Chapter 550

Chapter 550

Even If, the World Perish Tomorrow

The small bird’s chirping and the stream’s murmuring gently caressed the heart.

It was a place with verdant green. The sunlight filtering through trees were like a sight from fairytale, there was also no other noise.

Inside such forest, there was a place made from pillars of tree and rooftop made from their branches and leaves like it was a relaxing place. It was like a gazebo, or perhaps a pergola. There was also a bench formed from tree roots growing from the ground.

There was a female, sitting on that bench.

She was wearing a white blouse and navy blue tight skirt. She was also wearing a white robe on top of that outfit that truly like woman’s suit.

Her white hair was tied behind her neck simply. There were deep wrinkles on her face as though all the hardships had left behind their mark. Perhaps she was around sixty. The pretty woman ought to be described as someone who “aged beautifully”.

But, a part of her felt inhuman for some reason, like her life force was faint……

She crossed her legs beautifully, placed her hands together on her knee, and sitting with a good posture that wasn’t twitching at the slightest as though there was a plank inserted behind her.

She wasn’t appreciating the trees and flowers, neither she was listening carefully to the sound of nature, neither she was enjoying some kind of drink.

She was simply, staring forward in a daze. That figure, it was like a wax figure decorating a museum.

Ahead of her gaze, there was instead a sight that was brimming with vitality.

It was a small girl in a dress. The girl was staring at a small bird picking on the feed on her palm with sparkling eyes. The girl with silver hair who was adorable like an angel mustn’t even be ten years old yet.

A small squirrel climbed the girl’s body in an attempt to snatch the feed. The girl’s body twisted from feeling ticklish, even so she hurriedly tried to stop moving so she wouldn’t startle the small bird, but the squirrel ran around her shoulder and her head as though to make her effort ended up in vain.

Geez!

The little girl got angry and waved around her hand, which startled the small bird and it flew away.

Aa~~,

the girl’s hand reached out, before her shoulders dropped in dejection the next moment.

The young squirrel splendidly snatched the feed and then stuffed its cheeks with the atmosphere of someone saying 「Plan successful-」 toward the girl. The girl’s face turned bright red and she started lecturing it.

What are you doing, a black cat who was watching the going on from a branch above landed on the girl’s head quite heavily, and then it tried to soothe the girl by patting her forehead with its soft paw.

The girl succumbed to the soft paw’s charm. Her expression crumbled

funyaa~~h

in the blink of eye……

But it lasted only for a moment. The girl’s gaze suddenly turned toward the woman in white robe. A bright smile bloomed on her face……

「……」

But, the woman in white robe showed no reaction. She did nothing other than staring back at the girl with eyes that looked dead.

The girl started walking toward the woman. As though the woman’s lack of reaction didn’t register at all in her mind.

Like that, the hand the girl extended touched the woman……right before that could happen.

「Manager」

Life suddenly returned into the woman. Light of intelligence returned into the unfocused eyes. She looked back over her shoulder as though to deny the accusation of being a doll.

「Did I interrupt something?」

There was a woman with similar white hair in bob haircut. Although her outfit consisted of a simple white v-neck shirt and a trouser, she was wearing the same white robe.

The woman looked to be around thirty years old with features that were more adorable rather than beautiful. She looked at the girl who stopped moving with her hand still extended and raised her eyebrows.

「No. There’s no problem. I was just, simply being absentminded.」

「……Are you alright? It feels like, you often come here recently……」

「It’s the age.」

「Age you say, that’s……」

「Given that I’ve wagered my life till now――is what I mean.」

「……」

The two women stared at each other. The atmosphere became deafeningly silent. Both women were expressionless.

*Chirp chirp*. The little bird’s chirping sounded excessively loud.

「Just now I mentioned age that referred to how long I’ve lived, and then used it as wordplay with wager that also has the letters age in it――」

「No need to explain.」

「…………Is that so………」

Perhaps it was just her imagination but the it felt like the old woman might be feeling sad or perhaps not. She also got the feeling that the old woman’s eyebrows rose about 0,1 mm or perhaps not.

The woman with bob haircut didn’t even hide her exasperation. She sighed ostentatiously.

「So I wonder what is your business here?」

Perhaps she couldn’t endure the silence. Seen from the side it didn’t look like that at all but, manager-san subtly averted her gaze while changing the topic too.

「The measurement result will come out soon so just in case」

「Say that first.」

The manager jumped to her feet. The change was dramatic. It looked like there was a strong light of will residing in her eyes that felt cold before. She quickly started walking with her white robe fluttering behind her.

「You didn’t even need to go out of your way to tell me directly like this.」

「……That’s, well, that’s true.」

The woman with bob haircut didn’t say anything and turned around after the manager. While turning back she sent a glance.

Her glance was sent toward the girl whose hand was still stretched out.

Yes, the girl who wasn’t moving at the slightest. Who was frozen with a smiling face and her hand stretched out.

Like a movie that was being paused temporarily.

「I wonder……have you lived a happy life until now?」

A very very small whisper that wished for that to be the case vanished into thin air, never reaching anyone.

The woman with bob haircut turned her back toward the girl.

Right after that, the girl vanished. Like a completed puzzle crumbling down back to pieces. The surrounding nature was also vanishing similarly.

