upgraded his arsenal of artifacts. Moreover, he’d learned Limit Break’s one derivative skill, Overload. Plus, he’d also experienced numerous difficult battles since then, and he’d spent countless hours running simulations for when he’d next have to fight an apostle.

Besides, he had Yue and the others by his side this time. As long as they were with him, he knew he could overcome anything.

More than anything, though, he’d finally found a way home. At long last, he had the means to fulfill his promise of showing everyone his homeland. As such, there was no way he was letting his dream die here.

His comrades appeared just as determined too.

“Mmm… I’m tired of seeing you pop up all the time. Just die already,” Yue muttered.

“Hehehe! Right now, I feel invincible! I’ll flatten you all into pancakes!” Shea shouted cheerfully.

“There’s no way I’ll lose to a bunch of puppets!” Kaori declared.

“How splendid. Thank you for granting me the opportunity to crush another one of god’s plans before we leave,” Tio purred.

Everyone’s mana began to swirl around them.

Hajime briefly glanced over his shoulder. Suzu twitched in surprise when she saw the look in his eyes.

He was silently asking her, “Are you prepared?” But he wasn’t asking her if she was prepared to fight her former best friend. Instead, he seemed to ask if she was prepared to fight to get her back.

“Shizushizu, Ryutarou-kun, Kouki-kun! Lend me your strength!” Suzu flicked her twin fans open, her gaze fixed on Eri.

“Heh, you know it. Let’s get this show on the road!”

“Of course, Suzu. I’ve got your back!”

Ryutarou and Shizuku instantly readied their weapons. Kouki said nothing, but he drew his sword as well.

But just before they began their attack, Freid shouted, “Hold on a second, you goddamn monster!”

Freid was honestly amazed that Hajime still wished to fight despite the clear difference in strength, so he pulled out his trump card.

A portal filled with light suddenly opened up in front of him. He’d created a spatial gate. It was a perfectly functional shield if he needed it, but that wasn’t why he’d opened this portal.

“Huh? The inside of a room? Is that the Demon Lord’s castle?”

Hajime could see a marble floor and a number of ornately engraved pillars beyond the portal. A luxurious red carpet rested between the two rows of pillars.

The room was massive, and the gate had been opened up somewhere near its ceiling to give Hajime and the others a full view of the room.

The gate traveled toward a spot next to the throne in the back of the room.

Gradually, a shocking sight came into view.

“I never said you were the only ones who were invited,” Freid drawled.

“Ahahahaha, everyone looks so beat uuuuuup! That’s what you get for trying to fight back.”

A large cage had been placed next to the throne. The dark metal bars gleamed faintly, showing traces of magical enhancement. The people in the cage were sprawled across the ground, their bodies battered and their clothes disheveled.

“Guys! Sensei!”

“They even took Lily!”

Liliana, Aiko, and all of Hajime’s classmates were there.

Kaori and Shizuku cried out in distress. Kouki, Ryutarou, and Suzu looked shaken as well. Their reactions were only natural. Judging by how beat up everyone looked, it was obvious Aiko and the others had tried to fight back against the apostles that had come to abduct them. Nagayama and Aiko’s other self-proclaimed bodyguards were in especially bad shape.

Nagayama, Kousuke Endou, Yuka Sonobe, and Atsushi Tamai were barely even conscious, and they looked to be on the verge of death.

Aiko and Liliana had done their best to treat the four’s wounds, and their hands were slick with blood.

The students who hadn’t put a fight at all were physically better off, but they were all huddled in a corner, cowering in fear.

Furious, Ryutarou roared, “You fucking bastard! You call this an invitation!? You took our friends hostage! Let them go right now!”

Kouki, who’d been relatively docile since the group had left the Frost Caverns, finally regained some of his old vigor. His voice shook with rage as he turned to Eri and shouted, “Eri, you know this is wrong! Let everyone go!”

“Woooooow, you’re so nice, Kouki-kun. Hehehe, but I’m afraid I can’t do that!”

“Eriiiiii!”

“Ahaha, I love how passionately you’re calling my name! Don’t worry, Kouki-kun. You’ll be allllll mine soon enough!”

Though they were talking to each other, Kouki and Eri weren’t really having a conversation. In fact, Kouki’s words weren’t even reaching Eri. In her mind, the only Kouki that existed was the one who listened to her whims.

Realizing that reasoning with Eri was out of the question, Kouki grit his teeth and leveled his sword at Freid. Just as he prepared to try and argue a different angle, two loud bangs interrupted him.

“Ah!”

“Wawawah!?”

Two streaks of red light shot toward Freid and Eri from impossible angles.

Two apostles instantly came forward to block the two of them. They crossed their swords in front of themselves to stop Hajime’s two bullets.

“Ah!?”

“His power has increased yet again…”

The apostles raised their eyebrows in mild surprise. Each of Hajime’s bullets had been powerful enough to blow a hole in one sword and leave deep cracks in the other. Chances were even an apostle had no chance of blocking more than one bullet with their swords. Cold sweat poured down Freid’s forehead, and Eri’s expression stiffened.

“W-Wait, stop! Please! You promised to leave Eri to me, remember, Nagumo-kun!?”

“Calm down, Taniguchi. I was using the flat end of the bullet.”

“That only works for swords!”

Suzu grabbed Hajime’s arm and tried to force it down. However, her body weight wasn’t enough to even slow Hajime, and he swiftly pointed his revolver sideways.

A small, palm-sized gate opened right in front of the muzzle. There were a total of four portals around Hajime, connected to four portals arrayed around Freid and the others at various angles.

This was a new combination attack he’d developed with Yue. By firing through the portals, he could still aim at Freid while avoiding the gate the demon had opened to the throne room.

Judging by the position of the gates he’d fired from, he had aimed for Eri’s shoulder, so he wasn’t lying to Suzu when he said he was holding back. That being said, a bullet powerful enough to shatter an apostle’s sword would probably tear off more than just an arm if it actually hit Eri.

Naturally, he hadn’t held back against Freid at all, and had been aiming for his head.

“You’re insane!” Freid shouted.

“And you’re a moron. You should know by now that those guys aren’t good hostages.”

The sound of Hajime’s gunshots must have reached the people beyond the portal, since Aiko and the others were looking around in confusion. Hajime spared them a quick glance as he pried Suzu off his arm.

“It’s not like you even said you’ll guarantee their safety if we listen to your demands. Not that I’d believe you if you did, mind you.”

He said that mostly for the benefit of Suzu and Kouki.

“Besides…” he muttered, his eyes glinting dangerously as he glared at Freid. “We can still accept the Demon Lord’s invitation after we slaughter all of you.”

Hajime was more than willing to storm the Demon Lord’s castle after killing Freid. Sure, it was true that having his classmates taken hostage wouldn’t stop Hajime, but he was at least willing to go save them after he’d finished dealing with Freid. That alone showed that he’d changed compared to when he’d first left the Great Orcus Labyrinth. That change didn’t escape Suzu, who’d fallen to the ground after Hajime peeled her off, or any of the others. Though, they didn’t know quite how to react to it.

“I know,” Freid replied, narrowing his eyes. He pulled on Uranos’ reins and put some more distance between himself and Hajime.

“I haven’t forgotten what happened at the capital of Heiligh, which is why I’ve prepared one last trump card,” he explained as he sneered derisively at Hajime.

If Hajime’s classmates wouldn’t serve as effective hostages, then he simply needed someone who would. And he was certain he’d found the perfect person.

Unsurprisingly, his guess was right on the money.

The gate in the throne room moved again, to the other side of the throne. There was another small cage behind the pillars… that had Myu sitting inside it.

The moment Hajime saw her, he unleashed a wave of bloodlust so overpowering that everyone fell silent.

“Ah…!”

Freid’s breath came in short gasps, and goosebumps rose on his arms. His instincts screamed at him to run. The fact that they still functioned in the face of such wrath proved that he was one of the stronger beings in the world.

Freid’s gray dragons plummeted to the ground, flailing about madly. Their puny minds had been unable to withstand the fear Hajime had instilled in them in that moment, driving them insane.

Though they knew his anger wasn’t directed at them, Kouki, Ryutarou, and even Shizuku took a few steps back, their expressions pained. Suzu, who stood the closest to Hajime, started backpedaling away as fast as possible.

Seeing how even the apostles were grimacing, Eri hurriedly scurried behind them. Freid, on the other hand, managed to barely preserve his pride by biting his lips so hard the pain drove away the fear.

“Hajime!”

“Yue…”

Hajime managed to calm his rage somewhat thanks to Yue calling out to him.

He quickly pulled the Compass of Eternal Paths out of his pocket and activated it.

He asked it to show him what direction his precious daughter, who he’d promised he’d come back for, was.

“So it’s not a trick…” Hajime muttered, looking stricken. At that, Shea and the others were forced to accept that Myu was truly inside that cage.

“Oh no, Myu-chan!”

“They even kidnapped Remia-san!”

“How craven.”

Indeed, Remia was being held captive together with Myu. The two of them were huddled together, trembling in fear. Though, neither of them were crying.

“Looks like you’ve confirmed they’re real,” Freid croaked. He didn’t even have the presence of mind to ask about the curious artifact Hajime had used. Instead, he grit his teeth and looked cautiously down at Hajime, not even bothering to wipe away the sweat that dripped into his eyes.

It felt as though he would die if he took his eyes off of Hajime for even a second.

“Were you the one who told them about my relationship with Myu?” Hajime asked pointedly, staring directly at Eri. She was trying to hide behind the apostles, but his gaze clearly met hers.

“H-Hahaha… Who knows?”

She tried to maintain her usual haughty attitude, but her face was pale, her expression was stiff, and her voice was trembling. It was obvious she was terrified of Hajime.

Of course, he knew the answer without even asking. Neither Freid nor the apostles knew anything about Myu, so Eri was the only person who could have possibly told them.

“What does it matter how we found out? Will you accept the invitation or not, Irregular!?” Freid asked, trying to sound as imposing as possible under the circumstances.

However, Hajime looked at Freid as if he were nothing more than an insignificant insect. He was still oozing bloodlust from every pore, though not as strongly as before. His fury was a quiet, controlled one now. However, that just made it all the more terrifying. Freid felt as though the abyss itself was staring at him. His breath caught in his throat, but he didn’t even realize he’d stopped breathing.

After a brief silence, Hajime said, “I’ll accept your damned invitation.”

“Finally, you see reason,” Freid said as he sucked in a relieved breath. Believing that he once again had the upper hand, he scoffed at Hajime.

He used metamorphosis magic to get the gray dragons back on their feet, then started constructing a gate large enough for everyone to pass through.

Hajime calmed down and restrained his bloodlust, and Kouki and the others sighed in relief.

After a moment, Yue spoke to him in a quiet voice and asked, “Are you sure about this?”

“Yeah. We could save her if we used the Crystal Key, but it’ll take time to activate. And they know we can teleport with spatial magic.”

“So they’ve probably set up countermeasures?” Kaori mused.

“We mustn’t take any undue risks. Your teacher and classmates can at least put up a fight, but Myu and Remia are powerless. They would be unable to buy even a few seconds should the need arise,” Tio explained.

If he wanted to, Hajime could use the Crystal Key in conjunction with the Compass of Eternal Paths to teleport to the Demon Lord’s castle instantly. However, the Crystal Key was powered by concept magic.

In exchange for being effectively omnipotent, concept magic took an absurd amount of mana and a long time to cast. And speed was the most important factor during a hostage scenario, so it was the least suitable magic for the task.

“Hey, Nagumo-kun. What do you think the Demon Lord wants?” Shizuku asked, walking closer to Hajime.

“Dunno. But he might know we’ve found a way back home now that we’ve conquered all the labyrinths.”

“Do you think…?”

It made sense that the Demon Lord, an accomplice of Ehit, wouldn’t want the pawns Ehit had summoned to return home without permission.

That being said, since Hajime had yet to develop concept magic that could prevent them from being summoned against their will, Ehit could call them back if he really wanted to. Granted, Hajime had no idea how much effort it took a god to summon people, so it was possible Ehit wanted to avoid such a scenario.

“Amanogawa.”

“What is it, Nagumo?”

“What’re you going to do from here on out? You should probably make up your mind quickly.”

“What do you mean?” Ryutarou asked.

“Ehit was specifically looking for a hero when he summoned all of us.”

“So you think I’m the one he wants to keep here at all costs?”

“It’s possible. Either way, I doubt Nakamura’s gonna let you escape that easily.”

“……”

In essence, Hajime was asking if Kouki wanted to come back with him, or stay and fight god like he’d initially claimed.

After suffering such a humiliating defeat in the Frost Cavern’s trial, it was possible Kouki’s determination had been broken.

“You’re free to choose whichever path you want. But make sure you’re fully committed to whatever decision you make.”

