Chereads / Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest compete edition / Chapter 100 - The Demon Lord’s Invitation Part 2

Chapter 100 - The Demon Lord’s Invitation Part 2

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, Yuesan!" 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.