What was left after that was a cold pure white space.

Apparently the nature and also the girl just now were a kind of extremely advanced illusion.

A semi-transparent door sized wall manifested at a corner of the room. The manager stepped into it and vanished without looking back even once.

The expression of the woman with bob haircut was filled with deep respect as she stared at that back. At the same time, it felt like there was also sadness that couldn’t be described residing somewhere in there.

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After passing through the “gate” that looked like a screen, they came out into a cylinder shaped room that was spacious but with a low ceiling. As expected the whole room was also pure white.

「You’re here manager. The result has come out just now.」

「Report.」

At the center of the room there was a muscular man with height over two meters. He was wearing a pure white outfit that looked like traditional Chinese clothing coupled with a white robe over it. His striking features were his bald head and the geometric pattern on the side of his head.

「The spatial disturbance is spreading. It’s the first stage. ……Manager, it finally started.」

「……I see.」

At the center of the room there was a sparkling sphere of light with a diameter around one meter. The expression of the large man as he stared at it was grave. His voice sounded like a low growl.

Just from a glance it looked like a mere sphere of light, but it was apparently some kind of information medium. The manager and the woman with bob haircut were also observing it. It looked like the two women were able to read and understand information from it.

The younger woman was pressing her lips tightly together into a straight line as though she was enduing something.

The manager’s expression was unchanging like usual but, the expression of her eyes was sharp. There was a saying that eyes could tell as much as mouth but, this was exactly the case here. Various emotions were certainly whirling around inside her eyes.

「Is there any signal from “traveler”? If it’s now while the space-time is disturbed, then perhaps……」

「No, none.」

「……In the end, not even a single device came back huh. A lot of time should have passed at the other worlds. Based on the calculations, tens of thousands of years, or at the very least thousands of years should have passed. And yet……the progress of our research is also……at this rate, it’s……」

「Calm down.」

The huge man put his hand on the shoulder of the younger woman who was hanging her head down. Heavy silence filled the room. The air felt so stifling it was like there was a noose slowly tightening around their neck.

After a short while, the manager quietly opened her mouth. Her voice was chillingly emotionless.

「…………That day」

The huge man and the woman with bob haircut turned their gazes from the sphere of light toward the manager.

「The day everything broke down in madness」

――Mom! Why!? I want to be with you till the end mom-

That silver haired girl, no, a grown up beautiful mature woman flashed at the back of the manager’s mind.

She was desperately reaching out with her hand despite the rainbow light and people holding her from behind obstructing her. Her beautiful face was crumpled into crying expression.

「It has been about a hundred years since that day. But, it’s like it happened only yesterday. The sight of that day is seared into my mind and won’t leave me even for a moment.」

The manager was watching the shining sphere while words left her mouth as though she was talking to herself. The huge man and the younger woman also kept quiet while staring fixedly at the manager.

「A hundred years. It’s amazing we even lasted that long……or, that’s what those central lot would say with impertinent face like they’re an omnipotent god but――screw that.」

The manager’s gaze returned. From the past and the shining sphere toward her two subordinates.

「We have a duty that we should fulfill. To give up will be a heavier sin than the grave sin committed in the past. If it’s for the sake of accomplishing it……no sacrifice is too expensive. We will use anything.」

The manager narrowed her eyes toward her two subordinates. Those eyes were radiating light of intelligence so sharp it made one wanted to describe it as coldhearted.

A beat passed before the manager spoke.

「We’ll increase the sacrificial lamb.」

The two didn’t say anything back in respond to those words.

They simply stared back at the manager as though in a stare-down. Before long the two quietly took a step back and nodded.

It was then. Alarm rang out noisily.

「Attack at this kind of time? It’s been happening awfully often recently.」

「Ghost Team is already leaving to intercept.」

The younger woman put her hand over the light sphere and manipulated it somehow while speaking. The manager and the huge man nodded to each other thinking that there was no problem if that was the case. But, right after that, a terribly flustered voice sounded inside their heads.

『Reporting!! Large scale attack! Number, unknown!! At minimum 80……no, more than a hundred!! And it’s still increasing! Requesting all teams to sortie!!』

「What did you say?」

The manager whose expression was that scarce opened her eyes wide. It was also the same with the huge man and the younger woman. They turned stiff from astonishment.

It couldn’t be helped. An abnormal situation that had never happened even once in this one hundred years had just occurred.

「Mass appearance of void gods? Is such thing possible?」

They knew the identity of the attackers. There was no other existence in this finished world who could attack them other than that.

Void god――revolting existence that attacked from the end of the world. Even with the world had ended, they were completely foreign objects whose existence couldn’t be observed.

They couldn’t be underestimated. Every single one of this opponent who came attacking sporadically was powerful to an atrocious degree.

Their side could meddle with the underlying principles of the cosmos, not only that, even transcending the underlying principles of cosmos was within their reach. But even with such power, they might be defeated against this powerful enemy if they let their guard down.

Just how many compatriots they had lost against them in this one hundred years……

But, the attacks were just sporadic in the end. Until now the enemies never attacked in group even once. There were exceptions that had the ability to divide or propagate but, dealing with those was still within their capabilities.

Now such enemy, came in a group of more than one hundred?