“Believe me, I know.”

Ryutarou and Suzu shot Kouki worried looks. Though, Shizuku and Kaori seemed more concerned by the dark look in his eyes.

“Yue, Tio. If we get into a fight, focus on protecting Myu and Remia.”

“Mmm… I won’t let anyone lay a finger on them.”

“You can count on me. I’ll defend them with my life.”

“Shea, you go wild. I want you to annihilate everyone who stands in our way.”

“Aye, aye! I’ll make them pay for everything they’ve done!”

While Hajime discussed strategy, Freid finished constructing his giant portal.

“Before we go, I’m going to have to ask you to leave your weapons behind, Irregular.”

“Excuse me?”

“I also have some handcuffs here that will seal your mana.”

“……”

Freid pulled out a pair of handcuffs that looked identical to the ones Aiko and Kouki had been forced to wear in the capital.

Freid had claimed this was an invitation, but he was treating Hajime and the others like prisoners. He narrowed his eyes and tossed the handcuffs in front of Hajime.

“Put them on yourself.”

Freid’s sneer was uglier than ever. He clearly held a grudge over all the times Hajime had humiliated him.

He didn’t use to be such a petty person, I don’t think… I wonder if getting his ass kicked over and over changed him? Hajime thought absently.

Or wait, maybe becoming a religious fanatic made him like this?

Regardless, there was no way in hell he was putting those on.

“In your dreams, moron,” Hajime replied as he stomped on the manacles, crushing them underfoot.

For a moment, Freid looked taken aback, but then he furrowed his brow in irritation and screamed at Hajime, “I told you before, you don’t have the right to refuse! Or do you not care about what happens to those two dragons!? We won’t show any mercy to those two inferior mongrels if you cross us!”

“Did you honestly believe you could control me just by taking Myu and Remia hostage? Haven’t you realized that you’re using a double-edged sword here?”

Hajime’s voice was calm, but also cold as ice.

“What do you mean, double-edged sword?”

Hajime hadn’t tapped into his mana at all, and he wasn’t even using the intimidating power of his bloodlust anymore. Yet for some reason, Freid felt that Hajime had his heart in a vice-grip. One wrong move and he wouldn’t live to see the next second.

“Right now, the only reason you’re alive is because you have Remia and Myu. But if you hurt a single hair on their heads—”

Hajime glared at Freid from underneath his white bangs.

“I won’t stop at just killing your soldiers. I’ll…”

Hajime’s hair stood on end, and he pointed a pale finger at the gate Freid had constructed.

“…massacre every last man, woman, and child living in the demon empire, regardless of their affiliation.”

That was simultaneously a declaration and a promise. Hajime really wouldn’t stop until he’d eradicated the demon race from Tortus. Freid’s irritation vanished in an instant. It seemed as though the very air around Hajime had gotten darker.

Freid wanted to believe such a feat was impossible, but knowing Hajime, he’d do it. A shiver ran down the demon general’s spine. He reflexively pulled on his mount’s reins, and Uranos shied back.

“If you want me to give up my weapons, you’re gonna have to pry them out of my cold, dead hands. So, if you don’t wanna fight here, you’d better rethink your demands.”

Normally, the protagonist of a story was rendered powerless when the big bad took someone they cared about hostage. But that wouldn’t work on Hajime. He would never leave himself without the means to save Myu just for the momentary satisfaction of knowing no one would hurt her right away.

Even if it meant the people he cared about got hurt, Hajime would prioritize eliminating the enemy.

If he gave up his weapons, it was possible Freid would just kill all of them. In which case it was better to fight, even if that ran the risk of Myu getting hurt. After all, his comrades could use spirit magic and restoration magic. If the worst were to happen, he would still be able to revive Myu, as long as he got to her in time.

Of course, he didn’t want Myu to get hurt. If possible, he wanted to rescue her before she even felt the slightest bit of pain. But if that was no longer an option, Hajime would choose to fight rather than surrender.

Thinking about it rationally, Hajime’s choice was a cruel one. True, he needed his weapons and his mana if he wanted any hope of making it out of the Demon Lord’s castle alive, and Freid knew better than anyone how aggressive Hajime was. But even then, a normal person would prioritize the hostages’ safety over everything else. Thoughts like, “It doesn’t matter what state they’re in, as long as they’re not dead by the time we rescue them,” would never cross their mind. Especially if the hostages in question were some of the most important people in the world to them.

Realizing just how far gone Hajime was, Freid muttered, “You’re… insane.”

If Hajime’s foe was going on the offensive, then he would too. He’d throw away any notion of trying to protect those important to him. It’d be a race to see which side could annihilate the other.

Indeed, anyone with a mindset like that could hardly be considered sane.

“H-Hey, Freid! You’re overstepping your bounds! The Demon Lord never said we had to bring them back unarmed! Don’t push your luck, Nagumo’s crazy strong!”

“But bringing this monster to His Highness as-is is far too dangerous!”

It appeared demanding that Hajime surrender his weapons had been Freid’s idea, not the Demon Lord’s.

Hajime glared at Freid, but before he could say anything, an apostle flew between them.

“Freid, cease this pointless posturing. Whether the Irregular is armed or not matters little to your lord. Besides, so long as we are here, the worst will not come to pass. Our very existence shall serve as a deterrent for the Irregular.”

Now that Freid had been converted, being told that by an apostle was enough to shut him up. Though he wasn’t happy about it, he reluctantly nodded, giving in. The apostle then turned to Hajime.

“Irregular. My name is Hearst.”

Her face was as expressionless as all the other apostles’. However—

“We have thoroughly analyzed the battle between you and Noint. Do not think you will be able to defeat any of us ever again.”

For the briefest of moments, her eyes seemed to glimmer with hate and rage. Or at least, that was what it felt like to Hajime.

“Just hurry up and take us to the castle already,” Hajime said coldly with a dismissive jerk of his chin.

Freid started seething at his disrespectful attitude, but before he could do anything, Eri jumped into the portal.

The apostles lined up on either side of it, opening up a path for Hajime and his friends. He walked up to the portal without hesitation.

Right before he stepped through it, something inside his hand flashed. But it happened so quickly that the only one who noticed was Yue, who was standing next to him.

To Hajime’s surprise, the portal didn’t take him directly to the throne room. Instead, he found himself in a wide terrace somewhere else inside the castle that was large enough to accommodate hundreds of people.

Upon turning around, he saw the demon capital spread out below him. The buildings’ roofs were rust-red, but other than that, the structures looked identical to those of Heiligh’s capital.

Most of the apostles and gray dragons that filed in after Hajime and his friends flew down to the city.

“Come this way. And you better not try anything,” Freid said curtly as he dismounted Uranos and sent the dragon away. Around fifty apostles had remained behind to guard the party, and they got into formation behind Hajime and the others while Freid led the way.

The Demon Lord’s castle appeared absurdly huge. Hajime, Shea, and Tio walked at the head of the group, while Kouki, Shizuku, Suzu, and Ryutarou huddled together behind them.

As they walked down one massive hallway after another, Eri crooned, “Kouki-kuuuuun, hold meee. That monster’s scaring meeeeee.”

“E-Eri, have you really—?”

She grabbed Kouki’s arm and pressed her body close against him. Then, she leaned in close and started whispering something into his ear.

“E-Eri, listen! I—” Suzu stammered, desperately trying to grab Eri’s attention. However, Eri was focused solely on Kouki, so she gave no indication that she’d even heard Suzu.

A seductive smile graced her face, and a manic, obsessed look dwelled in her eyes. Honestly, it was painful for Suzu to see her like this.

It seemed Eri only had eyes for Kouki after all. She didn’t seem the least bit guilty about betraying her classmates or taking them hostage.

Seeing how selfish Eri had become, Suzu’s face twisted in anguish.

“Hey, Eri! Suzu’s talking to you!” Ryutarou shouted, unable to bear seeing Suzu look so sad. He reached out to grab Eri by the shoulder, but—

“Do not lay a hand on her,” one of the apostles said as she stepped forward, and pointed her sword at him.

Ryutarou turned to Kouki for help, but Kouki had his hands full dealing with Eri and didn’t even have the time to spare Ryutarou or Suzu a glance.

“Suzu. I know it’s hard, but hold it in for now.”

“Shizushizu… Yeah, I know. Thanks for getting mad on my behalf, though, Ryutarou-kun.”

“Tch… Don’t mention it. I swear I’ll find some way to let you two talk.”

Sighing, Suzu and Ryutarou stepped away from Eri.

After turning a few more corners, the party finally arrived at their destination. A pair of massive double doors stood at the end of the hallway. Judging by how ornate they were, it was clear the throne room lay beyond them. The carving on the doors showed an elaborate sun shining rays of light onto the demon capital.

Freid gave a signal to the pair of demon guards waiting outside the throne room. In response, they placed their hands on the doors, and the rays of light began to shine. A second later, a loud creaking noise resounded and the doors swung inward of their own volition.

The throne room looked the same as it had from the portal Freid had shown Hajime and the others. A lush red rug lay between two rows of magnificent pillars. There was a raised platform at the back of the room, and a gaudy throne atop the platform.

Keeping their impatience in check, Hajime and the others slowly made their way to the empty throne. As they drew closer, they saw the cages holding their friends captive.

Naturally, that meant their friends could see them too. The first to notice them was Aiko. Her eyes went wide, and she squeezed Liliana’s hand to grab her attention. The princess turned around and gasped when she saw Hajime and the others.

A few seconds later, all of their classmates noticed as well.

“N-No way. They really came.”

“Look, Yuka! It’s Nagumo-kun!”

The first people to speak were Nana Miyazaki and Taeko Sugawara. Tears of joy filled their eyes as they pointed Hajime and the others out to Yuka, who was lying on the ground. Kentarou Nomura, Akito Nimura, and Noboru Aikawa also pointed the party out to their friends, Juugo, Kousuke, and Atsushi. But a second later, their expressions clouded over when they saw that Hajime was surrounded by dozens of apostles.

“Nagumo-kun…” Aiko whispered in a trembling voice. Among the captives, she was the only one who’d seen Hajime’s battle with Noint up close. She knew firsthand how strong even one apostle was, so seeing fifty at once brought her to the depths of despair. However, that despair lasted only a moment. The second Hajime turned to her and nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders, she immediately felt reassured.

A second later, Myu and Remia noticed Hajime’s arrival as well.

“Daddy? Daddy!”

“Hajime-san!”

Myu’s smile shone as bright as the sun, while Remia looked like she’d finally been freed from a nightmare.

Upon seeing that both of them were fine, Hajime’s expression relaxed a little. He smiled reassuringly at both of them and said, “Myu, Remia. Sorry for getting you guys caught up in my mess. Don’t worry, I’ll get you out of there soon.”

“It’s okay, Daddy, I’m fine. I knew you’d come. Don’t lose to the bad guys, okay!?”

“I’m fine as well, Hajime-san. Please worry about yourself first.”

Neither Freid nor the army of apostles scared Myu. She had absolute faith in Hajime. As long as he was here, she knew everything would turn out just fine.

Remia, on the other hand, still seemed frightened, but she managed to put on a brave front to avoid worrying Myu.

Yue, Shea, Kaori, and Tio tried to reassure Myu and Remia as well, but before they could say anything, a booming voice echoed throughout the throne room.

“The bond between parent and child is always a beautiful sight to behold, no matter the era.”

The wall behind the throne began to glow, and a single silhouette could be seen behind it.

“There was someone just as important to me, once. Though in my case, it was my niece.”

Yue twitched slightly as the deep, clear voice filled the hall. She recognized the voice, but she couldn’t quite remember from where.

Right as Hajime started to ask her what was wrong, the wall became transparent, revealing the voice’s owner. He was a handsome, middle-aged man with slicked-back blond hair and crimson eyes. His clothes and cape were mostly black, with complex gold embroidery. The top few buttons of his shirt were open, and he looked surprisingly sexy for his age. He exuded charisma from every pore, and it was obvious from his demeanor that he was ridiculously strong.

Hajime was willing to bet money that he was the Demon Lord. Alva, one of Ehit’s kin. And yet, his smile was so gentle that it was hard to believe he was a leader, let alone the avatar of an evil god.

Of course, Hajime hadn’t forgotten that he’d taken Myu hostage to bring them here. And so, he narrowed his eyes dangerously and opened his mouth to speak. However, someone beat him to the punch.

It wasn’t Freid, nor was it the Demon Lord. No, it was Yue of all people.

“I-Impossible… How…” she muttered in astonishment.

“Yue?”

Yue covered her mouth with a trembling hand. She looked aghast, as if she’d just seen a ghost. This was the first time Hajime had seen her so shaken.