「Is this related to the disturbance in spacetime? No, rather than that first activate the first class defensive system――」

The consideration was for later. This was a bad situation. Depending on the situation they would need to deal with it with their full force.

The manager reached toward the light sphere while thinking that.

But, it seemed the situation was progressing into even more turmoil.

Even more alert rang out inside their heads.

It wasn’t a report. This sound……

「No way……a signal from “traveler”!?」

The woman with bob haircut let out a loud voice. She was too surprised that she got a coughing fit.

「Manager! There’s reaction in the “traveler’s room”! ……Coming. It’s coming back!!」

「Tsu. I’ll leave this place to you. Raise the defense readiness to the highest level!」

「Understood!」

The manager looked aside as soon as she gave the instruction. The younger woman swallowed back her discomposure and nodded deeply.

The two vanished in the next moment.

They performed their own teleportation without using the facility’s teleportation function. Astonishingly, they didn’t even use “gate”. It was the teleportation magic of the highest rank that Yue named as “Divine Existence”.

The two who performed it so very easily appeared in the room called the “traveler’s room”. A hundred years ago, the explorers of hope were sent out just before the world was closed off. This was the exclusive facility for teleportation between worlds to make their return possible.

What was reflected in their sight after the instantaneous switch was a pure white space.

There were complex and detailed magic circles drawn on the ceiling and floor mirroring against each other. Vertically there were fifty lines, horizontally there were ten lines, in total there were five hundreds.

At one corner, at the latter half of the position where it was the 400th

booth based on the numbering inside the room, there was the figure of a traveler that they had been waiting very eagerly for in these one hundred years.

It was slightly dirty all over, with cracks here and there――a black metalic triangular pyramid was lying on the floor.

「Aa……it’s true……」

「They weren’t……annihilated」

The younger woman covered her mouth with both her hands while trembling. The manager’s voice was also slightly trembling……

However, it seemed they couldn’t be given the leeway to immerse themselves in deep emotion that was a mix of astonishment and happiness.

『W-what happened, out of nowhere! Wee! Got teleported with no question asked just when we though that we had gotten dragged to an unknown place! You wanna a piece of me-, aaaah!?』

『Is this an other world summoning? ……Good grief, we aren’t that hero lad. The madam is going to grumble at me again.』

What popped out their faces from behind the pyramid object was,

「Rab, bit?」

「……There’s also a human faced fish riding in a strange vehicle (?) with it……」

No matter how they looked at it, it was a rabbit whose emotion snapped and threw threat around like a thug and a fish with strangely deep features.

It was, alright. The visitors being a talking rabbit and a human faced fish were fine. They also had this kind of thing in their world before. Or rather they created them.

But, but however.

The floating triangular pyramid objects――the commonly named “travelers” that were sent out to the other eight universes in order to bring back hope had been given a precise configuration. The conditions for their return here.

Each of the condition had their own of rank of importance where the traveler would move on to the next condition if the previous condition wasn’t fulfilled.

First, was someone who possessed technology that surpassed the standard of this world’s technology, or if not the person than the technology itself.

Second, talented person with ability that could possibly bring about the tipping point of the civilization.

Third, “hero” whose strength surpassed the past people of this world at the past, or perhaps possessing a unique power.

Broadly speaking, it was those three conditions.

Those were the three conditions……but.

『Aa? There’s people there. Ou ou ou, ladies. Are you two our summoners? You gonna explain the situation to us yeah? Depending on what y’have to say for yerselves――』

『Like I keeeep teelling you! Why’re you idiot so quick to pick a fight like that! Do you have a monster brain! ……No, you were a monster weren’t you.』

No matter how they looked at these two, they couldn’t imagine how they could possibly fulfill the conditions. The two only looked like a thuggish rabbit and a vagabond-acting human faced fish.

「I, don’t know what kind of face I should make in this kind of time.」

「You look expressionless like usual though.」

In any case, first thing to do was communication.

They didn’t understand what kind of selection standard the “traveler” used to select this queer pair of people (?) but, there was no doubt that these two had some kind of important factor that couldn’t be determined just from a glance. The object looked like it was still functioning, so they would be able to confirm various things after it was repaired.

In that case, there was no way they could act with hostility.

And so, for now she would spread out her arms to show that they harbored no hostility while greeting them.

「Welcome people of another world. I’m truly happy from the bottom of my heart for this encounter. ……Unfortunately this event is nothing but misfortune for your side though.」

『Aah?』

『Hou?』

The woman with bob haircut thought.

The figure of the older woman approaching briskly with her white robe flaring behind, expressionlessly, while looking down naturally due to the height difference, and both her hands spread out……

Manager

……

that

’

s completely the scene of the mastermind making her entrance,

she thought.

In fact, the rabbit and human faced fish now looked wary and readied themselves to fight.

Mrs. Manager didn’t even notice her subordinate reaching out toward her with her hand looking like she wanted to say something behind her as she carried it out. The greatest “way to show friendliness” that she thought up herself.

Yes, after all “smile” was the strongest communication tool that was shared across worlds!

「I’m so happy I might jump up and down for real. Just like a rabbit or a washed up fish! ……Catch my drift?」

The air became heavily silent,

The woman with bob haircut looked up.