Just as he prepared to reassure her, he had a sudden realization. The Demon Lord’s hair and eyes were the exact same color as Yue’s.

No way. That’s not possible… Unfortunately, Hajime’s conjecture was proved right by the Demon Lord’s next words.

“Long time no see, Aletia. You’re as cute as always.”

The affectionate look he gave Yue made it clear they weren’t strangers, and no one except Hajime and the others should have known Yue’s old name.

“Uncle…” Yue muttered, leaving no doubt as to the Demon Lord’s identity.

Everyone stared at Yue in shock, then turned back to the Demon Lord. At first they were in disbelief, but after seeing how much the Demon Lord and Yue resembled each other, they began to think maybe he really was her uncle.

Yue’s hands trembled, and her legs looked ready to give out beneath her.

The Demon Lord looked down at her with kind eyes and replied, “Yes, it’s me, Aletia. I imagine you must be surprised. But I’m relieved to know you haven’t changed over these past three hundred years.”

The Demon Lord’s words overflowed with love. Yue must have seen something of the uncle she remembered in his expression, since she took a hesitant step backward. A second later, she felt a warm hand cup her cheek, and she gradually returned to her senses. Turning around, she saw Hajime standing next to her. Though his gaze was fixed on the Demon Lord, the hand on her cheek made it clear he was there to support her.

Relieved, Yue sucked in a deep breath. She hadn’t fully recovered from her shock just yet, but she was able to function again now.

Just as she was about to address her uncle—

“Alva-sama?” one of the apostles called out to him. Though the apostle’s voice was as devoid of emotion as always, her tone was clearly questioning. It appeared she hadn’t expected the Demon Lord to treat Yue in that manner.

It wasn’t just the apostles that were surprised, either. Freid and Eri looked taken aback by the unexpected development as well.

However, the Demon Lord said nothing. Instead, he raised a hand toward the apostles, still smiling.

A second later, a burst of mana shot out of his palm. His mana was a similar color to Yue’s, but its golden hue seemed a bit darker than hers. The mana burst lasted only a second, but it was powerful enough that even Hajime was stunned speechless.

As the light began to fade—

“Huh?”

“What? What the!?”

Ryutarou and Suzu turned around in surprise. Though the others were silent, they too were shaken. Freid, Eri, and the fifty apostles were all lying on the ground, unmoving.

“E-Eri!”

“Suzu, calm down. They’ve just lost consciousness.”

Suzu started running toward Eri, but Kouki held out a hand to stop her. He’d already checked to make sure Eri still had a pulse.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Hajime asked, snapping everyone else out of their shock. He glared warily at the Demon Lord, but the Demon Lord simply snapped his fingers in response, looked around for a few seconds, and breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’ve cast a barrier to deceive the surveillance devices in this castle. The apostles outside should be seeing a different scene from what’s actually happening, so we don’t have to worry about them showing up.”

Hajime’s Demon Eye did indeed pick up a faint dark-golden barrier covering the throne room.

“Answer him. What’re you planning?” Yue asked, confused by her uncle’s inexplicable actions.

He smiled gently at Yue, then gave Hajime and the others a friendly wave. After that, he turned to the captives and lowered his head in apology.

“I understand you’re confused. It’s only natural for you to be wary, so I’ll be blunt. I am Dienleed Galdea Vesperitio Avatarl, the ruler of the Garland Empire, and former prime minister of Avatar, the vampire kingdom. Moreover, I am an enemy of god.”

Dienleed’s words echoed solemnly through the throne room. Truly, they were a bolt from the blue. But the sincerity in his gaze gave everyone the impression that he was telling the truth. Or, well, almost everyone.

In a trembling, confused voice, Yue shouted, “No… this can’t be. You’re lying. Dienleed can’t possibly be alive!”

“Aletia, your confusion is understandable. Necessary though it may have been, I did something unspeakably cruel to you. And now here I am, in a situation that defies all logic.”

“Don’t call me Aletia! Stop pretending to be my uncle!”

Yue sounded more worked up than Hajime had ever heard. The man calling himself Dienleed smiled sadly. That seemed to anger Yue even more, and she thrust out her hand as a torrent of mana swirled around her.

After her experience in the Frost Caverns, she’d come to accept that maybe her uncle had his reasons for sealing her away, but that didn’t change the fact that he had sentenced her to three hundred years of darkness. Regardless of the circumstances, he had betrayed her trust. There was no way Yue could forgive him so easily. Especially not if he suddenly showed up three hundred years later and started treating her with the same affection he had before he betrayed her.

If anything, it was surprising Yue hadn’t lost it sooner. Before she knew it, she’d unleashed a Draconic Thunder at Dienleed.

The golden dragon howled in rage as it closed in on him. However, he didn’t look the least bit perturbed. He simply snapped his fingers, and a wall of light rose up to protect the raised platform the throne stood on. It didn’t even waver as the dragon slammed into it.

Dienleed completely ignored the clash as he addressed Yue. Though she truly did want him dead, the kindness in his voice still tugged at her heartstrings.

“Aletia Galdee Vesperitio Avatarl. The wisest, most beautiful queen in Avatar’s history, as well as my niece. I am indeed your uncle. Have you forgotten? I used to be a powerful monster user in my own right.”

“What are you—?”

“Surely by now you understand what that means. Why do you think I was able to create and tame such powerful monsters?”

“Ah… You could use ancient magic… metamorphosis magic.”

Dienleed smiled proudly, like he used to when Yue did well in her studies. Conflicted emotions warred within Yue as an overwhelming sense of déjà vu assailed her.

“Incidentally, I’m capable of using restoration magic as well. Unfortunately, my affinity for it is quite awful, so it’s of little use to me. However, my affinity for metamorphosis magic is high, so I was able to modify and strengthen my body to extend my lifespan. That’s why I’m still alive today.”

“Yue, calm down.”

“Hajime…”

When Yue had unleashed her Draconic Thunder, Hajime had surreptitiously fired a few shots at Dienleed as well. However, his railgun-accelerated bullets hadn’t been able to so much as scratch Dienleed’s light barrier. There was no point in wasting their mana, so Hajime laid a hand on Yue’s shoulder to calm her down.

Judging by how hysteric she was, she probably wasn’t even using her mana efficiently. Panting, Yue slowly managed to get her emotions under control enough to disperse her Draconic Thunder.

Hajime’s presence barely kept her in check, though, and her voice still trembled when she spoke.

“Freid Bagwa said your name was Alva, and that you were related to Ehit. He said that you’ve been controlling the demon empire for millennia!”

Of course, the fact that Dienleed had been Avatar’s prime minister three hundred years ago meant there was a contradiction between Freid’s claim and the reality standing in front of Yue.

Calm as ever, he replied, “Freid’s words are the truth. I am indeed Alva, but at the same time, I am not.”

What kind of philosophical bullshit is this? Hajime thought.

Yue’s expression grew darker, and Dienleed smiled sadly before launching into his tale.

“The being known as Alva has aided Ehit since the age of the gods.”

Dienleed went on to explain that Alva’s loyalty began to waver as he watched Ehit commit atrocity after atrocity over the millennia. After a few thousand years, his feelings had flipped, and he found himself determined to take Ehit down.

“But as Alva was one of the lesser gods born from Ehit, he never had any hope of defeating him. Thus, he concocted a certain plan. He would go down to Tortus and serve as the world’s Demon Lord. He told Ehit that he would help the creator manipulate Tortus’ history and craft interesting situations to appease his boredom. On the surface he did exactly that, but all the while he was looking for a way to defeat Ehit. However, gods have no physical bodies of their own. For Alva to accomplish anything on Tortus, he needed a medium to inhabit.

“Those mediums ended up being the Demon Lord and his descendants. Freid may not have understood the full picture, but nothing he said was an outright lie. One thing he didn’t understand, though, was that the people Alva possessed did not have their original personalities erased.”

“Does that mean you were chosen by Alva as well, Dienleed?” Yue asked as she shot him a suspicious glance, and Dienleed nodded.

“Alva was elated to have me. My affinity with him was perfect, and I was an ancient magic user who knew the true nature of this world.”

As comrades who shared a common goal, they’d been able to use their unique relationship to avoid Ehit’s watchful eye and his apostles.

“Alva is in me even now, and he’s done so much to help me. Our two souls share this one body. That’s what I mean when I say I both am and am not Alva.”

Dienleed placed a hand on the back of his throne and paused to make sure everyone was following along thus far.

Her expression conflicted, Yue asked, “Since when?”

“A few years before you took the throne. Until then, I’d felt powerless to resist Ehit even though I knew the truth. But after I met Alva, everything changed. I had a mission.”

“What mission?”

“To bring down the wicked god who toys with this world. Of course, it was extremely difficult to keep him and his apostles from catching wind of our plans. There were multiple times where I had to do truly distasteful things to maintain my cover. Is there anything else you wish to ask?” Dienleed inquired with a smile. That expression of his reminded Yue of the time he used to be her tutor.

His kind voice, combined with the things she’d realized in the Frost Caverns, caused her to hesitate.

Maybe he really… she thought to herself. If Dienleed really was telling the truth, there was one thing she wanted to know above all else, one thing she absolutely had to ask.

“Why did you betray your homeland? Why did you betray me?”

“I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t ask for an apology! I asked you why!”

Dienleed’s eyes filled with regret.

Yue grabbed the hand Hajime had placed on her shoulder and clung to it for comfort.

Shea and the others crowded protectively around Yue, while Tio gave Dienleed a piercing glare. She wouldn’t let any falsehoods slip past her.

“Aletia, your talent eclipsed that of everyone else’s. No one could even come close to matching your magical abilities. Even I, who could use ancient magic, stood no chance against you. But that strength of yours was too conspicuous. It attracted unwanted attention, the same way the young man standing next to you, Hajime Nagumo, has.”

“So that’s why they all called me an ‘Irregular’?”

“Correct. Do you recall, Aletia? Back then, most of Avatar’s influential nobles had been converted to followers of Ehit. Even your parents had turned. You may not have realized the implications, but surely you’d sensed that something was off.”

“I remember. You argued so often with Father about how I should be brought up. In the end, you had your way and became my tutor. That’s why I grew up learning almost nothing about religion.” Yue nodded as she said that, a bitter expression on her face.

Dienleed nodded back and said, “I wasn’t sure whether or not the Liberators’ words could be trusted back then, but even so, I didn’t want you to be indoctrinated. I wanted to protect you. But keeping you away from religion ended up backfiring on me.”

“Because Ehit doesn’t like pawns who don’t move according to his will?”

“Precisely. Ehit started sending skilled assassins after you. Your immortality wasn’t perfect, and after hearing just how terrifying Ehit was from Alva, I—” Dienleed cut himself off at that point, shook his head, and admitted in an ashamed voice, “I wasn’t confident I could protect you.

“I also didn’t want to lose such a potentially powerful ally, so before you could be assassinated in earnest, I sealed you away and pretended I killed you myself. I planned to release you once I could openly rebel against Ehit.”

“……”

Yue’s uncle hadn’t betrayed her. In fact, he’d tried to protect her. Part of the reason for that was because he’d wanted a trump card to use against Ehit, but he’d also truly loved his niece and wanted to keep her alive.

The small hints Yue’s copy had dropped back during the trial supported that narrative as well. She could no longer say with certainty that Dienleed was her enemy.

Moreover, she wasn’t sure how to take Dienleed’s confession. It felt like she was overlooking something vital, but Dienleed’s kind words had made a mess out of her thoughts. Unable to process the sudden revelations, hesitation and uncertainty filled her gaze.

In a meek, trembling voice, she asked her final question, “What about the hostages? If you really are Uncle Dien… If you really haven’t betrayed me, then why did you…?”

Her tone sounded almost accusatory, and Dienleed frowned sadly when he heard it.

“You’re right,” he muttered and snapped his fingers thrice.

The light that had been surrounding the bars of the prisoners’ cages vanished and the locks on the doors clicked open.

Confused, Myu and Aiko tentatively opened the doors of their respective cages.

“I knew you wouldn’t agree to meet with me unless I went this far. Besides, I knew if I kept them close by, I’d be able to protect them if Ehit tried anything. As for their injuries, please forgive me. It was the apostles who went to capture them, and I couldn’t openly heal your friends in their presence. I did order them to capture everyone alive at least. After all, they may become my comrades very soon, Aletia.”

“Your… comrades?” Yue parroted back, her brain too fried to think.

If Dienleed was telling the truth and her beloved uncle had been forced to seal her away because he had no other choice, then what he said made sense. Hajime held up a hand to stop Myu and Aiko from exiting their cages just yet, while Shea and the others gave Yue a worried look. But her attention was focused solely on Dienleed.

“Aletia, please believe me.”

The Demon Lord walked down from the podium holding his throne.

“I always have and always will love you. Not a single day has gone by over these past three hundred years where I haven’t thought of you.”