The rabbit and human faced fish looked at each other. They were clearly feeling extremely bewildered!

「……Just now, I was talking about rabbit hopping around, and fish that got washed up on land flapping around, combined with jumping around from happy feeling――」

The woman with bob haircut covered her face with her hands!

I want to enter a hole nearby if there

’

s one!

She had that kind of atmosphere.

And so, for now.

『Your joke is shitty-!!』

The rabbit――Inaba-san made a tsukkomi with a sharp pointing from his front leg.

The manager was horribly shocked hearing that she froze.

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『It was kinda like that. When we came――whoops!!』

Inaba-san launched a midair spinning kick even while using “Telepathy”.

What got hit by the kick directly on the stomach was a dark green humanoid monster with body texture like gelatine.

Its head that was formed from knitted tentacles had countless eyes like they were just put there haphazardly. Its torso and legs looked atrophied, while its arms were abnormally swelled like they contained all the nutrition of its body.

Even just its appearance induced severe discomfort and nausea. Just looking at it made the watcher felt a sense of foreignness that might drive them insane. Such thing was,

――ッ※※※※ッ

Was it the effect of the leg armor artifact? Or perhaps it was simply Inaba’s technique?

The monster broke down like its guts had gotten crushed to pulp. Furthermore the shockwave from the kick made its body bent into the shape of “>”and it was sent flying while letting out a voiceless shriek.

Inaba landed while brushing off his ears coolly. He then turned his gaze toward the one he talked at.

『Oo!』

A voice of admiration unconsciously slipped out from him.

There was a silent battlefield there.

A silhouette swayed like a swaying leave. Countless tentacles rushed at it from all directions.

All those tentacles came apart into dice shapes the moment they entered a certain range from the silhouette.

One of the humanoid monsters surrounding the silhouette thrust its arm forward. It seemed to be a spatial vibration. Distorted space approached the silhouette.

*Slash-*

Distortion of space itself was cut apart by a sword shining radiantly held in the right hand of the silhouette. The distortion returned back to normal in the blink of eye.

Next two black whirling shells were fired from two directions. They were most likely gravity sphere.

But even those.

*Slash-*

The silhouette danced. Its rotation was so beautiful it caused the watcher to have such misapprehension. The sword in the right hand and the wooden sword in the left hand each cleaved the two gravity spheres in their paths regardless of each sword’s length.

It seemed that was perceived as an opening. Three humanoid monsters instantly closed the distance from three directions. It was a surprise attack with perfect timing that aimed at the moment right after the silhouette finished swinging the swords.

The claws of their hands――looked faintly distorted. Most likely the claws were using spatial severance――those claws were swung with speed that eyes couldn’t follow.

And then, they hit empty air.

The silhouette slipped away like it was the easiest thing in the world. It escaped the claws’ encirclement with a gait like it was taking a stroll. And right at the next moment, the three humanoid monsters all shifted diagonally simultaneously.

At the same time, the other three that fired magic and tentacles before also shifted together.

They were cut. Even from the distance.

『For real, that slash is still so fascinating no matter how many times I see it. No, even my eyes can’t follow it though……』

Inaba praised in admiration and excitement, and also a lot of frustration in his tone.

He blew away a humanoid monster that emerged right in front of him with a somersault kick to the head, and tehn launched a slash with the foot he pulled back. He successfully bisected the monster. The cut was a splendid one that it should be fine even if he sang his own praises for that.

But, even so……

『It can’t compare with the hero bro huh. Heh, ain’t that make your blood boiling.』

It was like he was looking at everything, and looking at nowhere at the same time. Boundless sight without any light in the eyes. And yet, that sword flash, just from looking at it, no, exactly because it couldn’t be seen that it sent chills into the spine.

“Serene Mind” ――a skill where the user entered the state of complete self-effacement even while the user’s intense selfishness of “protecting even at the cost of his own life” that was far from being self-effacing was still there. That skill that was filled with contradiction was befitting Kouki in a sense.

But, the effect was real and also immense.

He was constantly choosing the optimal solution in offense and defense. His perception surpassed mere perception. His movement was natural like flowing water. Even though he entered the opponent’s field of vision, his sword slash was strikingly hard to respond to, just like a blade of grass at the side of road.

It was due to him in a state of complete harmony with the surrounding while his slash was just too fast.

Slash, that process couldn’t be perceived.

Slashed, only that result could be perceived from the cut.

No wonder even the rabbit fur stood on end from seeing that.

『And most of all ya got a different look now. You’ve become a real man now after not meeting ya for a while huh.』

「Sorry-, Inaba-san! I couldn’t talk before!」

Kouki must have used the skill immediately after the enemies surrounded him. He dispelled “Serene Mind” and came running back.

Midway, he magnificently used the flat side of the holy sword to shift away the light beam coming toward him. He also fired “Soaring Flash” during the returning motion of his blade. Even that “Soaring Flash” was at the realm of the speed of sound.

The humanoid monster splendidly dodged it with teleportation to also move behind Kouki. As expected from such monster, but Kouki too had splendidly predicted that and formed a compressed light bullet that he fired behind him. It was the move of a veteran of a hundred battle that deserved Inaba’s admiration.