“Uncle…”

Dienleed smiled and walked up to Yue, saying, “That’s right. It’s me, Uncle Dien. My beloved Aletia, the time has finally come. Please, lend this foolish old man your strength. It’s time we put an end to everything, once and for all.”

“You want me… to help you?”

“Let us vanquish Ehit together, much like we did to all of Avatar’s enemies. Ehit is preparing to put an end to this era. He’s already reset the world multiple times in the past. Watching civilizations grow and develop, then destroying them all in one big cataclysm is his hobby. But that all ends here. As luck would have it, you’re far stronger than you were in the past. Moreover, you have so many friends capable of using ancient magic. Together, I’m sure you can hold your own against even Ehit.”

“……” Yue furrowed her brows, her words catching in her throat.

Dienleed spread his arms wide and moved in to embrace her. And that action brought back another one of Yue’s memories from three hundred years ago.

Whenever she did well in class or mastered a particularly difficult spell, Dienleed had always praised her and patted her head. He’d seemed more proud of her achievements than even she did. And whenever she’d gone to tell him about something good that had happened to her, he’d hugged her just like this.

Yue’s uncle was alive, and he hadn’t betrayed her. The man she’d loved more than her own father closed in on her for a hug.

Slowly but surely, Yue began to believe that he was someone she could trust again. Smiling, Dienleed whispered, “Come, Aletia. Together, we can—”

However, before he could finish, a loud boom interrupted him, and a flash of light streaked toward his skull. He didn’t even have time to react before Hajime’s bullet pierced through his brain and made his neck snap back.

Everyone stared in disbelief as Dienleed’s body slumped to the ground. He wasn’t even twitching. A strained silence spread through the throne room as comprehension dawned on the onlookers.

The sound of a revolver cocking finally snapped everyone out of their reverie. They turned toward the source of the noise, their necks creaking like badly oiled doors.

As they’d all expected, Hajime was standing there, Donner held at the ready.

“Fuck you. I should tear you limb from limb,” he spat, looking absolutely pissed.

Aiko and the students’ jaws dropped open. As sudden as Dienleed’s confession had been, it had seemed like he was sincere about joining Hajime’s side. While they weren’t aware of all the details, the students had at least understood that Dienleed had done some cruel things to trick their true enemy and that the Demon Lord was an ally who’d been willing to free them. But then, Hajime had gone and shot him in the head.

Not satisfied with just that, he started shooting the corpse in the heart, the limbs, and everywhere else. Once he finished pumping Dienleed full of lead, he whipped out a few dozen of his bolas and tied the Demon Lord’s corpse up.

“Hiyaaaaaaaaah!”

While Hajime was doing that, Shea let out a war cry and dashed straight toward Freid. As soon as she reached him, she slammed her warhammer into the back of his head without hesitation.

Naturally, Freid’s head got smashed to a pulp, and the floor underneath him caved in. Blood sprayed from his decapitated corpse in a rather gory fashion.

“Umm, I guess I’ll join in— Take this!”

Kaori turned to the collapsed apostles and started shooting her silver feathers of disintegration at them. In seconds, all of them had huge holes in their chests.

None of them showed any hesitation or mercy. They just one-sidedly slaughtered their quarry.

But the other students couldn’t afford to stay zoned out forever… because Hajime had set his sights on Eri.

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Panicking, Suzu ran over to Hajime, her arms raised high. She looked like a minor NPC trying to take on the final boss. When she reached Hajime, she wrapped her arms around him and looked up at him with pleading eyes.

“You promised, remembeeeeeer!?” she shouted, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Sighing, he reluctantly settled for just restraining Eri with his bolas.

“Shea, you get Myu and Remia! Kaori, take care of Sensei and the students!” Hajime roared as he tied Eri up.

“Aye aye, sir!” Shea replied with a salute.

“Okay! Don’t worry guys, I’ll heal you right away!”

Myu had been watching the proceedings with dumbfounded awe up until that point, but the moment Shea ran over to her shouting, “Myu-chan, I’ve come to rescue you!” her expression brightened up and she leaped into Shea’s arms. Remia followed suit at a more dignified pace.

Meanwhile, Kaori flew over to Aiko and the others and started healing them with restoration magic. Silver light rained down on Yuka and the others, healing their wounds in an instant.

It was then that Shizuku and the others finally returned to their senses and started grilling Hajime.

“N-N-N-Nagumo-kun, what did you just do!? That was Yue’s uncle, wasn’t it!? Kaori, hurry up and get back here! If you use restoration magic, maybe we can still save him!” Shizuku shouted, panicking.

“Shit, he doesn’t have a pulse. This dude’s totally kicked the bucket. Shea-san and Kaori went all out, too…” Ryutarou muttered after checking Dienleed’s vitals.

“Nagumo… I knew it, you really are a…” Kouki whispered, looking down at the ground. He looked oddly calm, as if he’d expected Hajime to pull something like that.

Hajime turned to the three of them and Suzu, who was still clinging to him, and shouted, “Taniguchi, you secure Nakamura! Yaegashi, Sakagami, pull yourselves together and help Taniguchi out. Who knows when Nakamura’ll wake back up. Don’t let her try anything funny!”

Panicking, Suzu backed away from Hajime. Shizuku and Ryutarou looked from Dienleed to Yue, then did as he asked and took up positions around Eri.

Hajime took out his Crystal Key and began pouring mana into it.

“Stop spacing out, Sensei! As soon as I’m ready, I’m sending you all back to Earth! Get the students together!”

“O-Okay! Wait, what!? Back to Earth!?”

“Princess, you better join them. Unless you wanna stay here, that is!”

“I-I really don’t want to spend another minute here, but— Oh, whatever!”

Aiko, Liliana, and the students started scrambling about.

They were going to Earth. While they understood what Hajime had just said, it was so sudden that they were still processing the fact.

Since Myu, Remia, Liliana, and all of Hajime’s classmates were together, he could send them over all at once. Normally he would have waited, but Earth suddenly seemed like the safest place for them. Of course, he still hadn’t been able to craft concept magic that prevented Ehit from summoning them all again, but he thought it a better choice than anywhere in Tortus.

According to Tio, this hero summoning had been the first in five hundred years. Chances were, it took a lot out of Ehit to call people from another world.

Unfortunately, Hajime didn’t have the time to explain that to everyone. They were in the middle of enemy territory, and there was no telling when the army of apostles would return.

“Nagumo, what the heck is going on!?” Nana screamed.

A second later, Taeko shouted, “W-We’re going back? Th-That’s so sudden!”

Hajime ignored both of them and focused on gathering enough mana to open a gate back to Earth. The whole time he kept his gaze fixated on Dienleed, not dropping his guard for a second.

“Tio, did you see that?”

“I did indeed. It would be hard not to with how much time he gave us. I have never seen a soul like that before. It was like a spider’s nest. No, perhaps the word parasite is more apt. Regardless, it was abhorrent.”

“Agreed. Do you think you can bind his soul using spirit magic? While it’s still stunned, if possible.”

“Leave it to me. The same spell you used to create the Necklace of Vows should work here as well. It may take some time, but I should be able to do it.”

“Don’t let your guard down.”

“H-Hajime…” Yue muttered as Hajime’s conversation with Tio wrapped up. He turned to her as Tio carefully walked over to Dienleed’s corpse.

Normally, someone would have been devastated if the person they loved shot a member of their family. Especially since, in this case, it had turned out that Dienleed hadn’t betrayed Yue after all.

Hajime kept Donner trained on Dienleed’s corpse and replied, “Thanks for buying us the time we needed to see through his true identity, then luring him out of the barrier… I know it must have been a hard conversation to have, but don’t you look a little too shaken, Yue?”

Hajime’s voice sounded sharp with irritation, but his eyes were gentle and there was a faint smile on his face.

“I knew you’d figure it out on your own eventually, Yue… but I guess considering how harsh your past was, it’s only natural you got deceived for a moment. Still, I’ll never forgive him for spouting all that bullshit. No way I was gonna let him keep tricking you after that.”

“Bullshit? What do you mean?”

“Think about it rationally, Yue. If he really loved you, then why didn’t he come visit you even once over the last three hundred years?”

Thinking back on it, Yue realized Dienleed’s story was full of holes.

Even if he’d wanted to make sure no one found out Yue was still alive, there had been no reason to keep her wallowing in despair all alone. In fact, if he really was a rebel who’d harbored a god inside him, it should have been a piece of cake to go back to where he’d sealed Yue and tell her he hadn’t truly betrayed her. If he’d sealed her that deep in the Great Orcus Labyrinth, that meant he’d been strong enough to clear it.

“The story about him being a rebel’s bullshit, obviously. If he’d really cleared multiple labyrinths, there’s no way Freid’s the only person he managed to help through one after three hundred years. Unless he’s totally incompetent, anyway.”

And there’s no way your uncle was that incompetent, right? was the unsaid implication behind Hajime’s words. Yue shook her head, the gears in her brain finally turning again.

The only possible explanation was that Dienleed hadn’t been trying to gather other rebels at all.

“But then, why did he act exactly like the uncle I remember?”

That was the main reason Yue had been fooled. This Dienleed had managed to copy the real Dienleed’s mannerisms perfectly. Moreover, he’d talked about events only the real Dienleed should have known.

But even as she muttered that, Yue realized the answer to her own question.

“Wait… this is hardly the first time something has read our memories.”

Sighing, Yue smacked her forehead.

As she bound Dienleed’s soul with spirit magic, Tio voiced her hypothesis, saying, “I suspect that initial flash of light that incapacitated the apostles was the same spell that scanned our memories.”

“Mmm…”

After reading Yue’s memories, the fake Dienleed had come up with a somewhat plausible explanation. He’d then backed that up with very convincing acting. Yue had already wanted to believe her uncle hadn’t betrayed her, so it hadn’t taken much to fool her.

“Rest easy, Yue. Master and I both examined this man’s spirit from every angle. There is undoubtedly just one soul in this body. And it is far too soiled to belong to your uncle.”

After they’d obtained evolution magic, Hajime had upgraded his Demon Eye with spirit magic to allow him to see people’s souls as well.

On the other hand, Tio used the unique properties of her dragon eyes as well as her vast experience to see through the true nature of things.

Yue had complete faith in both of their judgment, so if they were saying he wasn’t her uncle, then this wasn’t her uncle. Of course, she still had quite a few questions. For starters, why did the fake Dienleed have the exact same build and appearance as the real one? And why was he trying so hard to win her over?

However, all of those questions would be answered once they scooped the memories from the fake’s soul. And if it just so happened to be her real uncle’s body, they could always fix it with restoration magic.

Indeed, the entire reason Hajime hadn’t annihilated the fake Dienleed beyond repair was because he’d taken that possibility into account.

“Besides…” Hajime muttered darkly.

Shizuku and the others had started to calm down thanks to Tio’s explanation. Aiko and the students were also relieved to learn that Hajime hadn’t just gone on another wild rampage. However, Hajime himself was anything but calm. He sucked in a huge breath and shouted angrily, “How dare he call you ‘my dear Aletia’! Yue’s Yue, no one else!”

Everyone present gave Hajime an exasperated look. Still, he wasn’t done venting just yet.

“Stop using the name she abandoned, you old bastard! And who gave you permission to hug her, huh!? Try that again and I’ll tear you limb from limb and dump your corpse into the ocean!”

“So you were just jealous!?” Shizuku, Aiko, Liliana, and Yuka shouted simultaneously. It was impressive that Yuka had managed to work up the energy to yell, considering how beat up she was.

Hajime’s rage was understandable, though. It was one thing if Yue’s actual uncle had been trying to hug her, but this Dienleed was just some fake who’d insisted on using the name Yue had discarded. And so, as far as he was concerned, he was justified in his actions.

“H-Hajime… Jeez…” Yue muttered as she fidgeted bashfully. Her earlier hesitation was gone, and a faint blush was spreading up her cheeks. The atmosphere relaxed considerably, and it was clear the two were about to start flirting.

“Hajime, I’m sorry… I acted really lame back there, didn’t I?”

The more she thought back to her exchange with the fake Dienleed, the more ashamed Yue felt. She had noticed that he sounded abnormally charismatic, but she’d let his honeyed words win her over anyway.

Besides, even if that had been her real uncle, she shouldn’t have taken his hand. Sure, her past was unbearably painful, and she would never forget her uncle’s betrayal, but the happiness Hajime had given her was worth far more than coming to terms with her old memories. Most important of all, she’d made a promise.

She should have paid more attention to the warmth of Hajime’s hand on her shoulder when she’d been speaking with the fake Dienleed. If she had, she might not have been fooled so easily. Honestly, Yue felt like slapping herself.

“You have nothing to apologize for. I know how badly your past still haunts you, Yue.”

“Mmm… I love you, Hajime.”

Yue nuzzled against Hajime’s arm, then turned to Shea, Tio, Kaori, and Myu.

“I love you guys too… Thanks for staying by my side.”

The reason Shea and Kaori had remained on their guard the entire time, as well as the reason Tio had used spirit magic to probe Dienleed’s soul without any prompting, was because, just like Hajime, they too cared about Yue from the bottom of their heart and wished to protect her.

“Hehehe, don’t mention it! I knew from the start that this fucker wasn’t Yue-san’s real uncle!” Shea proclaimed.

“Wait, really? I just kept my guard up because it looked like Hajime-kun was on edge,” Kaori replied.

“In truth, even I was not certain until I checked his soul with spirit magic. How could you tell so quickly, Shea?”

“I had a gut feeling!”

“Mmm… I knew we could count on you, Shea.”

At this point, Shea was so broken she could see through all manner of deception on instinct alone.

“Besides, I couldn’t stand how he kept acting like he knew everything about you, Yue-san!” Shea added hotly. It seemed she had been jealous of the fake Dienleed too, just like Hajime.

Around the time that Kaori had finished healing everyone, and Hajime moved to embrace Myu, Tio let out a pained grunt.

“Gah!?”

Turning around, Hajime saw Tio fly across the room and slam into a pillar. The pillar crumbled from the force of the impact, and Tio collapsed amidst the rubble.

“Tio!”

“I’m fine, don’t worry! Ngh…”

Tio struggled to her feet, but then instantly dropped to her knees. It was rare for her, of all people, to take so much damage she couldn’t instantly bounce back from it. As she coughed up blood, Hajime instantly turned around and fired at the enemy who’d sent Tio flying. However—

“Good grief, that really blindsided me. I can’t believe it took this long to heal.”

The fake Dienleed clapped as he rose to his feet, sneering all the while. Hajime’s bullet slammed into the barrier of light that appeared in front of him and crumbled to pieces.

“I thought you might hesitate when it came to attacking your girlfriend’s most important relative, but it seems my plan backfired. I forgot how petty and jealous humans could be.”

There was no warmth in Dienleed’s voice anymore. In fact, it was full of scorn and disdain. His clothes were in perfect condition again, and the bullet hole in his forehead had disappeared. Were it not for the destroyed bolas lying around him, Hajime might have thought this was an illusion.

“To think you would be able to stabilize Yue’s mental state as well. My lord won’t be pleased, but it looks like I have to go with plan B here.”

“Who are you? Alva?”

“In the flesh. Or well, not quite, since this body belongs to the real Dienleed.”

“You hijacked his body?” Yue asked in a harsh voice, mana gathering around her right hand.

Dienleed, or rather the evil god residing within his body, smirked.

“You make it sound like I’m the bad guy here. I simply put this worthless body to good use. If anything, you should consider it an honor that I, Ehit’s faithful servant, deigned to continue using Dienleed’s body after his death,” Alva said, then shrugged his shoulders and shook his head and continued, “Especially after how disrespectful he was. Even on the verge of death, he hid the fact that he sealed you away instead of killing you, and that he’d obtained the power to use ancient magic.”

“You’re the one who killed Dienleed?” Yue asked, her voice dangerously low.

“And if I am?”

“Answer the question.”

Yue’s hands started to emit golden sparks. Her crimson eyes burned with rage, and a super-dense gravity sphere formed around Alva.

However, Alva seemed unperturbed by the gravity magic closing in on him. Smiling arrogantly, he said, “Are you sure you want to do that? What if Dienleed’s soul is still alive somewhere inside this body?”

“That’s not possible. You won’t trick me again.”

Yue had no reason to believe her enemy’s words. Not after Hajime and Tio had confirmed there was only one soul in the body.

“You should get better at lying, you third-rate god,” Hajime spat.

“I’m gonna smash you to pieces!” Shea shouted.

They stepped protectively in front of Myu and Remia and glared at Alva.

Hajime motioned to Kaori with his eyes, and she nodded, going over to protect Aiko and the other students. Meanwhile, Shizuku, Ryutarou, and Suzu all readied their weapons.

Dienleed sighed as he looked around the room, then said, “Let me tell you what Dienleed’s final words were. Right before he died, he left behind a message for you, Vampire Queen.”

“I’m tired of your lies.”

Yue brought her gravity sphere down on Alva just as Shea leaped forward and Hajime squeezed his revolvers’ triggers. Out of consideration for Yue, he held back just enough to let Alva say his piece. Later, though, he would come to regret that decision.

Of course, in the moment, he believed it was important to buy as much time as possible to open a portal to Earth, and Yue felt the same, which was why she didn’t shut Alva up immediately. But what they should have done was gone all-out from the very beginning.

Even if that meant obliterating Dienleed’s body and forever losing the opportunity to learn about his death. Even if that meant destroying one of Yue’s wishes… Hajime should have never let Alva speak.

“Aletia. This is all your fault. You deserve to suffer a painful death for your sins.”

“Huh!?”

Yue didn’t know what kind of magic Alva had used, but suddenly, a scene of the past flashed through her mind. Mountains of vampire corpses littered the battlefield. Dienleed was the only one standing, and he howled in rage as he coughed up blood. His eyes burned with hatred, and it seemed as though he was staring across time directly at Yue.

A sharp pain lanced through Yue’s chest, and she started gasping for air. And the moment her offense faltered, the enemy struck.

“Luminous Nova— Overcharge!”

Kouki immediately activated his Limit Break and blew away his three friends.

“Hm!?”

A second later, silver light rained down from the ceiling, directly at Yue.

“Ahaha, take this! Crazed Moon… full power!”

A flickering black moon suddenly appeared in front of Yue. It was one of the strongest dark magic spells, which separated the target’s consciousness from their body for a few seconds. The source of the spell was, of course, Eri. But not the Eri that was lying bound on the floor. No, there was another, unhurt Eri who’d seemingly appeared out of thin air.

For a few seconds, Yue was rendered completely defenseless.

“You will never reach me,” Alva intoned. Then, he snapped his fingers, and Shea, who’d been charging toward him, was sent hurtling backward. At the same time, a barrier appeared around Yue to confine her.

“Void Fissure!”

Like Eri, Freid also suddenly appeared and launched a spatial magic attack at Hajime.

“We shall neutralize the others.”

Ten apostles teleported in and launched a concentrated barrage of feathers at Kaori and the other students.

The enemy’s coordination was perfect. Hajime didn’t even have time to curse. He immediately activated Riftwalk and started processing the situation. His surroundings became devoid of color as each second stretched out to eternity, granting him precious thinking time.

The black moon and barrier were keeping Yue locked in place as the barrage of silver light rained down on her.

There was another barrage of silver light bearing down on Aiko and the others as well, with only Kaori available to protect them.

Another contingent of apostles was heading toward Shea and Tio, and Eri and Kouki were chasing after Shizuku, Ryutarou, and Suzu, who’d been blown away to the center of the throne room.

On top of all that, there was also a series of spatial explosions heading straight for him.

Hajime couldn’t stop everything. The enemy’s main target was likely Yue, so he wanted to save her at least. However, the moment he looked at her, he changed his mind. It was clear from the resolute look in her eyes that she wanted him to prioritize protecting Myu and Remia over saving her. The silver light was nanoseconds away from swallowing her up, but unlike her, the two dragons were powerless.

“Goddammit!” Hajime cursed, making up his mind. As much as he wanted to run to Yue’s aid, he couldn’t betray the trust she’d placed in him. And so, he summoned his shield and extended his prosthetic arm to grab Myu and Remia.

A second later, Freid’s spell struck. The spatial explosions slammed against Hajime’s shield, and he could feel the impact in his bones. His shield instantly started emitting mana shockwaves of its own, blunting the force as much as possible. He also activated Diamond Skin to further bolster his defenses. But even then, Freid’s Void Fissure was strong enough to knock the wind out of him.

Rather than try to dig his heels in, Hajime let the shockwave blow him backward. He hugged Myu and Remia tight to protect them, and Myu screamed as they flew back.

Before they hit the wall, Hajime dug his shield’s spike into the ground to slow them down. He managed to kill their momentum and stopped them from slamming into anything, so he safely landed on the ground.

“Myu, Remia, are you okay!?”

“Ah…” Myu groaned, her eyes spinning.

“I-I’m fine,” Remia managed to croak out.

Fortunately, both of them were unhurt. As Yue had requested, Hajime had managed to protect both of them. After making sure they were okay, he looked back at the center of the throne room, where the battle continued.

Shea had just sent a number of apostles flying by slamming Drucken into the ground and creating a massive shockwave. Kaori was covering Aiko and the others with her wings as the apostles’ feathers slammed into her back. Tio kept them from getting any closer to Kaori by firing her breath at them. Shizuku was managing to hold her own against Kouki, while Suzu lay unconscious at the foot of another pillar. Ryutarou stood protectively in front of her while trading blows with Eri, who’d come to finish Suzu off. All of that meant—

“Ah!”

There was no one to protect Yue as the silver light engulfed her.

“Yue!” Hajime shouted, his face lined with worry. Shea and the others looked concerned as well.

Eri’s Crazed Moon and Alva’s barrier were gone, but the sudden barrage of light had become the cage trapping Yue in place. She tried to punch her way through the pillar of light, but it rebuffed her attempts. She then tried to shout something to Hajime, but her voice failed to make it through the light.

She narrowed her eyes, and a second later, a massive spatial explosion rocked the pillar.

“Ah!?”

But to Yue’s surprise, not even spatial magic put a dent in it. She tried opening a portal to teleport out, but again, her spatial magic fizzled as it tried to pass through the light.

“Tch. Myu, Remia, don’t move from this spot!”

“Daddy…”

“Understood, Hajime-san.”

Hajime hid Myu and Remia behind a nearby pillar and deployed his Cross Bits to create a barrier around them before running to help Yue.

“Hehehe. I’m afraid I can’t have you interfering, Irregular.”

Alva smiled when he saw the desperation in Hajime’s face and snapped his fingers again.

A few dozen more apostles appeared, along with an army of monsters that resembled the ones Hajime had fought in the Great Orcus Labyrinth. They were accompanied by a contingent of Eri’s enhanced undead soldiers as well.

The soldiers headed for Shizuku and Ryutarou, while the monsters headed for Kaori. All the apostles, including the ones that had been attacking Kaori, went straight after Hajime.

“Get out of my way, you puppets!”

Crimson mana began to spiral around Hajime. He’d activated the Limit Break’s one and only derivative spell, Overdrive. And as he did so, he imbued his mana with shockwave properties to turn the activation of the spell itself into an attack.

The four apostles that were closest to him were blown away. Still, the apostles were Ehit’s ultimate soldiers, and they wouldn’t let Hajime get past them that easily.

Four new apostles flew in to take the place of those that had been defeated.

Hajime summoned three more Cross Bits as well as his Orkan, then unleashed a barrage of explosive shotgun shells and missiles at the apostles. His weapons were far stronger than before, thanks to evolution magic, and the apostles didn’t come out of the barrage unscathed. That being said, they were tough enough to avoid being killed instantly. Moreover, their disintegration magic was powerful enough to keep Hajime at bay.

Realizing he wouldn’t be able to get through fast enough if he focused on defense, Hajime grit his teeth and prepared to break through by force. He activated both Supersonic Step and Diamond Skin and tried to force his way past the apostles with his shield.

“We’ve already analyzed your movements! A suicide rush like that won’t work!”

“Tch…!”

Two apostles circled behind Hajime, and the four of them slashed at him from all sides, their swords imbued with disintegration magic.

“Hiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Shea swung Drucken, which was now in flail mode, at the two apostles behind Hajime, sending them flying.

She then jerked its chain backward, reeling the hammer’s head back in as she landed next to Hajime.

“I’ve got your back!”

“I knew I could count on you, Shea! Thanks!”

Hajime once again charged towards Yue. Unfortunately, the apostles he’d hit with his barrage were mostly unhurt. Their swords had been destroyed, but they used their bodies to physically block Hajime’s path. However, he tackled them with his shield and bowled right through them.

“Don’t underestimate me, you emotionless dolls!”

“Ngh, just how powerful is he?”

Hajime was using Diamond Skin in conjunction with Steel Arms to harden himself, while also unleashing explosive blasts from his prosthetic arm and mana shockwaves from his entire body. On top of that, his Cross Bits were firing at the apostles’ feet to keep them off-balance.

With all that, even four of them couldn’t stop his headlong rush. That being said, they still had the advantage of numbers. Every time Hajime bowled through a group of apostles, another group came to take their place. Moreover, they started circling above and behind him to attack from all sides.