The humanoid monster was hit with the light bullet on its chest, where the bullet further burst inside and blasted apart the monster. Kouki didn’t even look back at the monster’s end and stood back to back with Inaba.

「And, the fight started right away after that?」

『Yeah. We had also gotten a bit of explanation beforehand though. But we still don’t know about the situation in detail. In any case we might lose the way to return home if we don’t do something about the attack so we volunteered. After all, as ya can see, this world, it’s in this state.』

「I, guess……really……it’s an amazing sight.」

While the din of the battlefield was playing a grand chorus, Kouki looked around at his surrounding even while exhaling.

A wasteland where there wasn’t even a single blade of grass.

There was nothing to obstruct his gaze until the horizon. That was just how empty it was.

And then, there was also nothing ahead of that.

The land became cliff and cut off at that point. It wasn’t the case that under there the land continued and it wasn’t visible to him because it was a blind spot.

「To think, it’s the outer space at a place where my hand might reach if I just reach out……」

Yes, it was space.

This place wasn’t a planet. To describe it was an island floating in space. From the center to the edges there was only around dozens of kilometers of stretches of land. It was a flat land like in the flat earth theory.

If he looked up he would be able to faintly see a dome shaped pavilion that was tinged with rainbow color. The height was a bit beyond a thousand meter. It was covering the whole floating island.

It separated the floating island from the outer space. It was the barrier that made mankind’s survival possible.

No, perhaps it should be described like this to be more accurate. This was a world where the underlying principles were broken.

Yes, this place was none other than the place where Inaba and Lee-san got summoned, followed by Kouki’s group after that――this place was in the calamity world that should have been destroyed and the only living area in this world.

There were survivors in the calamity world. They weren’t grotesque monsters. They were “human” survivors with clear will and heart.

Their homeworld of the past had been smashed up and didn’t exist anymore. This land, it was a satellite like the moon of earth. To be more accurate, it was a part of the satellite that had also gotten smashed up.

At the outer space he could see many stars as well as countless drifting islands and rocks.

Furthermore, there was also a huge vortex of light whirling like a galaxy.

But, he couldn’t look at it for long. Because it would drive his mind insane.

First, the sense of distance was strange. The whole time it looked like it was far away, but then it would look right outside the barrier right after he blinked. Sometimes he would also fall into the sensation like it was both far and near.

Not only that, he also got an odd feeling like what he saw didn’t exist even though he could see it.

Furthermore, even the shape and dimension of what he saw were randomly changing like it was normal.

A rock with distorted shape that had a diameter around ten meters just now would suddenly become perfectly round.

Just when he thought it became a gigantic rock several hundred meters big, it would shrink to become like a pebble.

That was just the beginning.

He thought that what he saw was metallic before it became like liquid or clay, and when he realized it dispersed like steam. Just when he thought that it vanished with that, the original sight that he saw in the beginning was right there as though nothing had happened.

The clincher was what looked to him like person or animal no matter how he looked at it.

Something was strange. Something was decisively out of order.

And yet he became unable to tear off his eyes from it. He even forgot the interval of time and drowned in the world of mad perception――

『Shaoraa!!』

「!!」

Kouki returned to his senses with a gasp. Inaba-san blew away the swarm of tentacles that emerged across countless space and rushed toward him with a kick that mowed them down and launched shockwave.

It seemed that his focus was stolen away for an instant.

『Don’t be absentminded here! Hero bro!』

「Sorry Inaba-san!」

『You gonna become like that if you look at the sky too much. You can’t let yer guard down just because this is a safe living area. That’s what it mean when the principles of the world break down. I too had gotten shouted at many times because of that since coming to this world at the beginning by the manager lady and mister Lee.』

「Haha……human can be driven insane even when inside a barrier of concept magic protecting the place, huh……what’ll happen if we get outside of it……that’s terrifying.」

He extended the holy sword in an instant and bisected all the humanoid monsters invading from that outer space where the world principles should be breaking down through the rainbow barrier. His face was twitching at the same time.

He understood the meaning of “the collapse of the principles of the world” as a sentence.

But, he was rendered speechless when he actually saw the actual thing. He simply felt terror.

『I’m counting on ya here. Right now the waves of attack is relatively lighter than before. Their strength is also only rank 3 at most.』

The conversation continued just like that and Inaba instantly vanished. He easily entered the realm of supersonic speed and his kick gored a humanoid monster who was about to use some kind of powerful magic.

Of course, Kouki too wasn’t just standing around.

A humanoid monster was falling from directly above like a meteor. Most likely it was clad in super gravitational field. He turned the holy sword’s tip toward it and the sword lengthened. The monster wasn’t even given any chance to dodge before it got skewered.

But, the number didn’t decrease.

The humanoid monster kept coming without end. It was like they were oozing out from the outer space where the principles of the world should be breaking down, where Kouki and Inaba couldn’t possibly do anything to them there.

Even though he had just used “Serene Mind” before this and reduced the number by more than fifty and then further took down several more after that, the enemies’ number had almost returned back like before.

「So this is the weakest even though they’re using age of god magic like nothing……」

『Really, it’s a big help that you guys came here. It’s frustrating but, I’ve a hard time against class 2. And if it’s against class 1 then I’m shit outta luck.』

From the analysis of the manager and others, they noticed that the strength of the humanoid monsters differed between each specimen. And then they assigned rank to the monsters.

The monster’s specs plainly rose across the board the higher their rank was. Furthermore the increase was explosive as though they were using sublimation magic.

If it was a class 3 then a serious attack from Inaba could kill it without fail.

But, against class 2 even an attack that landed cleanly couldn’t instantly finish it off. Far from that the monster would even regenerate in the blink of eye.

And when it was against class 1 it would be a losing battle. Just buying time would be the best Inaba could do even if he fought with his life on the line.

And if there were more than one of such enemy then he would have to resolve himself to die.

『Even the law technique users of this world are all monsters. The strongest of them can easily match you hero bro and others. Even so, in about two weeks since we got summoned here, half of them have already passed away in that short time……』

「Yeah……I’ve heard a bit about that.」

In Tortus’s time axis, Inaba and Lee-san had gone missing for more than two months. But apparently only about two weeks had passed in this world.

And, at the beginning when the attack had only just started, the situation was even more horrible than this. There were times when humanoid monsters of class where Inaba and Lee-san were helpless against were present.

Among the survivors of the calamity world, apparently there were fierce fighters who could use multiple age of god magic――it was called law technique here――and some had even reached the essence of age of god magic although limited to only one……

Perhaps that was just to be expected from the world that Ehito came from. But, even such people had lost half of their number in a fight where they had to resolve to die together with their opponents.

Thanks to that the class 1 monsters were successfully eradicated, the momentum of the attack had weakened, and most of the attackers were only class 3 but……

The attack itself hadn’t ended, and in addition around one week ago there were multiple class 2 monsters that appeared.

They somehow managed to repel the attack after deathly battles one after another, but it exhausted the law technique users even more and yesterday, the situation became despairing due to the further emergence of class 2 monsters.

It was at that timing. Kouki’s group got summoned.

And so, Kouki’s group too hadn’t heard about the situation in detail. But, there was no denying that Inaba and Lee-san were in danger, and being told that at this rate the world would perish, they decided to go to the battlefield for the time being.

That was exactly why, now that there was a bit of leeway after Kouki wiped out the class 2 monsters, he was talking with Inaba trying to get information even just for a little bit but……

Even that Inaba didn’t have much information. Or rather the fact that he had been in consecutive battles without stopping until now that he didn’t even have time to ask more about the situation was heavily weighing down on Kouki.

It meant that this world was being cornered to such bad degree.

「The class 2 monsters that I fought right after the summoning……they were certainly bad news. If I didn’t have Moana’s “divine protection” and Kara’s illusion……I shudder just from imagining it.」

Kouki recalled the sensation of his soul getting grasped and his body shivered. As expected he got slightly flustered when “Limit Break” was sealed, but that was even worse.

The sense of revulsion that gave him goosebumps and the primitive fear he felt at that time were beyond description……

He fired “Soaring Flash – Hundred Wings” to shake off the memory.

The humanoid monsters that newly intruded were swallowed by a storm of slashes of light. Some put up their defenses trying to endure it. Kouki watched that while stabbing the divine sword into the ground.

More than ten humanoid monsters around him closed the distance or teleported toward him, but tree roots shot out from the ground and entwined around them.

The roots didn’t budge at the slightest despite being plant. Even if they were cut apart with spatial severance, the roots propagated and regenerated with terrific speed to restrict the monsters back, giving them a hard time to escape.

「Of course, Aula’s a big help too.」

There was no way Kouki would miss such fatal opening. The holy sword’s shining slash swept them cleanly altogether. Aula who was in the divine sword mode flashed brightly as though to say 『Well of course!』.

『I’m real thankful. Especially that Moana girl, thanks to her I too can get a level up. Now I can give a good fight even against class 2 monster.』

Inaba kicked another one apart while glancing behind.

What first came into sight was a white building that rose to the sky. Its shape was like a giant snake twisting its body up. There were also many chalk white cubes circling it around.

The cubes had various sizes. There were some that were as big as car, but there were also some that reached the size of a huge warehouse in a harbor.

Those were the buildings where the survivors of the calamity world lived.

BD was staying airborne between those buildings and where Kouki and co were fighting. It was in full combat mode. All its weapons were active and firing attacks like a hedgehog.

Moana was controlling the ship. At the same time she was using her heaven’s blessing art “Divine Protection” from the place with the highest defense.

For the current her who had obtained assistance from Foltina who was the avatar of the desert world, her art’s effect compared favorably even with sublimation magic, if only in a different system.

Furthermore, in this battlefield, there were interception units deployed to three directions with the buildings as the center. One direction was assigned to Kouki and Inaba alone, while Kara was supporting the law technique users at the other two directions. Moana wasn’t supporting only the two of them in this theater, but also more than a hundred law technique users at the other two other theaters simultaneously.

Right now, one of the major factors supporting this battle that had no end in sight was without a doubt Moana’s “Divine Protection”.

But, ahead of Inaba’s gaze.

A flash, impact.

「『!!?』」

They didn’t know what just happened. But, a violent shockwave reached even until Kouki and Inaba’s location that was a kilometer away. Not only that, pain ran through their souls. It whipped up their consciousness for a moment.