It took everything Hajime had just to keep himself from being overwhelmed by the apostle army. Before long, his charge ground to a halt. There wasn’t even forty meters between him and Yue, but it felt like a continent separated them with how many apostles stood in his way.

And worse of all, it wasn’t just Hajime who was having a tough time.

“Everyone, huddle together! Make sure you stick close to me!” Kaori’s voice sounded uncharacteristically strained. Monsters bore down on her from all sides.

She thought she’d be able to immediately rush to Hajime’s aid once the apostles stopped focusing on her, but it turned out that wasn’t the case. Not only did the monsters outnumber her a hundred to one, but each one was exceptionally strong. They resembled the demon-led chimeras Kaori and the others had faced in the Great Orcus Labyrinth, but they were far stronger. Their special magic had evolved from camouflage to high-speed healing, making them difficult to kill.

She managed to cut down any that got close with her twin swords, but unless she dealt a fatal blow, they kept on coming regardless of how much damage they took. And unfortunately, her disintegration feathers weren’t too effective, so she needed multiple barrages just to push them back.

Only her disintegration cannon could effectively kill clumps of monsters at once, but there were so many that taking them down a dozen at a time just wasn’t enough. Every single time Kaori created a hole in their formation, they swarmed together and plugged it up. Worst of all—

“I-It’s too hard to aim!”

Kaori was on the right side of the throne room, while Hajime and the others were in the center, past the pillars.

If Kaori started blasting her disintegration cannon at random, she ran the risk of destroying enough pillars to collapse the room. Plus if she didn’t aim carefully, she was liable to get in Hajime’s way.

Of course, even with her disintegration cannon restricted, Kaori was more than strong enough to annihilate the army of monsters, given enough time.

The problem was, she also had to protect Aiko and the students while fighting. And there were so many monsters that she couldn’t let her guard down for even a second, or one might slip past. Aiko and the others had none of their artifacts, nor were they in any position to draw magic circles for their spells. Thus, they were completely reliant on Kaori for protection. That was the main reason Kaori couldn’t go on the offensive.

“Kaori, I’ll get a barrier up right away!” Liliana said that, then bit her thumb hard enough to draw blood. She was probably planning on using her blood to draw a magic circle. However, there wasn’t enough time.

“Shirasaki-san!”

“Kaori!”

Aiko and Yuka both shouted out a warning. Goosebumps rose on Kaori’s arms as she looked up and saw a flock of gray dragons circling overhead.

“Ah!”

Realizing she had no way to shoot them down in time, Kaori turned back to Aiko and the other, then wrapped her wings around her classmates like a cocoon. Imbued with disintegration magic as they were, her wings managed to block the barrage of dragonbreath, but now Kaori was pinned in place.

“They’re not letting up.”

The attacks weren’t coming just from above, either. The dragons were attacking Kaori from all angles. It seemed the monsters had just been there to buy time until the gray dragons had completed their encirclement.

The breath attacks were so concentrated that Kaori had no opportunity to counterattack. Individually, the gray dragons’ attacks were far weaker than the apostle’s disintegration cannons, but there were just so many of them.

Are they trying to deplete my mana by forcing me to defend?

Kaori looked down at the terrified students huddling beneath her wings. Aiko, Liliana, and Yuka were scared as well, but they were still desperately trying to think of some way to help her.

I have to protect them. Hajime-kun finally found a way back home! I have to protect them so we can all return together!

After strengthening her resolve, Kaori focused her attention on her surroundings. She needed to snipe her enemies perfectly with her feathers despite not having any visual data to rely on.

Meanwhile, Shizuku and Ryutarou were having a tough time as well.

“Ngh! Kouki, come back to your senses! Don’t you realize what you’re doing!?” Shizuku shouted in frustration as her katana clashed with his sword.

“You’re the one who needs to think clearly, Shizuku.”

“What do you mean!?”

“Didn’t you hear what Dienleed-san said? He was just doing his best to save this world, but Nagumo went and shot him! That’s unforgivable!”

Shizuku’s expression stiffened. Kouki definitely had a bad habit of believing only the things that fit his worldview, so it was possible he’d really believed Alva. But then a second later, another possibility floated to the forefront of Shizuku’s mind, and she grimaced.

“Dammit! Eri, this is your doing, isn’t it!?” Ryutarou shouted, coming to the same conclusion that Shizuku had. In the Frost Caverns, Kouki had been deceived by his double, and this time he’d been tricked by Eri.

Ryutarou crossed his gauntlets in front of him, blocking Eri’s sword swing. She grinned wickedly and replied, “How rude! I just gave him a tiiiiiiny suggestion, that’s all. Kouki-kun’s the one who chose to believe it.”

It appeared Eri had tampered with Kouki’s mind so that he only believed parts of what Alva had said.

“Goddammit Kouki, pull yourself toge— Gaaah!”

Eri knocked Ryutarou, who should have had an overwhelming advantage when it came to raw strength, back with a simple roundhouse kick. He slammed into the pillar next to Eri and coughed up blood.

“Kouki, didn’t you hear Nagumo-kun’s explanation!?”

“It’s no uuuuuuuuuse. I’ve already bound his soul.”

“What? Gaaah!”

Though Kouki hadn’t obtained any ancient magic, he was still a force to be reckoned with when he used Limit Break. Shizuku’s concentration slipped for a moment when she heard Eri’s words, and he took advantage of that to punch her in the solar plexus. She slid across the floor, her breath coming in short gasps. Grinding her teeth in frustration, she staggered back to her feet.

Guffawing, Eri said, “I haven’t just been playing around since I left you guys, you know? I worked hard to make sure I could make Kouki-kun into the ideal Kouki-kun. Aren’t I such a good wife?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you see, my Spirit Binding spell doesn’t just work on dead people. I can use it to control the thoughts and feelings of the living as well! It lets me enslave any soul I want.”

Shizuku and Ryutarou glared at Eri, who’d walked over to Kouki and lovingly ran a finger down the nape of his neck.

“The best part is, they don’t even realize they’re being controlled. By planting suggestions in their mind, I get them to unconsciously ignore the things I want them to ignore! Right now, the only person Kouki-kun believes is me! I’m his one and only heroine!”

“So that’s why you kept clinging to him the whole time…” Shizuku muttered through clenched teeth.

How did I fail to notice she was using Spirit Binding right in front of me?

The most terrifying part was that Eri had managed to create something akin to spirit magic all on her own, and then refined the spell to the point where the incantation didn’t even sound like an incantation. It showed the depth of her obsession with Kouki.

Right now, Kouki wouldn’t listen to anything anyone other than what Eri said. Worse, he believed the ideas came from him, not her. The longer Eri’s spell lasted, the more twisted Kouki’s personality became. Eventually, he would turn into the kind of person Eri manipulated him to be. In fact, he already believed that Dienleed and Eri had been secretly working to save the world, and that he was fighting for justice. Hajime was evil for getting in Dienleed’s way, and everyone who followed Hajime was a brainwashed victim who needed to be saved.

Eri hadn’t put the latter suggestion into his head; Kouki had extrapolated it all on his own. Her spell was perfect for someone like Kouki, who always looked for affirmation that his views were correct. He’d likely fallen under her trance with ease.

Shizuku glanced over to where Yue and Kaori were struggling.

“Oh no, you’re not going anyyyyyywhere.”

Before she knew it, Shizuku was surrounded by Eri’s undead beastmen warriors.

“How could you…?” Shizuku muttered when she saw them.

“Eri, are there no lows you won’t stoop to!?” Ryutarou fumed, his eyes burning with rage. Kouki, however, seemed unfazed by the appearance of the undead soldiers.

“Shizuku, Ryutarou, Suzu. This might hurt a little, but bear with it. Eri will cure your brainwashing soon enough, don’t worry.”

“You moron! Do you feel nothing after seeing what she’s done!?” Shizuku shouted, gesturing to the undead. Kouki just sadly raised his sword and prepared to charge.

The fact that he didn’t even spare the undead a single glance pissed Shizuku off to no end. After all, they were all people he should have recognized. Shizuku and Ryutarou certainly did.

They were all the knights Eri had killed and then revived back in Heiligh’s capital. The same knights they’d trained with, traveled with, and dungeon delved with. Their bodies had been modified with beastmen parts and their empty eyes showed no emotion. It was obvious that Eri saw them as nothing more than tools.

Their fate was both tragic and pitiful. Shizuku couldn’t even begin to describe how sorry she felt for them. And Kouki should have felt the exact same way. No, since Kouki was the Hero, he’d spent far more time with the knights. His sadness and anger should have far surpassed Shizuku’s.

She wanted to believe that he would feel something despite being under the influence of Eri’s spell. But Kouki didn’t spare them a single glance, even after Shizuku explicitly pointed them out. In the end, he only ever looked at himself.

An overwhelming sense of disappointment welled up within Shizuku, but there was no time for her to dwell on it. The undead soldiers began charging at her, and she knew there was no room for hesitation. If anything, defeating them would be a mercy. She had no doubt the knights wished for release as well. But even though she understood that in her head, it was still hard to come to terms with it in her heart.

“Come forth, Heaven Crusher!”

A dozen barriers appeared in front of Shizuku and Ryutarou as they wavered. It appeared Suzu had regained consciousness. Looking back, Shizuku saw that she was on one knee with the Gate Key Hajime had given her glowing in her hands. It opened a portal to the sea of trees, where Suzu’s familiars awaited.

“Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

A horde of tigers, wolves, and serpents rushed out of the portal.

“Oh? Is this why you were pretending to be unconscious the whole time?”

“That’s right! I’ll at least buy enough time for Nagumo-kun to save everyone!”

Suzu brandished her fans, ignoring the blood dripping down her forehead.

Healing magic rained down on Shizuku and Ryutarou. They both dropped into fighting stances behind Suzu’s barrier, then took a few deep breaths. Pushing down their emotions, they steadied their resolve and prepared to cut down the knights who had once been their friends.

“I’m gonna knock some sense back into you, Kouki!” Ryutarou roared.

“Sorry, Eri, but I might have to cut off a few of your limbs,” Shizuku said coldly.

“Hahahaha, don’t you seeeeee? You’re just wasting your tiiime!”

Grinning, Eri turned to where the fiercest fighting was. And upon following her gaze, Shizuku saw that Hajime and Shea were slowly making progress against the army of apostles.

At least ten apostles were lying on the ground, either dead or incapacitated. Each one was a walking natural disaster, yet Hajime and Shea had taken ten down while suffering only minor injuries.

Shea’s enhanced Future Sight skill, Prophetic Visions, her still-evolving body strengthening abilities, and the countless simulations Hajime had run against Noint were all combined and turned the two of them into an unstoppable duo. With each passing second, their skills improved, allowing them to more efficiently dispatch the apostles. Moreover, their coordination was impeccable.

“Hajime-san, double-up!”

“You got it!”

Hajime slung his shield over his back and planted his feet firmly into the ground. Shea then swung at the shield with all her might. Crimson and pale blue shockwaves spread out from the point of impact, blowing away the approaching apostles.

Drucken’s ability to create mana shockwaves combined perfectly with Hajime’s shield, which was able to amplify those shockwaves due to its reactive armor.

The two of them were in perfect sync. And they were barely ten meters away from Yue now.

“Tch… Stop right there, Irregular!”

One of the apostles charged Hajime’s flank, moving so fast that afterimages trailed after her. The apostles had managed to momentarily halt Hajime’s advance, but now they were being pushed back despite having even more numbers than before. While only ten or so of them had been killed, the fact that they were unable to stop Hajime was unacceptable. Indeed, many of the usually emotionless apostles looked quite angry.

As the apostle raised its swords to cut Hajime down, Shea suddenly jumped into the fray.

“You better not forget about me!”

She swung Drucken at the apostle, sending her flying out of the castle. The biggest reason the apostles could no longer stop Hajime was because the rampaging rabbit girl kept getting in their way. Her body strengthening was powerful enough to surpass the apostles’ strength and speed with ease.

“Get the fuck out of my way!” Hajime shouted, sending three of his Cross Bits forward. They self-destructed the moment they reached the apostles, forcibly splitting apart their defensive line.

“Alva-sama, he’s too strong…” Freid muttered in a trembling voice as he watched the apostles get torn apart.

“I can’t believe he can fight so many apostles at once…” Alva replied, looking almost impressed. The two of them raised their hands simultaneously, and Freid unleashed a spatial explosion, while Alva let loose a three-meter wide blast of dark golden mana.

“I won’t allow you to interfere!” Tio shouted, flying down in her dragon form.

Transforming in an enclosed space made Tio the perfect target. The throne room was large, but not that large. Of course, Tio clearly understood that perfectly. The reason she’d transformed was to protect Hajime with her scales.

“Nnnnnngh!”

Tio deployed multiple wind barriers to try and disperse the force of the blow, but Alva and Freid’s magic proved to be far too powerful. Her beautiful black scales shattered, and blood spilled from her exposed flank.

“Tio, don’t push yourself too hard!”

“Tio-san!”

Tio ignored Hajime and Shea’s warnings and fired her breath at Alva and Freid. Alva’s barrier blocked it with ease, while Freid continued pounding away at Tio’s scales with his spatial magic.

While gritting her teeth to resist the pain, Tio shouted, “If now isn’t the time to push myself, then when is!? Hurry!”

Tio summoned a barrage of fireballs and wind blades to temporarily keep the apostles at bay while continuing to fire her breath at Alva.

“That light isn’t normal! You must rescue Yue as soon as possible! Fear not, Master, I have no intention of dying before you accept my love!”

“Oh, jeez. Fine, Tio, I’ll leave these guys to you. And thanks!”

“You can count on me!”

Tio continued pinning Alva in place with her full-powered breath attack, using her body as a shield all the while.

Making the most of her sacrifice, Hajime charged forward, heedless of the spells that pelted him. He only had five meters to go.

“I’m not letting a single one of you get past me! Bring it on, bitches!” Shea shouted, turning back to the apostles chasing Hajime. She kept the apostles that made it past Tio’s barrage in check by using a combination of her explosive shotgun shells and Drucken’s flail.

After a few seconds, she started spinning her flail in front of her, creating a small typhoon to blow enemies back. However, Hajime didn’t bother looking behind him and instead focused solely on rushing forward. He fired all of Orkan’s remaining rockets and summoned his spare Cross Bits to push his way past the final wall of apostles.

“Yue!”

“……”

He finally arrived at Yue’s side. And as he emerged through the smoke and flames, Yue slammed her hand against the wall of light and tried to shout something to him. But even from so close, he couldn’t hear her.

She was panting heavily and shaking her head while clutching her chest with one hand. It looked like she was trying to shake something off, but Hajime couldn’t tell what. Still, it was clear the silver light that was pouring incessantly down on her was not good in any way.

“No wall of light’s stopping me!”

Hajime tossed aside Orkan and his shield, then had his Cross Bits set up a barrier to make sure he wasn’t disturbed. After that, he pulled his pile bunker out of his Treasure Trove.

He stood there and impatiently waited for his evolution-magic enhanced pile bunker to charge to maximum power. And after a few seconds, red sparks started running down its length, indicating that it was ready.

“Yue, back up!”

The moment he said that, he pulled the trigger.

A deafening bang echoed throughout the throne room, and the pile bunker’s jet-black spike shot through the pillar of light.

Yue’s magic couldn’t even touch this, so how did my pile bunker pierce it so easily? Hajime thought to himself.

Whatever, I can worry about it later.

He pulled back his prosthetic arm and punched the cracking pillar of light with all his might. There was a sharp crack as the pillar shattered. Silver light flooded out, shining so brightly that for a moment it obscured Hajime and Yue from view.

“Yue!”

Hajime swept the motes of light away and reached a hand out towards Yue. His eyes clearly displayed his intense unease. Even though he’d saved Yue, he felt more concerned than ever.

“Yue.”

“I’m here…” she replied the second time he called her name, and he felt his hand latch on to her arm. A second later, he pulled her and Yue came tumbling out of the overflowing silver light.

Hajime hugged her tight and whispered, “Thank god. Yue, are you okay?”

“Fufufu. I’m fine. In fact, I’m feeling better than ever.”

“Huh? Yue? Wait, you—”

Hajime narrowed his eyes as he looked down at the girl in his arms. A moment later, a chill ran down his spine and he quickly tried to jump back, but he acted too late.

“Gah… You bastard…”

“Ufufufu. You have no idea how wonderful this feels, Irregular. It has been eons since I last manifested in this world.”

The person standing before him looked and sounded like Yue, but it most definitely wasn’t her. And whoever it was had just thrust their arm through Hajime’s stomach. Yue’s hand went all the way through, exiting out of Hajime’s back. The normally pale arm was coated in his red blood.

The very next moment, the silver particles of light surrounding the two of them flew upwards and vanished into the ether.

Shea had been keeping a wary eye on the apostles that had suddenly stopped moving, but the moment the light vanished, she turned to Hajime and Yue. And when she saw Yue’s hand sticking out of Hajime’s back, her jaw dropped open.

Hajime instantly used a mana shockwave to try and push Yue back. He knew that as long as some unknown entity was possessing her, he couldn’t afford to stay close. However, he wasn’t able to take more than a step before—

“I order you in the name of Ehit… Stop moving.”

“What!?”

Hajime blinked in confusion as his body submitted to Yue’s command. It felt as though all his nerves had been cut off from his brain.

Yue, or rather, Ehit, smiled sweetly at him.

Hajime knew that smile. It wasn’t Yue’s usual smile, but he’d seen it once before. It was the same smile he’d seen on the statue of Ehit in the main cathedral, back when he’d first been summoned to Tortus. The smile was just as repulsive as he remembered.

Ehit casually pulled his arm out of Hajime’s stomach… and a fountain of blood gushed from the hole. As Ehit bathed in Hajime’s blood, he brought his hand to his lips and licked it.

“I see. This is the pleasure a vampire feels when drinking blood. I must say, this is quite something. I had planned to make you suffer an agonizing death, but perhaps I should keep you around for your blood instead,” Ehit said with a sneer.

“Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Hajime screamed, squeezing out every last ounce of strength in his body. Yet more blood spilled from the gaping wound in his stomach, but he didn’t seem to care. His mana glowed bright crimson as he pushed his Overdrive spell to the limit.

A second later, there was a loud snap and Hajime regained his freedom. He swiftly backed away and aimed Donner at Ehit.

He knew Yue’s body was immortal, so his priority was restraining Ehit, not harming him.

“Tch…”

However, Hajime’s railgun-enhanced bullets failed to reach their target. Though they possessed enough force to blow through the apostles’ claymores, they stopped inches from Ehit’s face.

“My my, I didn’t think you would be able to break free from my Divine Edict. I suppose I should have expected as much from an Irregular. Thunderlord’s Judgment!”

Twenty-four spheres of lightning appeared around Hajime. They coalesced into thick pillars, boxing him in from all sides. He’d experienced this spell once before when facing off against the hydra at the bottom of the great Orcus Labyrinth. However, Ehit’s version of this spell was far stronger and faster.

The lightning flashed bright enough to blind everyone in the throne room. And a second later, a thunderous roar split everyone’s eardrums.

Shea, who’d been busy dodging the apostles’ attacks, and Tio, who’d been forced to cancel her transformation after taking too much damage, were blown away by the spell’s shockwaves.

Still, they instantly bounced back and ran toward Hajime.

“Hajime-san!”

“Master!”

“Hajime-kun!”

Kaori dismissed her barrier and started running to Hajime as well. Unfortunately, the electric current around the point of impact was so strong that no one was able to get close.

As the lightning faded, Hajime’s smoking figure became visible again. His Cross Bits had been flattened with gravity magic, and his body was glowing faintly thanks to his Diamond Skin.

It was hard to believe anyone could have survived such a powerful blast, but Hajime was still standing. Using Overload had boosted his defenses enough to save his life and keep him conscious. His body was covered in burns, but he grit his teeth and glared at Ehit with a burning hatred.

“I knew you’d withstand that, Irregular. But I imagine your reflexes must be dulled after suffering so much damage. Void Fissure.”

Hajime’s instincts screamed at him to run, but the electricity had momentarily paralyzed his reflexes.

Of course, they recovered in an instant, but that brief delay proved fatal. The space around Hajime warped, and he realized there was nowhere left to run. Cursing, he activated Diamond Skin once more.

A second later, spatial blasts assailed him from all sides.

“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The force of a concentrated Void Fissure was immense. Hajime’s Diamond Skin was broken in seconds, and his bones began to crack. His legs gave out, and he was forced to drop to his knees. All of the spells Ehit was using were ones Yue had in her arsenal, but they were far stronger than when Yue cast them.

“You’re mine!”

“Get away from Hajime-kun!”

“How dare you use Yue’s body and Yue’s magic to harm Master… I’ll end you!”

Enraged, Shea, Kaori, and Tio charged at Ehit. But they didn’t get very far before he stopped them in their tracks.

“I order you in the name of Ehit… Genuflect!”

“Ah!”

“Kyaaaaaa!?”

“Nuwoooh!?”

That one word forced the three of them to ground by some invisible power.

“Bestial Advent.”

The floor around Shea and the others rose up, morphing into a pack of stone wolves. The wolves restrained the three girls with their limbs, ensuring that they wouldn’t move. Shea and the others grimaced as the wolves’ claws raked their shoulders and backs.

“I’ll blast these all to—”

Kaori tried to unleash a barrage of disintegration feathers. But before she could, Ehit said, “I order you in the name of Ehit… Cease functioning.”

“Ah…”

At Ehit’s command, the light drained from Kaori’s eyes and her body went limp. Her twin swords clanged to the floor, and she lay stock-still, like a doll.

Seeing his comrades rendered powerless, Hajime let out a bestial roar. Blood spilled from his mouth and his body was clearly at its limits, but he rose to his feet nonetheless.

However, Ehit didn’t feel the least bit threatened by his ferocious act.

“Be crucified.”

The space above Hajime twisted into the shape of a cross. The cross Ehit had created out of space itself looked perfectly transparent, as if it was made of glass. Despite its fragile appearance, though, it was rather deadly.

“Gaaah!”

It dropped down on Hajime, forcing him back to the floor.

He lay there in a pool of his own blood as the pressure aggravated his wounds and made him bleed out faster. The cross pressing down on him was like his gravestone.

Suzu hurriedly created a dome-shaped path made of barriers for Shizuku and Ryutarou.

“Help Nagumo-kun, guys!”

“Nagumo-kun, Kaori!”

“What the fuck is going on here!?”

Suzu’s familiars had been trying to chip away at Eri’s undead soldiers using hit and run tactics, but they were slowly being overwhelmed. Their fight was a fair distance away from Hajime and the others, so Shizuku and Ryutarou were worried about leaving her on her own. However, it was clear that Hajime and Kaori were in dire straits, and needed as much help as they could get.

However, Ehit didn’t allow them to get close.

“Behold visions of your death.”

“Ah!?”

“Ngh…”

“Hiiiiii!”

Shizuku, Ryutarou, and even Suzu’s faces paled and they crumpled to the ground. A second later, they started patting their necks and legs and chests with trembling hands.

Thanks to Ehit’s command, they saw visions of their necks being chopped off or their hearts being pierced. Unfortunately, confirming that their bodies were still whole didn’t bring them any relief. It appeared they’d lost all sense of touch and were unable to tell illusion from reality.

“Hmmm. This body is quite impressive. It will serve as a most suitable vessel for me.”

Hajime and the others had all been defeated with horrifying ease.

Looking satisfied, Ehit experimentally flexed his fingers and said, “Thank you for freeing my chosen vessel, Irregular.”

“Ngh… Gah.”

Ehit strode over to Hajime, his boots clicking loudly against the marble floor.

Hajime tried to remotely manipulate his Cross Bits, but they were under so much gravity pressure that they couldn’t move. Turning around, he saw that the Cross Bits that had protected Myu and Remia had been disabled as well. There were tears in Myu’s eyes, while Remia hugged her with sheer terror on her face.

Aiko and the others had tried to help Hajime as well, but they’d been stopped by a wall of apostles.

Hajime attempted to pull a large number of explosives out of his Treasure Trove and blow them up. He was confident he could use Diamond Skin to protect his vitals, and as long as he was alive in some shape or form, the Ambrosia would be able to heal him. Unfortunately, Ehit predicted Hajime’s actions and snapped his fingers the moment he opened his Treasure Trove.

The ring on Hajime’s finger vanished and appeared a second later in Ehit’s palm. And it was joined by several other similar rings. Namely, the ones connected to Shea and the others’ Treasure Troves. Ehit had managed to teleport everyone’s rings with pinpoint accuracy without opening any portals.

That wasn’t all, either. A moment later, Donner, Schlag, Orkan, Hajime’s shield, his Cross Bits, Drucken, Shizuku’s katana, Suzu’s fans, and every other artifact Hajime had created started orbiting Ehit.

“These are some splendid artifacts. The things you have inside these rings are quite intriguing as well. The world you come from must be an interesting place.”

Ehit closed his fist around the rings. And after he did, his hand began to glow, and when he opened it again the rings had been crushed.

“I have grown tired of playing with this world. I would have left sooner, but traveling across worlds as a mere soul is quite difficult. But now that I have this wonderful vessel, I should be able to enjoy myself elsewhere.”

Chuckling, Ehit’s lips curled up into a smile that Yue would never make. He tilted his hand, letting the remnants of Hajime and the other’s Treasure Troves tumble to the ground. But before they even reached it, they turned to motes of light and vanished.