BD was tilting while falling to the ground at the same time when the flash died down.

Part of it like the mast was shattered. Furthermore black flame was shrouding the ship. The barrier covering the hull was penetrated and the hull that boasted that much toughness was damaged.

But, they had no

leeway

to shudder from seeing that fact.

Kouki paled.

Hyuu

, his throat rumbled. Because, inside there――

「Moana!!」

『I’m fine! Don’t lose your cool! On guard!!』

The “queen’s tone” that even felt nostalgic right now surged out. As though to prove those words weren’t a lie, BD corrected its leaning even while sliding sideways. In addition it put back its barrier.

It felt like he just got slapped in the face. His agitated mind cooled down instantly. Not only that, he felt the radiance of “Divine Protection” strengthened a step further and smiled wryly.

Moana was always supporting Kouki’s heart.

He felt pathetic but also happy of that.

That was why at the very least, he wouldn’t allow the second time.

「――”God’s Might”」

Chant abolishing. But, its power was even more powerful than the full power of before. Furthermore, the hero’s special trait――no matter the world, no matter the opponent, his power would definitely work――that Foltina liberated in him was working even more powerfully.

It made it possible to send power of destruction until the rainbow pavilion that was more than a kilometer away without any weakening in effect at all.

But,

『……Hero bro, this is bad……we expected it but, it’s finally here……』

「Yeah……looks like it……」

“God’s Might” was swallowed. It was like there was a black hole swallowing it.

Ahead of there was another humanoid monster.

But he knew.

The hideous presence from it invoked nausea in a different level from the class 3 monsters he had faced until now. The overwhelming aura of power made it presumptuous to even compare it with class 2 monster.

It was the return of the class 1 monster.

Furthermore there were three of them. No,

『Hero-dono, I need a bit of help ssu』

It seemed they also appeared at the other side. He could feel tension from Kara’s voice that she didn’t even try to hide.

「Sorry, Kara. It doesn’t look like I’ll be able to go there right away. Hold out somehow over there.」

『Fufu, you’re hoping that I might get killed over here while you’re taking your time like that ssu isn’t it? As revenge because I called you shitty hero! This shitty hero!! Stuuupid! Stuuupid! If I survive I’ll definitely tattle on you ssu! At the master! Including aa~~nything that you never even do!!』

「It’s a bad taste to tattle 100% fabrication! This damn shitty demon-」

『This ain’t the time for a comedy skit! They’re coming!!』

From there, it was a battle like doing tap dance on a thin ice.

Two humanoid monsters didn’t move from near the ceiling. They stayed still without even twitching.

But, their power could only be described as heinous.

He couldn’t use “Limit Break” thanks to the first one. Its attack slammed directly into his soul. Not only that, if he let his guard down his soul might got tore away from his body.

The second’s ability was complete coordinate attack. It must be space magic. But, its attack generation speed and coordinate designation speed were beyond the pale. Without any indication the space of the spot he was standing just a moment ago got split.

And then, amidst the storm of such diabolical attacks, the third attacked at close range without any concern even while getting hit by the attacks of his own comrades. It was a godspeed user. But, its proficiency was abnormal.

In addition was its outrageous regeneration ability. It was so fast that the moment its torso was bisected it was already gluing back. It even felt like his slash was just passing through.

The “Serene Mind” state as well as artifact that granted him sublimation magic, furthermore defenses from various types of talismans, Inaba and Moana single-handedly taking care of all the class 3 monsters at the surrounding. It was only thanks to all those that he was somehow holding up but……

(This is bad……the talisman’s durability will soon……)

The “Serene Mind” was about to deactivate at the time such thought formed in his mind. Currently he was still unharmed but, even for the current Kouki it was beyond him to quickly finish off such powerful enemies who were cooperating with each other.

He wondered how it was going with Kara and others. Were they safe? The anxiety was gnawing his mind, worsened by the instinctual revulsion that the enemy was causing in him.

(At least if I have magic power……)

The after-effect felt like it would be horrible but as long as he had magic power he believed that he would be able to use “Limit Break”. It was his hero’s instinct. But his ample storage of magic power couldn’t be used right now do to a certain circumstance.

(A bit more……if I endure for a bit more, I should be able to see a chance……)

Endure endure. Three class 1 monsters would cause the other theaters to crumble. A lot of people would die if he didn’t hold them here and somehow defeat them.

『Hero-dono! There’re multiple class 2 here! My apologies ssu!! Some of them broke through ssu!!』

「――tsu. Inaba! It’s fine here! Deal with that!!」

『! That’s manly, hero bro! Leave it to me!』

Protect, protect, protect――

It felt like his nerves and thought were getting honed amidst the battle that put him at the very limit. The class 3 monsters rushed him after Inaba withdrew from this battlefield.

He cut cut cut cut cut――

Finally some of his talismans broke――

It was then.

A woman’s voice pierced the battlefield and rang directly inside the brain. It was the manager.

『Sorry for the wait. The analysis and construction of the formula is over. I’m opening the door to the “strongest” that you mentioned now.』

「Uwaaaaaaaaah, quickkk! In that case call him here quicklyyy! I’m begging youuu!!」

Kouki let out his crying.

He tossed away the feeling of being honed until just now and begged for help without any care of appearance.