The items stored within didn’t appear, so Hajime assumed Ehit had destroyed them as well. He could only watch on in impotent rage as Ehit destroyed the rest of his artifacts one by one.

“Oh, I almost forgot.”

Ehit turned to Hajime’s prosthetic arm, his expression making it clear he hadn’t forgotten for even a second. He snapped his fingers again, and the arm crumbled apart as well. Hajime screamed in pain as the prosthetic nerves he’d created to help him better control the arm were destroyed along with it. With that, he’d lost every single one of his artifacts.

Sensing that the battle was truly over now, Alva and Freid ran over to Ehit and dropped to their knees.

“It was an honor to be present for your advent on this plane.”

“I am deeply humbled to be in your presence, my lord.”

“Mhm. Well done, you two.”

Overcome with joy, the two of them began to tear up. On the other hand, Shea and the others sunk down to the depths of despair. Yue’s expressions were subdued, but she always had a gentle look about her. Now, though, her face was contorted into a haughty grin.

“Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah… Transmute!”

“Hm?”

Crimson sparks ran across the ground around Hajime, causing it to sink a little.

“You really don’t know when to give up, do you? A normal person would have died by now. Hmm, perhaps I should have chosen you as my vessel. I got a little hasty when I learned the vessel I originally planned on taking had finally been rediscovered after three hundred years. Then again, this body is still far more suited to magic than yours.”

Since Hajime was being restrained from above, he’d hoped to transmute the ground and escape from below.

“I order you in the name of Ehit… Be still.”

The crimson sparks began to fade, and the ground stopped sinking.

“It’s not over yet!”

And yet, Hajime refused to give up. With ungodly determination, he once again focused his mana.

The fading sparks were granted renewed life as he struggled against Ehit’s command.

“Oho… To think you could resist my Divine Edicts to such an extent.”

“Uwoooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!”

The ground began to sink once more. Moreover, the area that should have been outside Hajime’s effective Transmutation range began to crack.

A low rumbling began to fill the room. Hajime’s mana started to throb like a heartbeat, and with each pulse, it grew stronger.

Beneath his bloodstained bangs, Hajime’s eyes glimmered with an indomitable resolve. Despite how hopeless the situation was, he still hadn’t given up. It was as if he didn’t even know the meaning of despair.

Moments later, Hajime seemed to overcome some invisible barrier and he shouted, “Transmuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute!”

His crimson mana became more vibrant than ever before, and its light spread throughout the room.

A glowing sword rose from the floor, as did several floating spheres, each five centimeters in diameter.

“My lord!”

“Why won’t you just die already, you damned Irregular!?”

Even though he was on the verge of death, Hajime’s struggles were enough to scare Alva and Freid. They quickly dashed forward to finish him off.

But Ehit simply held out a hand to stop them and muttered, “So you’ve managed to surpass your limits yet again. I can’t believe you managed to instantly imbue your creations with ancient magic… I suppose this means you transcended the limits of your own talent? That’s a rather rare skill.”

The sword Hajime had created could slice through space, while the spheres were enchanted with super-compressed gravity magic. He’d also been able to create something similar to the wolf golems Ehit had made with a combination of spirit magic and metamorphosis magic.

Thus far, Hajime hadn’t been capable of doing anything like that.

That being said, it still wasn’t enough.

“It really is a shame to lose such a valuable sample. However, you need to learn your place.”

Ehit emitted a faint silver light, then spoke in a voice dripping with power and said, “I order you in the name of Ehitruje… Disappear!”

“Ngh. Goddammiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!”

An inviolate force began to impress its will on the world itself. In accordance with Ehit’s command, the new artifacts Hajime had created began to break apart. His silver light started encroaching on Hajime’s crimson sparks as well, but they refused to vanish. Though their luster faded, Hajime continued resisting with all his might.

“You still haven’t given up? How much despair must I inflict upon you before you accept your fate?”

“Of course I haven’t given up! I’m gonna fucking murder you and get Yue back! I won’t stop until then!”

“Heh, really now? Then I suppose I better finish you off for good. I now understand why my command didn’t kill you instantly, so there’s nothing more to be learned from you.”

Ehit smiled happily down at Hajime, who was coughing up blood as he struggled to fight back. Then, he raised his hand and cast Yue’s favorite spell.

“The five elemental dragons… I must say, this vessel came up with some rather interesting magic. I’m quite fond of this one.”

Dragons made of wind, lightning, stone, ice, and fire appeared around Ehit. Each one was far larger and more imposing than the ones Yue summoned. And on top of their increased strength, they absorbed the surrounding mana and transferred it to Ehit.

The dragons reared their heads, their cold silver eyes glaring down at their targets.

Myu, Remia, Aiko, Liliana, Shizuku, Suzu, Ryutarou, Shea, Kaori, Tio, and Hajime.

Ehit planned to make sure not even a trace of Hajime and the others remained. He had enjoyed his fill of Hajime’s suffering, anger, and hatred, and now he was ready to see him despair before his end.

With every ounce of his being, Hajime shouted, “Yue, come back to us!”

“Hmph, relying on your girlfriend to save you? You’re just wasting your breath. This vessel belongs to me now.”

“Yue! I know you can hear me! Yueeeeee!”

Ignoring Ehit’s provocations, Hajime continued shouting the name he’d given the girl he loved.

Irked by Hajime’s disrespect, Ehit frowned and raised a hand. He simply had to swing it down. The moment he did, Hajime’s life would be well and truly forfeit. But before he could—

“What the!? What’s happening to my mana!? My body won’t… Impossible!”

Ehit staggered backward, his arm still raised. His eyes opened wide and he looked down at himself.

His control over his mana faltered, and the five dragons began to flicker.

Alva and Freid looked shocked, as did Shea and the others.

A small voice whispered, “You will not hurt my friends.”

It felt as though the words were being fed directly into everyone’s minds, like with telepathy. The pitch of the voice was the same as Ehit’s, but Hajime and the others instantly knew it didn’t belong to him.

“Yue!” Hajime shouted happily, and Shea and the others followed suit. Everyone’s expressions brightened in an instant.

“Ngh, damned cocky mortals! I order you in the name of Ehitruje… Recall your worst nightmare!”

Hajime and the others were forced to remember the most painful moments of their lives.

The effect wasn’t something that could control them completely, but they couldn’t exactly ignore it either. Plus, it worked on Yue’s consciousness as well as everyone else.

Sweating, Ehit wrested control of Yue’s body out of her hands. And once he’d subdued her consciousness, he looked down at his palm in disgust.

“Alvaheit. I’ll be returning to the Sanctuary. I had hoped to take control of this vessel while she was still being deceived by you, but alas. As she is now, I can’t fully control her, even with my immense powers. I need to make some adjustments on this body.”

“M-My lord. I am terribly sorry for failing you…”

“No matter. It shouldn’t take more than three days to achieve full control. I’ll leave cleaning the trash up to you. Freid, Eri, follow me. As promised, I shall grant your wishes.”

“Yes, my lord. As you command.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming. You’re gonna make me a world where I can be all alone with Kouki-kun, right? As long as you do that, I’ll do whatever you want.”

“Like hell I’m letting you get away!”

A small snapping noise echoed as Hajime’s gravelly voice boomed. To everyone’s surprise, he’d managed to rise to his feet. Although Ehit’s cross was still bearing down on him, he stood strong.

“Cease your unsightly struggling,” one of the apostles said as she shot forward with four of her comrades. Hajime was already on the verge of death, and the five apostles were able to easily subdue him. They slammed him to the ground, causing yet more blood to spurt from his wounds.

But there was one other person there who loved Yue as much as Hajime, albeit in a different way. Shea’s pale blue mana spiraled out of control as she struggled against the order Ehit had placed on her.

“Yue-san! Yue-san! Dammit, move, you stupid body! Moooooooooooove!”

“Impossible. How can someone who isn’t even an Irregular resist Ehit’s Divine Edict!?” Alva exclaimed in surprise.

The wolf golem’s claws dug deeper into Shea’s skin, but she ignored the pain and slammed her fist into the ground. An explosion of mana erupted from the point of impact, blowing it away.

Having freed herself through willpower alone, Shea leaped after it. With a single backhanded punch, she pulverized the stone golem. And as its fragments rained down, she dashed toward Ehit, determined to reclaim Yue from the god.

Anyone who saw her demonic visage was hard-pressed to believe she was really from the peace-loving rabbitman race.

“Void Fissure!”

“Stop wasting our lord’s time.”

Freid’s spatial blast hit Shea square in the chest. She’d been able to resist Yue’s Void Fissure when the two had fought, but Yue had been holding back. The Void Fissure Freid had prepared in case Hajime showed yet another inexplicable burst of strength was far stronger.

“Nnnnnngh!”

Shea’s charge ground to a halt. But that was all. Freid’s Void Fissure didn’t tear her to pieces as he’d expected. In fact, it wasn’t even enough to bring her to her knees.

That being said, it was enough to stop her. It took everything Shea had just to remain standing amidst the spatial impacts wracking her entire body. And as a result, she was unable to defend herself when Alva’s magic blast came hurtling at her.

He’d condensed his mana so much that it possessed physical mass, and it hit Shea with the force of a dump truck. Unable to withstand the impact, she was sent flying across the room. She smashed straight through several pillars and slammed against the wall with enough force to rock the castle. Rubble from the damaged wall fell down, burying her.

Shea lay unmoving on her back, blood dripping from the various injuries she’d received.

“Shea! Damn you!”

“Ngh! Why is it so difficult to move!?”

Shizuku and Tio struggled with all their might, but they were unable to lift a finger. It was as if they’d been rooted to the spot.

“I’m afraid I need to take my leave now, ladies, Irregular. There’s a pressing concern I need to take care of that takes precedence over you.”

For the past minute or so, Ehit had been focused only on his trembling hand, which was still raised high in the air.

Another pillar of silver light rained down, but this one created a circular hole in the ceiling as it descended.

As sunlight filtered into the throne room, everyone looked up in awe. High up in the sky, far above the castle ramparts, was a swirling vortex of silver light. It looked like a mini-galaxy, and loath though Hajime was to admit it, it felt divine.

“Oh yes, allow me to give you one last parting gift. You have three days. Three days from now, I will dye this planet red with the blood of all mortals. It is the final game I have planned for Tortus.”

Sneering, Ehit looked down at Hajime as he floated up into the sky.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what wonderful games I can play with your world. Though, I suppose since you’ll all be dying here, none of that matters to you.”

“Wait… Give Yue back…” Hajime muttered in a hoarse voice. Then, he raised a hand up toward Ehit, but one of the apostles instantly knocked it down. Undaunted, he tried to drag his feet forward, but Alva crafted a spatial prison to lock him in place.

Hajime should have long since died of blood loss, yet he continued struggling. Despite all he’d been through, his will remained unbroken.

For the briefest of moments, the apostles recoiled in fear at his unbending spirit. Wary of anything else he might try, they used disintegration magic to destroy the transmutation magic circles Hajime had sewed into his clothes.

Meanwhile, Tio and the others struggled to escape Ehit’s Divine Edict, but they remained motionless. Aiko and the students were also powerless to do anything in the face of the apostles and monsters that had them surrounded.

Everyone could only watch helplessly as Eri spread her wings and flew upward with Kouki. She whispered something into his ear and he nodded in understanding. Resolved, he looked down at Shizuku and the others. Chances were, Eri had told him some story that conveniently matched up with how he wanted the world to be.

Suzu, Shizuku, and Ryutarou all shouted at him, but their voices failed to sway his heart.

When the swirling silver galaxy gate was only inches behind him, Ehit spread his arms wide and cast his gaze over the demons in the capital. His pose was identical to the statue of him Hajime had seen in the cathedral.

Yue’s unparalleled beauty combined with his divine silver mana was enough to capture the hearts of every demon who saw him. They immediately dropped to their knees in worship. This was the birth of a new legend.

After a brief moment of silence, the demon capital erupted in cheers. Then, all of Ehit’s apostles, Eri’s undead soldiers, Freid’s monsters, and the demons waiting in the capital floated up to join him.

It seemed most of the demons had been informed beforehand that this day was coming. As they relished the moment they became god’s chosen race and ascended to heaven.

Ehit turned to Hajime and spoke with a disdainful expression that didn’t fit Yue’s features in the slightest, saying, “Farewell, Irregular. Your rather adorable antics alleviated my boredom, for a time. I must say, you were one of my favorite pawns.”

He then turned his back on Hajime and vanished into the silver portal.

“Yue! Yueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

Hajime reached his hand out, but it was all in vain. The warmth he’d hoped to grasp was no longer in this world.

Diamond. diamond. diamond.