If a certain demon god heard that then he would surely say 「As I thought only near certain death can make people grow. Pampering is no good」 with an apathetic look. If it was a certain abyss lord than he would surely say 「I super understand that feelinggggggg-」 with complete agreement.

『I’m sending Leeman to the other side. Everyone, please endure for a little bit more.』

A vortex of light manifested at the tip of the building that was like twisting snake. It was a teleportation gate that connected to a different universe.

「Please–, hurry――woaahh!? I’m dying! No, I won’t die-」

『That was dangerous. Even so it’s amazing how you can deal with three class 1 monsters by your lonesome. You’re the highest class hero even among all the heroes in our record. For there to be someone else you recognize as the strongest……my interest is――』

「Is this harassment!? If you know I’m at the end of my rope here then call him here quicklyyy!!」

『……By the way, today I’m wearing a sweater.』

「S-so what!?」

『I was also wearing a sweater yesterday.』

「……」

『In other words, sorry to make you waaiit――catch my drift?』

Even though “Serene Mind” was dispelled, all expressions vanished completely from Kouki-kun’s face.

『Just now didn’t “sorry to make you wait” rhyme somewhat like “sweater” ――』

「I’ll murder you deaaaadddd!! Call for reinforcement alreadyyyyyy!!」

Swearing that was unbefitting for a hero came out. There was no doubt that his friends’ eyes would widen like saucer if they were here.

Faintly there was a voice 『It’ll take around forty seconds until the connection is complete so……I thought I would lessen your mental burden even if only a little……』 with slightly dejected tone but, Kouki was also desperate. He didn’t give a follow up.

Or rather, he wondered why. Even though his heart was completely disturbed and the class 1 monsters that took advantage of that opening with their team attack, he felt like he was handling it even better than before.

“Serene Mind” allowed him to continuously took the best action to make, in exchange it became difficult for him to think of other things. Could it be, it evolved? He was in the same state of mind even in his regular condition? No but, like that the words “Serene Mind” didn’t accurately describe his state at the slightest anymore……

『This is bad. One of the class 2 that broke through reached the teleportation gate. This particular specimen is nearly as strong as class 1.』

Before he realized it, he really didn’t realize it but a humanoid monster was standing still near the rooftop.

Its hand reached toward the vortex of light. Immediately, the vortex of light became dyed black from the center.

Furthermore, seven class 2 monsters that broke through the theaters of Kara and others arrived. They rapidly closed the distance to rush into there.

『Not on my watchhhh!!』

『Don’t get in the wayy!!』

Inaba launched a jumping kick toward the strong specimen, while Lee-san flew out from a corner of the rooftop and fired Triana’s weapons toward the other class 2 monsters.

But, it looked like they were a bit late.

Although the class 2 monsters were successfully held back for a little, the strong specimen got enveloped in black mist and got sucked into the teleportation gate. Inaba passed through it in vain.

『Tsk, Inaba! I’m going! Hold back these guys――』

『――How dare it ignored me』

Apparently the blood had rose to his head. The corner of Inaba’s eyes rose sharply. And then, he jumped to the air and rolled over. The air rippled extremely. Inaba braced himself strongly using that as his foothold.

『O-oi, wait! Calm down a little-』

Lee-san’s words didn’t reach. *PAAANN* The “Air Force” foothold was smashed. At the same time Inaba-san transformed into a white comet that flew into the teleportation gate.

It was at that timing the “traveler” which was the pyramid floating object that led Inaba and Lee-san to the calamity world appeared at the rooftop. It had been arranged to go together with the role as an anchor that connected this side to the other side.

In other words, the preparation was finished.

『Aaaaaahh geeeeezzz, that damn idiott!!』

The class 2 monsters were approaching. There was no time. Lee-san shook his head with the air of great desperation. He dragged the “traveler” and rushed into the teleportation gate.

Seven class 2 monsters followed after him and entered the gate.

『I somehow dispelled the erosion. I’ll definitely maintain the formula. Though I hope that this so called demon god is really as strong as you said.』

A specimen that was nearly as strong as class 1 and seven class 2 had gone to the other side.

The manager felt worry and anxiety by that fact.

Kouki laughed.

「They’re in the middle of family trip right now. In other words, the whole family is there.」

『?』

「Then, it’s a hundred percent alright. It’s not just the demon god. Even that guy’s wives are all monsters in their own right after all.」

It would take Hajime and others a bit of time to deal with the humanoid monsters. Until then, he had to hold out here no matter what.

「It’s fine. I’ll protect this place until then.」

Kouki told himself that and fired himself up again.

He never even considered that he would feel taken aback when it didn’t even take five minutes for that.

.

.

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AN: Thank you very much for reading this every time.

Thank you very much too for the thoughts, opinions, and reports about misspelling and omitted words.

The final arc begins.

Just to let you all know, I wrote in the afterword last chapter that the sixth chapter is the prologue but, in the end it became that long because before the last arc I wanted to depict the relationship with all the other world people who had appeared until now, and also revealing the foreshadowing and writing the setting that will become the premise. The last arc won’t become as long as the prologue.

In any case, I wish to have fun writing until the end, so I hope everyone can accompany me together.

Best regards!!

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